All things unpainted and scented of wax
Sorta Mega Question Day!
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1 Why does Hsbro insist on making version after version of Tatooine Luke? I know Luke's sell well, but one would think that Luke X-Wing would be far more desirable to release with an ANH assortment. There are some Luke's I want, including a RH X-Wing version, but Hasbro doesn't seem to want to make those, just the same boring figure over and over. -Christopher
A frequently asked question, but unfortunately, you already know the answer-- Tatooine Luke always sells pretty well, even if it's barely changed it'd move off the pegs and until this stops, we're going to see more Tatooine Lukes instead of the figures some (or rather, a lot more than the last time I checked) collectors would rather have, like a new Jedi Luke, X-Wing Luke, and so forth.
Me, I'm a little miffed there's almost 30 different POTF2 Lukes out there as is, but hey, any new sculpts-- and I don't mean new accessories-- are usually worth checking out.
2 Will they end up making all the original figures for the current Power of the Force line? If not, who might you think will be left off? -James This may surprise some of you, but there is no "Hasbro Crystal Ball" available-- heck, they don't even have the "final plans" for POTF2 yet. Odds are some classic figures won't be remade just because there's no reason to do them, but there's still time left for more new figures. There's got to be something new out there, after all...
3 Do you know if the darth vader with removable helmet and those expand the universe figures are discountinued or what? do you think we still have a chance to get them from the fan club? -gilbert Hasbro's production on older figures seems-- and I do mean seems-- about over. While the Fan Club will probably see steady stock of these figures again, I don't expect to see them at retail. You just never know what the fan club is going to get... I mean, Hasbro's wherehouses are a mysterious thing.
4 Since the AT-ST was a pretty sluggish seller-- the first official pegwarmer of the POTF2 line-- it didn't ship for a very long time compared to, oh, any other Hasbro ship from the same time. Right now, the secondary market or a random lucky find in a toy store are all you can hope for. Unless the Fan Club decided to ask for some, that is...
5 I was just looking at some of the old FAQ's at the Hasbro star wars site, and they mentioned a Kenner on-line store. What happened to it, because I know that mosespa.com is the Fan Club's site. -Lou I'm 99% sure it became HasbroCollectors.com.
6 Hasbro has not made any information, pictures, or heresay regarding those characters.
7 Rebelscum Sponsor Entertainment Earth had them pretty recently. When they came out, they sat. So most stores didn't reorder and most collectors picked them up on the cheap, leaving an item that follows the Hasbro Catch 22 (as I see it): "Ship about enough, no one will care-- the toy will sit and people will complain. Ship too few, people will care, the toy will be sold on eBay for $912. Ship too many, and the retaillers will want to return stock." I never had a problem finding these last year... the item was cleared out of some stores because it wouldn't sell. Right now, the patented dumb luck method is about it other than a) asking a buddy in another state to find one or b) order it from somewhere like the aforementioned sponsor. Now, I'd LOVE to just order the figures from Hasbro or the Fan Club at some point... :)
8 Of people collect Star Wars, they will remain collector's items, as they are items that are collected.
9 Ummm... no. Closed hand Boba Fett? Heck, nobody I know even knows that there were open handed ones that was packaged with at least some of the Freeze Frame figures. Other than a few of those all I've seen were closed. And as far as full hand Tusken Raiders go... well, all my Tuskens have the full hand...
10 Sort of. While it is incredibly bizarre/twisted/shortsighted that they never shipped Removable Helmet Vaders or Mauls (12" Action Collection, Tatooine, or Naboo) to half a case (if not a full case), most figures are popular because they can't be had. I mean, if Ree-Yees was made in reasonable quantities, nobody would have cared. Ditto with Freeze Frame Weequay. But yes, there are cases where Hasbro could really clean up with doing certain character-heavy assortments, but the truth is, it really can't be done until after the regular assortments hit, and even then it's hard to tell what kind of interest is actually there versus what hype is surrounding a figure. With some people writing in here to brag about their 16 Jedi Duel Mauls, it's safe to say that we have yet another Hasbro (or rather, toy industry) Catch 22. "Ship a lot, some may be hoarded. Ship more, some may be returned for Geoffrey Bucks." Hasbro does need to get its assortments in gear to meet the Maul demand before it dries up, but as far as most other figures go (not all mind you) shipping more could result in sales drying up. But as far as shipping Chancellor Valorum in the Adi Gallia case goes, no logic, rationalization, or drug can explain that. :)
11 It's best to put stuff you opened back in their boxes, as the boxes were used to ship the toys to you in the first place. As far as protecting packaging goes, be creative. Bubble wrap, styrofoam peanuts, oversized baloons, they're all pretty good. Organized? How long have you been reading this column? I don't do organized. :)
12 Ummm... no. Rebelscum strives to be more or less a fun fan page, we don't want to get involved in selling toys. As far as obtaining one, have you gone to Hasbro's web site? They've been selling them since, oh, last year...
