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Bonus Hasbro SDCC Information
 We were sent in a quick write-up from friend of the site Darth_Anton, as he had some time of his own with the Hasbro crew at Comic-Con! Read on to see what Anthony passed onto us from the show.
Hello again fellow collectors,
Once again I attended this year’s Comic-Con, and was able to spend some time helping out Jedi Defender with their coverage. Sadly, I had a scheduling conflict, and not only did I miss my first ever Hasbro panel, I couldn’t attend the scheduled Q&A appointments either. Fortunately though, Derryl DePriest was gracious enough to allow me to chat with him informally.
Han was the first subject covered. Since we have seen nearly every on-screen incarnation of Han Solo in 3 ¾ inch form, I asked where else Hasbro can go with him. The Hasbro team is always excited when they get new reference material from Lucasfilm, and Derryl told me about what a refreshing day it was when they came across the Echo Base Han reference photo and realized that the figure had never been done before.
They dream of days like that for their core characters, but admit that they are few and far between.
I asked him specifically about Yavin ceremony Han, reminded Derryl that the 2010 vintage one was just the 2005 version with a medal and refreshed his memory that Han’s collar was buttoned up in the scene. Whether he had forgotten that fact or never quite realized the detail, he was intrigued by the comment and I watched him type the note into his Smartphone. That hopefully bodes well for a future figure!
We also touched upon rebel pilots. Derryl is a big fan and he wants to make sure every pilot on screen is reproduced in plastic. They’re pretty close at this point, it seems (Editor's Note: Yavin and Hoth baby!)
We wrapped up with army-building, specifically with rebel troopers and head variants. I asked about the feasibility of re-releasing troopers with new head sculpts every so often.
The issue is tied into being able to predict production runs and not wanting to make certain versions scarcer than others. With the continuing fluxuation in sales, it’s very difficult to know at what point to stop one version and start the other. And it seemed that the problems stemming from the B-A-D Echo Base Trooper has left a bad taste in Hasbro’s mouth.
Bottom line, although they are not opposed to creating new head-sculpts, it doesn’t seem to be a priority given the market.
One issue I did have to bring to Derryl’s attention was the Rebel Fleet Trooper’s holster, or lack there of. This too, I stood there watching as he typed the note into his Smarthone! (Editor's Note: Oh please, oh please, oh please!)
I wanted to close with some food for thought given the grief we sometimes give our friends at Hasbro, here and across the various sites. Every time I meet with the gang, I’m reminded of what fans they are of line and how disappointed they are when they can’t get everything to work right.
In the course of conversation, I showed the team the picture I keep on my Smartphone of my Imperial army. Without exception, everyone at Hasbro geeked out and began asking me various questions about organization and buying habits.
I hope he doesn’t mind me sharing that I was particularly taken when Derryl zoomed into my picture, counted my squad breakdown and asked how I organize. “Eight grunts to a Squad with and NCO,†I replied. “Me too!â€, Derryl exclaimed, and then produced his Smartphone and proceeded to show me his HUGE personal collection across all lines.
Thanks to Hasbro for sharing time with me during the show! I had a blast, like I do every year when I get to visit them.
And a huge thanks to Anthony (Darth_Anton), for taking time out of his con to stop in and rub elbows with the Hasbro crew!
Some very interesting conversation in there, especially the Army Building! If Hasbro can put out Rebel Army Builder sets like the recently revealed Jedi Arena Army Builder packs, I'd be like a pig in slop! Thanks for sharing that army building passion with Hasbro for us Anthony, as you know myself, and many others here, share that too!
And thanks to Hasbro, again, for making themselves so accessible at the show. I agree that I think it is easy to lose sight of the passion the people on the Star Wars team have themselves for the hobby!
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