The new Rebel Leia is going to be as she appeared in Return of the Jedi on the Rebel cruiser... basically, think the Endor Poncho Leia without the helmet and poncho. Nothing too fancy, but still, new classic figures are always welcome. Except another Tatooine Luke and BoShek.

My favorite? Probably Vader for character, Fett for costume.

6
At the DragonCon in Atlanta this past weekend, I picked up 4 Star Wars "figures" that are pretty unique. The dealer said he didn't know where they were from, just that the were "some foreign figures". They are resin casts of Rebel Fleet Trooper, Garindan, Sandtrooper and Vader that look like somebody designed them to fit in with the vintage figures. There are a couple of broken pieces and missing arm/hands from the sandtrooper and they appear to be pre-POTF2. I have pics up for you to look at:

http://www.geocities.com/brian_k_pennington/resinfigs

I was hoping you could give me your opinion as to their origins. For $8 each, they were a great find and I hope to use them to cast my own figures from them.
  -Brian

Well, I'll be honest: I've never seen those before, either. They certainly look to be fan-made (aka custom, unlicensed, or whatever adjective you're in to) and yeah, they do have a definite late 1980s look to them. It's not uncommon to see resin casts of some toys out there, be they customs or even a casting of the old die-cast TIE Bomber toy.

For $8 each, well, you could do worse. $8's a good price for a custom piece if you liked it enough to want one in your collection, so I'd guess they're great little customs valued at eight bucks a pop. That Rebel Fleet Trooper figure is really something!

7
What do you see as the future of Hasbro's 4" SW line once Episode 3 is finished? How long after that last movie do you think we'll see the line stick around? Interest will most certainly decline, as it did with POTF in the mid eighties. Do you think we'll see history repeat itself?
  -Jedieb

As long as there's a large collector base, the production of Star Wars toys could continue forever between resculpts and obscure characters. I have serious doubts it will have legs for more than a year or two past Episode 3 short of an animated series or some other companion to the films to get interest outside the core audience of collectors.

8
Are the Trophy series Obi-Wan and Battle Droid figures going to be exclusives?
  -Tom

Last I heard, it was possible that Kay-Bee might not want them. Meaning their future is anybody's guess... unpackaged production pieces of both have surfaced.

9
I have noticed that lately both Yakface and Rebelscum have been talking about the buying clubs at [an online toy store]. (Lower than usual prices, notification of new products for members before the public, discounted shipping, etc) From what they say, they both seem like pretty good deals, but I haven't heard anything from anyone that was ever in one. What have you heard about them? Are they as good as they sound? Are these places reliable enough to make it worth my time?
  -Zac

Well, I'm always wary of new ways for me to part with my money, be it eBay, e-commerce in general, or anything else.

As far as how these sites go, there's no way to say how it'll work. I do know for a fact that many smaller Hasbro accounts rarely get what they order, or what they want. However if you've ordered from the store in the past and they've been around for a while, it might be worth a shot-- assuming that they have what you want. Is it too good to be true? Or is it the thing that kills the sport in collecting new toys? I guess we'll know for sure in a few months.

10
I have heard that the 12" Darth Maul and Speeder is no longer going to be a Wal-Mart exclusive, along with the Falumpaset. (which I have already found at a Wal-Mart). I have heard that Target is now going to get the 12" Darth Maul w/ Speeder along with the 12" Capt. Tarpals w/ Kaadu, 12" Biker w/ Speederbike, and possably the Fan CLub 12" Valorum & Guard. Can you shead any light on this.
  -Doug

I have heard nothing official (or at all, aside from this note) regarding the status of the 12" Maul with Sith Speeder's availability in the US being changed. Rumors on exclusive get started at a drop of a hat, I've got serious doubts that Target would ever take on that many exclusives, and that the Fan Club would allow another one of it's specials to be shared since these items are a big draw.

My advice: ignore the rumors until you see evidence from someone or somewhere you trust. (And even then, be careful. I've heard so many "Oh, but why would my brother make something like that up?" responses to my "It's a rumor, it's bogus, ignore it" comments in the past that you probably wouldn't believe it.)

FIN
Send in some questions, and we'll be back here Wednesday morning for more!

  
  Adam Pawlus

1
Umm...did I miss the Wednesday Q&A update, or what?
  -Jccavie

If you go to this page and there's no update, and you go to the main page and there's no update, then there's a very good chance that there's no update.

2
With all the buzz over JIMMY SMITS(??!!) as Bail Organa, just what was going on in Episode 1 with Panaka announcing "Bail ANTILLES of Alderaan" running for Chancellor? Was this a different character than Bail Organa? Would this character then be related to "Captain Antilles" mentioned in Episode 4? And isn't Wedge also an Antilles? Will John Williams now have to compose an "L.A. Law/ Star Wars Medley" for Jimmy Smits' time onscreen?
  -rufus

Well, the question is really, what is "Bail"? Is it a name like "John" or "Mitch", or a title like "Sir" or "Lord"? This one little thing could change a lot in the way of speculation of many characters.

As far as Bail Organa, since the early days, Leia's adoptive pop has been Mr. O. On the toys, radio drama, and elsewhere, the Organa name has been employed. So I'd say that the answer to this question is that Antilles and Organa are two entirely different people. Of course, this is a sci-fi/fantasy film, meaning from one to the next you can make up whatever explaination you want and it'd probably make a lot of sense.

