Author Topic: The Hasbro Q & A Compendium  (Read 176417 times)

Offline Matt

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Re: The Hasbro Q & A Compendium
« Reply #60 on: October 18, 2008, 01:14 PM »
Session 59 - September 5, 2008
"The good news is that all that blood is actually ketchup. The bad news, however, is that all that ketchup is actually blood."

Offline Matt

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Re: The Hasbro Q & A Compendium
« Reply #61 on: October 18, 2008, 01:15 PM »
Session 60 - September 26, 2008
"The good news is that all that blood is actually ketchup. The bad news, however, is that all that ketchup is actually blood."

Offline Matt

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Re: The Hasbro Q & A Compendium
« Reply #62 on: October 18, 2008, 02:12 PM »
Session 61 - October 17, 2008

Back in May, one of your answers about The Force Unleashed was that you're looking at 1 more TFU figure for 2009, and that as the Hasbro Star Wars team saw and played more of the game new ideas for toys from TFU would "spring forth"; more recently, you said that the soonest there could be new TFU items is 2010. Now that we've all had a chance to play this awesome new Star Wars game, some collectors are champing at the bit for another whole wave of TFU figures. What TFU items have found their way onto the Hasbro team's wishlists (beyond PROXY, whom you've already said is on your list)? (AF, 10/17/08)

     We agree with you, and the TFU is an outstanding game with a ton of figure potential. There are quite a few figures we see as having potential, but only so many slots that could go around. Right off the top of our heads our favorites would be PROXY, both Darths, the Mandalorians, Starkiller's father, some of the many new trooper types, and more.

Might you be willing to give us some of the lowdown on what will be coming up from the Greatest Hits sub-line? With the Saga Legends line (we're aware this is different from GH) reusing last year's Yoda on Kybuck, fans would like to see if Greatest Hits might find some figures from that TAC EU wave which were hard to get, such as Darth Revan, Darth Malak, Pre-Cyborg Grievous. And it's not like the main lines where everything's a secret until development's done, Greatest Hits is made up of existing figures, so could we know what to expect in the sub-line? (AF, 10/17/08)

     We don't have room for them in the lineup right now, but we are looking for ways to get the two Darths back out there somehow. No plans right now for a re-release of the Pre-Cyborg Grievous, but he would certainly be another re-pack candidate someday, and we'll consider it when we have an opportunity.

While we were very pleased to see many new tools for Titanium Series at your Comic-Con display, fans of the line have had a bumpy ride lately. Hasbro didn't bring any new Titaniums to Toy Fair last February, '08 wave 4 was summarily canceled and supposedly redistributed into other waves - though we've not seen any sign of this is case listings so far - and until July many of the line's collectors had only the words in a few Q&As to assure them of the line's progress and were left wondering whether there was a future for it at all (we were thrilled that Comic-Con reconfirmed the Hasbro Star Wars team's commitment to this line). With that in mind, could you give us a preview of any new Titaniums being developed for the future, and what's scheduled for the first half of '09? We'd really appreciate it, it'd help sustain the line's momentum and build a collecting base. And will the Titanium Cylon Basestar you previously confirmed for the last wave of 2008 actually get released since retailer preorders are up to January '09's wave 6 with no sign of it yet the BSG license expires at the end of the year? (AF, 10/17/08)

     Our line presentations tend to focus on the biggest sublines, so if we don't show something, it doesn't mean it isn't in our focus... just that we don't have the time in limited formats to present. That is the case with Titanium - it is a smaller line with a passionate fan base, so we are happy to communicate our "vision" for the line. It's our intent to keep this line going with as many new tools and meaningful repaints as we can to keep fans excited. In the first half of 2009 there will be 8 Newly tooled ships as well as 6 re-decos to keep your eyes out for. The new ships will be a combination of the new Clone Wars Animated ships as well as Classic Star Wars vehicles. The re-decos will help continue our fleet building efforts with new Y wings, new X wings and new Jedi Starfighters. Regarding Wave 4, it was a victim of the late switch to the new line look, and it ultimately did not ship. As the Battlestar license is up at the end of the year, this vehicle will not end up shipping. The Star Wars vehicles in the wave will be worked back into future waves and will come out in time.

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Seeing the plethora of different ’Troopers in The Force Unleashed and the debacle that was the Stormtrooper Commander release, what are the chances of seeing a few retailer exclusive TFU Trooper sets? As a ’Trooper collector I would love to see the Stormtrooper (with 501st clone markings), Navy (Naval) Comando, Clone/Stormtrooper hybrid, Scout Trooper Commander, Shadow Navy (Naval) Commando, etc. etc. etc, not to mention an accurate Shadow Guard (with correct armour) and a re-release of the Stormtrooper Commander. Help Me Hasbro, you’re my only hope. (CC, 10/17/08)

     The Force Unleashed looks to be on its way to being perhaps the best selling Star Wars game in history - no mean feat with predecessors like Battlefront III and KoTA. Equally as passionate have been the fans, and “when are we getting more TFU figures?!!” is easily the top question for this Q&A session. We like TFU as much as you and we are looking at adding additional characters. If we did, they might not be here before Spring 2010, but many of the characters you suggest are high on our list. We are looking at a way of getting the TFU Stormtrooper Commander back out and available, possibly for Comic Con next year.

With the Darktrooper winning Fan’s Choice, does that improve the odds of a new Phase III Darktrooper with proper scale and, I don’t know, maybe increased articulation? (CC, 10/17/08)

     Yes, and no. The Fan’s Choice vote was to guide us in the re-release of classic characters, not to impact future development of the line. However, the response has been so huge to this figure that we have something very special planned for a new version next year. Details will be available around February. Trust us that this one will be very special.

It’s pretty obvious that someone at Hasbro loves Bossk. I mean, he uttered three words and one snarl onscreen, and he’s had, what, four or five different toy versions since 1995? I realize there’s probably very little or no chance of 3¾”-scale versions of his Hound’s Tooth or Nashtah Pup ships being made, but howzabout a ginchy retro-jag CAP-2 Captivator reissue for our little Trandoshans to tool around in? Or, come to think of it, any of the cooler mini-rig-sized toys? I’m thinking specifically of the ISP-6 Shuttle Pod, Desert Sail Skiff, One-Man Sand Skimmer, Ewok Catapult, and Vehicle Maintenance Energizer. (CC, 10/17/08)

     It isn’t just us. Bounty hunters are *cool* and fans seem to have an insatiable appetite for their kind. You will no doubt be very pleased by one of the ships we have in store for the Titanium Series next year. As for 3¾” versions of Trandoshan ships, it’s highly unlikely except if they do show up in a significant way in the animation or live-action entertainment. Given the animated Clone Wars team’s affinity for cool canonical alien species, it wouldn’t surprise us if they did show up at some point, and our vote is for Bossk and his ship to be part of the action.

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Cool Toy Review's Indiana Jones Q&A removed due to space issues; please see the Indy Q&A Compendium

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If and when you do a Guri figure as part of a future Shadows of the Empire comic pack, would she be in the more prominent yellow/blue dress based on the Hildebrandt Brothers' Shadows of the Empire artwork (from the Topps cards series), or the less familiar red/grey dress from the comic book itself? Obviously it's a Comic 2-Pack so I'm sure you're leaning towards the comic design, but there's a lot of us that would greatly prefer the Hildebrandt yellow/blue version since it was featured more prominently in a lot of the Shadows of the Empire marketing back in 1996. (GH, 10/17/08)

     Neither, actually. If we are to do a Guri, our choice would be the more action-oriented outfit from Shadows of the Empire: Evolution line.
 
Given the general reluctance to release many female characters in the basic line each year, I was wondering if the Padm� Amidala Evolutions set has been considered successful enough to warrant another Evolutions Asst. set for Padm� Amidala sometime in 2009 or 2010, or is it more likely a one time release? Additional Evolutions Asst.  Imperial Pilots and Rebel Pilots sets have already been confirmed for 2009, so I'm hoping we might eventually get another Padm� Amidala set too (or better yet a Princess Leia Evolutions Asst. set). It would be a good opportunity to release a retooled version of the Evolutions Asst. Padm� Amidala with a torn shirt from her appearance in the Geonosis arena. (GH, 10/17/08)

     Great to see another excellent question from Shabby Blue! Thanks for writing in� the Evolutions packs are certainly doing well and we were pleased to be able to extend the line through Spring of 2009 with some additional packs. By the time we decided to add more packs, it simply was not possible to get any more substantially new sculpts into the line and could only work with some partial new sculpts, which is great for pilots and troopers. However, Padme would require an all-new approach as each figure is so substantially different from each other and requires a new sculpt. If the Evolutions line does return some day, which we would not rule out based on its popularity this year, we would not rule out there being another Padme pack as part of the lineup.

Over the last few years we collectors have had to go through water torture with re-tool after re-tool of the TIE Fighter. Will we ever see the finally finished perfect re-tooled TIE Fighter? Or are you going to continue releasing the TIE Fighter time after time with minor adjustments of every release like we have endured over time?
 
What I mean is, are you in the future going to:
 
1. Re-do the cockpit interior to match the movie ship and get rid of the 1970's mold seat and bare interior?
2. Get rid of the middle nipple between the guns and remove the horrid stick out 'nubins' where the screws go (another throwback of the 1970's mold).
3. Have the proper guns and not those red 'dots'.
4. Have a re-re-tool on the cockpit hatch that matches the hatch on the Darth Vader TIE Fighter, getting rid of the terrible 1970's hatch 'nubins'.
5. Re-tool the cockpit window of the TIE Fighter to get rid of the 1970's one that is so bulky?
6. Basically, all of the original vehicles have been retooled except for the TIE Fighter body. Isn't it time to take on the TIE Fighter?

See references:

http://www.scifigeek.info/events/StarWarsExhibit/dsc_0324.jpg
http://www.pixelandpoly.com/graphics/SW_contactsheets/TIE_TN.jpg
 
[Editor's Note: You can also click on the picture to see what changes the TIE Fighter fanatics would like.]

Then I think you will have the perfect up to date TIE Fighter! Pretty please? (GH, 10/17/08)
 
     Those are all great comments and we will take them into account if and when we do another TIE version.  For now, we are excited about the "Mutiny on the Ran Ecliptic" Rebel Squadron TIE coming out this year from Diamond Comics�a dream come true for fans of both the classic TIE and the EU.

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Regarding the upcoming A New Hope wave of Legacy figures, any chance we can get a picture of Trinto Duaba wearing his hood/cloak? Or how about a better look at the Jawa & WED Droid duo? (HH, 10/17/08)

     We're sorry but we don't have too much more beyond what was shown at Comic Con. Hopefully the attached images of the Jawa and WED will suffice.

     On Trinto, we have no images with the cloak at all. Sorry!


In a previous Q&A session, you confirmed a Clone Commando update was coming in in an Evolutions set in Spring 2009 (schedule permitting). Can we hope for a new SA Endor Rebel Commando to be included or should we be expecting more Clones to fill out the set? (HH, 10/17/08)

     It will be Clone-focused.

Things are looking pretty bleak for Dr. Jones as all signs unfortunately seem to point to the end of his toy line. How about this - If retail is drying up and on-lines sales alone won’t support the line, how about putting that nifty 2009 Raiders wave into an SDCC’09 Exclusive Box Set to reward those of us who loved the line? We get the figures we want, you get HUGE amounts of warm fuzzies from us Indy collectors. SDCC seems like the perfect outlet/market for this type set… yes, no, maybe? Please? (HH, 10/17/08)

     Interesting idea, but it's not in the works for Comic Con next year.

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I have heard of numerous stories where there were inadequate supplies of the Game Stop Exclusive Stormtrooper Commander  figures on hand for those who bought the game. I haven't heard of one store who stocked more than a dozen of these figures to be honest. Knowing that part of the issue was not Hasbros, are there any plans to send Game Stop more figures or are there any future plans to release this figure again as part of a legends or basic carded wave? (IS, 10/17/08)

     Not only was the problem not ours, we had nothing to do with distribution and did not know the dispensation of this figure until the Friday before the on-sale date for the TFU game. We scrambled to get the word out once we learned, but it was too late to do anything but inform at that point.  We do have plans to get this figure back out there, possibly as early as Comic Con next year.

There are SO many great characters from The Force Unleashed game that beg for their own card.  Are we going to see any Incinerator Troopers,
Shadow EVO Troopers, Kazdan Paratus, or even the giant Phase Troopers?  Maybe a 2-Pack of Phase Troopers as a battlepack?  I know that the incinerator troopers and shadow troopers are in the Wal-Mart exclusive 3-Packs, but will we see these on their own cards? (IS, 10/17/08)

     The Force Unleashed looks to be on its way to being perhaps the best selling Star Wars game in history - no mean feat with predecessors like Battlefront II and KotOR. Equally as passionate have been the fans, and "when are we getting more TFU figures?!!" is easily the top question for this Q&A session.  We like TFU as much as you and we are looking at adding additional characters.  If we did, they might not be here before Spring 2010, but many of the characters you suggest are high on our list.  We are looking at a way of getting the TFU Stormtrooper Commander back out and available, possibly for Comic Con next year.

Any idea when we'll see more speeders? Luke's landspeeder should be about due for a re-release or upgrade since it hasn't been available for several years, as well as upgraded versions of Anakin and Zam's speeders from Episode II. And please, please, please consider Boba Fett's Silver Speeder too! It's about time for Boba's other vehicle! (Please see pic at http://www.droidsandewoks.com/silver_speeder.htm) (IS, 10/17/08)

     Speeders are admittedly less of a priority for us while we concentrate on more "aggressive" new vehicles and upgrades to key creatures.  We are sure at some point we will re-release Luke's speeder, however.  The others are highly unlikely to ever be re-released or upgraded.  Thanks for making us aware of Boba's speeder.  As cool as it is, it stands a very low chance of seeing the light of day unless it shows up somewhere in future entertainment.

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Indiana Jones Collectors' Indiana Jones Q&A removed due to space issues; please see the Indy Q&A Compendium

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Why do Star Wars figures still use T-crotches instead of switching over to the newer types of sculpts used now on G.I.Joe and the upcoming 3 3/4" Marvel figures? (JI, 10/17/08)

     In most cases, it's because of the added expense and for aesthetic reasons - we want the articulation to work seamlessly with the visual appeal of the character rather than be the driving force behind the figure. Based on the continued popularity of our current figure lineup, fans seem to appreciate the results as well and we don't have plans to deviate from the model.

With the inclusion of Fen Shysa in the Expanded Universe Comic Packs, it seems like Hasbro is more willing to go way back into the Marvel run of Star Wars comics. Any chance we could see more old favorites like Kiro, Dani, Bey, Rik Duel, Knife, Drebble, or maybe even a Stenax? (JI, 10/17/08)

     Beyond a Luke/Lumiya 2-pack and the Wal-Mart exclusive Ewok 3-pack next Spring, we will not be doing much with the Marvel comic run in 2009. We do hope to come back in 2010 with some more packs, including, hopefully 1-2 of the characters that you mentioned. Of the ones you mention, Dani and Rik Duel would be highest on our priority list.

In a previous Q&A segment, you guys seemed to indicate that Nom Anor would be making an appearance in plastic form in the near future. Since then, you've showered us with Crimson Empire-related love; first with the Jax/Kanos comic pack and now the upcoming Entertainment Earth exclusive set. This may be splitting hairs, but would it be safe to assume we'll be seeing our favorite Vong infiltrator sporting his armored and cloaked look as seen in the Crimson Empire series or, perhaps, do you plan on retooling [or even pre-tooling] the mold used for the now confirmed Kyle Katarn/Yuuzhan Vong warrior comic pack to offer up a more diplomatic look? (JI, 10/17/08)

     A Nom Anor pack did not make the list for 2009, but we can confirm that he'll be in the 2010 comic pack lineup.

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With more Ultimate Battle Packs being announced Stateside, the UK has still yet to see either of the first two from last year?  Do you have any update on if, when and where we might get these?  Also, talking about things Stateside, will we be seeing the just announced Clone Wars DVD Packs (that are Wal*Mart exclusives in the US being released to coincide with the DVD\Blu-Ray release of the film) in the UK? (JN, 10/17/08)

     The previous two packs (released at Target in late 2007) will be coming to retail in the UK any time now so look for those soon.  The two Ultimate Battle Packs coming to Target later this Fall are currently being looked at for Spring 2009 in the U.K. although we do not have the specific retailer nailed down (the assumption is that it will be Toys 'R Us).  We hope to get distribution lined up before too long - stay tuned.  On the Clone Wars DVD 3-packs, they are getting distributed in the U.K. as well and should be hitting any time now.

With the credit crunch hitting people's pockets hard, it's been suggested that lines like the Saga Legends and the continual vehicle and battle pack re-packs are making it easy for collector's to make cut-backs in their spending.  Do you see certain lines suffering as a result and with these kinds of things, do you have lower production runs to take this into account or will you also be cutting some of these products/lines back to cope with this? (JN, 10/17/08)

     While that would seem to be a concern, the current situation is the exact opposite, in fact. The Star Wars vehicle and battle pack lines have never been more popular than they seem to be right now, in part due to the strong product offering but also the continued popularity of Star Wars.

     If some collectors are deciding to forego purchases, an equal number (plus a large number of kids) may be just joining the collecting ranks and have helped keep the popularity high.


The Galactic Heroes line continues to go from strength to strength and it's very much a fan's favourite - thanks for the vehicles you've added this year, very much appreciated.   There are a few core vehicles yet to be made thought which would fit perfectly into the range; they are Slave I, standard TIE Fighters, AT-ST and the AT-AT.  Can you let us know if any of these are on the drawing board and if we may see any of them in 2009? (JN, 10/17/08)

     We're glad that you are enjoying the GH line - we are certainly having fun bringing it to you.  At least two of your vehicle wish list are on the drawing board and will see the light of day in 2009. No telling which just yet - for that, you will have to stay tuned until the time of the spring Toy Fairs.

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Of the current Dark Horse comic titles on the stands ( Knights Of The Old Republic, Dark Times, Rebellion & Legacy ), we've only seen Comic 2-pack offerings for the Legacy series.� When can we expect to see some offerings for the current comic titles?� And can you give us some hints about which characters might be in the running? (JTA, 10/17/08)

     We have been concentrating more on Legacy because of the amazing impact and excitement this title has brought to the EU (however, don't forget that Rebellion actually inspired the Dagger Squadron B-Wing and pilot Netrem Pollard!).� As far as comic packs go from the current DH titles, the next one up will be Rebellion #3 out late this year/early 2009 featuring a pair of characters in the awesome new Rebel stealth suit. After that will be two more Legacy titles in 2009 (one which will feature Darth Krayt), and finally the first KotOR issue should be out late 2009 if the schedule holds.

We were very pleased to read in the Q&A's that the vintage Klaatu, Wooof, has been confirmed for 2009's basic figure line.� And we were equally happy to see that Jabba's palace aliens will be part of the 2009 RETURN OF THE JEDI basic figure wave.� But can we expect to get some of the never before made aliens from Jabba's palace?� Perhaps aliens like Yoxgit, Cane Addis, Geezum or Loje Nella? (JTA, 10/17/08)

     Long term we do plan to get to some of these guys, but they are not in the 2009 lineup.

In the most previous Q&A session with Jedi Temple Archives, Hasbro confirmed that there would be a new Imperial Officer on the way in 2009.� And that said officer would be an identified character, and not generic.� Are we looking at an all new character, or is this going to be bringing another Imperial Officer up to date?� And could this perhaps be the Captain Needa figure that's been talked about in collector circles for the past couple of years? (JTA, 10/17/08)

     It will indeed be Captain Needa.

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I have to say, the upcoming figures in the Legacy collection are very good but one of the figures confuses me... Wioslea. She was a civillian on Tatooine and THOUGHT to be a jedi, may I ask why has a lightsaber been put with the figure set? Many people have been asking this question and I also wanted to know where do you the inspiration for the lightsaber. (MD, 10/17/08)

     This was a mistake in the image that was sent out, as it seems our studio mistakenly put Obi-Wan's lightsaber in Wioslea's hands. The figure does not come with the lightsaber.

Now that we've all played The Force Unleashed we see the potential for another wave of TFU action figures.
I would really love to see Galen Marek, codenamed Starkiller in Raxus Prime Survival Gear, Shaak Ti (Felucia) General Kota's Millitia Guards, PROXY, Imperial Purge Trooper, Kazdan Paratus, Captain Ozzik Sturn, Felician Warriors, Rodian Ripper and Rodian Heavy Defender.
You may even want to upgrade the Shadow Guard sculpt, to be more accurate and if you do, there are another two repaints there (Imperial Royal and Senate Guard). I'd even buy a young Galen Marek and Kento Marek figure two pack! You might even want to consider re-releasing the Stormtrooper Commander figure, as there are people who missed out due to retail stores either not receiving enough stock, or perhaps very sneakily, taking them for themselves and profiting from them on the secondary market. I guess what I am asking is...when can we see more Force Unleashed Figures and what will they be??? (MD, 10/17/08)

     The Force Unleashed looks to be on its way to being perhaps the best selling Star Wars game in history - no mean feat with predecessors like Battlefront II and KoTA. Equally as passionate have been the fans, and "when are we getting more TFU figures?!!" is easily the top question for this Q&A session. We like TFU as much as you and we are looking at adding additional characters. If we did, they might not be here before Spring 2010, but many of the characters you suggest are high on our list. We are looking at a way of getting the TFU Stormtrooper Commander back out and available, possibly for Comic Con next year.

At SDCC you revealed that there will be a Magnaguard in THE CLONE WARS line early next year. In the recent Round of QnAs you revealed that you will be releasing the Magnaguard Starfighter early next year too. My question is: When can we expect to see a NEW, more articulated Magnaguard (hopefully with a soft goods cape) in THE LEGACY COLLECTION? (MD, 10/17/08)

     We do not have plans right now for a new Magnaguard figure in the Legacy Collection lineup in 2009…possibly in 2010, but not before. The ship, however, is being designed with our standard vehicle aesthetics meaning it will straddle both the Legacy and animated Clone Wars worlds.

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I know it's been stated already that we won't be seeing any realistic style versions of characters from the Clone Wars animated series. But now we've seen a picture of what appears to be a prototype for an incredible realistic style Clone Wars Anakin. Will this figure be released at some point? It's such a great-looking potential figure! Please? (RS, 10/17/08)

     We have no plans to produce realistic versions of the Animated Clone Wars characters. Those images are from the very first treatments we did of the figures back in Fall 2006, to show Lucasfilm the figure aesthetics that we proposed pursuing. The sculpts consisted of a dead match for the original Animated Clone Wars Anakin proportions, what a "realistic" take on the figure would look like, and a hybrid that adopted more of the realistic proportions with the animated look, which became the one approved to go forward. Part of the challenge with the original proportions was that the limbs were very thin, making it difficult to incorporate the desired articulation, necessitating the suggested hybrid.

Will Titanium fans see these five ships/vehicles in 2009?
# Sith Fighter
# Naboo Yacht
# SPHA-T
# Republic Gunboat
# Asajj Ventress' Fanblade starfighter

I and many others would love to see all these! By the way, thank you so much for all the new molds in 2008...Great job Hasbro! I would also like to know the Republic Carrier you mention for 2009, is that the CR-20 Republic carrier from the first Clone Wars animations or is it the NU-Class Attack Shuttle from the Clone Wars movie. (Heck, why not both?) (RS, 10/17/08)

     We were referring to the Attack Shuttle from the new Animated Clone Wars. None of the vehicles you ask about are in the 2009 line plan, but we are looking at some of these as potential new vehicles for 2010. There are a bunch of new vehicles we'd like to do, and as usual, only so many slots for "new" that we will actually be able to do. In any case, we think what we have coming down the road will be very exciting. Stay tuned!

I was wondering if you had any updates on some figures that you've already confirmed for us, like if they'll be in comic packs, basic figure line, Evolutions, when they'll be released...pictures if possible! ;)
1. K'kruhk
2. Lumiya
3. Exar Kun
4. Kyle Katarn
5. Vong Warrior (RS, 10/17/08)

     Sorry, we do not have any pictures for you. Kyle Katarn and Yuzhong Vong, from Star Wars Tales 21, will be up first in a Spring 2009 comic pack, followed a wave later by both a Luke/Lumiya pack and an Exar Kun/Ulic Qel-Droma pack. K'Kruhk will not see his debut until very late 2009 in the last basic figure wave of the year, which should tell you the theme of that wave.

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With the recent release of The Force Unleashed and the success of Hasbro's TFU product in the 2008 TAC line, what are the chances of getting more TFU figures beyond the 2009 Felucia Shaak Ti you recently confirmed? Understanding that the soonest there could be new TFU items is 2010, collectors want PROXY, more of Starkiller's costumes, a new Juno Eclipse more accurate to the final game, accurate Incinerator Troopers, teenage Princess Leia, battle-damaged Rahm Kota, Kazdan Paratus, accurate Jump Troopers, shadow versions of the various troopers, and even a 3.75" figure version of the Rogue Shadow and the Bull Rancor. Any of these gonna happen, and what can we do to increase that likelihood? (SSG, 10/17/08)

     The Force Unleashed looks to be on its way to being perhaps the best selling Star Wars game in history - no mean feat with predecessors like Battlefront II and KotOR. Equally as passionate have been the fans, and "when are we getting more TFU figures?!!" is easily the top question for this Q&A session. We like TFU as much as you and we are looking at adding additional characters. If we did, they might not be here before Spring 2010, but many of the characters you suggest are high on our list. However, we don't think the Bull Rancor or Rogue Shadow are likely candidates unless they show up elsewhere in entertainment as well - neither is really as central as we'd like to have the peace of mind we'd be able to recoup the massive investment needed for these (as it is, we had to split the Rancor into two different packs to be able to justify it, something we can't do with the more confined Bull Rancor).

Not long ago, we asked which EU figures were their personal favorites and wishlist entries, but none of the ones listed were from the Marvel series. With the upcoming Lumiya figure (and by the way, who will she be coming with in that comic 2pack? Issue #96 suggests Luke from the duel, but perhaps someone else maybe?), what other Marvel figures might be on the team members' EU wishlists? (SSG, 10/17/08)

     Lumiya will indeed be coming with Luke, to allow fans to recreate their epic duels. Along with the recently released favs K-3PX, Fenn Shysha, Tobbi Dala, and the upcoming Wal-Mart exclusive Ewok 3-pack, we're glad to have been able to get to some of our top candidates this year. Next year will be a bit drier for the Marvel characters as we concentrate on more Dark Horse facets, but it's a good bet that there will be more Marvel-inspired goodness in 2010. High on our wish list would be some new versions of Luke and Leia, Valance the Hunter, Dani, Rik Duel, and Tippet (to round out the clan). How many will actually make it, if any, in the 2010 line plan remains to be seen.

Back in Dec '07, you told us that while you didn't have a carded basic Wedge Antilles planned, there was "at least one cool new Wedge figure" due in '08 if your schedule held. This August, you told another site that you "had plans for a great Wedge this year, but the project was delayed and will appear in Fall 2009," (again, if schedules held). Then on Sept 5th, a third site asked about Wedge, and you gave a similar answer about the set he's in being delayed until "later in 2009". Now, an online retailer has listed a case assortment for Comic Packs Wave 5 which includes "X-wing Rogue Squadron #32 with Borsk Fey'la and Wedge Antilles (Academy Outfit)" expected out around February '09. Is their set listing accurate, and if so, is this your aforementioned Fall '09 Wedge or a different figure altogether? (SSG, 10/17/08)

     That listing *is* accurate and it is not the Wedge we were hinting at, but in fact another set centered around Wedge. Stay tuned!

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Since the information flow around the TFU Stormtrooper Commander left something to be desired is there any way we will see this rereleased since it sounds like this was shipped in extremely limited quantities. I know you said that you are not handling the distribution but you could still release more of them right? If there was ever a figure to scream Saga Legend or Battlepack. (ST, 10/17/08)

     We are aware that a lot of fans were frustrated at the inability to get this figure and we will be looking at ways to get it back out there at some point, possibly for Comic Con next year.
 
Back in July you said in a Q&A session that there will be about 4 or 5 figures based on concept art coming in 2009. I'm just wondering if you could give an update on these. Do you have a definite number nailed down now? Will they all be in one wave or spread out over the year? Will they be exclusives? (please no!) And finally, can you drop any hints at all about who they might be? (ST, 10/17/08)

     There will be no exclusives - they will all be mainline figures in Legacy/Droid Factory waves like the majority of the McQ figures in the 30th lineup.  At present time it looks like there will be four figures in 2009.

Now that you've entered the realm of removable hats for Imperial officers, any chance of a General Veers resculpt with a removable hat? This would have the added bonus of providing a nice custom "Walter Donovan" head for Indiana Jones enthusiasts who might be saddened by the demise of the Indy line and the absence of a Donovan figure. (ST, 10/17/08)

     It's unlikely we'll be getting to another Veers version any time soon.

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When will we see the Yuuzhan Vong? As one of the biggest species to impact the Star Wars universe, I'm sure they deserve the plastic treatment. (ST/"TJ", 10/17/08)

     We can't get one out soon enough, as he has been in development for some time as part of a Spring '09 comic pack wave.  He'll be packed out with a new Kyle Katarn figure, reprinting the great story from Star Wars Tales #21. There will be a second Vong, of sorts, when we also debut a comic pack featuring Darth Krayt, also in Spring 2009.  The long wait for both of these awesome packs will be well worth it.
 
In terms of iconic characters you want to keep available, how high up on the list might a new version of A New Hope C-3PO be? Specifically, one that is as articulated as the Endor Throne version but with something like the POTF2 Cinema Scene "Purchase of the Droids" version's texture/paint apps? Or if that's getting too "scene specific", how about just a dirtier version of him and maybe throw in a comlink accessory (which would mean he'd need to be able to hold it somehow)? (ST/"TJ", 10/17/08)

     We probably will be getting to upgrades for some of C-3PO's other appearances at some point, although none are slated currently.  Adding articulation, as you say, and the ability to hold items are both strong possibilities for future versions.
 
The other day I came across the new Galactic Heroes Obi-Wan's Jedi Starfighter playset and noticed something odd. On the packaging it states that included in the set is a Battle Droid yet there is no figure inside. Why? (ST/"TJ", 10/17/08)

     The intent was to add Battle Droid to the set, but the request was made too late and it could not make production. One was added to the artwork, which went to the factory separate from the actual physical parts, and we could not get the packaging changed in time once we learned that the figure would not make the set. We kept on with the production of the set since we had an urgent need to get the set to retail, and we reasoned that any consumer would be able to see the contents of the set before purchase so they would not feel they were missing something.  The package has since been revised to omit the droid.

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With the recent release of images of Anakin figural sketches at Target.com, are the Saga-style sculpts something you will pursue for "The Clone Wars" animated characters? (SWC, 10/17/08)

     Nope. Those images are from the very first treatments we did of the figures back in Fall 2006, to show Lucasfilm the figure aesthetics that we proposed pursuing. The sculpts consisted of a dead match for the original Animated Clone Wars Anakin proportions, what a "realistic" take on the figure would look like, and a hybrid that adopted more of the realistic proportions with the animated look, which became the one approved to go forward. Part of the challenge with the original proportions was that the limbs were very thin, making it difficult to incorporate the desired articulation, necessitating the suggested hybrid.

With The Legacy Collection encompassing all six films and the Expanded Universe, any chance for more Concept Art figures down the line? Lots of fans would still love to see Concept Emperor, Concept Lando, or even Concept Jabba. (SWC, 10/17/08)

     There are four more concept figures coming in the 2009 line, although they are from artists other than Ralph McQuarrie. Stay tuned!

Has the response to the AT-TE and new Millennium Falcon been positive enough for Hasbro to consider doing a 3 3/4" scale Jabba's Sail Barge? (SWC, 10/17/08)

     We will not be pursuing a Jabba's Sail Barge. Instead, we have to stick to the most iconic and high-demand vehicles for these upper price points. The Sail Barge, as cool as it is, just would not be popular enough with kids to justify the enormous costs.

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Toy News International's Indiana Jones Q&A removed due to space issues; please see the Indy Q&A Compendium

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Why does the Force Unleashed Juno Eclipse figure differ so much from the game model - where as other Characters do not. (TPU, 10/17/08)

     We designed the figure with the input we were given at the time. As it is, PROXY does feature this outfit in the scene where we first meet the both of them.

How successful has the Falcon been in the US and UK - and will that reflect on whether more larger scale types of product will be made in the future? (TPU, 10/17/08)

     There is still a long way to go with the majority of the selling season in front of us. We will have a better handle after the holidays regarding the consumer appetite for our higher-end vehicles. Spread the word, just in case, and make sure that every young Star Wars fan has one or both this coming holiday!

The Build A Droid Droid Factory droids are great, but when you selectively buy figures rather than the whole wave, it can be off putting. Are there any plans to release the droids in a set or on individual cards? (TPU, 10/17/08)

     There are no plans to offer the figures in sets or on individual cards. We look at it this way: if your buying behavior has always been to get individual figures, then you are doing nothing that you did not do before, except that you are accumulating some cool droid parts that you can save and customize together when you have enough. If perhaps the droid parts entice you to maybe pick up a figure you would not have otherwise, then we have done our job in creating a pack-in that has amplified desire where you had lower interest before. For the fan who is more of a completist and is sticking with us through all of the new figure releases, it's downright cool as they will be the happy owner of a number of great new droids only available as bonus pack-ins. From the way we see it, everyone comes away with something cool from the Droid Factory pack-ins.

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We are all devastated to hear the news about the Indiana Jones line's apparent demise.

Is there any chance that a Christmas miracle with huge sales accompanying the KOTCS DVD release could lead to a resurrection of the line? Or have the reports of the line's demise been greatly exaggerated?

Also, NOT getting Toht will register as a punch in the face for those of us who faithfully collected this line. Now, our collections will have a gaping hole in it that can never be filled. So how about taking the sculpt you made, which looks excellent, and producing it as a gesture of good will to us?

If you can't release it stores, go ahead and sell it as an online exclusive for 20 bucks a pop, I'll buy it and so will many other folks. Or, some folks have suggested maybe a "chase" figure in the Star Wars line? Or, instead of putting the remaining stock on clearance, call it back and put them in big movie packs with one of each figure from the movies in them, and sneak in Toht that way? Please? Pretty please with sugar on top?

We simply must have Toht Hasbro, we must! Otherwise, a word of warning: Karma is very unforgiving! Smile Would it make any difference if we descended on your headquarters holding placards in protest?
(YF, 10/17/08)

     At that point, no. Without a movie or entertainment backdrop to maintain kids' interest in the line, it's just not possible to maintain momentum in the intensely competitive boys' action aisle. We are extremely passionate fans of the IJ line ourselves, and anticipate that the line will return if and when there is another IJ movie. Until then, the decision to rest the brand will position it for the best possible return. Your other suggestions are interesting but we can't do IJ as chase figures in the Star Wars lineup - we have to keep them separate, and the online marketplace cannot support our release volumes.

Hasbro, there's a lot of collectors who are very disappointed in how the Indiana Jones line was handled.

We know that you tried, but we feel that one problem was that there just wasn't a good choice of character selection in the initial waves, and ther were some overpacked certain characters (heck, EVEN WAVE FOUR has a lot of figures in it that are pegwarming from the early waves).

Now that the line is ending, is there any part of your decision being influenced by the new line for the GI JOE movie line coming out? And are you going to re-evaluate how you approach that line based on how Indy turned out?

---- Chewie
(YF, 10/17/08)

     We're not sure exactly what you are asking here....our decision to rest IJ is not in any way influenced by the GI Joe movie, but based on the realization that without an entertainment backdrop for the line to keep kids engaged in the brand we would not be positioned for success. As far as character selection, we based our release decisions based on the most popular characters, with a heavy reliance on IJ and secondarily on Mutt. That is not something we would ever second guess, as those are the characters that resonate with kids who form a vital part of the audience and knowing as we do that an IJ line cannot be built on collectors alone. As far as the release decisions made for the secondary characters, we will certainly take that into account the next time we plan out an IJ line if and when there is another movie.

The Gamestop Force Unleashed Stormtroooper Commander promotion was, at best, horribly managed by all parties involved. Some stores said they had no troopers, some gave them to their employees, some didn't hold for the preorders as promised, and others just gave them away. Plus we didn't know the official details of the promotion until just days before the game release.

So....are there any plans to make this figure available in some format to collectors who may actually want one (maybe similar to how the Battlefront Scout Trooper was available through StarWarsShop.com) rather than having to resort to EBAY for them? (YF, 10/17/08)

     We are aware that a lot of fans were frustrated at the inability to get this figure and will be looking at ways to get it back out there at some point, possibly as early as Comic Con next year.

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Now that The Force Unleashed is out, it was really great to see some of those new figures from the TAC TFU wave in action, like General Kota and Juno Eclipse. However, I noticed that a few key characters don't have figures. Does Hasbro have any plans to revisit TFU and make some more figs? There is easily enough for a whole wave: The Apprentice (carded), Proxy, Kazadan Paratus, Purge Trooper, Incinerator Trooper (carded), Shadow Trooper (carded), Felucian Warrior, Shaak Ti (Felucian outfit), Raxus Prime Junk Warrior, The Apprentice's Father, and more. That's plenty, and it would drum up more interest in the game. And speaking of figures/characters from the game, are there any plans to re-release the Stormtrooper Commander somehow? The fact that it was an exclusive to GameStop for the game's releases was okay, but some stores in my area (and over 100 miles away) didn't even know about the promotion, much less get any figures. I was lucky enough to get one, but I know a ton of collectors who didn't and are griping about the extremely limited release. (YN, 10/17/08)

     The Force Unleashed looks to be on its way to being perhaps the best selling Star Wars game in history - no mean feat with predecessors like Battlefront III and KoTA. Equally as passionate have been the fans, and "when are we getting more TFU figures?!!" is easily the top question for this Q&A session. We like TFU as much as you and we are looking at adding additional characters. If we did, they might not be here before Spring 2010, but many of the characters you suggest are high on our list. We are looking at a way of getting the TFU Stormtrooper Commander back out and available, possibly for Comic Con next year.

