QUESTIONS FOR HASBRO - round 75

[JediTricks]

Please post your VOTE for up to 6 {six} of the questions provided in this thread, letting us know which ones you most want to see asked on October 23rd. Keep in mind that your votes in round 74 do not count in this round, so if your question is still on the list you may want to vote for it again.

Also, feel free to post new questions. For reference, here are Hasbro's answers to previous SSG questions (http://www.sirstevesguide.com/index.php?categoryid=13&p2_articleid=1934); and from other sites (http://www.sirstevesguide.com/index.php?categoryid=13&p2_articleid=1936). The questions we asked last round can be found here (http://forums.sirstevesguide.com/showthread.php?p=699210#post699210).

Current questions (vote for up to 6):


- In Hasbro's awesome Comic-Packs line, we've been treated to Marvel Star Wars issues 1-4, and Dark Horse Revenge of the Sith issues 1, 3, and 4. Any chance we could get comic packs of the missing Marvel SW #5 and 6, and Dark Horse ROTS #2, to complete their respective tales? (Just spitballing ideas: we could certainly do with a Leia/3PO pack for MSW#5 and perhaps a Rebel/Imperial Pilot set for #6, and ROTS #2 could use Grievous and a new deco Clone.) And what about Comic Packs for the other movie adaptation comics like Marvel ESB and ROTJ, or Dark Horse TPM and AOTC?
- Why are the Droid Factory build-a-droid parts for C-3PX incompatible with the basic figures' build-a-droid parts, especially the other protocol droids like RA7's? 3PX has a ball joint for his head while RA7 has a post, and the pegs for the arms and legs also differ, thus making it impossible to mix-n-match parts, which the concept had otherwise highly adopted. Was this done on purpose, and if so, why?
- In a recent Q&A, you mentioned that "[Hasbro] will continue working with Sideshow on their 12" figure program." As we know, Sideshow sub-licenses their 12" Star Wars through Hasbro's Star Wars license, but the intricacies of this relationship are not fully understood. With your recent comment above, collectors are ever more curious as to how exactly Hasbro and Sideshow work together on that 12" figure line. What types of input does Hasbro have into the Star Wars items that Sideshow produces?
- Beyond Star Wars, many other franchises have tried their hand at Titanium Series - Battlestar Galactica, Indiana Jones, Marvel, Transformers, even Stargate was floated as being in some level of planning - yet they all eventually faded away from Titanium Series' light. What lessons has the Titanium Series team taken away from those other licenses' lines and their passings? For example, you put off the wave with the BSG Basestar and couldn't find a slot for this new tooling before the license ran out, yet you released a Starbuck repaint of the Viper mk 2 at theproverbial 11th hour (and didn't hit shelves until the 13th hour), an unusual distinction which fans don't really understand, and could use more behind-the-scenes insight into - why didn't that Basestar tooling get shoehorned into a later wave before the license with Universal ran out? Why release a repaint vehicle that won't satisfy fans as much, rather than an all-new mold which fans have been clamoring for?
- What was the decision making process behind creating a Jabba the Hutt animated figure instead of a Ziro the Hutt figure? Ziro has appeared in the Clone Wars series more than Jabba so far, and his animated behavior fits the Clone Wars animated series better than Jabba. Was it merely the character recognizability of Jabba, or the fact that you had existing accessories for him, or was the idea of an evil Truman Capote Hutt just too out-there for ya?
- The end of the Titanium era has brought much dismay to collectors, not simply because of the grim unlikelihood for the future behind the "hiatus" status, but also because it leaves many great ships nearly impossible to find. Many Titaniums that saw limited releases or worse and were expected to get re-released in the future are now going to be mythical at best, such as the Gungan Bongo Sub (now doomed to be postponed into eternity), Trade Federation Landing Craft, Mon Calamari Star Cruiser, Rogue Shadow, Luke Skywalker's X-wing (Sculpt 2), AOTC Naboo Royal Cruiser, P-38 Magnaguard Starfighter, and more. What with the line's demise skunking the fans out of some great molds, would it be possible to get any sort of limited rereleases of these incredibly difficult to acquire treasures - and the ones that almost made it such as the Bongo - as HasbroToyShop exclusives? If not, why not? Isn't seeing ANY financial return on molds that haven't made their money back better than no return at all?
- Mace Windu has been represented in action figure form for 11 years now, and a large portion of those figures were released with some unique, non-standard aspect. Mace has been the first "sneak peek" and a mail-away in the modern line, the first hard-shell "choco" robe, AOTC had a deluxe before basic which has a smiling face and a second figure, AOTC basic had the screaming face, 2003 AOTC basic had the "ultimate lightsaber control" stick gimmick, ROTS had the Force Lightning throw-off gimmick, and now the Clone Wars version with removable armor and saber-swinging waist. While there have been a few normal Mace figures, and even a super-articulated one finally, it seems as if Mace Windu has been tapped by Hasbro to be the sculpting and gimmick guinea pig. Is this pattern intentional, do you think he can't sell without these sorts of things, is it just happenstance, or does someone there subliminally not realize they keep picking Mace to be the test guy?
- In this year's SDCC slideshow presentation, you previewed the first Knights of the Old Republic comic-pack, which features Rohlan Dyre and Jarael. Why though is the series main protagonist Zayne not included in the first KOTOR pack? Any chance we will be seeing him released soon after that pack, or at least at some point?
- In The Force Unleashed, Admiral Ozzik Sturn piloted an AT-KT (All Terrain Kashyyyk Transport) in a boss battle against our hero and the enslaved Wookiees. The AT-KT is merely a heavier-armed version of the AT-ST. Now that we have a new AT-ST coming out, might Hasbro be willing to do a modified version for the AT-KT as well?
- On the new red & white cards for Legacy Collection, the character photos in the upper corner are rather bizarre works this time around and lead to several questions. Why are so many of the characters holding their weapons near their faces for the images? Some sabers and guns make sense, but other accessories look odd like on the Gungan Warrior card. A few are out of scale, like Slave Leia's vibro-staff. And why are some characters using images from other movies, like Sidious Hologram using a picture from ROTJ, or Luke Jedi using an ANH likeness, or Romba altered to sub for Paploo? And what is with the "artist's interpretation" image for Malakili that looks like an oil painting? While these might seem like minor nitpicks, after a few years of quality card character art, these really stand out and take the line back a few steps. Doesn't the line deserve better?
- Has there been any thought to creating a repaint of Clone Wars C-3PO in his "Droids" cartoon coloring? This mold is already fairly cartoony in design and realization. It would make a nifty collectible for fans of the classic cartoon, yet also could work for new collectors unfamiliar with the series as an alternate protocol droid with a unique color scheme. Any chance of seeing this happen from Hasbro, or would it have to show up in the new cartoon first to even be considered?
- Unleashed has been a collector-favorite line for a while now, long after its cancellation. Fans crave higher-end statues without the higher-end pricing, and Hasbro delivered that with their plastic Unleashed line. Have you considered going back to the Unleashed well at a slightly higher pricepoint to make it profit-feasible line, perhaps even using the look of some of Lucasfilm's higher-end packaging motif?
- Will you be reissuing the Scramble on Yavin Battle Pack in the new packaging design? Although a sleeper at first, it seems to be very popular and now many collectors themselves are scrambling trying to find it. We know you said that future Battle Packs would go back to the kid-focused styles, but as this is existing tooling and it's popular and it had a relatively short run due to the packaging change-over, it should get a re-release in the '09 packaging, don't you think? If not, what about reusing the vehicle in the Clone Wars deluxe figure & vehicle assortment? You've got "just outside of frame" vehicles there, heck, even the Desert Sport Skiff, is it hard to believe that Clone pilots might use a transport like this?
- The Clone Wars line has been a boon for its droid designs, but is following suit from the realistic lines with the sagging leg problems. This is especially noticeable on Clone Wars Battle Droids and General Grievous. Yet in the same line, IG-86 and the Commando Droid don't suffer this, the difference being that they have ankle joints while the BD and Grievous figures do not. It seems like the joints take stress off the thin leg elements helping cope with wilting issues, and that's a pretty big deal. Obviously including either knee or ankle articulation on them isn't a cheap undertaking, but it seems like a necessary one in the scheme of things since if a figure can't stand up, it's going to be far less fun. Any possibility of including one type of lower leg articulation or another on future versions of these figures as this partial solution to this long-time problem?
- One of your answers in the September 10th round mentioned that R2-X2 is a corrected version of the droid that came in the Entertainment Earth Exclusive set. Another figure in one of those sets, R3-T2, was also painted incorrectly in comparison to its onscreen counterpart. The version you released had a white dome with a metallic brown stripe, while it should have a red dome with white panels. Are there any plans to release a corrected version of R3-T2 down the line?
- Why did K'Kruhk not come with his mythical hat as an accessory? Many of his fans had high hopes for its inclusion, as it's an important part of his persona. Did you consider this when you decided to make him, and if so, why didn't it make the cut?
- With your recent answer about the Holiday Special aliens, you've put another nail in the coffin by pointing out that it is "forgettable" (though we'd argue clearly not as 3 generations of SW fans now talk about it and ask for figures from it despite having only grainy bootleg videos as their source) and figures from it won't be produced. In the past, you've done both animated-sequence figures (Boba Fett) and live-action-sequence ones (Zutton), so there is precendence to ask our question: what about Chewbacca's family? All 3 of them have appeared in other EU sources beyond the Holiday Special, but due to their origination, do you consider them figures that have little to no chance of production, or is there hope for any/all of them at some point down the line? (They wouldn't even have to come with their Life Day robes, if you absolutely couldn't find it in your heart to include them. But wouldn't that be like making a Tiny Tim figure and not including his crutch? That would be cruel... but we digress. ;-) )
- Have you considered sealing magnets into figures' feet and including metal stands to avoid the numerous problems that have come up with footpeg holes over the years? Kotobukiya is doing that with their new ARTFX+ line of statue kits to great success, and although 3.75" figures are a smaller medium, magnetic feet would go well with your action figure line with all its challenges keeping figures standing.
- We've now seen Hasbro imagery of deluxe Anakin with Desert Sport Skiff, and us old-fogey collectors who have been around since 1996 are quite surprised to see that accessory's return. It wasn't exactly popular back in the day, its styling wasn't that Star Warsy, and its wobbly guns didn't help much, yet now we have it back for a whole new generation of Star Wars collectors. The other 1996 deluxe releases - Crowd Control Stormtrooper, Han Solo with Flight Pack, and Boba Fett with Mega Jetpack of Doom - weren't exactly crowd-pleasers either, but will we be seeing any of them re-released? Though the idea of a small vehicle for Anakin makes sense, re-releasing this piece seems like such an odd choice. Could you guide us through the thought process on this one? Did the failure of the original influence the decision at all?
- The Clone Wars episode "Trespass" from season 1 has resonated with a lot of fans, and the episode also sports a significant amount of noteworthy new characters and outfit variants just begging to be made into figures. Already we have the Freeco Bike confirmed, as well as snow gear Anakin and Obi-Wan, and Thi-Sen; but there's still Rex and the clones in snow gear waiting to be confirmed, the other Talz warriors, the arrogant Chi Cho, Senator Chuchi, and the Pantoran guard - there's more than enough interesting and exciting characters in this episode to fill an entire wave. While Hasbro is likely to do a number of these characters eventually, the episode will fade in buyers' memories fairly quickly, so can you reveal if any will be coming in 2010?
- Back in January, we asked about what happens to pulled-back pegwarming figures, and at the time you hadn't bought back some in a while so your answer focused on other methods of using the packaged figures, but on October 2nd you answered another site that this year's pulled-pack figures were being destroyed. How exactly are they being destroyed, and are those destroyed materials being recycled in some manner, or are they just destined to become landfill? Can Hasbro further clarify the details of this issue and address rationale behind this measure which could negative effects on the environment?
- We've been hearing how the TLC line has been having sales troubles going back to its inception in July '08. There have been numerous Hasbro comments about lowered volume due to a shrinking of the hardcore collector base and a virtual drying up of the casual consumer base. Now through Q&A we're hearing about entire waves of basic figures, the bread & butter of the line, getting pushed back or dropped into exclusive territory as brand management tries to ensure that those molds get into collectors' hands at all. Yet through all this, we continue to hear that Saga Legends is a strong seller with the casual consumers and thus with Hasbro's retail partners. While we fans appreciate and admire the drive over the past 6 years to deliver 40 to 50 new figures per year, without entertainment support it appears that pace has become an albatross around the mainline's neck as multiple outside forces such as manufacturing and the economy beat up the line (along with the rest of the toy industry). When fans look at something like the AT-AT Driver figure, which had a chiefly satisfactory figure released only 3 years ago yet now has an entirely new tooling coming up, it seems like the priority to meet x-many new figures per wave is no longer a viable concept, as budgeting for figures that either won't see widespread release at retail or will get pushed back means the next products down the line suffer worse fates is spent across a wave rather than the mainline as a whole. Though not ideal, have you considered merging the mainline figures and Saga Legends back together, scaling back the overall scope of new figures to fit in releases alongside the Legends figures, and cutting down on new resculpted figures when existing ones like the 3-year-old AT-AT Driver would satisfy interest with little or no changes? Would focusing all of the non-Clone Wars figures back into a single SKU help keep mainline figures afloat, even if the number of new figures is scaled back significantly?
- With the new deluxe vehicle assortment consistent of the ARC-170 repaint and the Clone Wars Y-wing, there seems to be a focus on raising prices in the line across the board, though that scale's jump from $30 to $60+ is especially noteworthy. Basic figures are $8 or more now, comic packs have gone up $4, battle packs and vehicles are going up around $5, deluxe figure & vehicle packs are a pricey $17, the last dribs and drabs of Titanium Series are over $8, Force FX sabers have gone up $20, and exclusives pricing is all over the map. Clearly, the economic turmoil over the last few years has hit the Hasbro Star Wars brand exceptionally hard, but don't these prices seem harder and harder to justify for both hardcore and casual collectors? We know you are trying to do your best to keep the line alive, but right now collectors are very concerned about the brand's future, and see the price-hikes as the culprit to its possible downfall. Raising prices is a downward spiral. Isn't there some way to better split the costs hikes between customers and profit margins, before there are virtually no customers left to eke profit margins out of, and the line folds?
- With the Wedge Antilles X-wing Fighter set, you have a great-looking boxed set there, but it's marred by one odd choice: the nifty kill-marks are printed on white paper stickers rather than clear transparent ones, which look terrible on the ship. Why go with the white-backed stickers over the transparent ones? If this was a factory error, and we're hoping it is, will there be a reissued set of stickers on clear backing?
- With the updating of Imperial trooper figures lately to have more accurate designs and sharper sculpting, the Biker Scout is so far one of those figures left out. Although one of the "vintage-style" figures, the existing Scout figure could use some upgrades including sharper armor and undersuit sculpting, a slightly larger helmet, more accurate arms including the missing elbowpads, less bulky shoulders, and better range of motion for the head, knees, torso and hips. How likely are we to see an updated Biker Scout figure like this? What would hold something like this back from being delivered in the foreseeable future?
- On the latest TIE Interceptor's packaging, the box art on the front has a highly-detailed ship which is not actually representing the toy, the back of the box imagery does that. However, while the new cockpit pod is a great improvement, that art highlights the wings being the same existing designs we've had for the last 3 decades, and their size and lack of detail really shows compared to the new pod. Granted, you've just released a TIE Interceptor so it's not like we're going to see new wings next week. But hypothetically, how far in the future might fans have to wait to get a set of updated TIE Interceptor wings to match the quality of the new pod?
- Wizard/ToyFare's Fans Choice top 30 poll has begun, but a few anomalies have cropped up that we'd like to get official word on. First is the picture of Bom Vimdin, the image comes from the Holiday Special rather than ANH, which version would we get should he win? Same with the ROTS Palpatine pic being from the scene where he announces the formation of the Empire rather than the claimed Senate Duel look, which would we get? There's also the suggestions that Cliegg Lars might have removable legs yet no mention of his hoverchair, and that Queen Apailana might get packed with another Naboo character despite being closer in size to a full-sized adult character than a youngling and not remotely Comic Pack-worthy. So would Cliegg likely have removable legs and/or his hoverchair, and would Apailana likely come with a second Naboo character?
- Although Aayla Secura is getting a Clone Wars figure in 2010, your answer about a new realistic version said it didn't make the cut for 2010 and may have to be an exclusive. What about, instead of that trouble, just revisiting the ROTS mold and tooling up a new set of arms? You don't even need to tool up hands or the right shoulder since that figure has satisfactory versions of both, just new arms with working elbow joints. That could be a significant budget savings, she could be in one of those re-release waves that occasionally come out, and you'd get another popular Jedi figure definitively made. Any chance of seeing this happen in the foreseeable future?

