As part of Hasbro's new weekly Q&A session, Rebelscum passed on 3 of your burning questions and now we've got the answers for you.
Rebelscum: Have you ever considered making display environments (movie accurate set pieces like the Lars Homestead dome, Moisture Vaporators, Yavin Rebel Base Command Center) targeted solely towards collectors rather than playsets that are targeted primarily at kids? Looking at the forums, it looks like collectors prefer movie accurate environments to display their loose figures in rather than kid oriented, action feature-laden playsets. Kids might even go for movie-accurate display environments as well. Would you ever consider offering something like this? Hasbro: Deluxe sets (some of which have had pieces like you suggest) have always struggled in contrast to the basic figures or vehicles. We've put our focus in other areas. When the opportunity arises, and when we can afford it, we would rather put some of these elements into the basic figures so sets can be built organically.
Rebelscum: With the recent battle packs of both The Hunt for Grevious and Clone Attack on Coruscant, many fans have noticed Hasbro's tendancy to "kit-bash." While I totally understand this practice for financial reasons, I was curious of Hasbro would ever be interested in releasing a "Make your own clone" type package which could include various heads, bodies as well as accent accessories. I know with all the talented customizers as well as play factor for kids, this could be a great hit for your company and you wouldn't have to sculpt anything new.Hasbro: Interesting suggestion, Dan. That's not something that is in our plans for the near future.
Rebelscum: I was wondering if Hasbro ever had plans or tried making an articulated human figure in 3¾" scale. What I'm trying to say is if Hasbro essentially made a 4" miniature Dragon body and just used soft goods with sculpted accessories wouldn't it be much cheaper than having to sculpt new characters each time? Most of the characters in Star Wars are humanoids. They would only have to sculpt a new head and hands for each figure. Of course aliens like a Geonosian, droids, or other oddly-shaped creatures would still be fully sculpted. I think it would benefit both Hasbro (production costs) and collectors who want realistic looking figures with great articulation. I love all the VOTC, Evolutions etc. figures for that reason. When you think about it, they could make male and female bodies in 3 sizes (s,m,l) and just dress them differently. They could even cast them in figure specific colors (brown=Mace, blue=Aayla, black=Maul). Also most of the clothing in Star Wars is repetitive. (X-Wing flight suits (orange for Rebels, yellow for Bossk, Jedi apparel, gloves, boots, belts, etc.)
A good example would be Temuera Morrison. One figure of him could be used for every Stormtrooper, Clone, Jango, and Boba Fett. How cool would it be to have real cloth black body gloves with white plastic armor on Stormtroopers & Clones? Do you see this as the next generation of Star Wars figures? After the VOTC came out I realized that as a collector I think that's what myself and most people really want. They could even market them in honor of their past 12" line by calling them mini 12-inch's or something like that. Would figures like this be considered a threat to Sideshow? I know I'm rambling but it's just a thought or wishful thinking.Hasbro: Not necessarily. Soft goods are very expensive (fabric costs can be less affordable than even 12" because of the smaller lot sizes). While a standard buck (body) can work for lines like G.I. Joe, the magic of Star Wars is the huge range in size, shapes, and textures that make the galaxy so interesting.
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