Is there any chance and is it even possible to have an updated sound chip for the BMF? Perhaps with sounds and dialogue from the other films in which the Falcon was in? It would be pretty cool if you could swap out a chip and have the sounds and dialogue from each film! While I realize it's probably not possible now that it's been produced, it might be an idea to think about in future vehicles that appear in multiple films. (YN, 10/17/08)

     We packed in what we felt were the key audio clips that really make the Millennium Falcon's character come alive. It is not possible however to swap out the sound chip, and it is doubtful we would release a new version with alternate sounds.

Will we be seeing any more figures based on Ralph McQuarrie's concepts in the future or has that ship sailed? (YN, 10/17/08)

     The concept figure sub-series will be back in a more limited way in 2009, with four figures. There are none from Ralph McQuarrie in the lineup next year, as we are spreading out the concept to some other very cool artists and characters.
« Last Edit: October 30, 2008, 02:38 PM by Matt »
"The good news is that all that blood is actually ketchup. The bad news, however, is that all that ketchup is actually blood."

Offline Matt

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Re: The Hasbro Q & A Compendium
« Reply #63 on: November 11, 2008, 10:48 PM »
Session 62 - November 7, 2008

AF

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When will we see ball & socket hips and wrists on Stormtroopers and phase one clones? I would easily buy 20 new stormies. (BS, 11/07/08)

     We have no plans to do ball and socket wrists, since that really adds cost that we feel is not warranted on figures, preferring instead to stick with swivel wrists for functionality. We will look to do ball and socket hips only when a figure needs it - like if they are designed to ride a speeder bike or creature, but this will not be a standard across the line.

Can we hope to see “weapons lockers” for the OT line of figures such as loads of imperial blasters, long rifles, and rebel pistols? This WOULD BE AWESOME! Since it is running off of current weapons for clones and we have current weapons for OT this seems a no brainer. (BS, 11/07/08)

     That is an interesting suggestion for the figures that are specifically original trilogy. We’ll take a look and see what we are able to do.

Who is going be packed with Darth Krayt in the upcoming comic pack? Forum member DarthFagan’s guesses include Cade Skywalker (as he looked when he was Krayt’s captive), Emperor Roan Fel, Sigel Dare (female imperial knight), or Jariah Syn (Cade’s Bounty Hunter friend). Or how about a sith 2-pack with Darth Wyyrlok or Darth Nihl? So are we close? (BS, 11/07/08)

     It will indeed be Sigel Dare.

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CC

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Last year, Hasbro released the R2-KT figure while making a charitable donation to ensure that the spirit of a figure for the Katie Johnson charity was fully met before any were sold. With R2-KT appearing in the Clone Wars movie, is there a chance we could get animated R2-KT as a repainted animated R2-D2 figure in a similar charity-type release? (CS, 11/07/08)

     We do not have plans at this time, but there is a strong possibility that we could revisit that promotion in the future, perhaps in 2010.

Will there be more droid repaints in the Clone Wars line? The molds already exist, so they shouldn't be too difficult to achieve. For instance, will there be TC-70 based on the C-3PO mold, R4-P17 based on the R2-D2 mold, or KRONOS-327 based on the IG-86 mold? TC-70 obviously would be a good companion piece to the upcoming animated Jabba you're developing, and Obi-Wan needs a droid to fit in his Jedi Starfighter's droid slot. (CS, 11/07/08)

     Two of three droids you cite will be out within a year. The remaining one has a strong likelihood of also coming out, perhaps as an exclusive at some point. Stay tuned!

In Hasbro's GI Joe line's comic packs, they have moved beyond mere reprints to also feature entirely new stand-alone comics. Given that Dark Horse has released similar Star Wars comics to retailers in the past, have you considered working with them to commission new stand-alone Star Wars comics that feature highly-requested EU characters that otherwise don't appear in the comics and therefore have a lot less chance of being released as figures? (CS, 11/07/08)

     Creating new comics comes at a not-insignificant cost, and we prefer to keep our investment in the new figure tools rather than new untold comic stories. The reason we were interested in partnering with Dark Horse was the rich treasure trove of comics that have been produced over the 30-year run. That's not to say we eventually won't do custom comics (Dark Horse is very keen in working with us on this), but the reprints is where we plan to keep our focus.

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Have you considered teaming with the Disney theme parks as a shared (Disney/HTS.com) exclusive outlet for keeping new and old figures out there for fans? The "entertainment support" will be there 24/7, and I believe the Disney Park stores have been selling Indy merchandise and action figures for the better part of fifteen years now. Also, there have been quite a few exclusive Star Tours figures that seemed to be pretty popular as theme park only items... (CTR, 11/07/08)

     This would not be an effective way to merchandise in the relatively limited space available for the Disney Parks. Instead they have better success with the current mix and select exclusives. While a lot of Star Tours figures were produced, the ones at the end were struggling in popularity and proof that the idea may only be able to be extended so far.

Since the Indiana Jones line is ending after the TOD wave, there will be some MAJOR gaps in the collection- such as Toht and Walter Donovan. What is the chance of seeing some of these gaps filled as starwarsshop/indianajonesshop exclusives? You already have both Toht (as seen at SDCC) and Donovan (Cobra Commander body from SCDD Exclusive with a new head) in the works, so why waste the effort already put into these figures and leave collectors upset with incomplete collections? (CTR, 11/07/08)

     Online, unfortunately, only reaches a fraction of the collecting audience. For the IJ figures to really succeed and hit our volumes, we need to have national distribution, and that will happen only when there is more IJ entertainment news. If there is another movie, Toht (and the entirety of the shelved Raiders wave) will be in the lineup.

Since the 3 3/4" wave with the melting Toht has been cancelled...does this mean that the Last Crusade wave of Adventure Heroes has been cancelled as well? I need a cute Sean Connery! (CTR, 11/07/08)

     All of the Adventure Heroes that were previously announced will ship this year.

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In past Q&A responses, you confirmed the following figures for release sometime in 2009. It's been awhile since we've heard about these, so can you tell us if plans have changed for any of them -- 2X-7KPR (the final unreleased droid from the ANH Jawa Sandrawler scene -- doesn't appear to be part of the upcoming ANH wave, so is he to be released in another way?); Holo Darth Sidious with Mechno Chair (still part of 2009's TPM wave?); Maroon Battle Droid Commander (part of the AOTC wave?), the "Interesting ROTJ Leia" (which was formerly intended to be a Slave/Sandstorm variant); and finally one of the following Jedi upgrades you said were coming in 2009: Coleman Trebor, Pablo Jill, or the Nikto Jedi? Are all these figures mentioned above still coming in 2009, or have some been cancelled or pushed back to 2010? (GH, 11/07/08)

     The last droid from "Purchase of the Droids" is planned as a pack-in with a Jawa in a later wave of 2009.  Darth Sidious and Mechno Chair is still on target for release next year, as is the Leia, Coleman Trebor, and Maroon Battle Droid Commander. Pablo Jill and the Nikto Jedi upgrades are not in the works for 2009 at this point.

To us (the site guys) Toy Fair 2009 is just around the corner. (Well, it is if you're counting your pennies for those expensive NYC hotels.) Anyway, the $20-range vehicles seem to fly off the shelves. How many new additions can we expect to pop up at the big show, and do you have any hints for us? (GH, 11/07/08)

     There will be four 100% newly tooled additions to this spectacular assortment in 2009. The first two that will be out in Spring can be seen in The Clone Wars movie, and they both fly. Let the speculating begin!

Continuing on the vehicle front, is there anything in the plus-sized range for 2009, or will holiday sales be the indicator for such a beast? (GH, 11/07/08)

     We really won't be able to take stock of the opportunity to continue the higher-priced vehicle program until after the holidays.  We would not expect to be able to answer either way until Toy Fair at the earliest.

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Once upon a time (Toy Fair I believe), you mentioned that you were looking into doing a running change on the Legacy Wave 1 RotJ Darth Vader figure where the head would be separate from the helmet collar. Should fans of the 3-piece helmet idea keep hoping for this to happen or was the idea abandoned for the time being? (HH, 11/07/08)

     This idea has been abandoned for now, and we will stick to the one version.

As a self-proclaimed Cantina Alien addict, I can’t wait for the next batch of A New Hope figures. Trinto, Dice, Wioslea, and Brainiac all look fantastic... but what’s this we’re hearing about a possible new EU name for Brainiac? “Pons Limbic” - true or false? (And while we’re on the topic of the ANH wave, any chance at a nice picture of that Space Trooper?) (HH, 11/07/08)

     Yes indeed, Pons Limbic is his name. We don't have any better pictures of the Space Trooper beyond the one that we showed at Comic Con, but it should be released in packaging verrrry soon.

Indy Adventure Heroes question for you - will the Last Crusade wave of AH figures still make it to retail? Just want to make sure that we’re (hopefully) still getting our AH scale Henry Sr. and Grail Knight figures! (HH, 11/07/08)

     Yes indeed, these Adventure Heroes will make it to retail by the end of the year.

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IS (No questions submitted this session)

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At what point was the Indiana Jones line considered a failure and the decision made to end it?  Was it before or after the now-defunct 2009 prototypes were previewed at San Diego Comic Con? (IJC, 11/07/08)

     At Comic Con, we were still optimistic that some of the 2009 would make it to retail. In the subsequent months, the Spring 2009 retail landscape became clearer and it became evident that IJ, without the benefit of any new entertainment, would not have the total audience needed to compete and succeed at retail. Our hope was that the audience we saw at the launch and through the movie period could sustain IJ as a long-term brand, but instead interest closely followed the waxing and waning of the movie (and we anticipate the DVD cycle as well). This is a key learning and we now know better how to plan if there should be another IJ movie.

Why did some of the Indiana Jones figures have lesser quality paint applications than those in the Star Wars line considering both are major Lucasfilm licenses and presumably held to the same rigorous approval process? Was this an intentional cost-cutting approach (because even the hand-painted prototypes differed in quality). (IJC, 11/07/08)

     We were using a brand new factory for the IJ figures, and there was a learning factor in the first wave. This became much more refined with subsequent batches.

Will any aspect of the Indiana Jones license continue (Mighty Muggs, Titanium Series, Adventure Heroes, etc.), or is the license as a whole considered over? (IJC, 11/07/08)

     Other than the Entertainment Earth exclusive wave of Mighty Muggs, the rest of the assortments will be done after this Fall.

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Your Legacy Wave 2, all figure from the 2-D Clone Wars cartoon, was outstanding. You wrapped up a lot of the main wants people had from the original CW cartoons in one fell swoop! The question is now, which characters/figures would Hasbro most like to crank out from the original cartoon? Fans at JediDefender certainly liked a lot of the "arena combat" characters from one episode. (JD, 11/07/08)

     There are still one or two figures (such as Fordo in Type II armor that with Lucasfilm's permission we could possibly do, but for all intents and purposes we are done exploring the original Clone Wars micro-series. Given their very minor screen time, it is highly unlikely we'll ever do any characters from the Asaaj/arena scene, as cool as it was.

The Yavin Scramble sled the Rebels use to ferry gear and pilots is a really cool little vehicle to get in that upcoming battlepack. Our question then is are you planning more of these types of "big accessories" for battlepacks in the future, like maybe the Hoth trooper sled, vehicle maintenance energizer? Also do you happen to have any new photos of the items from the Yavin Battlepack to share (It really is insanely cool!)? (JD, 11/07/08)

     We're glad you like it. Occasionally we have produced some very collector-targeted Battle Packs and plan to occasionally do these going forward. However, as with the large majority of our Battle Packs, the focus will be kid-first and will consist primarily of repacked figures.

The Hoth E-Web/Tripod cannon is cool, but maybe due for an upgrade. It's a little big, and something new could maybe be made to fold up so the awesome new Snowtroopers we've got could carry it around to deploy it. Any chance of that anytime soon? (JD, 11/07/08)

     Not for 2009, but we are looking at the possibility of a new one for 2010.

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Will the Y-Wing type ships from The Clone Wars animated series show up as toys? (JI, 11/07/08)

     We are hopeful that some day it will appear as a 3-3/4" vehicle. However, we are grappling with some challenges with this one so we cannot promise that it will be out any time soon.

LucasArts just announced the Old Republic MMO game. Any plans to have any toys tie-in with this game? (JI, 11/07/08)

     We just learned of this ourselves, so can't say if there is a tie-in that makes sense. Given the success of the Star Wars video games, and the success we have had with figures that tie to the games, we are interested in seeing what new character opportunities the game presents.

When can we expect to see a Bespin Han Solo figure from Empire Strikes Back with VOTC type articulation made? (JI, 11/07/08)

     Hopefully we'll be getting to Bespin Han in 2010.

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We've seen the new list of stickers that come with the Hasbro figure stands and we've sort of put 2 + 2 together based on previous Q&A's to reveal that the concept figures for 2009 include Anakin Skywalker.  Will these concept figures be based around the Clone Wars (i.e. the animated style) or the Prequel's (i.e. realistic) or perhaps even a mixture of both?  What other figures will we see in this line - you said that there'll be a total of 4 concept figures next year - are they all from the same period of time and will they all complement one another? (JN, 11/07/08)

     There will indeed be a concept Anakin figure - that much we can confirm.  All of these will be realistic figures that fit the Legacy Collection, and will be drawn from a mix of original and prequel trilogy sources.

2008 saw the majority of Star Wars products coming in the 2nd half of the year.  Obviously, you've been working hard on the Indy line as well and as you've explained that there's a limit of available factories in the far east to produce goods.  Since, it looks doubtful that the Indy line will continue (unless there's another film) does this mean that these same issues will not occur in 2009 and we'll see Star Wars product spread evenly throughout the year ahead?  Also, is it too early to tell us how many figures we can expect to see next year in the Basic (Clone Wars and Legacy) and Comic Pack lines? (JN, 11/07/08)

     Star Wars and Indiana Jones did not share factories.  The chief reason for the back-loaded slate of releases is because we were switching over to all new assortment numbers for this Fall, which meant that any late Spring items were cancelled and rolled into the Fall assortments (otherwise they would have been released).  The situation for 2009 should be smoother, but due to some sculpting challenges we have had, the Spring will be lighter than the Fall once again. Right now, there are about 46 figures slated for the Legacy Collection/Droid Factory in 7 different waves (one wave, the last EU wave, is slated to be January 2010 so we are not counting this one in the 2009 total even though it is very close). There will be about 34 Clone Wars basic figures.  There are slated to be 14 new Comic 2-packs next year as well.

It's been a while (at least it seems that way) since fans have had a chance to vote on which figures they'd most like to see re-released in > the Greatest Hits line or as new figures.  Many of the figures voted for previously have been re-released and some of the most requested figures have also been produced - for that we thank you - how about another fan's choice poll to see what's still wanted so the gaps can be filled?  Talking of re-releases, whilst playsets are off the radar for the moment have you considered re-releasing the cardboard Cantina and Jabba's Playset environments as they offer enormous play value for a relatively small price - maybe they could even be included in some form of Battle Pack in the future? (JN, 11/07/08)

     We have talked about a reprise of the 2006 Toy Fare Top 25 poll at some point, but have not had the time to adequately dive in and work on it.  We hope to get to it some day soon, and when we do, it will involve the different websites helping with the input to the voting lists. It's just a matter of having the time to be able to get everything sorted out.  Stay tuned...

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The Twilight appears to be one of the more prominent ships in THE CLONE WARS.  It was featured in the theatrical release as well as the television series.  Another Star Wars licensee has already offered a toy version of the ship at retail.  It certainly seems a bit too big for the $20 starfighter assortment.  Given the screen time and action that the Twilight has seen, is it likely to make it into a larger vehicle assortment? (JTA, 11/07/08)

     We do not have any plans to make a 3-3/4" version of the Twilight at this time.

Looking over some responses over the course of the Q&A sessions, we took note of Hasbro confirming that there would be not one, but TWO comic 2-packs drawn from the Dark Horse limited series Jango Fett - Open Seasons.  It seems to be a given that we'll probably be getting the namesake of the series in at least one of the packs.  Can you confirm any of the other characters that we might see in the 2-packs?  Perhaps the Mandalorian Montross, or maybe even Dooku as a Jedi Master? (JTA, 11/07/08)

     Actually, we do not have any Jango Fett: Open Seasons packs in the 2009 line plan, and do not believe we have confirmed any (please help us out if you feel we have indeed directly confirmed any).  We have admitted a desire to do some at one point since there are great characters in there in the form of interesting variations on Jango, Jaster Mereel, Montross, young Dooku, and more.  It's possible we'll get to some of these in 2010, but not before.

Several weeks ago we asked about the Clone Wars era Y-Wing and it's chances of making it into the vehicle line.  Now that the Clone Wars episode Shadow Of Malevolence has aired, and the Shadow Squadron Y-Wings have gotten some serious action along with fan acclaim, how much more likely are we to see the Y-Wing in the Clone Wars vehicle line? (JTA, 11/07/08)

     There is a strong chance that we will be doing a Y-Wing at some point.

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In the last couple of QnA rounds you have confirmed that next year we will see a "deluxe"-type assortment for "The Clone Wars" line as a way to bring back things such as the Spider Droid, Crab Droid, Vulture Droid and Speeder Bikes. This is a move that I, and many other Army Builders from around the world, will surely support.
My question is: Would this type of assortment also see such things like the "Republic Artillery Guns" which were used during the Battle of Christophsis? And could an Assortment like this still find a place in The Legacy Collection as a way of releasing Speeder Bikes for the Clone Lancer Trooper and IG Lancer Droids, and perhaps even for Luke and Leia, and perhaps even Darth Maul's Speeder Bike? (MD, 11/07/08)

     Many of the things you mention will not be released in the new deluxe-type assortment because they do not relate to the new Clone Wars series, which is what this new format will be 100% dedicated to. We have a limited ability to add new segments to the Star Wars line, and if we added something like this for the Legacy Collection, it would mean that something else would have to go away, and we do not feel it would be the best addition for the Legacy line. Incidentally, the Clone cannon from Battle of Christophsis are way to big for this price point, let alone the Starfighter Vehicle Assortment, so we do not have plans to do them, at least for now.

Way back in 1999/2000 as part of the Episode 1 line you released a "Fambaa with Shield Generator and Gungan Warrior". What are the chances of this being re-released in the Battle Pack format? And would you consider creating the other half of the Shield Generator? The previously released set contains the second half of the Shield Generator which emits the shield over the army. The first half is a longer more cannon like device which shoots a beam of energy into the emitter. This would be a nice addition for those of us who already have the original release. (MD, 11/07/08)

     That's a very interesting question and one we'll look at as a possibility for farther down the road. We will not be releasing any of the big Episode I sets any time soon, as we are still a few years away from there being a big upswell in Episode I collecting interest. When that time comes, we'll be looking at new as well as re-release opportunities.

Over the years you have given us a variety of "Pack-Ins" with our figures including Slides, Coins, CommTech Chips, Force Files and little Holo figures to name a few. But the stand out "Pack-Ins" seem to be the stands and now the "Build-A-Droid" pieces. Both of these offer us collectors something functional: Stands allow us to display our figures a little like trophies, and the new Build-A-Droid concept allows us to expand our collections with figures that we would probably never get. My question is: Do you see the Build-A-Droid continuing beyond 2009 - if only for another year or two? Or what other pack-ins can we expect? (MD, 11/07/08)

     We like it a lot too and plan for this cool mechanic to have a very long life. As of now, the Droid Factory mechanic will continue in basic figures through at least Spring of 2010. After that, it may continue to show up in other formats (such as multi-packs or exclusives) even if it is not in the basic figure lineup.


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We've started to see what appears to be figures from the Empire Strikes Back wave (seemingly slated for early 2009) start to show on retail websites (such as Walmart.com) - can you fill in the blanks on the wave and/or share pictures. It's been a while since we've seen much of anything new directly from you, and instead of letting some other outlet get the jump on you (like Previews did on the upcoming comic packs), perhaps you'd consider showing us this upcoming wave? At minimum can you tell us who the sixth figure is beyond Luke and Leia from the Medical Frigate, the Hoth Rebel Soldier, Captain Needa and the Ugnaught (grumble - at least tell us that there's something coming with the little guy to fill up the bubble a little further!). Time to get rolling on more early 2009 information don't you think? (RS, 11/07/08)

     You have sussed out the entire wave, with two exceptions. The last figure from the wave is a refresh of the Evolution Emperor, with a great new head. The Droid Factory figure is going to be a hot one - the EU favorite HK-47. How's that for some more information? As for photos, we aren't ready to release any photos of this wave yet, but they should be available soon.

Any chance of seeing a redo on the Titanium series Executor? Preferably one that is very detailed and does not have an Imperial Star Destroyer attached to it. (RS, 11/07/08)

     We do not have plans to redo this one.

In a recent Q&A you confirmed that a super-articulated Republic Commando figure was coming in a spring 2009 Evolutions pack. Will this figure be a generic white-armored commando, a commando from Omega or Delta Squad (if so, which character?), or a commando of Hasbro's own creation? We Republic Commando fans need something to tide us over for the next few months! (RS, 11/07/08)

     It will actually be one we have not done before - Fi, aka RC-8015, who was associated with Omega Squad. Sweet!

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RTM

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Recently, you confirmed that in the '09 Legacy line, there will be an EU wave; separately, you have said that there won't be more TFU figures in '09 beyond Shaak Ti, no KOTOR possible before 2010, no more Clone Wars micro-series figures, and no realistic figures from the new Clone Wars series. With all those EU sources out of the way, and the comic characters getting tons of coverage in the Comic Packs line, does that mean the '09 EU wave will finally show some love for characters from the novels? (Editor's note - for reference, here are all of the remaining yet-to-be-made winners of that poll: Bastila Shan,  Padme Amidala Funeral, Corran Horn, Exar Kun, Nom Anor, Jaina Solo, Anakin Solo, and Jacen Solo. -JT) (SSG, 11/07/08)

     Excellent detective work. Yes indeed, there will be a couple figures from novels in there, including two from the famous 2006 Toy Fare top 25 poll.

(SSG Editor's note - for reference, here are all of the remaining yet-to-be-made winners of that poll: Bastila Shan,  Padme Amidala Funeral, Corran Horn, Exar Kun, Nom Anor, Jaina Solo, Anakin Solo, and Jacen Solo. -JT)

Some collectors have expressed disappointment in the Disturbance at the Lars Homestead set. The example shown in the slideshow at Comic-Con featured much a nicer deco, and while we understand that prototypes usually have more care than production pieces, it seems like this particular production version suffered a severe backslide in quality, the deco just doesn't hold up. It's hard for collectors to understand how a $50 set is only 2 new pieces (the womp rat and the house section), a vacuform base, and 4 older pieces (the 3 figures and the moisture vaporator), and then how it could end up losing significant quality at that pricepoint. We understand the tooling for the house was an extensive portion of the budget, and we appreciate the great effort made to get this made, but collectors keep asking us to ask: what happened here, what went wrong to drag that quality down? And that leads to: why was this set produced now when it couldn't find all the budget for a better deco, more troopers, a treadwell droid, more accessories, etc.? (SSG, 11/07/08)

     We knew from the outset that this set would be narrowly collector-targeted, but because of the prominent and iconic nature of the homestead we decided to go ahead with it. As a result, the overall costs to develop (including tooling) are reflected against a somewhat more narrow volume than that which is reflected in the eventual price. There was just no other way to bring this one out. Originally the Homestead set was to have more troopers and another womp rat, but these had to be removed to contain the costs. As for the deco, the original deco was deemed to be too heavy for the piece and it was pulled back.

Back in April, you said you should have for us at Comic Con a peek at the upcoming Comic Packs Lumiya figure, but with Comic Con come and gone, we still have not seen Lumiya. Is it possible we could see this figure now, and if not, why not? (SSG, 11/07/08)

     Due to sculpting delays, the wave with Lumiya will not be out until the middle of next year. As such, we do not a have a picture of her ready yet.

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On the new animated series Obi-Wan figure, you have added a ball joint at the shoulder that is covered up and solid, and it looks a lot more aesthetically pleasing than previous figures that had the connector showing. Was this a test run of this new type of joint, and will you be adding it to other figures going forward? I'd love to see it put in place as a standard on all figures with ball jointed shoulders, and hopefully ball jointed shoulders will become the standard. (ST, 11/07/08)

     We have migrated the size of the shoulder joint down somewhat over all the figure lines, but it's still a case-by-case basis and it does come with a range limitation when we do it.  The Obi-Wan figure is an example where the joint is inset into more of a pocket since Obi-Wan's tunic and shoulder pads project out somewhat.  On, say, the animated Clone Trooper, the joint is more visible but that's because it is less inset, allowing for a greater range of movement (including the ability to bring hands together in front of the body.  So while we do make progress overall in continual refinement of the aesthetics, it is always with an eye toward individual functionality.

I have heard rumors of a Bespin Han Solo in the Vintage packaging line coming this year or the next. Is this true? Will he be a new sculpt or one based on the same anorexicly thin body/small head that's been used to make the vintage Endor, Bespin Torture, and sandstorm Han? (ST, 11/07/08)

     What you have heard is false.  There is no Bespin Han in the works for this year or next (most likely in 2010).  In addition, we have gone on record as saying that the Vintage line is not coming back in 2009, but we are looking at ways to get it back out after that.
 
The move to a build-a-figure format is encouraging, a proven formula it showed with the Marvel line. Do you plan on expanding this idea in the future? Maybe a build-a-weapon, build-a-Sith, or build-a-Jedi figure? Maybe you can incorporate this with your vehicle line and make a build-a-death star. (ST, 11/07/08)

     We do not have plans to expand this beyond droids. We will not be expanding the concept to flesh-and-blood figures as that doesn't fit the direction of Star Wars, as we treat characters as whole entities rather than pieces.  The exception is droids of course, where by their very nature they can be disassembled.  The Death Star would require an insane number of pieces, and would require too many purchases over too long a period of time to be tenable.  We have no plans to go there.

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When will we get a new Palpatine? I know there is a new comic pack clone Emperor coming, but it's been a long time since a brand new movie accurate Palpatine figure has been released. Today, virtually all Palpatine figures are in need of an update. The only Episode I version is nearly a decade old, there was only one Episode II version ever made, the Episode III red-robed Jedi duel version is really lacking in articulation, several other Episode III versions have never been done, and a new Episode VI version that can sit on his throne is long overdue. Can we expect at least one or more new Palpatine figures in the near future, and if so, could you fill us in on which movie(s) it might be from? (ST/"TJ", 11/07/08)

     We hear you.  It may take a little while, but we eventually plan to introduce several new Palpatines over the next couple of years. The first one up will be a new EpV version that will be due out early next year, with a new head sculpt on the Evolutions body.  Following that, we have the long-awaited hologram Emperor on mechano chair slated for later next year.  After that, our hope is that we can attack a couple more great versions over the next couple of years, including Senate Duel which is our #1 next "wish list" figure.  Stay tuned!
 
What are the chances for seeing in 3-3/4" plastic, some of the unique clone pilots (ie matchstick and others with unique paint jobs) from shadow squadron that piloted the y-wing bombers against the Malevolence with Anakin in the clone wars series? (ST/"TJ", 11/07/08)

     There is a strong chance at least one of them, if not more, will be out next year.
 
You've upgraded the Titanium X-Wing recently with an all-new mold with movable wings, I was wondering if Hasbro would also look at doing the same for the Y-Wing? It'd be nice to first have the engines/wings be actual hollow interiors rather than black-painted simulated hollowing and a slightly larger body than the existing Y-Wing mold to allow for more detail in the sculpt. (ST/"TJ", 11/07/08)

     Interesting idea, but it's not in our long-term plans.

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I'm a long time Star Wars fan that has been pleasantly surprised and impressed by what I've seen so far of The Clone Wars series, in particular the Malevolence story line. Now, how long am I going to have to wait before I can buy the pilots and colorful astromech droids of Shadow Squadron? (SWC, 11/07/08)

     Some of the pilots will be out next year. No word on whether there will be additional astromech repaints, but that's a very interesting suggestion.

Will all four of the upcoming concept art-based figures for 2009 be from the Prequel Trilogy, or will we see a mix of PT and OT? (SWC, 11/07/08)

     There will be a mix of original and prequel trilogy.

Just about all of the Yoda figures from the Prequels have had an action feature of some kind. Any chance for a more articulated, non-action feature Yoda along the line somewhere? (SWC, 11/07/08)

     Interesting question. We are planning a new prequel Yoda in 2010 that should meet your interests.

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TNI

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TPU

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Are there new Greatest Hits ("GH" designated) repack figures planned for the TLC line in '08/'09? Most case revisions from here on out don't specify any further offerings. If so, what are they and when should we expect them? If not, why? (YF, 11/07/08)

     Yes, there will be approximately a dozen Greatest Hits figures in the 2009 lineup. It's too early to reveal them all, but for the most part they will be drawn from various multi-packs and select basic figure releases from the past couple of years.

During the 30th Anniversary collection, you had a designated "EU" wave with figures like Darth Revan and Darth Malak. Are there plans on the horizon for a similarly themed basic carded wave in 2009 or are Comic Packs, Battle Packs and Evolutions sets to be our sources for most EU material figures? (YF, 11/07/08)

     There was an EU-themed wave slated as the very last wave of 2009, but now it has slipped a bit and we anticipate that it will be on-shelf in January 2010 at this point. This wave will include the previously announced The Force Unleashed Shaak Ti as well as K'kruhk and a few other major figures drawn from other EU sources.

Can you give us a preview of what the new Clone Wars Jedi Starfighter looks like when separated into its 2 vehicle mode? Also regarding the new JSF, will the hyperspace ring from the TAC release interface with this new design? If so, will we get a hyperspace ring optioned JSF say for Anakin or future releases since it has been featured in the CW series right out of the gate? (YF, 11/07/08)

     The Hyperspace ring will indeed be compatible with the new Jedi Starfighter. Right now, we are looking for a retail partner for a future version of this ship released with the right. It may not be Anakin as his ship is most likely to be in the mainline Starfighter vehicle assortment, but we could do additional Jedi Starfighters in this manner with the right retail partner.

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With a renewed focus on Jabba-themed items and higher-ticket items (or a combination such as the forthcoming exclusive Sarlacc and Skiff), what is the likelihood that collectors will see either a full or partial Jabba's Sail Barge vehicle/playset in the coming year or two? If it's not currently on the drawing board, what factors would sway you toward developing and releasing one. (YN, 11/07/08)

     While we have discussed it, there is very little chance we would ever release this one simply because it has too many strikes against it. It is not a vehicle that kids would "vote" for, given a choice between a Sail Barge and more aggressive vehicles, it would take a massive development and tooling effort, and it simply is not iconic enough to command what would be a whopping price point. If we continue the big vehicle program, there is a long list of others we would consider before a Sail Barge.

Previous collection lines have run for approximately a year (Saga Collection, Original Trilogy Collection, etc.), so what is the projected lifespan of Legacy Collection and Clone Wars? Will those two merge into a single unified line when the live-action show's merchandising appears on the market? (YN, 11/07/08)

     There will be a new "line look" starting next Fall, but the three basic figures lines as we know them will remain in place at least through Spring 2010. Legacy and Clone Wars will never merge into a single basic figure SKU due to the different audiences and composition of those lines. We don't know anything about live action yet, so we don't know how we're going to handle it. It might be it's own line entirely....we just don't know yet.

When determining the success or failure of a product line, what is the most important source of feedback for Hasbro (aside from sales numbers) and what is the least important? (YN, 11/07/08)

     Sales numbers tell us only that a line did not meet our expectations, not *why*. It's important to understand the why. When a toy or line fails, it could mean that: our original estimates of the market size were off; the consumer insights upon which we built the premise of the toy were unsound; the product did not deliver ultimately on the original promise; or some other unanticipated factor. So to understand why a line fails means digging into the specific especially as it pertains to learning from our mistakes with an eye toward the future.
"The good news is that all that blood is actually ketchup. The bad news, however, is that all that ketchup is actually blood."

Offline Matt

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Re: The Hasbro Q & A Compendium
« Reply #64 on: December 11, 2008, 03:25 PM »
Session 63 - December 5, 2008

As seen on the very same store shelves that we find our beloved SW figures there are all these really cool G.I.Joe battle packs that often come with 5 themed Joe or Cobra figures - basically troop building packs such as a cobra officer with four differently armed troopers. How cool would it be to get say a squad of stormtroopers with an imperial officer, an entire squad of sandtroopers with different colored pauldrons, or even a squad of rebel fleet troopers with an officer to lead them? Rebel troopers, stormtroopers, snowtroopers, bikerscouts, x-wing pilots, y-wing pilots, hoth troopers, endor rebel troopers…the possibilities are endless! So if it can be done for Joe then why not for the SW line? And how about some OT packs (we have plenty of clones)? (BS, 12/5/08)

     We *have* made a significant number of Clone or Troop-focused Battle Packs over the years (with a couple of Clone Wars-focused ones coming out as we speak at Target). We will continue to look at these themes for periodic packs, but won't shift the primary focus of the line from highly kid-centric packs featuring figures to round out a battle.

Why are so much Legacy Wave 1 and Animated Wave 1 figures still shipping, and such a small amount of Legacy Waves 3 and 4 showing up? (BS, 12/5/08)

     Legacy Wave 1 figures should *not* have been shipping for some time, unless what you are seeing are stock that has been in retail distribution centers for some time which might be the case As for Animated Clone Wars basic figures, we are re-releasing many of the figures from the first
waves but this is "invisible" to you at retail since the card backs do not change (unlike with the Legacy/Droid Factory cards).


I know this has been asked frequently last year but it appears through my very non-scientific research that new Legacy figures are selling like hotcakes while Clone Wars and Legends seem to move slower but ship more often. I can point to at least 2 Targets in my area that overstock Legends but under stock Legacy. Is this actually the case and if so, why? And what line is moving the fastest? (BS, 12/5/08)

     All of the basic figure lines (Legacy/Droid Factory, Clone Wars, and Saga Legends) have been extremely well-received since we launched the new look on 7/26/08. Of the three, the most popular has been the new Clone Wars line, no surprise since the series is breaking viewership records on Cartoon Network in the U.S. and looks to enthrall a new generation of Star Wars fans around the world in similar fashion.

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We’ve had the two Elite Forces of the Republic sets, the Fett Legacy Evolutions set, the comic two-packs with Fenn Shysa and Tobbi Dala, Jodo Kast hitting the pegs, and several different versions of Jango and Boba besides. The fans, we love us some Mandalorians, you betcha. Novels, comics, video games, it doesn’t matter; it’s all good. Any plans to further slake our thirst for more Expanded Universe Mando’ade action figures? Say, some Knights of the Old Republic video game and comic book Mandos, or a Kal Skirata & Walon Vau 2-Pack, perchance . . . ? (CC, 12/5/08)

     There won't be many Mando-inspired figures in the 2009 lineup, but the theme will return in 2010 with some more fairly well-known Mandos appearing for the first time, primarily in the comic pack lineup.

I know you’ve probably been asked this before, but are there any plans of releasing an updated Imperial Troop Transport from the old Vintage line? I mean, it was essentially the first piece of EU material. Hell, I’m sure Target or TRU would snatch it up for an exclusive. I’d settle just for a new, improved sculpt and minor electronics (and if you’re being really generous, a pack-in VOTC Stromie). (CC, 12/5/08)

     This does indeed seem to be a popular question. Our point of view on this one is that there are many great "on-screen" vehicles that we have yet to do, or do in a definitive upgraded way, that we do not have plans to go the EU route for our larger vehicles. It is an interesting vehicle that "matches" some of the Rebel transport vehicles seen in Yavin and in Echo Base (the former of which is coming soon, the latter which we hope to get to eventually). So we would not rule out that we would to it some day, but it is very low on our priority list.

Does Hasbro plan to keep doing the release guide like they did this past summer? It is REALLY helpful to have everything that is coming out (from 3.75” figures to vehicles to Mighty Muggs to Galactic Heroes to store exclusives) in one place so you know what is coming out, roughly when they are coming out, and how to budget accordingly. (CC, 12/5/08)

     We have just been extremely busy of late tackling some issues, but we do hope to get to another one soon. Stay tuned....

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With the confirmation of 2X-7KPR - the last unmade droid from the sale of the droids scene - being released in '09 as another Jawa/droid 2-pack, how will this set be released? This is an ANH scene, you've confirmed that ESB will be the only source getting 2 waves in '09, and the '09 ANH wave already has a different Jawa/droid 2-pack, so where will Jawa/2X-7KPR fit into the overall? Will this be a running change repacked into another wave, or has a second ANH wave been slotted - and if the latter, what other figures will be in that 2nd ANH wave? (CS, 12/5/08)

     The EpIV wave that is coming in Janurary, which included the Jawa/WED droid combo, is not tecnnically considered a 2009 wave but one that was pushed out to the very end of 2008. So it does not count against the wave lineup for 2009, and there will be an EpIV wave slotted into the lineup for next Fall that will have this guy in it.


In the past year, we've seen a lot of figures from the POTF2-era Expanded Universe line getting revisited one way or another. The Darktrooper was rereleased as a Fans Choice figure, while Mara Jade got an all-new sculpt in the Comics Packs line, and in that line we're also about to get an all-new Grand Admiral Thrawn, Dark Empire Clone Palpatine, DE Luke, and a new Kyle Katarn. That leaves just Dark Empire Leia, the Heir to the Empire Spacetrooper, and the Imperial Sentinel left to be done, will any of them be either reissued or resculpted any time soon to join their EU brethren? Was it a conscious choice to get all those other POTF2 EU figures rereleased, or just happenstance? (CS, 12/5/08)

     It is no surprise that these figures are in the modern lineup, since their stories are still some of the most beloved of the EU expansion that helped relaunch Star Wars into stratospheric popularity in the early and mid-1990s. We did not make a conscious choice to redo all the PotF2-era EU figures, and two of the three that you mention still have not been slotted into the lineup to be updated. Given the comic pack format or occasional EU wave, we would not be surprised if we eventually get to them someday.

