Do you collect the Titanium Series line?

[JediTricks]

Like you said, I have these ships. I don't have anything like Grievous' ship or Padme's star yacht.

You don't have the TIE Fighter, you have some creepy chibi TIE jr.

As much as I want them to make in figure-scale Grievous' Starfighter (the one Obi-Wan used to leave Utapau), why would they? These and ships like the Sith Infiltrator didn't DO anything in the movies, they have collector appeal but do they have kid appeal? Hasbro definitely doesn't think so. That's what makes Titanium Series so great, they're able to make these ships, make 'em far more accurate than some misshapen figure-scale version, and sell 'em for $5. You're likely never gonna get a figure-scale Star Destroyer or Naboo Royal Cruiser worth a darn.

I don't know that the vehicles performed poorly or sold well, for that matter. I bought them though, including 6 or more of the original TIE Fighters, and maybe 4 or more X-wings, 3 Falcons, 4 AT-STs, etc. Sure I'm not everybody, but I bet I'm not the only one who was thankful they could buy these again (like they did in the '80's).

Every single one you mentioned BOMBED, TRU ended up selling them for next to nothing and STILL had oodles of 'em for a while. And what's funny is the only '96 ship you didn't mention - SOTE Slave I - actually did sell ok for most of its run, though nothing spectacular. Whether or not some collectors were thankful they could buy them again, the majority of the SW market at that time didn't show interest and those failures paved the way for the minimalistic approach Hasbro has taken to vehicles today.

The difference in sales is likely extraordinary when you throw in a pilot/driver for the ship.

Up until '99, that's true, but once people started realizing how poor the pack-ins were (I'm looking at you, B-wing with repainted Ten Numb and Y-wing with generic-man ), that tended to change a little I think, not entirely though. Plus, after a certain price it totally changes even when there is a pack-in figure, like with the AT-AT and the Royal Starship, both of which were eventually sold for $10 a piece at the TRU mega-clearance with lots to go around.

For that matter, the Titanium speeder bike (this is what this poll is talking about right?) is cool because it has the pilot right on it. This line would be boosted in my mind if we got titanium pilot/driver figures witheach ship even if they were way out of scale with the ship... figures the size of the biker scout (on the Titanium bike) would be an awesome bonus and would make a cool little display. These figures would be like those from the original micro playsets from the 80's.

That's part of what made Action Fleet so dang great. Galoob tried the "vehicles sold with MM minifigs" thing in the Ep 1 Micro Machines line, but that didn't go over so well.

I don't see how it can be such a bad market out there that we can't have one new vehicle in a non movie year for the top selling toy line of the year before.

Target and TRU still haven't gotten rid of all the Obi-Wan Jedi Starfighters and Droid Tri-Fighters from the ROTS line, and Hasbro is planning to send *more* in the TSC packaging.

If they try and push another Jedi Starfighter repaint on me before giving me a V-wing they are going to get a Red Foreman foot in the @$$.

Are you counting *after* the purple Mace Windu Ep 3 JSF that we saw at Toy Fair?

Bottom line, Hasbro sucks with figure-scale vehicles, and the further we get from the movies the worse that will be. Luckily for some of us, the Titanium line is filling the void.

[dindae]

Target and TRU still haven't gotten rid of all the Obi-Wan Jedi Starfighters and Droid Tri-Fighters from the ROTS line, and Hasbro is planning to send *more* in the TSC packaging.

I have to think they have done moderately well or Hasbro wouldn't be able to sell them again. Around here they are gone from most of the stores. TRU I could see being that unaware of thier stock but Target is usually on top of it.

Are you counting *after* the purple Mace Windu Ep 3 JSF that we saw at Toy Fair?

Depends on if I here anything redeeming for 2007.

Bottom line, Hasbro sucks with figure-scale vehicles, and the further we get from the movies the worse that will be. Luckily for some of us, the Titanium line is filling the void.

I'm just saying I would like something new. We have 7 last year and now nothing new. I just don't understand.

[JediTricks]

I'm just saying I would like something new.

Yeah, I'd like something new too, but I know they're not gonna, so there's no way I'm going to hold off buying Titaniums in the hope that they'll get some vague message on figure-scale vehicles.

We have 7 last year and now nothing new. I just don't understand.

It's pretty simple really: last year - movie year; this year - no movie. What new vehicles did we get in '03 and '04 that weren't rehashes of previous modern vehicles? The Sandcrawler, a Diamond exclusive, and it TANKED (due in large part to Diamond's total rip-off pricing).

I have to think they have done moderately well or Hasbro wouldn't be able to sell them again. Around here they are gone from most of the stores. TRU I could see being that unaware of thier stock but Target is usually on top of it.

My local TRUs have a bunch of those vehicles on the shelves taking up valuable shelf space, and then a case or 2 more up above on top of the shelves, and probably MORE cases in the back. My local Targets don't have cases in the back but always have those vehicles collecting dust on the bottom shelves. And the only reason WM isn't mentioned here is because they ordered less vehicles supposedly. They're not utter failures the way the '96 line's vehicles were, clogging shelf after shelf, having customers literally kick AT-STs out of the way to get across aisles, but they're not doing well enough for Hasbro to justify new vehicles either - hence the lack of new vehicles this year.