Vote now, and suggest new questions too. Thanks for participating!

[Darth Marco]

My votes go for 8,10,16,17, and 19.

[Ando]

7

9

13

16

18

19

[Cane_Adiss]

just 5 and 16 for now.

[Washingtonian]

My votes are for 11 and 17

Here's a question too:
After seeing the 'Trespass' episode of the Clone Wars last season, it seemed to me like it was just full of new characters waiting to be made into figures, as well as presenting several new costume options for the main characters. Today we know that Obi-Wan's speeder from that episode is on the way, but there have still not been any new figures revealed. With characters like Anakin, Obi-Wan, Rex and Clones in snow gear, as well as Talz warriors and Senator Chuchi, there are enough good characters in that episode to practically fill a whole wave! I'm confident that some or all of these characters will be made into figures someday, but can you reveal if any will be coming in 2010?

[cloneemperor]

I'm done with 1, 6, and 17 for now

[jedichicken]

My votes are for 11 and 17

Here's a question too:
After seeing the 'Trespass' episode of the Clone Wars last season, it seemed to me like it was just full of new characters waiting to be made into figures, as well as presenting several new costume options for the main characters. Today we know that Obi-Wan's speeder from that episode is on the way, but there have still not been any new figures revealed. With characters like Anakin, Obi-Wan, Rex and Clones in snow gear, as well as Talz warriors and Senator Chuchi, there are enough good characters in that episode to practically fill a whole wave! I'm confident that some or all of these characters will be made into figures someday, but can you reveal if any will be coming in 2010?

I like the above question the most and #'s 5,6,8,16,17

[Cane_Adiss]

Hasbro recently made a disturbing comment in a recent Q&A that the number of pegwarming figures recently pulled from retail by your employees will be "destroyed" and will never see store shelves again. How exactly are they destroyed and are they to be recycled in some manner? Are they just landfilled as is or are they ground up? Can Hasbro furthur clarify the details of this issue and address rationale behind this measure that will no doubt have negative effects on the environment?

[bigbarada]

Hasbro recently made a disturbing comment in a recent Q&A that the number of pegwarming figures recently pulled from retail by your employees will be "destroyed" and will never see store shelves again. How exactly are they destroyed and are they to be recycled in some manner? Are they just landfilled as is or are they ground up? Can Hasbro furthur clarify the details of this issue and address rationale behind this measure that will no doubt have negative effects on the environment?

I think I read that the toys were ground up into a fine paste, then force-fed to baby seals who were then clubbed to death to make fur coats. :D

[vger]

1, 11, 15 so far.

[Cane_Adiss]

I think I read that the toys were ground up into a fine paste, then force-fed to baby seals who were then clubbed to death to make fur coats. :D

Funny. :laugh:

[Blue2th]

New Question:

In light of your surprise at a certain Librarian Jedi (Jocasta Nu) doing so well in the preliminary Fan's Choice Poll, and realizing Hasbro has no control over how the various sites are run. What do you guys think of the shenanigans reported by many sites of people registering under several different names at the various sites only to stuff the ballot box with their favorite character, then getting caught red handed doing so?

Yeah it's a loaded question, but I thought I would throw it out there.

[JediTricks]

Questions 20 - 21 added.


Here's a question too:
After seeing the 'Trespass' episode of the Clone Wars last season, it seemed to me like it was just full of new characters waiting to be made into figures, as well as presenting several new costume options for the main characters. Today we know that Obi-Wan's speeder from that episode is on the way, but there have still not been any new figures revealed. With characters like Anakin, Obi-Wan, Rex and Clones in snow gear, as well as Talz warriors and Senator Chuchi, there are enough good characters in that episode to practically fill a whole wave! I'm confident that some or all of these characters will be made into figures someday, but can you reveal if any will be coming in 2010?16bit asked about Obi-Wan and Anakin, so we'll need to modify them out, but I think we can ask it I feel like we did ask it actually, but I cannot find reference to it.
16bit.com: Here's a question we'd never thought we'd ask in a post-Batman world-- when can we expect snow suit versions of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker?
Hasbro: We are delighted to be bringing some alternate forms of these characters to the line! Look for both of them to find their way into the 2010 Clone Wars basic figure lineup.

