Article: Toy Fair 2013 Coverage

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02-10-2013
Beast

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigbarada

Those 5-POA Saga Legends figures actually look pretty cool. I might end up buying a few of those. Hopefully we'll see some OT troopers in that style soon.

I didn't really expect to like them at all, but they have sort of a vintage, Kenner charm about them.

Agreed. They really do feel like Old School Kenner figures. Which is kinda neat.

They really do have a magical charm about them. I'm shocked how nice they look.
02-10-2013
sebillba

From JTA:

1. I have been pleading with Derryl since 2010 to release the Imperial Scanning Crew member and now he is coming out in an exclusive. This is some of the happiest news of the day for me. Derryl mentioned to me today that he couldn't believe it's been almost half a decade since it was intended to be released. This only leaves the running change Utai to not see release yet. He rolled his eyes at me about that one.

2. The Build A Droid figures from the now cancelled Legacy Collection line are very close to seeing release in an exclusive multipack. Derryl couldn't give speecifics but did comfort me in the fact that Hasbro is "close" to securing a retailer for it. Stay tuned!

So good news about the BAD droids, and I'm happy for those people who wanted the Scanning Crew running change (though I understand there will be two 2-packs, each with a different crew member, half an accessory and a second repack(?) figure)..... but why the negativity towards the Utai?? I was gutted to read that response.
02-10-2013
El Chuxter

I didn't read it as negativity, but more a "holy crap, we got one of them out, give me a break and quit yer b****in' about the other for a bit!" An Utai set would be a much tougher sell to a retailer than a Scanning Crew set.
02-10-2013
Mr. JabbaJohnL

Were photos not allowed at the presentation? There aren't any on this site and I can't find any others that put them up. The official Hasbro photos are nice and all, but I like to see the actual slides with the information written on them (and the Kmart exclusives aren't shown anywhere else).
02-10-2013
El Chuxter

I haven't really looked, but I know some sites posted pics of the Joe and TF slideshows.
02-10-2013
Snowtrooper

The only thing I'm really interested in is the ESB Slave 1 plus the other vintage vehicles. Other than that, theres nothing much for me to look forward to.
02-10-2013
indyjones1981

The 3 ships one from each movie Star Wars: X-Wing, ESB: Slave One and ROTJ: TIE Enterceptor what stores will these be exclusive for? They look great. Somewhat suprised that not much from Return of the Jedi given this is the 30th anniversary of the movie. Was hoping the funeral pyre Vader they talked about a few years back would be an exclusive to some retailer. I would buy it. Heck we need a new Ewok Village Playset lol.
02-11-2013
happy

No big vehicle this year? Very Disappointing.

Two of the three vintage packaged ships will be mine; I already have enough X-Wings.

All the other announcements are underwhelming.
02-11-2013
JediTricks

LEGO says "yes" to Pong Krell! Actually, there's not much from Clone Wars they're not saying "yes" to at this point, if you're a fan of TCW then LEGO seems to be a far more rewarding line than Hasbro.

LEGO also backdoored an E-wing into the line. Oh, and there's Max Rebo and his red-ball organ.

Koto is doing an ARTfx+ Grievous, looks quite good, hopefully it'll be as nice as the ARTfx version (which I keep missing out on getting). The big ice cube trays look great, gimme gimme.

DST is doing mints? How did that happen?

Quote:

Originally Posted by El Chuxter

Scoff all you want (and I hope I'm wrong), but the 3.75" Black Series already having a truly crappy-looking Ceremony Luke and yet another Vader makes me a bit concerned that, after peg space is cut to make room for the Saga Legends, they're going to get clogged with pegwarmers a lot more quickly. :(

I hear ya on the wonky Luke Ceremony, and another pass at Evo Vader leaves me cold but it was planned a while back.

Peg space being cut back, not sure that's right, we're losing Movie Zeroes and Clone Trooper Wars so peg space is opening up from those.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigbarada

Those 5-POA Saga Legends figures actually look pretty cool. I might end up buying a few of those. Hopefully we'll see some OT troopers in that style soon.

