Love 'em to pieces. I wish they were a lot easier to get, I'd get me some more Jawas... and maybe an R2-D2 if I ever saw one. :) Han's awesome, the Stormtrooper looks cool from the pictures, I think Hasbro has really done a great job on these and I hope to see more classic toys of this quality.

(As long as they aren't $75 at FAO.)

New EU release dates??? Umm... last I checked there were no more EU figures announced...

4
While i was looking for figures today, i found this Dark Sidious Figure, with the Senator Palpatine with Senate Cam Droid Sticker. This is the original sticker that was placed on it. Naturally, i grabbed it, but was wondering if these types of errors are common with the E1 figures? Does this mean i have Solid proof that Sidious is Palpatine? Are these figures usually worth more or less then the Regular figure?
  -Volntyr

Hold it-- Dark Sidious? Man, you've got something special there. :)

Is this thing a fake ? I keep hearing different things about them and none of my friends or the price guides or any internet sites mention anything about it. If it is for real, do you know how many were produced and if someone is looking to buy one should they plan on spending that amount of $$$ ?
  -Lucy

It's real, I know a guy that bought one (and accidentally opened it) via Hasbro's customer service department when they first came out. As to the price... well, it ain't worth $800 to me. I'd rather have some 12-backs or a well-loaded Dreamcast or a whole mess of Fambas.

6
Do you think Hasbro will ever finish remaking every figure from the original Kenner line?
  -Nooker

Nope. Figures like Madine and the Dignitary are peg-warming poison, outside an exclusive I doubt we'd ever see them again. As far as Ewoks go, Hasbro seems to be really avoiding those so far... I'd like to see some more, though.

7
Wedge Antilles and Captain Antilles, the captain of the Tantive IV who is choked by Darth Vader at the start of A New Hope, have the same last name? Has anything ever been said as to whether they are supposed to be related?
  -pschorr

Nothing has been made official as of yet. Most people just take "Antilles" to be the Star Wars equivalent of "Smith."

8
Do you think figures of characters who had no lines in the classic trilogy movies (such as Tessek and Ephant Mon) will be made now thte commtech chips come with new figures, and if so, do you think they will come in cinema scene packs or as carded figures?
  -Bestof5js

Nothing other than sales will keep obscure figures from seeing plastic, and as far as CommTech goes... has everyone stopped paying attention? :) Adi Gallia??? :)

9
Ok, I can see that we're getting new figures but- Why aren't we getting any decent ones? I can understand Sio Bibble and to a lesser extent Mas Ammeda, but a Queen Amidala resculpt? It's not even a resculpt, it's just new arms and a cloth tunic! We also get Swimming Jar Jar with scalefish, and Deluxe Jar Jar with Shield generator cannon? I mean, Hasbro's "Make Luke, he sells" strategy works to a point, but have these guys been in stores lately? Amidala and Jar Jar are NOT selling! When are they going to hurry up and give us a Ben Quadinaros or Mawhonic, like rumored?
  -JSolano199

Hasbro has a fetish for "core characters" and "signature vehicles." Stuff like Luke and the X-Wing traditionally bring in nice money, so they're translating this to Episode One. While I think the new Amidala with what appears to be neck articulation and a new Jar Jar with more articulation are nice figures, I kinda wonder why so soon. I mean, a gungan soldier would be nice... or one of the Queen's handmadiens... or a different Queen figure. Or look at Batman. Some things about the toy industry just don't make any sense.

10
I have a [item] that [name] asked for, can you hook me up with his email address?
  -[name here]

Well, I don't keep a file of questions handy for this sort of thing for starters... and I really don't want Q&A to turn into a sort of trading board. I think it's awesome that people out there care enough about their fellow toy junkies to offer a helping hand... but due to any potential problems that may ensue (and the nature of this section), this isn't something I can do right now.

FIN
Okay, that's all for today. Questions, as always, are needed.