Hasbro recently made a disturbing comment in a recent Q&A that the number of pegwarming figures recently pulled from retail by your employees will be "destroyed" and will never see store shelves again. How exactly are they destroyed and are they to be recycled in some manner? Are they just landfilled as is or are they ground up? Can Hasbro furthur clarify the details of this issue and address rationale behind this measure that will no doubt have negative effects on the environment?Interesting, and I'm glad Hasbro stuck up for themselves in that answer, the original question struck me as overly disrespectful and inaccurate. We asked them about this at the beginning of the year, Jan 30:
SSG: Longterm collectors have noticed that, in the past, sometimes Hasbro ends up with spare figures at the end of a particular line - either unsold merchandise or even bought back from retailers like in the Saga line. Take for example the HasbroToyShop 8-packs of TAC Farmboy Luke, or Darth Vader, sold as "party favors". Collectors have always wondered, what happens to those extra figures: Are they melted down and recycled back into plastic (and wouldn't their paint make that difficult)? Are they repacked into new sets like battle packs or Saga Legends (which seems expensive to take them out of original packaging and put into a different package)? Are they sold off to toy liquidators, or donated to childrens' charity as a write-off?
Hasbro: This is an interesting question, and one we're glad you asked since we have seen some speculation that our Battle Pack or figure choices are dictated by leftover or excess (or, as implied, returned/unwanted) inventory. This could not be further from the truth; we select figures and sets based on the anticipated wants of the groups we are targeting, and match our existing library to those needs. Some Battle Packs may rely on older figures, but if they are kid-targeted (as many Battle Packs are) then many of our older figures are perfect for the audience. We have not brought figures back from retail in many years, but if we did, they would not be repacked into new sets like Battle Packs or Saga Legends. Production of all new toys takes place in Asia, and it doesn't make logistic sense to ship them back for reworking when it would be much less expensive to initiate new production. As for what has happened to figures in the past, it is likely that a variety of options were pursued to move the inventory, including the figure 4-packs that were sold to retailers in the past.
Clearly there was no mention of destruction before, so I guess we'll have to find out.



New Question:

In light of your surprise at a certain Librarian Jedi (Jocasta Nu) doing so well in the preliminary Fan's Choice Poll, and realizing Hasbro has no control over how the various sites are run. What do you guys think of the shenanigans reported by many sites of people registering under several different names at the various sites only to stuff the ballot box with their favorite character, then getting caught red handed doing so?

Yeah it's a loaded question, but I thought I would throw it out there.I am not sure this is the exact question I want to ask. There's no doubt in my mind that there is an honest vocal group who want Jocasta Nu, she's shown up on previous lists in the past, and as such we've had personal discussions with Hasbro about the character, so it's already been out there. If we were to ask a question like what you're suggesting, it'd have to factor in the final round of the poll that will be run by ToyFare/Wizard.com, so we have to ultimately ask if we trust them to trust Wizard enough to risk this problem. Thoughts?

[Blue2th]

[SIZE=4]

I am not sure this is the exact question I want to ask. There's no doubt in my mind that there is an honest vocal group who want Jocasta Nu, she's shown up on previous lists in the past, and as such we've had personal discussions with Hasbro about the character, so it's already been out there. If we were to ask a question like what you're suggesting, it'd have to factor in the final round of the poll that will be run by ToyFare/Wizard.com, so we have to ultimately ask if we trust them to trust Wizard enough to risk this problem. Thoughts?

Agreed, yet I hope that they can head off any sort of questionable activity in the Toyfare/Wizard poll. It's their investment and costs in tooling a new character, I'm sure they would want to know if the figure that is chosen is the true fan's favorite, even if that turns out to be Jocasta?
Would it be good to remind them beforehand or ask them if they are aware of it?
In light of what they said in the last Q&A about her, and being surprised,
it's no skin off our backs if the fan's choice turns out to be a failure, but they're the ones who have to put up the money. They'd be idiots not to wonder about it and try their best to work with Wizard to make it a clean poll.

Luckily the last figure Darth Revan turned out to be one of the most sought after characters of all time, so I'm optimistic, but I have heard of other polls where certain things were not kosher.

[El Chuxter]

Wanna re-visit my "how to get the 'loser' figures made?" question....

"Collectors want a number of figures who, for various reasons, would not appeal to a broader audience and, therefore, don't have a particularly good chance of being produced. And retailers always seem to want exclusives. Would it be possible to produce store exclusive 'mini-waves' (such as the Firefly and Barbecue 'Headquarters for Heroes' wave of Rise of Cobra figures) or case breakdown variants to produce one or two such figures per store for the three major retailers (TRU, Target, and Wal-Mart) each year? This would not be totally unprecedented, as recent years have seen Wal-Mart exclusive waves of both the basic figures and comic packs.

(We know you've said before that store exclusives are always existing sculpts; however, many of 2009's exclusives so far have been new, including the Darktrooper, Dewback, and Octoparra Droid.)"

Sorry to harp on it again. Some of these would be relatively easy to customize, but whenever I look at Teek or Jaxxon, I can't think of too much to do with them short of completely sculpting them from scratch.

[JediTricks]

Agreed, yet I hope that they can head off any sort of questionable activity in the Toyfare/Wizard poll. It's their investment and costs in tooling a new character, I'm sure they would want to know if the figure that is chosen is the true fan's favorite, even if that turns out to be Jocasta?
Would it be good to remind them beforehand or ask them if they are aware of it?Not without a time machine, their poll starts this month and we don't ask questions again until the end of it.


Wanna re-visit my "how to get the 'loser' figures made?" question....

"Collectors want a number of figures who, for various reasons, would not appeal to a broader audience and, therefore, don't have a particularly good chance of being produced. And retailers always seem to want exclusives. Would it be possible to produce store exclusive 'mini-waves' (such as the Firefly and Barbecue 'Headquarters for Heroes' wave of Rise of Cobra figures) or case breakdown variants to produce one or two such figures per store for the three major retailers (TRU, Target, and Wal-Mart) each year? This would not be totally unprecedented, as recent years have seen Wal-Mart exclusive waves of both the basic figures and comic packs.

(We know you've said before that store exclusives are always existing sculpts; however, many of 2009's exclusives so far have been new, including the Darktrooper, Dewback, and Octoparra Droid.)"

Sorry to harp on it again. Some of these would be relatively easy to customize, but whenever I look at Teek or Jaxxon, I can't think of too much to do with them short of completely sculpting them from scratch.No, now is the wrong time to ask a question like that, they're talking about pushing back TLC basics, comic packs, and exclusives as it is. If they're talking about the decline of the main line, then it seems like folly to try to get even MORE niche stuff into it. They are focused on the survival of the line, not the "last gasp" (which has already been asked about as well).

[El Chuxter]

I don't suppose we could ask them to scrap Build-A-Droid, produce fewer (but better, and better-chosen) figures, stop BattlePacks altogether, and, for God's sake, recall Malakili before he becomes an embarrassment again, could we? :D

Maybe I'm nuts, but I can't help but think that giving collectors what they want, but in sane quantities, is preferable to shipping billions of Yarnas and resculpting the AT-AT Driver for what seems like the twelfth time in three years.

[JediTricks]

I don't suppose we could ask them to scrap Build-A-Droid, produce fewer (but better, and better-chosen) figures, stop BattlePacks altogether, and, for God's sake, recall Malakili before he becomes an embarrassment again, could we? :D

Maybe I'm nuts, but I can't help but think that giving collectors what they want, but in sane quantities, is preferable to shipping billions of Yarnas and resculpting the AT-AT Driver for what seems like the twelfth time in three years.
Build-a-Droid is a pack-in system, if they scrap it, it won't significantly save costs per item, it's the same as Jedi Force Files or stands or holo-mini-statues, it's a sales incentive, a consumer dollar compensator, not a budgetary offset.

They are already talking about producing fewer figures and being more selective, but their being selective about which figures to make won't match your choices.

Battle Packs are a kid-oriented sales item which Hasbro says holds casual consumer interest, being a good gift item for parents to buy kids and whatnot. Its sales are surely not what's being the problem.

We already asked them WTF about Malakili, they gave their answer.

Collectors don't know what they want, don't agree with each other about what they want, are in too few number to hold the line by themselves, and are the very ones who asked for Yarna to be made so are at least partly to blame there. Hasbro is already trying to scale back the line to meet waning collector interest. And resculpting the AT-AT Driver after 3 years had its reasons, we may not agree with them but that alone isn't going to doom anything.

Let's try to be realistic about what's going on.

[El Chuxter]

They are already talking about producing fewer figures and being more selective, but their being selective about which figures to make won't match your choices.

I might not buy a lot of prequel figures, but my choices for what figures they make would simply be to eliminate unnecessary resculpts and "new" core character costumes that are so scene-specific as to pretty much be resculpts (like "Han Solo: Now With Stormtrooper Belt!!!!"). Given that we've had two resculpts too many for characters like Greedo, Momaw Nadon, IG-88, and Bossk, I'll believe the "more selective" when I see it. (I'm afraid it just means, "We'll spread out our next wave of Bossk and Greedo waves; instead of getting both next year, one will be released in 2011.")

My comment about scrapping Build-A-Droid had less to do with perceived cost vs value than it did Hasbro's essentially requiring themselves to make an equal number of, say, Yarna d'al Gargans and Sandstorm Han Solos. I don't dig the idea of shortpacking, but, for characters like Yarna (or Malakili or Wilrow), it makes sense.

Maybe we could ask if they could revamp the case lineups so that some "loser" characters are shortpacked, and there's a "no lose" army builder, like a Stormtrooper, packed in greater numbers with the same piece? I know they have redundant pieces now, but perhaps they should increase the quantity of some of those to offset figures like, well, Yarna comes immediately to mind again.

[bigbarada]

I have a new question, but it really just amounts to:

Clone Wars....animated Bossk figure....WHEN?????

[El Chuxter]

Okay, how about this instead... not exactly the same, but along the same lines:

"Some of Hasbro's recent answers regarding the future of the Legacy line have caused concern (if not panic) in some collectors, many of whom do not collect the Clone Wars merchandise that seems to be the cash cow at the moment. It seems from most of your answers that future Legacy offerings will likely be fewer and that Hasbro will, therefore, have to be more selective about the offerings. How will this affect resculpts, which there have been a large number of in the past few years? Though most people will agree there are some older figures, Dr Evazan being an example, who need resculpting, there are a large number of collectors who are just as likely to pass on resculpts that they don't see as necessary or are not the "perfect" version of a character. (Some that have come up in this category include the recent AT-AT Driver and Malakili, as well as the Episode I Obi-Wan and almost any Episode VI Luke made in the past few years.) As costs increase and the economy remains at a less-than-ideal level, the number of collectors passing on particular figures will most likely only increase, and no amount of droid parts will convince them otherwise when said parts can be easily found on eBay or collecting sites."

[JediTricks]

I might not buy a lot of prequel figures, but my choices for what figures they make would simply be to eliminate unnecessary resculpts and "new" core character costumes that are so scene-specific as to pretty much be resculpts (like "Han Solo: Now With Stormtrooper Belt!!!!"). Given that we've had two resculpts too many for characters like Greedo, Momaw Nadon, IG-88, and Bossk, I'll believe the "more selective" when I see it. (I'm afraid it just means, "We'll spread out our next wave of Bossk and Greedo waves; instead of getting both next year, one will be released in 2011.")

My comment about scrapping Build-A-Droid had less to do with perceived cost vs value than it did Hasbro's essentially requiring themselves to make an equal number of, say, Yarna d'al Gargans and Sandstorm Han Solos. I don't dig the idea of shortpacking, but, for characters like Yarna (or Malakili or Wilrow), it makes sense.

