Success is in the eye of the beholder...

Episode One, by some standards, was a success...  Hasbro sold lots of product.  They made lots of $ (didn't lose).  They didn't meet projections though, and the abysmal sales at retail wound up causing a major distrust between Hasbro and their retail customers.

Saga the same thing could be said...  Even worse perhaps since Hasbro did buy-backs which are really unheard of unless the company's kissing mucho ass to keep in good with their retailers...

OTC did seem to do well, but what kind of volume of product sold, ya know?  I know that not a single OTC figure was "overshipped" in my area except perhaps the new figures like the Dagobah and Bespin waves...  They shipped, reshipped, and reshipped again...  Those figures didn't sell well then either (still have tons of all 3 Bespin wave, though the CCP's disappearing, and the Dagobah Wave still lingers some too).  The repacks seemed so sporatically packed/shipped (some one-per case and such) that it actually controlled their possibility of pegwarming...  Of course Han did, and many of those figures just released on Saga did sit a little bit, but they moved...

The product moved well though...  I don't know what Hasbro was WANTING to move in OTC though.  Given the DVD releases though, the big "blitz" surrounding those...  I just don't know.  Part of me thinks they had a higher goal than what got out there.  Retail seemed slow to put the product out, they seemed hesitant to go all out with stocking their shelves too.  That leads me to believe that the OTC line was no better than POTJ or other non-movie year lines, but that expectations were perhaps higher than a regular non-movie year...  If that's the case, and the line didn't meet its projections but it still moved, then it's a success in a sense that it didn't turn retail OFF to SW as a brand, but it didn't produce the $ they'd maybe hoped would tie in with the DVD's.

As a consumer though, empty pegs equals happiness because it generally means the calm before a good storm...  Of course, we could see massive gluts (given the time of year we're in now though, I am not counting on this) of the waves leading into the INEVITABLE massive glut of E3 product.

The line I'd say was a bigger success than OTC was VOTC.  I think Wal-Mart's maybe not viewing it as such (their own fault of course), but the VOTC totally flew through Toys R Us and Target shelves out my way...  WM even moved it at MOST stores.  The one store I go to didn't move it as fast as others though, and was more indicative of stories of massive gluts of product and such.

Target and TRU have to have loved the OTC.  I was at a TRU tonight that didn't have a single figure on the pegs...  Target had no VOTC, and the WM's I was at neither one had more than 5 VOTC on their pegs.

OTC was dwindling at the WM's because of the clearances now, and Target was down to just Lobot OTC figures (10 maybe).

It's interesting to speculate what Hasbro's going to say (or not say) about the brand in coming months...  OTC was a good line I think, even with the repacks, but I think for once that Hasbro smartly packed the figures to not clog things...  Planned or accidental, it seemed to work.  The irony then is that the NEW figures in the line were what clogged shelves.  Oh the power of the carded collector...  apparantly.

JD.com is proud to present our first ever Review-A-Thon...  It's a way we're going to clean out some old reviews we've got backlogged and get a little something for you, the viewer, to read over theholidays.

And we bring not only the Endor Wave to a close here, but our holiday Review-A-Thon also comes to a screeching halt.  We'll be leading into the new year with the OTC figures and VOTC while we build into the POTC, so keep your peepers peeled to the main page for those. 

Yes, I wanted to end the Endor Wave with a doozie, and boy did I.  I have to say this figure topped many-a-fan's wishlists for some time, and not only does he nix off another vintage figure that needed done, but he also makes for a GREAT figure in the end.  The Endor Wave's General Madine (Endor Strike) actually, for a boring old dude, is a great action figure...  Amazing!



The funny thing with Madine is that he's got more arm articulation/poseability than the Saga Endor Soldier, Saga Endor Han, or the Saga Hoth Soldier...  What the hell is that all about Hasbro!?!?   

I mean, don't get me wrong here...  The figure has ball/socket elbows, poseable wrists, etc...  I love it, it's great, but how can you screw over army builders in the articulation area, but give it to a guy who did nothing more than point.

Hey, I don't make them, I just critique them, and in my view Hasbro really needs to make sure EVERY figure who picked up a gun should have these arms that Madine has.  Great stuff here.  I can't wait to do a Madine shooting it out of a sticky situation diorama...  becaus I can!

