Star Wars - The Black Series: 6" Wave 1 Discussion Thread!

[Beast]

Wave 1:
Luke Skywalker: X-Wing Pilot
R2-D2
Darth Maul
Sandtrooper

So what does everyone thing of Wave 1 of The Black Series so far?

I know I am pretty excited by the line. And I haven't really collected Star Wars in ages.

So what's everyone's opinions and hopes for Wave 1? I'm sure we'll see more at Toy Fair.

[Beast]

Luke Skywalker: X-Wing Pilot - The only figure we've seen images of so far. But wow... they did a great job on Luke. While the face sculpt isn't perfect... it's a pretty good approximation for Mark's appearance in the films. I really love the detailing on the Uniform and Helmet. And if the rest of the wave is as good as this... Hasbro has a license to print money. One thing I'm not thrilled by is it looks like the lightsaber has a removable blade rather than just having a separate unlit hilt. But at this size I don't think it'll be as big of an issue. It's a huge pet peeve on the 3 3/4" line though due to the small fragile pegs.

R2-D2 - I'm probably most excited about what R2-D2 will end up looking like. Especially since they have to justify the same price point on him as the rest of the line. I'm expecting a chromed dome like the 12" figures from a few years back. I don't know whether they'll do lights and sounds, but I can see at least lights included. And hopefully they make him like the definitive R2-D2 with opening doors and variety of tools and attachments from all 6 of the Star Wars films. I think we can absolutely expect 1 smaller figure per wave to balance tooling costs out on the line. So I expect Yoda, Jawa, etc. in future waves.

Darth Maul - Here's the other figure I'm really intrigued on seeing what they do with him. Especially since they've never really nailed a perfect Darth Maul in my opinion in the 3 3/4" line. Hopefully we'll see some accurate horns for once. I'm not sure what sort of facial expression I'd want though. I'm leaning towards a calm face... though I do like seeing the gritting teeth pose on some of the smaller scale figures. The big question is whether they'll use soft goods for skirts and cloaks to maintain articulation. I've seen debate about both choices. But honestly I would rather see well done soft goods than plastic.

Sandtrooper - Yeah I know... why not start with a Stormtrooper. Well I have a feeling we'll be seeing a variety of Troopers across the life of the line. Probably at least one army builder per wave. Regular Stormies, Snowtroopers, Clonetroopers, and Biker Scouts. And a lot more along those lines. Hopefully they go for screen accuracy on the armor differences between Sandies and Stormies. I do wonder if they'll do a running change on the Sandtrooper so that we'll see all 4 of the pauldron colors released in the line. If so, I hope there's some variation to the sand detail and weathering on them as well.

Overall: I am excited by new Star Wars toys for the first time in a very very long time. While the first wave is a little quirky due to the choices... it's leaving me wanting more and excited for Toy Fair. Hopefully Wave 2 makes myself and others go... "Oh my god, why isn't this wave 1!" I'm also hoping we see a stand alone "Deluxe" type of Darth Vader at a slightly higher price point. Kinda like the 12" Action Collection's awesome Electronic Talking Darth Vader w/ Removable Helmet. I love the packaging as well and wouldn't change a thing. It's kinda nice to see a simple classy toy packaging design for a change.

[bigbarada]

This has definitely reinvigorated my interest in Star Wars collecting. Until this announcement, it was looking like 2013 was going to be the year that I quit Hasbro once and for all. Now I'm more excited than I've been in years.

In fact, it feels similar to the excitement that I felt back in 1994, when the first images of the new POTF2 line started to show up. Not that the quality of those figures was in any way comparable to what we've seen with X-Wing Luke so far, but it's just the feeling of unlimited potential and optimism that a fresh start always brings.

With the exception of Darth Maul, I'm pretty happy with the choices in the first wave.