Maybe we could ask if they could revamp the case lineups so that some "loser" characters are shortpacked, and there's a "no lose" army builder, like a Stormtrooper, packed in greater numbers with the same piece? I know they have redundant pieces now, but perhaps they should increase the quantity of some of those to offset figures like, well, Yarna comes immediately to mind again.Bossk, IG-88, Momaw Nadon, those resculpts are all among my favorite figures in this line. If stupid Greedo's vest wasn't shag carpeting, it'd be easier to accept. We've had a year of almost no new core characters and the line has tanked. The line NEEDS core characters to survive and to hang lesser-known figures upon. Acting like crotchety old men afraid of change absolutely will not keep the line going, that is a downward spiral towards failure as it only shrinks the brand.

Yarna wasn't even-packed, and her production levels weren't high because of the droid parts, it was because she was in the premiere wave for the new brand and Hasbro for some odd reason wouldn't ease off production of her in subsequent case revisions. Almost every Yarna you see has the original droid parts from that first wave, some are still findable in the "first day of release" stickers, retailers over-ordered and Hasbro for some reason thought that would just keep the Yarnas selling after they over-shipped them. Other "collector-oriented" figures in the TLC line since then haven't had even shipping or high production numbers or have been kept around in case revisions, it was only Yarna. If anything, it's the silly themed waves that is the problem, by having nothing but ROTJ in the wave it ensured over-ordering of an ROTJ wave because it was the first wave.

Maybe we should ask them specifically why Yarna didn't get a production reduction. That's fun to say. "Production reduction." But stuff like Breha Organa was shortpacked from the beginning and still pegwarmed, so there's no reason to ask about others.

We've gone over case breakdowns with them, they're the brand managers, not us. I find it ironic that you're talking about including army-builders in every wave and yet on this same page you're bashing them for doing the AT-AT Driver whose only reason for being in that wave was that they were doing another army-builder in the wave exactly as you are talking about. Talk about no way to win with collectors! Also, when TAC-era Saggy Legends was pushing Stormtroopers and Clonetroopers harder, we had them pegwarming the crap out of local pegs at TRU and Target, so to everything there must be a balance.


Animated Bossk... soonish. :p We'll find out in Feb, can you wait until then to learn, or is it something you have to ask now? If "now", then I'll be adding the other bounty hunters to the mix since they're in the advertising, even Aurra Sing.



Okay, how about this instead... not exactly the same, but along the same lines:

"Some of Hasbro's recent answers regarding the future of the Legacy line have caused concern (if not panic) in some collectors, many of whom do not collect the Clone Wars merchandise that seems to be the cash cow at the moment. It seems from most of your answers that future Legacy offerings will likely be fewer and that Hasbro will, therefore, have to be more selective about the offerings. How will this affect resculpts, which there have been a large number of in the past few years? Though most people will agree there are some older figures, Dr Evazan being an example, who need resculpting, there are a large number of collectors who are just as likely to pass on resculpts that they don't see as necessary or are not the "perfect" version of a character. (Some that have come up in this category include the recent AT-AT Driver and Malakili, as well as the Episode I Obi-Wan and almost any Episode VI Luke made in the past few years.) As costs increase and the economy remains at a less-than-ideal level, the number of collectors passing on particular figures will most likely only increase, and no amount of droid parts will convince them otherwise when said parts can be easily found on eBay or collecting sites.""Where appropriate, we will do resculpts" has been their answer in the past, and you add their new answer about not going too deep into the hardcore collector-oriented figures and you get a recipe for obvious answers. Resculpts are part of the business model, main characters are part of the business model, recognizable characters are part of the business model. This stuff is all in their prior answers, I just don't see the point in asking them to rehash that recipe into a new answer. Maybe I'm missing the upshot of your question, but it seems right now like you're just grousing about figures you don't like, assuming they won't sell to the consumer base.

[El Chuxter]

No, I'm hearing from more and more people stuff like, "Eh, I don't need another _____." If the stuff's selling like hotcakes, no biggie, but if it's selling poorly while the economy's in the toilet and prices are going up, that could be problematic.

Maybe we could ask them, if Legacy isn't doing well, about the possibility of re-integrating Saga Legends and Legacy into one line again? It seems pointless to keep releasing "new and slightly improved!" versions of figures, when there's an earlier version that could be re-released for a cheaper cost. If Legends is doing well, combining the non-Clone Wars lines could actually help support Legacy. (Even if they're not fully re-integrated, maybe they could be sold to stores under a "Classic Star Wars" moniker, and mix the two in the case assortments?)

I dunno.... Honestly, I'm just spitballing here to try to get ideas in their mind that might offset them killing off Legacy or turning it entirely into a line of overpriced exclusive Battlepacks. I'd really like to keep collecting. :)

[bigbarada]

Bossk, IG-88, Momaw Nadon, those resculpts are all among my favorite figures in this line. If stupid Greedo's vest wasn't shag carpeting, it'd be easier to accept.

Totally agree here and, if you replace VTSC Greedo's crappy felt vest with the vest from the OTC Greedo, then he becomes the perfect Greedo figure.


Animated Bossk... soonish. :p We'll find out in Feb, can you wait until then to learn, or is it something you have to ask now? If "now", then I'll be adding the other bounty hunters to the mix since they're in the advertising, even Aurra Sing.

Now that I think about it, it might be best to wait a bit. It's such an obvious question that one of the other sites is bound to ask it before February; so let them use up a question on it. I think Hasbro has already said that CW Aurra Sing is planned for 2010, so CW Bossk is almost a no-brainer.

[bigbarada]

I dunno.... Honestly, I'm just spitballing here to try to get ideas in their mind that might offset them killing off Legacy or turning it entirely into a line of overpriced exclusive Battlepacks. I'd really like to keep collecting. :)

I think merging Legacy and Saga Legends back into one line (similar to the 2006 Saga line) would be the best option. Of course it would mean fewer all-new figures per year, but it's better than the alternative: zero all-new figures per year because the line is cancelled.

[JediTricks]

Question 22 added.


No, I'm hearing from more and more people stuff like, "Eh, I don't need another _____." If the stuff's selling like hotcakes, no biggie, but if it's selling poorly while the economy's in the toilet and prices are going up, that could be problematic.

Maybe we could ask them, if Legacy isn't doing well, about the possibility of re-integrating Saga Legends and Legacy into one line again? It seems pointless to keep releasing "new and slightly improved!" versions of figures, when there's an earlier version that could be re-released for a cheaper cost. If Legends is doing well, combining the non-Clone Wars lines could actually help support Legacy. (Even if they're not fully re-integrated, maybe they could be sold to stores under a "Classic Star Wars" moniker, and mix the two in the case assortments?)

I dunno.... Honestly, I'm just spitballing here to try to get ideas in their mind that might offset them killing off Legacy or turning it entirely into a line of overpriced exclusive Battlepacks. I'd really like to keep collecting. :)
I think merging Legacy and Saga Legends back into one line (similar to the 2006 Saga line) would be the best option. Of course it would mean fewer all-new figures per year, but it's better than the alternative: zero all-new figures per year because the line is cancelled.This is why tone can be important, Chux's way of putting it seemed overly aggressive and focused on the specific problem of the AT-AT Driver, so it didn't really strike me as the right message. But BB's way of expressing it made a positive argument in a sober tone, and it hit me "where I live" as the expression goes. I've written an epic tale of daring do in the form of a long question based on your guys' idea, then accidentally deleted it and had to rewrite it. :p LMK what you feel needs changing with question 22, and if you'd like to vote for it.


Totally agree here and, if you replace VTSC Greedo's crappy felt vest with the vest from the OTC Greedo, then he becomes the perfect Greedo figure.Yeah, but unlike the other entries sourced, "the perfect Greedo" wouldn't satisfy my interests that much more than the previous version, in this case the CTC Greedo.


Now that I think about it, it might be best to wait a bit. It's such an obvious question that one of the other sites is bound to ask it before February; so let them use up a question on it. I think Hasbro has already said that CW Aurra Sing is planned for 2010, so CW Bossk is almost a no-brainer.Makes sense.

[El Chuxter]

Sounds good to me. I'll vote for it. :D

[bigbarada]

Put me down for #22 also. :cool:

[Mr. JabbaJohnL]

Time for some democracy: 7, 10, 17, 20, 21, 22.

[Cane_Adiss]

Put me down for 21 and 22 as well JT. The last ones a good question, although you might want to fix the second to last sentence to read:

Though not ideal, have you considered merging the mainline figures and Saga Legends back together, scaling back the overall scope of new figures to fit in releases alongside the Legends figures, and cutting down on certain new sculpts when past figures like the 3-year-old AT-AT Driver would satisfy interest?

Only reason being the way it's worded now sounds a little confusing. This way Hasbro understands that us collectors for the most part feel that certain resculpts are unnecessary especially since virtually nobody asked for it.

[Obsession is Nute]

9, 16, 22. Please

I agree with the re-merging of Legacy and Saga Legends. If Legacy goes, so do the dollars I spend on SW collecting. I just don't have any interest in the CW figures. I would rather see Legacy decreased somewhat than dissappear.

In the end, it might be a plus. 2009 has been an absolute disaster for SW collecting in my region. Only in the past two weeks have I begun to see TPM wave at retail. I never saw the AOTC wave, period. The ESB was rare and it took until late February/March for ANH to get here. Again, I don't know who is to blame, but I don't understand how Hasbro can comment on the casual consumer for Legacy when COLLECTORS can't even find the for 3/4 of a year! You can't buy what is NOT ON THE SHELF!

A number of my stores seem to have given up on Legacy and stock only Legends and CW. If Legends and Legacy merged, I would probably see more new figures in my area.

[JediTricks]

Put me down for 21 and 22 as well JT. The last ones a good question, although you might want to fix the second to last sentence to read:

Though not ideal, have you considered merging the mainline figures and Saga Legends back together, scaling back the overall scope of new figures to fit in releases alongside the Legends figures, and cutting down on certain new sculpts when past figures like the 3-year-old AT-AT Driver would satisfy interest?

Only reason being the way it's worded now sounds a little confusing. This way Hasbro understands that us collectors for the most part feel that certain resculpts are unnecessary especially since virtually nobody asked for it.Excellent point, I completely screwed that sentence up, it was saying the opposite.




9, 16, 22. Please

I agree with the re-merging of Legacy and Saga Legends. If Legacy goes, so do the dollars I spend on SW collecting. I just don't have any interest in the CW figures. I would rather see Legacy decreased somewhat than dissappear.

In the end, it might be a plus. 2009 has been an absolute disaster for SW collecting in my region. Only in the past two weeks have I begun to see TPM wave at retail. I never saw the AOTC wave, period. The ESB was rare and it took until late February/March for ANH to get here. Again, I don't know who is to blame, but I don't understand how Hasbro can comment on the casual consumer for Legacy when COLLECTORS can't even find the for 3/4 of a year! You can't buy what is NOT ON THE SHELF!

A number of my stores seem to have given up on Legacy and stock only Legends and CW. If Legends and Legacy merged, I would probably see more new figures in my area.
Can you imagine 2 years ago if we would have imagined ourselves WANTING to merge the mainline into the Saga Legends line? I can't, we were raving up a storm about how that line was destroying the brand and harming shelves, yet here we are a few years later and we're the ones making the suggestion. Oh how the tides have turned.

