JediDefender.com Forums

Collecting => Hey Hasbro! => Topic started by: DARKLORD on March 15, 2007, 03:39 AM

Title: Hasbro... Please give us an ALL NEW Millennium Falcon... PLEASE!!
Post by: DARKLORD on March 15, 2007, 03:39 AM




An open letter to HASBRO TOYS:



Dear Hasbro,

Apologies for this very long post, but it's important.

As many people who know me can attest, I am a HUGE fan (and consumer) of your STAR WARS toy products.

I've been collecting STAR WARS toys for 30 years, and I think you guys are doing an AMAZING job giving collectors what we want year after year!!!  

We are certainly a nit-picky bunch, but you guys have been steadily improving the quality of products from your STAR WARS brand.

Bravo to you all !!! Kudos and congratulations!!  I wish you all many continued years of success.




I am writting because I read in one of your recent Q&A sessions that an upgrade of a (close to) correctly-scaled MILLENNIUM FALCON toy is NOT out of the realm of possibility as a future product.

I wanted to write and tell you what a THRILL such an offering would be for all of us collectors... of all ages!!

I cannot stress enough how a properly scaled, and upgraded Millennium Falcon would be a DREAM COME TRUE for us all !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now I know such a toy would be BIG... really BIG!   we're talkin' about 5.5 feet in length and about 4 feet in diameter saucer portion).  And certainly it would have to be EXPENSIVE (figure about a $400 - $450 price point).

But I'm telling you, die-hard STAR WARS fans and collectors EVERYWHERE  would DEFINITELY BUY THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you hear Hasbro?  WE COLLLECTORS WOULD HAPPILY BUY THIS TOY!!!!!!!!!

Seriously, this could be THE GREATEST Star Wars toy EVER MADE... if done correctly!!!!   Here are the features that I'd like to see:




1) An accurate sculpt spaceship that closely resembles the Lucasfilm model's proportion.  (No more wierd Kenner proportions). I'd like nice, LONG mandibles, and six round (sculpted) vents in the aft section of the ship that are actually covered with grates (not stickers). A pivoting and rotating Radar Dish that would actually have separate detailing pieces of the antenna array inside the dish.  Of course the weathering and paint deco on the hull would have to be TOPS.

2) There would be the correct design and number of landing gear that would fold up inside the hull of the ship and be concealed inside of closing panels.

3)  The boarding ramp would be re-structured to be the correct design, with FOUR (4) hydraulic struts that retract into  the entry hull of the ship.

4)  A retractable light blaster cannon that lowers and pivots from a concealed compartment on the ships's underside hull.

5)  Dorsal and Ventral Quad Laser Turrets with manual "pump action" cannons attached to the same pivot rack mount as seen in the film.

6) Working Concussion Missles Launcher operating from between the mandibles.

7) Electronic lights and sounds:  Working headlights on the mandibles, rear engines lights, "proximity alert" sound FX, Quad Laser turret sound FX, engine flyby sound FX, Hyperdrive sound FX.

8)  Full Detailed Cockpit Environment  featuring accurately sculpted pilot and co-pilot seats that pivot, two pivoting rear passenger seats, accurately sculpted dashboard with pilot and co-pilot flight wheel controls, working rear cabin door.

9)  Fully Detailed Interior Environment accessable by lifting off various hull panels would feature:  

Accurately designed Main Hold with seating banquet nook and Dejark Holochess Table, accurate floor panel grating, Navigation console and chair.  

SIDE NOTE:  It would be cool if Hasbro threw in a bag full of crates, and barrels and junk nick-knacks that were littered about the Falcon's hold.

Access Tunnel leading to cockpit.  Accessable by Main Hold, and by Entry Ramp area. No more cardboard panel with a drawing of the tunnel !!

2 Hidden compartment floor panels (along access tunnel leading toward entry ramp). The two compartments should be large enough to hold three figures each.

Vertical ladder at the core of the ship leading to dorsal and ventral Quad Laser Turret Gun Ports.  Ports should be designed with instrumentation along the walls, swivelling turret chairs with "hand grip" steering for Luke and Han, and  targeting scope monitors.  Gun ports should have large round circular windows with transparent canopies.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Both Gun Ports should be designed so that they are canted at 90º in relation to the rest of the ship.  With Luke and Han figures seated in their gunport chairs, the "vertical" ladder at the ship's core SHOULD appear to them to be a HORIZONAL passageway where they can speak to one another.

