JediTricks
12-05-2008, 03:25 PM
The Thanksgiving holiday delay is over, giving way to Hasbro's answers to SSG questions for December 5th, 2008. Thanks again to Hasbro for the answers, to all the folks who sent in questions and especially those who voted on them. Here come Hasbro's answers.
Hasbro Q&A for the week of December 5th
SSG: You said in a recent answer that the Solo twins, while difficult to do because of limited visual references, were high on your wish list. Hypothetically speaking, if you were to make these long-request characters, which versions would you do? Young Jedi Knights (there's a good picture of them in the recent Jedi vs. Sith guide), NJO-era Jedi Knights (probably the most requested versions, and based on Japanese cover art which is probably the largest body of visual reference for these characters and was even used by the Official Site as its EU menu before the redesign) or Legacy of the Force-era (with the added advantage that an alternate head and lightsaber and removable cape would allow you to do Jacen and Caedus as one figure)?
Hasbro: If we did them, hypothetically speaking, it would be the New Jedi Order-era, based on the Japanese cover art. This would be the most solid selection for the exact reasons you have pointed out - prevalence and familiarity with the character images. If we ever did Caedus, it would have to be new sculpt since the NJO-version would not work for a retrofit.
SSG: With Sideshow having released a smashing diorama of the "Look Sir, Droids" scene, what are the chances of Hasbro doing a similar battle pack? It could include the escape pod (perhaps with the proper top hatch openable, or maybe the whole thing upsized) and an assortment of Sandroopers with a variety of pauldrons and accessories. Heck, if you threw in an updated dewback, you'd have quite the nifty ultimate battle pack. Any chance of that?
Hasbro: We have looked at this scene several times with the theme you suggested, but so far it hasn't made the cut for one reason or another. Maybe someday….
SSG: When collectors ask for the same stuff over and over again such as certain vehicles like the Cloud Car, large accessories like Jabba's dais, playsets and dioramas of scenes that are not action- or main-character-themed which Hasbro says they aren't likely to do because those areas are not seen as profitable in today's market, are there any NEW ideas swimming around the Star Wars team with an OT collector focus? Not talking about merely new figures or resculpts of unmade vintage figures, but something new in the 3.75" format that would excite collectors, especially OT-focused ones. Stuff like the nifty new Scramble on Yavin battle pack gets collectors jazzed up.
Hasbro: While we have looked at many different aspects of the Original Trilogy, the fact is that Kenner covered that ground extremely well, to the point where they even augmented the universe with many of their own original designs (Mini Rigs, the Imperial Transport, etc). Our focus for vintage collectors remains the still (in our opinion) large fertile ground of figures, vehicles, and creatures which have yet-to-be-updated over their vintage counterparts, along with the still numerous unmade characters from many scenes such as the Cantina, Jabba's Palace, Ewoks, and the line. Yet we do try to surprise by doing new things that we think are key to the OTC - like the recent Lars Homestead and Sarlacc pit sets that for the very first time create scenic display opportunities for these iconic scenes. We certainly hope that you enjoy these surprises as much as we get satisfaction from finding new ways to deliver OTC magic.
- - -
And our questions at CollectionStation.com (http://www.collectionstation.com/groups/view/Star-Wars/Official-Hasbro-Q-A-1252008_35):
- With the confirmation of 2X-7KPR - the last unmade droid from the sale of the droids scene - being released in '09 as another Jawa/droid 2-pack, how will this set be released? This is an ANH scene, you've confirmed that ESB will be the only source getting 2 waves in '09, and the '09 ANH wave already has a different Jawa/droid 2-pack, so where will Jawa/2X-7KPR fit into the overall? Will this be a running change repacked into another wave, or has a second ANH wave been slotted - and if the latter, what other figures will be in that 2nd ANH wave?
- In the past year, we've seen a lot of figures from the POTF2-era Expanded Universe line getting revisited one way or another. The Darktrooper was rereleased as a Fans Choice figure, while Mara Jade got an all-new sculpt in the Comics Packs line, and in that line we're also about to get an all-new Grand Admiral Thrawn, Dark Empire Clone Palpatine, DE Luke, and a new Kyle Katarn. That leaves just Dark Empire Leia, the Heir to the Empire Spacetrooper, and the Imperial Sentinel left to be done, will any of them be either reissued or resculpted any time soon to join their EU brethren? Was it a conscious choice to get all those other POTF2 EU figures rereleased, or just happenstance?
- Will Hasbro be modifying the existing or making a new Hyperspace Ring for the ROTS Eta-2 Jedi Starfighter? Will the existing Hyperspace Ring ever be sold by itself in other colors to go with existing Jedi Starfighters? With the Ring being featured in episodes of The Clone Wars for Plo Koon's and Anakin's Jedi Starfighters, and your confirmation that Hasbro's Clone Wars Jedi Starfighter will fit the existing Ring, will you be selling Anakin's and/or Plo's starfighters with their Hyperspace Rings as boxed sets to get the full product into kid and collector hands, taking advantage of the show's current momentum rather than waiting to double-dip down the road when interest has waned, a la the Ep 2 Obi-Wan Jedi Starfighter with Hyperspace Ring?