I believe the entire TLC line has been a mess, suffering poor pacing, uneven distribution, and pricing pain, but I didn't expect '09 to go quite this frustratingly. The desire on the brand team was to do right by us, but man have things gone south.

I think Hasbro needs to figure out why casual consumers walked away from the line between TAC and TLC. Was it the large break between them, filled by the unpopular Indiana Jones line? Was it the price increase? Was it the perception that the new show was going to be narrowly-focused on just kiddies because it was seen as a cartoon? Were those casual consumers driven to other lines? Is Clone Wars cannibalizing sales despite Hasbro's claim otherwise? I think the line tanked with casual consumers before it even got released, so that kind of points to no, but it definitely feels like CW has soaked up sales that TLC hasn't.

[Droid]

I think Hasbro needs to figure out why casual consumers walked away from the line between TAC and TLC. Was it the large break between them, filled by the unpopular Indiana Jones line? Was it the price increase? Was it the perception that the new show was going to be narrowly-focused on just kiddies because it was seen as a cartoon? Were those casual consumers driven to other lines? Is Clone Wars cannibalizing sales despite Hasbro's claim otherwise? I think the line tanked with casual consumers before it even got released, so that kind of points to no, but it definitely feels like CW has soaked up sales that TLC hasn't.

I guess a big part of it for me has been the enormous delays in figures. You see a figure at Comic-Con or Toy Fair or something and it can be 9 months before you find it at retail. I can go five months at a stretch without buying a figure. And in the entire time I've been collecting I don't remember ever seeing new figures on the pegs at Christmas, when you'd think people would be buying toys.

And they need to, as you said, stop this theme wave nonsense. It is limiting. We'd like to put out this figure, but can't seem to put him into a wave. It is made even more confusing when they shove a Ki-Adi-Mundi into a wave that has nothing to do with him or release a Jabba's Palace droid in an EU wave. Then Hasbro continues to insist that they need themed waves.

I hate Legends and Clone Wars, but I think they should combine them into one line. Because it already is. The packaging is indistinguishable. There are times when I can't figure out if a random Clone I don't know is Legacy or Legends. I don't care what Hasbro says. I don't think I have EVER been to a store that sorted them by Legacy, Clone Wars, and Legends. So if the pegs look full they aren't putting out anymore figures, even if there aren't any Legends figures.

They need to go for broke and stop holding back on figures they know people want. Very few people asked for Leesub; people have been asking for Bom Vimdin for years. So put him out. NO ONE asked for the Rancor Keeper, yet they release him and push back Palace Klaatu.

They're putting out Ewoks, but still not a resculpted Wicket or Lumat from the vintage line. Decisions like that just don't make sense anymore.

I know that they can't make quick changes to address problems as far out as they plan the line.

I agree with you, the Indy line canabalized Star Wars resources and distribution, despite their snotty claims to the contrary even though they had at other times admitted it.

And remember how we asked them earlier this year if they could really deliver on all the waves they promised, particularly with Transformers and Wolverine coming out, and how they were crabby with us about how one line doesn't affect the other and they were going to get all those figures out?

And does anyone feel Star Wars is held to a higher standard than the other lines? (I guess it has to given the licensing fees they have to pay) But G.I. Joe movie toys and Transformers toys are clogging the pegs at the stores in my area and just aren't moving, but new Star Wars figures usually sell out in a day. Yet we hear how horribly the line is moving.

Was anyone requesting another Bail? I heard requests for Breha, but Bail?

And as JediTricks said, they totally bungled Yarna. Why she was not in a Battle Pack, exclusive, or short packed I will never know, given their stated reservations about her.

I know the Star Wars team works hard and wants to deliver obscure figures to collectors. It could be the Hasbro team is telling them they aren't delivering and why are you making figures that don't make as much quick, easy money as we can make with Clone Wars.

[Darth Marco]

I guess a big part of it for me has been the enormous delays in figures. You see a figure at Comic-Con or Toy Fair or something and it can be 9 months before you find it at retail. I can go five months at a stretch without buying a figure. And in the entire time I've been collecting I don't remember ever seeing new figures on the pegs at Christmas, when you'd think people would be buying toys.

And they need to, as you said, stop this theme wave nonsense. It is limiting. We'd like to put out this figure, but can't seem to put him into a wave. It is made even more confusing when they shove a Ki-Adi-Mundi into a wave that has nothing to do with him or release a Jabba's Palace droid in an EU wave. Then Hasbro continues to insist that they need themed waves.

I hate Legends and Clone Wars, but I think they should combine them into one line. Because it already is. The packaging is indistinguishable. There are times when I can't figure out if a random Clone I don't know is Legacy or Legends. I don't care what Hasbro says. I don't think I have EVER been to a store that sorted them by Legacy, Clone Wars, and Legends. So if the pegs look full they aren't putting out anymore figures, even if there aren't any Legends figures.

They need to go for broke and stop holding back on figures they know people want. Very few people asked for Leesub; people have been asking for Bom Vimdin for years. So put him out. NO ONE asked for the Rancor Keeper, yet they release him and push back Palace Klaatu.

They're putting out Ewoks, but still not a resculpted Wicket or Lumat from the vintage line. Decisions like that just don't make sense anymore.

And remember how we asked them earlier this year if they could really deliver on all the waves they promised, particularly with Transformers and Wolverine coming out, and how they were crabby with us about how one line doesn't affect the other and they were going to get all those figures out?

And does anyone feel Star Wars is held to a higher standard than the other lines? (I guess it has to given the licensing fees they have to pay) But G.I. Joe movie toys and Transformers toys are clogging the pegs at the stores in my area and just aren't moving, but new Star Wars figures usually sell out in a day. Yet we hear how horribly the line is moving.

Was anyone requesting another Bail? I heard requests for Breha, but Bail?

And as JediTricks said, they totally bungled Yarna. Why she was not in a Battle Pack, exclusive, or short packed I will never know, given their stated reservations about her.

I know the Star Wars team works hard and wants to deliver obscure figures to collectors. It could be the Hasbro team is telling them they aren't delivering and why are you making figures that don't make as much quick, easy money as we can make with Clone Wars.


I have to agree with you on almost all your points here (took out some points). When someone shows you something new, we as collectors want it right away. Waiting over 9 months without buying nothing and waiting for the new waves is fustrating on both sides. No capital is being spent and then the new waves come out and is gone from the shelfs right away. Balancing is what is important and having patience. Try having the new waves out in a reasonable time and producing the quantities that seem to sell all year round. I think that comic packs are important with the TLC and need to continue to prosper. I will cotinue to buy any Star Wars figure that Hasbro produces but everything has to be balanced.

[nohagent]

How about we ask why hasbro is killing us with costs of 69.99 for items that were half that not so long ago? I used to collect for me, now I buy for the kids and I have so much more enjoyment out of that, however how do I explain 69.99 to my wife in this economy?

[morpheus282]

I don't know if it's worthy of a whole question, but I'd like to know what's up with the Red 2 X-wing's kill marks. It would look great if they were printed on a transparent background, but the white background sticker that came with mine would totally ruin the look of the vehicle.

[nohagent]

Did anyone realize Clone Cash figures have different sku numbers. Last week I bought my kid some figs and this week I found the same ones with clone cash. When I went to return the Kit Fisto and Mace I got last week I ran into problems because the sku was different on the reciept for the clone cash figs.

[Obsession is Nute]

Excellent point, I completely screwed that sentence up, it was saying the opposite.


Can you imagine 2 years ago if we would have imagined ourselves WANTING to merge the mainline into the Saga Legends line? I can't, we were raving up a storm about how that line was destroying the brand and harming shelves, yet here we are a few years later and we're the ones making the suggestion. Oh how the tides have turned.

I believe the entire TLC line has been a mess, suffering poor pacing, uneven distribution, and pricing pain, but I didn't expect '09 to go quite this frustratingly. The desire on the brand team was to do right by us, but man have things gone south.

I think Hasbro needs to figure out why casual consumers walked away from the line between TAC and TLC. Was it the large break between them, filled by the unpopular Indiana Jones line? Was it the price increase? Was it the perception that the new show was going to be narrowly-focused on just kiddies because it was seen as a cartoon? Were those casual consumers driven to other lines? Is Clone Wars cannibalizing sales despite Hasbro's claim otherwise? I think the line tanked with casual consumers before it even got released, so that kind of points to no, but it definitely feels like CW has soaked up sales that TLC hasn't.

Well said JT. Lots of issues to be reviewed. For me, I never thought I would see the day where "Star Wars" remained strong, but the movies played second fiddle to something else. It is one thing for CW to act as bait to bring in new blood and future collectors...it is entirely another for CW to overtake the films. I mean..how can anyone understand the show without the context of the films?

I just can't accept Hasbro's assertion that interest in regular SW figures is waning. True, some long-term collectors eventually burn out and short-term interest vanishes, but I would think the core of the collecting community (y'know those of us that bought POTF in 1996 before the prequels were even announced) has remained and even grown. I agree with JT "the entire TLC line has been a mess, suffering poor pacing, uneven distribution" Starting in January 2008, SW collecting has been poorly paced and incredibly frustrating. I don't remember these problems, generally, between 1996-2007. Yah, there were slow times. But I don't recall 6-8 months with virtually no new mainline products.

Additionally, it is not SW's fault there is a recession. Just because some people have decreased their spending on SW items doesn't mean they are gone forever. Should the economy get better, we may find those collector's resume their old ways.

Anywhoo, I agree with most of what is being said here about TLC. I just get unnerved and irritated by Hasbro's suggestion that it is the community's fault that Yarna and Breha didn't sell through all stores and stood on shelves for nearly a year. If memory serves, the line managed to move smoothly onward, in spite of pegwarmers (Gilramos Libkath, Moff Jerjerod). I don't see how Yarna should suddenly become the "the figure that destroyed the Legacy collection," because she had little to do with all the issues we discussed.

[clone157]

I still say that if there are problems with the line, they need to make Legacy versions of Clone Wars characters. We saw last time there was animated versions of SW characters, that people and collectors would rather pick up realistic versions of them. If the line was truly in trouble, Hasbro would start to "cross the streams" as it were.

[clone157]

6, 7, 9, 13 for now. Do we want to also ask if the Battle Pack from question 13 might be re-used with the Clone Wars line? I wonder if it could be squeezed in to the Deluxe line if they drop the second pilot.

[Dom]

My ones are 8,13,20:thumbsup:

[sonofsokol]

14, 20, 21, and 22.
Thanks.

[JediTricks]

Questions 23 - 24 added.

Question 20 has been modified.



I guess a big part of it for me has been the enormous delays in figures. You see a figure at Comic-Con or Toy Fair or something and it can be 9 months before you find it at retail. I can go five months at a stretch without buying a figure. And in the entire time I've been collecting I don't remember ever seeing new figures on the pegs at Christmas, when you'd think people would be buying toys."Pacing" is what I call this, and it's always very tricky because there are very few buyers in the first half of the year. The funny thing about the complaint of seeing figure pictures so early is that's why Hasbro doesn't like getting that info out there too early, but most fans are so eager to see the next new thing that they demand it and we get SDCC and TF coverage of half a year or more in advance. It's gotten rockier and rockier the last 5 years or so though.


