This is the first I've heard about the donation thing... hey, if it's for real, kudos to Hasbro!

As far as rarity, well, rarity has lost its meaning in the 1990s. Rare means... well, nothing on Ebay, for example. People want stuff that's hard to get, but some things like RC Speederbike with Luke are REALLY hard to get but nobody cares. Jedi Duel Maul, on the other hand, has been a heavily packed figure since day 1 and everybody freaks.

So it is possible for figures like Ric Olie and Jar Jar to exist, carded, in lower numbers than the rest... but will anyone care? That's the thing we're gonna hafta wait and see. I'm guessing no.

Yeah. The tooling adds a lot to the cost in the toy production process, so an enormous amount of molds have to be made to crank out the figures. This is part of the reason some figures aren't more per case... there's so few molds and so much demand for certain characters.

4
Hey, I've just recently gotten into collecting or I should say addicted to it. Anyway should I be taking off the price stickers or leaving them on???
  -Mark

Surprise me.

I wish I knew. I'm sure the materials to do it are lying around in a drawer somewhere in my dad's array of electronic junk or in a computer lab at the local university... but I really don't think anyone has figured out how to do it him/herself yet.

If they do figure it out, I'm gonna have a blast.

6
Final Fantasy VIII or Dino Crisis?
  -Jeff

I'm an RPG man, myself. Plus it's out now... I haven't seen Dino Crisis in stores yet, but everything I hear about it is good.

7
For those of you who have all 58 Freeze Frames (FF) know that we have 2 empty slots. (5 FF holders can hold up to 60 FF, but Hasbro only made 58 FF). So, why doesn't Hasbro make a mailaway for the 2 final FF? My ideas are Yoda FF and Tusken Raider FF OR Jawa FF OR Wedge FF. They made Ishi Tib and Prune Face FF, but not Yoda FF!?!?! Is it possible that Hasbro can do this kind of promotion? It would really complete the collection.
  -RJHNY1

It's done, let it die. :) No plans exist to make more of the li'l buggers.

8
I just heard that Hasbro is releasing a Y-wing some time next year. Isthere any truth to this?
  -Brandon

Yes. Hopefully it'll be good and not a rehash like the Skiff.

9
Im sick of people writing in to your q+a asking "is this rare?"
  -andrew

That's not much of a question... but hey, if you want to see some other questions here, ask 'em.

10
Hows it going? I hope you can answer this for me. All my friend that I have asked this question to think I am crazy. When Star Wars came out I was seven. When I was 5 I remember seeing a program on TV where they showed Chewbacas familly. The stormstroopes raided his house and through smoething out the window. Please tell me if I am imagining this show. If not do you know where I may beable to get a copy of it?
  -Orion

A Star Wars Holiday special aired in... 1978 or 1979 (don't have my reference materials handy.) This had Chewie's family, stormtroopers, the whole ball of wax. The show basically sucked to the point where LucasFilm has forbid (if that's the right word) any studio to release a home video of the program, although bootleg copies do exist on the black market and on the convention circuit.

If you have the chance to buy it, don't. Other than the Boba Fett cartoon, the show is of a nightmarish quality that includes Carrie Fisher either singing or lip synching... I don't know and I don't want to know.

FIN
QUESTIONS! SEND 'EM IN!!!

  
  Adam Pawlus

1
How come so many people love the characters Wedge and Boba Fett? COME ON! Wedge is a little coward that left Luke to die in the Death Star Trench and should of died instead of Biggs. Boba Fett has a cool outfit, but he died and is DEAD in the sarlac pit. If anyone believes that he escaped and lived go throw away the books and watch the movies. Lucas KILLED HIM!! You cannot bring back someone in a book if Lucas KILLED him in the movie. BOTH OF THESE TWO ARE LAME! JUST LIKE DARTH MAUL! LANDO AND EWOKS RULE!
  -DJS

Ummm... yeah... ewoks rule.....

2
Boxers or Briefs?
  -Shannon

Yes.

