Toy Fair 2013 Coverage

Here we go, live details on the Facebook page from the SW presentation. They're talking about scene-specific shots being the inspiration, I hope they remember to keep the poses neutral and let the articulation do that work. Obviously they have on the X-wing Luke.

6" scale R2 with tools! Finally Hasbro's going to get this right.

3.75" first 2 waves sound very much like the Droid Factory lineup, that's fine.

Oh boy, Luminara

The simple figures are gonna be "Saga Legends" at $6 a piece, already seems a buck too high so these better sell like hotcakes.

Wow, Anakin's Jedi Starfighter, how exciting and original.

Finally, good news: a TRU-exclusive Republic Gunship with Yoda, a pilot, a trooper, and turrets. Hope it has a good paintjob, we mere non-attendees will see later today I think.

Amazon.com gets the big ESB Slave I with Han Carbonite block and no other figures. I'm fine with that!

Kmart gets the scanning crew pack and Ewok catapult sets, if only kmart wasn't such a pain to deal with.

6" Fett with Han in Carbonite teaser!!! That's what they closed with, nice. 22 minutes, not bad.

Why, why does all the Ewok stuff go to K-Mart?

And what exactly do you mean by "simple figures"?

Is the Geonosis Battle Droid still in the Black Series 3.75" line?

Originally Posted by El Chuxter

Why, why does all the Ewok stuff go to K-Mart?

You mean like the TRU 5-pack? As for the rest, probably because they are the retailer who didn't say "no thanks".

And what exactly do you mean by "simple figures"?

You know the 2 new battle packs in 2012 with the 6 points of articulation - Naboo Jedi battle and Bespin Fight? Apparently Hasbro is doing a whole line of that type of simpler figure for their Star Wars and Marvel brands, designing the product for a lower, more kid-friendly pricepoint.

Sweet. There's gonna be like "Cinema Scenes" of the Jedi Force figures.

Death Star Escape and Jabba's Palace Rescue confirmed for the line.

I know the one (nicer) set went to TRU, but the majority of Endor-themed stuff is going right to K-Mart.

Originally Posted by JediTricks

You know the 2 new battle packs in 2012 with the 6 points of articulation - Naboo Jedi battle and Bespin Fight? Apparently Hasbro is doing a whole line of that type of simpler figure for their Star Wars and Marvel brands, designing the product for a lower, more kid-friendly pricepoint.

Oh, wonderful. Have they lost track of what made them so big--licenses and figures that appeal to kids and adults? I'm concerned this will scavenge resources--and, more importantly, peg space--from the regular line. Why should retailers order the figures that cost twice as much (and will presumably move at half the speed) when they can get the junk ones?

In any case, if kids are going for one line and adults for another, will those sales be counted as one action figure line? Or will the numbers folks be saying a year from now, "I don't understand! Star Wars is no longer the #1 action figure line!"?

Sadly, given the recent developments in Joe articulation, and overall size and quality of TF's, it looks like they're mostly moving in the cheapo direction. The last couple of years have produced some staggering figures (have you seen things like Pursuit of Cobra Low-Light?), and I really hope they don't throw away all that progress. At the very least, it's likely that Walgreens won't be the go-to place for figures that were undershipped the previous year, because I imagine they'll opt for the junk figures.

I don't see what's so wrong with making cheaper figures that are targeted chiefly at kids.

It's not like they're getting rid of the super-articulated figures aimed at the adult collector.

Not directly, no.

However, what mass retailer will order the figures that cost twice as much and take up the same space, particularly if they know they're geared toward collectors (whom they see as a handful of crazy people anyway) and the cheap line is for kids? At the very least, space for the "real" figures is going to get cut significantly.

This is not going to be a good year for finding actual Star Wars figures from 2013.

SSG's coverage of The Black Series - 6" figures is now up, linked in the article.

The Black Series 3.75" figures are now up as well!

Back to the 6"...
Wow, they really did it, they got the Sandtrooper right, it's not just a Stormtrooper with a pauldron and backpack!!! They hit a lot of marks too, not just the knee change but the stomach panel and paint details. That's awesome! And R2 looks great too.

Makes you wonder if the 6" line will always get the Stormtrooper wrong by reusing this body.

Saga Legends budget 3.75" figures are up. I hate to say it, but they look pretty decent.


Don't even jest Beast, I can just imagine that going terribly wrong.

6" Maul's cloak seems very restrictive for the desert battle, hopefully it can move though.

I hope Steve grabbed pics of the new Jedi Force stuff. Me likey.

Steve doesn't generally miss anything. He's just finsihed with the Vader-carded Fall '13 stuff - role play, vehicles, and 12-inch.

Now is Angry Birds SW.

The Angry Birds SW products have the Emperor and Grievous in 'em, does that mean we're getting ROTJ and prequels this year, or is that extrapolation?

Jedi Force coming up next.