I hate Legends and Clone Wars, but I think they should combine them into one line. Because it already is. The packaging is indistinguishable. There are times when I can't figure out if a random Clone I don't know is Legacy or Legends. I don't care what Hasbro says. I don't think I have EVER been to a store that sorted them by Legacy, Clone Wars, and Legends. So if the pegs look full they aren't putting out anymore figures, even if there aren't any Legends figures.The packaging was Lucasfilm's insistence, I believe, and intentionally creating a "family of products" feel that IMO is meant to fool casual consumers into checking out other products besides the ones they went to buy.


And remember how we asked them earlier this year if they could really deliver on all the waves they promised, particularly with Transformers and Wolverine coming out, and how they were crabby with us about how one line doesn't affect the other and they were going to get all those figures out?I'll be honest, both those other lines didn't really explode and overtake the market the way we suggested in the question. Transformers did well but not the ridiculous take-away it was in '07, and Wolverine stalled. Maybe there is too much selection at the shelves, but it seems like a lot of Hasbro brands are suffering weaker sales.


And does anyone feel Star Wars is held to a higher standard than the other lines? (I guess it has to given the licensing fees they have to pay) But G.I. Joe movie toys and Transformers toys are clogging the pegs at the stores in my area and just aren't moving, but new Star Wars figures usually sell out in a day. Yet we hear how horribly the line is moving."Lower volume", when SW is already moving slowly, the new figures have to come out at a trickle, so of course 1 or 2 new figures is going to get swallowed up fast. That's why they do this "refresh" thing where the stuff that came out 1 or 2 waves back gets into later cases, so that "new fever" doesn't crush it. But it's a double-edged sword because it means there's no way to gauge demand for new product and there's the whole BAD parts problem.


And as JediTricks said, they totally bungled Yarna. Why she was not in a Battle Pack, exclusive, or short packed I will never know, given their stated reservations about herShe was short-packed at 1 per case the entire time, they just didn't take her out of an over-ordered case after they started revising it so she kept shipping with the rest of wave 1 revisions that were more popular.



How about we ask why hasbro is killing us with costs of 69.99 for items that were half that not so long ago? I used to collect for me, now I buy for the kids and I have so much more enjoyment out of that, however how do I explain 69.99 to my wife in this economy?We asked this in the past, but it was before the products hit the shelves. That said, while the ARC-170 isn't moving here at its $60 range (the MSRP on the deluxe vehicle asst is $59.99, but none of the stores are holding to that), I haven't seen a single Y-wing yet so the pricepoint isn't a total failure. They say they can't afford to deliver new molds at that price anymore. I can't find the answer, which is REALLY annoying, but not surprising after 4,000 answers.

So, I've written a question. We know production now costs more, so I tried to take that into account, but ultimately my concern is that their answer is "no" and that means we're either facing the demise of the line or a very expensive future where it somehow limps on at higher and higher pricing. LMK how you feel the question needs to be changed.



I don't know if it's worthy of a whole question, but I'd like to know what's up with the Red 2 X-wing's kill marks. It would look great if they were printed on a transparent background, but the white background sticker that came with mine would totally ruin the look of the vehicle.I'll put it to the vote.



Did anyone realize Clone Cash figures have different sku numbers. Last week I bought my kid some figs and this week I found the same ones with clone cash. When I went to return the Kit Fisto and Mace I got last week I ran into problems because the sku was different on the reciept for the clone cash figs.Do you have any photos or scans? I saw your post about this, but I haven't seen any other complaints, any evidence of different UPCs for them aside from your one indirect anecdote, and Hasbro claims they're just inserting them (specifically, 200,000 basic CW figures).



Well said JT. Lots of issues to be reviewed. For me, I never thought I would see the day where "Star Wars" remained strong, but the movies played second fiddle to something else. It is one thing for CW to act as bait to bring in new blood and future collectors...it is entirely another for CW to overtake the films. I mean..how can anyone understand the show without the context of the films?I think the show stands mostly on its own just fine, the only thing that really needs "explaining" to a newcomer would be the Force itself. You don't need to know about X-wings or Podracing to appreciate what's in the show, even if sometimes it helps.


I just can't accept Hasbro's assertion that interest in regular SW figures is waning. True, some long-term collectors eventually burn out and short-term interest vanishes, but I would think the core of the collecting community (y'know those of us that bought POTF in 1996 before the prequels were even announced) has remained and even grown. I agree with JT "the entire TLC line has been a mess, suffering poor pacing, uneven distribution" Starting in January 2008, SW collecting has been poorly paced and incredibly frustrating. I don't remember these problems, generally, between 1996-2007. Yah, there were slow times. But I don't recall 6-8 months with virtually no new mainline products.Really? I can totally buy that the collector market is waning and the casual consumer market is gone. The economy is rough for this sort of thing AND is hitting Hasbro in the back-end costs department which means they have to raise their prices which continues the downward spiral of consumer interest. The TLC lineup has been spotty at best since its inception, a few great ideas and some really shoddy ones around a lot of "eh, it's ok" figures with tons of pacing problems. That said, pacing has been a thorn in the brand's side since the 2003 Saga line, with 6 months that year being a barren one, and it just kept going like that, though the last 18 months have been the hardest for the brand. We've been witness to a fantastic juggling act that until now has been deft at delivering what we want and is slipping.


Additionally, it is not SW's fault there is a recession. Just because some people have decreased their spending on SW items doesn't mean they are gone forever. Should the economy get better, we may find those collector's resume their old ways."Fault" doesn't matter at this point. Either Hasbro can internally address the issues or the economic problems magically disappear overnight and the consumers flock back, but "fault" won't mean anything. Heck, half a year before the economic collapse there was the oil pricing disaster which hit Hasbro in everything manufacturing-related, then to be working through that when the economy hit their customer base, AND there were multiple cost addons from new safety regs and manufacturing employment hikes as well??? It's a miracle there's a SW brand at all at this point, I think the SW team has their work cut out for them and are going to need to be game-changers to get that customer base back at this point.


Anywhoo, I agree with most of what is being said here about TLC. I just get unnerved and irritated by Hasbro's suggestion that it is the community's fault that Yarna and Breha didn't sell through all stores and stood on shelves for nearly a year. If memory serves, the line managed to move smoothly onward, in spite of pegwarmers (Gilramos Libkath, Moff Jerjerod). I don't see how Yarna should suddenly become the "the figure that destroyed the Legacy collection," because she had little to do with all the issues we discussedYarna was a production mistake, they did what they always do, they let the overhyped retailers order the first wave of the "new thing" as if it was the second coming, and then let the throttle get stuck too long. Breha though is a sign of something else IMO, a sign that the brand management expected way too much interest from the hardcore collector base (one which they recognized is shrinking), that we'll just buy up any old goofy figure simply because it was in the movie, and since it fit in the theme they might as well push it at us now rather than wait until there's demand. Breha was ordered in far fewer numbers than Yarna and yet still pegwarmed really badly. The reality is that we're at the point where they've done so many figures in the new style that supporting 40-50 new figures a year means producing limited interest or boring crap more than once in a while, but nearly every wave, so it's no wonder that the casual collectors are walking away and the hardcore collectors can no longer afford the volume when they aren't interesting in so many of the figures and can't even find them anyway. Our diversity and inflexibility in our interests is a big part of the problem, and sends mixed signals. Hasbro blew it by expecting too much from us, and we are at fault too for supporting a system that many of us knew was going to become problematic quickly, and the retailers blew it for expecting miracles like they do every 16 months or so.



I still say that if there are problems with the line, they need to make Legacy versions of Clone Wars characters. We saw last time there was animated versions of SW characters, that people and collectors would rather pick up realistic versions of them. If the line was truly in trouble, Hasbro would start to "cross the streams" as it were.Well, we've thrown that out there and Lucasfilm is ultimately the one saying no. By your logic though, this time the fortunes are reversed so Hasbro should be doing the rest of the saga in the animated line style since that's the line that's selling well. I wouldn't like to see that, except in a limited fashion.



Do we want to also ask if the Battle Pack from question 13 might be re-used with the Clone Wars line? I wonder if it could be squeezed in to the Deluxe line if they drop the second pilot.Is the vehicle in the show, or are we asking them to fudge it? I can see either being acceptable, hell, they're putting the Desert Sport Skiff in the line, but I'd like to know what tangent to kick that idea out there from.

[bigbarada]

Put me down for #23 as well.

[mtriv73]

New Question:

I got the new TIE Interceptor today from TRU.

The box art shows an all new sculpt. Not only is there a new canopy depicted, there are resculpted (and seemingly larger) wings which, of course, it doesn't come with. Are there plans to rerelease the interceptor in the future with these upgraded wings? If so, why were they left out on this release? Surely the bigger wings would have necessitated larger packaging and put the vehicle into the new $70 price point range which would justify the increased tooling cost.

[bigbarada]

New Question:

I got the new TIE Interceptor today from TRU.

The box art shows an all new sculpt. Not only is there a new canopy depicted, there are resculpted (and seemingly larger) wings which, of course, it doesn't come with. Are there plans to rerelease the interceptor in the future with these upgraded wings? If so, why were they left out on this release? Surely the bigger wings would have necessitated larger packaging and put the vehicle into the new $70 price point range which would justify the increased tooling cost.

They always take some liberties with the box art. I almost got fooled into buying another Darth Vader's TIE Fighter a couple years ago because, according to the box image, it looked like they finally corrected the many problems with the POTF2 mold.

[JediTricks]

Where on the package do you see "seemingly larger" wings on the toy? The wings on the box I saw matched the piece I saw at comic-con and the pics of the production model, both sporting the same wings that we had before. Or are you looking at the art pics on the front and sides?

My thinking is that you're comparing the wings to the old wings and seeing that they're mainly the same, but you're looking at the box and seeing the wings looking larger in relationship to the cockpit, which is true because this new cockpit pod is smaller than the old '78 Kenner sculpt.

If that's not the case, I need to be made familiar with your complaint to add the question.

[mtriv73]

Where on the package do you see "seemingly larger" wings on the toy? The wings on the box I saw matched the piece I saw at comic-con and the pics of the production model, both sporting the same wings that we had before. Or are you looking at the art pics on the front and sides?

My thinking is that you're comparing the wings to the old wings and seeing that they're mainly the same, but you're looking at the box and seeing the wings looking larger in relationship to the cockpit, which is true because this new cockpit pod is smaller than the old '78 Kenner sculpt.

If that's not the case, I need to be made familiar with your complaint to add the question.

The wings on the art on front of the package was what I was referring to. It's not a dead-on view, but the pod seems to almost fit "inside" the upper and lower portions of the wings (not significantly overlap as the actual toy does.) There was alot more detail on the wings as well. The box art looked like a toy had been photographed and then photo-shopped so that had me hoping it was a preview of things to come (and depressed that we aren't there yet.) I've never thought that this one was going to come with enhanced wings, but it would be nice to know if that's in the plans.