Will Hasbro be modifying the existing or making a new Hyperspace Ring for the ROTS Eta-2 Jedi Starfighter? Will the existing Hyperspace Ring ever be sold by itself in other colors to go with existing Jedi Starfighters? With the Ring being featured in episodes of The Clone Wars for Plo Koon's and Anakin's Jedi Starfighters, and your confirmation that Hasbro's Clone Wars Jedi Starfighter will fit the existing Ring, will you be selling Anakin's and/or Plo's starfighters with their Hyperspace Rings as boxed sets to get the full product into kid and collector hands, taking advantage of the show's current momentum rather than waiting to double-dip down the road when interest has waned, a la the Ep 2 Obi-Wan Jedi Starfighter with Hyperspace Ring? (CS, 12/5/08)

     We have no plans right now to refit the ring to fit the EpIII (Eta-2) Starfighter. Instead, we are looking for additional ways to bring it out to retail with the Clone Wars Starfighters. Given the size, the most likely route is as an exclusive as was produced before with a combination of ship and ring. Selling it by itself, without a Starfighter, is probably not an option as we do not feel confident that it would succeed on its own as an accessory.

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Will the Temple of Doom wave featuring Mola Ram still make it to mass-market retail (i.e. Wal-Mart, Target, etc, not counting the smaller retailers like Meijers)? (CTR, 12/5/08)

     It's not certain at this point that this wave will make it to Target and Wal-Mart before the end of the year, and your best option might be seeking it out online at this point.

You stated that any toys that you had in the works (and are now shelved) would likely be released if a movie were to be made. What figures have made it far enough into production that they would likely be released (ie: we have had confirmation of ROTLA2, Club Obi-Wan wave, Ark Ghost, German Wing, Sidecar, Minecart, Tank...) (CTR, 12/5/08)

     The only wave for which tooling was completed was the RotLA wave. The others progressed significantly in development but were not tooled. The exception is the Tank, which was never in development.

Regarding the 5th wave...how far along in the production process did the figures actually get? Would it be possible to re-use the existing tools for other lines? Toht was already used for the Cobra Commander exclusive figure from SDCC, but there are other characters from G.I.Joe (and now possibly even the Marvel Universe line) that could re-use the same body. The Indy-in-German disguise figure could be used for other German Soldier figures (perhaps fighting Captain America), parts of the German Mechanic could double for several other superhero (or villain) figures...so at least you could still get some use from them. (Although I am hard-pressed to find another use for Marion...I'm sure there is one!) (CTR, 12/5/08)

     The second Raiders wave was tooled, but never progressed beyond that (through engineering check stages, deco, etc). It's highly unlikely other lines could make use of the tools, since the articulation is very different from the aesthetics that GI Joe and Marvel are striving for. If those designers find them of value for their efforts, they are welcome to look at them.

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Since you recently revealed that Wal-Mart is getting a second wave of Droid Factory 2-Packs in 2009, can you also tell us if Target is getting a third wave of Order 66 2-Packs, or have we seen the last of that sub-line? (GH, 12/5/08)

     The Order 66 series is over, at least for now.  It is possible that it will return at some future time.  Instead, Target will have another 2-pack exclusive assortment scheduled for late Spring.

Has there been any further discussion about making select characters from The Clone Wars series into "realistic style"? The Plo Koon just released uses a realistic head with The Clones Wars animation style body, so he's a bit of a hybrid. (Just not the kind we all wanted to drive this past summer!) It's not as if Rotta The Hutt can be made realistic, but other characters (especially some of the unique-to-the-series Clone Troopers) would be welcome additions. (GH, 12/5/08)

     Our stance has not changed - we have no plans to bring the animated Clone Wars figures into the "realistic" Legacy line (or vice-versa).

(You may need to pull Mark Boudreaux [Endor Rebel Trooper] out of his toy-packed office for this one.) Back in the waning Kenner period, a cargo loader style mini-ship was conceptualized to fit between the mandibles at the front of the Millennium Falcon. Knowing that it wouldn't take much to whip up a mini-ship and some other cargo-goodies, would this be something that could come out of the (conceptual) mothballs and into the cargo bay? Bonus points if it came in a Battle Pack with the 1999 Pit Droids (not the Fan's Choice) a Pilot Droid, and maybe some of Jabba's Thugs waiting to ambush Han Solo mah-boogie and Chewbacca. (Those of us who didn't wait for the holidays for our BMF's are happy to keep adding new, cool things to it/them.) (GH, 12/5/08)

     That’s an interesting idea, but much farther down on the list of things we'd like to do with our tooling resources.

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Just to clear up some confusion, can you confirm the order of the waves next year? We’re pretty sure 2009 (or maybe late 2008) starts with the 8 figures from ANH, then comes the 6-figure ESB themed Wave 2, followed by the 6-figure RotJ themed Wave 3? Is that right? (HH, 12/5/08)

     To clarify, the 2009 basic figure order looks like this: Spring consists of EpIV (8 figures), EpV (6 figures), EpII (6 figures), and EpVI (8 figures). Fall will see four waves: EpIV (8 figures), EpI (6 figures), EpIII (6 figures), and EpV (6 figures) for a total of 54 figures. A 9th wave, the EU wave (6 figures), has slipped to be on-shelf right now around late Dec/early Jan so we are not counting that in the 2009 count, unless we are able to bring that one back in.

The 2009 RotJ Wave. You've confimed a new Leia of some sort (Slave Girl perhaps), Palace Guard Wooof, an Ewok, and a new Malakili. How about a hint at the other two figures in the wave - will we be running around with one of the figures from that wave yelling, "It's a trap!" Or will one of the new figures want to take our AT-STs out for a drive? (HH, 12/5/08)
 
     We will not be revealing any more specific characters from the EpVI wave right now - look for a full preview in an upcoming issue of Star Wars Insider. One note - it turns out that we will not be doing Wooof after all, and instead have made sure he's in the 2010 lineup. In his place is another Nikto guard.

Not really a question, just something I wanted to point out to you guys. If you key up the Pod Race scene in The Phantom Menace, hit pause, and look reeeeeeally close, I'm 100% positive that you'll find a spectator in that crowd named "Ar'nold T'o'ht". He’s easy to spot, he's the one whose face is melting... oh, and he's also in the Cantina, yeah that's the ticket. He's standing right behind Muftak... and he's also standing behind Ephant Mon in Jabba's Palace (he gets around). [Does that help his chances at sneaking into the Star Wars line?] (HH, 12/5/08)

     Good try, but Toht will remain in the IJ holding pattern.

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I know we just got a holographic vader with the saga2 line, which I bought and loved. Still, I was wondering if we could get a holographic vader that was superarticulated or at least in the pose (hands on hips)  he is in when he is demanding a report on the Shield Generator during the Battle of Hoth from The Empire Strikes Back?  Would there also be any chance we could get this same pose in the Ulimate Unleashed Battle Pack format? (IS, 12/5/08)

     Right now, we don't have plans to offer another holo version of Vader.  If we do release another one, your suggestion of making it a more articulated version to recreate certain scenes makes a lot of sense.  As for a light-up base to highlight holo figures, we have looked at this but feel that the audience for this is very limited.  We'll continue to look at possibilities, though.  Finally, regarding the Unleashed 2" figures, we plan to stick with pretty Clone Wars for this line with one important OTC addition - a Bounty Hunters pack coming in early 2009.

Can we ever expect to see figures of the Gossam Commando and Koorivar Fusilier? (IS, 12/5/08)

     No plans for either of these.  Regarding the Gossam Commandos, their primariy appearance (In StarWars.com webstrips) has not been reprinted so we could not do them as a comic pack.  As for the Koorivar soldiers, we will not be pursuing any additional background figures from the Clone Wars Microseries, with one exception.

Will the General Whorm Loathsom figure you confirmed for us be coming with his assistant bunny droid? (IS, 12/5/08)

     Loathsom is a large figure himself who comes with some additional accessories, so we were not able to get the assistant droid in there.  Maybe someday, in another form, we'll get to the droid.

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Aliens, aliens, aliens! It's always questions about aliens, but what I want to know is are you considering many humans from the Cantina, Jabba's Palace, or Mos Eisley? What about Garrouf Lafoe from the Cantina? What about Jabba's Goons from the Special Edition Falcon scenes? What about the guy that shoots Luke's hand on the Sailbarge? Any chance we'll get some human thugs and goons too? (JD, 12/5/08)

     We do admit a fascination with aliens that makes the Star Wars galaxy seem so interesting and far, far away. Your point is certainly a great one as there are some strong humans in and amongst the aliens, and we'll consider them for future possibilities when we draw up Cantina or Jabba's Palace waves.

We've gotten a TON of Sandtroopers lately, and they are great. The only question I have then is, when will we get new versions of Sandtrooper weapons? The double-barreled MG-type weapon Sandtroopers are seen carrying in a couple scenes, would be greatly appreciated. A new MG-34 type gun would also be great I think! (JD, 12/5/08)

     Great suggestions, and we'll look at it for the next time we're crafting Sandtrooper plans. Thanks.

You really seem to have a hit with the "Build-a-Droid" concept... It gives collectors a goal to attain the parts to create the droid, and it arguably gives you an "extra figure" at the end of the day. Will BAD then continue past the Legacy Collection or a future package change, or would you consider shelving the droid parts as pack-ins and going back to stands or some such? I collected the coins, and find stands useful, but I consider the BAD parts actually of some value to my collection whereas the other things I really don't care one way or another about. Basically we're just saying give us droid parts, please. (JD, 12/5/08)

     The Droid Factory concept does seem to be a hit, and we will be running it for two years in the Legacy basic figure SKU, along with some key exclusives (such as a sequel to the Wal-Mart exclusive Droid Factory 2-packs lined up for next year). After that, it's too early to say, but we hope to keep it around every now and again with some sets focused on the concept.

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I just recently watched the Clone Wars episode "Rookies" and was introduced to the new Droid Commandos, I was just wondering if there was the possibility of a Droid Commando figure? I would just like to know, so I have something to look forward to. (JI, 12/5/08)

     Yes indeed, you can look forward to a Droid Commando in the Clone Wars figure line-up next year.

Can you tell us if the sales of recent large vehicles like the AT-TE and BMF Falcon have been decent enough to warrant more large-scale vehicles and or playsets in the foreseeable future? (JI, 12/5/08)

     We have no plans for adding playsets to the line. It's too early to discuss the future of any Star Wars large-scale vehicle, as we still have a long way to go this holiday season. If we do make another announcement on vehicles, it would not be before Toy Fair 2009.

I heard that there are a few new Transformers/Star Wars Crossovers coming:  Clone Trooper to AT-TE, Clone Pilot to V-19, Clone Trooper to V-Wing.  Is this true?  (JI, 12/5/08)

     We can confirm that all three of those versions are scheduled to hit shelves in the next couple of months (if they haven't been spotted already). Editor's note: These questions were sent in several weeks ago before we had posted news and images confirming these.

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Gentle Giant and others have taken their respective animated lines across the whole Star Wars Saga (PT, OT and EU).  With the new animated Clone Wars line in place do you have any plans to release characters from the OT and/or EU to match this format or will you only do this if they appear in the Clone Wars series? (JN, 12/5/08)

     We do not have plans to take classic characters into the animated format (or vice-versa) at this time.  This would no doubt be appealling to a sub-segment of collectors who appreciate the novelty of the expression, but this would tie up valuable figure slots that would otherwise be dedicated to new Legacy and Clone Wars figures.

What's happening with the FX Lightsabres... can you tell us which new FX Lightsabres we'll be seeing in the near future and do you have any pictures you can share with us at this stage?  Will we see the new FX Lightsabres in the UK? (JN, 12/5/08)

     The FX business has been off to a slower start than we expected due to initial production delays, but that should be behind us now.  We expect that the lightsabers will be available in the UK as soon as retailers place orders for them - expected to be in Spring 2009.  New ones in development include EpI Obi-Wan, and Count Dooku.  We need to make sure that we are in full distribution with the original contingent first, and then we can look at getting the new ones into the mix sometime (hopefully) mid-2009.

With the 30th Anniversary of the Holiday Special being celebrated by TOPPS and others it seems that Lucasfilm are allowing its partners to delve into an area us fans thought was totally off limits.  With this change of heart do you think we'll see any more figures from the Holiday Special - a Chewbacca Family Pack would be fun? (JN, 12/5/08)

     The Topps cards were promotional cards only (not mass merchandised) produced only against the animated sequence the Special.  It doesn't signal a change in positioning for the live action parts.  It's something we priodically discuss with Lucasfilm, because Wookieees remain one of those special species that really strike a chord with fans, but we don't believe the stance will change.

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We were somewhat surprised to hear that there are more concept art figures on the way in the 2009 Legacy Collection.  The answers from the Q&A sessions seem to indicate that there won't be any McQuarrie designs in the lot.  That seems to almost completely rule out much of the OT with the exception of artist Joe Johnston, who ironically is represented with the new Space Trooper.  But what about the PT concept artists?  Which artist's designs can we expect to see?  Can we expect to see some of the more iconic designs like the Sith Witch that was designed for EPISODE I? (JTA, 12/5/08)

     We actually have to ask for clemency on our previous answer for the concept figures, as there was a change....there will indeed be one McQuarrie figure after all.  In addition, there is one Johnston figure, one Jun, and one Thompson.

Back in a May 2008 Q&A session with The Jawa it was mentioned that a VISIONARIES comic 2-pack would be on the way in 2009.  Can you confirm the figure lineup for this pack?  Will it feature the iconic final confrontation between Obi-Wan and cyborg Darth Maul? (JTA, 12/5/08)

     We now have more information on the timing of this set. Due to a crowded Fall 2009 comic pack schedule, this pack has now been slotted in with the first wave of 2010 which should be on shelf approximately January/February.  Since it is still so far off, we don't want to confirm the figures in the pack except to say that your guess on one of the characters is incorrect.

In the most recent Q&A session, it was confirmed that there would be not just one, but TWO waves worth of figures representing THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK in the 2009 Legacy Collection.  We were pleasantly surprised to see the lineup for the first EMPIRE wave.  Can we expect a new Han Solo in carbonite or Snowspeeder pilot Luke Skywalker to anchor the second TESB wave?  While many collectors enjoyed the 2006 offering of Han with the ROTJ melting carbonite block, there hasn't been an EMPIRE Han in carbonite basic figure since the POTF2 days.  Can we hope for a new EMPIRE Han in carbonite soon? (JTA, 12/5/08)

     We can confirm that Luke - Snowpeeder Pilot is indeed one of the figures.  However, we do not have another Han in carbonite scheduled.

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The success of The Clone Wars movie and now the TV show clearly indicates a growth in a new generation "growing up with Star Wars". Even here in Australia (where we are still to premiere the TV show) Clone Wars figures are very popular. But...the recent economic crisis is sure to have an impact on how Star Wars in 2009 and beyond will be shaped.  Would initiatives such as reduced articulation, cheaper paint jobs, generic cards and/or cheaper packaging be considered to create a new line targeting kids more interested in the TV show and playing with the toys rather than those mature collectors that want nice cards, great paint jobs and unique characters from the films? Short question: Are there plans in place to release a "discount" line of figures that will be more affordable for families and leave the premium lines for collectors? (MD, 12/5/08)

     There are no plans to "split" the lines by price point and we will stick to the strategy that has helped keep basic figures extremely popular. Despite what many collectors think, there is still a heavy kid audience in the "Saga" basic figure line, as well as a strong collector interest in Clone Wars basics. By doing what you suggest, we feel that we would marginalize the overall audience and set Star Wars figures on a backward course.

It is a very exciting time to be a collector and lover of star wars. I'm really excited about the confirmation of Coleman Trebor coming next year. I was wondering if he will be a new sculpt or is he a repack and to what wave he will be associated with. Will he come with any accessories since he was on the council and the bigger point will he be able to sit? He is a great figure and I thank you for bringing him back. What are the chances of seeing Depa Billaba and Pablo Jill also in the next coming years? (MD, 12/5/08)

     Coleman Trebor is a "refresh" figure meaning he is partly new, but designed to have more articulation than previous figures. In this case, we are using his head and possibly hands, another super-articulated Jedi body, and creating a new torso to bring them all together (and new calves as well). No word yet on being able to sit, but we hope so. As far as which wave he is in...the answer is "none." He will be part of a very cool exclusive 2-pack assortment coming mid-next year. Our hope is to get to much-needed upgrades to Deepa Billaba and Pablo Jill as well sometime, but they are not in the 2009 plans.

One of the interesting aspects of The Clone Wars series is the individualness to many of the Clone faces. Do you have any plans to offer some of these designs in future Clone offerings? And do you think that this concept could be applied to Legacy figures, if only to Commanders? Maybe even create a "Squad Parts Pack" to customise the basic trooper figure into your own themed squad (i.e. multiple unique heads, weapon packs, accessories, armour customization decals, etc)? (MD, 12/5/08)

     Yes, there will be many of the "unique" Clone Wars troopers coming in the Clone Wars lineup (basic figures as well as multi-packs like Battle Packs and other formats). We do not have plans to carry this to Legacy figures at this time, instead following the unique expression as seen on screen in the new animated show. This is an interesting new twist following the proliferation of unique armor deco we previously saw in EpIII. One thing we do not know the answer to is whether the under-the-helmet individualtiy carries "forward" to EpIII as well. It's an interesting question we'll ask Lucasfilm when we get a chance.

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We've started to see what appears to be figures from the Empire Strikes Back wave (seemingly slated for early 2009) start to show on retail websites (such as Walmart.com) - can you fill in the blanks on the wave and/or share pictures. It's been a while since we've seen much of anything new directly from you, and instead of letting some other outlet get the jump on you (like Previews did on the upcoming comic packs), perhaps you'd consider showing us this upcoming wave? At minimum can you tell us who the sixth figure is beyond Luke and Leia from the Medical Frigate, the Hoth Rebel Soldier, Captain Needa and the Ugnaught (grumble - at least tell us that there's something coming with the little guy to fill up the bubble a little further!). Time to get rolling on more early 2009 information don't you think? (RS, 12/5/08)
 
     You have sussed out the entire wave, with two exceptions. The last figure from the wave is a refresh of the Evolution Emperor, with a great new head. The Droid Factory figure is going to be a hot one - the EU favorite HK-47. How's that for some more information? As for photos, we aren't ready to release any photos of this wave yet, but they should be available soon.

Any chance of seeing a redo on the Titanium series Executor? Preferably one that is very detailed and does not have an Imperial Star Destroyer attached to it. (RS, 12/5/08)

     We do not have plans to redo this one.

In a recent Q&A you confirmed that a super-articulated Republic Commando figure was coming in a spring 2009 Evolutions pack. Will this figure be a generic white-armored commando, a commando from Omega or Delta Squad (if so, which character?), or a commando of Hasbro's own creation? We Republic Commando fans need something to tide us over for the next few months! (RS, 12/5/08)

     It will actually be one we have not done before - Fi, aka RC-8015, who was associated with Omega Squad. Sweet!

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The Force Unleashed game is really cool and it makes me glad I bought all of the figures when they first came out. During one of the other Q&A's, you mentioned that there was "one more" TFU figure due out. Was this the Stormtrooper Commander? Is it possible to have this figure available via HTS as I had no idea this figure was going to be sold and it was sold out when I went to my local store? (RTM, 12/5/08)

     The "one other" TFU figure mentioned was probably in reference to the GameStop exclusive Stormtrooper Commander, but it could also have been a reference to Shaak Ti who is scheduled for an early 2010 Expanded Universe wave at this point. We are also looking to add a wave of new TFU characters for mid-Spring 2010 and work has begun on these figures (at this time we will not be revealing which figures are in the 2010 lineup). Finally, fans will indeed have another chance to get the TFU Commander at the San Diego Comic Con 2009 - when it will be an exclusive shared by both StarWarsOnlineShop.com and HasbroToyShop.com.

The Legacy comic book figures seem to be a big hit -- can we expect many more in 2009? (RTM, 12/5/08)
 
     The Legacy packs have indeed been a big hit; for anyone who has not delved into the rich world of Legacy, you are in for real treat. We have some god news for you - there are two more Legacy issues planned for the Comic Pack lineup, including issue #22 (on shelves around July) and issue #7 (around November). There are two additional Legacy packs planned for 2010 as well.

Force Unleashed is a huge success, will the Evo Apprentice get a Saga Legends rerelease? (RTM, 12/5/08)

     There are no plans to release any of the Apprentice figures as Saga Legends at this point.

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You said in a recent answer that the Solo twins, while difficult to do because of limited visual references, were high on your wish list. Hypothetically speaking, if you were to make these long-request characters, which versions would you do? Young Jedi Knights (there's a good picture of them in the recent Jedi vs. Sith guide), NJO-era Jedi Knights (probably the most requested versions, and based on Japanese cover art which is probably the largest body of visual reference for these characters and was even used by the Official Site as its EU menu before the redesign) or Legacy of the Force-era (with the added advantage that an alternate head and lightsaber and removable cape would allow you to do Jacen and Caedus as one figure)? (SSG, 12/5/08)

     If we did them, hypothetically speaking, it would be the New Jedi Order-era, based on the Japanese cover art. This would be the most solid selection for the exact reasons you have pointed out - prevalence and familiarity with the character images. If we ever did Caedus, it would have to be new sculpt since the NJO-version would not work for a retrofit.

With Sideshow having released a smashing diorama of the "Look Sir, Droids" scene, what are the chances of Hasbro doing a similar battle pack? It could include the escape pod (perhaps with the proper top hatch openable, or maybe the whole thing upsized) and an assortment of Sandroopers with a variety of pauldrons and accessories. Heck, if you threw in an updated dewback, you'd have quite the nifty ultimate battle pack. Any chance of that? (SSG, 12/5/08)

     We have looked at this scene several times with the theme you suggested, but so far it hasn't made the cut for one reason or another. Maybe someday….

When collectors ask for the same stuff over and over again such as certain vehicles like the Cloud Car, large accessories like Jabba's dais, playsets and dioramas of scenes that are not action- or main-character-themed which Hasbro says they aren't likely to do because those areas are not seen as profitable in today's market, are there any NEW ideas swimming around the Star Wars team with an OT collector focus? Not talking about merely new figures or resculpts of unmade vintage figures, but something new in the 3.75" format that would excite collectors, especially OT-focused ones. Stuff like the nifty new Scramble on Yavin battle pack gets collectors jazzed up. (SSG, 12/5/08)

     While we have looked at many different aspects of the Original Trilogy, the fact is that Kenner covered that ground extremely well, to the point where they even augmented the universe with many of their own original designs (Mini Rigs, the Imperial Transport, etc). Our focus for vintage collectors remains the still (in our opinion) large fertile ground of figures, vehicles, and creatures which have yet-to-be-updated over their vintage counterparts, along with the still numerous unmade characters from many scenes such as the Cantina, Jabba's Palace, Ewoks, and the line. Yet we do try to surprise by doing new things that we think are key to the OTC - like the recent Lars Homestead and Sarlacc pit sets that for the very first time create scenic display opportunities for these iconic scenes. We certainly hope that you enjoy these surprises as much as we get satisfaction from finding new ways to deliver OTC magic.

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To follow up on an answer given to Rebel Scum on November 7th, regarding the Commando Battle Pack due in Spring 2009, which weapon will be featured? The standard DC17 blaster or the DC17 anti armor variant that was included with the Republic Commando/Super Battle Droid Comic Pack? Will he be the black armor or another armor color variant that we have yet to see and will the upper body articulation remain the same or has the figure been completely redone? (ST, 12/5/08)

     The figure has new knee and ankle articulation, and he will be predominantly blue-colored. We did not change the upper body.  He is based on the cover of the Karen Traviss novel Omega Squad: Targets. His weapon is the version that came with the Republic Commando Delta Squad set, as opposed to the version that came with Scorch basic figure or the comic pack. We have an important update on the wave of Evolution packs that includes this pack as well as Rebel Pilots #3 and Imperial Pilots #2. Originally scheduled as a continuation of the Evolution Packs lineup in Spring '09, development schedule delays have pushed this wave out and as such it will not receive distribution at all retailers. Once we nail down which retailer(s) will be carrying these packs, and the expected on-shelf time, we'll get an update out to all of the Star Wars sites.

Hasbro has said that we will continue to see large vehicles again if the Millenium Falcon and the AT-TE sell well. Let's say that hypothetically they are selling well: What is the next large vehicle we would likely see and when? Turbotank? (ST, 12/5/08)

     It's too early to discuss the future of any Star Wars large-scale vehicle.  If we do make another announcement, it would not be before Toy Fair 2009.    Sad Angry

Is it at possible that Hasbro could reconsider their position on selling figures in an on-line form. Small runs, exclusives, limited editions similar to how Mattel is doing with their new Masters of the Universe Classics collection? Obviously no one would be willing to pay a $20 premium for a 3 3/4" figure but at a reasonable amount like $10-13. This would allow collectors to finally get a hold of some not so kid friendly figures. It could also allow Hasbro to release some figures from other lines. GI Joe, Indiana Jones and Transformers. (ST, 12/5/08)

     Hasbro has pursued this option in the past, with no-so-great results. Quite simply, aside from special figures that we do for Comic-Con or for a specific promotional cause (such as R2-KT), these items are not successful for us we concentrate our items on bigger opportunities - such as the robust exclusive program already in place.  Internet distribution just does not have the reach - many collectors still prefer the "thrill of the hunt" of shopping in store - and because of that we prefer to bring our exclusives to our retail partners for the best overall program.

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I just want to say thanks for the Thrawn trilogy characters that have shown up in comic packs. Since this is probably one of the most famous EU storylines of all time, is it a good bet that we will see more new figures from this series in the next year or two? If so, could a certain insane clone of a Jedi master be one of them? (ST/"TJ", 12/5/08)

     We're glad you like them.  For 2009, we have another pack planned that will see a couple of new figures debut for the first time.  After that, we hope to get to more Heir figures within the next couple of years (including, hopefully one day, Jorus C'Baoth).

You have recently stated that it is unlikely we can expect any new TFU figures until Spring 2010, which means about a year and half from now. Is there any fear that the hype/popularity of the game will have cooled off a bit by then and make the line less successful? If so, in the meantime, have you thought of releasing not only reissues of the TAC figures but perhaps also some clever repaints of stormtroopers, jumptroopers, etc? Or better yet, a carded release of the Felucian rider (perhaps with repaint/weapon swap)? (ST/"TJ", 12/5/08)

     We aren't worried about the enduring popularity and demand of figures from LucasArts video games, especially given the stratopsheric popularity of the major titles that have been released over the past several years. The figures we have done for Republic Commandos, Battlefront II, and Knights of the Republic have all done well even years after their debut,proving that fan demand will be there when games expand Star Wars storytelling and add exciting new characters to the pantheon. So we are confident that we can continue to look at opportunities from any of them, including TFU, for additional character considerations. As for repaints, 2009 is the first year for some time that we will not have a pure "repaint" wave scheduled, simply because there are so many new waves of figures in the Fall, and the schedule looks solid so we do not anticipate needing one to fill a gap.

Since Hasbro has had to drop the 5th figure from battlepacks due to rising plastic/oil costs, what about substituting the loss of this value for customers by finally giving us a bonus cardboard diorama inside each battlepack? These don't have to be as complicated as the PotF2 Cantina or Jabba's Palace, just good enough to compensate for the loss of the extra figure in a way that is relatively inexpensive to Hasbro. (ST/"TJ", 12/5/08)

     We have looked at this approach.  Part of the appeal of the Battle Packs has been the way that they are presented requires a minimal amount of blister support to give the illusion of a scene. Because the majority of the audience for Battle Packs is kids (or parent gift-givers) it's important to maintain the presentation we currently strive for. Trying to preserve the background for us would force the blisters to become bigger, changing the aesthetic. It's unlikely that we'll pursue this approach in Battle Packs because of this.

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With the new Build-A-Droid General Grievous finally giving us one that's properly scaled and has incredible split-apart arms, is it too much to hope for another version that comes with a softgoods cape and allows him to be posed hunched forward, with his neck jutting out, as seen in scenes on his ship the Invisible Hand in Revenge of the Sith? An inner cloak pocket with lightsaber hilts would be a really nice touch, too! (SWC, 12/5/08)

     Now that we have a truly great version of Grievous, we will certainly look at other opportunities. The one you mention, with a detailed softgoods cape, is one we have discussed but doing this version as a basic figure is simply not feasible because of the cost. It remains a possibility for a future multi-pack offering.

Does the Emperor Palpatine Clone figure from the upcoming Dark Empire II #1 Comic Pack come with a "normal" left hand in addition to the Force lightning-casting one? (SWC, 12/5/08)

     Even better - the force lightning is an add-on piece.

Speaking of the Dark Empire saga, any chance of seeing a figure based on fallen Jedi Empatoyajos Brand? He seems like a natural choice for the Comic Packs line. (SWC, 12/5/08)

     Honestly, it's very unlikely we'll get to Brand in the comic pack line-up. There are other Dark Empire characters we'd like to get tobefore him, and because he is so…well…funky, we don't see being a strong draw for a comic pack. We see other characters, like Kam Solusar, being ones we would do first. A Dark Empire multi-pack with Luke and the New Jedi Order would be an interesting one to look at someday, and would bethe more likely place for Brand, if we ever got to an idea like that.

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Is there any chance that we could get some 21st Century love for some of our favorite beasties in 2009/2010? Say the Kaadu, Dewback or Tauntaun to go with the new Hoth Luke perhaps? (YF, 12/5/08)

     At least one of those will be updated in 2009 in an exclusive pack. It's possible a second will be updated for 2010.

With the re-release of Yaddle and Even Piell can we look forward to seeing more Jedi Council members being re-released on single card? Depa Billaba was a battle-pack exclusive and some weren't able to get her set when it was out, so can we expect to see Depa Billaba along with other Jedi Council members, such as Adi Gallia and Eeth Koth released in a repaint/kitbash wave in 2009? (YF, 12/5/08)

     These are all characters that we would like to get to in the basic figure waves at some point, and think that all three of these Jedi Council members need an articulation upgrade if they are to be released again (we felt that Yaddle and Even Piell would never be updated and were suitable for re-release). Currently, we do not have any of them slotted into the lineup but they are all highly likely over the next few years.

Carded pictures of 2009's Kenobi and Pons Limbic have turned up and they both have the table, lots of us have got excited but I have a bad feeling about this; please don't say you have got our hopes up again just to dash them on the rocks of disappointment? Also, the holsters for the Luke and Han appear to be the old sculpt. Didn't you confirm with us that these figures would in fact have new, more accurately sculpted holders? (YF, 12/5/08)

     In what will undoubtedly be well-received news for fans, we can confirm that the tables for both Obi-Wan and Pons Limbic are indeed shipping with these characters after all. It turns out the the order to remove them (in an effort to contain costs on this wave) were given just prior to Comic Con but were received too late as the factory had begun molding production pieces. At that point, it made more sense to keep them rather than remove them. We are glad they are able to come out as they are really great accessory pieces. Finally, on the holsters, they are in fact new in that they fit the blasters better, with a recess at the back of the pouch.

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YN
"The good news is that all that blood is actually ketchup. The bad news, however, is that all that ketchup is actually blood."

Offline Matt

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Re: The Hasbro Q & A Compendium
« Reply #65 on: December 24, 2008, 06:04 PM »
Session 64 - December 19, 2008

In previous Q and A's I know the topic of weapons integrity has come up. When looking at the new Sarlacc Ultimate Battlepack it seems as though the weapons are becoming even more flimsy. I for one have seen a skiff guard weapon almost bent at a 45 degree angle in the package. Is anything being done to rectify these problems? (BS, 12/19/08)

     As simple as it seems, there are actually numerous issues that surround this - including what else is in the tools that need to be run (like a soft-fitting helmet). We will be taking it up with vendors to make sure we do not see the softness creep back into the weapons and accessories.

Hasbro Toy Shop, in the past, offered a bundle of the Display Stands that were used as "pack-ins" for figures. Has there been any discussion about the possibility of offering a package of random droid parts through Hasbro Toy Shop Online? The Build a Droid concept is great and I'm sure many collectors would love to create there own unique droids. (BS, 12/19/08)

     We're glad you like the Droid Factory idea. We have thought about getting more Droid parts out somehow, and are looking for ways to do it where it feels special. It may not be until 2010 if we are able to deliver the idea, so stay tuned.

In the last set of answers, you stated that there will be another EU wave late 2009, early 2010. Also you mentioned that one of the figures would more than likely be Shaak-Ti from TFU. Can you give any other insight as to whom the other 5 may be that are included in this wave? (BS, 12/19/08)

     At this point, we don't want to confirm any more of the characters from our 2009 waves, so we can hold some info for future panels. Suffice to say it will be a knockout wave of six figures. Some of the past Q&A sessions do hold additional clues to more of the figures in this wave, so for folks willing to dig they might be able to put more pieces together. But that's as far as we want to confirm right now.

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CC

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Now that you've confirmed that there will be 4 new concept figures in '09, that one of them is Anakin, and that they'll be from both OT and PT sources, could you confirm whether the other 3 concept figures will be based on major characters (i.e. Vader, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Maul) or can we expect to see some obscure character and even alien design concepts, such as the Mon Calamari Dancer from the Galaxies Opera House or the Revwien alien from original Cantina alien drawings? (CS, 12/19/08)

     One will be a top-tier named character, two will be secondary named (but prominent) characters, and the fourth will be a trooper concept.

Now that The Clone Wars TV series has a set schedule, in the future could you possibly coordinate Hasbro's Clone Wars figure releases to coincide with the episodes those figures are in context to? We understand there's a long lead time on figure production, but there's also a long lead on episode production. Seeing a character on the series one day and then being able find the figure in the store the next day would help drive sales, don't you think? For instance, R3-S6 "Goldie" appeared in 2 episodes in early and mid November '08, but the R3-S6 "Goldie" figure isn't due until around February '09. Wouldn't the figures have more appeal with the characters fresh in kids' and casual collectors' minds? Would coordination like that be possible? (CS, 12/19/08)

     We do coordinate as much as possible, and Lucasfilm has been great in getting us scripts as far ahead as possible. With a movie, we try to get figures in shelf as quickly as possible at the movie launch, but with the cartoon series, since it's so heavily kid-focused, it's actually better to have the episode air before the figures are available - ideally a couple weeks delay, to create demand for the figure.

For vehicles that must have dedicated, non-removable astromech droid domes - such as the Ep 2 Jedi Starfighter, Y-wing, V-wing, and Naboo Fighter - might it be possible to get future revisits to have at least removable droid domes? Thanks to Build-A-Droid, we now have lots of different droid dome molds available, so if they were interchangeable on those dedicated droid slots it would add considerable play and display value for kids and collectors alike while taking advantage of existing elements and decreasing manufacturing costs slightly (it's gotta be cheaper to just pop a peg into a hole than to screw a dome permanently into a ship). (CS, 12/19/08)

     Interesting suggestion - we'll take that into account next time we look at updating those vehicles. Thanks!

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How soon might we expect to get the last two Seperatist characters: Tikkes and Rogwa Wodrata? Do they have a good Lord Malevalchance of being made to complete this group soon, or are they pretty far down on your priority list? Am I being too optmistic in thinking that the headsculpt on the new Clone Wars Quarren Soldier was designed for potential re-use on Tikkes later on, or perhaps Senator Tundra Dowmeia or an upgraded Tessek from Jabba's Palace? (GH, 12/19/08)

     At this point, we do not have any more Separatist personalities slotted into the lineup.They are at the top of our "parking lot" for consideration, but it will not be in the next couple of years. Eventually though, it's a virtual certainty we'll get them. As for the Quarren Soldier's head, we did not design it with Tikkes in mind... it's just that to us humans, all Quarren look remarkably similar. Tell that to Lord Maleval at your own risk....

Hypothetically, if you were to release Jacen Solo (who could also become the Sith Lord Darth Caedus) and Jaina Solo in a particular carded wave next year, might Anakin Solo be released with them?  Does he have a much lesser chance of being made? (GH, 12/19/08)

     Anakin Solo is certainly an important figure to do at some point when we have another EU-wave slotted into the lineup.  However, he would not be in the first wave we do.

If you had to bet on one racer from the Boonta Eve Pod Race Challenge, who would you (the team) most like to see win? (GH, 12/19/08)

     You just have to go with the Gran (Mahwonic). Three eyes should give him an advantage, right? Or does the extreme slipstream reek havoc with the eyestalks?

How long are we going to have to wait to find out what this "unique" ROTJ Princess Leia is??? It's killing us! (GH, 12/19/08)

     As for the interesting Princess Leia figure, you'll have to wait a bit longer…we probably won't have images until around Toy Fair timing (February).

Wouldn't it be really nice if we could somehow celebrate Life Day next year? (GH, 12/19/08)

     (No answer given.)

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Thanks for the info on the 2009 Legacy basic figure plan. Now that we know to plan for 54 new Legacy figures in 2009, how about a ballpark for the Clone Wars basic figures planned for 2009? Still in the 36-40 figure (6-8 waves) range for 2009? (HH, 12/19/08)

     Yes, we are still in the 40+ basic figure range for Clone Wars.

OK, the site is called "Han’s Hideout", so it should come as no surprise that we love to see new Han figures. One thing that we were pondering today is the apparent lack of Han Solo figures in the Comic Packs line. When are we going to get our hands on a sweet, sweet Marvel Star Wars # 15 Han Solo & Crimson Jack Comic Pack? Or how about a Marvel Star Wars # 28 Han Solo & 'Jabba the Hut' (you know, Marvel's non-slug looking Jabba) Comic Pack? (HH, 12/19/08)

     Aside from Marvel # 3, with Han in Stormtrooper disguise, it's true that we haven't done any other Comic Pack Hans. One of the main reasons is that he seldom changes outfit, and that makes him much less interesting for that reason, as we try to come up with a new take on the core characters as one of the reasons for doing the pack. Luke, for example, has tremendous variety in the comics and that is why he tends to get more attention. The Marvel # 28 issue is something we have looked at and it's an interesting idea, but we just have not slotted that one into the lineup yet.

A few weeks ago, you sent out pictures of a pair of upcoming TRU exclusive Clone Wars vehicles with pack-in figures (Hailfire Droid and V-Wing). Any update on when these are scheduled to appear on the shelves? (HH, 12/19/08)

     They are scheduled to appear on-shelf around April next year. It's possible they could be out in March but April should be the latest.

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Will we be getting  Nute Gunray and Wat Tambor figures in the Clone Wars 3D line? (IS, 12/19/08)

     Right now, there are no plans to do these figures in the Clone Wars line.

