What vehicles do you actually still want?

[Mr. JabbaJohnL]

In the AT-TE thread, someone said that if it didn't sell well, then Hasbro would be less likely to produce more vehicles that are larger than the mid-size vehicle pricepoint. That got me thinking - after the AT-TE, which huge vehicles do you really truly want ("huge" as in an all-new mold that can't fit in the $20 box). In the same vein, we might as well say which mid-size ($20) and small ($15 or less) vehicles we still want.

These are the ones that come to mind for me:

Large
*Gungan Bongo - this could feasibly be done in the $20 pricepoint, but I would rather see a larger one for $30 or even $45. The main body could more or less be the same size as the ROTS Jedi Starfighters (with all the "holes" filled in). Being able to seat three figures would be a must.
*Turbo Tank - since it's in the film but not prominent in very many scenes, I think they could feasibly make one the same height and width as the Sandcrawler from 2004 but quite a bit longer. I would like to see a bigger one but I doubt it would happen. However, it could just mostly be empty space for clones, so that could be a cost-cutting measure.
*Tantive IV - perhaps this would work better as a playset, or even just a small piece of hallway. I still want to see it made, though.
*Star Destroyer - around the same size of the Queen's starship. While out of scale, it would still be ginormous, and better than nothing.
*Jabba's Sail Barge - they might be able to get away with making Jabba's court room the only part inside, and have it be out of scale a little bit. Eight inches high for the main brown part would look alright, I think.

Medium and small to come later.

[Sinscia Fat'o]

Star Destroyer...which would be more of a playset than a vechile.

Tantive Four...See Star Destroyer

Yt-2400, the outrider...a little more to scale the falcon since the scales of these two ships aren't too off from the other.

Jabbas Sail Barge, might be over kill but would be a cool. hate to see the price tag though.

A new Speeder Bike..with not so janky pilot.

I'd like to see Punishing one 1G-2000, and the hounds tooth as well. The bounty hunters need their rides.

Count Dokuu's ship from Episode two

A Y-Tie Ugly...A funny ship from the rpg, front end of a Y-Wing, with tie fighter wings.

[stillakid]

I'd still like to have a Ferrari.


In the meantime, I'll repost an earlier request of mine for a better Star Destroyer and Death Star:

I'll still campaign for my all-in-one Death Star playset.

Roughly, the same height as the vintage Death Star playset. When closed up, it's a globe with detailing that makes it a fine display Death Star like has never before been created. It opens into 4 wedges, each with interconnected play areas.

With a playset this size, all of the attributes of the ANH battlestation as well as the ROTJ additions could easily be included adding tremendous value, both for play and economy.

It would be slightly more expensive than than the typical cardboard cutout playsets that we've been offered, but the cache and originality of it would attract young and old alike.

While the above ideas of having Hasbro release separate interlocking pieces isn't a bad idea, I don't think that they would be nearly as marketable as one giant kick-*** looking Death Star sitting on a toy shelf. If you build it, they will come.



For clarification, this is a whole globe with a slightly flattened bottom. Imagine taking the vintage Death Star playset and adding a curved "shell" to it. That would be one of the wedges.

I think that it would work out best to have one half be one of the pieces then split the other half into two wedges. The side that is an entire half could have longer areas in it, like hallways with blastdoors or even a hangar bay. The wedges could have the Emperor's chamber at the top and the trash compactor at the bottom. Suffice it to say that there is a lot of room to integrate many of the favorite Death Star attributes. The vintage playset had a 21" tall elevator which could be used as a central "core" to connect the pieces together. The entire playset would likely top out around 2' tall (and around) once you put the curved shell on it.

They charge whatever they want to...whatever they think they can get. A 3" action figure doesn't cost anywhere near $7 bucks to design, manufacture, and distribute when they make a lot of them. They charge that money because they know they can get it. Look at the price drops in the Queen's ship, the 12" Dewback, the 12" "pegwarmers", pegwarmer's in general. Somebody is still making a little profit at those enormous price cuts. That's why they stop dropping the price tag at a certain point, otherwise they'd just give them away for free. So this playset might have a real cost of $50 to $75 to produce and distribute, which they would inflate to around $150 retail. That is a lot of money, but people are generally willing to accept the cost if they perceive the value in the product. I of course guessed at those costs, but I averaged out what I think is the real cost (lower) and what I think they'd ask for (higher). My honest opinion is that it would cost less per unit to make and distribute and a fair retail price would be around $100. I factored in the greed-profit motive.

