Should Hasbro make more Podracer Vehicles?

[Tycho]

Well, they ARE doing a lot of the E2 vehicles:

Next year we have: Hailfire Droid, Geonosian Fighter, small spider droid.

All we need is the large spider droid, and the AT-TE (certainly not something in the podracer's price range!)

We already have the air speeders, Slave-One, the Jedi Starfighter, and the Republic Gunship.

The N-1 is rumored to be re-released in saga packaging.

That leaves the Naboo Senator's ship (the flying wing that blew up) and the Republic Cruiser (the proto-star destroyer) which both might be too big to make into toys - and the Senator's ship might be deemed too insignificant, or too Expanded Universe, since we really didn't see the inside and only assume it looks like the Royal Starship on the inside. (That being said, I'd buy it - but some of you would object that it's all speculation, save for the exterior).

Assorted speeders from the Lars' garage might be nice low-price point vehicles.

Maybe we could get the Techno Union's rocket ships (they looked like towers and Anakin ordered one shot in the fuel tanks and it fell over on some spider droids).


Of the large walking laser cannons, the P-HAT's or whatever, are also kind of ridiculously large. I doubt it will happen. Maybe with non-poseable legs??? Should I add it to the list?
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Meanwhile, from Episode 1, I would like to see the Bongo Submarine and the Sith Infiltrator. The pod racers are obvious. An MTT droid carrier wouldn't be too big, and the tank is rumored for re-release. The Trade Federation carrier ships are way too large, and only a Senate speaker's car would round out the rest of the vehicles (minus the smaller droid carrier car).

Assorted speeders from Mos Espa might be cool for low-price point vehicles.

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From ANH, if we get the Sandcrawler, an escape pod, and Uncle Owen's Landspeeder, and maybe the Rebel Hanger pilots' transport, we're set. I think Star Destroyers and the blockade runner on any practical scale are over the top. I built a blockade runner for my figures, (click on the headings on the left margin to see more pictures) and this is the SMALLEST the ship could possibly be to re-create all the movie scenes within it. My ship holds 40. The actual thing to scale with our figures would hold 400 on 4 decks with turbolifts to each of them - and 16 or more escape pods versus my 1 (launches from under the radar dish). Well the ship cost me $700 to build and cutting costs from continuing returns from mass production, Hasbro said the ship would retail at at around a $250 price point - plus it's 5 feet long and difficult to make room to display it (think of your home and where you'd put it).

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From Empire, he have the Rebel Transport (any interior is also expanded universe), the Cloud Car (let's get this one out there, Hasbro!), that's pretty much it. The TIE Bomber was the greatest we could hope for!

I'd like the bounty hunter vehicles. These are all EU, but Bossk's Hound's Tooth, Dengar's Punishing One, Zuckuss and 4-Lom's Myst Hunter, and IG-88's IG-2000 would all be seriously cool. They are shown in video games and the SOTE comic books. Bossk's ship would be a little big, but I'd want it even if they made it smaller than scale (as long as he could hold prisoners and access the ship from his cockpit or have the Pup vehicle detach for recon missions. The IG-2000 is just an awesome vehicle and could be made for a low price point!

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From ROTJ, we need Jabba's Sailbarge. I can see why it could cost up to $100 - it would be larger than our Republic Gunships, so the $40 price point is not going to work here (I'm still amazed we got the gunship at such a cool price!)

They need to keep producing the shuttle, and lower the price point, though I coughed up my $$ for FAO a while ago and expect to get my shuttle in the next 2 weeks.

The skiff could see re-release. Maybe with a new Weequay or something...

The A-wing is being re-released. Mon Calamari cruisers and the Executer are just too big. If they made a Mon Cal ship, I'd want the Falcon to be able to dock in it, for one. Plus most of the interior would be EU, yet that conference room would have to be awfully big on its own, not to mention Ackbar's bridge.
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To recap:

Large Spider Droid*
AT-TE*
Techno Union Ship
Asst. Lars' speeders
P-HATs or whatever
Senator's flying wing

Bongo Sub*
Sith Infiltrator*
MTT*
small droid carrier
Senate speaker's car
asst. Mos Espa Speeders
2 or more Pod Racers*

Sandcrawler*
Escape Pod*
Lars' Landspeeder
Rebel Hanger Pilots' transport
Blockade Runner????

Rebel Transport*
Cloud Car*
Hound's Tooth??
IG-2000??
Punishing One??
Myst Hunter??

Sailbarge

And aside from things like the Coruscant Taxi, that's it - and we're dipping into EU to get cool ideas. For that matter, Xizor's Virago and Guri's Stinger should have been mentioned.


I put stars by the most feasible ones (because Hasbro has molds from old Kenner toys, or because they are combat vehicles).

I see a Senator's Speaker's car as being an easy light vehicle to produce, and Owen Lars' landspeeder from ANH another cool looking one, but I don't see them as being fun for kids and fitting Hasbro's mass market approach.

Kids playing with Senator speaker cars?

How come we don't have a Trent Lott action figure today? We could also get Gore and Bush figures so we can re-live the recount action just as you saw it on C-SPAN! Senate cars from Star Wars fit into the same "action category" as far as Hasbro thinks of them.