What are the chances of a Bacta Tank General Grievous being released in a comic two pack from the Visionaries comic story The Eyes of Revolution,
 accompanied with say a new San Hill sculpt and a Nexu cub as an accessory? (IS, 12/19/08)

     Very slim that we would do a transitional version of Grievous like that.  We have already done a pre-Cyborg Grievous which is a better figure choice, so if we ever did reprint that story, this figure would be a better choice to pair with someone.

Is the Super Vulture Droid that's being released in the Clone Wars 3D line the same thing as the Hyena Droid Bomber? (IS, 12/19/08)

     No, the Hyena Bomber Droid is a unique ship.  The "Super Vulture Droid" is a larger and more true-to-scale version of the Vulture Droid. We use the word "super" in this case to describe its size and function as compared to the original Vulture Droid.

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Hasbsro wrote IndianaJonescollectors.com not so long ago that Hasbro had the plan to release in 2009; a special re-release line for  Indiana Jones with their latest 'Raiders of the lost Ark' figures on  the Kenner cards that were made in 1982 (with the large photo of the particular character on the card). Unfortunately the "death" of the  Indiana Jones Line is coming at the end of the year. Is there still a  change that Hasbro will release this special line?  Hasbro has already the 'Raiders of the lost ark' figures and perhaps also still the 1982  'Kenner' cards. (IJC, 12/19/08)

     He was planned to be in a later wave in 2009, not in the wave that  was shown. The IJ line has been put on hiatus. Beyond the Temple of Doom line, there will be no more lines produced unless a fifth movie happens.

We saw on the Internet, the Hasbro 'Raiders of the lost ark' Cargo Truck in a different box; from the Cairo scene. Will Hasbro  release this other version of the Cargo Truck? (IJC, 12/19/08)

     There are two versions of the Cargo Truck; the original version with the hard top, and a newly released one with a cloth rear cargo compartment top. This might be the one you are referring to. Due to sparse distribution on the last waves of IJ, it will be difficult to find the last issues (Temple of Doom basic figures, the last 12" figures, and the Cargo Truck, among others) at mass retailers. The product might eventually find its way to retail at Toys 'R Us, from Internet retailers, or at smaller specially chains.

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Expanded Universe waves of figures have come into vogue it seems, and while 2007 saw a mix/match wave of EU figures, the 2008 wave of Clone Wars 2D figures has me wondering if the next EU wave we could get will be a mix of characters from various sources, or if it will be a specific source that all the figures come from (IE: all Knights of the Old Republic characters hypothetically). Do you happen to have any information you could share on that, and the thought process that goes into the EU picking for a single wave? (JD, 12/19/08)

     Yes, we can confirm that there will be six figures in that wave, and they will be drawn from various sources. This wave is comprised of some pretty high-demand figures from top-to-bottom, and we are confident that when we do release the details they will be *very* well-received. Right now, this wave is slotted in for very late 2009/early 2010 if the current schedule holds. Right after that, we will have a dedicated wave of The Force Unleashed figures.

With the awesome Yavin IV scramble pack coming, is there a chance the sled from it could get re-used for an Echo Base scramble pack in the future as well? I'm pretty sure a large segment of collectors wouldn't mind that at all! (JD, 12/19/08)

     Alas, the transports are pretty different. It's unlikely we'll get to a set like this for Hoth, even though it is one we want to do some day, perhaps as an exclusive if we are able to get it to the right price point.

Last year's "Ultimate Battle Pack" for Hoth featured the incredibly cool and large Hoth Turret. It makes me wonder though, will this item will ever make a re-release somehow, as the UBP was pretty pricey to pick up multiples? I can't really think of how off-hand, but I know I'd love a crack at more of this cool piece at a lower price if I could get them, as it's probably one of my favorite larger pieces in the collection. (JD, 12/19/08)

     We are looking at a possible re-use of this one, but right now it's not confirmed. It remains a strong possibility for down the road.

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Is there any chance you will re-release the "Hunt for Grievous" Battle Pack? If no, what is the reason for not doing it with so many other Battle Packs getting re-released? (JI, 12/19/08)

     We wanted to take it easy on too much of the prior Clone Wars Micro series figures from now on, the exception being Wave 2 of Legacy/Droid Factory, which were delayed from its original Spring date. We don't have the ability to release a ton of the prior Battle Packs, but as that one was very popular, it's possible we could get Lucasfilm's permission to re-release sometime.

Any chance of Darth Revan and Darth Malak being re-released, maybe as a comic pack or paired with a third figure such as Bastila Shan for a new Evolutions set? (JI, 12/19/08)

     Re-releasing these two is something we have considered. If we do it, it probably won't be as a comic pack, or as an Evolution pack, since this doesn't really fit with that theming. We are looking for another avenue to get them out, but it may not be until 2010 at this point.

Images of new Battlefront II Battle Packs surfaced recently. Can you tell us how, when and where these sets will be released? (JI, 12/19/08)

     The sets are the *exact* same as the two sets previously released - clones and battle droids - only updated to the new blue & white line look. They will both be out at Toys 'R Us in early Spring - perhaps February or earlier.

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A lot of collectors no doubt have a list of figures / vehicles / playsets / creatures etc. that they would love to see made, but is there anything on your own personal lists of wanted items that a) you know will be made and you can reveal to us and b) you can say categorically, is never going to see the light of day? (JN, 12/19/08)

     Very soon (mid-February) we will be revealing much more about what is coming next year and are going to hold that information until Toy Fare. Please trust us when we say it is going to be a fantastic year for kids and fans alike.

     As for what won't get made, that is a lot easier unfortunately.  One vehicle we would really love to see is the Sail Barge, but the chances of this vehicle ever seeing the light of day are extraordinarily slim.  We can dream, though!  Another one would be a real Krayt Dragon, a virtual impossibility given its massive size.  Even doing a skeleton as a background scenic element is daunting from a costing standpoint (and trust us, we've looked!).  So those are a couple things right there that would be very cool, but will likely never happen.


You mentioned recently that a Galactic Heroes Snowspeeder is in the pipeline, and with that in mind, can you share an image of what the new 2009 Galactic Heroes Snowspeeder will look like and tell us what figure(s) it will come packaged with?  Can you also advise what the likely date for UK availability will be? (JN, 12/19/08)

     Here you go.  This should give you a good idea of how cool this one will be.  We do not know yet when it will be exactly available in the UK, but our expectation is around April or May.

There are lots of new characters coming out of The Clone Wars, but in particular I would like to know if Hasbro will be releasing a Senate Commando figure (the blue armoured variant of the Senate Guard)?  If so, how likely are we to see a red variant as an "off camera" Red Guard Commando? (JN, 12/19/08)

     Yes indeed, we will be releasing a blue guard next year in the Clone Wars basic figure lineup.  No plan for a red version yet, but if it shows up in the animation it's a good bet we'll follow.

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Dark Horse comics has recently launched a CLONE WARS comic series as a companion to the animated series.  Can we expect a related offering in the Expanded Universe Comic 2-Packs that utilizes the animated style figures? (JTA, 12/19/08)

     We have no plans to introduce animated Clone Wars-themed comic packs, at least for now.

The CLONE WARS series seems to be a fountain of new characters with every passing episode.  Can you give us some insight on how the Hasbro Star Wars team is able to plan the figure line in conjunction with Lucasfilm for an ongoing television series?  Is the Star Wars team seeing episodes in advance or preliminary artwork?  And on a related front has  the team seen any preliminary artwork or plans for the live action television series? (JTA, 12/19/08)

     Yes, we collaborate with Lucasfilm well in advance so we can design and deliver figures as close to the original airing as possible. This usually involves reading scripts and seeing character art well before the episodes get put together for viewing.  We do get a chance to view episodes well before the public does, but by the time we see them, our work on new characters (if any) drawn from that episode would have begun long ago. Lucasfilm has no news to report on the live action show, although we can't wait to talk about it when there is information ready to share!

In a March Q&A session with 4-Inches.De Hasbro stated the following:
"We really like the Rebel Pilots, and can guarantee that not too far down the road there will be a red-suited Sullustan pilot."

Our tracking of the Q&A sessions has indicated that there are still some spots in the early 2009 RETURN OF THE JEDI wave which have yet to be filled.   Could we see this previously mentioned red-suited Sullustan pilot in the basic figure line?  And could it in fact be an update on Nien Nunb?  The previous version is a 1997 figure and is in dire need of being brought up to the current aesthetic. (JTA, 12/19/08)

     There is indeed a red-suited Sullustan pilot in the wave, in the B-Wing outfit developed for the Evolution packs.  Our hope is that it will be named Nien Numb, but we are working with Lucasfilm on that now and have not nailed it down yet.

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After this year of collecting I have been introduced to the Mighty Mugg. These are very cool toys. My question is will we see the likes of Kit Fisto, Saesee Tiin etc from the prequel movies. Also will we ever get more EU ones as I expect the new Darth Revan MM to be extremely popular especially here in Australia. A lot of Forums are already asking for a Darth Malak to go with him but a Quinlin Voss or Master K'Kruhk would also be very, very welcomed.
Can you please shed a little on future ideas for these cool figures? Also, due to the limitation of the one basic shape, have you had any thoughts about releasing a new design, i.e. Mighty Muggs Version 2.0? (MD, 12/19/08)

     The characters you cite are cool choices, but we don't have any of them planned into the lineup yet. As for a version 2.0, we plan to stick with the current silhouette, but noting that there are a few subtle changes here and there (such as a the "robe" lower torso, smaller statured figures such as Yoda and Teebo, and different head add-ons.).

The surprise announcement last round on Mousedroid of a twin pack featuring Coleman Trebor got me thinking. Rather than do items like Build-a-Droid, Comic or Order 66 packs, could you make twin packs into build a scene? That is, make a wave have inclusions or bases that join together to create a scene. e.g. Coleman facing off a droid, Secura with Super Battledroid, etc, etc, etc and the entire wave joining together to form part of the Geonosis Arena. (MD, 12/19/08)

     We believe that your suggestion would not be more appealing to most fans than the current figure-focused strategy, and in our experience playsets struggle in terms of appeal versus figures and vehicles. In addition, the cost of the parts to make any significant kind of base would either be too expensive, or would require too many parts to be reasonably attainable if we attempted to make a "must have" scene. Instead, we'll stick to the strong theming and figural focus for our special multi-pack series.

Next year it is rumored that we will be getting four concept figures from four different artists. Can you please confirm if we will be getting Plo Koon from Jun? Also is there any chance of more concept figures in 2010 and beyond scattered through a series like 2007's TAC? These were all very, very cool figures which would be fantastic to get more as some of the ideas are great for favorite characters. (MD, 12/19/08)

     Plo Koon is not among the figures selected for the concept series. It's unlikely to return in 2010, although it will be an area that we periodically look toward if we feel there is a strong concept or sub-collection that we can create.

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As we know, Hasbro is always trying to come up with new versions of the main characters, so have you ever decided to look at the EU and some of the "younger" depictions of these guys? Such as Han and Lando from Star Wars Tales, Leia from Force unleashed and Tales, Obi-wan from "Jedi Quest" Luke from "Luke Skywalker's Walkabout" and even younger versions of Jango and Dooku from "Open Seasons"?  I'd love a Lando without the 'stache, as seen in the New Essential Chronology... (RS, 12/19/08)

     What we look for first are unproduced versions or potential significant upgrades to core characters from the films or from the same time frame in the EU. The target here is really kids, to give the waves some key character strength. We have looked at all of these versions. Of the list you cite, Jango would be a definite candidate someday, and possibly Dooku, but we would probably not pursue the rest since they are a little too far from what we need for recognizeability..

Since the TFU wave in addition to other various released figures proved that Video Game based figures sell well does it mean there's is a very good chance of seeing more like Atris, Bao-Dur, Bastila Shan, Blaze Trooper, Cin Drallig, Clone Assassin, Jolee Bindo, Juhani, Mission Vao, Selkath, Serra Keto, or Visas Marr? (RS, 12/19/08)

     Some of those characters are certainly possibilities. The EpIII ones, in particular, are interesting candidates since they are versions of Clones. As for the rest, Bastila Shan and Cin Drallig are highly probable over the next couple of years. As for the rest, we may have to wait and see...if we do another fans' vote, we may look to the overall results to see what game characters bubble to the top of the request list. We know we aren't going to have that many extra slots to devote to game characters, so we need to make sure that we select the best, especially for older games.

Can you give us any info on the theme of the new two-packs next year that will be replacing the Order 66 two-packs? Can we expect to see Coleman Trebor (recently an early photo surfaced showing what appears to be a new version of this figure) in this two pack line, or will he be in the Wal-Mart Droid Factory two packs? Will he be paired up with the Geonosis Battle Droid Commander? (RS, 12/19/08)

     Coleman Trebor is indeed in the new 2-pack series lined up to replace Order 66. It is not the Wal-Mart Droid Factory packs, but another theme. We don't want to give away the theming just yet, but we can't wait to show more around Toy Fair timing.

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Do the same factories that produce Star Wars produce GI Joes, too? If not, when can they start? :) I ask because soft goods jackets, detail, etc can be applied to Joes and Cobras, and vice versa with articulation, and that would be a nice cross-pollination of toy concepts. (RTM, 12/19/08)

     The GI Joe team may be looking to achieve a certain aesthetic for their figures, and soft goods may or may not play a role in that. That's a better question for their team, as we don't comment on other brands' efforts... just our own. However, the materials selected are due to design, and not any particular factory's expertise.

What is the policy on creating figures based on "no-named" characters? Is it possible for us to get an generic "Imperial Commander" or a "Rebel Hoth Trooper" that isn't based directly on a named character? Or does Hasbro feel that the fans need the name? I'm looking forward to getting Lt. Renz, but I'd hate to think that he's going to be the only black-tunic'd officer representative in my Imperial army. (RTM, 12/19/08)

     Our preference is to make generic troopers whenever possible, especially when they are the rank and file troops. The Rebel Hoth Trooper coming next year, for instance, will be generic. It's a little trickier when it comes to commanders (both Rebel and Imperial) since they are individuals, and we prefer to give them names when they have unique personas. Since there are so many "unmade" commanders still, or commanders that need to be upgraded, we prefer to stay in this vein for a while rather than go the "generic" commander route.

The decision to make the latest B-Wing with squadron colors from the Rebellion comic series threw many for a loop. At a time where the design team seems to be having some fun with designs, is it possible to see some fun repaints of older vehicles? I for one would love to see Wedge's X-Wing in his Bacta War paint job. (RTM, 12/19/08)

     What can we say - we loved the collaboration with Dark Horse that resulted in the creation of the Dagger Squadron and the very cool "origin" story for the B-Wing. As for Wedge's X-Wing, we would likely do his iconic EpIV X-Wing first.

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In the Comic-Con presentation, the Clone Wars Magnaguard was shown to include an alternate, cloak-wearing head. Now that carded images have shown up, it appears as though this extra head is not included. Is it actually included and just hidden behind the insert, or is it another case of an accessory being taken out due to cost? If it is the latter, then can we expect a variant down the road? (SSG, 12/19/08)

     We had originally planned to do the cloaked version first (with the sculpted cloak head), but cost pressures forced us to go forward with just the one mode. We hope to be able to do the version with the cloak in 2010.

Assuming you do decide to make the Corporate Alliance Tank Droid, which last you told us was likely since it is in the Clone Wars cartoon, would it have a cockpit and working treads? What other features would you put into it? (SSG, 12/19/08)

     To do this vehicle in the Starfighter Vehicle assortment, which is the most likely place it would go if we did green light it someday, we would not be able to solve all the demands of size, features, inside figure capacity, and treads without making strategic choices to be able to afford it. We would probably not design working treads, but would make sure that we can fit a couple figures inside while maintaining the overall aesthetic of the vehicle and looking for features to add elsewhere (like missiles for example).

With the upcoming Wioslea figure, we have another Jedi-style outfit with soft-goods cloth robe and "skirt", but the upper tunic remains sculpted to the torso and thus doesn't match the color or design of the "skirt" that is supposed to continue the tunic. Don't get us wrong, Wioslea's outer robe looks far better than the oversized VOTC Obi-Wan's robe, soft-goods cloth does have its place in the line. But for matching the "skirt" to the top half of tunic, have you ever considered doing a figure with the tunic entirely as soft-goods? Would you consider doing a major super-articulated Jedi figure with a cloth tunic this way? (SSG, 12/19/08)

     We have looked at this, and even done it occasionally on figures such as the Evolutions and Order 66 Anakins. We have generally found that the upper torso is much more problematic for getting the exact aesthetic that we are trying for. Aside from robes, which are deliberately bulky, any kind of more form-fitting shirt or top will come out bulkier and will potentially be a distraction on a 3-3/4" figure. That is not a problem for the lower torso, where we can anchor the top at the waist, and the straight drape hugs the legs and looks natural. We may still occasionally look for this approach, but we don't anticipate it will be a bigger focus for us.

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One vehicle that is getting quite a bit of screen time in the new Clone Wars series is Padme Amidala's Naboo yacht. This vehicle is pretty important in the Prequels, bringing Padme and Anakin to Geonosis, taking Padme and Yoda to Ilum, and now being pretty prominent in the last Malevolence episode and on Rodia. This ship isn't really that big, about the size of the Sith Infiltrator toy, and could easily retail for $20. All it would consist of would be the cockpit and boarding ramp really. What are the chances of this happening? (ST, 12/19/08)

     Virtually none.  We are pursuing some great new vehicles, but they are more aggressive vehicles central to the battles in Clone Wars. The Yacht is, as yet, too passive for us to consider.
 
By now I'm sure you've seen some of the many talented people out in cyberspace that make custom figures, whether it be simple repaints (which I'm sure you're verrry familiar with) or actual sculpted from scratch action figures. My question is this: how would one go about applying to a position with Hasbro to help make toys? What type of education/degree would one need? And then, how would someone actually go about applying? Bring a portfolio of work to a convention that Hasbro attends? Send an email to a particular person at Hasbro HQ? (ST, 12/19/08)

     Hasbro is always looking for talented sculptors and designers.  The main criteria for consideration is having an industrial design education.  All of our designers and sculptors have this key background, since beyond the ability to draw or sculpt they are called upon to problem solve for incorporating and designing features, different materials, achieving costing targets, manufacturability, and the like.  There are numerous great educational institutions out there, many of which have co-op programs with Hasbro, and we encourage folks serious about being in the toy industry to seek out the education needed and then come talk to us at the appropriate point.
 
What's the possibility of a Naboo Queen Evolution Set with Queen Apilana Queen Jamillia and a new Queen Amidala figure, or just the first two being released? (ST, 12/19/08)

     After the last three Evolutions sets next Summer, the line will be put on hiatus and we do not know when/if it will be back.  It is a popular format, so we don't rule out its return some day.  If it does return, the pack you mentioned is a very interesting one.  It might also be likely that we get to the Queens before then.  If we do, Jamillia would be the first and most important one to do.

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With oil being so much cheaper of late (under $50 a barrel) will Hasbro forgo it's decision to include only four figures per battlepack and return to including fifth figure? (ST/"TJ", 12/19/08)

     There are many factors, not just the price of commodities, that affect what we include in packs (labor, packaging, cube size, and pricing are all critical elements).  Suffice it to say Value is an important attribute of Battle Packs, and we try and include as much as possible to be as appealing as possible.

Any chance of seeing a figure made of the Droid Commando or any of the other "new" Battle Droids that were recently featured in the Clone Wars series? (ST/"TJ", 12/19/08)

     Certainly….the Droid Commando and several other cool new droids will be coming in the Clone Wars basic figure lineup next year, in addition to a few other formats as well (Battle Packs, etc).  Stay tuned!

The RotS 2-1B figure was one of the most out-of-scale in Hasbro's history: it was far too small and I noticed a few collectors saying that they would only buy it when it went on clearance because the tiny size didn't justify buying it at regular retail price (I skipped it entirely). What happened here?  You've mentioned in the past that sometimes a figure turns out smaller due to issues with the material or the tooling, but this one seemed too tiny for it to be just error.  Was it cost-saving due to higher plastic costs?  And can you promise us that an eventual TESB 2-1B will be correctly scaled? (ST/"TJ", 12/19/08)

     It might appear small because of the vintage one we all know and love, but it's actually accurate. We designed 2-1B to the height standards for the 2-1B series droids relative to all other figures, or roughly about the same size as Leia and shorter than Luke.

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What is the initial read on the success of the AT-TE and Falcon? Has the sell-through met expectations? And with the release of the Costcoexclusive AT-TE, can you tell us specifically which figures (by number, i.e. Clone Wars figure #7, etc) have been repacked in that set, and if there are any new figures (repaints or new molds) exclusive to that set? (SWAN, 12/19/08)

     (Listen to this MP3 for the answer.)

With the economy being in a slump and a slow down in consumer spending and the price of oil dropping per barrel how does this affect Hasbro with the production, pricing, and release of action figures? Will we continue to see the large quantities of figures release per year (60+) that seems to have been the norm since 2006, or will we see the amount of releases/waves/number of products contracting? A lot of collectors are watching their wallets and would hate to have to miss out or have to keep up with a deluge of product in these financially uncertain times. (SWAN, 12/19/08)

     (Listen to this MP3 for the answer.)

The Mighty Muggs seem to have turned out to be a popular take on the urban vinyl meets Star Wars. There seem to be quite a few that are must haves such as Lando with his winning smile. One thing that had me slightly disappointed was the lack of a weapon to go with the Return of the Jedi version of Boba Fett. If Boba was to be revisited in his Empire attire, would it be possible to include two guns so one can be given to his RotJ brother? Boba needs his signature blaster and other Muggs like Jango and Grevious came with multiple weapons. Alternatively would it be possible to have an online/exclusive accessory set? Something to contain extra light sabers or other add on pieces like pilot gear, cloaks, and extra blasters for the characters that have no weapons or could use more armaments like clones? (SWAN, 12/19/08)

     (Listen to this MP3 for the answer.)

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Any movement yet towards new product designs for the Force FX lightsaber line? (SWC, 12/19/08)

     We are not ready to reveal any new designs yet, since we still have a long way to go to get to our goals for the first series. When we feel that we have retailer and consumer support in place we will start releasing info on the new designs.

The light-pipe eyes on The Clone Wars C-3PO are quite striking. Could we see this feature in a future movie-styled Threepio figure? (SWC, 12/19/08)

     It is a very cool feature. There's a good possibility we will look at that for the Legacy collection at some point as well, even though it's not currently slated for any Legacy figure.

The Force Unleashed game seems to have generated some renewed interest in Shadows of the Empire, because of their similar "bridging" themes. With a new comic pack already out, can we expect anything else from SOTE down the line, such as a Guri or a new Dash Rendar figure? (SWC, 12/19/08)

     Guri and Dash are at the top of our own wish lists, having recently re-read all of the early EU comic series (Dark Empire, Heir to the Empire, Shadows) ourselves for the same reasons you suggested. We do feel very confident that we'll get to the both of them either separately or together, in the next couple of years.

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TNI

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TPU

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Will you be updating the Stormtrooper mold in 2009/2010 to include the new style blaster holster utilized on the new Han and Luke Stormtrooper figures? Also, are there plans to upgrade the stormtrooper to give it the new ball wrist and hip joints like the Commander Gree has from TAC 2008? (YF, 12/19/08)

     We will be updating the Stormtrooper to include the new belt later in 2009. As for a new ball wrist and hip joints for the classic Stormie, that's under consideration for further down the road.

You've done an outstanding job in giving us new takes on previously release figures in terms of sculpt, detailing and accessories. One figure (or series of figures) that have yet to receive today's level of modernizing are the Bith. Can we expect to see an all new Cantina Band Member released in the Fall 2009 EIV wave? (YF, 12/19/08)

     We don't have any plans to update the Cantina band any time soon (having just released updates in 2007). Eventually, with time, we are certain that we will get to them, but it won't be in 2009/2010.

Now that we have a better sculpted Ep3 Clone Pilot in the Evolution line, when can we expect to see named pilots such as Oddball and Capt. Jag' Gakaar from Ep3 in the Legacy Collection as I have a few Republic Gun Ships and ARC-170s with no crew members? Also on the topic of Clone Pilots do you have any plans to release or re-release the Ep2 Clone Pilot any time soon in the legacy or Saga Legends collection? The 2002 Saga version is becoming impossible to find anywhere thesedays at a fair common sense price. (YF, 12/19/08)

     Eventually, we do hope to get the EpIII pilots (especially Jag) out there in quality bodies. The EpII pilot, from the Evolution packs, will be out as a "greatest hits" sub line figure in the Legacy/Droid Factory waves, starting with the EpII wave next Spring. Oddball and Jag have yet to be slotted into the mainline or exclusive lineup, but given time there is no doubt they will be.

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Are we going to see more Galactic Heroes based off the Clone Wars line (specifically from the new Animated Series). And if so, will we also see some sets specific to certain episodes and adventures? (YN, 12/19/08)

     Yes, in fact most of our upcoming Galactic Heroes 2-packs will be based on the new characters from the animated Clone Wars series. We will also look for inspiration for Cinema Scenes sets as well, such as the currently available Obi-Wan with Starfighter.

Again related to the GH line. Many children (and collectors) enjoy army building with these little guys as well, any chance we will see 4 packs if solid clone and solid battle droids in the future? (YN, 12/19/08)

     We do not have a 4-pack format available in the Galactic Heroes. Instead, we are sticking to the bread and butter 2-packs and Cinema Scenes, which have been a big hit. We occasionally do troop-oriented packs in both assortments, and will continue to look to these options to round out the line.

In keeping with the GH theme, can GH fans look forward to any type of mail away offer for the line (like the Indiana Jones on Horse one this past summer)? I think it would be well received with younger fans who may not have yet had the chance at a "mail away" offer as well as collector friendly. (YN, 12/19/08)

     We don't have any plans to do a mail-in for Galactic Heroes. While the GH line has a lot of adult fans, kids remain the primary recipient. As such, they do not have a great response to mail-in offers. The IJ Adventure Heroes offer had, by a pretty wide margin, the least interest of the three mail-in offers. Therefore we'll keep the Star Wars offers in the 3-3/4" line to give the most folks possible the chance to participate.
« Last Edit: January 12, 2009, 10:07 PM by Matt »
"The good news is that all that blood is actually ketchup. The bad news, however, is that all that ketchup is actually blood."

Offline Matt

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Re: The Hasbro Q & A Compendium
« Reply #66 on: February 4, 2009, 05:00 PM »
Session 65 - January 30, 2009

8d8 from Jabba’s palace shares a body with BGJ-38. Any chance these two will make it into the build-a-droid line? (BS, 2009-01-30)

     BG-J38 *will* be coming as a buildable droid Factory figure in early 2010.

Will you release a new Bantha with less curly hair and more straight hair this time like it was in the movie? Or how about some more beasts? It’s been a while! (BS, 2009-01-30)

     There are no plans right now to release a new Bantha, although there are a couple new beasts on the way. More information will likely be released at Comic Con, so stay tuned…

Any chance we'll see the Tatooine hut from the Lars Homestead available in a pack with no or just one figure, in a closed box someday? I would gladly buy 4 of them if they were in a better package at a better price point. (BS, 2009-01-30)

     We're glad you like it; we agree it's a cool piece. However, we do not have plans to release the hut anywhere outside the Lars Homestead set itself.

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In light of the new Astromechs we have seen in the new Clone Wars series so far:
(massive list snipped)

Whaddya Think (CC, 2009-01-30)

     Hi there - thanks for the rundown. That is a far more detailed list than we have been keeping ourselves regarding the Clone Wars droids. Our focus isn't on producing so many droids models for Clone Wars. We have our hands full chasing the main characters, key Jedi, clones, main Separatists, and different battle droid species that round out the main focus of what kids are looking for. Given time, we think that we will fill in the seems with some interesting characters, but with the pace of the episodes, and the constantly changing story focus, we envision fewer background characters in the lineup compared to, say, the Original Trilogy.

Okay, so you’ve made it clear that there will be no crossover between the “realistic” sculpts of the Legacy Collection and the “animated” sculpts of The Clone Wars lines, which suits a customizer like me down to the ground. At least I know what I can customize without fear of being upstaged by an Official Hasbro Product down the line. But can I just plead the case that regarding the Clones, simple repaints could easily make “realistic” versions of the new Clones, perhaps as online exclusive sets? For example, a set for “personalities” like Rex, Fox, and the like, or themed packs, like the Walker-Pilot Clones with the AT-TE foot insignia on their deltoid armor? (CC, 2009-01-30)

     There are no plans to cross the two lines over; to start with a few clones would just open the door to the inevitable, and that would be a decreased focus on new Legacy figures or new Clone Wars figures as we start to cross-over characters in each unique style. Instead, we have chosen to keep the lines separate to best craft the strongest lineups for each.

Do you feel there are some figures which are the best there are, and the best that will ever be, and producing new sculpts would be fruitless? (CC, 2009-01-30)

     We do think that some figures are about as solid as we are ever going to get them. Case in point, the current EpIV Obi-Wan about to release. Originally planned for an Evolution pack but released as a single basic carded figure instead, this figure is about as great a classic Obi-Wan as we could have hoped for. With the advances in articulation, sculpting aesthetics, and soft goods there are a large number of figures in this category, usually most of the characters in a given new wave any more. We're always curious as to which figures fans believe are still wanting, and we pay attention to those as future possibilities for upgrades.

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It's been a while since we've seen Hasbro visit Jabba's dungeons. Even if none of these are in the works for '09, are any on the short list for a future ROTJ wave? BG-J38, 2-1A with torture rack (we know it's not his official name, but it's fan name of the 2-1B body droid without the mouth), a tortured Gonk droid, perhaps even upgrades for 8D8 and EV-9D9... what are the chances we'll see stuff like that in the moderate future? (CS, 2009-01-30)

     At least one of these droids will be updated in 2009, but there are no plans right now to pursue the others. With one of our long-term focuses (focii?) to ensure that we get around to a lot of the denizens of Jabba's Palace, both organic and inorganic, we think that given time all or almost all these droids will find their way into the lineup.

Back on Aug 17th, '07, Hasbro answered SirStevesGuide.com's question about the Skiff Guards with "over the next few years you will see some more of these cool guards either get their turn for the first time or get a resculpt. You'll have to be patient though - we'll only be able to get to a couple new ones a year." 17 months later and 2008 closes without a new sculpt for any Skiff Guard, making it 10 years since the last ones. While you have confirmed 1 Nikto guard is slated for next year, do Skiff Guard fans have anything else to look forward to in 2009, as there have not yet been a "couple new ones" in '08 and so far only 1 new one in '09? Or does the patience need to be extended to 2010? (CS, 2009-01-30)

     This is the danger of answering specific questions in the Q&A, and opening a window into our longer-term plans. We did not have any of these guys in the '08 plans, but have slotted two into the '09 and one more into the '10 basic figure lineups.

Back in October '08, you answered a question about the potential for 4 Jabba's Palace characters - Cane Adiss, Loje Nella, Geezum and Yoxgit - by saying that "long term we do plan to get to some of these guys." If you only plan on doing some of these, which one or ones do you NOT plan on doing? Are there other Jabba's Palace denizens that Hasbro has no interest in pursuing, and why? (CS, 2009-01-30)

     None of these are really *too* funky to do someday, although there are some strange ones there. To this point none of these have been slotted into any lineup. Geezum does make the most sense since he's a skiff guard. As far as which denizens we are not likely to do, the simple answer is that there are so many populating the palace that we just can't do them all and will need to select priorities first, which would include upgrades to major characters and species (such as Malakili or Gammorean Guards), Skiff guards, and the various dungeon droids - similar to the vintage Kenner focus. We do hope to do others over time, but our ability to really do a lot of these long-term depends on how many new figures we can produce, and continued sustained interest by collectors in the broader Star Wars line.

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Fans love Aayla Secura, so might we expect another new figure eventually? Maybe a Comic 2-Pack version of her in her undercover outfit as "Jayzaa" from the storyline in Darkhorse comics Republic #72 issue. (GH, 2009-01-30)

     There are certainly a couple cool versions of Aayla in the comics, and we have some good ones sitting in the "parking lot." One of them just missed the cut for the mainline lineup in 2010, but could find its way to an exclusive. We are confident that given time, and continued support for the comic packs, we will see some more of Aayla one of these days.

You've said that there probably won't be a second Padmé Evolution set in 2009 [or any as of this e-mail], but can we still expect at least one more non-animated realistic Padmé next year in addition to the animated Padmé in her white outfit that has already been revealed? Also on the subject of animated Padmé, is there a good chance of eventually getting Padmé in her Leia-esque battle uniform from the 4th episode of the series Clone Wars: Destroy Malevolence plot? It seems to be prominently featured on various Clone Wars books and advertising, so it deserves as much attention as the standard white bodysuit version you are already releasing. (GH, 2009-01-30)

     We can confirm that there will indeed be a new Queen Amidala figure in the Episode I wave this year.  As for Clone Wars Padmé, we will be releasing her in her "adventure" gear. Stay tuned!

Two figures that haven't received the newer, fresher Hasbro update are Oola and the Gammorean Guard. We've heard that both have been at some phase of development, but how likely are we to see them in the near future? (Or how close are they to getting out of the "parking lot"?) (GH, 2009-01-30)

     Oola is not in the works to be updated, but we think she is almost a certainty as the farther-but years unfold. She has been on several lists, but has been one of the last cuts each time. The Gammorean Guard will be updated within the next two years.

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A question on the upcoming Clone Wars Jabba the Hutt Battle Pack - dais or no dais? And does he come with any new figures or just some sort of inevitable Anakin/Dooku/Ahsoka repacks that we're all expecting? (HH, 2009-01-31)

     There is no dais with Jabba. He will come with his protocol droid, but no other figures. [HH editor's note: Yeah, I know - old news. This is why Q&A delays suck.]

Based on what you told us last time, we won't hold our breath waiting for our Han Solo with yellow space goggles from Marvel Star Wars # 15 (though we all know it'd rock). As Han Solo fans, what should we hold our breath waiting for in the coming year? With no new Bespin Han planned until 2010 and a new Carbonite Han not in our immediate future, is Stormtrooper Han really the only new Han figure we'll see in 2009? (HH, 2009-01-31)

     There will be on additional version of Han later this year in the EpIV basic figure wave. After that, the next one up will be in later 2010.

And finally a question submitted by one of our younger readers - "Will you make some Wookiees in the Clone Wars Animated toys?" Joe, Age 7 (HH, 2009-01-31)

     Joe, Right now, Wookies do not appear in the animated series, so we would not want to put them into the toy line because we want the toys to match what kids are seeing on TV. However, if Wookies do start to show up in the TV show we think it would be a great idea to include some in the toy line. Thanks!

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Do you have any plans to release the Separatist Boarding Craft aka Pod Hunter in the Clone Wars 3D vehicle line? (IS, 2009-01-30)

     No plans for that one right now.

I would like to know if there are any OTC ships (especially TESB) planned for Legacy this coming year? (IS, 2009-01-30)

     There are no new brand-new OTC ships scheduled for '09, but there are going to be some dynamite exclusive versions of classic vehicles if the schedules hold.  We'll have more information on those at Comic Con.

Do you have any plans to release the Firefighter Battle Droid from the Destroy Malevolence episode of Clone Wars in the Clone Wars 3D line? (IS, 2009-01-30)

     Yes indeed he will be coming, but likely not before the end of this year.

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Our first question/comment comes from some forum discussion regarding the recent Previews Exclusive Crimson Empire: The Crucible figure set. The set is a cool idea because Crimson Empire is really a popular storyline it seems, but some of our readers have expressed concern/disappointment in some parts used to make the Royal Guard Trainees... In particular, there were complaints about the use of the "Training Fatigues Clone" legs, as the ankles aren't articulated and they are sculpted at sharp angles. Was there a reason these legs were used over other more poseable legs? The lack of ankle articulation is pretty detrimental to posing these figures, mostly due to the way the ankles are sculpted in such an extreme stance. The Crimson Empire storyline's a very cool EU subject to go with it seems, but there does seem to be some disappointment in the poseability of the 4 trainee figures in the set just due to the leg choice. (JD, 2009-01-30)

     The choice was based on the best fit and available tooling. For this one, we had to start with an existing torso since the arms, heads, helmets, and weapons were al new, and we thought it was the best match and the tools were not in use elsewhere. We're glad you like the concept of the set; we think the Royal Guards story is an exceptional piece of EU storytelling and we're glad we could bring this one out.

In case we missed it, what happened to the R2-D2 that was going to utilize the R4-G9 body that was supposed to come out this year as part of a set? If it was scrapped, when can we expect to finally get our ultimate clean R2-D2 that doesn't utilize the inferior Early Bird body? Fans are pretty anxious to get an R2-D2 figure based on that R4-G9 sculpt since it's so awesome! (JD, 2009-01-30)

     Actually the set that was to have used this version of R2-D2 had to be dropped. We know that's a great version of R2-D2 to do, and will find a way to bring him out, probably in 2010.

Wilrow Hood got yet another mention in another Q&A from you guys recently, and we've got to ask it... Is there any chance you can give us some kind of update on Wilrow? Like perhaps could you share maybe some concept/design art for him, or where he is at in the production process so far? We'd love to see something here at Jedi Defender where the ICMG movement began. (JD, 2009-01-30)

     He will probably be on-shelf around November at this point, as part of the second EpV wave. At this point we have input drawings only for him. We are pleased to give you a first look at the input for Willrow.  (Pic)

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I really like both the McQuarrie Star Wars figures that you made and I was wondering if you ever thought of doing a series of McQuarrie Evolutions Packs? They would be just like the 3 figure packs you already make, but they would have two figures that show the Evolution from McQuarrie's concept artwork to the final movie version. Like one could be a McQuarrie Evolutions Pack of Darth Vader (McQuarrie & Movie figures). (JI, 2009-01-30)

     We don't have any plans to return to the Evolution format, at least for now. If we did, it's unlikely that we would put the McQuarrie figures into the mix with actual movie characters unless there was a broader theme to the set like "From concept to screen." That is a bit of a different theme than most everything else we have done, as we prefer to work "in fantasy" whenever possible. If we do pursue more McQuarrie or other concept figures beyond the four slotted for 2009, we'd most likely do them as basic carded figures. It's possible down the road that we will re-release the McQuarrie TAC figures in multi-figure sets. Look for an announcement on that later in 2009.