I didn't really expect to like them at all, but they have sort of a vintage, Kenner charm about them.

I agree with ya on that, they have vintage charm AND pretty decent sculpting for what they are, plus the paint apps look simplified but well thought-out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by El Chuxter

In contrast to the SW stuff, I'm drooling so much over the Transformers and Joes that I've had to drink six gallons of water in the last five minutes to keep from dehydrating.

I hear ya there, although I'm only on TF for now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by El Chuxter

I'm bouncing off the walls over a Bumblebee figure. A freakin' Bumblebee. I NEVER expected that, in a million years, they'd make a figure based off the character as the Autobot Commander in the IDW comics.

Hasbro did say they were going to be working with IDW for the brand's 30th anniversary, I think this could really work out well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. JabbaJohnL

I really have to say - this year's show is very disheartening. Hasbro confirmed to other sites that there will be no more animated Clone Wars figures, ever, and word on the street (though unconfirmed) is that the last waves of The Clone Wars and maybe even the Movie Heroes figures will not be released in the US. Granted, they weren't the most exciting assortments ever, but it's frustrating that these will be unnecessarily difficult to track down. Still, this means no Bo-Katan, no Pre Vizsla mark 2, no Pong Krell, no ARC Trooper Fives, no Rako Hardeen, no bounty hunter Ventress, no spider-Maul, no nothing, and that really just sucks.

I hear ya there, if you liked what was on tap at the end of '12, this Toy Fair is a disaster. I'm feeling mixed about it, it feels like they're trying to protect the overall brand and that means playing a very risky move - Saga Legends - as well as a conservative one - The Black Series 3.75" - and then the ultimate gamble, one that everybody's been talking about for the last decade, a scale change.

Hopefully the unreleased figures you mentioned will get released somehow in the US - exclusive wave, multipack, whatever. Seems like they just held back too much from that sort of stuff last year, fell back to a conservative position of reusing the Clone tooling too hard.

Quote:

Otherwise, there was some cool stuff in there. Bigg's X-wing is a logical choice since the figure is coming and we already have Red Leader and Red Two's ships. The repainted Slave I and TIE Interceptor look good, and it'll be nice to finally have the gunship packed with its turrets (though it will probably be crazy expensive). It's odd that Amazon is getting a few items, and I can foresee that there will be many issues getting these things in mint packaging.

Amazon has come into its own as a genuine retailer thanks to the etailer boom, and Amazon is very good at metrics predicting how much they should charge and order.

Quote:

Those two Vader four-packs are snoozeville, unless maybe you missed out on the TVC Darth Sidious figure (which is inaccurate to the scene).

B-I-N-G-O.

Quote:

The Saga Legends are very odd. We knew there was going to be a low-price, low-articulation line, presumably in the vein of the 2012 battle packs, but they could have at least put them in moderately interesting poses. They could be good for sitting in vehicles, and maybe some good sculpts will work their way into the line. The bubble design with the lava-looking bumps is actually kinda cool - but the bubble probably shouldn't be the most interesting thing about the figure.

Poses suck for low-articulation figures, they turn toys into statues - shelf-queens.

Quote:

Mission Series, as a concept, is pretty cool. The Jango figure looks pretty good for what it is. I'm surprised they're going back to that battle droid sculpt again what with the superior version they just made for the Class I line. The R2/3PO and Rex/droid pairings are odd, especially since some of them are animated style. The Vader with seeker droid set - despite the droid having weirdly large appendages - ain't bad. What's a little sad is that the seeker droid is the absolutely only never-before-made 3 3/4" item in the entire Toy Fair presentation.

That Jango looks really good IMO, but I don't like these sets in general, they're limiting.

Interesting point about the seeker droid being the only new item, that is kinda sad.

Quote:

We didn't really need another version of Anakin and Obi-Wan's ROTS starfighters, but there they are.

