New A-Wing Pilot in 2013

[bigbarada]

This is actually the only figure announced so far for the 2013 Build-A-Droid line that I am remotely excited about. However, that excitement depends heavily on what Hasbro chooses to do for this figure. Ideally, I would like to see the body used from the Mon Calamari Pilot, with new hands and a human head. A new, smaller helmet sculpt would be preferred, but I'm not going to complain too much if Hasbro reuses the current A-Wing Pilot helmet.

If that's what Hasbro releases, then it would be the first truly accurate A-Wing Pilot in the modern line. All of the human A-Wing Pilots from 2007 up until now are completely inaccurate from the neck down. Although, I'm not saying that I want Hasbro to rerelease all of those named pilots in the new mold. I would prefer that this not be a named character, just a generic "A-Wing Pilot" on the card.

It's just too bad that they couldn't have released this guy in the Vintage Line.

Also, I'm wondering if this means that Hasbro plans to release a new A-Wing next year as well?

[JediTricks]

I like your thinking, especially on a revamped A-wing to go with.

I didn't realize the previous A-wing pilots have been so inaccurate, but I see what you mean. However, weren't there 2 different A-wing outfits on Home One?

[bigbarada]

I like your thinking, especially on a revamped A-wing to go with.

I didn't realize the previous A-wing pilots have been so inaccurate, but I see what you mean. However, weren't there 2 different A-wing outfits on Home One?

The uniforms were all mixed and matched in the Rebel Briefing room and hangar bay scenes, but inside the cockpits they only wore the uniform that we got with the Mon Calamari Pilot.

However, I'm about 95% sure that the 2007 A-Wing Pilot uniform is a completely EU creation and didn't appear in the films at all. There shouldn't be any Rebel insignia on the shoulders and the vest/chestbox is completely wrong. I don't think the boots are right either, but I haven't examined them that closely.

If Hasbro had just cast an X-Wing Pilot in green and called it an A-Wing Pilot, then it would have only been slightly less accurate than the 2007 figure.

[OC47150]

I found a loose Mon Cal A-wing pilot at the comic shop a month or so ago. I'm wanting to customize him, turn him into a human pilot but have the sleeves rolled up. Trying to find human arms that are compatible or match what I have in mind.

Of the deleted scenes figures released, the Mon Cal pilot was the one I wanted the most. He's just different, and that's pretty cool.

[bigbarada]

Ugh, Hasbro just went with a repaint of the 2007 A-Wing Pilot. Fail.

Somehow in the back of my head I knew Hasbro was going to screw this one up. I just didn't think they would screw it up this bad.

[JediTricks]

Ugh, Hasbro just went with a repaint of the 2007 A-Wing Pilot. Fail.

Somehow in the back of my head I knew Hasbro was going to screw this one up. I just didn't think they would screw it up this bad.

I knew they would screw it up this bad. Sorry dude, I would guess it's too expensive. If I were at C6 I'd tell Merten your idea for a better A-wing pilot, he'd get it done in the Exclusives line where there's less budget concern while Derryl and Dave still would suffer at the hands of a slashed budget in the mainline.

[Tycho]

See, I want a Tycho figure in his X-wing gear, or civies (he wears clothes like Han Solo with the vest since he idolizes Solo - not a bad choice if you ask me). Or I want Tycho in his Rebel Alliance Dress Uniform.

Now all of these can be easy head-swap customs, and really easy for Hasbro to offer as well.

Tycho's head plus:

Han's body = civies.
X-wing pilot body = normal Rogue Squadron work clothes
Wedge's comic pack dress uniform body = Alliance dress uniform (to stand with Wedge as First Officer Tycho)

I think the correct Arvyl Crynnd (light brown to blonde hair - similar to Tycho's but cut shorter) came with the Walmart exclusive A-wing - unless that was the green A-wing (Crynyd's was red). [He killed Admr. Piett by crashing into the bridge of the Executor.]

Honestly, the idea that the Rebellion was a multi-species effort for freedom from the Empire is reflected with more cool alien pilots in the comics, which I'd prefer to all the humans with bad 70's haircuts from ANH. I did buy and enjoy the pilots of the different starfighters from the TRU exclusive ROTJ pilot packs.

Anyway, I also want a Wedge figure in his civies, which is similar to Bespin Han except the colors are kind of reversed. Wedge has a brown jacket and blue (but maybe black) pants.

[OC47150]

I didn't make the Hasbro panel at C6, and very little new stuff (new X-wing pilots, AT-AT set, ewoks) was out in the display cases at the Hasbro booth. Overall, very disappointing.

I have mixed feelings about the smaller sized ships. Greed has taken over; lower the price back to $20, not the size, and people will buy.

[Mr. JabbaJohnL]

I have mixed feelings about the smaller sized ships. Greed has taken over; lower the price back to $20, not the size, and people will buy.

It would be easy to blame Hasbro's greed, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Aside from rising costs of oil used in shipping and plastics, especially the packaging, the main issue for price increases is that the Chinese factories have raised wages for their workers. The new $20 Class II vehicles are designed to be easier to construct as they're in fewer pieces than previous versions, meaning the labor and production costs will be inherently cheaper. I saw them in person and if they didn't tell me they were scaled down, I wouldn't have been able to tell much of a difference (aside from the Slave I, obviously).

At the panel, Hasbro mentioned that this A-wing Pilot was based on a guy walking around in the hangar due to the head wrap. Like JT, I didn't realize the previous figures weren't accurate to the cockpit outfit, but since this is supposed to be a hangar guy anyway, does that make it more acceptable, bigbarada?

[JediTricks]

It would be easy to blame Hasbro's greed, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Aside from rising costs of oil used in shipping and plastics, especially the packaging, the main issue for price increases is that the Chinese factories have raised wages for their workers. The new $20 Class II vehicles are designed to be easier to construct as they're in fewer pieces than previous versions, meaning the labor and production costs will be inherently cheaper. I saw them in person and if they didn't tell me they were scaled down, I wouldn't have been able to tell much of a difference (aside from the Slave I, obviously).

At the panel, Hasbro mentioned that this A-wing Pilot was based on a guy walking around in the hangar due to the head wrap. Like JT, I didn't realize the previous figures weren't accurate to the cockpit outfit, but since this is supposed to be a hangar guy anyway, does that make it more acceptable, bigbarada?

I don't see it as greed, it's simply impossible for Hasbro's over-the-top overhead on manufacturing, shipping, and management ends to turn a profit on the current vehicles which have jumped to $30, so the question is do they want kids to try to spend $30 for vehicles or do they want to get vehicles down to a $20 point. Hasbro chose the latter, and seeing the results I am strongly thinking about leaving the brand entirely - vehicles were my chief interest, so not only have they botched the release of the latest molds severely, but now they're making the vehicles hollow boring junk with virtually no features and no real value except they look like a thing. It's understandable from the short-term perspective, but it ignores that Hasbro has an extensive library of the existing vehicles which SHOULD have been turning pure profits but brand management kept shoving the same Jedi Starfighter molds down everybody's throats until even kids were totally sick of them and then KEPT trying to sell them. Those molds are paid for, they don't need new work, but now those existing molds are out the window except for use in exclusives because they can't be marketed alongside these new turd vehicles as it'll just make them look that much worse a value.


As for the A-wing guy, I bought the Tycho Celchu figure and that's it, the mold is only ok in detail and articulation, it could use a refresh, but I am not sure how much I'd care about that either as the A-wing isn't a huge deal even in its own film.