There's no doubting the popularity of the ‘Legacy’ comics from Dark Horse and their plastic counterparts, collectors and kiddies seem to be picking up the recent Cade/Talon and Imperial Knights packs left and right. While you've discussed future EU releases before, any indication how we may be getting these figures? Will we be seeing more comic pack issues or will figures such as Darth Krayt and Nihl begin sneaking their way into the single card assortments? The Legacy series itself presents a great opportunity for two packs; the aforementioned Sith Lords, Wolf Sazen with Shado Vao or even an Emperor Fel with a newly sculpted Marasiah Fel head on an Imperial Knight body are all great possibilities. So are comic packs the way to go to get great EU characters to the fans quickly and in quantity or will we see them gradually fill in the spots in the basic assortments? (JI, 2009-01-30)

     We're concentrating on delivering Legacy figures in the comic pack format, and do not have plans to introduce them on basic figure cards. Many of the figures you cited will be coming within the next couple of years. Stay tuned!

The articulation on the new Marvel Universe 3 3/4" figures seems to be pretty nice, any chance of testing out this style with Star Wars figures in the future? (JI, 2009-01-30)

     We have no plans of changing the Star Wars aesthetic, which relies on a seamless marriage of sculpting and articulation. Other figure lines make different choices that are best for their needs, but we have been following the current (and highly successful) path for some time and plan to stay on course.

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In the US release for TLC wave 4, the BAD parts are with all the new figures, and the 327th Clone Trooper - which is merely a repaint of the Evolutions Clone Trooper - comes with a redundant BAD part since he's not exactly "new" enough to warrant making collectors buy him again just to build the droid. However, in the UK release of this wave, the 327th Clone comes with an original BAD part - the right arm - while new figure Bail Organa is the one with the redundant part. Why did Hasbro change the BAD parts in wave 4 in the UK, leaving a new figure with a duplicate unnecessary part and an old figure with a vital part... or could this be factory error? (JN, 2009-01-30)

     We did not change the recipe for wave construction in the U.K., as far as we know.  The assortment ratios and part assignments should have been exactly the same.  As the new figures in the wave were Commander Faie, General Grievous, King and Queen Organa, FX-6, and Stass Allie, getting those six should have netted the complete droid.  It's possible you have seen a factory error, and if so, we do not know how widespread it is.

Some of the Galactic Heroes Cinema Scenes and 2008 Comic Packs have been not been seen in the UK.  Will any effort be made over the coming weeks and months to try to ensure we have a chance to buy some of these items (only 4 of the recently released GH Cinema Scene's were officially available over here [Vader's TIE, Obi Wan's Starfighter, Rancor's Pit and AT-RT] meaning that we're missing out on X-Wing Fighter on Dagobah, Pit of Carkoon, Escape from Mos Eisley and Geonosis Battle)? (JN, 2009-01-30)

     We are doing our best to ensure that all toys see distribution in the UK, but that does not always mean that we have enough consumer support to get all toys in all of our assortments to retail.  In this case, we are struggling with both of these to make the release quantities for all items, so we have to pick and choose.  With time we hope to grow the market, but for now it's the best start we can get with these assortments. (JN, 2009-01-30)

This next question was sent before the UK Toy Fair that took place this week - you can read our report from the Hasbro stand tomorrow and find out exactly what we did see and can say!

As normal the UK Toy Fair precedes the US Toy Fair by about 2/3 weeks.  Last year, a movie year, we weren't allowed to see ANYTHING related to Star Wars on the Hasbro stand.  Will we be able to see anything new at the UK Toy Fair this year or will everything be held back for the US? ...please say we'll be able to see something - fingers crossed! (JN, 2009-01-30)

     You will indeed be able to see quite a number of new things at the UK Toy Fair, but whether you will be able to actually talk about them is a different matter!  Seriously, there should be some good news there, but the rules about what can and can't be shared publicly until NY Toy Fair will be discussed by the UK team upfront.

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We've known about the complete lineup for the upcoming EMPIRE STRIKES BACK wave since early November.  But thus far the only images we've seen have been what appears to be a Captain Needa prototype.  Can we get a peek at some of the offerings in this wave?  Perhaps a final version of the previously seen Needa, or perhaps even the eagerly anticipated Hoth Rebel Trooper? (JTA, 2009-01-30)

     Images have been released this week already, and additional images will be made available at Toy Fair.

The Q&A process seems to have been dominated with questions about the LEGACY line much more than the CLONE WARS line.  Which is interesting, since it seems that during the holiday shopping season it was much harder to come by CLONE WARS figures than LEGACY figures.  So with that in mind, we thought that CLONE WARS might be fertile ground for a Q&A session.  Has the sales performance of the CLONE WARS line been as much of a surprise to the Hasbro Star Wars team as it has been to collectors?

And on a related note, we've seen indications over the past few months that a CLONE WARS deluxe figure line is in the works.  We've also seen word that a CLONE WARS Jabba might be on the way.  Will Jabba be offered through this line?  And what about the crab droid that we saw in the "Bombad Jedi" episode? (JTA, 2009-01-30)

     We are not surprised in the least at the runaway success of Clone Wars (both the series and the figures).  When we started seeing episodes, we knew it was going to rock the kid world, and have been planning big ever sense.  Collector questions on the Q&A are starting to turn more and more to Clone Wars, which is a sign that the "wait and see" attitude that a lot of collectors have had seems to be turning toward anticipation and excitement for future releases. We are glad to see the line getting the all-around respect that we feel it deserves.  as for Jabba - yes, he is coming in the Battle Pack lineup.  As for other segments of the Clone Wars line, stay tuned for news out of Toy Fair in a few weeks.

The news of the 2010 Force Unleashed wave is very exciting indeed.  With that news come all sorts of questions.  First, will the TFU Shaak Ti that we've heard about move to this wave from the previously announced Expanded Universe wave?  And what characters from the Force Unleashed are on the Star Wars team's wishlists? (JTA, 2009-01-30)
     
     Shaak Ti will stay in her wave, which is the EU wave slotted in prior to the TFU wave.  There are a bunch of figures on our wish list, which is now moving into the sculpting stage, but we're going to keep the exact contents of this wave close to the vest.  We have to have *something* to talk about in Spring 2010!

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With all the attention being paid to the EU with The Clone Wars (although one COULD argue that TCW is not really EU) and the Comic Packs, and all of the attention being paid to the Prequel Trilogy this year, can you reassure fans of the Original Trilogy that they have not been forgotten? I know there are several waves dedicated to the OT coming in 2009, but OT fans can't help but feel left out in the cold, what with the OT waves getting pushed back farther and farther away (2008's TESB wave), or seemingly abandoned (Whatever happened to Willrow Hood?). Say it ain't so! (RS, 2009-01-30)

     While 2008 was light for basic figures, there was plenty of reason to celebrate the OTC with the Millennium Falcon, some cool battle packs, buildable Droid Factory figures, and several exclusives including a revamped A-Wing and both a Lars Homestead and Sarlacc Pit (we never dreamed that we could deliver both of those, but were able to do it). So if pure-OTC fans thought we neglected them last year we really beg to differ!

     Anyway, since the focus seems to be keenly on basic figures, we believe OTC fans will have a fantastic year in 2009. There will be five new waves (if we count the EpIV wave which is shipping now) along with some very special non-basic figure announcements which will come later in the year that will make this a year to remember. Willrow is slotted for the second ESB wave for late 2009.


On the other hand, from a fan of the EU...the Dark Horse comic book Jedi characters are very popular with fans. It's great to see Sharad Hett, K'Kruhk, Ki-Adi-Mundi What are the chances we'll see action figures based on T'ra Saa, Badoo Bok, a REAL Jedi Quinlan Vos, or my personal favorite....Tyvokka the Wookiee? (RS, 2009-01-30)

     We agree - the Dark Horse run of Republic was an amazingly fertile ground for key character introduction and storytelling, and if fans haven't sought out this series they really ought to (available in trade paperback under the Clone Wars reprint volumes). We will be exploring a good number of characters from this series over the next couple of years, including T'ra Saa and others.

     We just released a Jedi-robe version of Quinlan Vos, so look for him now packed out with the Scout Trooper version of Commander Faie (unless we misunderstood your point about a REAL Jedi Quinlan Vos?).

     We are not sure who Badoo Bok is as we are not tracking him in our parking lot, unless you are referring to Bok the Morgukai warrior, who is indeed AWESOME but not in the lineup yet (hopefully, some day).
Dan's Note: A bit of a private joke here...Badoo Bok is a fan-fiction Rodian Jedi Knight, so that of course wouldn't get past Lucasfilm's scrutiny. But an upgraded version of the figure from the Jedi Knight Army set WOULD be cool, wouldn't it?

     As for Tyvokka, he remains one of the figures that is off limits to us and will not be produced.


It's already been revealed that there will be a Podracer pilot in the Episode I wave in 2009. Will this be a 2-pack, or will we see a single figure release? (RS, 2009-01-30)

     It will be a single figure release. We would like to be able to do multi-figure packs, but it all comes down to what we can manage to get into the lineup based on costing, etc.

Since this is the 66th Q&A, we gotta ask a clone question (hello? Order 66!)....How soon if at all can we expect an upgrade for Bacara and Cody, after what you did with Gree I'd really like to see these two Commanders get theirs, they are the only two left from ROTS that need to be updated.

Dan's Note: I tried to sneak this 4th question in, but they were wise to me...  (RS, 2009-01-30)

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Would Hasbro ever consider doing large-scale versions of some of the smaller figures? I don't mean 12" bodies with cloth costumes, like Sideshow does and Hasbro used to do, but literal larger versions of some of the best figures. 4-ups, let's say. (RTM, 2009-01-30)

     It's highly unlikely at this point. We discontinued the Unleashed 8" format for the reason that the line only attracted a small following despite extraordinary production costs in terms of time and tooling. Any other collector-targeted size or format that we pursued would likely also attract a niche audience or take away focus on growing the primary 3-3/4" play pattern and other popular expressions we have in motion such as Star Wars Transformers and Galactic Heroes. We will continue working with Sideshow on their 12" figure program.

Will we see a figure of the Clone Wars Mon Calamari Jedi, Nahdarr Vebb? (RTM, 2009-01-30)

     There is no Nahdarr Vebb figure planned.

Would Hasbro consider doing Star Wars-themed fashion dolls again? Especially now with more female characters to choose from in Clone Wars, it could be a broader line than just Leia and Padme. (RTM, 2009-01-30)

     We would not consider pursuing fashion dolls again. The primary audience for Clone Wars remains boys and (secondarily) their dads.

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2008 marked the 25th anniversary of ROTJ, however there was no fanfare, no commemorative figure sets, no special packaging, nothing from Hasbro mentioning the milestone. Is there a reason it got snubbed while ANH has enjoyed Hasbro products for both its 25th and 30th anniversary? Will 2009 pass without anything celebratory of the TPM 10th anniversary? What about ESB's 30th anniversary the year after? Judging by some of your Q&A answers over the last 6 months, it seems like there's thinking about maybe doing some cool ESB stuff in 2010 - like a Tauntaun, e-web cannon, Bespin Han, and Boba Fett - are those hints suggesting ESB 30th anniversary special stuff? (SSG, 2009-01-30)

     2008 was the year of Clone Wars and our focus was geared toward that as the big new story, with a portion of the very big spotlight being shared with the Millennium Falcon launch. The main story for both 2009 and 2010 will be the second and third seasons of Clone Wars, respectively, but it does not mean that the spotlight can't be shared to some extent. In 2009, there will be a celebration of the 10th Anniversary of EpI, small but significant, and details for that should be released at Toy Fair. For 2010, we are still looking at whether there is a program for the 30th Anniversary of EpV, but nothing is concrete right now.

Longterm collectors have noticed that, in the past, sometimes Hasbro ends up with spare figures at the end of a particular line - either unsold merchandise or even bought back from retailers like in the Saga line. Take for example the HasbroToyShop 8-packs of TAC Farmboy Luke, or Darth Vader, sold as "party favors". Collectors have always wondered, what happens to those extra figures: Are they melted down and recycled back into plastic (and wouldn't their paint make that difficult)? Are they repacked into new sets like battle packs or Saga Legends (which seems expensive to take them out of original packaging and put into a different package)? Are they sold off to toy liquidators, or donated to childrens' charity as a write-off? (SSG, 2009-01-30)

     This is an interesting question, and one we're glad you asked since we have seen some speculation that our Battle Pack or figure choices are dictated by leftover or excess (or, as implied, returned/unwanted) inventory. This could not be further from the truth; we select figures and sets based on the anticipated wants of the groups we are targeting, and match our existing library to those needs. Some Battle Packs may rely on older figures, but if they are kid-targeted (as many Battle Packs are) then many of our older figures are perfect for the audience. We have not brought figures back from retail in many years, but if we did, they would not be repacked into new sets like Battle Packs or Saga Legends. Production of all new toys takes place in Asia, and it doesn't make logistic sense to ship them back for reworking when it would be much less expensive to initiate new production. As for what has happened to figures in the past, it is likely that a variety of options were pursued to move the inventory, including the figure 4-packs that were sold to retailers in the past.

Fans may be a mixed bunch, but when it comes to the latest Sarlacc Ultimate Battle Pack exclusive for Target, while fans were really looking forward to this concept, their overall take on the finished product seems to be a less-than-positive one. The complaints range from weak execution on the set to poor paint on the figures to not enough product for the newly-increased pricepoint over the '07 models. What is the Hasbro Star Wars team's take on the final product that made it to retail, both its successes and its failures? (SSG, 2009-01-30)

     Good question. We understand that not everyone was satisfied with the pricing and execution of the set, and, as with everything, it is up to the individual fan to decide whether the materials and execution are up to their own individuals standards. Not everything always turns out exactly the way we want it, either; we do the best we can within our parameters for costing and what we can afford to produce. We are proud that we do take chances on things that otherwise we would never be able to do, and both the 2007 Ultimate Battle Packs and the 2008 versions are examples of such chances. Pretty much every choice we make is a compromise of some sort, with our strategic objectives always in mind. In this case, it was delivering a set that could retail for the same price as the 2007 Ultimate Battle Packs (actual retail pricing is out of our control). We are thrilled to have delivered a Sarlacc pit to fans, and we put in as much value as we could into the set, including the skiff, as many figures as we could, and the newly tooled parts that offered both versions of the Pit itself. While the larger base was vacu-formed, the set would not have been possible without this approach, and really is the key factor that ensured that the set existed in the first place. We worked hard to get this one out with as many components as we could, and are proud of the results, and hope that many fans share the same enthusiasm toward getting a Sarlacc Pit that otherwise could not exist.

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Is it possible to you confirm what figures you have made for the live action TV series for next year if any? If so what? (ST, 2009-01-30)

     There is no word on the live action TV series as of yet.

This coming wave of New Hope figures have given us, the fans, 4 more Mos Eisley/Cantina aliens, and Kudos to you because I always wondered what Dice Ibegon would look like with a body. We have Trinto, Dice, Pons (Brainiac) and Wioslea, but we are missing ONE last crucial alien for the cantina. I am of course referring to BOM VIMDIM. Wheres the figure love for are favorite horned patron? (ST, 2009-01-30)

     There are a couple more significant Cantina aliens coming this Fall, but Bom won't be among them.  Right now, we think you can look for him near the end of 2010 as long as things stay on schedule.

I'm just wondering if you plan on giving any consideration to expanded universe material from the pre-Thrawn trilogy era (70's & 80's) apart from the Marvel comics material. There is actually quite a bit to draw from such as the Holiday Special (which you have stated can't be touched), the Ewok movies, the Droids and Ewoks cartoons, novels such as Splinter of the Mind's Eye, the Han and Lando novels, and storybooks that originally included records like Planet of the Hoojibs and Droidworld. True, none of them have a lot of exposure today, but they would certainly be remembered by collectors that grew up in a time when these were some of the only sources of Star Wars fun apart from the OT.  So what do you think? Is there any chance that figures based on some of these sources could ever be made, perhaps as chase figures, exclusives or some other type of release? (ST, 2009-01-30)

     There is simply so much great Star Wars reference that we can't cover it all, so we try and hone in on the things that have the most pent-up-demand, or things which we feel tell a great story and can be executed within our tooling and cost constraints. Some of these - like the Ewoks and Droid series, which have seen DVD distribution - are definitely possible if we find the right format. This would most likely be as exclusive multi-figure packs.  They are not high on our list given some of our other choices but remain possibilities as we look to flesh out our plans farther down the road.  Splinter of the Minds Eye is likely in comic 2-pack form and was high on the list for 2010, but did not make the final cut.  It is a strong possibility for 2011 if comic packs are still doing well. The rest of the sources you cite have much lower resonance and would not be under consideration.

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With oil being so much cheaper of late (under $50 a barrel) will Hasbro forgo it's decision to include only four figures per battlepack and return to including fifth figure? (ST/"TJ", 2009-01-30)

     There are many factors, not just the price of commodities, that affect what we include in packs (labor, packaging, cube size, and pricing are all critical elements).  Suffice it to say Value is an important attribute of Battle Packs, and we try and include as much as possible to be as appealing as possible.

Any chance of seeing a figure made of the Droid Commando or any of the other "new" Battle Droids that were recently featured in the Clone Wars series? (ST/"TJ", 2009-01-30)

     Certainly….the Droid Commando and several other cool new droids will be coming in the Clone Wars basic figure lineup next year, in addition to a few other formats as well (Battle Packs, etc).  Stay tuned!

The RotS 2-1B figure was one of the most out-of-scale in Hasbro's history: it was far too small and I noticed a few collectors saying that they would only buy it when it went on clearance because the tiny size didn't justify buying it at regular retail price (I skipped it entirely). What happened here?  You've mentioned in the past that sometimes a figure turns out smaller due to issues with the material or the tooling, but this one seemed too tiny for it to be just error.  Was it cost-saving due to higher plastic costs?  And can you promise us that an eventual TESB 2-1B will be correctly scaled? (ST/"TJ", 2009-01-30)

     It might appear small because of the vintage one we all know and love, but it's actually accurate. We designed 2-1B to the height standards for the 2-1B series droids relative to all other figures, or roughly about the same size as Leia and shorter than Luke.

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SW Action News

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SWC

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TNI

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So far we have seen numerous Rebel Pilot figures but we have yet to see one of the Grey Squadron Y-Wing Pilots from ROTJ. Is there any chance we may see one of these in 2009 or 2010? (TPU, 2009-01-30)

     There are no plans right now, but we are very interested in continuing to explore the Rebel Pilots and would not rule it out for sometime down the road.

You have released details for the 2nd Imperial Pilots and 3rd Rebel Pilots Evolution sets. Can you tell us the other 2 figures which will be included with Fi in the Commandos set? (TPU, 2009-01-30)

     The other figures are Alpha-17 (aka Alpha) in red armor and an Imperial Shadow Commando. We did not modify the torso or head, using the existing Commando body.

Are there any plans to produce Force FX blasters at any point? (TPU, 2009-01-30)

     Our focus remains on getting up to speed in the Force FX lightsaber business. We do not have plans, at least for now, to produce Force FX blasters.

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The recent "Lair of Grievous" Clone Wars episode seemed to beg this question – Are there any plans for a Battle Damaged General Grievous in the Clone Wars Line complete with removable legs and battle damaged face plate? (YF, 2009-01-30)

     We will be updating our Grievous sculpt for 2009 with some cool new touches….you just may like what you see. Stay tuned!

Due to their prominence in the series, can we expect to receive a Clone Wars Super Battle Droid version that incorporates the large cannon-like arm in 2009? (YF, 2009-01-30)

     Yes, yes indeed.

Since last week you clarified the some of features of the new Super Vulture Droid, what else can be said about it? Is it able to be transformed into its "walking" droid mode and has it indeed been "EU-ized" to carry a pilot/droid of some type? (YF, 2009-01-30)

     It will indeed be a walking-type model and we'll have more details at Toy Fair. However, due to the need to have a reasonable-sized pop-out head to complete the aesthetic, we decided against having a cockpit that would fit other figures and directed our energies to make the legs split and added firing missiles.

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Over the Holidays I purchased 1 of each of the AT-TE and the BMF. Both are very well loved by my 5 year old. I was so impressed with the Falcon that I bought a second for myself to display, because it really took me back to my younger years. My questions is since Hasbro has this kind of production capabilities to put into a vehicle. Why is this not applied across the board with other ships etc? On the action figure side, I bought my son almost 40 figures, I have to say the most impressive was the TLC GRIEVOUS that seems to be the correct scale. I have to ask, are you going to make one with a cape? That was the only disappointment. Keep up the good work and make more big ships. We want them all! (YN, 2009-01-30)

     We're glad you are thrilled with the results on the Millennium Falcon and AT-TE. We're a little uncertain what you mean when you ask why this type of production capability is not applied to the rest of the ships in the line. As a matter of fact, the exact same engineering and design team that worked on the big vehicles also delivers the $20-$25 SRP vehicles.

     Each one is crafted to pack in as many details and play features as possible given our cost constraints; we do not deliberately short any Star Wars vehicle when it comes to features, fun, size, deco, and the like. If you mean to ask why Hasbro doesn't pursue more $100+ vehicles, which can be made much larger and packed with tons of features, the simple answer is that there are very few vehicles that we are confident can carry demand at that very risky price point, and it would be very dangerous for us to expand this focus against an uncertain economy.

     What we know has been extremely successful is our focus on delivering newness in the $20-$25 vehicles, which have been extraordinarily well-received as a significant complement to the 3-3/4" figure line. We will have an announcement at Toy Fair regarding the status of the $100+ vehicle program. As for Grievous, we just could not afford to include a soft goods cape with him. There is a strong possibility that he will come out someday, perhaps slightly different, with a soft goods cape.


In regards to the Jodo Kast figure - Any chance you will re-release him with a real articulated body like the Mando warriors offered through EE? The current release has a lack of features. Will we ever see Jodo Kast on a better, articulated body? (YN, 2009-01-30)

     It's unlikely that we will release another Jodo Kast figure. It took so long to fit this one into the lineup as it is…

We have along wish list for figures from Clone Wars, to name a few Clone Trooper (scouts on Teth, from the movie) , Senate Security Clone Trooper (with pauldron, from Ambush), Nahdar Vebb, Jabba the Hutt's protocol droid, Clone Trooper (in Star Destroyer uniform), Senate Security Guard (from Cloak of Darkness), Nute Gunray, Toydarian king, and guards, Jabba's aliens (Weequay and Nikto), Trandoshan Trader (from Downfall of a Droid), Commander Gree, Lok Durd, Cad Bane and Twi'lek civilian! Make our Holiday and let us know which ones we will see in 2009 and share any pictures you may have! (YN, 2009-01-30)

     The good news for you is that with the staggering success of Clone Wars that we have a great lineup of basic figures and other formats (Battle Packs, etc) lined up for 2009. Many of the figures you have asked about are in the mix, although not all. The reality is that with so many characters coming fast and furious in various episodes, there is just no possibility of getting to everyone, but we are doing our best to get to the important ones who appear across episodes. That means some characters who only appear once, like Nahdarr Vebb or background characters, stand a very low likelihood of getting a figure. Given time though we are satisfied that you will love the rich Clone Wars lineup. We won't be releasing any images this close to Toy Fair; look for a full report from the websites covering the show in a few weeks.
"The good news is that all that blood is actually ketchup. The bad news, however, is that all that ketchup is actually blood."

Offline Matt

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Re: The Hasbro Q & A Compendium
« Reply #67 on: March 4, 2009, 07:55 PM »
Session 66 - February 27, 2009

Will there be variants of the recently revealed Episode V wave Hoth Rebel Trooper? More specifically, will he be released with the two heads or will this be a running change? (BS, 2009-02-27)

     It will be a running change; the first Rebel Trooper will ship in the U-3PO buildable droid wave, and then will carry forward into the next (HK-47) buildable droid wave. Each will come with a different droid part, although the second (HK-47) Trooper will have a redundant part that we always do for the figures that continue into the next wave. You can help us out by passing on a valuable note to fans. Regarding the Hoth Rebel Trooper, a very limited number of the first Rebel Trooper without the lower part of the jacket (skirt) will be getting out there. We did not catch the change until these had already been built out so we are letting them go. For those who get them....your choice is to not open them and hang onto them, or open and enjoy them for what they are. Do not try to get replacement skirts from our Consumer Affairs team, as there is no way to add this to the figure as it needs to be co-assembled at the factory.  Thanks!

You seem to have found a plastic that works for skinny battle droid figures in the clone wars line. When is this going to translate into the regular line? When it happens, I would like to suggest doing the droid troop carrier from Episode 1. That would allow us to purchase many battle droids (like I purchased many WHITE Legends style clones for my ATTE). It is a nice deployment device....don’t you agree? (BS, 2009-02-27)

     There is no different plastic used for the Clone Wars droids vs. the Legacy droids. Instead, what you are seeing is a different stiffness (durometer) of plastic that was used. It does vary but we try and use the stiffest possible for the BDs. As far as the MTT, which we think is the droid carrier you are referring to, it would indeed be a dream come true some day to produce that beastie for the 3-3/4" line. However, given it's size, it remains a dream for now. Perhaps some day it will be possible if it gets additional entertainment exposure in Clone Wars.

As a follow-up to a previous question asked by Banthaskull member SW_Rebel, will the battle gear be changed to include OT weapons? So far all of the lockers have had PT weapons, and now many of us have all we need. It seems kind of odd for the OT characters in the Saga Legends line to come with PT weapons. (BS, 2009-02-27)

     There are no plans to change the weapons at this time. If Saga Legends continues beyond Spring 2010, this is something that we could look at as it would add an interesting depth to the lineup.

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It's pretty much a fact of life that every time you get a group of people together, they'll eventually start creating their own slang to encapsulate their experiences, needs, tools, and situations. Do you folks on Hasbro's Star Wars team have any particularly cool, funny, interesting, or entertaining jargon or acronyms you've come up with in the last few years that the fans might not know about and you'd be willing to share for laughs? (CC, 2009-02-27)

     Surprisingly, we don't have too many. We like to use a lot of the same funny phrases that the fans have created - "peg warmer" for example whenever we talk about a figure who is dangerously obscure to the point of plugging up shelves if over-released. Occasionally we'll describe a figure who is the opposite of a pegwarmer as "teflon" (because they won't stick to shelves). One that is sort of funny is "sluggos" - used to describe characters that have very little articulation (and are like solid plastic slugs drawn from a mold) - typically things like Salacious Crumb or mynocks. Other than that, we really don't have too many fun phrases or acronyms. We should probably devote more time to that - so we could generate acronyms that sound better than ones like UGH and BAD. ; )

What do you think of the rumors that after Ep. II, you convinced Lucasfilm to incorporated multi-colored Clones in Ep. III so you release more figures cash in on those crazy Clone army builders? It's ludicrous right? Right? (CC, 2009-02-27)

     We work closely with Lucasfilm to make sure that our character mix is constantly "fresh" and resonates with consumers. One area of freshness we have always requested has been costume changes for main characters, because it provides a richer and more realistic universe to explore. Case in point - the richness and variety in the Original Trilogy which led to new and unique takes on the most of the main cast. In this case, the variations on Clones (which everyone would agree is a main character type) was a great seam to explore for Lucasfilm, because it shows that Clones can have unique personalities and skills and that all life has value, a theme that we see in the new animation. How great this seam that was opened during Episode II would turn out to be has been phenomenal.

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With the Droid Commando now confirmed as getting a figure from Hasbro, we were wondering, what types of accessories might it be coming with? In their premiere episode, the Droid Commandos carried multiple accessories - blaster, stun baton, fusion cutter, even a vibrosword for the leader - dare we hope to see all, even the leader with the sword? What about getting a Droid Commando in clone trooper disguise, also seen in that episode? (CS, 2009-02-27)

     The basic figure of the Commando Droid is one of the troopers and will include a standard Droid blaster that can plug into his back for storage. The figure will be roughly super-articulated for poseability. There is a strong possibility we will do the captain Commando Droid later on down the line, which would include his sword.

The Comic Packs are great since the addition of the comic books give these characters much-needed context, as the average kid and collector who mainly know the movies will likely not know these characters without seeing them in some sort of action. That said, there are still several other expanded universe products that have no context other than the small bio on their packaging. Would it be possible for comic books to also be included in EU multi-figure sets or vehicles as well? For instance, fans of Crimson Empire are liking the look of the upcoming Crucible set, while those who are unfamiliar with the work think it looks more like a cross between Star Wars and Power Rangers. (CS, 2009-02-27)

     We feel better about the target audience when the sets go to a collector-targeted outlet such as Diamond Comics or Entertainment Earth. It's when the sets go to mass retailers as most comic 2-packs do that we feel we need to have that added context. We have thought about offering comics in the multi-figure sets, but usually it comes down to the package configuration and size. We'll take another look in the future to see if it merits the addition of the comic.

As fans of Hasbro's lines, we've seen this for years: official Hasbro images for retailers and on packaging that employ a dark look as if photoshopped to enhance shadows, surfaces and edges. This gives the overall look of the toy increased realism, but often the production deco of the toy can't really live up to that. While there is a fine-print proviso on the packaging about such things, it's still a little unusual. Why does Hasbro employ this tactic so often with their official photography, and why not simply give each toy a subtle, simple paint wash to actually bring those lines out and give them the realistic look which the packaging shows could be possible? (CS, 2009-02-27)

     We have been employing the same package photographic techniques for a number of years, designed to involve the characters in a realistic scene with the intent of achieving an atmospheric feel. It really is just that - an intent to establish an atmospheric mood - and not meant to promise more or different deco than the figures actually have. You are right - the photos have more darkness and edge to them than the actual figures. We have experimented with paint wipes before, with not so great results (some of the previous Cinema Scenes, the one with Wuher in particular come to mind). The bottom line is that they are very difficult to execute in an even way, and some wipes become much "harder" than others and can be undesirable as an addition to one's collection. We like where the figures currently sit regarding their degree of "realism" and edge and will stick with that.

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CTR

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One of my favorite pieces to get as a child was the many different figure storage cases. My favorites were the ones with movive scenes on the outside and two plastic trays that doubled as display stands. Is there any chance that you would bring these items back in new styles? We could always use storage for opened figs. Backdrops would be great, too!!! (GH, 2009-02-27)

     Good request - while those exact heat-sealed vinyl cases may not make it back out, we have been looking at storage cases again. No immediate answers on which ones will come back out (or when).

The upcoming Legacy Collection Ugnaughts look great! Could we psychotic collectors request a purple-smock variant at some point simply to match up with the vintage line? (GH, 2009-02-27)

     That would be a *great* variation for sometime down the line with a proper wink to the vintage fan.  For now, though - no plans as we focus on these two versions.

We know that the BMF (Big Millennium Falcon) is getting cleared out at some stores as part of the post-Holiday clear-out, but it is an open stock item that will continue to ship, right? Are there any upgrades planned for this piece in the foreseeable future? (GH, 2009-02-27)

     Wal-Mart and Target have taken to clearance out the Millennium Falcon since they do not have a home on the latest planogram. As of now, it's likely that Toys 'R Us in the U.S. will carry another run of them in the Fall in the new red/white packaging. There will be no upgrades to the Millennium Falcon if it does ship again; it's likely that this version will be the signature version for some years. The good news is that the large vehicle program was indeed a success and we look forward to the first Turbo Tanks hitting shelves around August 1.

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When can we expect to see the next batch of Galactic Heroes at retail? We're itching to buy some of those GH Spider Droids and Clone sets! (HH, 2009-02-27)

     The latest wave will be shipping out of Hasbro next week (week of March 2nd). Look for it to start appearing on shelves about two-three weeks from now.

Last time we beat "Comic Pack Han" to death, so now we're moving on to EU Han. How about we help you guys plan out a Han Solo Evolutions set for 2010! We start with a Han in Imperial garb (TIE Pilot or Imp Officer, your pick). Then we move on to a sweet super-articulated Yavin IV Medal Ceremony Han. And finally, we finish with a new Mynock Cave/Mechanic Han Solo. If you could go ahead and get started on that, we'll send a nice basket of cookies ASAP. (HH, 2009-02-27)

     Evolutions is not continuing forward, but we get the idea that you like Han and want to see some more upgraded or new versions checked off the list. Those are three pretty good suggestions for new takes on Han. An Imperial/Academy Han would be interesting and there is comic reference for it; the chances this one could come to light some day in comic form are slight but not out of the realm of possibility. The other two are likely over the next few years. They may not be in the lineup any time soon but they remain good figures to upgrade.

Toy Fair is just four weeks away (two weeks by the time we get these answers back). [Editors Note: Or maybe Toy Fair was two weeks ago - darn Q&A delays!] Give us a tease on one item you're itching to reveal. Any one item you just can't wait for us to see? (HH, 2009-02-27)

     By now, you've seen the rollout from Toy Fair and we hope that you like what you saw. We do not reveal any secrets beforehand - that goes against the idea pretty much - unless we're asked a specific question that merits an answer that would tease out some tasty info.

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I'm wondering if there will be any kind of 'premium format figures coming out in 2009. What I mean here is a line, similar to the vintage collection of a few years ago, made up of figures where you pull out all the stops (super articulation, the best sculpts, accessories that you may not be able to include at the basic figure price point).  If not this year, could you see this kind of line possibly becoming a reality at some point in the future? (IS, 2009-02-27)

     Thanks for the question, Pat.  We actually don't see this as a segment on our horizon, primarily because the default for the basic figure line is pretty much Vintage-style super-articulation already, or close enough to the point where a premium price compared to the basic figure is unwarranted.  Our plan is to maintain the premium articulation at the current figure price point for as long as we can, as long as we can contain costs coming out of the factories.  If Vintage does make a return, and we are seriously evaluating it, it would likely be at the same price as the current line and will encompass more than the OTC but would encompass all of the films (as well as all non-Clone Wars EU).

Are there any 2-1B medical droids slotted into the build a droid lineup?  Several variations could be made such as a new version of the Empire Strikes Back droid, a repaint in the Droids animated series color scheme, and a holographic version like the one in the Clone Wars movie. (IS, 2009-02-27)

     We just recently released a new 2-1B, and do not have plans to release one in the buildable format in the 2009 Droid line.  Perhaps farther down the road in some capacity it would be a fun addition, but there are no plans right now.

I would love to know if there are any McQaurrie concept vehicles coming? Please, please make the walker first if you ever do one! (IS, 2009-02-27)

     Sorry to disappoint, but there are no plans for McQuarrie vehicles on the horizon.

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While some rumored-but-cancelled Indiana Jones items can be confirmed (the German Motorcycle has peg holes where the rumored sidecar would have gone) was there any truth to the rumor that a 3 ¾” scaled Flying Wing vehicle was in development for the Indiana Jones line? (IJC, 2009-02-27)

     Yes indeed, a 3-3/4" scaled flying wing *was* in development before the Indiana Jones program was crated up to await another film, should there be one. While the model was finished, it was never tooled.

The recently released Temple of Doom Mola Ram is hands-down the best 4” scale action figure of the past several years – even including the Star Wars line. The figures from the Temple of Doom wave have an attention to detail and deep understanding of the films that is truly remarkable – for example, I recently discovered the Sankara stones hidden in TOD Indy’s satchel and the cut marks on the back of his shirt. For a die-hard fan of the type that quibbles over an incorrect lightsaber included with a Star Wars figure, discovering tiny details like this weeks after purchase is unique. My question is was the TOD wave designed/conceptualized by the same team and manufactured by the same factories as the earlier first two waves? They almost appear to have been done by a completely different set of people at every level, from conceptualization to choice of accessories to quality of paint apps. Or was this simply a case of learn as you go? (IJC, 2009-02-27)

     We are glad that you saw the incredible attention to detail that we put into the wave, a testament to the deep fans of IJ that we are. All of the 3-3/4" IJ figures were created by the exact same design team and manufactured at the same factory. While the factory did make improvements after the first couple of batches, responding to our and Lucasfilm's high standards for quality, we think what you are seeing in the later waves reflects the result of a more normal design schedule. The first IJ figures were created on a *crazy* pace dictated by the need to develop the line on a very compressed schedule after we learned IJ IV was going to happen. Hopefully that kind of schedule will never happen again, and if we are lucky enough to tackle IJV.

I picked up the recently released 12” Indiana Jones in German Uniform. It has a great likeness to Harrison Ford - even standing side-by-side with the Medicom Indy (which sells for seven times the price!) I was amazed to realize - using a magnifying glass - that it’s the same sculpt as the first release 12” Indy witb whip action, and shares some hair sculpt attributes with the talking Indy, yet it looks so totally different visually, even very close up it looks new. Is it simply an issue of superior, non-glossy plastic that holds detail better, or better paint apps, or something else? How is it the new doll can look so completely different - and superior - yet be from the same mold? (IJC, 2009-02-27)

     It is actually the same head sculp. The Whip Crackin' Indy had a molded-on hat, so there was no hair or top of the head on that guy. So we took the same head sculpt and basically finished it from the forehead up, adding the hair and then tooled it. So it is a new tool, but not a new sculpt per se. We're glad you were happy with the likeness; we (and Lucasfilm) really liked the results of this one too. Of course, the deco is different from the first to reflect different beard stubble, scrapes and cuts, a little more tanned, and any other detail from that particular scene. You are right about the finish, too, we spec'd paint in a matte finish so it did not have a shinier plastic sheen. Thanks for the good word on this one!

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The recent developments around the web have revealed something Toy Fair UK that's piqued everyone's curiosity. There's some new toys listed in a catalogue, and we wanted to ask if you had any information you could share on the Turbo Tank, but we also wanted to know just what the RC Vehicles were going to be too? Will they be part of the 3.75" line of figures, or will they be a separate line entirely? (JD, 2009-02-27)

     By now you have the scoop. The Turbo Tank is indeed a site to behold - our next premium vehicle and a crown jewel in the 3-3/4" vehicle world. The RC vehicles are not in 3-3/4" figure scale and are meant to be our first entry into the world of flying RC vehicles.