I'm willing to wait for a second opinion from someone else who has bought it and has seen what I think I saw.

[JediTricks]

The art on the front and sides is a "fantasy" vehicle, it's totally different from the actual toy, it's CGI most likely. The wing detail isn't the only thing that looks better than the toy, the pod has sharper work on the cannons, pylons, and all the windows including the top canopy. Comparing the art pics on the front and sides to the pic on the back, there's a clear difference, you don't even need to take it out of the box to see that. Like BB said, they do this an awful lot. Look at the Tank Droid pic, the eyes aren't even the same orientation as the toy. The Vulture Droid is another one, the wings are very different, especially the tips. And you don't want to get me started on the disappointment that is the V-19's packaging.

IMO, the wings' height isn't the problem, check out this comparison:
http://www.rebelscum.com/photo.asp?image=/TLC/Vehicles/TIEInterceptor/LC-989.jpg
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/File:Fightercover.png

I think it's the pylon width, they stick out a little too far, but not much, like 10%.

Anyway, I get the idea of what you're asking, you're comparing it to the image, not asking why it's not like the image, you're asking about what they COULD do based on the image. I'm not going to ask them to kick this to the $60 deluxe vehicle asst, that's not going to fly with most consumers, but I will consider this idea of a question about new wings for it.

[mtriv73]

The art on the front and sides is a "fantasy" vehicle, it's totally different from the actual toy, it's CGI most likely. The wing detail isn't the only thing that looks better than the toy, the pod has sharper work on the cannons, pylons, and all the windows including the top canopy. Comparing the art pics on the front and sides to the pic on the back, there's a clear difference, you don't even need to take it out of the box to see that. Like BB said, they do this an awful lot. Look at the Tank Droid pic, the eyes aren't even the same orientation as the toy. The Vulture Droid is another one, the wings are very different, especially the tips. And you don't want to get me started on the disappointment that is the V-19's packaging.

IMO, the wings' height isn't the problem, check out this comparison:
http://www.rebelscum.com/photo.asp?image=/TLC/Vehicles/TIEInterceptor/LC-989.jpg
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/File:Fightercover.png



I think it's the pylon width, they stick out a little too far, but not much, like 10%.

Anyway, I get the idea of what you're asking, you're comparing it to the image, not asking why it's not like the image, you're asking about what they COULD do based on the image. I'm not going to ask them to kick this to the $60 deluxe vehicle asst, that's not going to fly with most consumers, but I will consider this idea of a question about new wings for it.

Sounds great

[JediTricks]

How can this be improved? I feel like it's not quite finished but I can't figure out why:

On the latest TIE Interceptor's packaging, the box art on the front has a highly-detailed ship which is not actually representing the toy, the back of the box imagery does that. However, while the new cockpit pod is a great improvement, that art highlights the wings being the same existing designs we've had for the last 3 decades, and their size and lack of detail really shows compared to the new pod. What are the chances we'll ever get a set of updated TIE Interceptor wings to match the quality of the new pod?

[Gothiczartan]

could you add a Q & A about a second Nikto Gunner that was on the sail barge shooting at the skiff and the first Nikto Gunner with gun the one pops out of the sail barge?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v312/Gothiczartan/Star%20Wars/vizam.jpg

Known as Nikto Gunner #2?

[JediTricks]

could you add a Q & A about a second Nikto Gunner that was on the sail barge shooting at the skiff and the first Nikto Gunner with gun the one pops out of the sail barge?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v312/Gothiczartan/Star%20Wars/vizam.jpg

Known as Nikto Gunner #2?
We already asked them this and got an answer in the last round:

CollectionStation.com: The upcoming Nikto Gunner you're releasing is a very nifty figure, but is not actually the Nikto Gunner. The Nikto figure we're getting is Nysad, he's the one who pops out of the hatch and shoots 2 shots at Luke only to have them deflected back and kill him. The cannon he comes with was actually used by the other Nikto on the Sail Barge deck, Vizam, who has a different armor design and is basically what we got in the POTF2 Skiff Guards Cinema Scene. How did the mixing of Vizam's accessory and role get merged into the upcoming Nysad figure, and why isn't the character's name used for the figure? Now that we have the proper cannon and a modern Nikto head, are we going to see them reused into the actual Nikto Gunner, Vizam, or are we stuck with the decade-old POTF2 version for that?
Hasbro: Yes, we realize this but we wanted to offer an all new Nikto Skiff Guard that we had never done before. The cannon accessory just seemed to be a nice added piece to really enhance the value and allow fans and kids to really get into the Sail Barge scene fantasy. It may not be a literal take form the movie but seems like a weapon he would of, or could have, used, and we felt it made him a better figure with it. Eventually, we'd like to update Vizam to add articulation and bring him up to date with the rest of the Jabba Sail Barge brethren, but that will be a long way off and the priority for now lies with figures that have never before been released.

[Gothiczartan]

was this question about an updated Zev Snowspeeder pilot from ESB already been answered?

[mtriv73]

How can this be improved? I feel like it's not quite finished but I can't figure out why:

Bringing us back to square one, maybe drop all references to the art and just ask about the potential for wing upgrades? The only major improvement they've made is adding the texture in place of the stickers on the solar panels (and that was done years ago.)

[Droid]

How about this:

The Top 30 voting has begun, but the picture of Bom Vimdin show him from the holiday special and not A New Hope. The picture of Palpatine is of the scene where he announces the formation of the Empire and not the Senate Duel. Can Hasbro clarify which versions of these two characters would be made if they received the most votes? Also, the description states that Cliegg Lars might have removable legs. Can Hasbro commit that if Cliegg wins he will be missing the leg he lost to the Tuskens and come with his hover chair?

[Val Da Car]

I vote for Questions 4,5,6

[El Chuxter]

If Droid's question gets asked, it might be pertinent to add on the bit about Appailana coming with another figure, which makes no sense as she's obviously a full-sized adult figure and doesn't have any comic book adventures.

[Devo]

Lads tell me if I'm talking crap but if the legacy line (or whatever name is applied to the movie-based figures) was coming to either a break or an end would that increase or decrease the odds of something like Jabba's Sailbarge being made? I'm envisioning a scenario where Hasbro knows the Star Wars focus has shifted almost completely to the current entertainment, namely Clone Wars, and toys from the films have been proving to be harder sells and must thus be phased out at least for a while. Would this, somewhat ironically, be the best time to release one last large film-based vehicle (Sailbarge Sailbarge Sailbarge!!!) aimed at the loyal collector base as a positive send-off for the line? Kids may be the primary target audience of any toy but kids are fickle; It is the mature(er) collectors whose loyalty might deserve reward at the pearly gates. I think the Sailbarge is the most obvious candidate as a 'fans choice' vehicle. The whole skiff battle can't really be replicated when all we have is 2 skiffs and a tiny sarlacc. The sailbarge is really needed to 'finish' that scene. So are more skiff guards and bigger desert skiffs but thats beside the point. Its the only vehicle besides the cloud car and the capital ships in the OT that hasn't been put in place in the modern line and it does have a lot of potential as a toy. Hasbro's reluctance is based on lack of recogniseability for casual fans and kids but in fact as a toy it could be really cool.

[Gothiczartan]

We've seen a new Aayla Secura figure for the clone wars line.

how about adding a question about a movie version her with?

they can use the same Aayla figure mold from ROTS line (link below) with the re tooling by adding new arms for ball jointed elbows.

http://www.rebelscum.com/ROTS0532aayla.asp

[DarkJedi5]

15, 18, 24

[Mr. JabbaJohnL]

I keep meaning to ask this, so, uh, here it is:

*We've heard a great deal about how figures like Yarna and the Organas failed to sell through at retail, and how this has caused you to essentially rethink the entire line. Their heavy pegwarming led to their eventual recall (though they remain at some stores) and an apparent cut in the number of new collector-oriented figures. However, this was hardly the first time that figures have pegwarmed. In recent years, there has been an extreme glut of figures such as Moff Jerjerrod (2006), Lushros Dofine (2006), the Neimoidian Warrior (2005), all of which pegwarmed hard on a national level. We also can't forget about the legendary pegwarming of Malakili, going way back to 1997. Certain figures were also removed from shelves in 2002, a year that saw a number of pegwarmers, such as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, Orn Free Taa, and Coruscant Attack Padmé. However, none of these figures seem to have gotten the same reaction as the most recent pegwarmers, and the line seemed to continue after these figures made it to the clearance racks and eventually disappeared. So, why is it, exactly, that the recent pegwarming was perceived as needing such harsh correcting, when seemingly nothing was done in most of the other cases?

[El Chuxter]

Saelt-Marae, Xizor, and Lando #1 could easily be added to JJL's question.

[sebillba]

I'll vote for 17, 22 & 23 so far please.

[JediTricks]

Today is the last day to vote in this round.

Questions 25 - 28

Question 13 modified.


was this question about an updated Zev Snowspeeder pilot from ESB already been answered?No, I didn't add it because it's too specific.



Bringing us back to square one, maybe drop all references to the art and just ask about the potential for wing upgrades? The only major improvement they've made is adding the texture in place of the stickers on the solar panels (and that was done years ago.)I like the references to the art though, it shows someone at Hasbro recognizes that there is a superior version possible. Without it, we're just asking for wing upgrades while the first set is still on shelves, and that's not really likely to get a positive answer. What do you think of just asking a hypothetical about how long it'll be to get wings that'll match the quality of the new pod? I'll just add the question that way.



How about this:

The Top 30 voting has begun, but the picture of Bom Vimdin show him from the holiday special and not A New Hope. The picture of Palpatine is of the scene where he announces the formation of the Empire and not the Senate Duel. Can Hasbro clarify which versions of these two characters would be made if they received the most votes? Also, the description states that Cliegg Lars might have removable legs. Can Hasbro commit that if Cliegg wins he will be missing the leg he lost to the Tuskens and come with his hover chair?

If Droid's question gets asked, it might be pertinent to add on the bit about Appailana coming with another figure, which makes no sense as she's obviously a full-sized adult figure and doesn't have any comic book adventures.Apailana was played by a 13-year-old girl, not a full-sized adult. Still, she wasn't youngling-sized, so I'll add all this.



