Your Future Collection

[Obsession is Nute]

I still say that Hasbro could've done better with the EU if they'd listened more to fans instead of making what they personally wanted, and avoided multipacks altogether, particularly those that make you buy a re-release, resculpt, or boring figure.

I mean, really, people clamor for Jedi Knight Corran Horn, so they slap a new head on X-Wing Luke Skywalker and call it Pilot Corran Horn, then sell it for $18 as a HTF exclusive with a part for an unrelated Darktrooper, while releasing their entire design team as Mandaloreans and that "Crimson Empire Power Rangers Crossover Spectacular" set, and they wonder why people don't line up for them.

I think part of the problem is that EU preferences are even more diverse than the films. EU is such a niche market to begin with as one obviously needs to have read the source material to have an interest in the toys.

Some collectors loathe the EU and look at it as "glorified fanfiction." So they won't buy anything, dimishing the market.

Some collectors embrace certain elements or stories from the EU and shun others, it is difficult to determine which ones people will like. I fall in this catagory, I love almost all EU but have minimal interest in the classic comics (I did grab a few of those comic packs though), the Legacy era or the KOTOR Comics. It becomes even trickier with which figures to produce. SOTE is a highly regarded EU source but people really have a dislike for Xizor. Only recently did my local TRU remove the six or so comic packs with him and cankles Leia from their pegs.

Some collectors embrace all EU and will buy pretty much anything.

I think the complexities of EU selection were just too much for too narrow a market, alas. Although, if memory serves, the demand for the EU wave in May was almost out of control.

[bigbarada]

Although, if memory serves, the demand for the EU wave in May was almost out of control.

I think Hasbro's announcement that the EU wave would be a limited-release TRU exclusive actually generated far more demand for that wave than would have otherwise been there if it had just been a regular release.

[dindae]

I mean, really, people clamor for Jedi Knight Corran Horn, so they slap a new head on X-Wing Luke Skywalker and call it Pilot Corran Horn, then sell it for $18 as a HTF exclusive with a part for an unrelated Darktrooper, while releasing their entire design team as Mandaloreans and that "Crimson Empire Power Rangers Crossover Spectacular" set, and they wonder why people don't line up for them.

Yeah the Mandalorean set was the set that broke this camel's back from being a completist. I got it in the mail and wondered why the hell did I spend $80 on these. The Crimson Empire I can see in a way since the previous sets from Crimson Empire did well and they could do one mold for several figures but the Power Rangers simalarities should have been a clue. I also think as picky as we sometimes are a community the fact that the EU is hard to pinpoint definitive images for a character makes it hard as well. Movie character are easy there is a visual source. But a lot of characters have only one partial painting on a book jacket or in the case of comics conflicting artistic takes depending on the artist of the month.

[El Chuxter]

The TRU EU wave was, overall, a solid wave. Finally got Jacen and Jaina after begging for fifteen years, as well as a Darktrooper that looked awesome, another TFU figure, a Thrawn trilogy resculpt, and a highly regarded cartoon and comic Jedi. Plus the highly anticipated alien Bespin Guard stuck in.

If all EU figures were this well-chosen (I think there wasn't a single one who hadn't shown up consistently on wish lists since the character debuted) and well-executed (anyone have a single complaint about the construction of any of the figures?), then I'd wager EU would sell better.

It didn't hurt things, though, that the pack-in Build-A-Droid was one of the most highly requested OT droids of all.

[Mr. JabbaJohnL]

I think part of the problem is that EU preferences are even more diverse than the films. EU is such a niche market to begin with as one obviously needs to have read the source material to have an interest in the toys.

Some collectors loathe the EU and look at it as "glorified fanfiction." So they won't buy anything, dimishing the market.

Some collectors embrace certain elements or stories from the EU and shun others, it is difficult to determine which ones people will like. I fall in this catagory, I love almost all EU but have minimal interest in the classic comics (I did grab a few of those comic packs though), the Legacy era or the KOTOR Comics. It becomes even trickier with which figures to produce. SOTE is a highly regarded EU source but people really have a dislike for Xizor. Only recently did my local TRU remove the six or so comic packs with him and cankles Leia from their pegs.

Some collectors embrace all EU and will buy pretty much anything.

I think the complexities of EU selection were just too much for too narrow a market, alas. Although, if memory serves, the demand for the EU wave in May was almost out of control.

I agree on all counts. I really like some EU (TFU, Republic Commandos) but absolutely loathe others (Legacy). I can't really get invested in the KOTOR stuff, as really nothing that happens can really have an effect on the films (and I think the best EU can make you look at the films in a new light, like The Clone Wars, though I don't really consider that EU). As a completist, I still bought all of it. But I can totally understand that people picked and chose what they wanted. I don't think we can underestimate this fact enough.