Medical Bunk Bed Station  for Luke to recover from his devastating first saber battle with Darth Vader.

Fellow collectors... who's with me?  Let your voice be heard loud and clear!!!
Title: Re: Hasbro... Please give us an ALL NEW Millennium Falcon... PLEASE!!
Post by: JangoTat on March 15, 2007, 10:23 AM
isnt there something like this already coming out from a different company?
Title: Re: Hasbro... Please give us an ALL NEW Millennium Falcon... PLEASE!!
Post by: obi-dad on March 16, 2007, 08:36 PM
This would NEVER happen.  Nor would that many collectors buy one.  This would be cool, but out of the price range of most collectors and how many would have 6 feet of area to place such a behemouth of a vehicle, much less the space it take at a store... no store would even carry such a huge toy. ::) ::) ::)
Title: Re: Hasbro... Please give us an ALL NEW Millennium Falcon... PLEASE!!
Post by: Nicklab on March 16, 2007, 08:43 PM
There was some discussion from Hasbro about the possibility of doing a new Falcon.  They're saying that it's a possible consideration should the ship make an appearance in the upcoming television projects.  I think it could be utterly amazing, but it would also be quite pricey.
Title: Re: Hasbro... Please give us an ALL NEW Millennium Falcon... PLEASE!!
Post by: obi-dad on March 16, 2007, 08:50 PM
Yes, there is talk of a new Falcon being made, but Hasbro would never make one 5.5 feet long!

Now I know such a toy would be BIG... really BIG!   we're talkin' about 5.5 feet in length and about 4 feet in diameter saucer portion).  And certainly it would have to be EXPENSIVE (figure about a $400 - $450 price point).

Adding all the great detail that DARKLORD mentions?  No way.   Hasbro hasn't even retooled the snowspeeders to make the more accurately sized --- SMALLER!  They can't justify a vehicle as small as the Cloud Car Pilot after they gave us a great new CCP figure in the OTC.  I think it would be great to get a bigger one and I think they could and would do a larger one, but nothing near the size and detail mentioned here.
Title: Re: Hasbro... Please give us an ALL NEW Millennium Falcon... PLEASE!!
Post by: DARKLORD on March 17, 2007, 12:02 AM

This would NEVER happen.  Nor would that many collectors buy one.  This would be cool, but out of the price range of most collectors and how many would have 6 feet of area to place such a behemouth of a vehicle, much less the space it take at a store... no store would even carry such a huge toy. ::) ::) ::)


NEVER say "never".  The power of consumer demand should NEVER be underestimated.  If ENOUGH people want to see this toy made, it WILL get made.

The folks at Master Replicas are on the ball.  They are producing some HUGE, EXPENSIVE Star Wars collectible pieces, and these items, despite their hefty price tags and size, almost always sell completely out!!

They have recently released a 3 foot long Studio Scale Millennium Falcon at over $2000, and it's a BIG seller!  Imagine a slightly larger (toy) version of that model being offered for only a few hundred dollars!

Or how about companies like Attakus and Gentle Giant. They are doing VERY WELL with their respective STAR WARS licenced products.  In both cases, some of these products are VERY, VERY large... and VERY, VERY expensive, and even in the 3-3/4 inch scale.

The fact of the matter is STAR WARS collectors shell out big bucks for single collectibles EVERY SINGLE DAY!  Just browse through e-bay to see what I mean.

And I'm not opposed to Hasbro farming out the development and production of this large Millennium Falcon toy to another company.  They've done it before.  They could even offer this toy as a limited edition or exclusive to help keep their production numbers and costs down and their profit margin higher.

You know, all of this reminds me of the Millennium Falcon ExtraordinaireToys R Us store displays from 1997.   In many ways, those store displays prove my point.

You see I'm a proud owner of a mint Millennium Falcon Extraordinaire.  At 6 feet in length, they are slightly larger than a correct-to scale toy Falcon needs to be. 

Now only about 600 of these were ever made, so they ARE pretty "rare". 