[timmae]

all i want is figures. why is it so tough to get a figure. i have a slave 1 limited to trade in the trading section. i saw a whole encap at walmart yesterday of those stupid motorcycles. how about shipping 2 cases of figures? it don't make sense to me. can't get them on line, can't find them in the store, then they flood the market with stupid stuff.

[Kidhuman]

I found the figures tonight, add them to my collection.

[dindae]

Yeah, I'd like something new too, but I know they're not gonna, so there's no way I'm going to hold off buying Titaniums in the hope that they'll get some vague message on figure-scale vehicles.

Don't recall suggesting holding off just agreeing with Tycho that we need more vehicles.

It's pretty simple really: last year - movie year; this year - no movie. What new vehicles did we get in '03 and '04 that weren't rehashes of previous modern vehicles? The Sandcrawler, a Diamond exclusive, and it TANKED (due in large part to Diamond's total rip-off pricing).

I agree the sandcrawler tanked but I believe that was mainly because it failed to be appealing on almost every level. The scale was horrible, its a boring vehicle, and it was incredibly over priced. However if you look at 2000-2002 POTJ era you have TIE Bomber, TIE Interceptor, and B-Wing all sold well. It can be done. The fact the January came around did not make anyone stop collecting.

My local TRUs have a bunch of those vehicles on the shelves taking up valuable shelf space, and then a case or 2 more up above on top of the shelves, and probably MORE cases in the back. My local Targets don't have cases in the back but always have those vehicles collecting dust on the bottom shelves. And the only reason WM isn't mentioned here is because they ordered less vehicles supposedly. They're not utter failures the way the '96 line's vehicles were, clogging shelf after shelf, having customers literally kick AT-STs out of the way to get across aisles, but they're not doing well enough for Hasbro to justify new vehicles either - hence the lack of new vehicles this year.

So if the stores are clogged with these vehicles (jedi sf, tri fighter) you are suggesting Hasbro and the retailers decide that instead of coming up with something new they are going to repack the same stuff on the shelves and put it out there to sell even worse than it is now.

[realst8guy72]

its all crap 2 me.......ALL OF IT !! my entire collection is up for grabs!!!! im getting out of this redicullous collection. how many times are they gonna re-issue the same crap over & over & over & over & over & over & over again???? everything from POTF2 to current!!!! email me at vgssgns@cox.net

[Tycho]

its all crap 2 me.......ALL OF IT !! my entire collection is up for grabs!!!! im getting out of this redicullous collection. how many times are they gonna re-issue the same crap over & over & over & over & over & over & over again???? everything from POTF2 to current!!!! email me at vgssgns@cox.net

Unless you were in it trying to make some money, which you won't, you should not sell all your old stuff because you don't like the new stuff. You'll probably regret it. (Or at least cherry-pick some things you'd like to keep).

I don't buy much now, but it doesn't keep me from enjoying what I already have.

Now display space / storage space concerns are a different animal. That can get annoying, but there are creative solutions to those issues - and again, you can cherry-pick what you'll keep there as well.

[realst8guy72]

its all crap 2 me!!!!

[skeeziks22]

all i want is figures. why is it so tough to get a figure. i have a slave 1 limited to trade in the trading section. i saw a whole encap at walmart yesterday of those stupid motorcycles. how about shipping 2 cases of figures? it don't make sense to me. can't get them on line, can't find them in the store, then they flood the market with stupid stuff.

This is where I sit as well. I get tired of finding absolutely NO figures on the pegs and then seeing endcaps and center aisle displays of the Star Wars bikes which have not sold well in the regular toy section. Let's stock the toys that got most of us into this collection habit to begin with. There is a reason these are called "basic" figures...

I agree the sandcrawler tanked but I believe that was mainly because it failed to be appealing on almost every level. The scale was horrible, its a boring vehicle, and it was incredibly over priced. However if you look at 2000-2002 POTJ era you have TIE Bomber, TIE Interceptor, and B-Wing all sold well. It can be done. The fact the January came around did not make anyone stop collecting.

The appeal of this vehicle was that it was one of the few remaining classic vehicles to be redone. Sure, a new tooling and size would have been great, but that was never going to happen with the sandcrawler. It also was a toy that many people never got when they were younger because of the price. Remote control was not cheap then. I was dissapointed that they did this, and the shuttle Tyderium as exclusives to retailers that jack up the price so high. In my opinion, two cool toys were ruined by the price point.

They're not utter failures the way the '96 line's vehicles were, clogging shelf after shelf, having customers literally kick AT-STs out of the way to get across aisles, but they're not doing well enough for Hasbro to justify new vehicles either - hence the lack of new vehicles this year.

But then Hasbro comes back with the AT-ST as an exclusive with a pack in speeder bike and ewok in wondow box packaging. I don't know about your stores, but these did not stick around long at our store. Hasbro has found good ways to sell their ships and I think a lot of it is in the packaging. ALL of the ROTS ships (and most AOTC) ships were packed in non-window boxes. The window boxes appeal to kids because they can see the toy they are getting... and when there is a figure they can see (instead of saying this guy is in the box) they will want it that much more. For collectors it works because we don't have to pull the ship out of the box to display it. I still see wheel bikes on the shelves, but I guarantee if it was in a window box, with Greivous in the seat it would sell in no time.

The packaging is a big bonus with the titanium ships... you can see the ships and don't have to open them to enjoy them.