I'd buy it and I believe that a lot of other people would too. The Queen's ship sat on clearance shelves (I believe) due to a poor lead-in (TPM wasn't as good as the classic trilogy). A really cool looking classic trilogy toy will get the parent's attention (late 20's to late 30's) (nearly everybody liked the classic trilogy) and no kid could resist a toy that huge. It would sell out. Almost guaranteed.

Just like an actual movie set, so much more could be done with independent playsets as some people have suggested, so naturally there would some compromise within each "scene" for an all-in-one playset idea.

I haven't drawn plans up yet (but maybe soon!), but I'll try to give some written clues as to this hypothetical dream.

Docking Bay 327 (the big problem): This would be located on the lower portion of the complete "half." Like so many playsets before this, sadly because of size restrictions, the Falcon would have to be represented by a photo backdrop, but there really is no way to squeeze the Falcon Toy or the Shuttle Tyderium (sp?) into a hangar-type playset that isn't absolutely gargantuan. The good news is that the "room" could have blast doors off to one side for recreation of the duel. If Hasbro went all out, they could include a floor panel that slid out from the "half" to give more floor space to line up Stormtroopers on.

DB327 control room (the red room): Right above the Hangar space, in the mid-section of the "half."

The Elevator Bank: The central core of the entire playset, constructed in the same way as the vintage model. It integrates the elevator action as well as the tractor beam control walkway.

The Outer Detention area: Just above the Garbage Compactor.

The Detention Block hallway: In the next wedge over and on the same level as the Outer Detention Area.

Garbage Chute: In the wedge opposite and just above the one with the Compactor as part of the Outer Detention Area.

The Tractor Beam Controls: As above, integrated into the central elevator column.

The Rope Swing: An arbitrary placement of an extended bridge from one wedge to another or to the central column, ala vintage version.

The Vader/Ben Duel: Lower level of the "half," off to the side of the hangar bay area.

The Blast Doors: Integrated into hangar Bay.

Plus various hallways that Ben sneaks through or Han howls through: N/A

Add to that the Throne room, which from the post above is a giant playset unto itself: The entire upper level of all three pieces (one half, two wedges)

And finally, the nature of the design excludes 50% of the play space because it has to represent the "Outside" of the Death Star: Some of the "rooms" would need straight walls, so indeed some of that trapped curved space would be lost to outright play, however it could be utilized as storage and/or use breakaway panels for guntowers to pop out of or something.

I've been playing around with the vintage Death Star and trying to "connect" the playset pieces that we got a couple years ago with some success. It takes a little reconfiguration and some extra supports but I've managed to rig up the Detention Hallway so that the heroes can really fall into the bright orange compactor. The Rope Swing is a little tougher to integrate into the old design, but it can go just about anywhere so long as it gets supported so that it is on "level 2." I'm still trying to figure out the best way to remove the gun emplacement on the top level and replace it with the Emperor's throne. Doing all that stuff got me thinking about a well-designed playset like the one I'm suggesting. I think that it is possible and for a reasonable cost. But with the way Hasbro feels about releasing the Shuttle, I don't foresee any realistic hope of it ever happening from them. Looks like a custom job!



Quote:
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Originally posted by Rollo Tomassi

I was thinking instead of a "slide out" docking bay floor, how about a "panel" that separates the two wedge quarters from the wedge half. When you open up the DS, the panel folds down to reveal a docking bay floor. Hinged on the edge of this is a "hangar bay entrance" that folds up and locks in between the two quarters. Two feet x Two feet might almost be big enough for a shuttle or a Falcon to stand in. just an idea.

It's lookin' good, though. I can sort of see it in my mind.
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Quote:
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Originally posted by stillakid

That's a good idea! There's probably a way to work in a fluorescent "magnetic hangar bay" frame as well to complete the look.
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STAR DESTROYER!
Based on the idea for the Death Star playset, a redesigned Star Destroyer is a must. It could easily be the size of the Queen's ship and look pretty authentic on the outside...

...and when you remove the exterior panels, you've got maximum playability inside. With a slightly shorter profile than the vintage edition, Vader's meditation chamber could easily be fit in near the back where the tower is. Add in a main bridge area and we're good to go.

The underside "docking area" obviously wouldn't be big enough to fit a 3 3/4" scale vehicle, but then again there aren't any! Instead, Micromachines could slide in to fulfill the need for flight play.

The engines could house blue lights.

There could be a hatch coming from the tower which "releases" garbage and is big enough for the Micromachines Slave I.

Skip the ridiculous big dart firing guns and integrate that technology into the front end or sides of the ship if necessary.

Reactor balls on the towers could be "explodable" to recreate ROTJ fun!