13 The most hyped character since Boba Fett will probably see plastic, but as of yet no release date has been given.
14 I don't hate him as much as most people, but I don't know how the character will work in to Episode 2 yet to make a definite "no way I want to see him again" answer. If he's only in there for a few minutes, like in a senate meeting or as a Gungan/Naboo liason, that could be neat. But if he's a stow-away again, well, needless to say people are going to get miffed. But it is GL's movie to do with as he pleases, and there's always the fast-forward button on the video if the character really annoys you.
FIN Oh, and for the record, I'm not going to be answering more Pepsi questions. If you want to drain your cans, pick the way that you think would look best. After all, I'm not going to be buying them from you, and if you aren't selling them, the only one you need to worry about is yourself.
1
Well, no such playset or vehicle exists in the Hasbro line. The only TIE Defender I've seen in plastic is from Galoob's Action Fleet line, and it's one of my favorite Galoob items. It's a little tough to get, but if you see one, pick it up-- it makes any desk look a lot better.
2 How long do I have before I'm forced to open the boxes of my 12" scale Jawa, my 14" electronic Darth Vader, my 12" electronic Boba Fett, etc. to replace/remove their batteries? Guess collectors who don't open the boxes are screwed due to the risk of battery leakage, right? -Biosonic1 In Douglas Adams' book, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, they make reference to a device used at parties to spontaneously move the hostess' undergarments a few feet away from the hostess. Unfortunately, no such device exists, and for now, you'll either have to open the packages, or in the cases of some PowerFX figures where it seems impossible to remove the batteries (see the Emperor for Hasbro's greatest triumph), you'll have to hope they don't leak. Opening them would be the best bet, just take the batteries out and slide 'em back in.
3 I just read this from Yakface.Com: Episode one has made 418 mil in the U.S. and 689 mil worldwide!
Over $600 Million!?! Doesn't this beat Titanic then? I heard the movie
didn't do as well as planned, but these stats prove otherwise. Is the record
officially broken? Is Phantom Menace number one of all time?
Nope. Titanic made around $600 Million in the US, if I recall. Worldwide, it was closer to $1.8 billion.
4 For your first question, I got my Bespin Luke with Removable Hand back around Spring of '98. He's around, I think the fan club has him and I know Entertainment Earth offers him in a case. As far as the second one, yes, I know a few. They tend to get angry when you hit on 'em, though.
5 I have been able to get my hands on an R2D2 cold drink cooler bin used by Pepsi. It's in very good to excellent condition and was wondering just what such a piece of memorabilia would bring. -Rickey Well, as the good samaritan I am, I have two suggestions. One, throw it on Ebay. Two, check out the many sales pages on the web-- you can get an estimate pretty quickly, but consider that it usually runs higher online than it would elsewhere.
6 Don't hold your breath.
7 Aurra Sing is a character that, for all practical purposes, should be delegated to the "obscure" pile and left there until Episode II gives a reason to pay her any real mind. She's a very pale, very slender alien bounty hunter that looks like the offspring between Xizor and your favorite member of Kiss. She appeared during the Pod Race sequence in Episode One, but if you didn't see her there, you're not alone. She's currently appearing in a one-shot from Dark Horse Comics (which, I gotta say, was pretty dull) as well as appearing in the pretty decent ongoing Star Wars comics with Ki-Adi Mundi. Also, she's the cover girl of the next Star Wars Insider. The Tonnika Twins are two broads from the Cantina in the first film with beehive hairdos and green suits. Since one of them was made in plastic in the Action Fleet line, you're expected to know them for the mid-term. :) For alien info, definitely give the various Visual Dictionaries from DK publishing a look, they're pretty great. Also check out Andy Magels' Essential Guide to Characters from a couple of years back, it's great for knowing who's who in the film and expanded Star Wars universes.
8 "Do you have that one with that guy who was in that movie last year?" Congrats on asking the most general question so far. That's no small feat. If you mean Episode One, well, everything's fair game-- the line is far from dead and anything that is axed today could be considered again if the demand picks up. For POTF2, well, the two that come to mind are Attack R2-D2 and Attack C-3PO, neither of which were ever seen pictured in print or online (but my sources mention prototypes on the black market that I have never seen.) A Ketwol (aka Slurpy) was considered in the past, but ultimately cut. In the 4" POTF2 line, Hasbro's been good about getting most of the figures made that they decide to make.
9 If I get off my butt this weekend, it'll be here at Rebelscum next week.
10 Hasbro released the pic on their web site (the new one that doesn't exist online right now) and when it went down, the pic went with it. We decided not to swipe it due to various reasons, but it should be back again real soon.
FIN
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