The Hoth Rebel Soldier pictured this past week looks really good so far, but fans are questioning the skirt piece being missing from the figure. Not getting into the other myriad of questions you may get asked about the different headsculpts and other things that came up this past week, we're just wondering will the skirt piece be something fans can count on with the figure, and will it be softgoods or plastic? (JD, 2009-02-27)

     We missed the skirt during the first batch of production and did not catch it until a number had already been produced. The skirt will be added as a running change. You can help us out by passing on a valuable note to fans: a very limited number of the first Rebel Trooper without the lower part of the jacket (skirt) will be getting out there. We did not catch the change until these had already been built out so we are letting them go.
For those who get them....your choice is to not open them and hang onto them, or open and enjoy them for what they are. Do not try to get replacement skirts from our Consumer Affairs team, as there is no way to add this to the figure as it needs to be co-assembled at the factory. Thanks! As for the second Rebel Trooper with unique head sculpt, it will be "carried forward" into the next wave of Legacy/Droid Factory and will come with a different part for the next buildable droid.


Shifting gears, the Indiana Jones line was really a fun line of toys to the fans of the series, and its demise has been a real bummer to a lot of folks, but I was curious since it was developed by the same people, are there chances you'll use existing sculpts and items from the Indy line within the Star Wars line? Perhaps a Harrison Ford likeness for a Han Solo (older EU Han perhaps?), or the body of a figure for a Cantina alien in some plainer clothes maybe? Customizers have found a lot of use for the parts from Indy figures to make their own Star Wars figures, so I was just curious if you were looking at them for Star Wars as well. (JD, 2009-02-27)

     We haven't really looked at doing that, even though the kit-basher in us revels at the notion. The main reason why they aren't useful to us is because they are at another vendor, which greatly decreases their utility to Star Wars.

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With all the cool new things we see each week appear in the Clone Wars animated series, how does Hasbro go about picking what gets made into toys and what doesn't from the show? Can you walk us through the process of how something is selected and then the steps of getting it made from cartoon to toy and then on to my shelf? (JI, 2009-02-27)

     The process isn't all that tough - we read the scripts as soon as Lucasfilm makes them available to us, usually 12-18 months before an episode is set to air. From that, we will make our main character selections according to prominence of characters within the story arc. The myriad background characters don't show up in the scripts, so it really helps us focus down on the core heroes and villains of the story-which is key since our total item count that we can put into the assortment is very tightly controlled. With episodes coming fast and furious, we really do need to be selective in getting the main new character introductions into the lineup, and synched up as much as we can to the order in which episodes will be aired. It will not be until much later that we see visuals, and even later until we see completed or near-complete episodes. Seeing episodes helps everything come together and sometimes based on that we will decide to "chase" a character or vehicle that we did not have in the line the first time. From there, you can pretty much pick up the store from the recent edition of Star Wars Insider which details how figures are created from the original art inputs.

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The new packaging looks even better in person and we were pleased to see it at the UK Toy Fair this week.  At what wave will this new packaging come in?  Also, will we see of any of the currently released figures from both the Legacy and Clone Wars lines repackaged in this new style? (JN, 2009-02-27)

     The new packaging will be available approximately August or September in the US, and about a month after in the rest of the world.  The wave numbering will start over with the new series even though the assortment number (our own internal stock number) will remain the same.  Some figures will indeed be released in both packages for all three of the figure lines (Clone Wars, Legacy/Droid Factory, and Saga Legends).

We're really pleased to see the pictures of the animated Jabba coming in a Battlepack later this year.  Bearing in mind we're also getting a new Slave Leia (hopefully with two sets of legs?) does that mean that we're a step closer to seeing an OTC Jabba with dias and throne soon - maybe later this year or next year perhaps? (JN, 2009-02-27)

     There will not be a new movie-style Jabba this year, but there is a good chance that there will be one in 2010.  This has yet to be confirmed though.  It's unknown whether he will come with a new dais; our hope is that it will, but we have to be considerate of what the set will cost as well.

We've seen images of the new Ugnaught coming in the new Empire wave of figures later this year.  We understand that approximately half way through the run you'll be changing to another different Ugnaught, is this correct?  Will both of these figures be released in equal numbers?  Also, will both figures be numbered DB No. 43 and will they have the same or different BAD parts? (JN, 2009-02-27)

     The two different Ugnaught versions will ship with different waves, but both will be numbered the same.  The first, with the console as accessory, will ship with the U-3PO wave, and the second (with apron and the satchel accessory) will ship with the R3-01 body two waves later.  The second one will be produced in a slightly smaller batch size than the first, although that could change depending on how consumer demand continues for the Legacy/Droid Factory line and the size we need to release at the time it's ready to go.

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I am eagerly anticipating Pons Limbic from the upcoming ANH wave. What made you choose this name over Braniac from other sources?
Also there are several characters from both the Cantina and Jabba's palace that remain nameless. How would fans vote for these guys without a name if you did another Fan's Choice? How will you go about naming them if/when you make them? How about a fan's choice on naming them? (JTA, 2009-02-27)

     Brainiac was not available to us, as that is a name in another company's character pantheon.  As for voting on character names, keep your hands off the keyboard in that respect. The naming of all Star Wars characters comes from Lucasfilm.  Lucasfilm does not acknowledge fan-created names unless they are generated in an officially- sanctioned event (Pax Bonkik originated from such a contest some years back).

With the news of KayBee Toys failure as a business, we will now have one fewer toy specific retailer at which to buy Star Wars toys.  How can collectors expect KayBee's failure to affect the availability of the Hasbro Star Wars toy line?  How vital was it to have a mall based toy store presence like KayBee Toys? (JTA, 2009-02-27)

     The demise of KayBee has no appreciable effect on the availability of Hasbro's Star Wars toys.  As an outlet, they were a very tiny portion of our Star Wars business, and we suspect that fans who shopped there have already found retail alternatives.

I think the Saga Collection was among the most organized collection you have released.  It had a simple numbering system and awesome color coding for the movie source form which a figure came.  The color coding went away for TAC, but you still listed the source on the front of the figure’s card.  I and I am sure other collector’s miss seeing the source.  Why was it omitted?  The TLC cardbacks seem to have a lot of white open space to include this information back.  Collectors like to confirm what source Hasbro developed a figure idea from, so I hope this will be reintroduced in the near future. (JTA, 2009-02-27)

     We dropped it to simplify the amount of information that we were communicating on the front of the package.  We didn't think folks would miss it, but we'll look at it next time we have a line change, which would be Fall 2010.  Thanks.

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We recently got a look at photos of some new Titanium Series including The Twilight, the IG-2000, Xizor's Virago, and some others. Many of the new molds look stellar, and the IG-2000 is a great surprise addition. However, the paint jobs on the Twilight and Virago seemed quite unusual, the Twilight has far more blue than the CGI model's nearly gray upper color, and the Virago was sporting purple accents on light gray despite the ship actually being very dark gray (in the photo it's also facing backwards with the wings assembled upside-down). Will the paint on the final versions more closely match the source material? If those are the final colors, why the odd variations? (MD, 2009-02-27)

     While the paint of the Twilight and IG-2000 will not change, we have made steps to modify the colors of Virago to look more accurate. The reference we use to create these vehicles is sometimes slightly different than the final look of the vehicle that shows up in the animation. Regarding the packaging photo, since the development team can't be at every photo shoot, sometimes mistakes are made in the positioning of vehicles or parts. We do our best to correct, but sometimes things do slip through. There are many sets of eyeballs on each product (all of our vehicles are approved through Lucasfilm) and for as many gradual corrections as we make, sometimes things still get through.

Can you give us any information on how well the "super sized" Millinium Falcon and AT-TE walker sold? Did they reach expectations and projected sales etc? Will we be seeing any more larger vehicles like a new AT-AT walker or even a republic gunship that carries the AT-TE walkers or a normal Republic gunship? (MD, 2009-02-27)

     By now you have seen the offering shown at Toy Fair, and the good news is that we will be continuing the large vehicle program with the Turbo Tank, as well as a new mid-price vehicle line that will see the debut of a new Clone Wars Y-Wing. We hope that these vehicles are successful when introduced this Fall, so we can continue to bring new ones to you every year.

Can you update us on the Yuzhan Vong figure and how it is coming along??  Any chance of a pic to whet our appetite??? (MD, 2009-02-27)

     By now you have had a chance to see for yourself the massive Vong figure we showed at Toy Fair; in fact, fans got a double dose of Vong with use showing the Darth Kraty/Sigel Dare 2-pack as well. We hope that you liked what you saw. We really like this vein of the EU, and with the new Dark Horse title set in the New Jedi Order era, a lot of great source material for future NJO-era characters and additional Vong should be open to us. While Dark Horse has not shared any of the story specifics with us (we see comics when they hit the shops) we look forward to seeing how it will shape our thoughts in the lineup for late 2010 and beyond.

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Regarding the different versions of the basic figure line, what's going on with the Hoth Troopers and Ugnaughts? And will there be more Imperial Officers on the new Super-Articulated body? (RS, 2009-02-27)

     Hasbro revealed in an earlier Q&A session that there will be running change to the Ugnaughts, and they will not be released as a two-pack. The accessories will change for both figures: each one will include unique accessories.

     As for the Hoth Troopers, things get a little tricky. There are two versions planned (one with a beard, and one without), but there will also be a small number of the first version that will be released with the lower half of the coat (as seen in this picture). Variation hunters will want to track this one down, because the error was caught early on, but not before a small number was made and sent out.

     As for the Imperial Officer...while this figure is specifically Captain Needa, Hasbro has made him in such a way that the rank badge is a separate sculpted piece. The badge won't be removable from the figure, but Hasbro will be able to create different badges for the different ranks in the Empire.


Ratts Tyrell was shown in the slideshow presentation, but apparently he's not going to be in the wave of figures based on The Phantom Menace? Why not? Will we ever get him? (RS, 2009-02-27)

     According to Hasbro during the Q&A at Toy Fair, Clegg Holdfast will be the podracer in the TPM wave. Ratts Tyrell is a small character, and it was felt that he would be better suited for release at a later time, possibly packaged with another smaller podracer or (better yet), packed with his family, as seen in the extended scene from the Episode I DVD.

     Speaking of Episode I, Hasbro is not letting the 10th anniversary year go by without some acknowledgment. In addition to the wave of action figures (seen here), there will also be a special premium mailaway offer for a special set of Qui-Gon Jinn & Eopie! This will be handled the same way the Captain Rex figure was done, only instead of Captain Rex stickers, it will be Darth Maul stickers.

     Since most US collectors never got a chance to add this set to their collections, it was felt that this would be a great way to make it available at long last. Upgrading the figure to the Evolutions body was a bonus. The Eopie will be repainted, and Qui-Gon Jinn will also come with his Mos Espa poncho.

     As to whether or not it will include the Episode I packaging, similar to what has been done with the G.I. Joe line recently, that is still unknown...although it has been suggested.

     Since this will be a fall release, stay tuned for more information to be announced at San Diego.


With the launch of the recent Marvel Universe Fans' Choice Poll, one can't help but wonder if it isn't time for another Star Wars Fans' Choice Poll. Will there be one this year? (RS, 2009-02-27)

     Hasbro would love to do another Fans' Choice Poll, but first they want to get in touch with Toy Fair magazine (who ran the last poll in 2006) and make a "where are we now?" report, checking out just how many of the Top 25 figure have already been made, or are in the "parking lot" for the future.

     Once they get that under wraps and published, then they want to launch a new poll. However, unlike back in 2006, Hasbro recognizes the power of the collector community, as evidenced in the Saga Legends voting and various wishlist polls. However, this time around, there will be a way for both the collecting community to be involved, as well as the general public who buys ToyFare (which saw an obvious slant towards video game characters from the Expanded Universe).

     While there's no official timeframe announced for this yet, it's on Hasbro's to-do list for 2009.


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Why isn't the upcoming Emperor from 2009 Legacy Collection wave 2 using the same paint app method as the Ghost of Obi-wan or Ghost of Anakin? This figure would greatly benefit from, and appear more screen-accurate with, the same multi-color transparent/translucent paint method used for those characters. (RTM, 2009-02-27)

     Those figures were translucent to begin with, which is a very different effect since the plastic has a tendency to glow automatically when it catches light and the paint applications could be very light. To achieve a luminous appearance on the emperor, it had to be done using paint itself, which would have a different appearance no matter how we finessed it. We trust you will like the final version in any case... It is a great figure.

It seems Clones keep getting army building battle packs. Yet, the droid army doesn't receive the same love. Will you be making any droid army building packs? (RTM, 2009-02-27)

     We do not have any plans to do strictly droid-building army packs. The reason is that Clones occupy a unique space in kids' minds and they have shown an eager appetite for getting a squad. The same is not true for droids, and such packs would struggle to reach kids compared to sets that concentrate on Jedi, Clones, or a battle scene.

Can you translate the Kota the Triceratops technology into something Star Wars? Maybe a Bantha or a Hutt? (RTM, 2009-02-27)

     Sure, we could easily do something like that. However, we have no plans to - those sorts of experiences are not core to the audience that we target with Star Wars.

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Star Wars seems to be doing ok at retail, we're seeing more figure lines surviving, more $20 vehicle sales, more battle packs, and more vehicle exclusives. With this in mind, might Hasbro try pushing the $30-$40 vehicle pricepoint on retailers again? It would be a good way of getting larger vehicles such as the X-wing, B-wing, Republic Gunship, ARC-170, and even stuff like Jedi Starfighters with Hyperspace Rings into heavier rotation, and add opportunities for more new vehicles that would be considered too big to work out at the $20 pricepoint. So, any chance for the return of this pricepoint to mass retail? (SSG, 2009-02-27)

     By now you have seen the announcement at Toy Fair regarding the return of a higher price "mainline" (non-exclusive) segment. The intent is to use this higher price to introduce new vehicles such as the new Clone Wars Y-Wing as well as other vehicles down the line, either from Clone Wars or other sources. As far as other vehicles go, we will still keep them in regular rotation in the line for exclusives. One thing is for certain; Star Wars vehicles have never been more popular in the modern Star Wars line. As far as pricing - the days of larger vehicles like we are talking about being under-$40 are unfortunately well behind us (not to mention that we do not control retail pricing). We do promise to put as much as we can into each one, and bring you a commitment to keep vehicles an important cornerstone of the line.

In the Titanium Series line, the prequel-era fleets have a few vehicles that would really flesh them out. The Acclamator-class (aka the Republic Assault Ship) and the Munificent-class Frigate (aka the Banking Clan Frigate) appear notably in AOTC, ROTS, The Clone Wars series, and a number of popular video games like Battlefront II and Republic Commando. What are the chances of seeing those 2 prequel-era capital ships produced as Titanium Series vehicles? (SSG, 2009-02-27)

     There are no plans for those vehicles in the 2009 Titanium plan.

Ever since the VOTC Stormtrooper back in 2004, you've sculpted Stormtrooper figures' hands to 2-handed hold the blaster with its left hand holding the grip and the right hand holding the barrel. The wrists and fingers are angled very specifically for this, the left hand can't hold the barrel without bending it severely. While there is an unusually high number of shots with left-handed stormtroopers in the OT and its related still photography, the right-handed pose is still more common. So why choose, and stick with, the left-handed design for the Stormtrooper figures? Any possibility of either getting new hands with a more universal pose, or even putting ball-hinged wrists on this ubiquitous Imperial warrior? (SSG, 2009-02-27)

     We have used hinged wrists on a few TCW clone figures but due to escalating production costs we must continually evaluate such articulation. As we strive to constantly improve our figures, we will look at refining the hands on new versions of troopers in the future.

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How does a new paint job and box justify a $30 price increase on an "exclusive" that just came out in December? (ST, 2009-02-27)

     We're not sure what you are referring to.  Care to elaborate?

So far in the build a droid line you have given us R2, R4, R5, R7, R-A7 and 3PO units as well as the upcoming HK-47. Will there be any other types of droids to assemble in 2009 like maybe an R1, R3, 2-1B  medical droid or even an Imperial Darktrooper? (ST, 2009-02-27)

     By now, you know the answer - and that there certainly will be more droid types in 2009 including a couple of the ones you mentioned in addition to some that you did not including L8-L9. The Dark trooper will be found exclusively in a new series of Droid Factory 2-packs at Wal-Mart in the U.S., starting in August.

Are there any plans to produce a small scale ship or figure line to be carded and sold for the one dollar price point similar to that of Hot Wheels and or Matchbox cars? Maybe Titanium ships 1/2 the size? Maybe even produce your own Treasure Hunt style chase figure? This line could be similar to the miniatures on individual cards.

Many Star Wars product are too expensive for the young consumers (basic figures $6.99-$8.99), a dollar price point would be a great way to introduce the young fans into the Star Wars universe. At one dollar I would imagine more stores carrying Star Wars product, as Hot Wheels seem to be sold everywhere. (ST, 2009-02-27)

     There are no plans to do what you suggest, simply because there is no way we can come near the price point. The entry-priced toys that we produce for the dollar channel include single-carded Galactic Heroes and (in the past) Unleashed 2" figures.  While these allowed for a convenient entry price, consumers still vote overwhelmingly for the main bread and butter of the line - basic figures and our role-play.

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No questions from Sandtroopers "The Jawa" this round.  Sorry.

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Last year Zellers brought in the Series 2 Order 66 2-packs; but, almost all of the cases lacked set 6/6 Sev/Arc Trooper with extra pairs of Obi-wan/Arc Commander and Anakin/Arc Trooper packs instead.  Was there a production issue behind this? Canada receives few US exclusives a year and it was disappointing for some completionists who were unable to easily complete the set. (SNOW, 2009-02-27)

     We actually don't have an explanation for what happened, but it does look like the ratio change for part of the Canadian shipments.  It could have been a problem with producing enough components to meet the schedule from the Sev/Arc Trooper pack, necessitating a change.  At this point we don't know the reason, but since that change was made we have implemented a new process whereby any requests to deviate from the standard assortment ratios will be more visible to the global brand team that creates the item...meaning that in the future such changes be discussed and examined more thoroughly before the change is OKd.  This will be something we want to watch carefully, especially on collector-targeted items.
 
I love the Clone Wars figures! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Any chance that in 2009 we will see a correction to the clone armor that has been used on all the clones in the line, including Captain Rex? I know it's being very particular but the "elbow armor" should be attached to the forearm instead of the biceps. You did it right for Obi-Wan. (SNOW, 2009-02-27)
 
     When we sculpted the first wave or two of CW figures, much of the reference wasn’t finalized, and the elbow pad being attached to the upper arm is something that slipped through the cracks.  We have an all-new Clone sculpt for 2010 that will have some more accurate details – including the elbow pad being attached to the forearm.  However, due to continued high Clone demand, the original version is likely to stay in rotation for a while after that.
 
A lot of collectors have noticed that Captain Needa is a partial kitbash that uses the legs from the Death Star Trooper. Could Hasbro please abandon the use of this mold in the future?  If you visit any of the SW forums discussing Needa, these legs are very unpopular: the figure ends up being too tall due to the longer legs, the stance is incorrect (for both Needa and the DS Trooper) as the legs are too spread wide apart rather than standing close together at attention, and worse of all are the knobby knees which don't hide the articulation well.  Your comic pack Thrawn is so far your best sculpted Imperial officer body and his legs would be a far, far better choice for future kitbashes. (SNOW, 2009-02-27)
 
     We agree that Thrawn is a very nice sculpt and we will look into using the Thrawn legs in the future. However, please also note that officers do not always stand at attention, they are not all the same height, there are two different screen-accurate styles of pants, and that the tools are not always available because they may be at a different vendor or might be being used simultaneously elsewhere. So we'll do out best, but depending on how the line shapes out, may not always be possible to use one set of legs.  Thanks for the comment.
 
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We've gotten listener feedback that they like the Mighty Muggs but cannot collect them all, due to space or budgetary constraints.  One suggestion we received was perhaps a miniaturized line of Mighty Muggs, perhaps along the scale of the Galactic Heroes line, representing the Mugg aesthetic with a smaller shelf footprint and price point.  Is such a release possible and/or likely? (SWAN, 2009-02-27)
 
     That is an interesting suggestion and something that we have considered.  However, for now we plan to stick with the current format.  As we announced at Toy Fair, the Mighty Muggs line will be found exclusively at Toys 'R Us from August and beyond.
 
As I look out upon my collection and see the latest ships and figures released with minor differences such as a paint of a slightly more red color or a female twi'lek painted on the nose, I am reminded of the old movie Batman series of figures where almost every release was Batman with a different accessory or paint scheme (the banana yellow Batman being a personal favorite).  It is widely speculated that the lack of character variety led to that series' demise.
 
Given the number of repaints and retools, both along the lines of figures and vehicles, is collector saturation ever a concern?  Or is the turnover of collectors so great that if a slightly different A-Wing is released every couple of years it finds a new audience? (SWAN, 2009-02-27)
 
     Star Wars is an interesting universe.  It is perhaps the most complex, varied, and vast universe ever conceived, with thousand of stories that have branched off from the films resulting in a massive wealth of planets, species, characters, weapons, ships, droids and the like. That epic scope is no doubt one of the things that appeals to us as not just fans, but as collectors. It is the reason why we are asked for the most obscure aliens or droids or Jedi in figure form, but vehicles are equally important. Overall the demand for Star Wars vehicles has never been higher in the modern (1995-now) Star Wars era, thanks in part to a huge number of kids who are engaged in playing with Star Wars figures, but also the very loyal and passionate fan base that is looking for us to continue to upgrade and enhance vehicles, and expand the boundaries of what has gone before. Everyone has a different collecting style, and to those who collect vehicles the recent popularity of vehicles in the line does pose a space challenge, especially those who have been at it for a long time. We believe that as long as we add something significant - whether on-screen deco in the case of the Republic Gunship, or new enhancements like we have been doing with the classic OTC vehicles - we give collectors a reason to welcome them to their homes. In some cases, an upgrade to a vehicle may make a previous version obsolete, and in other cases it may add a significant new deco (or Rebel Fleet variant) to the mix. We will always try to make each vehicle meaningful or won't touch it at all and simply repack it (as we do often in the Starfighter Vehicle line).  Surprisingly, we really don't know if collectors are turning over and being replaced with new ones - we don't have a database that would enable us to analyze that. Instead, we pay attention to how well the vehicles we release do, and use that as basis for expansion/contraction of our plans.  So far, it looks good for more and varied vehicles.
 
We all saw the new packaging for the Clone Wars Season 2 line of figures. Will this be the start of a new line designation, or will it be the same line with a different style of cardback?  And will these changes roll to the Legacy collection as well?
 
     All three of the basic figure lines will make the change to a new red/white line look effective in Fall - basically a year after the introduction of the blue/white line look.  Numbering for all will start over to be fresh with the new line look.

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Any chance of seeing the Comic Pack version of Asajj Ventress re-released single-carded with the correct blades for her lightsabers? (SWC, 2009-02-27)

     We have no plans to release Ventress on a single card at this time.

While there's an understandably high desire to keep THE CLONE WARS and The Legacy Collection lines separate, there does seem to be a large amount of interest in a movie-styled Ahsoka Tano figure. Could this be the one exception to the rule, somewhere down the line? (SWC, 2009-02-27)

     As of now, however, there are no plans to cross the two lines but to keep them unique and distinct. If we ever did it, she would be the one (along with Rex) to cross-over.

With the DARK EMPIRE saga getting a new look through the Comic Packs, any chance of seeing a new, correctly-scaled Imperial Sentinel being produced? (SWC, 2009-02-27)

     That is one that is not high on our list, to be honest. We are somewhat interested in it because we do like Dark Empire a lot, and also because it is one of the original EU figures that Kenner did and we have been systematically updating many of those. However it still remains a far-off possibility.

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TNI

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TPU

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Now that it as been revealed that the Ugnaughts are packed out as a single figure release, will the second version include a different accessory, or will it just be a new figure with the same accessories? (YF, 2009-02-27)

     The first figure will include the console, and the second figure will include the satchel. Neither figure will have all accessories.

Recently images have surfaced for the Clone Wars (animated-style) Jabba the Hutt. Are there any plans to release a new movie version? It seems that the lower body could be easily be reused just requiring new head/arms section. (YF, 2009-02-27)

     A movie version would require an entire new sculpt. While it remains high on our wish-list, a new movie version is not on tap for 2009. There is a very strong likelihood that we could bring one to market in 2010, but that is far from confirmed right now.

This week (Mon, Jan 12) the new 2009 Red and White packaging was revealed for all Star Wars merchandise. The current line's packaging has different helmet card backs and the positioning of the character imagery on the insert. How will Hasbro make the new Clone Wars, Legacy and Saga Legends packaging discernable from one sub-line to another? (YF, 2009-02-27)

     The binding element to the line will be the cardback shape and color scheme. First, the title of the series will be different. Second, there will be three main ways to tell the three main card series apart: Key character art will be used for each character in the upper right hand corner of the card back; realistic for Legacy & Saga Legends, and animated for Clone Wars. Third, the inserts for each will have a different color: red for Clone Wars, black for Legacy/Droid Factory, and orange for Saga Legends. We think that this will provide stronger differentiation than we saw this year, when the lines were virtually indistinguishable.

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YN
« Last Edit: March 10, 2009, 05:33 PM by Matt »
"The good news is that all that blood is actually ketchup. The bad news, however, is that all that ketchup is actually blood."

Offline Matt

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Re: The Hasbro Q & A Compendium
« Reply #68 on: March 21, 2009, 01:19 AM »
Session 67 - March 20, 2009

Could we get a photo of the gunner inside the turret of the Geonosis Assault Battle Pack from the Toy Fair coverage? If no additional turret, can we expect some additional clone gear/weaponry in the set? (BS, 2009-03-20)

     Unfortunately, we do not have a picture at this time of the Clone inside the turret. The fit is not that tight - it's pretty roomy in there actually. There will be no additional weaponry besides their helmets and basic Clone blasters.

Will the vulture droid be repainted into episode 1 colors? And, how about a picture of the vulture droid in walking mode? (BS, 2009-03-20)

     Eventually, we might repaint it into alternate colors drawn from previous entertainment but right now there are no plans. Here is a pic of the droid in "walking" mode.

Any update on the cantina bar dispenser or any other extra bar parts? It’s been a while and a lot of people really want to complete that cantina. (BS, 2009-03-20)

     Unfortunately, we were not able to develop the dispenser after all. The piece was simply too deep and complex to be delivered as an accessory in the basic figure assortment. It's possible that someday we could do this accessory in an exclusive pack, but right now there is nothing on the drawing board.

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Having seen the Toy Fair coverage on various other websites, I was just wondering how 2009's exclusives will be handled for overseas markets and customers. With a month or less left to go on Stateside distribution for some of the exclusives slated for this year, like the three Wal-Mart Comic 2-Packs or Jabba's Rancor with Luke, is there any projection for getting more of these exclusives released abroad? The main reason I ask is because I still haven't found a European website to carry the "Lucky Lekku" Gunship, or Battle of Christophsis and Battle at Carkoon Ultimate Battle Packs, so I have to pay through the nose to get them shipped over from an American online dealer, and I don't want to have to do that too often this year if at all possible. (Not because of the Credit Crunch, but because I'd rather spend the money on army-building.) I'm a bored collector with little to buy, and I want to hand your corporation money by the shovelful without getting too many grasping middlemen involved. How can we make this happen? (CC, 2009-03-20)

     We have offered every item in the line to retail partners in Europe so far for 2009, but not every item has been accepted, which poses problems for getting to the manufacturing minimums needed for some of the items. We are trying to work through these issues. The goal is to have complete distribution, at least in the U.K. and Germany, for every item. Unfortunately, the reality is that this will not be possible, and the Rancor is one of those that has not been selected to be supported in Europe.

Why does Hasbro love the re-pack? Is it simple economics or are your sculptors part of a Commie union and lazy? (CC, 2009-03-20)

     We rely on repacks because we would not be able to do Star Wars without relying on our vast library to help offset tooling costs. To put it in proper perspective, the "completist" collectors who would like us to do every Cantina alien, every Separatist, every Pod Racer, every one of Jabba's denizens, comprise a relatively small user base. Some collectors may find this hard to believe, but the vast majority of Star Wars figures that consumers purchase every year are from core, recognizable, characters along with clones and other high-profile figures. The tertiary or background characters are released in much smaller volumes, yet consist almost entirely of new tools. The business model for the obscure characters is thus "upside down." If we had to rely on 100% new figures to propel the line, we would only make the core heroes because it makes the best business sense to develop what most people want to buy. We don't want to do that, however, because collectors are an important part of the consumer base for us (and we are fans of the tertiary guys ourselves!), and doing smaller-run figures is an important way to keep everyone engaged and interested year after year. We have to carefully manage how many we do, however. We hope that clarifies why repacks are, and will continue to be, a vital part of our strategy.

Since we've already gotten several different Clone-, Storm-, and Rebel Trooper army-builder multi-packs (which seemed to sell well), is there any chance we could get similar multi-packs for the various multi-hued Battle Droids and their ilk (Super Battle Droids and Droidekas, for example), or for Podracing-livery-themed Pit Droids? (CC, 2009-03-20)

     We do not have plans to do Battle Droid-themed Battle packs, although droids will be a prominent theme in the Deluxe assortment that will be re-launched this Fall. We would not do a Battle Pack centered around Pod Racing; that topic is too niche to be of general interest for a successful Battle Pack.

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Right now, based on what you've said and shown at Toy Fair, the 2009 basic TLC waves look like this: February (ANH), May (ESB 1), September (TPM). We know the '09 EU wave got pushed into '10, but according to your prior answers that still leaves 4 more TLC waves crammed into the last part of the year. 2008 suffered pacing issues and delays in part because the Hasbro SW team was focusing on Indiana Jones, but this year there is no such sidetrack, so why the pacing problems and slowdowns? Does the fact that so many other movies are getting Hasbro toy lines (GI Joe, Transformers 2, Wolverine) slow the flow of SW toys? Will all 7 remaining '09 waves actually make it to market in this year, or will all those waves on top of each other in the last 3rd of the year cause another push-out and all-repaints wave? As per your Dec 10th Q&A correction, will ROTJ and ANH 2 waves get released between May's ESB wave and September's TPM wave? (CS, 2009-03-20)

     Indiana Jones, nor any other movie, had (or has) nothing to do with the issues we have had on Star Wars with regard to schedules. Star Wars has a dedicated team assigned to it, and our schedule issues have been due to simply trying to cover a great deal of ground at once. Between Star Wars basic figures, Clone Wars basic figures, Comic Packs, exclusives, and our design to add newness to everything we do, it's an unprecedented level of support for Star Wars. A line the size of Star Wars is challenging for design, sculpting, engineering, and packaging, and any delays for any of these, or delays in securing Lucasfilm's approval, can cause disruption in the pipeline. The system was stressed, but we're back on track again and should be straightened out for this Fall and beyond. Right now, all waves will indeed make it out this year with the last wave likely to be Dec or Jan at the latest, following by the EU wave. There will be no repaint wave planned because there are quite a few regular waves falling into line. Had we been able to react to the delays this Spring, we would have activated a repaint wave this Spring but could not get one done in time and we held the final Spring wave (EpVI) over for the red/white line look rather than cutting it short in Spring.

What are the requirements that a retailer must go meet to get a Star Wars exclusive, do they have to be a certain size company, make a certain number of Hasbro orders a month, etc.? Is there some sort of process that a retailer has to go through to get an exclusive, do they work with Hasbro on what item to produce, or is it out of their hands? (CS, 2009-03-20)

     Our retail partners are just that - partners in Hasbro's overall business. To be considered for an exclusive, a certain level of overall support needs to be met. Some retails are specific in what they would like to see, but the majority defer to the team to deliver exclusives that meet their needs and target the consumer base we are both looking for (i.e. kids or collectors, or both).

With the Titanium Series line, how much influence does Lucasfilm put into it? Have they ever asked for a specific ship to be included in the line when it otherwise wouldn't be? Have they ever requested a feature be added to a vehicle, or even possibly a potential feature removed? Is the LFL approval process fairly smooth with this line compared to something like the action figure line, have they ever sent a Titanium Series vehicle back to the drawing board or even canned it altogether? (CS, 2009-03-20)

     Lucasfilm reviews each line plan for overall approval, accepting the majority of concepts but occasionally rejecting some and proposing alternates in their place. Features are a less important feature of the Titanium line, but are a big topic of discussion for other vehicles, such as the Starfighter 3-3/4" Vehicle assortment which is much more feature-oriented. In general, Titanium vehicles have a smoother approval process than 3-3/4" figures, simply because there is less subjectivity involved in the interpretation of things like faces and fewer deco issues. Incidentally, 2009 will be the last year for the Titanium vehicle series. It will be put on hiatus after this year.

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Many collectors are eagerly waiting for more information regarding the upcoming Return of the Jedi wave. Our evil spies report that you intended to show the wave at Toy Fair, but that it was not possible due to time constraints. Is there any chance that you could share pictures with us when it becomes available? We are all very excited to know more about the Death Star II Luke Skywalker, the 'innovative' "Slave" Leia , Skiff Guards, etc. (GH, 2009-03-20)

     We did indeed intend to show the wave, but did not get the hard copies done in time. We still don't have great photos of this wave, but will send along one of the images we have - for the Nikto Skiff Guard.  Enjoy!

Hasbro, you obviously keep the molds used for figures and vehicles, where and how are they stored? I'm picturing the government building in Indiana Jones right about now.... (GH, 2009-03-20)

     That's about what it amounts to.  Generally, each tool is stored on a pallet and stacked up on large heavy duty racks. We have a vast amount of tooling spread out across the various factories in China, and even some (although doubtful any Star Wars) in Rhode Island.  Periodically, we have to go through and scrap tools that we do not plan on using again, although on Star Wars we try and keep just about everything.  You never know when it will come in handy...

Finally, with everything shifting pretty heavily toward the latter part of the year, a few of the products heading our way feel a bit like "placeholders". In particular, I'm interested in asking about the Mini Rigs that were mentioned at the Toy Fair presentation. Can we safely assume that even if certain products (the Battle Droid and Tank) don't sell gangbusters, we're still going to see NEW Mini Rigs vehicles on our shelves in for the "back half" of the year? Also, just to calm (my) shaking nerves, is the maestro of the orginial Mini Rigs line (Mark Boudreaux) heading up this very honorable extension of a beloved vintage favorite? (GH, 2009-03-20)

     The Mini Rig type concepts will be coming in 2010 for the most part. We don't plan on going too long with the assortments this Fall so we will be in a good position come Spring when the newly tooled ones arrive. Of course, if the whole assortment is a disaster for some reason (which we doubt), then all bets are off.  Our preference for this assortment is to work with on-screen vehicles from the Clone Wars, but the number of choices we can make in the "personal craft" size is still unfortunately limited.  So we needed to take some liberties (just like the original Mini Rigs) and Lucasfilm liked our suggestions.  Mark is indeed involved in the new Vehicle/Figure assortment.

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The Comic Packs Lumiya figure - knee articulation or no? Some folks see a knee joint in those Toy Fair pictures, but others don't (and frankly, due to information overload at Toy Fair, I can't remember myself what type of articulation she had). (HH, 2009-03-20)

     Yes, Lumiya will indeed have knee articulation.

The Clone Wars Nikto Bounty Hunter figure - we know he's not coming in the Jabba Battle Pack anymore, but can you confirm that he will make it out at some point in the near future? He's such a great figure, we'd love to get him sooner rather than later! (HH, 2009-03-20)

     Right now he does not have a home, but because he is tooled it is guaranteed that he will eventually come out either as a basic figure or part of an exclusive. He's a great figure, we're just looking for the best way to get him into the line.

Just to clarify a point that has come up on your 10th Anniversary Eopie Mail-Away - will the "Mark of Maul" stickers be found only in Phantom Menace wave or will the stickers be found in other toys/figures as well? (HH, 2009-03-20)

     Currently, only the Legacy/Droid Factory fist waves of figures will have the sticker. We looking at whether we can carry the stickers across all basic figures. Even if the other figure SKUs (Clone Wars, Saga Legends) do not have the sticker, all basic figures will be eligible for the mail-in promotion.

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IJC

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In the recent Toy Fair slide-show, we saw that the Japanese RC droids are coming to Target. The Remote Control R4-P17 wasn't on the slide. Will he be included, and if not, will he be available at any time domestically? (JD, 2009-03-20)

     We only brought four of the 3-3/4" RC droids to retail, because that is how many can be active at once on different frequencies. It's possible that, if this run is successful, we will sequel the program again at some point with additional droids. If we do that, it's highly likely that R4-P17 would be among them.

Thanks to the recent Build-A-Droid series the list of movie droids that still need to be made is dwindling fast. What are the chances of any of the following seeing the pegs over the next few years? R5-X2 (Jabba's red/white unit from the podrace), R2-A5 (the white/green droid in Mos Eisley), the R3 and R5 units from the Rebel Briefing scene in Return of the Jedi and last but certainly not least a vintage update of the Lars Family Power Droid (Gonk Gonk). (JD, 2009-03-20)

     None of those figures are in the works for the buildable figures in the Droid Factory lineup, but that doesn't mean that we won't be pursuing them in other formats (basic figures down the road, exclusives, the occasional Battle Pack). We do like to turn our attention to the droids we haven't done, so they are in our "Parking Lot" for the long haul.

I'm impressed with the Build-a-Droid figures, and I was wondering if you consider the quality of the fully assembled figures to be on par with figures released in the basic line-up? For instance, would you consider releasing some of the Build-A-Droid figures in the Legends Line at some point? That Dark Trooper coming this year is begging to be army built by collectors, if he were to be released in the Legends line some day (hint hint!). (JD, 2009-03-20)

     While we like the buildable figures, and believe that we have put in hooks to enable them to be seen with the same quality lens as the regular carded figures, we don't have any plans to release them on the basic cards. It's possible that the bodies themselves could be used later for basic carded figures, but as the basis for new figures not as straight re-releases. So the only way to get these specific Droid Factory figures will be to collect the pieces. As for the Dark Trooper - it will be far too big to ever put on a Saga Legends card!

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Since we are getting more large vehicles these days, what is the chance of ever getting a large vehicle/playset of the Venator-Class Republic Attack Cruiser. As a kid I always wanted a cool Star Destroyer toy and since the Cruiser was in the movies and featured regularly in the cartoon it seems like a logical pick to get some plastic love from you guys? (JI, 2009-03-20)

     There is very little chance of this. The Cruiser (and star Destroyer) are simply too big and not exciting enough to be considered.

