So many questions, so little space... Many other
Star Wars collecting sites also submitted questions you need answered, so if you want to know the latest answers from this week's Hasbro
Star Wars Bi-Weekly Q&A Session, here's a handy guide to help you get all the info.
From Action Figs: 1) The VOTC Lando looks great, but his cape is neither removable nor does it accurately drape over his shoulders - both of which were seen prominently in the movie. Would it be possible to get that Lando figure retooled so he has a removable cape that drapes all the way over his shoulders?
2) With the implications that the Vintage line is on the back burner for the '08 line and the premium figures will be in the Evolutions sets, might Hasbro consider re-releasing some of the original 2004 Vintage figures on different classic Kenner-style cardbacks? For instance, the '78-'79 Star Wars card is a much more iconic cardback for figures like Vader, Chewbacca, the Stormtrooper, R2, and Boba Fett. And since they would be straight repacks, could they be implemented in the basic line without outer shell cases?
3) With the fast selling of the 1-per-case Darktrooper, will this encourage more to be included in later Saga Legends waves to ensure availability as the line continues ships into 2008? And do you view this figure being a success based on its initial offerings selling out in under an hour on HasbroToyShop website?
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Boba's Bounty:1) For those of us who like to budget in advance, about how many new Star Wars figures will we be seeing in 2008? Indiana Jones?
2) Do you look at the results of the Fan's Choice poll recently and use that information to plan future case packs? With almost all of the winners being Clones or Stormtroopers of some type, does that tell you that future case packs should include more "Army Builder" Figures?
3) With the upcoming Force Unleashed Game, it was announced that there will be a version for the Nintendo Wii in which the Wiimote will function as a lightsaber and will have a mode in which you can duel another player using the Wiimotes. Have you guys looked at making a version of the lightsaber in which you could slide the Wiimote into the handle for a more realistic gaming experience?
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NEW: From Galactic Hunter: 1) A new Hoth Princess Leia seems long overdue, given that we've only had one released way back in 1998. Can we expect a new Hoth Princess Leia in the basic line within the next of year? Are we going to see a "classic" Princess Leia in next year's pre-Clone Wars line (the VOTC model)? It'd be great to see the iconic Princess Leia with that beautiful artwork.
2) Do smaller figures (a la Pit Droids) cost less or the same to produce from the manufacturing perspective? We are wondering if there's any chance for a comprehensive Pod Race Battle Pack? Things that could be included: All the released Pod Racer Pilots (Gasgano, Ody Mandrell, Teemto Pagales, Dud Bolt, Mars Guo, Anakin and Sebulba) and include Sebulba's massage chair and some droids (including the Otoga 222, C-3PO, and the cleanup droids). Oh and just a reminder -- we want more Pod Race Pilots!
3) Is the Ewok Village mold still in working order since its last use for the 1991 Robin Hood line? And if it is, has the team ever considered re-releasing it? The Holiday Season would be the hap-happiest season of all! "There'd be Rebels for roasting, and Ewoks for hoaxing when Force Powers are called..."
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From Jedi Defender: 1) The new 30AC Han Solo with Torture Rack seems to be receiving a mixed response. Many fans seems to love the Torture Rack, but dislike the scene-specific Han included. What are the chances you’ll be releasing a new super-articulated Bespin Han in 2008 so those unhappy folks can turn their frowns upside down?
2) Will the 2007 Vintage Snowtrooper torso ever be reworked/tweaked so that we can get a super-articulated Snowtrooper Officer (as seen in the AT-AT Cockpit with General Veers)?
3) Have you ever considered adding non-traditional accessories to the figures (when costs allow, obviously). For example, how about one of those large plants from Felucia the next time we see a 327th Star Corps Trooper? Or even a small shrub for the next Ewok release. Something like that might help spice up some of those many clone re-issues and give diorama builders some nice fodder to use.
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From JediNews.co.uk: 1) Given that we've seen several re-released vehicle repaints (some with pack in figures) any chance of the Naboo N-1 Starfighter (without electronics) getting re-issued as a store exclusive (maybe with an Episode II dirty paint application) with a pack in figure and alternate astromech droid? Maybe the pack in figure could be either Captain Typho or Padme Pilot?
