Blame in on
The Force Unleashed. With the delay of the video game until spring 2008, most of the planned tie-ins have also been pushed back as well, including the 7 figures that Hasbro
showed off at Toy Fair, which were intended to be part of
The 30th Anniversary Collection this fall.
Although there were plenty of figures already planned in both
The 30th Anniversary Collection and
Saga Legends lines, Hasbro had a hole in the schedule that needed to be filled. And with a very limited time for production, they decided to create 7 repainted figures and add them to the TAC basic figure line, due out in December.
But which characters to choose? If you were at the
Hasbro presentation at Celebration Europe, or if you listened to
this week's Force-Cast, you may have already heard the news...but yours truly was asked to help select the 7 characters that make up this wave.
Three figures were instant choices, since they were previously discussed during the
Saga Legends 2007 Tournament, but 4 more needed to be chosen. The criteria was that the characters:
needed to be 100% repaints, meaning no new sculpts or added articulation.
couldn't be characters that were already planned for a future release.
couldn't be figures that the tools were in use for a future release.
After a few brainstorming sessions eliminating figures & characters were due to the above criteria (no, they won't be announced here), we had our lucky seven. The end result is a nice mix of a main character in a new form, a droid, army builders, and an obscure alien.
Since this repaint wave was VERY quickly designed in April (and the prototypes shown at Celebration IV only 6 weeks later!), the figures that were shown during the summer conventions (and photographed for the poster) do not reflect the final look of the figures that will be released.
So, without any further ado, here's a rundown of the figures that make up the wave:
First Draft Picks:
These figures were the first ones decided upon, because each one was discussed previously in earlier conversations. Plus, fans had asked for them, and Hasbro wanted to try and meet those requests.
30-48: Darth Vader (Hologram) -
This is a figure that was originally suggested during an earlier Q&A session, and fans suggested using the POTJ Darth Vader (Dagobah). Although the photos above show a different body used, I'm told that the change has already been made to be the original choice, or more specifically, the Silver Saga Edition body since the removable head and facemask willl not be included. . This would also be more accurate since that sculpt is from The Empire Strikes Back (which it should be), while the Emperor's Wrath body is from Return of the Jedi (which it shouldn't be).
30-49: Clone Trooper (7th Legion Trooper)
Since Hasbro updated the other two concept clone designs figures from the ROTS Clone Trooper Army set in The Saga Collection as 442nd Siege Battlion and Fifth Fleet Security, it was only a matter of time until the "brown dot" trooper got the same treatment. Originally announced as the Super-Articulated Clone Trooper III-41 body, this was changed to the ROTS Evolutions Episode III Clone body, similar to the Combat Engineer Clone Trooper (another figure that used the ROTS army body originally). Plus, now he has a removable helmet!
30-51: R2-B1 (Astromech Droid)
Since the Episode I R2-B1 figure reminas hard to get, and the figure did well in last fall's Saga Legends tournament, but many fans felt that they would rather see the figure upgraded to the new R4-G9 sculpt. Hasbro listened, so that's what we'll be getting. As a nice surprise, they're also included the astromech harness as well...another fan request!
Second Round Choices:
Because of a strict criteria, several of the initial ideas for figures were rejected, although two stood out as good choices since one was suggested by fans and the other would be an easy "custom" venturing into the popular Expanded Universe.
30-52: Naboo Soldier (Royal Naboo Army)
Ever since the original Naboo Soldier figure came out, fans noticed right away that there were several soldiers in a red jumpsuit shown on the cardback, and wondered if there would be a running change for these troops. There were no plans at that time, but now you can complete your army from Naboo. PLUS, this is another character from The Phantom Menace, a movie which has been overshadowed in recent years, leaving fans hungry for more.
30-53: Rebel Vanguard Trooper (Star Wars: Battlefront)
The first Expanded Universe character in the wave, this figure answers the demand for figures from the Star Wars: Battlefront video game series. Not only has the Rebel Trooper figure been repainted to match the character from the game, but he was given a Rebel Fleet Trooper helmet...and the RFT vest. Originally he wasn't going to have the RFT vest, but since he'd come with the rocket launcher as well as the pistol (thankfully, since switching weapons is a big part of the game experience), he needed the shoulders articulation, and the Endor jacket limited that movement.
Final Round Choices:
After a few dozen characters were suggested and eliminated, two more were finally settled on: a popular troop builder from the Clone Wars and an obscure alien from The Phantom Menace.
30-50: Clone Trooper (Hawkbat Battalion)
Another figure from the Expanded Universe! Seen briefly in the opening chapter of the Clone Wars animated series, this figure sports a muddy deco and a soft goods cloak. He was originally going to be a repaint of Clone Trooper 03-50 body, but that was changed to the Evolutions AOTC Clone body...giving him a removable helmet. It's great to see that he's coming with a rifle, and not a dinky little blaster AOTC Clones usually come with.
30-54: Pax Bonkik (Rodian Podracer Mechanic)
Who says Hasbro doesn't try to bring us the obscure background characters? There was a strong desire to make use of the VTSC Greedo body, but every other Rodian seen onscreen in the Classic Trilogy (Thuku, Neesh, Breedo) both in Chalmun's Cantina, Docking Bay 94, or Jabba's Palace all pretty much looked the same, except for one who isn't wearing a vest. Even if the vest was changed, that's not much of a repaint.
However, there are two Rodian Podracer Mechanics (RPM, anyone?) wandering around in the background of The Phantom Menace, and they've been named as "Pax & Trax Bonkik" as part of StarWars.com's Hyperspace "What's the story?" feature. This is a nice nod to a character with a fan-defined history, and since you'll need a second one for Trax, all the better!
While the Greedo body is not an exact match for the Bonkik brothers' outfits, it's unlikely we'd ever have gotten this character otherwise. At one point, the RFT vest was suggested because of the large front pockets, but this was changed to the Han Solo vest he now wears, since the Rebel Vanguard Trooper needed it.
This was a fantastic experience to brainstorm with the Star Wars brand team at Hasbro, and it was great to get a glimpse into the creative selection process the team goes through every year, albiet on a much larger scale. Since the majority of the figures were suggested by fans, there's definitely something in here for everyone.
