JediTricks
09-19-2006, 02:17 PM
Please post your VOTE for up to 4 (four) of the questions provided in this thread, letting us know which ones you most want to see asked on Friday, September 22nd. Keep in mind that your votes in round 11 do not count in this round, so if your question is still on the list, you may want to vote for it again.
Also, when submitting a new question post it separately from your votes, a moderator will later edit it, add it to the list, and delete the question's post to keep the thread clutter-free. Try to keep the questions as clear and concise as possible. Hasbro's answers from previous SSG questions (http://www.sirstevesguide.com/index.php?categoryid=13&p2_articleid=76); and from other sites (http://www.sirstevesguide.com/index.php?categoryid=13&p2_articleid=220).
Questions we asked last week:
What does Hasbro think the current number of "collectors" versus "casual buyers" (kids, and parents who buy for them) are in Hasbro's Star Wars line?
Star Wars collecting has always had heavy interest in its vehicles, the figures are 3.75" tall because that size would best allow action figures to interact with toy versions of the vehicles (a Millennium Falcon for 6" figures would be the size of a sofa, way too big). Lewis Galoob Toys made its mark on Star Wars with 2 major lines: Micro Machines and Action Fleet, both were vehicles supplimented by little mini-figures, and in their heyday Galoob was the 3rd-largest toymaker behind Hasbro but ahead of LEGO (all Star Wars licensees, perhaps not a coincidence?). In late 1998, Hasbro bought Galoob and within a couple years cancelled all the Micro Machines Star Wars lines (Micro Machines, Die-Cast, and Action Fleet), effectively ending consumers' access to Star Wars vehicle toys - many of which could never have been done in the 3.75" line. Hasbro has made several attempts to rejuvenate these Micro Machines concepts, often with sub-par results, but so far the only attempt that has not failed is the Titanium Series 3" vehicle line (which admittedly deserves many accolades, and its future appears to be getting even brighter); Micro Machines vehicles have not been re-attempted at all, while several Action Fleet relaunch attempts have lacked vehicle features and mini-figures resulting in slow sales - both the Saga Action Fleet and Titanium Series 6" Ultra Vehicles started slow with weak entries and higher prices only to pick up steam and fans right as the lines were cancelled. Star Wars collecting again lacks access to those sizes of vehicles, with that in mind, why did Hasbro buy Galoob toys if that company's main line did not meet Hasbro's sales expectations and its core lines were cast aside?
Will Hasbro consider making more "clean" army builders such as the ARC trooper, Sandtrooper, Republic Commando, Clone Commander, Galactic Marine, Airbourne Trooper, etc., in an army building white color scheme, e.g. no color markings or non-removable pauldrons?
With Hasbro concentrating on mid-sized vehicles, will we ever see an AT-ST with more accurate details, ie: opening eye windows?
You recently talked about the extra expense of hinged knees in action figures due to having to use nylon pins riveted through the parts. Why can't you just use a rivetless design and snap them into place the way you do with some of the Transformers line's hinges? If it's a choke-concern, most of the figures come with choke-hazard warnings anyway.
When will Hasbro make a new sculpt of the Dewback? There's no reason why it couldn't be done to scale with the 3.75" figures and be the ultimate version.Current questions (vote for up to 4):
- Could we get a re-release of the hard-to-find Expanded Universe figures from 1998?
- What is the status of Action Fleet under its original concept - minifigure interaction and true play features?
- What is the status of actual Micro Machines (the smallest vehicles Galoob regularly made in plastic)?
- What is the status of Playskool's Jedi Force line?
- Having met some of you at SD Comic-Con, where I've been able to talk to you and learn all sorts of things about the struggle involved in making these toys, I wonder if maybe you'd consider sharing a lot more of that with collectors in general? If not, why? - asked by Plasticfetish
- Back when you were posting updates about the Fan's Choice figure development on your site, it did a lot to generate interest. Any chance that you'd go back to doing somethig like that? If not, why?
- I've seen the Kenner and Galoob logos on a few things lately. Is that just a "special" thing, or are we looking to see a relaunch of some old brands?
- Are more properties aside from Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica and Transformers planned for the Titanium Series lines?
- On the local level Hasbro gets only raw info on which items are selling at major retailers, but not specific trends such as what percentage are kids, collectors, hoarders, scalpers; nor why some figures sell poorly (is it a poor figure or the case ratio). Would Hasbro consider hiring collectors as area representatives for the Star Wars line?
- With each figure in The Saga Collection line having at least 6 different "exclusive hologram figure" pack-ins, some collectors think these were created solely to sell multiples of the same figure to completists. What was the thinking behind these "exclusive hologram figure" pack-ins, and why change the color from blue to red when there were no red character holograms in the movies?