OK, but what else is up with Madine?  Well, he's pretty cool for sure.  He does flesh out those vintage resculpts we all want too, so that's all good stuff.  He's got the most poseable arms of a basic figure...  well damn near ever.  I'm amazed really.

Read the full review for his negatives, but really this is a figure I had to own a few of when he became readily available in the OTC line. 

And with that, I'm thanking all you readers out there who read through my reviews as well as those who came in to participate.  I appreciate the feedback and your personal opinions.  Feel free to make your own reviews too...  We don't discriminate.  The more the merrier I figure.

Thanks guys, and I look forward to doing more figure reviews from now till the cows come home.  And once again a thank you to the staff here at JD who helped me get these all together and posted.  Hopefully we'll have a steady stream of reviews in 2005 folks!

Hell, I may even start reviewing packaging...     Not much fun, but whatcha gonna do, ya know?  Some of you guys seem to dig it.   

JD.com is proud to present our first ever Review-A-Thon...  It's a way we're going to clean out some old reviews we've got backlogged and get a little something for you, the viewer, to read over theholidays.

My first Endor Wave figure to pop up (and what a way to round out the Saga line!)Lando Calrissian (Endor Strike) makes his way into the reviews!  A complete resculpt of a figure who REALLY needed it too.



Yes, Lando General really was in need of a resculpt, and I'd say this is "good enough" for this figure...  Hasbro once again made that damned mistake of lop-sided articulation (one friggin' arm articulated?  Huh?  I hate that damn crap!), which still boggles my mind.

Saga had some doozies at the end, but that articulation being all over the place was a hinderence.  I'm pleased to see OTC's going out with some much more balanced figures. 

That said, Hasbro did include a working shoulder holster for the old scoundrel, and a nice accurate little blaster too.  He's a figure that I'd like to have seen be a bit more poseable (every main "hero" should be, even if all they did was fly around in the Falcon in their respective outfit).  Still, read the review in its entirety and come share what YOU think.

Myself, I'd say this is a good resculpt of a figure that needed it, but like the Rebel Fleet Trooper, a good sculpt does not equate to a great figure...  So read the review and share your opinion!

Tis a shame isn't it?

The fact he can sit down is his true grace actually.  Too bad they didn't go all out on his articulation.  i think I could excuse the atrocious cloak had they done his articulation justice, and also given him NICE softgoods skirt too (like the "ties" and all that, rather than a single straight piece of fabric).

His cloak blows but it's fixable if I can just find the right fabric...  That articulation's excuseless though on a $10 figure.  Same thing for 3PO as well.

Uhm, well, was gonna go out but now we're down to going out Thursday to get out of the house...  Gonna go eat wings and ribs then drink heavily.

Friday then we're staying home, and watching SouthPark marathon.  Yay...  I'm content with that.

I haven't gone out for NYE in a few years now though, and that's starting to suck bigtime.

I think all 3 will be if released in good #'s.  In the end, Cantina aliens never do "well" at retail when they hit the shelves in droves...  They don't have much going for them other than every collector wants one (not two or three generally).

I still agree Scott, that the Probisces (whatever) suck...  I just am indifferent to them because I like every other aspect about the figure a whole bunch...  To me a holster on Feltripern (sp?) would've been no additional cost, so that was just excuseless.

On one figure it's simply a matter of something the figure SHOULD have had that just didn't get and on the other figure it's a bad, bad, decision to include something it didn't need...  And then subsequently ruined an otherwise great likeness in sculpt.  That sucks and makes Dannik the worse of the 3. 

Feltripern's slowly overtaking Myo in my favorites department, but the holster's excuseless, plain and simple.  Sucks double that he's the figure who has the toughest time holding his gun.  Bleh.

I still like Dannik, but he's #3 on the list...  Love the bong though.

I hate to bring up a SW line, but damned if I don't totally regret buying E1 figures.  I shudder when I look at that shelf sometimes, and ponder the $ that went into those things.

I felt similar to you Broem, but I will say the gaping holes in the face are THE worst aspect to all 3 figures in that wave.  Though Fetripern (sp?) not having a holster for his gun kinda blew too.