3
There are so many names in the Star Wars Universe that are rather complex. Some of them are quite difficult to pronounce. I remember when SOTE came out, the Insider said that Xizor's name is pronounced SHE-zor. It would be really nice to see pronunciations for a lot of other things as well. I had no idea how to pronounce Coruscant until TPM came out. I had been pronouncing it incorrectly for years. Any chance that there will be a guide for this or if a future encyclopedia will include pronunciations? Or is there already a source for this?
  -Patrick

An official pronounciation guide, as far as I know, doesn't exist... basically pronounce stuff however you want until someone corrects you. :) (Hey, I still pronounce Naboo incorrectly because I don't *like* how it was said in the film. :)

4
Is Hasbro releasing a 12" Garidan doll or did I dream that up?
  -Beth

A 12" Garindan did make the Hasbro sell sheet but isn't currently in production as far as I can tell (along with toys like 12" Death Star Gunner and Bib Fortuna in the ROJ assortment, Attack R2-D2 & C-3PO, and Lott Dodd).

5
Why can companies such as McFarlane Toys put out larger, more detailed figures for a price point relatively close to the Star Wars price point?
  -bryan

As I understand it, McFarlane makes a very small profit on his toys... and since he is the guy who owns most of the characters he makes, figures can be released more cheaply. As far as his licensed characters, well, most McFarlane guys look pretty good. Heck, the Metal Gear Solid Snake is a heck of a nice toy for eight bucks.

Star Wars... well, Hasbro has been creeping up the price by about a buck a year. Material price increases is often cited, but c'mon, they've got to be doing well on these things. Licensing is another big issue... the CommTech chips and the like really don't add to the cost of the toy all that much.

If you really want to get down to it, look at lines like Beast Wars with tons of articulation and transformability starting at five bucks, most McFarlane guys are massive at eight bucks, and the detail on your average $20 Japanese figure is just incredible. Most Star Wars toys really don't cut it compared to other toys out there, but let's face it, we love our toys from a galaxy far, far away.

6
As a matter of interest, do you happen to know why the Admiral Piett figure ws called Captain Piett, despite having the correct insignia for an Admiral (and the fact that Piett was an Admiral much longer than he was a captain). I heard Lucasfilm insisted on the name change - true?
  -Scott

That's what I was told as well... I guess they wanted him named as he first appeared or something. I never really heard a reason why they wanted the change.

7
The current crop of 12" Phantom Menace figures feature some of Hasbro's best work yet. Will they wait until February's Toy Fair to announce the next wave?
  -Spencer

I would've said the opposite-- the new Watto doesn't thrill me at $25, the new Obi-Wan is just barely OK, and I have yet to see the Battle Droid... but as far as your question goes, Hasbro is as Hasbro does. I would expect the information on future waves to leak out soon, but other than the upcoming 12" C-3PO, I don't know of any others right now.

8
The Episode 1 line seems to have a lot of Beasts coming out next year like the Faamba, Falumpaset, & Eopie. Any chance we might see the same for POTF I would love to have a Dionaga, Sarlacc, and Yerba.
  -Zuckuss02

No POTF2 beast have been announced for 2000 as of yet.

9
I read the question about someone not having a flashburn on their Greedo, I just bought 4 ,all .0000s and they too have no flashburn, rarity or medium rare?
  -Frank

All the Cantina Greedos ARE burned-- you have to open the figure to see the burn, just like on the prototype pictures. (How is everyone missing this? :)

10
I was wondering if there have been any of the new pof jawas found WITH holes in their feet?
  -Randy

A week after I bought (and opened) a Jawa without holes, I found scores of them with... so it looks like without's gonna be the tough one.

FIN
Update was late, my birthday was last night, so I was out late putting off studying for a major test today... and well, you know the story.