- What are the chances of seeing a relauch of the Collector Fleet series (the larger, electronic starships of the Rebel Blockade Runner, Imperial Star Destroyer, & the very-rare Super Star Destroyer from '96), with new entries such as ROTS ships like the Venator Class Star Destroyer and The Invisible Hand?
- Any chance of getting a figure of "Heater", the character name given to the human actor stand-in for Jabba in for A New Hope played by Declan Mullholland?
- What's the chance of re-releasing older, harder-to-find figures (such as the Sio Bibble wave, the Admiral Motti wave, etc.)?
- Is there any way that Hasbro Toy Shop could be better-stocked than it is? There's rarely any new product on that site.
- Canadaian collectors miss out on a many of the US-only store exclusives. Any chance Canadians could have every exclusive figure/vehicle/combination made available on shop.starwars.com after their shelf runs in the US stores?
- Why were there only 5 Vintage-style figures this year, and why was Empire Strikes Back left out of the line-up when there are such candidates as Snowtrooper, Bespin Luke, Bespin Han, the Hoth incarnations of Han, Luke, & Leia, and even ESB style Boba Fett waiting to be made?
- Is there any possibility of seeing a 7" Unleashed Clone Wars Animated wave?
- Removable lightsaber blades so Jedi figures could have saber accessories that were "on" or "off" and could be worn on their belts was a good concept, but this made the blades more fragile. Are there any plans to release Jedi figures - both main characters and secondary - with both solid one piece ignited lightsaber and "off" lightsaber hilt accessories?
- What is the status of the Holiday line? Any thoughts to a release of a Padme & Anakin with baby Luke manger type of scene?
- With talk about the Expanded Universe figures returning in 2007, are the EU figures going to be short-packed like Scorch or will there be enough for everyone?
- Would Hasbro willing to create a catalog of replacement parts for those parts that break or get easily lost on vehicles and playsets so consumers can always get replacements even long after the toy has stopped manufacturing? If not, why not?
- If Hasbro feels that mid-sized vehicles is the way to go, then will we be seeing more airspeeders and landspeeders in the forseeable future? Some of the airspeeders are pretty much snubfighter sized.
- What is with the somewhat recent practice of putting the faces of clone template actors Temuera Morrison and Bodie Taylor on helmeted troopers that we never see unmasked in the movies, especially those in the Original Trilogy who likely are not clones (and if they are clones wouldn't be clones of Jango Fett since the DNA source was killed in Episode 2)?
- Eventually will all the Episode III Clone Commanders be released as an entire set?
- With the release of the George Lucas in Stormtrooper Disguise and the Lucas Family Collection, can we expect to see a George Lucas the Director action figure in his trademarked flannel shirt and perhaps variations of old and young Lucas?
- Will there ever be a Fan's Choice Titanium Series Forged Figure?
- Any plans for releasing the Geonosian Cannon that was on Display with the Arena playset during Toy Fair in 2002? With all of the Clones and Jedi in the arena it'd be nice to give the Sepratists some firepower.
- Do you have any plans to ever make a SA (Super Articulated) Super Battle Droid?
- Although we have what many consider to be the definitive ROTS Obi-Wan figure in the super articulated Obi-Wan Pilot figure, we still lack super articulated versions of Obi-Wan from TPM and AOTC (both of which also need better head sculpts), what about either/both versions of that?
- Titanium Series 3" Vehicle collectors are concerned over the packaging which, while quite attractive and eye-catching, has trouble with the J-hook being easily damaged and the bubble being very difficult to open. How did this unusual packaging design come about in the first place, and is there any plan to make it stronger and easier to open? (If not, please consider doing so, thank you.)
- Given that Ewoks are well-known, somewhat popular (especially with kids), sell fairly well, and were a deciding factor in the final battle of the Star Wars saga, why have the Ewoks been so short-changed in the modern action figure line (7 figures, 2 of which were inaccurate Wicket repaints, in 11 years)? And, are there any plans to correct this in the future?
- Recently you were quoted as saying that Hasbro had subcontracted the 12" figures to Sideshow as the smaller business model allowed them to manufacture collector-quality 12" figures in a more cost effective manner. Given the rabid fan base the 7" Unleashed line has generated among collectors, and Hasbro's struggles to generate a profit on this line, is there any chance that a similar arrangement could be considered for future Unleashed offerings, whether it be Sideshow or another smaller company?
- Will you ever release the Trade Federation PK Droid seen in The Phantom Menace? You could use the Star Wars Saga SP-4 figure mold for the body since they have the same design, and just make a new head.
- You were recently quoted as saying that in the 2007 basic figure line, the "alien slots" for that year were already full. Could you tell us what these various slots are (possibly something like "core character slot", "imperial character slot", "droid slot") and how many of each would be in that group? If not exact numbers, how about by approximated percentages? Vote now, and in separate posts, add new questions!