Lucky for me, I don't care at all about Class 2 anymore, they've ruined that. Sadly, the format actually looks pretty good for the ROTS Jedi Starfighters, but seriously, who needs these?!? They've spent the last 8 years cramming paint variation after paint variation of these down our necks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Malakite

That is assuming of course the cheaper Star Wars figure line will go to mass retailers. Not to get off topic, but Bandai has been doing this exact same thing for years now with their Power Ranger figures. The main (more expensive) figure line ends up at the the mass retailers you'd expect them to (Walmart, Toys R Us, etc.) while the cheaper figure line ends up at the cheaper value type stores (Big Lots, Dollar General, Family Dollar, etc.). Hasbro could do the same thing with their cheap figure line.

I strongly expect these to be mass-retail and not dollar store. These are the biggest expense Hasbro's done of revamping for Star Wars in quite some time, and they go with the mass-retail vehicles and 2-packs, so I don't think there's a chance at all that this line won't be at Target and TRU and WM. Saga Legends here is the biggest gamble Hasbro's done to get back the kid market since at least the action gimmicks of the Saga AOTC line, if these don't work Hasbro's essentially out of the Star Wars game.

As for what Bandai does, Bandai is such a vastly different business that they shouldn't be used as a benchmark. If nothing else, their overreliance on buck body parts for MMPR is what makes it possible for them to flood multiple markets at once.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RendarStillLives

I know I have said articulation can be over rated but holy crap! The POTF2 figures at least had waist movement.

The 6" figures look great but I don't see a whole lot of people collecting every character all over again in this scale and price range. Cherry picking at best.

Any price point on the Tie Interceptor and Slave-1 yet?

True enough on waist articulation.

I agree on cherry-picking, that's my plan as well, and I'm sure Hasbro is hoping that they'll be able to keep collector interests by making figures we'll all want to cherry-pick.

No word on the Amazon vehicles pricing yet, that I know of.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. JabbaJohnL

At CVI, I asked Derryl about the possibility of dollar store SW figures and he said that wasn't something Lucasfilm wanted to pursue. They also look similar to the already-confirmed Iron Man 3 and Ultimate Spider-Man lines, so they're definitely a mass-market release.

Makes sense, Lucasfilm would see that as a devaluing of their brand.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neuroleptic

Honestly . . . aside for the scout trooper, there are zero figures in the small scale black line I like. And I'm only wanting the scout trooper because the one that came with my speeder bike is defective (Neck ball joint is kinda welded so that it doesn't work properly). But, I think I'm probably about done collecting the smaller scailed figures. Going to sell two shelves worth of stuff and be done. Now the 6 inch figures? Luke, R2, and the storm trooper are all deffinet buys for me the moment I find them regardless of protest from my other half. They're just everything I could ever want in those figures and then some. My only gripe with them, is that on R2 the little ...holo projector light? on the top of his head is at a 90 degree straight up angle. I dont think I've ever seen has bro do it at a different angle or, even better, make it a small ball jointed part. Even still, very very easy buy for me. Way too cool not to. 3PO will be a must have for sure if they release him.

Sucks to hear about your Biker Scout figure being stuck, have you tried soaking it in hot water to see if the joint will move? That was Hasbro's official advice back in Q&A.

I don't understand this thing of selling off your 3.75" figures because your collection is done. Don't you want to enjoy what you feel is a complete collection?

Ugh, now I can't unsee that thing about the top eye on 6" R2.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beast

Agreed. They really do feel like Old School Kenner figures. Which is kinda neat.

They really do have a magical charm about them. I'm shocked how nice they look.

I agree with that sentiment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sebillba

From JTA:

1. I have been pleading with Derryl since 2010 to release the Imperial Scanning Crew member and now he is coming out in an exclusive. This is some of the happiest news of the day for me. Derryl mentioned to me today that he couldn't believe it's been almost half a decade since it was intended to be released. This only leaves the running change Utai to not see release yet. He rolled his eyes at me about that one.