Luke X-Wing - I know that Farmboy Luke would be more iconic, but I actually wouldn't be as interested in yet another incarnation of Farmboy Luke. This and an ROTJ Jedi Luke would probably be the only 2 versions of Luke that I am interested in for this scale. As for the figure itself, he looks amazing! I think the face sculpt is great. Some people seem to be nitpicking the likeness, but I don't have a problem with it at all. As long as it looks like Luke Skywalker, then I don't really care if it looks exactly like Mark Hamill or not. In my mind, Mark Hamill is not Luke Skywalker, he's just the actor who portrayed Luke in the movies.

R2-D2 - I'm definitely excited to see what Hasbro does to justify a $20 R2 figure. I'm not sure if I want to see a vac-metalized dome, though. I would prefer a really nice metallic paint job so that he matches how R2 looks in the film.

Sandtrooper - I'm probably most excited about this one. It could potentially be the highlight of the first wave; but I do hope that they pay attention to the differences between the Sandtrooper and Stormtrooper armor and not just give us a Stormtrooper with a shoulder pad. I also think there is good potential for army-building, even with the $20 price; so I think Hasbro should include all three pauldron colors with this initial release.

Darth Maul - I'm about 90% sure that I will skip this one. My interest in Prequel characters is nearly non-existent right now.

[Adam]

I have to admit, this year was looking dire for me as well. I'm pretty interested in this series although I'm not sure I will be a completist. All four wave one figures have some appeal, although I'm pretty tired of Sandtrooper anything at this point. It will have to be really nice to get my attention.

[Beast]

Here's a new pic of the Luke Skywalker: X-Wing Pilot figure from the Nuremberg Toy Fair.

I know we can't really judge by Toy Fair pics. But this pic is an improvement on the Press Release pic.

[JediTricks]

Damnit, the eyes there are Hasbro production-quality, I really hope they're not so unsubtle on the final production level. There's even big catchlights painted on there like this was the 12" line from a decade ago! They need to get the eyes painted right in this line, that's a very big deal for establishing it as a "more than" collector line, no giant eyeballs with way too much whites, no black lines in place of eyelashes, no catchlights or thick eyebrows for that matter.

As for the rest of the figure, it's very glossy and lacks the sculpted nuance of the prototype, but those could both be partly about the overexposure of the image (probably from the insanely hot lighting in the display). Otherwise it looks adequate.

[Beast]

From the Toy Fair Panel...

From TNI:

8 figures for 2013. New figures revealed are Darth Maul with double bladed lightsaber and removable robe, R2-D2 with all the cool stuff, jet pack, probe, ect. Sandtrooper.

From AFI:

Black Series: they wanted to capture that iconic, scene-specific shot and bring it to life in a new scale. Figures should resonate with SW fans and collectors, and create an emotional connection back to the scenes that inspired them. 6″ figures were born.

-Wave 1: X-wing Luke, Darth Maul (dual lightsaber and cloak), R2D2 (jet packs, probe), Sandtrooper (backpack, pistol, rifle)

[JediTricks]

I can one-up that, Steve just reported the slideshow ended with 6" Fett with Han in Carbonite teaser!!! SDCC exclusive?

[Beast]

Here's our very first pic of the 6" Sandtrooper. Awesome!!!

Looking closely at it.... diamond shaped sniper kneeplate and no drop boxes! :D

[Beast]

Here's great showroom pics of R2-D2, Darth Maul, and Sandtrooper.

Love all the accessories these guys are getting. Best figures ever made. Woot!

[bigbarada]

Yeah, the Sandtrooper looks like something you would pay Gentle Giant or Sideshow $150-$200 for. It's amazing! Plus, the $20 pricetag is not going to stop me from buying multiples. Really nice to see the Sandtrooper-specific details on this guy.

R2 looks great as well, but I'm hoping those opening doors fit a little better on the production version. I could have done without the booster rockets for another OT related accessory, but I really have no complaints. It's really the best R2 figure I've seen.