I mean, Chux, you love Teek, but others might not like the Ewok movies. On the other hand, you (and I) don't care for Legacy, but from what I understand it's actually quite popular. So when you say "people have been asking about this one for years," realize that it's probably a very small but vocal selection of fans, and what people like on different sites only matches up occasionally.

The Mandalorian set sold relatively well, I think; the Mandos are still incredibly popular among a lot of fans, solely on their visual appeal and potential (I mean, Boba did absolutely nothing in the films . . . but that's a conversation for another time). If we didn't know some of the Hasbro team members' names, I don't think we would have known that they were based on them; we know that, but I'm thinking that most people just thought "Mandalorians!" and got the sets. But it was an online exclusive, and the markets are different for those sorts of products anyway.

On that same note, the Crimson Empire and Rebel insignia TIE Fighter were also online exclusives. To me, they looked goofy as hell; I'm assuming others felt the same as they went to drugstores for $20 each last year (or whenever it was).

With stuff in stores, though, it was a much more mixed bag. From what I can tell, there were over 60 comic packs between late 2006 and early 2010 - that's well over 100 comic-based figures (with a small amount being the funky-colored main characters). Even if they didn't get to everything you wanted, you have to admit they had a hell of a varied selection in there. Looking at the list, there were quite a few heavy hitters - Carnor Jax, Kir Kanos, Quinlan Vos, both the Hetts, a ton of pilots, Talon Karrde, Darth Talon, Darth Krayt, and a ton of pilots and riffs on the main characters, to name a few. According to Hasbro, the main characters were the ones that sold the best, by virtue of them being the main characters. While there were quite a few obscure choices, and probably several that you yourself didn't want, I don't think we can blame the line's collapse solely on Hasbro's choices. I mean, what else could they have done? It can't be 100% the most important EU characters, all the time. You've got to hold and maintain interest in the line, having people still anticipate some of their most-wanted figures instead of dumping them all at once, which maybe they didn't do enough. But I think the price hike from $9.99 to around $12.99 after the recession, and people not wanting to buy the older sets that clogged the shelves, is another extremely important factor in the line's demise.

With the basic figures, the EU figures have seemingly had much more success. Scorch was damn near impossible to find in 2006 until he was repacked later in the year. 2007's wave 5 was incredibly popular, including figures like Darth Revan and Darth Malak. The TRU wave, as was said, was also really popular. So why are the basic-line figures doing so much better than the ancillary sets? Is it price? Character recognizability? The exclusivity? People wanting to get everything from the basic line and occasionally ignore the multipacks? I think they all play a part to one degree or another.

[Darth Metalmute]

The TRU EU wave was, overall, a solid wave. Finally got Jacen and Jaina after begging for fifteen years, as well as a Darktrooper that looked awesome, another TFU figure, a Thrawn trilogy resculpt, and a highly regarded cartoon and comic Jedi. Plus the highly anticipated alien Bespin Guard stuck in.

If all EU figures were this well-chosen (I think there wasn't a single one who hadn't shown up consistently on wish lists since the character debuted) and well-executed (anyone have a single complaint about the construction of any of the figures?), then I'd wager EU would sell better.

It didn't hurt things, though, that the pack-in Build-A-Droid was one of the most highly requested OT droids of all.

That's another problem with Hasbro's EU figures. When they actually make one that's worth getting, everyone wants it and it's impossible to find. I, like you, have been wanting the Solo twins since the first EU wave back in the late 90's. Yet when they finally come out, I had to get them on ebay; partly due to demand, and partly due to the limited release. I only came across the original late 90's EU wave once and was lucky enough to pick it up.

EU figure selection is very important, but the sculpts have to be good as well. I believe there is/was high demand for Vong figures, but the one we got is crappy at best and shoved into a two-pack. I'm not sure how the TFU five packs went over, but I didn't buy them. I only wanted 5 of the ten figures and they were separated out evenly. I didn't need two invisible troopers, a Kota trooper, a Evo Trooper, and two Starkillers. 60+ comic packs filled with mostly EU characters and I bought only 4.

I don't even need an entire wave of EU figures or special sets. One, nicely done core EU character stuck into a wave of 12 once or twice a year would be great, like they are looking to do this year with Bastila and Nom Anor.

I'm curious to see how Bastila will sell. Had Hasbro released her back when KOTOR was released, I would have expected a ridiculous to find figure. But that was 7 years ago. I'm not even sure if I can play that game on the 360.