I don't mind telling you that I consider my "Extraordinaire" to be the "official" Falcon of my collection... even though I also own the previous toy releases.

Why?

Because ONLY the "Extraordinaire" looks DECENT (scale-wise) among the closer-to-scale X-Wings and Tie Fighters that Hasbro has produced in recent years.

As it stands now, the toy Millennium Falcon we currently have available is virtually THE SAME SIZE as the newer Large-Winged Tie Fighters.

Blasphemy.

The big Millennium Falcon Extraordinaire TRU store displays are sought after by collectors who are willing to pay a hefty price for them because there IS a demand for a larger Millennium Falcon that is closer to correct scale with the 4 inch action figures.

In the latest catalogue from Brian's Toys, there is a mint Falcon Extraordinaire being offered for sale for $2,300!  And you'd better believe that they will sell that Falcon with no problem!!  They've sold others like it in the past that were priced similarly.


Clearly, there are those who feel that they wouldn't have the space in their home for a large toy like this. 

Perhaps not. After all, not everyone's space availability is the same.

However, I am of the opinion that with a little creative thinking, collector storage space for this big vessel doesn't HAVE to be an issue.  For years, I displayed my 6 foot long MFE standing against a wall of my (then) tiny bedroom in my small apartment.  It literally took up LESS space than a large stand-alone book shelf case!

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v516/darklord1967/CUSTOM%20STAR%20WARS%20Action%20Figures/falcon2.jpg)


Moreover, I disagree with your assessment that this large Millennium Falcon toy would be "...out of the price range of MOST collectors..."

That may have been true years ago, but the fact is, there are MANY Star Wars collectors out there NOW for whom money is not an issue.

STAR WARS collectors shell out big bucks for single collectibles EVERY SINGLE DAY!  Just browse through e-bay to see what I mean.

If offered something like this, high-end collectors Would CERTAINLY BUY IT without even thinking twice!   And I propose that even many other more budget-concious collectors would save up their pennies too so that they could eventually purchase one of these cool ships for THEIR collections. 

You know, I recently read a thread on another forum where posters discussed how much total money they spent on Hasbro's (just recently concluded) SAGA II Collection.  Some of those amounts were in the thousands!

STAR WARS toy collectors WILL SPEND TONS OF CASH on the stuff they like.

Would I purchase one of these proposed (near) correctly-scaled Millennium Falcons, for the cost I mentioned?  Brutha, in a heartbeat!!!  ;)
Title: Re: Hasbro... Please give us an ALL NEW Millennium Falcon... PLEASE!!
Post by: Artoo on March 17, 2007, 12:36 PM
It dosen't have to be that big, just bigger than it is now. The same with the AT-AT, the only way something this big would sell if it had a run of 1,000.
Title: Re: Hasbro... Please give us an ALL NEW Millennium Falcon... PLEASE!!
Post by: obi-dad on March 17, 2007, 05:49 PM
DARKLORD,

In this case, I have no problem saying never.   Hasbro doesn't seem fit to make the toolings for an AT-TE that most fans want, the tiny Cloud Car,  and any number of vehicles that are much smaller in scale.  Similarly, they refuse to make any screen accurate playset (or even another inaccurate one, for that matter).  They site that public demand for new vehicles and playsets don't offset the cost of their toolings.  Yes, in current Q&A's they say due to the success of the re-release of both the Shuttle & AT-AT, they will consider larger vehicles when the time is right.  But, both of those are drastically underscaled and are both are considered large vehicles currently.

Would I like accurately scaled vehicles?  Yes.  Do I currently have the space for ones of the size you describe?  No, but maybe again one day.   Do I believe there are collectors that would buy them?  Yes, but that doesn't mean there are enough collectors for Hasbro to warrent the investment.   Whether you or I believe they could turn a profit (no matter how small), it really only matters what Hasbro believes and if they think it's worth it.  I don't EVER see them making this, though I do believe it would be cool.  I would be quite happy with one about 1.5 - 2 times the current size, which would place it within the size of Amidala ship.  That was clearance out and still sold slowly (and probably more for the droid that was packaged with it).
Title: Re: Hasbro... Please give us an ALL NEW Millennium Falcon... PLEASE!!
Post by: Darth_Anton on March 19, 2007, 11:37 PM
Hasbro may be saying never, but it doesn't prevent one from expressing a wish. I think a properly scaled Falcon would be the best.
Title: Re: Hasbro... Please give us an ALL NEW Millennium Falcon... PLEASE!!
Post by: David on March 20, 2007, 11:30 PM
The same with the AT-AT, the only way something this big would sell if it had a run of 1,000.