I had planned to pass on Maul unless the photos just totally blew me away. Well, I'm still planning to pass on Maul. ;)

[Beast]

I think R2-D2 is great. And while you may not like the booster rockets I'm glad they're included.

I can't really think of another accessory that would be better to swap out with them anyway.

[Beast]

Steve just loaded his great pics from the showroom. Hazzah for more pics!

http://photos.sirstevesguide.com/g6518-6-action-figures.html

It's great that R2-D2's dome eye is also in the right spot. Unlike the majority of 3 3/4".

I love how Maul uses minimal soft goods. Having a head w/ attached plastic cloak is brilliant.

[bigbarada]

I think R2-D2 is great. And while you may not like the booster rockets I'm glad they're included.

I can't really think of another accessory that would be better to swap out with them anyway.

Buzzsaw arm? Drink tray? Holographic Princess Leia? Any, or all, of those would have been better than the booster rockets.

Again, though, it's just nitpicking. I'm pretty excited about it overall.

[Tycho]

I might buy R2D2 later on down the line on the secondary market or something if Hasbro makes Lando, Leia, Chewie w. 3PO Bespin Escape figures.

[Slicker]

So they simply upscale the size by a bit and charge twice as much for the same quality? I'm sooooo glad I don't still collect.

These don't look like anything special whatsoever and the fact that they're using lame characters instead of normal main character sculpts is typical of the type of people that are still around. Maul in the first line? :rolleyes:

[Beast]

You may want to look at the pics again. They are by no means the "Same Quality".

Just compare the detail on Luke: X-Wing to his 3 3/4" counterpart for example. No contest there.

Lame Characters? Luke is lame? R2-D2 is lame? Sandtrooper is lame? That's just bizarre thinking.

And of course Maul is in Wave 1. They had to slot in a prequel character. And he has a large fanbase.

[bigbarada]

You may want to look at the pics again. They are by no means the "Same Quality".

Just compare the detail on Luke: X-Wing to his 3 3/4" counterpart for example. No contest there.

Lame Characters? Luke is lame? R2-D2 is lame? Sandtrooper is lame? That's just bizarre thinking.

And of course Maul is in Wave 1. They had to slot in a prequel character. And he has a large fanbase.

Yeah, these 6" figures are above and beyond what's possible in the 3.75" line.

Also, I love the character choices except for Maul. If I had to make a list beforehand of 6" figures that I wanted without hearing any announcements from Hasbro, then the Sandtrooper, Luke X-Wing and R2-D2 would have all made it onto my top 10. The Sandtrooper would have likely been in the top 5.

[Tycho]

I'm only buying these if I can pair them at the same scale with my Unleashed.

Then I want:

Luke Bespin to go with Vader Bespin Unleashed.

Qui-Gon to go with Maul Unleashed.

Snowtrooper to go with Luke X-wing Unleashed.

---------------------------------------------------------------

What I want are things that have never been made before that go with my existing collections:

3 3/4" realistic
3 3/4" Clone Wars
12" SideShow

[Slicker]

You may want to look at the pics again. They are by no means the "Same Quality".

Just compare the detail on Luke: X-Wing to his 3 3/4" counterpart for example. No contest there.

Lame Characters? Luke is lame? R2-D2 is lame? Sandtrooper is lame? That's just bizarre thinking.

And of course Maul is in Wave 1. They had to slot in a prequel character. And he has a large fanbase.Luke X-Wing is lame. Why not use farm boy Luke? You know, the iconic one that everyone knows? R2 is good so that's the only one. Why make a Sandtrooper instead of making a Stormtrooper? And heaven forbid they make a prequel Qui-Gon or Obi-Wan instead of fanboy Maul. This line is dead before even starting.