[Fraggle]

That's quite a list there. I think my vote for the vehicle from all 5 flicks still goes to the sail barge. Hasbro prolly would never be able to make it perfect but maybe they could get something decent. ... hopefully with room for at least the stupid " Jabba Glob " figure. I'd say they could even throw in a sarlac playset of some sort with it but they'd most likely base it off the Special Edition sarlacc and I really don't like that version. ... it kinda sucked out the suspense of that scene.

Fraggle

[RobertDD]

I really hope that they will make all the podracers in the action fleet scale. That way they are affordable enough to all buy them and small enough to all display them, while still large enough to show off all the detail. I really am not interested in the larger size.

[Fraggle]

Originally posted by RobertDD
I really hope that they will make all the podracers in the action fleet scale. That way they are affordable enough to all buy them and small enough to all display them, while still large enough to show off all the detail. I really am not interested in the larger size.

YES! Especially those 2 that never made production. Boles Roor's pod is one of my favorites. <:-)

Fraggle

I VOTED FOR RABE!

[jedikiss]

I voted yes as long as the pod's come with maybe 2 pilots and a promo-mail away offers for additional pilot figs that way, these figs won't take up shelf space . Also (and more ideal) if the vehicles were "kits" to build custom racers (remenisent of the vintage droid factory)for ANY Pod pilot figs WHICH FIT in to the various cockpits assemplies- perhaps 2 kits with interchangable parts. that would be the coolest way to go. still want to see the sith infiltrator (need no maul w/ it though- soft good maul w/ sith access set robe wouild be ideal) BTW, that robe looks great on anakin tatooine attack

[Tycho]

A 3 3/4" Pod Racer construction kit???

Woah! That's a great idea! People that want all the pods will buy multiples, and Hasbro would be able to sell a lot that way - as well as to the novelty toy buyer. A racer pilot 4-pack with it would be cool. Maybe they could do 8 racers, and have 2 versions of the racer builder kit!

They market that stuff for toy cars and toy bmx and motorcross bikes. Why not?

That is the most awesome idea I've heard in a long time.JEDIKISS is a Genius!!!

[Jargo]

As much as i like them I bought the first two and have nowhere to put them because of the awkwardness of the shapes and the size of them. Pilots would be cool though, make all the pilots so i can add them to my Tatooine casino set up. Ben Quad is in the fan's choice poll and doing badly against an old man but released in a two pack with someone like Mars Guo I'd definately pick him up. Mawhonic and Ratts Tyerell too. Ark Roose and Neva Kee, Dud bolt and Aldar Beedo etc. Two packs of little characters get my vote anytime. But a definate no to more dust gathering pods.

Oh and a second vote for a re-release of the pod refuel station accessories set. Shove a figure in with it this time round, perhaps Sebulba's Nikto pod mechanic.

[Beast]

Agreed with Jargo. I really have no place to put more Pod Race vehicles. Now I'm intrested in all of the pilots being made though. Would be nice if Hasbro did maybe 2 a year. They could be done in 2-packs. A larger figure packed with one of the short stacks. Infact I think I posted that a while back in "Dear Hasbro", maybe I should bump it again.

MTFBWY and HH!!

Jar Jar Binks

[Tycho]

Well, I think the merit in JediKiss' idea also included the fact that you just keep the pod parts in the construction kit tool case and take them out when you want to make a pod.

For fellas like you guys, you can keep the tool box under your bed - or not buy it at all if you don't want it. But it will hold all the engine parts you need to make the authentic pod racers.

For guys like me - it will help Hasbro's sales because I'd likely buy 4 or more of the darn kits so I don't have to take apart anything I make to use the same parts in some other racer.

[Jargo]

Bearing in mind that hasbro is a toy company and also bearing in mind the ages they make the toys for and also bearing in mind the toy safety standards the apparently adhere to when designing the toys, pods in pieces would be a bad idea. Getting the heavy pieces to link together poses a safety issue if the parts are to stay locked together and not drop off onto small heads and feet etc. If the make the locking mechanism secure it means design compromise and that means loss of detail in pods, detail shoved aside for the sake of safety regs. End result is unsatisfying product that doesn't resemble the movie props, collectors unhappy that the vehicles are too small and don't fit figures, that the struts to connect the cockpits with the engines won't all work with each other because of odd shapes and sizes.
In theory it sounds like an excellent idea to have modular pods but in practise it makes for a lousy toy and a lousy disappointment once you take into account all the factors that Hasbro has to contend with. If it was possible and viable then Hasbro would have milked the pods for all they were worth back when EP1 first hit the screens. The fact that they didn't might have some basis in the reasons I outlined above concerning the difficulties producing such a product.

The only way round the design problem i can see is to have a clear plastic base that the pieces lock into and flexible cables to attach the cockpits to engines. The clear base also serves as a hand grip for 'flying' the pods around with. However, this would make the sets ugly and cumbersome if there was a 'one size fits all' approach to the base. Again something hasbro possibly considered and threw out as a crappy idea. So i don't see a pod parts bucket appearing anytime soon but i can see more pilots turning up since for one they probably already have designse drawn for them all and secondly they would be a heck of a lot cheaper to produce and market.