Oh... yeah, Wedge is an Antilles, and there's no known connection between the characters of Bail Antilles, Wedge Antilles, and Cap'n Antilles. Odds are it's just a name Lucas digs.

3
About a year before The Phantom Menace there was a rumor circulating that Ewan MacGregor did not sign off on his likeness for Obi-wan figures, or that he was insisting on a percent of the sales. Was this just a rumor (i.e., just crap) or was the issue resolved somehow? Are the actors told upfront that they will probably see themselves in plastic, deal with it, and that is just part of being in Star Wars, or is each situation dealt with uniquely? I was curious since the new movies have some acting heavy-weights (Neeson, Portman, Stamp, Christopher Lee, Samuel Jackson, and now Jimmy Smits).
  -John

As far as the truth behind that statement, I really don't know. Odds are there's some truth to it, but he did seem rather pleased with the results on at least one on-camera interview last year.

As far as likeness rights go, there is currently a "sign or forget it" type of thing for the SW flicks... in other words, when it comes to new SW characters, with the complicated exception of E.T., characters/faces/people/whatever not generated by LFL sign a likeness release form.

4
I had a question on the vintage figures. I was curious about the first power of the force line. How many figures did it include (15 or 17)? Are Paploo and Lumat considered part of this line. I am trying to get all of the first power of the force coins made (i.e. Amanaman, Luke stormtrooper, etc.) and was curious if these figures are included in the original line because I've heard 2 different stories.
  -Deon

Paploo and Lumat were oddballs in the SW line in that they were late additions to the second year of Jedi product. Some versions of the year 2 ROJ toy catalog showed them, some didn't... they were available on ROJ packaging, but some insist they're easier to find on POTF cards.

As far as coins go, well, your best bet for finding out every last detail you wanted to know (but were afraid to ask) can be found at the Star Wars Collector's Archive. If I understand your goal right, you might not like the answer: the first POTF coins were all mail-ins, some are rather easy to find, and some are incredibly difficult to track down. Not all mail-in coins were available on POTF packaging (namely, the vehicle coins and the oin that featured all four Cantina aliens), so if you really want the 63 (or more if you want Ewoks, Droids, and a few preproduction coins) be prepared to spend the big bucks.

5
Didn't a Hasbro rep say that we would be 'swimming' in R2's w/holo Leia's in April? What happened and why not repackage at least the new sculpt Stormtrooper onto the new cards?
  -AndyD

(Swimming?) Well, they did say we'd see more, and well, we aren't. I answer Holo R2 questions like every single day, and well, keep in mind that I've told you all I know on the topic. I'd like to go to the store and buy myself an army of the buggers so I can paint 'em up and make a really slick custom R5-D4. So... yeah. Hasbro really missed the boat when it came to getting out a lot of great figures, we've established this many times over, and when they show up again, you'll see blurbs plastered o n our news page. Until then, well, I'm pretty much done answering Holo R2 questions for at least a few weeks.

6
I was wondering if you had any information concerning how cooperative retailers are going to be with the Power Of The Jedi line. I hear Target will carry the toys and probably Wal-mart, but how much will they carry? Will I be able to find all the new products if I'm patient and check around regularly, or am I going to have to buy fifty percent of my POTJ toys through the price gouging secondary market of America?
  -DeviantMan

Assuming the assortments really work out well, odds are there will be enough product for you to get what you want, or you can always order online. (Me, I like going to stores, but these days you never know.)

7
I was wondering if you knew if the 12" speeder bike would be available at Target stores in Canada. My brother lives there and am curious if I should send him on the hunt?
  -mike

As far as Canadian exclusives go, all I know is there is not now nor has there been a Canadian-only Hasbro figure. As to the availability of US stuff over there, I wouldn't be too optimistic because of the lack of almost any new product showing up in the Great White North. I'd keep the hunt confined to the US or maybe Japan.

8
I am a littled worried. If the new Entertainment Earth report about Hasbro shipping the last Sio Bibble wave case out is true, then when will we see them in the toy stores. I have yet to see them in the Pittsburgh area and there is 6 TRU's within twenty minutes of my house. Trust me i have been checking every week. Also I haven't seen the holo Sidious or the Jabba with announcer. Will I ever see them? And is this true in other parts of the country?
  -Jedi Tronzo

I saw a shipment or two at one K-Mart and one Wal-Mart in my area. That was the extent of my luck, I haven't seen new figures at Toys "R" Us aside from the Soft Goods Maul and TC-14 waves.

Well, never is a long time when it comes to toy availability. When something is hard to get, it'll usually get dumped somewhere, be it another country or a clearance sale. It might be a long wait, but odds are you'll find that which you seek eventually.

9
Wev'e been treated to some awesome Star Wars sets by Lego this year. Most of the sets seem to be Rebel oriented. Do think 2001 will be the year for the Empire to strike back with ships and mini-figs? When will Lego release 2001 product info?
  -CDussol

The big rumor for 2001 is that the entire line will have a classic focus with a big lean toward Imperial sets. Lego typically releases new info during the Fall, with new stuff starting to show up around December or January.

10
Hey adam i was just wondering since hasbo has now changed the packaging from EP1 and POFT to just one will this make production faster when it comes to just spending time on one and not having to go back and forth plus have different cases for each?
  -Dave

If I catch your meaning, it should have zero change on the production time. It might help get certain figures distributed faster than if the lines stayed separate, but it still takes a certain amount of time to get a figure to shelves, and the new assortments sadly can't change that.

FIN
See you on Monday!