Last year you all pulled a major surprise out of your hat before SDCC with the BMF Falcon and I know t Toy Fair you all said there would be no other large vehicle this year other than the Turbo Tank, however I was wondering if you are planning anything that will be on par with last year’s summer surprise later this year for fans that you could tease us with? (JI, 2009-03-20)

     will be no surprises on par with that. There will be a lot of product news at Comic Con, but it will be against the remaining Fall mainline waves and some tasty exclusives.

Any plans to expand the 'Build a Droid' concept to something beyond just droid, like a Build a Alien or 'Build a monster/creature' figure? (JI, 2009-03-20)

     are no plans to expand the buildable mechanic beyond the Droid Factory concept.

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First of all, it was really good to see a Yuuzhan Vong figure revealed at Toy Fair.   Does Hasbro plan to release any further EU figures from New Jedi Order such as Jacen and Jaina.  Also, are there any plans for a Zayne Carrick figure either as a Comic Pack or Legacy Basic figure release? (JN, 2009-03-20)

     Yes, there are plans for Jacen and Jaina at some point.  As for Zayne, there are no plans right now.  His was the very last pack cut from the list before we nailed down the 2010 line plan.  He is a strong possibility for a 2011 comic pack, however.

Can you please clear up the issue regarding the Battle Pack with Gun Turrets - this has got people very confused and annoyed.  Please can you confirm how many Fun Turrets we're getting in the Battle Pack - is it one or two?  If it's two then great, if not, why are we paying for a Battle Pack with two figures and one Gun Turret - when this was originally released as a figure from Episode II we got a figure with Gun Turret for the cost of a Basic Figure - now we could be expected to pay three times the cost for a lot less! (JN, 2009-03-20)

     Originally, we designed this set to have two turrets and two clones.

     However, we could not get costs from our factories to fall in line with the cost targets we needed to hit.  As a result, there will be one turret in the pack.  The choice at the end of the day was quite simple: one turret and two clones, or to not produce the item at all.  We obviously feel that it is a nice addition to the world of Star Wars and hope that fans show that our intuition and passion for items like this was not misplaced.


There were reports of a Galactic Heroes AT-AT with electronics (apparently this was seen at the UK Toy Fair) but this wasn't mentioned or seen as part of the US Toy Fair Coverage.  Can you clarify the position on this item and when and if we're likely to see it? (JN, 2009-03-20)

     The item will not be released in 2009; it is being considered right now for 2010.

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The Clone Wars figures on the new cardbacks that were shown at Toy Fair included Mace Windu, the ARF Trooper, Super Battle Droid Sergeant.  But there was also an Obi-Wan Kenobi that was originally released as 2008's CW02 on the new cardback, but with a CW01 number.  Is that new cardback accurate to the new line's numbering scheme?  Additionally, will Hasbro be re-releasing some of those 2008 Clone Wars basic figures as refreshes when the line relaunches this August in the new packaging?  And if so, what would those refreshes include? (JTA, 2009-03-20)

     There will be many refreshes in the new red & white line look; quite simply, kids cannot get enough of the excitement of Clone Wars, and their demand persists for the main characters.  We would not want to drop them from the line when they will continue to be the best-selling figures.  The package you saw was a placeholder; the 2008 Obi-Wan figure will be released as CW19 later on in the assortment after we have run the space-suit Obi-Wan for a while.  Other re-release figures will also be coming, but we do not have a final list.

One of the staples of the Basic Figure line over the years has been Darth Vader.  He's the most iconic character of the Star Wars saga.  But he was noticeably absent from the Toy Fair exhibit and presentations. 

Be that as it may, the modern figure aesthetic has given us a tremendous new version of the Dark Lord with the release of 2008's BD #8 Darth Vader.  That begs the question, where does Hasbro believe there is room to continue to innovate with future OT versions of Darth Vader?  Might we see Darth Vader relegated to Greatest Hits type of assortments?  Or could we possibly see a new REVENGE OF THE SITH version, perhaps with the trademark Sith eyes and cloak? (JTA, 2009-03-20)

     Darth Vader will continue to be a huge figure for us in the  Legacy and Saga Legends basic figure waves.  We are always looking for ways to bring new takes on him to future waves and your suggestion could be interesting. Thanks!

Noticeably absent from the Hasbro presentation at this years Toy Fair were the Clone Wars figure & droid 2-packs that are starting to appear now at retail.  How extensive can we expect this line to be, and will it consist of refresh figures only, or will some new figures be appearing in this line of 2-packs? (JTA, 2009-03-20)

     The figure/droid 2-pack lineup will not be extensive, and all will be repacked.

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My son and I love the Clone Wars voice changer helmets. He has the Blue and I have the plain white. They are really great items with excellent electronics and very durable. Yet we have been thinking...as Boba Fett is a favorite character of his (ours)...is there a chance at a Boba Fett Voice changer helmet in the future? You could even make a Jango Fett plus an entire Mandalorian range in different color schemes. (MD, 2009-03-20)

     We're really glad you like them. A Mando helmet is a cool idea, but we would only consider it if there was some form of additional current entertainment support for a Mando-type helmet. Being relevant to kids is the only way to make an item like this viable (look how long we waited to do a Clone helmet!).

The articulation in your figs keeps getting better and better but sometimes some of the figures have swivel elbows rather then the ball jointed elbows.
My question is will you guys phase out the swivel joints and completely replace them all with ball joints? Also is there any talk about a new way of doing the hips? Perhaps ball jointed hips? (MD, 2009-03-20)

     Thanks for the comment. It's unlikely we'll ever phase out swivel arms, as they remain a viable alternative for us as we can't simply produce every figure with super-articulation due to extraordinary costing challenges. We are happy with our current hip designs, and don't feel the need to go to ball hips as a universal solution.

This is more of an idea for "down the road", but one I was wondering if you had ever considered. 2-Packs seem to be popular among collectors, and can make great display pieces when the packaging is interesting.  So, have you or would you ever consider do a series of 2-packs featuring the Animated version of a charcter along with it's Legacy version? It would be an interesting way to perhaps celebrate the Animated series and the SW Legacy at some point down the road. Now, I know that not every character could be done as not all characters in the animation appear in the Live-Action. Obvious choices would be Anakin, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Padme, Clone Trooper, Grevious, Dooku, Commanders Cody & Gree, C-3PO and R2-D2. What do you think? (MD, 2009-03-20)

     At the present time, we would not consider this sort of combination. The simple reason is that it would narrowly appeal only to those collectors who appreciate both styles of figures. While more and more collectors are getting into Clone Wars, not everyone collects both styles nor would want to be "forced" to collect the other style to complete their collections.

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The old school collectors have a bone to pick. Last year - about this time, you announced that we would FINALLY be getting a new Luke Skywalker as he appeared on the second Death Star, and that the new DS2 Luke would be appearing in a ROTJ wave in the Spring of 2009. Granted that was with the caveat of "if the schedule holds." So while we understand that schedules change - the Original Trilogy fans can't help but feel like the OT continues to get pushed back in favor of PT and CW waves. We're sure that there are valid reasons for all of this, but when, oh when are we finally going to see the ROTJ wave? This delay seems especially silly considering that over time you've revealed the name of EVERY figure in the wave!

Can you tell us when this will be released? And while we know that there's a bunch of love for the OT coming (in the form of additional Empire and A New Hope waves). With the current schedule, we can't help but be concerned that once again "the good stuff" got pushed into next year. Help us understand how the final four waves of the year will be released between September and December. Your own slide presentation corroborates the numbers that all four are still expected this year:

46 figures translates to:

1st ESB Wave - 6 figures
AOTC Wave - 6 figures
TPM Wave - 6 figures
ROTJ Wave - 8 figures
ANH Wave - 8 figures (technically the second ANH wave, considering the ANH wave currently in stores)
ROTS Wave - 6 figures
2nd ESB Wave - 6 figures

Add those up and you get 46 figures. You've gone over the waves in Q&A's recently - so we have to assume that things haven't changed that much. Please help re-assure the OT fans that they will be taken care of, and that perhaps we won't have to wait all the way until SDCC to get something shown for us to get excited over!

And BTW - if you HAVE to kick a wave into 2010 - move the ROTS wave, we've had four straight years of ROTS releases, so it would be okay to finally take a break! (RS, 2009-03-20)

     The EpVI wave will be the second wave in the Fall assortment. We'll be leading with the EpI wave because the red/white packaging is timed to start with the Qui-Gon Jinn & Eopie mail-in promotion, but after that there will be a flow of OTC goodness, we promise. 2010 looks great as well, as
long as schedules hold of course...


Could you give any more details about Mighty Muggs becoming TRU Exclusives? What will this mean for future waves? If you see the line ending, will you try to pump out the highly requested Muggs like Jedi Luke, young Anakin, Darth Malak, TIE Pilot, Sandtrooper, Jawas, Galen Marek, etc? (RS, 2009-03-20)

     After Spring (from August on), Mighty Muggs will be found exclusively at Toys 'R Us. Right now there are no plans for additional exclusive waves of Muggs beyond what has already been shown.

I absolutely love the multitude of rebel pilots as of late , but I have one questions- Are we EVER going to see a grey squadron y-wing pilot from ROTJ, and if yes, when? This is a figure that has never been done in any line, vintage or modern. (RS, 2009-03-20)

     We'd love to see a Gray Squadron pilot or two ourselves, especially a Col. Salm or Lt. Telsij. The former would be a likely candidate someday for a comic 2-pack if the line continues for a long while.

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How about a Queens of Naboo Evolutions 3-pack? Use an as yet unproduced version of Queen Amidala from Episode I, Queen Jamillia from Episode II, and Queen Apailana from Ep III. (RTM, 2009-03-20)

     There are no plans for Evolutions to return, at least for the next few years. If we ever did look to reactivate the concept, your concept would certainly be an interesting one.

Toy Fair was great, but we're an impatient bunch. Can you give us a tease to something that we can hope to see at Comic Con? (RTM, 2009-03-20)

     Sorry - but we revealed so much at Toy Fair that we are guarding all of the remaining concepts for Comic Con. We promise that we will have some great news regarding things that folks so far have not uncovered... assuming the spies don't ferret them out before then. Stay tuned!

Considering the "crazy" price rises on most of your ranges of toys how come you religiously maintain that items such as Comic-packs have to be designed to a price-point. Hence the fact that we have "SECOND FIGURE SYNDROME" whereby the other figure in a pack is usually a disappointment/total waste of time. eg; the recent Asajj Ventress. Why not just give fans what they want, two fully articulated figures and price accordingly? (RTM, 2009-03-20)

     Once we set a price, we have only so much flexibility to increase the price; retailers have a tremendous say in what they will support. So sometimes, it takes steps to get where we need to go. Since Comic Packs were originally designed to be something of a value pack, including two figures *and* a comic, it limited our flexibility on what we could include and the amount of articulation we could afford overall. We have reacted to your (collective) comments though and are doing our best to ensure both figures are of commensurate articulation with the rest of the line.

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With the re-release of certain SAGA/TAC 5 figure battlepacks in Legacy packaging, could the TAC Battle on Mygeeto battlepack which was hard to find in the US/not released in Canada be re-issued as a Legacy item? If not could we see the figures released individually in the Saga Legends lineup? (SNOW, 2009-03-20)

     We don't have any plans to re-release that one in particular, nor do we have plans to release the figures on Sega Legends cards except for the Tri-Droid, which is currently out in the Saga Legends line (in the original TAC colors as opposed to the Battle Pack colors).

Will we ever see the release of new Mighty Muggs in Canada?  Wave 5 shipped in the US back in September, never found this side of the border. (SNOW, 2009-03-20)

     At his point, it's highly unlikely.  There are no plans for new Mighty Muggs after this Spring, although TRU will continue to carry and re-order the existing Muggs as needed to continue their business.

I believe and trust that Hasbro will eventually do a figure of every single Cantina Patron and all of Jabba's cronies, including the human ones, before the license runs out.  However, do you think Hasbro will ever get to the citizens/extras from the streets of Tatooine or Bespin?  As a diorama builder, some citizenry would be great, perhaps even like the less articulated three packs from the Saga/Clone Wars era? (SNOW, 2009-03-20)

     Honestly, it's highly unlikely we'll ever do generic citizens (Willrow Hood is about as far as we'll commit to going!).  We certainly hope to continue to cover a lot more Cantina patrons and Jabba's denizens, but it all depends on collectors' supporting the ones we are bringing out in order to continue. We know the economy has challenged some collectors wallets lately, but it's exactly these collector-specific figures that are most "sensitive" to folks staying on the sideline.  When you see the more obscure figures, make sure you take them away with you to ensure the healthiest flow of these crazy-cool creations.

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Hasbro has shown great confidence in the Mos Eisley cantina scene, recognizing that the iconic scene has great mileage with both collectors and kids, and pledging to complete the roster of background aliens. With that in mind, might Hasbro be interested in expanding that to include Ket Maliss, Cebann Veekan, Myhr Rho, Y'bith, Thorp, Kelbo, the Tin Tin Dwarf, and/or Kal'Falnl C'ndros - characters who are "just off camera" and yet appear in various sources from behind-the-scenes materials to the Decipher's CCG and the Holiday Special? Many of these designs fit well with the in-film Cantina styled characters and all have precedent in or around that area, they could certainly be passed off to casual collectors as being part of that element, just as was done with your recent Bane Malar figure. (SSG, 2009-03-20)

     First let's get something out of the way - Cantina aliens, and the scores of characters like them including the Jabba's denizens, Senators, Pod Racers, female characters, and other tertiary and background characters are interesting only to collectors. It's very important that we not produce too many of these characters, and be careful about how many we produce (can anyone say Yarna?) or else the line risks being imbalanced and unproductive for retailers. Now for your question... the short answer is, probably not. With the Cantina, there are still a solid number of on-screen characters that we would look to do first before we go off-screen even thought there are some very cool choices in the ones you suggest (the Y'Bith is awesome, as is what appears to be the first Nikto in any entertainment - Kal'Falnl C'ndros [SSG editor's note: Hasbro likely meant Kelbo rather than Kal'Falnl C'ndros, who is a large ostrich-type alien whose legs were seen in ANH -JT]). Thanks for the entertaining look at this interesting group.

Titanium Series has suffered another indignity by not being included at New York Toy Fair. With recent significant price increases, a continued focus on pointless repaints, a general feeling of lack of support from Hasbro for pretty much the life of the line, canceled and displaced molds (some shown at the '08 Toy Fair), what is happening with Titanium Series? Fans keep asking about the line, and Hasbro keeps saying they will give it more attention at the next venue, only to get shorted again. What does the future hold for this line that is in many ways the only outlet for most Star Wars vehicles in toy form? Are sales at least solid enough that Titanium collectors can relax their fears a bit for the foreseeable future, or is the line considerably weaker than the 3.75" figure line and thus vulnerable in these uncertain economic times? (SSG, 2009-03-20)

     Titanium is indeed a much less-collected sub line that the 3-3/4" line. In the first year of Titanium vehicles, the line showed promise, but the audience never materialized to grow the collecting base. Since them, we have struggled with the amount of new tooling the line could justify along with the extraordinary number of new/refresh items the line needed to stay productive at retail (an outcome of the smaller batch sizes). While we feel that this year we are giving it some great attention and some exciting new tools, this will be the last year for Titanium. The line will be put on hiatus after 2009.

Will we be seeing any episode-specific Battle Packs for The Clone Wars? This would be a great way to get several of the individualized clones, battle droids, or astromech droids from any given episode without spreading them over a long period of time into the basic line, especially when they're only minor retools or mere repaints or kitbashes. (SSG, 2009-03-20)

     There will be episode-specific packs, but they will mostly be drawn from existing figures (for instance, there will be an upcoming Battle Pack for the episode "Holocron Heist" but there will be no new figures in it). It's possible that 1-2 episode-specific packs will be coming out as exclusives that will have new characters as you suggest, but those have not been confirmed yet.

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From 2/27 Round:
1) How does a new paint job and box justify a $30 price increase on an "exclusive" that just came out in December (the ARC-170)? (ST, 2009-03-20)

     Now we understand - thanks for clarifying. We're not sure where the $30 increase comes from, as the ARC-170 was marketed at $44.99 last Fall. But the answer to your question really lies in what our commitment and hope is long term for this vehicle SKU.  As we articulated at Toy Fair, we plan to run a limited number of ARC-170s to set the shelf while we work to get in the new exciting Clone Wars Y-Wing as quickly as possible. That is the reason this vehicle assortment exists at the price it does.  Without the ARC-170, this assortment would not exist as it may not make it out to retail until Sept. or Oct - later than retail would tolerate.  Thus, the Y-Wing exists because we were able to bring the ARC-170 out and the pricing for the assortment reflects the new tooling. Hopefully this assortment will be a success and we can look forward to continuing it in 2010 as well.

With all the remakes and upgrades you've done over the years on insignificant characters, is there any chance that we might ever see a new improved Admiral Ackbar figure anytime soon? He's only about the most important strategist that the rebellion has... (ST, 2009-03-20)

     We do have our eye-stalks set on an update of the dear Admiral. Hopefully, he will debut before the end of 2010, if not, then he will be in the 2011 lineup.

Hasbro's newly revealed pilot/gunship turret pod battlepack comes with 2 pilots and one turret and looks AMAZING! To completely outfit 1 gunship, kids and collectors will need to purchase 2 battlepacks. Will we need to buy ahead and purchase extra battlepacks in anticipation of future gunship releases? Or will Hasbro release this battlepack in conjunction with any and all future gunship repaint/repack releases? (ST, 2009-03-20)

     Excellent question.  This pack is designed to have a limited run - likely less than 12 months, as the Battle Pack format will change in Fall 2010 back to the original thin depth we used from 2006-2008.  This means that any of the sets developed for the deeper design will remain out of circulation, unless demand is so hot that get them back out as exclusives. Even then, it will likely take some time and there is never a guarantee they will come back out.  So best buy 'em when you see them...

Over the recent years we are finding at retail that figures packs are being returned to stores tampered with. In this case the actual figure and accessories have been swapped out but will keep a retailer from restocking because they believe they have actual product. Is it possible to use tamper resistant tape instead of the clear tape Hasbro uses? (ST, 2009-03-20)

     We have looked at tamper resistant tape, but it is unusable for our needs. Luckily, the vast majority of collectors are upstanding citizens and the cases of tampering are rare.  Any collectors who see tampered product can return it to the customer service desk and notify store personnel, who can then report that tampered toy as damaged goods and effectively remove it from circulation and inventory.

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Will the Amanin that's in the upcoming comic pack ever be released on Amanin battle (and without ending up with dozens of dirty Sunbers). (ST/"TJ", 2009-03-20)

     There are no plans right now to release the Amanin on a basic figure card, but it's an interesting idea.  We're thrilled that folks like this guy - he's quickly become one of our favorite figures!

I'm glad to hear that the 'build-a-droid' series will be continuing on into 2010 and that you are using it as a chance to put some obscure droids into the figure lineup that might not otherwise make it. I hope there are lots more to come! On that note, have you given any consideration to two of my most wanted droids, Boba Fett's droid BL-17 from the Droids cartoon and Z-X3 from Marvel Star Wars 47? (ST/"TJ", 2009-03-20)

     We are glad you like the Droid Factory concept.  You might have missed our Toy Fair presentation where we announced that BL-17 will indeed be coming out in the Wal-Mart Droid Factory 2-pack assortment that will feature the Dark Trooper buildable figure (look for that in July).  Z-X3 was on our short list but did not make the cut.  It is possible that we could do him as a future comic pack someday - that chest blaster is pretty wild.

Could Hasbro make it a point to include the ladder with all of your future X-Wing releases? Or to include the ladder again with another Yavin hangar battlepack so collectors can pick up a few spares to go with their existing X-Wings? (ST/"TJ", 2009-03-20)

     If/when we release more X-Wings, that would indeed be a good accessory to include. Right now there are no plans for more Yavin hangar packs, but if we do any more we'll keep your suggestion in mind.

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Recently you made the Spacetrooper figure from A New Hope and included the likeness of A New Hope concept Artist Joe Johnson under the helmet. How much back-and-forth is there with Lucasfilm licensing regarding what faces you can put under the masks of Stormtroopers? A Jango Fett head here or there makes sense given they descend from clones, but when you do things like the flip-up visor Scouttrooper or this Stormtrooper, what is the approval process? (SWAN, 2009-03-20)

     It's pretty simple - if we know we are going to do a unique head, we decide what reference we'd like to do and sculpt it up for approval.  In some cases, we may use employees for reference since it's always easier to sculpt when there ample photo reference is available.  When there is a special figure - such as the Joe Johnston homage, we’ll discuss that with Lucasfilm before proceeding to make sure that they are on board with the direction.

In a recent magazine article it was revealed that we would be getting R5-H6 as a Build-a-Droid figure later this year, with the associated text going on to identify this droid as being present at the pod race on Tatooine in Episode 01. The problem is, at least as far as we collectors know, that red and white droid was actually R5-X2. To our best knowledge, R5-H6 was a grey and purple background droid from Episode 02, a very different looking astromech. Can you please clarify which droid we can expect to see as a BaD release and can you say whether or not the dome has been newly tooled to reflect the unique appearance of all the prequel trilogy R5 style droids or is it a reuse of the same R5 dome sculpt that is currently available on the yellow R5-A2 Mos Eisley BaD toy? (SWAN, 2009-03-20)

     The figure we are releasing will be R5-H6, and he will have a head that is redeco'd from the R5-A2 tool.  There will be three additional astromechs coming in future waves in 2009, and they include R3-01 (with clear dome), along with R3-A2 & R4-P44.

Recently figures have taken another price jump at retail, htiting fans, collectors, and kids hard in these tough economic times. I can't find a less blunt way to put this, so here goes: who's to blame? A lot of people are shaking their fist in your (Hasbro's) general direction, but is this strictly set 100% by retailers? Did Wal Mart and Target just coincidentally decide to jump prices, or did some other factor come into play? (SWAN, 2009-03-20)

     We will not go into the details of what it takes to manufacturer a toy and the costs associated with that, but you probably already have a good understanding of the different aspects. It has been well-documented in public statements that Hasbro has pursued price increases to offset higher cost of goods out of factories. What retailers choose to market figures at is additionally up to them and we do not have any control or influence over that.

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With the new $60 vehicle price point, are we going to see a Nu-Class Shuttle from the Clone Wars? It would serve as yet another incentive for collectors to troop build! (SWC, 2009-03-20)

     That would be a great vehicle to do if the price point continues, which we certainly hope it does. At present though, we have no plans - we need to take it one vehicle at a time.

There are pics circulating of a rumored upcoming Wedge Antilles X-Wing, which is very promising. But there is a concern that his astromech is not be decoed accurately. In cockpit shots of Wedge in ANH, it is plain that his R2 unit has a red dome with white panels (similar to R3-T2), while in ROTJ you can see that he has a white-domed R2 with black markings. Since onscreen accuracy is of paramount concern to collectors, can we be sure it will be corrected before any release of this vehicle? (SWC, 2009-03-20)

     We took our direction from Lucasfilm on which droid to include. There does appear to be conflicting reference, but we have to defer to the official source on this one.

Based on questions answered in previous sessions, I believe we're getting two ground-based Clone vehicles in the Starfighter assortment this year. With the TX-130 announced, can we get confirmation of the Swamp Speeder?(SWC, 2009-03-20)

     We're not sure we ever confirmed a Swamp Speeder for this year. In any case, it is not in the Starfighter vehicle assortment for 2009.

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You have mentioned more Legacy comic packs coming, any chance we will be seeing the Ghost of Luke Skywalker or a Han Solo figure in one of the packs? I think that would be a great way to continue to tie the Legacy characters with the Original Trilogy. (TPU, 2009-03-20)

     We don't have plans for the ghost of Luke, but it is one that we really want to do at some point. No plans right now for a new Han, but that could change depending on what is in the new Dark Horse NJO-era comic.

With the live action Star Wars TV series looming on the horizon, I presume Hasbro is already working on figures for it, so are there any plans on what we are likely to see and will it be included within waves or will it have it's own collection like TLC or CW? (TPU, 2009-03-20)

     We have not begun work on live action. Lucasfilm has yet to announce a schedule, but when they do we look forward to getting reference material as soon as it's available.

There appears to be a lot of the stuff shown at USTF that are not making it currently to the UK and with the loss of one of the UK's biggest high street toy buyers Woolworths, it looks pretty bleak for UK Star Wars collectors. How does Hasbro see the UK market now and how will it make sure that UK collectors can still buy from within the UK? (TPU, 2009-03-20)

     Almost everything offered in the U.S. "mainline" will be available in the U.K. We are working hard to get all exclusives distributed in Europe as well, as least in the U.K. and Germany. That has proved challenging as some retailers have decided not to carry them, which have caused some items to be dropped.

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Price hikes. We hate them. We also realize they are sometimes a “necessary evil” when it comes to retail sales.

In the past you’ve stated that you don’t directly set retail prices but Hasbro is the “M” in MSRP and retailers agree to that MSRP. Now with the prices in oil going down, the country in a recession and the dollar not going as nearly as far as it did, how can retailers (who are hurting) charge nearly $2 more now per action figure, comic pack, titanium, battle pack* and vehicle?

The natives/collectors are restless, can you clarify this point further for them since they helped to make the Star Wars brand the #1 license for 2008 (before the price hikes)?

*I thought the drop from the 5 to 4 figure battle pack format was supposed to stave off a price hike for this assortment? (YF, 2009-03-20)

     A drop in oil prices does not mean that prices drop to produce toys. That is just one factor of many that affect bringing toys to shelves. Rather than discuss in detail here, we suggest that anyone interested in reading further seek out Hasbro's statements to investors regarding our prior public comments on pricing.

     With that answer, we won't be asking pricing related questions in the foreseeable future.


Recently, preorder info has been made available online for the large Clone Wars Octuptarra Droid. What further details can you provide (size, FOBs, cost) regarding this? (YF, 2009-03-20)

     We can provide no further details. An announcement will be forthcoming at Comic Con.

The new TPM and AOTC Obi-Wan figures are fantastic, thanks for finally updating them. But can something be done at this late stage about the lightsabers included with them? The Episode II figure is shown with the complete wrong saber, and the Episode I saber is the correct one, but chunky and inferior to not only todays standards, but you have already made a saber that not only looks more like the screen used saber but has the "energy flares" coming from the emitter like all current sabers. It was included in 2003's deluxe Obi-Wan on Kamino set. Any chance of this perfect looking saber coming with these two perfect looking figures? (YF, 2009-03-20)

     The EpII Obi-Wan lightsaber in the cross-sell images is not the lightsaber that is actually included with the figure. Currently they both come with the same accessory but your suggestion of switching to the saber that came with the Deluxe figure is a good idea. We will look into this as an option for a running change and also look to improve the decoration.

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My question is in regards to the recently revealed upcoming packaging for the basic figures. The cardbacks have a unique shape that looks like they will be very different from previous Star Wars packaging. I noticed that the top trapezoidal area (SW logo & character face) has some heavy shadowing underneath it. Will the top trapezoidal area be placed as an additional piece of cardboard on top of the bubble, adding a three dimensional aspect to the packaging? Or, is that just the way the card looks and the bubble will be on a flat card as in the past? Please review the attached moc-up images I made illustrating my concept. Thank you! (YN, 2009-03-20)

     The card back will in fact be flat, with the logo on the same cardblank as the rest of the card.

A previous Q & A revealed that the battle droid from the Galactic Heroes Jedi Starfighter Cinema Scene was dropped due to costs, hence the incorrect packaging image on the rear, but the ones I am seeing on the shelves now have the battle droid figure included. What changed? And why do some people feel like they have been cheated out of a battle droid? (YN, 2009-03-20)

     The droid was dropped, but since the packaging was released with the droid in there, we felt that we should include it after all and reinstated the droid. Unfortunately, it could not have been from piece 1.

We were doing a second look at Hasbro's powerpoint and we noticed that on the slide for the Force Unleashed Stormtrooper, it states: "Available and Hasbrotoyshop.com and StarWarsOnlineShop.com". We assume you meant StarWarsShop.com because if you take a visit to StarWarsOnlineShop.com, it isn't owned by Lucas or Hasbro (from what we have seen) and even has pop ups flagged by many anti-spam pop up blockers. (YN, 2009-03-20)

     Yes, we meant StarWarsShop.com. Thanks for the clarification.
« Last Edit: April 1, 2009, 03:38 PM by Matt »
"The good news is that all that blood is actually ketchup. The bad news, however, is that all that ketchup is actually blood."

Offline Matt

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Re: The Hasbro Q & A Compendium
« Reply #69 on: April 12, 2009, 03:44 PM »
Session 68 - April 10, 2009

Will we see a version of the interior Hoth Base rebel soldiers as done by Kenner back in the day? The troops with the brown vests. Also, what of the Rebel troopers during the Ceremony at the End of "A New Hope". Will we see versions of these troopers in plastic? We have the Honor Guard troops from that scene but none of the Green uniformed troops with what looks like green baseball caps. (BS, 2009-04-10)

     Those are all great suggestions that are in our Parking Lot for longer-term possibilities. We certainly do enjoy our Rebel troops, as can be attested by the recent run of pilots and capped off by the upcoming Yavin battle pack with the flight crew member trooper. We hope that within a couple years we'll be able to get to one or both of these guys.

There is an Imperial trooper not seen in plastic (from the Shuttle scene w/Vader) in the ranks - wearing a dark blue jump suit and Death Star trooper helm - this be fun for troop building! Are you aware of this character and can you add him to your list if he is not already on it? (BS, 2009-04-10)

     We were not aware of this guy, but we'll take a closer look. Thanks for the suggestion.

Since you stated at Toy Fair that Ratts Tyrell will be replaced by Clegg Holdfast in the upcoming Phantom Menace Legacy Wave, would it be possible for us to get a good look at the Clegg figure? (BS, 2009-04-10)

     You bet.  See attached image. He will also come with his goggles and a blaster. We only had this pic to show of the figure. Enjoy!

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CC

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Some collectors shy away from EU items unless they tie into major characters from the films, or strongly tie into the movie saga story. With that in mind, what are the chances of seeing figures of these influential EU characters: the ghost of Luke Skywalker (Legacy), Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas, Darth Plagueis, or even a young Count Dooku? (CS, 2009-04-10)

     We would say that all four figures stand a strong chance of seeing some glory in plastic given time - probably within a few years.

Based on your slideshow at Toy Fair, there seems to be a discrepancy on the subject of exclusive 2-pack figures. The Wal-mart Grievous Droid Factory figure with new cloth cloak shown in the slide was the 4-armed basic figure from 2005's ROTS line, however what was said during the slideshow was that it'd be the super-articulated 2008 figure. Which Grievous will actually be coming in that set with the new cloak? Also, it was noted that that the Target-exclusive Geonosis Arena figure pack Jango Fett would be tweaked, but there was no explanation given and the figure looks the same as the Evolutions version. What's the change there, can fans hope that the evo figure jumpsuit's lilac color is finally being changed to a more blue-gray look as seen in the movie? (CS, 2009-04-10)

     Unfortunately, we could not deliver the new Grievous as we had hoped, and instead went with the 4-arm Grievous from the 2005 line. We'll look into the possibility of changing Jango to blue/gray for this Fall, but we're pretty far along with this one and it may not be possible. In any case, we *do* have a blue/gray version planned in 2010.

As shown at Toy Fair, the upcoming Geonosis Assault battle pack is coming with the long-requested Gunship pod turret and 2 clone pilots. Since each gunship had 2 turrets in the film, that will require buying 2 sets, making 4 pilots. However, the gunship is manned by 2 pilots in the cockpit, and 2 standard grunts in the turrets. While thrilled to get the pods and more clones, could we get a regular clone trooper helmet as well as, or even instead of 1 of, those pilot helmets so the gunships can be accurately, completely manned? (CS, 2009-04-10)

     That's a great idea, but we went with the two pilot helmets. It's too late to add a helmet in now, so the pack will ship as shown.

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Will the 2010 The Force Unleashed wave include any upgrades/remakes/variants of Force Unleashed characters you've already done, such as Juno Eclipse in her more screen-accurate outfit from the game or Starkiller in another of his many outfits?  Or will the wave entirely consist of Force Unleashed characters you haven't done yet? (GH, 2009-04-10)

     Actually, plans have changed for this wave.  Namely, it will no longer be part of our basic figure plan in 2010  The reason is because the Legacy/Droid Factory figures have slowed considerably since last Fall compared to other parts of the line like Clone Wars basic figures and Saga Legends, and without the strong collector backbone we need to scale back on the number of collector-targeted basic figures in the lineup. We will instead be moving these to the Spring 2010 exclusives lineup and will change things around to look at some multi-packs (similar to the Battllefront multi-pack format).  We think that Juno Eclipse in the version you suggest and additional Galen Marek figures are solid ideas, but we have yet to finalize the lineup.

The "Purge Trooper" figure recently revealed in the Star Wars Insider magazine's pre-production drawings bears a strong resemblance to the Spacetrooper from the Heir to the Empire comics/novel. Is this intended to be a remake of that Spacetrooper, and is he going to be part of the next Heir to the Empire comic pack that was hinted at in a past Q&A? (GH, 2009-04-10)

     Yes, it is intended to be a remake of the Spacetrooper, but no, it is not part of the planned Heir to the Empire comic pack.  Stay tuned - we'll have more info at Comic Con about the disposition of this guy.

Is it too late to request that the Evolutions-model Jango Fett slated for Target stores' Geonosis Arena 2-Packs is painted with a blue jumpsuit instead of the purple one? This was requested before when you re-released the Fett Legacy Evolution set, but the opportunity was missed. Now once again there's a chance to sell us a blue suit version of Evolutions-model Jango Fett. Please make it happen! Also on the topic of Geonosis Arena 2-Packs aren't we long overdue for a new-model Bariss Offee with improved articulation? The original action-posed version from 2003 looks out of place next to the next-gen models of her fellow Jedi.  Is she possibly one of the upgrades coming in the Target Geonosis Arena 2-Packs? (GH, 2009-04-10)

     We'll look into the possibility of changing to blue for this Fall, but we're pretty far along with this one and it may not be possible.  In any case, we *do* have a blue version planned in 2010.

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OK, we've already got Obi-Wan's Delta 7 Starfighter and Anakin's yellow Delta 7 Starfighter is expected this Summer. How long before we get Ahsoka's ship to round out the set? (HH, 2009-04-10)

     Not long, not long at all. Stay tuned!

A question on the plan for the SDCC'09 Stormtrooper Commander figure - will he get new/special packaging or will it be a complete re-issue of the 2008 figure/cardback? At Toy Fair, it sounded like you were leaning towards all-new packaging. Any progress on a final decision? (HH, 2009-04-10)

     He will be packed on a basic figure card in the new red/white line look, with an outer clamshell.

Rum Sleg from the Phantom Menace Wave is a fantastic looking figure. We have one thing we'd like cleared up though since there seems to be conflicting rumors out there - does he have a removable helmet or not? And is the chest armor removable or not? (HH, 2009-04-10)

     He does have a removable helmet, but the chest armor is sculpted as part of his body.

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IJC

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Times are hard all over... Lots of layoffs, people are cutting back spending all around, and that leads me to this question; Do the folks at Hasbro think increases in prices with toys are going to greatly affect the future plans of the Star Wars line? It seems like the line in general has increased in price from the basic figures, to the battlepacks, vehicles and more... This certainly has impacted what I spend. Where I used to buy 2 of almost every figure (usually to have some for customizing) or more, I've certainly had to cut back. Are there any fears the line could take a "hit" from the inevitable cutting back many people are doing with their spending combined with price increases and whatnot? (JD, 2009-04-10)

     It is not the price increase, but the overall economic situation that has affected some collectors that has also caused us to take some corrective measures which we'll get to in a minute. Overall, Star Wars sales are red hot, and basic figures, Starfighter Vehicles and Battle Packs in particular are all more popular than ever. However, this seems to be because of very strong kid demand for Star Wars, especially anything relating to Clone Wars. We have indeed seen an effect on the more collector-targeted figures and sets, like Evolutions and even Droid Factory basic figures, which have slowed down significantly since last year and we have lost some of the more casual collectors, retaining a loyal "core." Going forward, we are going to be more cautious about the breadth and depth of the 100%-collector-targeted figures that we put into the lineup, since the economic health of the collector base is tied directly to our success with these types of figures. Collectors are still a very important focus for us and we will still be developing new and re-sculpts figures that fill the collector need, but the prudent course for the long-term health of the brand is make sure that we do not produce too many overall, or over-release these tertiary figures. This means that some releases may be scaled back, and supply kept shorter than in the past for some things. We will continue to look for ways to bring out new and interesting figures in other ways (such as the numerous exciting figure-based exclusives coming this year and in 2010). One outcome of the current collector situation is that we are going to take the announced Spring 2010 wave of The Force Unleashed figures out of the basic figure lineup, and move them over to the exclusives plan.

The Clone lockers are pretty cool sets of pack-ins with the Legends figures, and the "artifacts" that Indiana Jones figures came with were really neat... What I'm curious about though, is that some collectors actually enjoy the little cardboard locker and crates on some level, and have you ever considered including a cardboard box (maybe to look like a Death Star cargo box like the scanner technicians used?) to hold the Build-A-Droid Part? Or perhaps to replace the Clone lockers at some point? I know they'd make some neat background filler to me at least, for my Imperial shelf. Different colors and things would be neat. (JD, 2009-04-10)

     We are looking at including more cardboard elements with some sets, including diorama-like backdrops in the Starfighter Vehicle line starting this Fall (taking their cue from the Indiana Jones vehicle packaging). We also may look at it in other sets as well. Unfortunately, the box is not feasible for the Droid Factory parts since we need the part to be visible from the outside.

We got a pretty great Hoth Han with the last "Vintage" series of figures, and you've now put together what looks like a great Hoth Rebel footsoldier for our snow trenches. I'm curious where you're headed with Hoth-specific characters next? Would you look to Luke, or Leia resculpt? Or would you look at maybe the tan vested Hoth Soldiers ala the vintage rebel figure? Which character from Hoth would be your next goal to get out there on the shelves if you could? (JD, 2009-04-10)

     There is a great new Luke Snowspeeder pilot coming later this Fall, and we hope to get to a new Hoth Leia in 2010. No plans right now for the other Hoth Rebel soldier, but he is one that we have our sites set on, hopefully within the next couple of years.