Hasbro Q&A for the week of December 5th
SSG: You said in a recent answer that the Solo twins, while difficult to do because of limited visual references, were high on your wish list. Hypothetically speaking, if you were to make these long-request characters, which versions would you do? Young Jedi Knights (there's a good picture of them in the recent Jedi vs. Sith guide), NJO-era Jedi Knights (probably the most requested versions, and based on Japanese cover art which is probably the largest body of visual reference for these characters and was even used by the Official Site as its EU menu before the redesign) or Legacy of the Force-era (with the added advantage that an alternate head and lightsaber and removable cape would allow you to do Jacen and Caedus as one figure)?
Hasbro: If we did them, hypothetically speaking, it would be the New Jedi Order-era, based on the Japanese cover art. This would be the most solid selection for the exact reasons you have pointed out - prevalence and familiarity with the character images. If we ever did Caedus, it would have to be new sculpt since the NJO-version would not work for a retrofit.
SSG: With Sideshow having released a smashing diorama of the "Look Sir, Droids" scene, what are the chances of Hasbro doing a similar battle pack? It could include the escape pod (perhaps with the proper top hatch openable, or maybe the whole thing upsized) and an assortment of Sandroopers with a variety of pauldrons and accessories. Heck, if you threw in an updated dewback, you'd have quite the nifty ultimate battle pack. Any chance of that?
Hasbro: We have looked at this scene several times with the theme you suggested, but so far it hasn't made the cut for one reason or another. Maybe someday….
SSG: When collectors ask for the same stuff over and over again such as certain vehicles like the Cloud Car, large accessories like Jabba's dais, playsets and dioramas of scenes that are not action- or main-character-themed which Hasbro says they aren't likely to do because those areas are not seen as profitable in today's market, are there any NEW ideas swimming around the Star Wars team with an OT collector focus? Not talking about merely new figures or resculpts of unmade vintage figures, but something new in the 3.75" format that would excite collectors, especially OT-focused ones. Stuff like the nifty new Scramble on Yavin battle pack gets collectors jazzed up.
Hasbro: While we have looked at many different aspects of the Original Trilogy, the fact is that Kenner covered that ground extremely well, to the point where they even augmented the universe with many of their own original designs (Mini Rigs, the Imperial Transport, etc). Our focus for vintage collectors remains the still (in our opinion) large fertile ground of figures, vehicles, and creatures which have yet-to-be-updated over their vintage counterparts, along with the still numerous unmade characters from many scenes such as the Cantina, Jabba's Palace, Ewoks, and the line. Yet we do try to surprise by doing new things that we think are key to the OTC - like the recent Lars Homestead and Sarlacc pit sets that for the very first time create scenic display opportunities for these iconic scenes. We certainly hope that you enjoy these surprises as much as we get satisfaction from finding new ways to deliver OTC magic.
- - -
And our questions at CollectionStation.com (http://www.collectionstation.com/groups/view/Star-Wars/Official-Hasbro-Q-A-1252008_35):
- With the confirmation of 2X-7KPR - the last unmade droid from the sale of the droids scene - being released in '09 as another Jawa/droid 2-pack, how will this set be released? This is an ANH scene, you've confirmed that ESB will be the only source getting 2 waves in '09, and the '09 ANH wave already has a different Jawa/droid 2-pack, so where will Jawa/2X-7KPR fit into the overall? Will this be a running change repacked into another wave, or has a second ANH wave been slotted - and if the latter, what other figures will be in that 2nd ANH wave?
- In the past year, we've seen a lot of figures from the POTF2-era Expanded Universe line getting revisited one way or another. The Darktrooper was rereleased as a Fans Choice figure, while Mara Jade got an all-new sculpt in the Comics Packs line, and in that line we're also about to get an all-new Grand Admiral Thrawn, Dark Empire Clone Palpatine, DE Luke, and a new Kyle Katarn. That leaves just Dark Empire Leia, the Heir to the Empire Spacetrooper, and the Imperial Sentinel left to be done, will any of them be either reissued or resculpted any time soon to join their EU brethren? Was it a conscious choice to get all those other POTF2 EU figures rereleased, or just happenstance?
- Will Hasbro be modifying the existing or making a new Hyperspace Ring for the ROTS Eta-2 Jedi Starfighter? Will the existing Hyperspace Ring ever be sold by itself in other colors to go with existing Jedi Starfighters? With the Ring being featured in episodes of The Clone Wars for Plo Koon's and Anakin's Jedi Starfighters, and your confirmation that Hasbro's Clone Wars Jedi Starfighter will fit the existing Ring, will you be selling Anakin's and/or Plo's starfighters with their Hyperspace Rings as boxed sets to get the full product into kid and collector hands, taking advantage of the show's current momentum rather than waiting to double-dip down the road when interest has waned, a la the Ep 2 Obi-Wan Jedi Starfighter with Hyperspace Ring?