Mmm...no. I would buy it, for the right price, of course.
Title: Re: Hasbro... Please give us an ALL NEW Millennium Falcon... PLEASE!!
Post by: Darth Simmons on June 22, 2007, 06:28 PM
A new Falcon would be just what I want! (And a new Death Star Playset too) It doesn't have to be to scale, but a little bit larger would be good. The same problems have plagued all the versions of the toy from 1977 till OTC, basically parts that fall off and the landing gears are a pain. I would like to see it retooled too be overall about 30% bigger with seating for 4 figures in the **** pit, a better gun assembly, and a belly gun. Oh and new and improve landing gears!
Title: Re: Hasbro... Please give us an ALL NEW Millennium Falcon... PLEASE!!
Post by: Nicklab on June 28, 2007, 05:04 PM
I was reading some backstory about the Millenium Falcon recently.  It was either on the official site or Wookieepedia.  Anyhow, they have some background on the ship's history and it turns out that around the time of the Clone Wars the Jedi Order owned/used the ship for covert operations.  Hence it's appearance landing at the Senate docking facility in Revenge Of The Sith.  With that in mind I am REALLY hopeful that the new Clone Wars animated series picks up on this plot point and somehow incorporates the Falcon into the series.  And I'm also hopeful that if this is the case that Hasbro will make a new Falcon.  So my fingers remain crossed for that eventuality.
Title: Re: Hasbro... Please give us an ALL NEW Millennium Falcon... PLEASE!!
Post by: Darth Simmons on July 11, 2007, 05:29 PM
DARKLORD,

In this case, I have no problem saying never.   Hasbro doesn't seem fit to make the toolings for an AT-TE that most fans want, the tiny Cloud Car,  and any number of vehicles that are much smaller in scale.  Similarly, they refuse to make any screen accurate playset (or even another inaccurate one, for that matter).  They site that public demand for new vehicles and playsets don't offset the cost of their toolings.  Yes, in current Q&A's they say due to the success of the re-release of both the Shuttle & AT-AT, they will consider larger vehicles when the time is right.  But, both of those are drastically underscaled and are both are considered large vehicles currently.

Would I like accurately scaled vehicles?  Yes.  Do I currently have the space for ones of the size you describe?  No, but maybe again one day.   Do I believe there are collectors that would buy them?  Yes, but that doesn't mean there are enough collectors for Hasbro to warrent the investment.   Whether you or I believe they could turn a profit (no matter how small), it really only matters what Hasbro believes and if they think it's worth it.  I don't EVER see them making this, though I do believe it would be cool.  I would be quite happy with one about 1.5 - 2 times the current size, which would place it within the size of Amidala ship.  That was clearance out and still sold slowly (and probably more for the droid that was packaged with it).

Ya know, there might be more sales if the vehicles and playsets weren't over priced. It might not be Hasbro's fault, I don't know. But when Toys-R-Us had the exclusive Endor AT-AT for $99, come on! That's ridiculous! 50 bucks would've been fair, but 100, no. I just can't afford that. The TAC TIE Figther is $20 (and doesn't come with the pilot) in my opinion that's over priced too. I'd say $15 is fair. Throw in the pilot and then it becomes worth $20. But that's my opinion.
Title: Re: Hasbro... Please give us an ALL NEW Millennium Falcon... PLEASE!!
Post by: Artoo on July 13, 2007, 06:52 PM
You know what they should do is release a Millenium Falcon interior playset.
Title: Re: Hasbro... Please give us an ALL NEW Millennium Falcon... PLEASE!!
Post by: Matt_Fury on July 15, 2007, 09:56 PM
I would honestly be happy with a Millenium Falcon that a modern Han Solo and Chewbacca could fit into the cockpit at the same time.