[Beast]

Luke X-Wing is lame. Why not use farm boy Luke? You know, the iconic one that everyone knows? R2 is good so that's the only one. Why make a Sandtrooper instead of making a Stormtrooper? And heaven forbid they make a prequel Qui-Gon or Obi-Wan instead of fanboy Maul. This line is dead before even starting.
Cause Farmboy Luke is a boring costume that doesn't really show off impressive sculpting. While Luke: Jedi Knight is more impressive, it's still nothing really special. Luke X-Wing packs in a ton of details and really showcases the sculpt. There's a reason they went with that costume for the Unleashed line a few years back as well. All of the pockets, folds, and equipment. It's really showing what Hasbro can deliver for this line.

Making a Sandtrooper first allows them to show off they're nailing the armor difference between the Stormtrooper and Sandtrooper right out of the gate. Plus they can reuse 80% of it for an eventual Stormtrooper. Plus like Luke: X-Wing they have more cool details to showcase the sculpting. Plus keeping the Stormtrooper back for future waves gives people something to anticipate. And shows that Hasbro has faith in the line. They probably also know they'll have to heavy pack an eventual Stormtrooper so wanna put him in a Wave with less popular characters.

I'm sure they will make Qui-Gon or Obi-Wan eventually. But Darth Maul is a more visually dynamic character.

And you're clueless if you think the line is D.O.A., as almost every forum is ablaze with excitement.

Even from people who would normally never collect Star Wars, because the don't collect 3 3/4".

[JediTricks]

Buzzsaw arm? Drink tray? Holographic Princess Leia? Any, or all, of those would have been better than the booster rockets.

Again, though, it's just nitpicking. I'm pretty excited about it overall.All good points though. This R2 doesn't even have the opening door for the buzzsaw arm, and the body arms don't move (the angled blue panels just below his dome) either. So the boosters are a compromise to prequelitis. The piece looks good, no question, but they made the choices they made for compromise, not to better the figure.

[Beast]

If they do a RotJ R2-D2 they can include the Drink Tray and Buzzsaw Arm. No loss there.

The body arms even at 6" would probably be too fragile to articulate them. So no loss.

I can see Holo Leia coming with either Princess Leia:ANH or C-3PO. Since both are Accessory Light characters.

So again... I don't see the issue with including the Booster Rockets. Especially as R2 uses them more than once.

[JediTricks]

If they do a RotJ R2-D2 they can include the Drink Tray and Buzzsaw Arm. No loss there.

The body arms even at 6" would probably be too fragile to articulate them. So no loss.

I can see Holo Leia coming with either Princess Leia:ANH or C-3PO. Since both are Accessory Light characters.

So again... I don't see the issue with including the Booster Rockets. Especially as R2 uses them more than once.This is an OT figure, remember that the waves are 75% OT and 25% PT, and this wave already has a PT figure in Maul, so this is an unwelcome compromise on a figure that's supposed to represent the OT version of the character.

[El Chuxter]

Don't mean to sound negative, but for a $20 R2-D2 at approximately three inches tall, he'd better include every single accessory the character is shown using for me to give a fart.

He looks awesome. I won't deny it. But twenty bucks with the collector having to compromise on iconic accessories when those could've easily been included since he's so much smaller than the others? Not acceptable for me.

[Beast]

This is an OT figure, remember that the waves are 75% OT and 25% PT, and this wave already has a PT figure in Maul, so this is an unwelcome compromise on a figure that's supposed to represent the OT version of the character.
No. He's an Saga Character. As he looks the same in every film in the series. So that's ridiculous to say.

It's not an unwelcome compromise. It's just an accessory you don't like. Get over it.

While it would be great if he had every accessory I can see why they left these few off.

Especially the Drink Tray. Which would make more sense on a RotJ reissue. Same with Saw.

[JediTricks]

Don't mean to sound negative, but for a $20 R2-D2 at approximately three inches tall, he'd better include every single accessory the character is shown using for me to give a fart.

He looks awesome. I won't deny it. But twenty bucks with the collector having to compromise on iconic accessories when those could've easily been included since he's so much smaller than the others? Not acceptable for me.Yeah, I hear that. This is one of those situations where I feel like Hasbro puts their backs up against the wall with budget choices, they kill features to match budget but put in features nobody wants to see on the piece to compromise, so now they either have to double dip or settle for a lesser-than product.