  
  Adam Pawlus

1
Do you know what the deal is with/have any thoughts on all the excess packaging in the Kenner toys? I'm specifically referring to things like the cinema scene 3-packs... I just picked up a Tatooine Showdown and it honestly took me like half an hour to get it to the point where I could remove everything. I realize that it would look bad if the figures were upside down in the box (especially if you like to keep your toys in the box after you buy them... is this what Kenner is catering to?) but are all those twisty-tie things REALLY necessary? And don't even get me started on those pseudo-rubberband things that they use to hold the weapons in place... you can't break them by stretching them, and I haven't been able to find anything small enough to cut them without damaging the figures themselves. Surely Hasbro/Kenner could come up with something more user-friendly?
  -Jeff

In the case of the Cinemascenes, odds are they're assuming nobody opens 'em and the extra twisties keep the figures from flying around in the box. The rubber band things have never presented me a problem, but if you want a real monster for twisties, get some of the Ultra-sized Beast Wars toys. :)

(And at least you FOUND a Tatooine Showdown. :)

2
Are the rumors of the battle damaged Destroyer Droid true?
  -Scott

I've seen a picture of what I assume to be one, but I'll have a straight answer for ya soon.

3
I just picked up an Orange Back Ben Kenobi, and I saw in WEDGE's Collecters Database that there is a short saber and a long saber version. My question is exactly how long is the long and how short is the short? Do you have the length or approximate length? The saber I have is just about 2 and 3/4 inches from the end of the hilt to the end of the saber.
  -Mike

Check out the Rebelscum picture archive for the best photo reference, but as far as measurements, the long sabers are about 3 3/4 inches... the height of most figures. They're big suckers.

4
With some tech-savvy companies cutting their inventory to just one week by computerizing their manufacturing process, how soon will it take for Hasbro to follow this successful sales model?
  -Deron

I don't think it'd make a bit of difference in assortments, if that's what you're gunning for.

5
Why do the new commtech figures (HAN, GREEDO) have a c in front for their numbers, is this to keep them seperated for little kids so they don't get them messed up on the chain
  -KyleKatrn9

Classic seems to be the blindingly obvious answer to me, but I could be wrong.

6
With the bombardment of Collection One resculpts about to reign down upon our humble retailers, do you think it is likely that Hasbro will delve into the realms of Collection Two and Three for a resculpt or two, or will they continue to produce new characters in those Collections, e.g. Sio Bibble and Mas Amedda (who I am assuming are Two and Three, respectively)?
  -WiZ of OZ

Well, a Holo Darth Sidious that reminds this toy junkie of the first Spirit Obi-Wan figure is on the way... most characters don't lend themselves to rescuplts. For Collection 2, though, I could see an electronic C-3PO, a "flying" Watto, or a Yoda with a cane. This is a line where just about anybody can be made into multiple versions (which would be killer mail-in offers but kinda lame carded figures.)

Personally, I question the need for a Jar Jar resculpt when some stores have him marked down to $2.99 and they ain't goin' nowhere, but I have to admit, the new sculpt doesn't look all that bad.

7
I am in the process of completing my original collection of Star Wars figures and had a quick question. Is the Lumat and Paploo ewok figures considered Jedi cards or POTF cards. I have seen pics of both of them carded with both the Jedi cards and the POTF cards but I only find them for sale under POTF. Why is this? I understood POTF figs to be made only under that title. What gives? Were they not sold as Jedi cards in the US?
  -Jim

When I was knee high to a grasshopper, I got both of those figures on ROJ cards... and ripped 'em open. They are available on POTF more commonly (it seems), but ROJ's out there. Heck, I can probably find you a pair by Thursday. :)

8
Do you use the guide book [for Final Fantasy 8]?
  -Andrew

Nope. I don't like those things in my house.

9
I realize this is going to sound overwhelmingly stupid but it is something that has crossed my mind with the new interest into collecting the Star Wars Universe. Vintage figures that are carded are worth a relatively high prices now. That is because when I was a child in the 70's all of our toys were opened and played with. This drove up the price of the unopened figures. With the return of Star Wars to the shelves of toy stores is it at all possible that the rarest figures in the next twenty years will be those that are complete, in good shape, and opened? I realize this is far fetched and you may call me an idiot if you feel so fit.
  -Chuck

Stop baiting me!!!

Seriously, that's not possible from any collectible perspective-- any carded figure can be made into a loose figure in mere seconds. It can't go the other way. But, in weird conditions, I have seen loose figures sell for higher than carded ones, because there is a mentality among some collectors that it is morally wrong to destroy a carded figure. (I have some POTF cardbacks from some figures that would attest to the fact I do not subscribe to this school of thought.)

10
Why is my Gonk droid leaking a white, odorless liquid?
  -Eric

I don't think I should be talking about this...

FIN
Okay, that's all for today. Questions, as always, are needed.