Who wouldn't buy this ship? The only reason I can imagine being hit with is that the Queen's ship didn't sell that well. First off, the movie wasn't as well received as the original trilogy so that might have something to do with it. Secondly, practically everybody alive (allow slight exaggeration) knows what a Star Destroyer is. Reluctant parents on the Queen's ship would probably cave in to Jr's wishes on this one.



My overall mission would be to bring a re-creation of the exteriors of these ships and playsets to the play portion of the set itself. If you remember the vintage Death Star and vintage Star Destroyer, both were short on the aesthetics dept. They just didn't look like the things from the movies. I truly believe that the more a toy looks recognizable from the outside, the more likely consumers will buy it, no matter what the cost, especially if it is from the original trilogy, which everyone loved. (Not the prequels, which many people didn't.)

[El Chuxter]

I think I'm burned out enough that they would have to pack in a Yarna figure to get me to buy any vehicle at this point.

[stillakid]

I think I'm burned out enough that they would have to pack in a Yarna figure to get me to buy any vehicle at this point.

The Yarnamobile!!!! 9 cylinders of whoopa**.

[Phantom-like Menace]

That's an interesting question. There really aren't too many more from the movies.

Movies:
YT-2400 Seen taking off from Mos Eisley, in the same scale as the Falcon.
Infiltrator Because that piece of crap is not even close.
Sail Barge The only reason I'd ever buy a Yarna. Ever!
Turbo Tank My clone would be riding in style.
Padme's Star Yacht All those buttons and every feature is activated by pushing one button

Expanded Universe:
TX-130 Saber Tank Would possibly become my favorite toy
TIE Defender Absolutely awesome TIE variant.
Lady Luck Could be cool, though I wouldn't dream of holding my breath.
Skipray Blastboat Could also be cool.

I wouldn't want to see any of the above at a measly twenty dollar pricepoint.

We also don't know what vehicles we may want from the upcoming TV shows.

The Yarnamobile!!!! 9 cylinders of whoopa**.

Why nine? I figure six.

[Old Fossil]

Mainly I just want reissues of the TRU exclusive Landspeeder, the B-Wing Starfighter, the Target exclusive OTC Slave I, and the Desert Sport Skiff. These are vehicles I missed out on, and I don't wish to pay secondary market prices for them.

There are NO Prequel-era ships I'd care to see, unless it were Dooku's Solar Sailer. The aesthetics of most Prequel vehicles don't excite me at all anymore, if they ever did.

[Umbra]

I've yet to actually be able to get the Republic Gunship x_x

Dooku's solar sailor could be cool if done right

EU wise: Tie Defender, Chiss Claw Craft could be cool to see, but i doubt we;ll see them

[jedi master sal]

AT-TE first and foremost of course.
Turbo Tank. I keep saying this could be done as a rolling toy chest so they could get a relatively large size out of this, it would be mostly hollow, it would roll and we'd finally get it, and since it's mostly hollow it shouldn't cost much. Have this be somethign we have to build so that it's in a smaller box so as to not take up as much shelf space as it would were it preassembled.
TX-130 Tank! Hell's yeah, this is an excellent vehicle. It only suffers from it's obscurity. Otherwise it TOTALLY fits in with the vehicle line. (though this could be a mid range vehicle)
Gungan Bongo, done right so that Qui, Obi and Jar Jar can all fit in the center cockpit.
Jabba's Sailbarge. Another that if not a toy would do well as a rolling toy chest. Again accounting for the large size of it.

Mid-range:
Homing Spider Droid-has four legs that are all the same, and two sphere very near the same that just a few greeblies could differentiate the two halves. this should be a no brainer as it would be easy to manufacture since it would use so FEW molds to create it! Plus it would fit in a small box so it wouldn't take up much shelf space.
Twin-Pod cloud car!!! Why in the modern age when all of the rest of the OT ship have been remade to some point or another do we still not have a TPCC? Okay so a new mold has to be made. So what! MAKE IT! You made the pilot...it needs something to fly!

Small:
Rickshaw w/droid

I'm sure there is more, but this is what I can think of of the top of my head.

-Sal

[Jargo]

airspeeders (coruscant).
landspeeders & swoops (tatooine).
brand new Imperial speeder bike.
2 man AT-ST.
Redesigned T-16 Skyhopper without the stupid smaller craft pull out feature that ruins the wings. side opening hatch. landing gear.
Outrider scaled up to falcon proportions.
larger better detailed millenium falcon.
Neimoidian shuttle.
Palpatine's ROTS shuttle.
Imperial landing craft.