No. He's an Saga Character. As he looks the same in every film in the series. So that's ridiculous to say.

It's not an unwelcome compromise. It's just an accessory you don't like. Get over it.

While it would be great if he had every accessory I can see why they left these few off.

Especially the Drink Tray. Which would make more sense on a RotJ reissue. Same with Saw.Oh, this is an all-movies figure? That's why every other aspect of it is from the OT, like the Periscope Eye and Luke's ROTJ lightsaber, both seen in ROTJ, as well as the life form scanner and fine welder arm from ESB? And yet there's no oil projector from ROTS, no left-side lower grasper arm from TPM, no dome-based electro-blaster from ROTS, the extension arms inside the linkage control arms from ROTS, pretty much nothing from the prequels except these budget-slaughtering booster rockets. That's an unwelcome compromise, now we don't get a better OT R2-D2 and we don't get a better PT R2-D2, there's no getting over that, it's either a double dip or missed opportunities.

[Mr. JabbaJohnL]

All good points though. This R2 doesn't even have the opening door for the buzzsaw arm, and the body arms don't move (the angled blue panels just below his dome) either. So the boosters are a compromise to prequelitis. The piece looks good, no question, but they made the choices they made for compromise, not to better the figure.
The long panel on the left side looks like it opens (http://photos.sirstevesguide.com/6-action-figures/p45515-hasbro-star-wars.html). It's not shown open in the official photo or in the booth photos, but it definitely looks like it's a separate piece from the body, so it's entirely possible that the buzz saw is in there (even if it's not completely movie accurate).

The OT still gets three accessories in the periscope, lightsaber, and scanner, plus the saga-spanning arm, so is it really that much of a travesty that they threw us PT fans a bone? It's not like they're these huge, giant accessories - I doubt the drink tray could have been included instead of these; that's a much bigger piece. I don't remember Hasbro saying the waves would be 75% OT to 25% PT - the USA Today article only says the line would "primarily" be OT, and that's not even a direct Derryl quote. You said it yourself that the booster rockets are the only PT accessories, so it's not like the OT's being ignored here or anything.

[Slicker]

And you're clueless if you think the line is D.O.A., as almost every forum is ablaze with excitement.

Are these the same forums that demanded a Yarna? That one worked out well.

[bigbarada]

Are these the same forums that demanded a Yarna? That one worked out well.

I remember being one those people who campaigned for Yarna. However, I also remember how muted my excitement was when she was finally announced. I think every once in a while we want figures just because Hasbro seems reluctant to make them (I think that's the only way to explain Jocasta Nu). While it was nice to check Yarna's name off of the list of never-before-made ROTJ figures, I was hardly excited by the figure. In fact, I didn't buy her right away. It wasn't until she was out for a few months that I actually added her to my collection. Even then, that was hardly an exciting moment.

(And, for the record, I have yet to buy Jocasta Nu and I have absolutely no plans to.)

My excitement level for the 6" line is on a completely different scale and I don't think I'm alone. There's even a Facebook fan page devoted to the upcoming 6" line and it's already received over 1000 "likes" within just a few weeks:
http://www.facebook.com/StarWarsTheBlackSeries

As someone who runs a Facebook fan page, that's no trivial accomplishment.

Anyways, kind of a shift in topic, but I've been hearing a lot of comments about how "strange" the character choices are for wave 1 of the 6" line. I was listening to the "Galaxy of Toys" podcast the other day and they asked what figures we would choose if wave 1 had been up to us.

Personally, I wouldn't change anything except Darth Maul, who I would replace with Bossk. Then have Boba Fett, Darth Vader, Bespin Han Solo and C-3PO for wave 2.

So, if you could choose the first two waves of this line, who would you choose?