2) The packaging for the Saga Collection 2008 will have to change a little bearing in mind the coin is being replaced by a stand so any chance of a sneak peek?
3) Thanks for allowing us to have our say in the 2008 Saga Legends voting. Any chance we could get a complete list of the final standings for all the 20 figures included? Also, will any of the other 15 finalists be considered for re-packs anytime soon?
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From Jedi Temple Archives: 1) 2005 it seemed that collectors were mad about Clone Troopers, any way we could get them. Hasbro stepped up to that challenge and delivered A LOT of Clone Troopers. Two years later it seems that the interest in Clone Troopers seems to have tapered off. Anecdotal reports from collectors online has them sighting good numbers of the Galactic Marine and the Saga Legends AOTC and ROTS Clone Troopers, and the troops are not selling the way they did in '05 and '06. Have we hit something of a paradigm shift in troop building? Have collectors gotten their fill of Clone Troopers? Or do you think that collectors want to build different armies at this time?
2) It seems that Hasbro is constantly looking for new and fresh ways to keep core characters in the Basic figure line. Has a more accurate Revenge of the Sith version of Chewbacca (as seen here: http://images.wikia.com/starwars/images/thumb/c/cf/Chewie.jpeg/260px-Chewie.jpeg ) with his cool bronze bowcaster been considered?
3) Can you give us some insight into how the Basic Figure line is planned? Are there a set number of slots, or is it flexible? Is there competition for those spots in the line? And does the design team independently work on figure designs, or are they "commissioned" with designing specific figures?
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From Sandtroopers.com: 1) Earlier this year, you sold an album that was intended to hold the coins that would be included with this years action figures in the 30th Anniversary Collection. By my count, that would be:
60 basic figure coins
7 Saga Legends (TPM, AOTC, ROTS, ANH, ESB, ROTJ, EU)
4 Convention giveaways (CIV, Celebration Europe, and Comic Con, plus bonus
Indiana Jones IV gold coin)
5 Convention exclusives from figures (2 McQ Luke (C4 & CE), 2 McQ R2/3-PO
(C4 & CE), 1 McQ Obi-Wan/Yoda)
1 SWS Exclusive (Concept Grievous)
12 UGH variants
If my math is correct (and I used a calculator to double check) that comes out to a total of 89 Coins. How do you propose that I get all 89 coins (provided I can collect them all, and believe me, I'm trying) into a coin album (that cost me $11, FYI) that has only 80 slots? And this doesn't even take into account the 6 Vintage coins (5 for the figures + the bonus coin) and the Toy Fair coin because they come with their own special cases, even though I would prefer to remove them from those cases and display them with the rest of my coins.
2) If a website like Brian's Toys can offer the "One of every figure club" which allows members to be shipped one of every action figure in every wave of Star Wars Figures that gets released, why can't Hasbro Toy Shop offer a similar program? Surely, HTS can get Star Wars figures just as easily - if not easier - than any other retailers? And why can't Hasbro Toy Shop get new Star Wars figures in a timely manner? Or when they do happen to receive new/currently shipping items, they sell out so quickly? And then take so long to be replenished, if at all?
3) Do you have any comments about the horrendous distribution Star Wars figures are getting at this point in the year? At retail I can find nothing newer than Wave 3, yet some online shops (like HTS and Amazon) are already shipping out Wave 6? And other online shops (like EE) are still waiting to receive Wave 4. How are customers supposed to buy product if there's no product available?
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From Sir Steve's Guide: 1) Will the Vintage-style Luke X-wing pilot body be used on height-appropriate pilots like Wedge, Jansen, Hobbie from the films, and perhaps even Corran Horn, Tycho Celchu, Nawara Ven, and others from the EU since they're all closer to Luke's height (around an inch or 2 either way) than the tall stature of the Dutch Vander pilot figure that's up above 6 feet?