Lads tell me if I'm talking crap but if the legacy line (or whatever name is applied to the movie-based figures) was coming to either a break or an end would that increase or decrease the odds of something like Jabba's Sailbarge being made? I'm envisioning a scenario where Hasbro knows the Star Wars focus has shifted almost completely to the current entertainment, namely Clone Wars, and toys from the films have been proving to be harder sells and must thus be phased out at least for a while. Would this, somewhat ironically, be the best time to release one last large film-based vehicle (Sailbarge Sailbarge Sailbarge!!!) aimed at the loyal collector base as a positive send-off for the line? Kids may be the primary target audience of any toy but kids are fickle; It is the mature(er) collectors whose loyalty might deserve reward at the pearly gates. I think the Sailbarge is the most obvious candidate as a 'fans choice' vehicle. The whole skiff battle can't really be replicated when all we have is 2 skiffs and a tiny sarlacc. The sailbarge is really needed to 'finish' that scene. So are more skiff guards and bigger desert skiffs but thats beside the point. Its the only vehicle besides the cloud car and the capital ships in the OT that hasn't been put in place in the modern line and it does have a lot of potential as a toy. Hasbro's reluctance is based on lack of recogniseability for casual fans and kids but in fact as a toy it could be really cool.The odds are already super poor, so if Legacy tanks it'll wipe out any chance it might have had because as a collector-oriented item in a brand that just lost its collector-oriented line, that'd prove there's not enough market interest in such products. The risks in tooling up a big expensive mold would be astronomical at that point. They wouldn't end the line with a bang, but with a whimper, trying to get as much existing product out to whomever will buy in the hopes of keeping it alive. Having the budget die out on a single ship rather than a dozen figures is extremely unlikely. The problem isn't that they don't know it could be cool, but that they can't justify the budget for it when there isn't a proven market to risk its sales.



We've seen a new Aayla Secura figure for the clone wars line.

how about adding a question about a movie version her with?

they can use the same Aayla figure mold from ROTS line (link below) with the re tooling by adding new arms for ball jointed elbows.

http://www.rebelscum.com/ROTS0532aayla.aspOk, I guess this is a usable idea.



I keep meaning to ask this, so, uh, here it is:

*We've heard a great deal about how figures like Yarna and the Organas failed to sell through at retail, and how this has caused you to essentially rethink the entire line. Their heavy pegwarming led to their eventual recall (though they remain at some stores) and an apparent cut in the number of new collector-oriented figures. However, this was hardly the first time that figures have pegwarmed. In recent years, there has been an extreme glut of figures such as Moff Jerjerrod (2006), Lushros Dofine (2006), the Neimoidian Warrior (2005), all of which pegwarmed hard on a national level. We also can't forget about the legendary pegwarming of Malakili, going way back to 1997. Certain figures were also removed from shelves in 2002, a year that saw a number of pegwarmers, such as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine, Orn Free Taa, and Coruscant Attack Padmé. However, none of these figures seem to have gotten the same reaction as the most recent pegwarmers, and the line seemed to continue after these figures made it to the clearance racks and eventually disappeared. So, why is it, exactly, that the recent pegwarming was perceived as needing such harsh correcting, when seemingly nothing was done in most of the other cases?

Saelt-Marae, Xizor, and Lando #1 could easily be added to JJL's question.You guys are focusing too much on those pegwarmers, but Hasbro's answers are saying that there's a sales reduction across the board with collector-oriented figures. Here's an excerpt from our May 22nd Q&A:
[F]ollowing EpIII, we had reached a new plateau in figure collecting, with a lot of re-engaged fans coming on board through The Saga Collection and 30th Anniversary lines and helping keep Star Wars basic figure sales at very high levels. During the last three years we released a fixed amount of each purely collector-targeted figure - figures like the Mustafar lava worker, any Cantina alien, Umpass-stay, most McQuarrie figures, etc. The releases of these collector-targeted figures would be the lowest quantity of any figure in the line, determined to be a quantity of each figure that would satisfy the core (completist) collector base. This quantity was reliable and consistent and the figures would always sell-through with time. Last Fall, however, we saw a change. There was an overall reduction of collector dollars in the action figure collecting hobby to which Star Wars was not immune, and we saw this on a more granular level in the sell-through of purely collector-target figures. While the hero figures (Obi-Wans, Anakins, Lukes, Vaders, troopers, etc) continued to do very well, the collector figures really started to struggle compared to all past years. This resulted in a need to recalibrate our release levels for these figures, since without that recalibration the normal releases we would make on purely collector figures would now be too large for the current collector market to bear, pegs would really start to back up, and the whole Legacy/Droid Factory figure flow would grind to a halt - in short, a disaster, unless corrective measures were taken. Therefore, we pulled back on the amount of each we release. Since this resulted in a significant impact on the financials of the overall basic figure lineup, as collector-targeted figures cost more than others given their almost 100% new tooling yet smaller production runs, we had readjust future waves because we could not construct them the same way with as many purely collector-targeted figures we as have been delivering. We made this to known to fans because they deserve to know, as it will have an impact on how future basic figure waves will be affected. It is far from a gloomy outlook, as collector-targeted figures are still vital to maintain that emotional core of the line and we have many great ones coming, but instead a short-term (we hope) adjustment to make sure that the basic figure program is going strong. We will also still look to our exclusives lineup to augment the basic figures and comic packs with new and exciting figures drawn from the films and EU, which are great avenues for new and interesting ideas since they stand apart from the basic figure lineup.

[sebillba]

I'll vote for 17, 22 & 23 so far please.

...and #27.

[JediTricks]

Here are my votes. They're a little weird, I just went with stuff that made my list earliest:
3 sideshow
4 titanium lessons
6 ts exclus
7 mace
14 cw legs
23 pricing

[Cane_Adiss]

Put me down for 27 and 28. I think that rounds out 6 votes for me am I right?

[Gothiczartan]

i have a question about the scramble on yavin battle pack that I have not seen in retail stores.

are we going to see this set re release sometime soon?

http://www.rebelscum.com/TLCBPScrambleonYavin.asp

[Gothiczartan]

could you add another question about a new sculpt SA figure of Lando as General and Falcon pilot from ROTJ?

http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/6355/SWGallery/lando2.jpg

[JediTricks]

Put me down for 27 and 28. I think that rounds out 6 votes for me am I right?Yessir.


i have a question about the scramble on yavin battle pack that I have not seen in retail stores.

are we going to see this set re release sometime soon?

http://www.rebelscum.com/TLCBPScrambleonYavin.aspBoy, that'd be a really good question to add to the poll. If only we hadn't already ADDED IT AS NUMBER 13!!! I'll count your vote for #13.



could you add another question about a new sculpt SA figure of Lando as General and Falcon pilot from ROTJ?

http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/6355/SWGallery/lando2.jpgNot this round, too specific. Ask in the next round.

[JediTricks]

Ok, that's it for this round. Thanks to everybody who participated!

Here are the questions we sent in for this round:


We've been hearing how the TLC line has been having sales troubles going back to its inception in July '08. There have been numerous Hasbro comments about lowered volume due to a shrinking of the hardcore collector base and a virtual drying up of the casual consumer base. Now through Q&A we're hearing about entire waves of basic figures, the bread & butter of the line, possibly getting pushed back or dropped into exclusive territory as brand management tries to ensure that those molds get into collectors' hands at all. Yet through all this, we continue to hear that Saga Legends is a strong seller with the casual consumers and thus with Hasbro's retail partners. While we fans appreciate and admire the drive over the past 6 years to deliver 40 to 50 new figures per year, without entertainment support it appears that pace has become an albatross around the mainline's neck as multiple outside forces such as manufacturing and the economy beat up the line (along with the rest of the toy industry). When fans look at something like the AT-AT Driver figure, which had a chiefly satisfactory figure released only 3 years ago yet now has an entirely new tooling coming up, it seems like the priority to meet x-many new figures per wave is no longer a viable concept, as budgeting for figures that either won't see widespread release at retail or will get pushed back means the next products down the line suffer worse fates is spent across a wave rather than the mainline as a whole. Though not ideal, have you considered merging the mainline figures and Saga Legends back together, scaling back the overall scope of new figures to fit in releases alongside the Legends figures, and cutting down on new resculpted figures when existing ones like the 3-year-old AT-AT Driver would satisfy interest with little or no change? Would focusing all of the non-Clone Wars figures back into a single SKU help keep mainline figures afloat, even if the number of new figures is scaled back significantly?
Why did K'Kruhk not come with his mythical hat as an accessory? Many of his fans had high hopes for its inclusion, as it's an important part of his persona. Did you consider this when you decided to make him, and if so, why didn't it make the cut?
The end of the Titanium era has brought much dismay to collectors, not simply because of the grim unlikelihood for the future behind the "hiatus" status, but also because it leaves many great ships nearly impossible to find. Many Titaniums that saw limited releases or worse and were expected to get re-released in the future are now going to be mythical at best, such as the Gungan Bongo Sub (now doomed to be postponed into eternity), Trade Federation Landing Craft, Mon Calamari Star Cruiser, Rogue Shadow, Luke Skywalker's X-wing (Sculpt 2), AOTC Naboo Royal Cruiser, P-38 Magnaguard Starfighter, and more. What with the line's demise skunking the fans out of some great molds, would it be possible to get any sort of limited rereleases of these incredibly difficult to acquire treasures - and the ones that almost made it such as the Bongo - as HasbroToyShop exclusives? If not, why not? Isn't seeing ANY financial return on molds that haven't made their money back better than no return at all?
With your recent answer about the Holiday Special aliens, you've put another nail in the coffin by pointing out that it is "forgettable" (though we'd argue clearly not as 3 generations of SW fans now talk about it and ask for figures from it despite having only grainy bootleg videos as their source) and figures from it won't be produced. In the past, you've done both animated-sequence figures (Boba Fett) and live-action-sequence ones (Zutton), so there is precedence to ask our question: what about Chewbacca's family? All 3 of them have appeared in other EU sources beyond the Holiday Special, but due to their origination, do you consider them figures that have little to no chance of production, or is there hope for any/all of them at some point down the line? (They wouldn't even have to come with their Life Day robes, if you absolutely couldn't find it in your heart to include them. But wouldn't that be like making a Tiny Tim figure and not including his crutch? That would be cruel... but we digress. ;-) )
The Clone Wars episode "Trespass" from season 1 has resonated with a lot of fans, and the episode also sports a significant amount of noteworthy new characters and outfit variants just begging to be made into figures. Already we have the Freeco Bike confirmed, as well as snow gear Anakin and Obi-Wan, and Thi-Sen; but there's still Rex and the clones in snow gear waiting to be confirmed, the other Talz warriors, the arrogant Chi Cho, Senator Chuchi, and the Pantoran guard - there's more than enough interesting and exciting characters in this episode to fill an entire wave. While Hasbro is likely to do a number of these characters eventually, the episode will fade in buyers' memories fairly quickly, so can you reveal if any will be coming in 2010?
Will you be reissuing the Scramble on Yavin Battle Pack in the new packaging design? Although a sleeper at first, it seems to be very popular and now many collectors themselves are scrambling trying to find it. We know you said that future Battle Packs would go back to the kid-focused styles, but as this is existing tooling and it's popular and it had a relatively short run due to the packaging change-over, it should get a re-release in the '09 packaging, don't you think? If not, what about reusing the vehicle in the Clone Wars deluxe figure & vehicle assortment? You've got other "just out of frame" vehicles there, heck, even the Desert Sport Skiff. Is it hard to believe that Clone pilots might use a transport like this?

Ouch, I just realized I forgot to count my own votes, which would have changed the fate of 1 of those questions. Oh well, too late now.

Look for a new round of voting soon.