2. The Build A Droid figures from the now cancelled Legacy Collection line are very close to seeing release in an exclusive multipack. Derryl couldn't give speecifics but did comfort me in the fact that Hasbro is "close" to securing a retailer for it. Stay tuned!

So good news about the BAD droids, and I'm happy for those people who wanted the Scanning Crew running change (though I understand there will be two 2-packs, each with a different crew member, half an accessory and a second repack(?) figure)..... but why the negativity towards the Utai?? I was gutted to read that response.

Quote:

Originally Posted by El Chuxter

I didn't read it as negativity, but more a "holy crap, we got one of them out, give me a break and quit yer b****in' about the other for a bit!" An Utai set would be a much tougher sell to a retailer than a Scanning Crew set.

Could be, could very well be. It could also be that it's SUCH a background item that had that one single sneak peek picture not have been released, no fan would have ever actually asked for the piece and Hasbro could have lived their lives without ever thinking of that again. I mean, talk about an attack of the nobodies.

An exclusive BAD pack? I'm in! Amazon or TRU would be best, Target never seems happy with their multipacks these days and WM just sucks in general.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. JabbaJohnL

Were photos not allowed at the presentation? There aren't any on this site and I can't find any others that put them up. The official Hasbro photos are nice and all, but I like to see the actual slides with the information written on them (and the Kmart exclusives aren't shown anywhere else).

I'm not sure, I think Steve said something about them asking for no photos during the slideshow but I could be mistaken. I do know that their policy on giving out the actual slides did change though. And obviously, were photos allowed Steve couldn't have taken them and typed up the Facebook notes at the same time.

Quote:

Originally Posted by indyjones1981

The 3 ships one from each movie Star Wars: X-Wing, ESB: Slave One and ROTJ: TIE Enterceptor what stores will these be exclusive for? They look great. Somewhat suprised that not much from Return of the Jedi given this is the 30th anniversary of the movie. Was hoping the funeral pyre Vader they talked about a few years back would be an exclusive to some retailer. I would buy it. Heck we need a new Ewok Village Playset lol.

X-wing is TRU, TIE Interceptor I think is Target, Slave I is Amazon.com.

I agree with you on the lack of ROTJ product for the 30th anniversary, so weird.

Quote:

Originally Posted by happy

No big vehicle this year? Very Disappointing.

Two of the three vintage packaged ships will be mine; I already have enough X-Wings.

All the other announcements are underwhelming.

Slave I is the big vehicle this year, I guess.

If the price is right on the X-wing, I'll buy it. It looks like the heavily revamped version that was originally released in that Death Star Trench Run Battle Pack with Vader's TIE, which means updated cockpit detailing, all new nose with landing leg and hatch, and the rotate-to-hide firing proton torpedo launcher. If they include alternate Red 5 markings I'll definitely buy it.
02-11-2013
indyjones1981

Quote:

Originally Posted by JediTricks

LEGO says "yes" to Pong Krell! Actually, there's not much from Clone Wars they're not saying "yes" to at this point, if you're a fan of TCW then LEGO seems to be a far more rewarding line than Hasbro.

LEGO also backdoored an E-wing into the line. Oh, and there's Max Rebo and his red-ball organ.

Koto is doing an ARTfx+ Grievous, looks quite good, hopefully it'll be as nice as the ARTfx version (which I keep missing out on getting). The big ice cube trays look great, gimme gimme.

DST is doing mints? How did that happen?

I hear ya on the wonky Luke Ceremony, and another pass at Evo Vader leaves me cold but it was planned a while back.

Peg space being cut back, not sure that's right, we're losing Movie Zeroes and Clone Trooper Wars so peg space is opening up from those.

I agree with ya on that, they have vintage charm AND pretty decent sculpting for what they are, plus the paint apps look simplified but well thought-out.

I hear ya there, although I'm only on TF for now.

Hasbro did say they were going to be working with IDW for the brand's 30th anniversary, I think this could really work out well.