[JediTricks]

The long panel on the left side looks like it opens (http://photos.sirstevesguide.com/6-action-figures/p45515-hasbro-star-wars.html). It's not shown open in the official photo or in the booth photos, but it definitely looks like it's a separate piece from the body, so it's entirely possible that the buzz saw is in there (even if it's not completely movie accurate).
Yeah, I saw that panel, it looks like even in their images it's broken on the prototype, or maybe they decided the production model won't have gimmicks on that side, we don't know yet. It's entirely possible that panel is full of gold too. :p


The OT still gets three accessories in the periscope, lightsaber, and scanner, plus the saga-spanning arm, so is it really that much of a travesty that they threw us PT fans a bone? It's not like they're these huge, giant accessories - I doubt the drink tray could have been included instead of these; that's a much bigger piece. I don't remember Hasbro saying the waves would be 75% OT to 25% PT - the USA Today article only says the line would "primarily" be OT, and that's not even a direct Derryl quote. You said it yourself that the booster rockets are the only PT accessories, so it's not like the OT's being ignored here or anything.It's a compromise that does neither OT nor PT fans any favors. Instead of getting an "ultimate" R2 since we're paying "ultimate" pricing, we're getting a handful of gimmicks and it seems to be ensuring that we won't be seeing all the stuff we should be getting in either realm. With this thinking, why not just make all Vaders into 1 figure, with ANH vest robes and ROTS limiting shoulder armor? Why not just make 1 Han Solo figure for the entire saga, so what if he has a different outfit in each movie and looks different as he ages - close enough, right? It's lame and a bad precedent. It's also surprising given the amount of sheer accuracy they put into the Sandtrooper - why show your commitment to such deep collector quality in one figure and then stumble on another? It's not like R2's a large figure or a complex figure or even heavily articulated, so is it a cash grab, is it just budgetitis, is it a lack of vision?

As for the 75% OT thing, I thought it was something said during the presentation, not sure where I picked it up if not there.
EDIT: Rebelscum stated it here, I took it as accurate since they were at the show and I wasn't - http://www.rebelscum.com/story/front/Toy_Fair_2013_The_Hasbro_Report_150221.asp



Are these the same forums that demanded a Yarna? That one worked out well.Good, good! Let the hatred flow through you. Yarna wasn't really the problem, Hasbro overproducing Yarna, allowing "pie in the sky sales"-minded retailers to dictate production numbers on a figure destined to be a low-seller, and that was the real problem, they should have revamped those wave 1 cases a quarter the way through production to avoid that pegwarmer.

Now if you had pointed out the fan forums' demands for a Sith Infiltrator toy... :p

[JediTricks]

Anyways, kind of a shift in topic, but I've been hearing a lot of comments about how "strange" the character choices are for wave 1 of the 6" line. I was listening to the "Galaxy of Toys" podcast the other day and they asked what figures we would choose if wave 1 had been up to us.

Personally, I wouldn't change anything except Darth Maul, who I would replace with Bossk. Then have Boba Fett, Darth Vader, Bespin Han Solo and C-3PO for wave 2.

So, if you could choose the first two waves of this line, who would you choose?STRANGE?!? I don't get that thinking at all, this is as safe an assortment as you can get.
- Luke pilot is visually distinctive and colorful, and recognizable as a main character yet not so crucial that should there be bugs to work out in the line they will have ruined a significant entry.
- R2-D2, uh, duh!
- Sandtrooper is a statement that this brand is willing to go the extra mile to get collector needs right, and it's also an adventurous version of an iconic Star Wars mainstay.
- Darth Maul is the prequels it-boy, he's visually distinctive and an obvious bad guy, he's the poster boy for Ep 1, and he's alien.

[Tycho]

I have to agree with JediTricks (and Hasbro) here.