  
  Adam Pawlus

Questions for September 17, 1999

1
Has Hasbro confirmed any of the new figures (TPM or POTF) coming out after the Adi Gallia wave?
  -Arthur

Holographic Darth Sidious, another Naboo soldier, TC-14, Wuher, Motti... there's a bunch. Check out the news archives for more on this.

2
Is the new FAO exclusive Gungan figure w/ beast scale with the rest of EP1?
  -Michael

Yup.

3
With the continued success of the Star Wars line and action figures in general, are there any plans of Lucas Ltd authorizing a new set of the Indiana Jones figures on the 3.75 scale?
  -Tom

Don't we all wish! No new Indy figures have been announced outside the doll... as cool as it is, it's too rich for my blood. Odds are we'll see something before the advent of a new Indy film... but not soon enough.

4
Someone told me that we won't receive the next action figures (yoda, destroyer droid...) in canada or in quebec, is that rumor true???
  -ian

I'm pretty sure it's just a rumor... Canada has pretty lousy distribution for toys, so it might be a while. Hasbro rarely just says "nah, forget 'em."

5
I think the 12 in. Obi-Wan looks like The Crocodile Hunter Steve Erwin. What do you think?
  -BoboFett94

Hey, with all the cracks Obi-Wan takes, I have one good thing to say about it... it saved me $25 I can put toward Dreamcast stuff.

6
I was wondering if you've heard anything regarding plans for Riddell to reintroduce its awesome miniature helmet collections. I'm still waiting for my Tie Fighter Pilot, Death Star Gunner, and Boussh Bounty Hunter
  -bananapunk

No plans exist to release any more Riddell helmets... those things sold horribly, despite being some of the coolest pieces of merchandise to see production.

7
Besides the Kenner figures, I collect vehicles from the Galoob Action Fleet line. They're small enough to be readily collectible and large enough to have nice detail. In other words, they're pretty darn cool. I never saw Battle Pack #16, the Lars Family Homestead with Owen's speeder at the stores. I've called Galoob's order line several times and its always out-of-stock yet supposedly not discontinued. I know finding it in a store is out of the question. Any suggestions of where I might look? Also, I'm quite surprised the AF toys aren't discussed much on internet sites. Why do you think this is?
  -Robert

Where? Well, good luck... let's leave it pretty much there. :) The item is long gone from stores. You're at a clearance-or-scalper type zone now.

Money issues would be where I would blame the lack of interest on Action Fleet. The ships are routinely better than the ones Kenner makes... but they aren't action figure related, so they get passed up a lot. I think they're spiffy, I like the AF Naboo Fighter more than the figure one.

8
upon reading the current question list it dumbfounds me that the person who wrote in to ask about the resclupt greedo bought FOUR(!!!) figures and didn't open one of them!!!

i do not understand these people----all carded figures are the same as far as i'm concerned----plastic bubbles on a piece of cardboard---

I purchased a vinyl cape jawa MOC to complete a mint loose collection a couple of years ago at a toy show and promptly went home and opened it up----- and i think it looks much better with my loose figures than a carded version would--

When i purchase my new figures i can not wait to get home and open them up----

just like i did twenty years ago with my 12 backs---

any thoughts on this??
  -kevin

You had me up until you opened a vinyl cape Jawa. Thoughts? I think you've got a wee bit too much disposable income, and you need to send some to me, preferably soon.

9
Are you selling Sy Snootles/Joh Yowza and Max Rebo/Doda Bodonawiedo packs?
  -Kate

Ummm... no...

10
I was just wondering how the official SW site always has rare/defunct figures available. Do they have a huge warehouse where stuff just sits gathering dust for years, or does Hasbro hang onto the molds and crank out some more figs when Lucas wants them?
  -Tex

Assuming you mean the fan club, I think there's a deal going on... that and old stock has to go somewhere, the fan club is probably the best market for the stuff. I doubt anything is being cranked out since the Darktrooper, Spacetrooper, and Clone Emperor seem to be in immense demand.

FIN
Okay, that's all for today. If all goes well, I'll have a pleasant surprise for alla ya next week!