Also, when submitting a new question post it separately from your votes, a moderator will later edit it, add it to the list, and delete the question's post to keep the thread clutter-free. Try to keep the questions as clear and concise as possible. Hasbro's answers from previous SSG questions (http://www.sirstevesguide.com/index.php?categoryid=13&p2_articleid=76); and from other sites (http://www.sirstevesguide.com/index.php?categoryid=13&p2_articleid=220).
Questions we asked last week:
What does Hasbro think the current number of "collectors" versus "casual buyers" (kids, and parents who buy for them) are in Hasbro's Star Wars line?
Star Wars collecting has always had heavy interest in its vehicles, the figures are 3.75" tall because that size would best allow action figures to interact with toy versions of the vehicles (a Millennium Falcon for 6" figures would be the size of a sofa, way too big). Lewis Galoob Toys made its mark on Star Wars with 2 major lines: Micro Machines and Action Fleet, both were vehicles supplimented by little mini-figures, and in their heyday Galoob was the 3rd-largest toymaker behind Hasbro but ahead of LEGO (all Star Wars licensees, perhaps not a coincidence?). In late 1998, Hasbro bought Galoob and within a couple years cancelled all the Micro Machines Star Wars lines (Micro Machines, Die-Cast, and Action Fleet), effectively ending consumers' access to Star Wars vehicle toys - many of which could never have been done in the 3.75" line. Hasbro has made several attempts to rejuvenate these Micro Machines concepts, often with sub-par results, but so far the only attempt that has not failed is the Titanium Series 3" vehicle line (which admittedly deserves many accolades, and its future appears to be getting even brighter); Micro Machines vehicles have not been re-attempted at all, while several Action Fleet relaunch attempts have lacked vehicle features and mini-figures resulting in slow sales - both the Saga Action Fleet and Titanium Series 6" Ultra Vehicles started slow with weak entries and higher prices only to pick up steam and fans right as the lines were cancelled. Star Wars collecting again lacks access to those sizes of vehicles, with that in mind, why did Hasbro buy Galoob toys if that company's main line did not meet Hasbro's sales expectations and its core lines were cast aside?
Will Hasbro consider making more "clean" army builders such as the ARC trooper, Sandtrooper, Republic Commando, Clone Commander, Galactic Marine, Airbourne Trooper, etc., in an army building white color scheme, e.g. no color markings or non-removable pauldrons?
With Hasbro concentrating on mid-sized vehicles, will we ever see an AT-ST with more accurate details, ie: opening eye windows?
You recently talked about the extra expense of hinged knees in action figures due to having to use nylon pins riveted through the parts. Why can't you just use a rivetless design and snap them into place the way you do with some of the Transformers line's hinges? If it's a choke-concern, most of the figures come with choke-hazard warnings anyway.
When will Hasbro make a new sculpt of the Dewback? There's no reason why it couldn't be done to scale with the 3.75" figures and be the ultimate version.Current questions (vote for up to 4):
- Could we get a re-release of the hard-to-find Expanded Universe figures from 1998?
- What is the status of Action Fleet under its original concept - minifigure interaction and true play features?
- What is the status of actual Micro Machines (the smallest vehicles Galoob regularly made in plastic)?
- What is the status of Playskool's Jedi Force line?
- Having met some of you at SD Comic-Con, where I've been able to talk to you and learn all sorts of things about the struggle involved in making these toys, I wonder if maybe you'd consider sharing a lot more of that with collectors in general? If not, why? - asked by Plasticfetish
- Back when you were posting updates about the Fan's Choice figure development on your site, it did a lot to generate interest. Any chance that you'd go back to doing somethig like that? If not, why?
- I've seen the Kenner and Galoob logos on a few things lately. Is that just a "special" thing, or are we looking to see a relaunch of some old brands?
- Are more properties aside from Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica and Transformers planned for the Titanium Series lines?
- On the local level Hasbro gets only raw info on which items are selling at major retailers, but not specific trends such as what percentage are kids, collectors, hoarders, scalpers; nor why some figures sell poorly (is it a poor figure or the case ratio). Would Hasbro consider hiring collectors as area representatives for the Star Wars line?
- With each figure in The Saga Collection line having at least 6 different "exclusive hologram figure" pack-ins, some collectors think these were created solely to sell multiples of the same figure to completists. What was the thinking behind these "exclusive hologram figure" pack-ins, and why change the color from blue to red when there were no red character holograms in the movies?