Their marketing plan:

1 PT
3 OT - makes sense in terms of demand for this price range.

also:

1 hero
1 alien
1 droid
1 troop builder

Main OT:

Han
Luke (X-wing - made)
Leia
Chewie
R2 (R2D2 - made)
3PO
Vader
Stormtrooper (Sandtrooper - made)
Lando
Boba Fett
other alien / Ewok / from Jabbas / or from the cantina

Main PT:

Qui-Gon
Obi-Wan
Anakin
Padme
Darth Maul (made)
JarJar
Battle Droid / type
Palpatine / Darth Sidious / Emperor
Darth Tyranus
Jango Fett
General Grievous
other alien

That being said, I'd leave wave exactly as it is.


BigBarada asked who would I choose? I'll answer for wave 2:

C-3PO
Darth Vader
Chewbacca
TPM Obi-Wan Kenobi (because they made Maul already, and the last PT character was both alien and a villain)


All this being said, I still would only buy Luke Bespin, Snowtrooper, and Qui-Gon if they match my Unleashed (approx)

[Beast]

I'm guessing we might see one "Small" character per wave to balance costs as well.

R2-D2 this wave. Yoda, Jawa, etc. in future waves.

[Slicker]

I'm guessing we might see one "Small" character per wave to balance costs as well.

R2-D2 this wave. Yoda, Jawa, etc. in future waves.Balance costs? So $20 for a single 6" figure isn't enough? Now they're gonna rip you off by giving you half of a figure for the same price?

[Tycho]

LOL Slicker. They could re-release Maul as only the top half :p

[Beast]

Balance costs? So $20 for a single 6" figure isn't enough? Now they're gonna rip you off by giving you half of a figure for the same price?
Man... you have a serious hate on for this line. Not sure why you're so angry.

And as we've already seen with R2-D2 they pack a lot of stuff into those smaller characters.

[JetsAndHeels]

I think they all look great. I may be getting them all!!

Having said that, Boba Fett and Darth Vader and the two I'm most anxious for.

[Slicker]

Man... you have a serious hate on for this line. Not sure why you're so angry.

And as we've already seen with R2-D2 they pack a lot of stuff into those smaller characters.It's not so much a hate as much as it is a disgust. Just how these figures have taken a downward spiral to the point that they end up being $20 now. I realize that we had the Unleashed figures but we also had normal 3 3/4" figures to accompany them. But with these they seem to kinda be a main line and they've reduced the number of 3 3/4" figures.

[Mr. JabbaJohnL]

It's not so much a hate as much as it is a disgust. Just how these figures have taken a downward spiral to the point that they end up being $20 now. I realize that we had the Unleashed figures but we also had normal 3 3/4" figures to accompany them. But with these they seem to kinda be a main line and they've reduced the number of 3 3/4" figures.
There will be eight $20 6" figures this year, 19 collector-focused $10 3.75" figures this year, and 12 kid-focused $6 3.75" figures this year. It seems like there's an initiative to release fewer items overall but make sure that people can actually find them this time around, which is coupled with the fact that the figures won't even start being released until more than halfway through the year. (There were around 50 Vintage figures in 2012, which had releases throughout the entire year, but most people could only find 12 of them.) Hasbro is just hyping the 6" figures more than they did for Unleashed or other similar lines because they really need to recapture the collector market, which is being lost to companies like Gentle Giant and Sideshow more and more these days (and not helped by people not being able to find Hasbro's stuff).

[Tycho]

Well I feel like Slicker does but JabbaJohn rocked with the information he brought to this party. Very reasonable.

But I long for the days when the economy and interest held things together when we'd easily see carded Cliegg Lars, maybe Nyrat Agira, Imperial Dignitary Sim Aloo - because the line and the product flow-through would support them being at least one per case in standard releases.

Also the Clone Wars ANIMATED style might have supported Anocanda Farr, Bail Organa, Chancellor Palpatine, Trandoshan hunters, Riff Tamsen, Dutchess Satine, Padme in a non-action outfit - because collectors were also buying animated figures and it could be marginally supported and the product style was not just appealing to the kid market whom Hasbro determined needed an army of Obi-Wans for every customer.