2) The final results of the Fans' Choice Saga Legends '08 poll were surprising, to say the least - 4 troopers, 3 of which are just former exclusives that are mere EU repaints. The 5 winners don't seem to jive with the fan sites' poll results, which have the Shadow Stormtrooper and Zev playcing highly, but Ephant Mon placing even higher than Zev, and Blue Snaggletooth and Graxol Kelvyyn placing much higher than the Covert Ops Trooper and Utapau Shadow Trooper. Some fans are finding the winning 5 figures a rather underwhelming group and are concerned that the final results may have been skewed somehow, whether by error or by certain fans signing up multiple voting accounts. Granted, this isn't a presidential election, but the odd results like Ephant Mon not making the top 5 despite being the #2 ranked from all the sites asks, can we get a recount on this poll?
3) Does the Star Wars brand manager or other higher-ups for the line ever personally go down stores' toy aisles to see how product is moving? If so, what do they see of that, and does it ever affect distribution - especially seeing a number of pegwarmers not selling? Does it influence those people in any way?
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NEW: From Star Wars Action News: 1) Hasbro has said in past Q&As that they do not set retail pricing, that is up to the retailer. However you have alluded to a 'pricing structure' that comes into play. So if Hasbro does not set retail pricing, how are prices determined for hasbrotoyshop.com? Further, it seems to be a case of Hasbro having a base unit price of X per figure that the retailer would pay, and then the retailer sells said figure for Y; is that kind of how it works?
2) Will there be further individually packed Galactic Heroes figures? If so, is there a chance we could see harder to find figures like Wicket, R2-Q5, Lule X-Wing, or army builders like Stormtroopers and Geonosian Warriors!
3) We know which figures won the Saga Legends votes but some of our listeners are frustrated that a couple specific figures didn't make the cut (specifically Ephant Mon and the clone with ball turret) and that so many of the top 5 are clones. Is there a chance some "runners- up" might find their way to pegs in '08?
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From SW Collector: 1) Have there been any plans to release an Utai figure based on those creature tamers from ROTS? If so, can I recommend a varactyl hatchling as a pack-in for it? It just seemed appropriate, since they're shorter creatures, so they'd probably come with a few extras like the Yoda figures tend to (not to mention they specialized in taming varactyls).
2) While we're on that subject, have you considered doing a repaint of the Boga figure to look like a male varactyl? Since the difference is that males feathers are yellow and brown instead of blue, it doesn't appear to be too hard to do, just a standard repaint.
3) How many waves of basic figures will there be in the 2008 Star Wars line, before it switches over to The Clone Wars? Will figures from the films continue to be made and released alongside The Clone Wars figures in 2008?
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From TheJawa.com:1) I must admit I was a lil bit angry with the results of the Saga Legends Choice. I really wanted the VOTC Stormtrooper, so I wanted to know if we'll see him eventually in any line, since I believe he made it close to the cut?
2) Are there any plans in the near future to make the McQuarrie Luke, Obi-Wan, Yoda, & Concept Grievous figures more available, or perhaps repack them sometime down the road? The scalpers are making a killing on the auction sites with these rare figures. It's the law of supply and demand: One would think Hasbro might like to collect every possible profit from these figures. It would drive the illicit prices for these figures down, plus give Average Joe Collector a better chance at scoring these for his collection.
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here for the answers to these questions. (Note: this site is undergoing a major overhaul with the new owners, and is temporarily being hosted by Sandtroopers.com)
From The Private Universe:1) You announced in your panel at Celebration Europe that the SDCC McQuarrie Yoda and Obi-Wan would be coming to the UK as a retailer exclusive. Summer has passed and we've seen no sign of this two-pack. Please could you tell us if or when this item is coming so we Brits can avoid the Ebay scalpers?
2) In the US many exclusive items are sold via StarWarsShop - Concept Grievous for example. The Celebration Europe Exclusive McQuarrie Concept R2-D2 & C-3PO Action Figures have just been made available to order for Hyperspace members. Although the shop sends internationally we have to pay extra tax and shipping costs to buy these, making the items a lot more costly. Is there no way to make special items available in the UK or Europe directly? Can you not offer some items through the Hasbro Toyshop UK?
3) You seem keen on running variations for army builders (Sandtroopers, Rebel Troopers, Imperial Officers etc) - any chance of seeing a carded variant of the ever-popular X-Wing pilot ? Same body, running change on the head / helmet markings ? We'd love to see some truely diverse characters like Grizz Frix, or perhaps Karie Neth (using the original, more feminine, Luke pilot mold for this female pilot).
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