- What are the chances of seeing a relauch of the Collector Fleet series (the larger, electronic starships of the Rebel Blockade Runner, Imperial Star Destroyer, & the very-rare Super Star Destroyer from '96), with new entries such as ROTS ships like the Venator Class Star Destroyer and The Invisible Hand?
- Any chance of getting a figure of "Heater", the character name given to the human actor stand-in for Jabba in for A New Hope played by Declan Mullholland?
- What's the chance of re-releasing older, harder-to-find figures (such as the Sio Bibble wave, the Admiral Motti wave, etc.)?
- Is there any way that Hasbro Toy Shop could be better-stocked than it is? There's rarely any new product on that site.
- Canadaian collectors miss out on a many of the US-only store exclusives. Any chance Canadians could have every exclusive figure/vehicle/combination made available on shop.starwars.com after their shelf runs in the US stores?
- Why were there only 5 Vintage-style figures this year, and why was Empire Strikes Back left out of the line-up when there are such candidates as Snowtrooper, Bespin Luke, Bespin Han, the Hoth incarnations of Han, Luke, & Leia, and even ESB style Boba Fett waiting to be made?
- Is there any possibility of seeing a 7" Unleashed Clone Wars Animated wave?
- Removable lightsaber blades so Jedi figures could have saber accessories that were "on" or "off" and could be worn on their belts was a good concept, but this made the blades more fragile. Are there any plans to release Jedi figures - both main characters and secondary - with both solid one piece ignited lightsaber and "off" lightsaber hilt accessories?
- What is the status of the Holiday line? Any thoughts to a release of a Padme & Anakin with baby Luke manger type of scene?
- With talk about the Expanded Universe figures returning in 2007, are the EU figures going to be short-packed like Scorch or will there be enough for everyone?
- Would Hasbro willing to create a catalog of replacement parts for those parts that break or get easily lost on vehicles and playsets so consumers can always get replacements even long after the toy has stopped manufacturing? If not, why not?
- If Hasbro feels that mid-sized vehicles is the way to go, then will we be seeing more airspeeders and landspeeders in the forseeable future? Some of the airspeeders are pretty much snubfighter sized.
- What is with the somewhat recent practice of putting the faces of clone template actors Temuera Morrison and Bodie Taylor on helmeted troopers that we never see unmasked in the movies, especially those in the Original Trilogy who likely are not clones (and if they are clones wouldn't be clones of Jango Fett since the DNA source was killed in Episode 2)?
- Eventually will all the Episode III Clone Commanders be released as an entire set?
- With the release of the George Lucas in Stormtrooper Disguise and the Lucas Family Collection, can we expect to see a George Lucas the Director action figure in his trademarked flannel shirt and perhaps variations of old and young Lucas?
- Will there ever be a Fan's Choice Titanium Series Forged Figure?
- Any plans for releasing the Geonosian Cannon that was on Display with the Arena playset during Toy Fair in 2002? With all of the Clones and Jedi in the arena it'd be nice to give the Sepratists some firepower.
- Do you have any plans to ever make a SA (Super Articulated) Super Battle Droid?
- Although we have what many consider to be the definitive ROTS Obi-Wan figure in the super articulated Obi-Wan Pilot figure, we still lack super articulated versions of Obi-Wan from TPM and AOTC (both of which also need better head sculpts), what about either/both versions of that?
- Titanium Series 3" Vehicle collectors are concerned over the packaging which, while quite attractive and eye-catching, has trouble with the J-hook being easily damaged and the bubble being very difficult to open. How did this unusual packaging design come about in the first place, and is there any plan to make it stronger and easier to open? (If not, please consider doing so, thank you.)
- Given that Ewoks are well-known, somewhat popular (especially with kids), sell fairly well, and were a deciding factor in the final battle of the Star Wars saga, why have the Ewoks been so short-changed in the modern action figure line (7 figures, 2 of which were inaccurate Wicket repaints, in 11 years)? And, are there any plans to correct this in the future?
- Recently you were quoted as saying that Hasbro had subcontracted the 12" figures to Sideshow as the smaller business model allowed them to manufacture collector-quality 12" figures in a more cost effective manner. Given the rabid fan base the 7" Unleashed line has generated among collectors, and Hasbro's struggles to generate a profit on this line, is there any chance that a similar arrangement could be considered for future Unleashed offerings, whether it be Sideshow or another smaller company?
- Will you ever release the Trade Federation PK Droid seen in The Phantom Menace? You could use the Star Wars Saga SP-4 figure mold for the body since they have the same design, and just make a new head.
- You were recently quoted as saying that in the 2007 basic figure line, the "alien slots" for that year were already full. Could you tell us what these various slots are (possibly something like "core character slot", "imperial character slot", "droid slot") and how many of each would be in that group? If not exact numbers, how about by approximated percentages? Vote now, and in separate posts, add new questions!