I hear ya there, if you liked what was on tap at the end of '12, this Toy Fair is a disaster. I'm feeling mixed about it, it feels like they're trying to protect the overall brand and that means playing a very risky move - Saga Legends - as well as a conservative one - The Black Series 3.75" - and then the ultimate gamble, one that everybody's been talking about for the last decade, a scale change.

Hopefully the unreleased figures you mentioned will get released somehow in the US - exclusive wave, multipack, whatever. Seems like they just held back too much from that sort of stuff last year, fell back to a conservative position of reusing the Clone tooling too hard.

Amazon has come into its own as a genuine retailer thanks to the etailer boom, and Amazon is very good at metrics predicting how much they should charge and order.

B-I-N-G-O.

Poses suck for low-articulation figures, they turn toys into statues - shelf-queens.

That Jango looks really good IMO, but I don't like these sets in general, they're limiting.

Interesting point about the seeker droid being the only new item, that is kinda sad.

Lucky for me, I don't care at all about Class 2 anymore, they've ruined that. Sadly, the format actually looks pretty good for the ROTS Jedi Starfighters, but seriously, who needs these?!? They've spent the last 8 years cramming paint variation after paint variation of these down our necks.

I strongly expect these to be mass-retail and not dollar store. These are the biggest expense Hasbro's done of revamping for Star Wars in quite some time, and they go with the mass-retail vehicles and 2-packs, so I don't think there's a chance at all that this line won't be at Target and TRU and WM. Saga Legends here is the biggest gamble Hasbro's done to get back the kid market since at least the action gimmicks of the Saga AOTC line, if these don't work Hasbro's essentially out of the Star Wars game.

As for what Bandai does, Bandai is such a vastly different business that they shouldn't be used as a benchmark. If nothing else, their overreliance on buck body parts for MMPR is what makes it possible for them to flood multiple markets at once.

True enough on waist articulation.

I agree on cherry-picking, that's my plan as well, and I'm sure Hasbro is hoping that they'll be able to keep collector interests by making figures we'll all want to cherry-pick.

No word on the Amazon vehicles pricing yet, that I know of.

Makes sense, Lucasfilm would see that as a devaluing of their brand.

Sucks to hear about your Biker Scout figure being stuck, have you tried soaking it in hot water to see if the joint will move? That was Hasbro's official advice back in Q&A.

I don't understand this thing of selling off your 3.75" figures because your collection is done. Don't you want to enjoy what you feel is a complete collection?

Ugh, now I can't unsee that thing about the top eye on 6" R2.

I agree with that sentiment.

Could be, could very well be. It could also be that it's SUCH a background item that had that one single sneak peek picture not have been released, no fan would have ever actually asked for the piece and Hasbro could have lived their lives without ever thinking of that again. I mean, talk about an attack of the nobodies.

An exclusive BAD pack? I'm in! Amazon or TRU would be best, Target never seems happy with their multipacks these days and WM just sucks in general.

I'm not sure, I think Steve said something about them asking for no photos during the slideshow but I could be mistaken. I do know that their policy on giving out the actual slides did change though. And obviously, were photos allowed Steve couldn't have taken them and typed up the Facebook notes at the same time.

X-wing is TRU, TIE Interceptor I think is Target, Slave I is Amazon.com.

I agree with you on the lack of ROTJ product for the 30th anniversary, so weird.

Slave I is the big vehicle this year, I guess.

If the price is right on the X-wing, I'll buy it. It looks like the heavily revamped version that was originally released in that Death Star Trench Run Battle Pack with Vader's TIE, which means updated cockpit detailing, all new nose with landing leg and hatch, and the rotate-to-hide firing proton torpedo launcher. If they include alternate Red 5 markings I'll definitely buy it.

No news on the Toy R US Endor AT-AT suprised on that. With it being Jedi 30th anniversary make sense to release it this year since it was delayed from October 2012. Any update anyone?

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