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Will we ever see Characters that debuted in the Clone Wars cartoon made into non-clone wars/Legacy Collection figures like Rex, Ahsoka and Cad Bane? If not on single cards maybe something like comic packs or Evolution sets. From Animated to non-animated type Evolution sets? (JI, 2009-04-10)

     There are no plans to cross-over Clone Wars characters into realistically-styled figures (or vice-versa, which we also get asked frequently). The lines will remain separate in order to bring fans the greatest variety of figures possible.

Aura Sing is getting some good screen time on the Clone Wars cartoon, will she be making an appearance anytime soon in the Clone Wars action figure line? (JI, 2009-04-10)

     Unfortunately, not soon enough, as we can't wait to get her into the lineup. She is slated right now for 2010.

This may have been asked before, but with all these build-a-droid parts that are getting released, have you ever thought about making an updated droid factory playset like Kenner did many years ago. Something that maybe lets collectors/customizers organize all the droid parts and let’s kids pretend they are actually building droids with those parts. Maybe base it off the droid assembly plant seen in Episode 2? (JI, 2009-04-10)

     We have indeed looked at this, with a theme very similar to what you suggest, but we just can't get it to price out where we think it needs to be to be a successful toy. We don't want to give up hope on this, though, but the chances of this one seeing the light of day are very slim.

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I know we asked this a while ago but it's been almost 4 years since the 500th figure of Darth Vader.  I'm sure we're at/close to/or may have even surpassed the 1000th figure mark; do you have any plans to mark this very special milestone and if so what can we expect? (JN, 2009-04-10)

     We do not have any plans to commemorate a 1,000th figure.  We've been so busy making sure that we're getting everything out that we have not taken a breath to see where we are against that auspicious milestone.  One of these days we hope to be able to get to a count, but it's likely that we have or will miss it.

We've had several requests about some of the older Galactic Heroes Cinema Scenes such as the Hoth, Mustafar, Bounty Hunter and Naboo sets (to mention a few).  Are there any plans to re-release these in the future in current packaging? (JN, 2009-04-10)

     For the most part we've been concentrating on new sets, but re-releasing some "classics" is a good idea.  We'll take that into consideration.

Will we see any more foil figure '1st Day of Issue' figures released this year or are we all done on that and the Ultimate Galactic Hunt idea?  If not, can you tell us what waves will be included in this year's promotion? (JN, 2009-04-10)

     We don't have any plans for either idea this year, but there's a strong chance that one or the other will be back for 2010.

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The news of the upcoming Dark Horse comic title Star Wars Invasion fan has got a lot of fans of the New Jedi Order hopeful.  Hopeful to see their favorite EU characters on the comic page, but also as it opens up some possibilities to get NJO characters made into figures via the Expanded Universe comic 2-packs.

Recent reports stated that Hasbro sees the comics when they hit the stands, and that any Invasion comic packs might be a ways off.  But has Hasbro entertained the thought of partnering with Dark Horse to develop both a comic and comic 2-pack in tandem?  And perhaps promoting such a release into a comic/specialty shop exclusive? (JTA, 2009-04-10)

     It certainly is an interesting idea if we had an idea to tell a new story in the Star Wars universe, but honestly there are so many great stories coming that we prefer to let others tell them.  Our lead-times to produce new figures are a good 15-18 months, which is far longer than the Dark Horse lead times.  Short of a custom-comic plan (where Hasbro would commission the story), the current plan seems to be working albeit on an offset time schedule.

The 2009 Clone Wars vehicle line has as many as 4 vehicles that incorporate astromech droids.  The two Jedi starfighters, as well as the Y-Wing and ARC-170.  But we've only seen 2 astromech droids in the Clone Wars line to date, and none were announced in the Toy Fair presentation.  Can we expect an R4-P17 for Obi-Wan's fighter, or any other astromechs to complement the other vehicles? (JTA, 2009-04-10)

     Good question.  Right now we don't have any more in the lineup, but we'll keep an eye on how R2-D2 and Goldie do going forward to see if there is demand and opportunity to bring out more. The vehicles are designed to be interchangeable between realistic and Clone Wars figures, so they are compatible at least with the plethora of realistic astro droids for the fans who want to build out their realistic vehicle scenes.

In 2005 the Agen Kolar basic figure seemed to be quite an achievement in sculpting and softgoods.  But even then the figure had a lightsaber that was not the correct color (for Revenge Of The Sith), and a molded cloak.  Since that time we've seen a great new softgoods Jedi cloak with other basic figures, plus some highly detailed lightsabers.  Given what could be some easy fixes, like a softgoods cloak and blue lightsabers, might we see a revised, Revenge Of The Sith accurate Agen Kolar in the near future? (JTA, 2009-04-10)

     Actually there will be an all-new EpIII Agen Kolar figure coming this Fall in the basic figure lineup, with even more enhanced articulation.  He will not be coming with a soft goods cloak, and we will look into the saber coloring, since we were caught off guard by that one the first time.  Stay tuned!

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MD

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Do you have any plans for C-3PO in the near future? An AOTC repaint of the Ewok Deity mold would be great and all that is needed for TPM C-3PO is knee joints. (RS, 2009-04-10)

     We do have a couple of takes on C-3PO coming later this year and 2010 that we think you will like. No plans to redo the "naked" version of C-3PO from Episode I, though, although some day we might get to him.

Since we are getting the IG-2000 and Hound's Tooth in the Titanium line, what are the chances you will make the other 2 missing Bounty Hunter ships (Mist Hunter and Punishing One)? It would really be nice to get these 2 ships in 3D form finally. (RS, 2009-04-10)

     Both of them are well into development and will be out before the end of the year, as part of the last waves before Titanium goes on hiatus after this year.

Regardless of collector opinions on the price/value ratio, do you feel the Lars Homestead and Sarlacc Pit were successful enough forays to continue the format of these type of environment battle packs? (RS, 2009-04-10)

     The results were decent, with Sarlacc being the more popular of the sets, but they could not compare to any of the vehicle-based sets we have done. We do not have plans to do more of the environmental-type sets, but do not rule out a return to the format some time.

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When it comes to prequel Senators, we haven't seen much lately. The most asked of them is the Senator Grebleips figure, the E.T. alien - will we ever be getting this figure, is it just unlikely because it's a background alien, or is it totally off-limits because it's an easter egg from another film? Also, what about seeing senate figures from Ep 1 like Edcel Bar Gane, Sei Taria, Toonbuck Toora and Mot-Not Rab? (SSG, 2009-04-10)

     Senator and Separatist figures have been very slow sellers for us, so while we're not ruling them out, they are not high on our list of figures to target. We're confident that we'll get around to more some day, especially if the collector base rebounds as these figures are 100% collector-targeted. Until then, they'll stay on the sidelines. Grebleips is off limits per Lucasfilm, joining (among a few others) the oft-asked for female Cantina denizens, Holiday Special live action figures, and Tyvokka as figures we cannot/will not pursue.

With the new Droid Factory sets, included is a Corran Horn / Whistler 2-pack. As Corran Horn is an EU character, he is seen as not likely to get multiple figures, so as such, why is this 2-pack coming with a standard orange flight costume rather than Horn's more distinctive green-hued version? Whistler also is lacking his overall green tinge, but since this seems like it may be the only Corran Horn figure fans will see, why not make it as characteristically accurate as possible? (SSG, 2009-04-10)

     This one is in the orange jumpsuit, which is one of his outfits from the novel and the one we went with. Regarding the coloration of Whistler, we take Lucasfilm's direction on all deco, with the intent of being as accurate as possible to the reference material. As for additional Corran Horn figures someday, we would not rule out the possibility, and the green suit would be a great alternate deco for further down the road. How far, we don't know, considering how long it took to get him into the lineup in the first place. We're stoked to be bringing the pair out, in any case.

With the Build-A-Droid line, there's been some confusion about the naming with a few of the figures. First off, there's R2-N6 who was properly named at last year's Comic-Con presentation yet later got renamed to R2-L3. Second, there's the upcoming U-3PO figure that has a silver tone rather than the slightly brassy look from the movie, and is shipping in an ESB wave, a film which already has a silver protocol droid, E-3PO, except that character has white instead of yellow eyes. What's the deal with these build-a-figures and their identity issues? (SSG, 2009-04-10)

     We do not select the droids to match the film theme of the wave, but instead based on which ones we feel are important to do; as one of the first droids we see in EpIV, we felt U-3PO was the choice to go with. As to the R2-L3, it turns out that R2-N6 was not an official Lucasfilm-given name for this droid, so we later switched based on Lucasfilm direction. This reversal has happened a few times with the buildable astros, since we have targeted several "unmade" droids who had not yet been given official designations.

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When will we see a release on the Mace Windu and Luke Skywalker (RotJ) Force FX sabers? Or with the popularity of The Clone Wars, we will be seeing an Ahsoka Tano Force FX lightsaber any time soon? (ST, 2009-04-10)

     Unfortunately, we're off to a slower-than-expected start with the Force FX business, as consumer demand is not yet where we forecasted it to be for the original sabers.  As such, we have to move through our material commitments to the original sabers before we can release the new ones. Hopefully they will be out this Fall. There are plans for an Ahsoka Force FX lightsaber, but in the longer term once we are successful with the current lineup.

Are there any plans to release some of the older, hard-to-find figures in the Saga Legends line any time soon? I thought that was what this sub-line was for in the first place? Instead of re-releasing versions of C-3P0 and Luke that are still peg warming in their original packages, why not release figures like Episode 1 Sio Bibble and Ascension Gun Padme, Saga Ephont Mon or Lars' Homestead Padme, or the Expanded Universe Spacetrooper and Imperial Sentinel? And speaking of these re-releases that you love so much, have you ever given any thought to another sub-line of re-releases aimed strictly at the army builders? You could call it Armies of Star Wars or something like that, and just keep figures like Stormtroopers, Death Star Troopers, TIE Pilots, Clone Troopers, etc. in circulation continuously since those are the figures that sell the best most of the time. And I'm sure a lot of collectors would love to be able to walk into Target or Wal-Mart and pick up a handful of Stormtroopers any day of the week instead of waiting for them to be re-inserted into the line. (ST, 2009-04-10)

     The Saga Legends line was always intended to re-release the best of the best kid-targeted figures, not necessarily to be a collector-targeted SKU. We decided to add some figures to the lineup last year in response to fan voting, but that was not meant to be a standard platform for the line. Currently, the lineup has been designed primarily to focus on the SKU as a complement to Clone Wars, since once we saw the quality of the programming we  knew that we would have trouble keeping up with the demand of Clone Wars figures. In addition to the core that mirrors Clone Wars, we have selected additional popular figures from across the Saga, including several that were voted for by fans previously. While we will not be adding back in the fans' vote to Saga Legends in the near future, we do have plans to upgrade a couple figures you have mentioned over the next two years...so we think that your patience will be rewarded!

I loved the Lucky Lekku and would love to have more individualized gunships like the Crumb Bomber. Are there more gunship repaints planned to coincide with The Clone Wars cartoon? (ST, 2009-04-10)

     Ideally, we want to keep the Gunship in rotation every year, and as we see new and unique squadrons appear we'll look for a way to get them into the lineup.  There will be at least one coming this Fall.  Stay tuned for news at Comic Con….

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With talk that Hasbro might reuse the Ten Numb/Keyan Farlander sculpt again in 2009, can you fix the tendency for this figure to lean over to his left side?  While the problem is not as bad on Keyan, on Ten he leans over quite conspicuously. I wouldn't want to end up with a small squad of B-Wing pilots that all lean over to one side as Hasbro uses this sculpt for future pilot figures. (ST/"TJ", 2009-04-10)

     The B-Wing figure was actually designed to stand more "at ease" rather than in a straight lineup, with one leg forward from the other, even though he was not packed out that way.  We try to give our figures an overall neutral pose because collectors like to pose their figures in different ways, but we try to incorporate a natural stance to them so that they feel alive and don't feel stiff.  That probably explains what you are seeing.  At this point, the upcoming red version of Ten Numb will use the same figure.

My son loves the Galactic Heroes line, especially the ships...except for one thing. Why is the Millenium Falcon the only ship that comes with lights and sound features? Just by the looks of the molds on some of them like Vader's TIE Fighter and the Jedi Starfighter, there appears to be enough room to perhaps incorporate some. Was there ever any thought given to including sounds/lights on the other ships or is this simply a price/cost decision? (ST/"TJ", 2009-04-10)

     The reason you don't see more electronics in the Galactic Heroes vehicle lineup is because, in the early days of GH in 2004, the Millennium Falcon and the X-Wing did sport electronics, but at the higher price points that we needed to command, sales were very sluggish.  Unfortunately, interest was so low at those price points that we reached the point where all plans for additional vehicles were abandoned (including the then-modeled but never-tooled Darth Vader TIE Fighter, which was designed to house electronics at that time).  It wasn't until the conception of the Cinema Scene format that vehicles found their way back into the lineup, but the need to strictly manage these to the $20/$25 price point does not allow us to put electronics into the vehicles. The Jedi Starfighter is a recent creation and was not designed to house electronics.

Could Hasbro make it a point to include the ladder with all of your future X-Wing releases?  Or to include the ladder again with another Yavin hangar battlepack so collectors can pick up a few spares to go with their existing X-Wings? (ST/"TJ", 2009-04-10)

     That is a solid plan, and in future X-Wing releases we'll plan on it. No plans right now for another Yavin pack, but if we did, it's a good accessory to include.

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Nearly a year ago, we (Canada) were told that Hasbrotoyshop.com would start shipping to Canada. Since we've been hearing for years that they are "looking into it", can we please get a solid answer, when we can expect this to happen? In the last JoeCanuck.com Q & A, Hasbro stated "We will follow up with HTS on this." Please, just give us a final solid date on when Canadians can start purchasing from HTS.  Hasbro is only losing money by not offering the product on HTS to Canadians. (SNOW, 2009-04-10)

     It has taken much longer than originally thought, and the plan is to bring Canada online in 2009.  We still do not have a date for you, though.

We know that the market is smaller in Canada, and that sometimes either retailers are unwilling or unable to pick up some of the very cool exclusives that you make available.  Is there anything that we can do as consumers to help encourage the Canadian retailers to pick up these exclusives (beside obviously buying them when they come up).  And what about those US exclusives like the A-Wing, comic packs (Amanin/Sunber, Ewoks, Nrin/Ibitsam), or Target exclusives (Rancor and Luke, Geonosis Packs, RC droids) which are sought after by many Canadian collectors? How do we ensure these make it up here? (SNOW, 2009-04-10)

     All of our exclusives are offered to accounts globally in all markets, but not all of them are accepted by the retailer due to various reasons.  Once this happens, we do try to resolicit, but sometimes we are not able to secure placement based on account interest, shipping windows being too tight to accommodate retail needs, or MOQs (minimum order quantities from the factories).  This year, we show that the comic packs *will* be picked up by Wal-Mart Canada (both waves, Spring and Fall), but the A-Wing from last year will not make it.  On the rest of the items in question, the Rancor will be going to smaller Canadian accounts (not Zeller's), the RC Droids will not be going into Canada at all, and the Geonosis 2-packs will be going to Zeller's later this Fall.

When will we see the awesome Admiral Ackbar get the super articulated Hasbro 3 3/4" makeover? (SNOW, 2009-04-10)

     We're hopeful that before 2010 is out you will have the famous Admiral updated and ready to command the ever growing army of Mon Calamari forces (we're not planning more in the near-term, but we would say that the recent additions of Mon Calamari Warriors and Ibtisam helped support the need for their fellow Mon Cal to stage a triumphant return!).

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SWAN

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How about some squadron-themed Clone Wars battlepacks? You could do Blue Squadron with Ahsoka, R7-A7, Axe, and Kickback, or Shadow Squadron with Matchstick, Broadside, Anakin, and their Orange R2 unit. They would all basically be repaints, and would make a great complement to the vehicle line. (SWC, 2009-04-10)

     We do have plans for a lot of these guys, although not as Battle Packs per se. Stay tuned…

The upcoming Concept Art Anakin figure was shown at Hasbro's Toy Fair event with a red-bladed Darth Vader lightsaber. Recent online photos of the loose and carded figure show him with his Episode II: Attack of the Clones blue-bladed saber (as well as his AOTC saber hilt on his belt). Since the concept art was for Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, shouldn't he have his ROTS-style lightsaber and hilt? (SWC, 2009-04-10)

     We originally proposed a red saber for this figure since he has Sith eyes in the concept art, but in further discussions with Lucasfilm we decided that we would do the costume, but not make him Sith. So we went with the blue saber to match. We all missed the black control sleeve on this one...but since it's a concept figure screen accuracy wasn't the paramount concern, but getting the costume right was our primary focus.

What is the approximate height of the upcoming holographic Darth Sidious figure that comes with the Mechno-Chair, and does the figure itself have any articulation? (SWC, 2009-04-10)

     The figure does not have any articulation, and is approx. 2-1/2" tall.

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What's the story with all the repacks (Anakin, Jango, Clone Pilot, Blue ARC Trooper) in the Legacy Collection's later AOTC-themed Build-A-Droid wave? Is seems like these figures would have been better served as Greatest Hits* "GH" or Saga Legends "SL" designated figures rather than falling into the BD sequence of numbering.

Was this done just to provide "filler" until the new packaging switch over and can we assume that Greatest Hit "GH" figures are dead and discontinued for the new packaging? (YF, 2009-04-10)

     They should have been GH-numbered figures but a communications snafu with our packaging team resulted in them getting BD designations. We apologize for the confusion. We hope that collectors will recognize these straight repack figures and choose to ignore them; otherwise, the construction of the buildable droids in the wave are exactly the same in that collectors can just pick up the new/refresh figures to get the new droid parts and ignore the repacked figures. It does make the numbering system somewhat off for those collecting them in-package, and for that we apologize.

We have had a lot of discussion over the years in collecting groups and in various online forums about the quality of removable helmets for most of the clonetrooper and stormtrooper type figures. Issues range from....

- being too tight on the figure's head that he head comes off in the helmet when trying to remove it
- being too small where the figure's chin sticks out from underneath the front of the helmet, especially when pauldrons are utilized
- being too large that it looks out of proportion with the rest of the body.
- poor production run paint jobs making it look more like a paint-by-number piece
- varying hardnesses of plastics used causing deflection/warping issues when on figure's heads
- varying helmet sculpts/paint jobs used (even within the same wave - Luke and Han) that break the consistent look of our legions

Is it possible to create one standard "go-to" helmet to use across the entire line that would remedy some of these inconsistencies? The absolute best example of the stormtrooper helmet thus far has been included with the TLC Spacetrooper. Would it be possible of have that be the default sculpt to use for the stormtroopers is the future? (YF, 2009-04-10)

     The issue is that even when we spec an existing helmet, it doesn't always work because each new sculpt we do would be different, based on whether it has hair, a balaclava, or other details. There is always a slightly variable amount of shrinkage to the sculpts, which shrink at different rates depending on whether they are helmets or heads. It is certainly an inexact science! We do our best to match them, but we usually won't know how they will fit until we get the first shots from actual tooled parts, and by then there is little we can do, especially if it's a new helmet. In most cases, we need to go with the figure as-is, or when have the flexibility of time (like with did with the Mandorlorian sets for Entertainment Earth) delay to address since there was not a hard shelf date. Usually, we don't have that flexibility. There will always be some variability to the helmets we do because of this, but we are cognizant of the issues and are always trying to get the best results. One improvement we are looking at as a possible remedy is to model all the helmets digitally, giving us more flexibility in scaling the hard copy (pre-tooling) to best match the head rather than having to try and tweak the sculpt.

Since the clones have their AT-TE and Turbo Tank and with all of their action in the Clone Wars series, is there a possibility of getting the Trade Federation MTT someday in the same size/price range those large vehicles? It seems like the perfect opportunity for transporting all those Battle Droids and Super Battle Droids we have plus it lends itself to being repainted for the live action movie style. (YF, 2009-04-10)

     We would really like to look at this, but the MTT does not seem to have a future as a player in the Clone Wars series. Until it does, it will have to remain on the sidelines, as cool as it is. We need kid support for our vehicles to succeed and that means entertainment support.

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With the new package design shown at NYTF and more recently in packaged images on the web, is Hasbro looking to release a new clamshell 5 or 10 pack protection pack for the MOC collectors now that the design is back to a more "square" design? (YN, 2009-04-10)

     We're glad you asked. The new card is actually 5.5" x 8.25", reduced slightly from the current 6"x9" card size to conform to retail planogram modular sizing (actually the same size as all of Hasbro's new basic figures). It is too small to fit in the current clamshell and right now, we do not have any plans to produce a new, smaller-size clamshell that would accommodate the new card size.

A lot of people were sad to hear that the Mighty Muggs will be TRU Exclusives this fall, can you give us any more information on this? We heard from e-stores and Hasbro direct dealers that MM were a great seller. With a lot of collectors and kids not able to get to TRU in all areas will these also be sold on Hasbro's Website or TRU's site? Any chance they will come back to a broader release in 2010? (YN, 2009-04-10)

     Despite fans of the format, Mighty Muggs seemed to appeal to a small but passionate minority of the overall Star Wars collecting audience compared to all our other Star Wars sub lines. There is no chance that Mighty Muggs, at least in the current size or format, will come back as a broader or national release. It is unknown whether TRU.com will be selling Mighty Muggs, but we'll pass on the encouragement. It will not be sold through HasbroToyShop.com.

At the Collector's Event in New York, there was several comments made about new Comic Con debuts. Will there will be "press only collector event" in San Diego as a "Part 2" from New York or will it be like past SDCC Hasbro events where the audience is more diverse? (YN, 2009-04-10)

     Comic Con will follow the same format as always - open to the public on Wednesday evening, with a presentation to all comers on Friday (Star Wars day). Everyone is welcome, and trust us when we say that this year will have a tremendous number of reveals....in the presentation if not all in the booth.
« Last Edit: April 13, 2009, 05:41 PM by Matt »
"The good news is that all that blood is actually ketchup. The bad news, however, is that all that ketchup is actually blood."

Offline Matt

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Re: The Hasbro Q & A Compendium
« Reply #70 on: May 6, 2009, 05:34 PM »
Session 69, Dudes! - May 1, 2009

What are the chances of some battle packs with repaints of Battle Droids for the Clone Wars? There is the one with yellow highlights, camouflage deco, blue highlights and others as well as a battle pack with the various astromechs seen in the various episodes? We already have Obi-Wan's Delta 2 Starfighter, but no R4-P17 to fit in the droid slot. Thanks for your consideration! (BS, 2009-05-01)

     More of the Battle Droid variants from Clone Wars are already on the way. As for Clone Wars astro droids, it's certainly something we have heard loud and clear from fans and will be looking for ways to get more of the them out, and Battle Packs may be one possibility. R4-P17 is one of the most important ones to get out there and we'll look to him first.

So you've given us detailed pics of the upcoming Legacy ROTJ Nikto figure. The large cannon accessory appears to have some kind of clip at the end of the "arm" or "base". Clearly, this is meant to attach to something big in order to keep the figure from falling over. Can you please provide us with pics of the BMF Jabba's Sail Barge you plan on releasing in 2010 but haven't told us about yet? (BS, 2009-05-01)

     The design team did put that in there for forward-compatibility, should there ever be a chance to do a Sail Barge. There is certainly no Sail Barge in development for all of the reasons we have previously articulated - not iconic enough, not a kid-demanded vehicle, and it would have a massive tooling budget against probably the lowest demand of the "big vehicle program" we have been driving. In short, not a good formula for success, that would likely grind the program to a halt. We would love to do it, because we are fans and it is a cool vehicle to us, but unless Jabba and the Barge shows up in a big way in future entertainment the chances of this one are slim.( oh wonderful sail barge)

In regards to the recently revealed Saga Legends on the new cardbacks, why do you continue to keep making the same choices for repacks? As every SL we've seen on a new card are figures we saw in this year's (Stormtrooper cardback,) and TAC's Saga Legends line. While we realize the need for core characters, is there any way we can shake these up a bit? Maybe replace Vader with the infinitely times better Legacy mold? Or put older Clone Trooper paints - 212, Cato Nemoida, or 7th Legion - in place of clean ones? (BS, 2009-05-01)

     The simple answer is that we are drawing on the same figure because Saga Legends have been extraordinarily successful in meeting the needs of kids for core characters, and we see that demand continuing. Your point is a strong one regarding different trooper variants - as some of these are long-overdue for a return to the lineup. There's a strong possibility that we'll add future waves of Saga Legends to the lineup that can get some of these back in - since they meet the dual needs of strong Clone Troopers for kids, as well as offering collectors another chance to get them. As for Vader - he's still being repacked in the Legacy Collection, and this not available for Legends. He is a strong figure and sure to be back out on a basic figure card in one form or another.

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If you had to guess, shoot-from-the-hip style, what percentage of Star Wars would you guess Hasbro has covered with the existing 3.75" line? Obviously the EU has a much wider number of characters, vehicles, and settings to address, so you can pick and choose which sources you'd like to answer for - e.g., "out of just movies & tv" or "out of movies, tv, video games, and recent DH comics", whatever works for you. But with so many main characters and even secondary and tertiary characters getting the action figure treatment, how far does Hasbro think they've taken the brand over the last decade? (CS, 2009-05-01)

     Let's tackle the movie figures first, which is the heart of the question. As much as we'd like to answer that with some hard numbers, the truth is that as we have elevated the design and aesthetics of the 3-3/4" figure form to a new plateau, it makes us look at our existing back library of movie figures in a new light, and periodically select "iconic" candidates for upgrades. From this standpoint, the line can continue for years with new versions of the core characters. There are literally hundreds of movie figures we still believe we can deliver that would delight for years and years to come, and it's our hope that we are able to deliver far into the future. As for comic figures (both Marvel and Dark Horse) - the answer is easier...we don't believe we've even scratched the surface of what is possible, or what we'd like to do. What is realistic to do is another story, since there are only so many slots to go around and so many fantastic characters to draw from (one dream of ours, for example is to knock off the Rogue Squadron in it's entirety some day....but even pecking away at a few a year leaves us many years away!). Clone Wars is just getting started, and based on the tremendous ratings and toy success, the future is long and bright. So in short, we think that we are just hitting our stride as to what we can deliver, and hope that you and everyone else stays with us for the tremendous adventure that still lay in front of us with Star Wars.

With Titanium Series ending, the opportunities for re-releasing popular and hard-to-find tools is getting quite short. With that in mind, might you be able to shoehorn re-releases of some of those popular, hard-to-find pieces like the Droid Gunship, Mon Calamari Cruiser, Trade Federation Landing Craft, Rogue Shadow, and Hailfire Droid into the last few waves (perhaps through revision cases) to make sure collectors are as best served as possible, rather than letting the Titaniums' ending serve only scalpers? (CS, 2009-05-01)

     The Hailfire and Droid Gunship will be coming back in the last wave, on shelf around Oct/Nov. Unfortunately, it is to late to add anything more to the Titanium lineup as we are well passed our window for adding to the packaging lineup.

While we'd always prefer a worn paint deco on vehicles and droids, we understand sometimes the budget just can't do it. The next time you do a vehicle with a white deco where the budget prohibits additional weathering paint, could you please not use the clean-white color of plastic that you've used on the Clone Wars V-19 or the TLC Dagger Squadron B-wing? This white plastic is just too clean, it screams for weathering as it hides every sculpted line and gives an unwelcome plasticky toy look, while the slightly off-white colors of plastic seem to bring out the lines and look a little weathered better than clean. (CS, 2009-05-01)

     Thanks for the input - certainly something to consider when there are definite times when costs prohibit us from pursuing all of the deco ops that we'd want (especially a challenge with new vehicles where most of the cost is tired up on the tooling). We'll pass your thoughts on to the design team.

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This larger AT-ST people are rumorizing about, that would (hypothetically) be in the mid-size ($50+) range, correct? (GH, 2009-05-01)

     We certainly hope that if we did pursue a new AT-ST that it would be larger-sized but also a decent chunk less than $50.

Will we ever see an apparition of Obi-Wan Kenobi as he appears to Luke Skywalker on Hoth (with his hood up)? (GH, 2009-05-01)

     This is a cool idea, and ever since we released the great signature Spirit of Anakin Skywalker we have been hankering to do more "spirit" figures with the same soft goods and sheen effects.  A flexible version of Spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi who could be posed with hood up or hood down could be handled the same way. [Editor's Note: He'd need to be available in a BLUE variant.] We've been keeping some of these spirit character ideas (Obi-Wan Kenobi , Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, Sebastian Shaw as the Spirit of Anakin Skywalker , and even Luke Skywalker from Legacy) off to the side for future repaint waves if needed, but with none in the offing right now we may look to slot these into the mainline lineup in future years.

Knowing that we can't have a cardback with EVERY figure on it like the old days, would it be feasible to put together and periodically insert a DVD with pictures (and minor factoids) about the line? (GH, 2009-05-01)

     DVDs are very expensive for us to produce, not to mention a tremendous amount of labor to oversee and produce.  Instead, we prefer the cross-sells which, while not being able to contain many pictures, do show more of the lineup.  Also, we plan to produce another poster this year for San Diego Comic Con (as we have done annually for a long time) that showcases all of the "new" figures this year in The Legacy Collection.  In addition to being available at Comic Con, it should also be available on-line as well.

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Recently revealed in an issue of Star Wars Insider was plans for a new Ewok 2-pack - Paploo & NoApaak. Paploo I know, but who or what is NoApaak? You hinted at a great story behind his name, care to share? And any chance you've got a pic you could share? (HH, 2009-05-01)

     Sure - we'd be glad to tell the story. It starts in Spring 2008 when a 7-year old boy named Noah came to visit Hasbro. He lived locally, and was about to undergo an operation that would keep him bedridden for months. Noah was a big Star Wars fan, and when we learned of this we wanted to meet him and sit down and talk about Star Wars. This young man was amazing - sunny, and bright, and even though he had been through a lot of pain and medical work before, it did not disrupt his disposition. And he clearly knew his Star Wars!

     As we love to do with kids who are fans of Star Wars, we started to talk about what their favorite characters or moments were in the films (remember, this was pre-Clone Wars so his knowledge was primarily from the films). As it turns out, Noah was a big fan of Ewoks and we were about to design the Ewok set from the EpVI wave.  We had handy one of the on-set shots with all the Ewok characters given to us by Official Pix (we often source these set shots for development inspiration). So we asked Noah which two Ewoks stood out to him as interesting and that we should do next. One of Noah's choices was Paploo - an excellent choice since Paploo was overdue for an upgrade. We did not recognize the second figure but he seemed an interesting choice and we stuck with it.

     A few months later when we were discussing the set with Lucasfilm, we realized that the second Ewok Noah has chosen has never been officially named (turns out there are a number of them still). When we told Lucasfilm the story of how we picked this figure (or rather how Noah picked him), it suddenly made perfect sense to name the character after Noah as a tribute to the strength and bravery of an incredible little boy. Lucasfilm wholeheartedly agreed, and came up with an Ewok-language name incorporating Noah's first and parts of his last name. We were thrilled, and when we called Noah's family to tell him they were beside themselves.

     Since then, Noah has had his operation and is making a strong recovery. We promised him that we'd get together and celebrate as soon as we got our final samples at the start of production so he can have the first one. It's a small story in the grand scheme of things, but it made a *huge* impact on Noah and his family, and we can't thank Lucasfilm enough for helping to make one little boy's life, and Star Wars experience, magical and something we'll all never forget.


What are the chances of the following figures being recycled into future Saga Legends assortments - VOTC Chewbacca, VOTC Han Solo, and VOTC Luke Skywalker? All three seem to have developed a bit of demand on the secondary market lately thanks to that Big Falcon and most folks wouldn't mind seeing them again on the new cardbacks. (HH, 2009-05-01)

     Good questions. The VOTC Chewbacca will be coming into the Saga Legends line this Fall. The VOTC Han is not available because his tooling is in use elsewhere for another set; instead, we will be getting an older Bespin Han back out there (not a vintage-quality articulated figure, but since this line is kid-targeted we went with the best one we had). We did not have the VOTC EpIV Luke planned for re-release because of the upcoming DSII Luke, but he is a good candidate for getting back into the rotation sometime. Thanks for the suggestions.

And finally, a question from one of our readers: "Any chance we could ever see some Star Wars themed Clipo sets? My kids love using Clipo to build 'ships' for their little Star Wars Heroes figures!" - from aSWmom (HH, 2009-05-01)

     We do not have any plans to cross Star Wars over with Clipo. Cool idea, though - send us some of your kids pics when you get a chance so we can see how the little ones are playing Star Wars!

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The deluxe assortment seems to be inspired mostly by the success of the Clone Wars, and thus the early figures we've seen are focused on that property. Is there a chance we'll see Original Trilogy deluxe figures, or realistic prequal era figures/characters in the line, or will it mostly be focused on Clone Wars? (JD, 2009-05-01)

     Interest in Deluxe expressions has always been much lower than for basic figures, but given the success of Clone Wars and demand for more of the mid-range vehicles, we believe that the Clone Wars Deluxe assortment is poised for success. It's very unlikely that we will be pursuing a deluxe-type assortment for the Legacy Collection; that is why we have tried to do some things differently in the Battle Packs this year (even thought that format will be changing eventually as well).

Regarding the upcoming Scramble on Yavin battle pack, can you confirm which body Red Leader will be using? Will it simply be the VOTC X-Wing Luke body with a new head sculpt (as shown in some pictures,) or will it utilize the new torso pieces from the recent Nrin Vakil figure as shown in other pictures? Most fans are hoping for the Nrin Vakil body, as it's a more average height body/limbs it seems, while Luke is obviously a shorter character. (JD, 2009-05-01)

     Red Leader used the Luke figure. When the set was originally created, the Wedge/Nrin Vakil body was not available and thus the Luke body was selected. In fact, if it wasn't for some heroics from our engineering team, Nrin may not have had that body at all since he was supposed to use it *after* we were done running the Wedge/X-Wing exclusive, which was subsequently delayed until this Fall. We managed to push the tooling dollars around, and we were lucky to get him, but not soon enough to impact Red Leader.

Multiple headsculpts are a great way to make the maskless troopers have some variety, as evidenced by the upcoming Hoth Rebel Soldier... Is this something Hasbro will make more "standard" with army builders such as Rebels, Bespin Guards, Naboo military, and other non-clone type soldiers? It's a great feature and definite encouragement for army building. (JD, 2009-05-01)

     We like to see variety, but we probably will be doing fewer of the "running change" type figures since it causes extraordinary difficulties in our system. More likely we will look to do head sculpt changes and release alternate versions in some other way, either as candidates for "repaint waves" (should we ever need those again), or Battle Packs.

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I imagine you will be receiving a flood of questions about the Titanium’s hiatus. I was surprised to read that it has been a struggling sub line almost from the start. I understand the need for multiple repaints to make tooling affordable, yet that creates a paradox in that people stop buying the third, fourth or more iteration of the same vehicle therefore cutting into the margin. With that in mind, is there any possibility of changing the fundamental property of Titanium’s and make them all plastic? It seems counter-intuitive at first, but it seems that more and more plastic is already being used in the newer tools, and you've stated in earlier Q & As about the fact that metal is a more difficult material to work with than plastic. Furthermore, it would seem that utilizing two different types of materials would increase the number of steps required in manufacturing. Would a shift to all plastic lower costs enough for the line to continue with fewer repaints and therefore more new ships for people to pick up? The "Titanium" name would not have to go away, as it is still symbolic of the standard of quality (silver, gold, titanium) of the product if not of its nature - it's not like they've ever been made of actual titanium to begin with. This line has been such a wonderful opportunity to get ships we would have and probably never will see in larger formats, such as the recent Tie Defender, Virago, IG 2000, and Z-95 to name only a few, and it's a real shame to read of its demise. (JI, 2009-05-01)

     We appreciate the fan passion for ways to continue Titanium - the fact that a number of fans have written us with similar suggestions attests to the passion with which fans of the series have approached the news. We have had a lot of heart for the series too - and have kept it going for a long time because of the passion and the desire to see some of the exact vehicles you cite finally see the light of day. We look back on the Titanium Series as a tremendous success, if not in business terms, then in terms of the sheer number of amazing Star Wars vehicles we were able to fit into a 5-1/2 year run. The vast majority of toy lines can't claim to have runs that long, must less claim the variety that was eventually produced. It's exactly for these reasons that it was a very tough decision to shutter the line.

     What you suggest is unlikely, for a couple reasons. First, the tools for plastic vs. metal vehicles cost the same to develop, since the two criteria that determine cost are size/amount of steel used and labor. Thus, moving to plastic would not change the underlying issues with the number of new tools needed to keep Titanium going. Second, to start a line like you suggest, it would need to be launched with an extraordinarily deep tooling lineup - a real commitment to the format, or the results will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. It would literally be better to restart Titanium using a metal format and using the existing tools, rather than start and all-new one. Honestly, we don't know what can be done for a re-launch since the collector base by itself, as it exists, just isn't enough to keep the line going. Unless we found a way to engage kids in the format, or found a way to broaden out to more consumers, it will remain on hiatus.


Can you tell us what the 2009 Star Wars SDCC exclusives will be, how much they will be and show us pictures of them? (JI, 2009-05-01)

     There will be two basic carded exclusives, both in the new red/white line look on the slightly-smaller new basic figure card size, in protective clamshells. The price on these will be approximately $12.99. The first figure, available exclusively at HasbroToyShop at Comic Con and online, will be version of Luke with the "jubilant" expression when he climbs out of the cockpit after destroying the Death Star in EpIV. This figure is a rework of the Luke originally created for the 2008 Wal-Mart Droid Factory Luke/R2-D2 set, which Lucasfilm rejected because the head did not match out original input. In the end, we went with a previous version of Luke's head in that set for the Droid Factory set. There seemed to be significant fan demand to get this version back out there, so we re-sculpted it and added a brand new X-Wing ladder to the set. It will be a basic-carded figure on the new slightly-smaller card size, in a protective clamshell. The second figure will be a re-release of the Stormtrooper Commander figure from The Force Unleashed, which was very sport distribution last Fall during the release of TFU. This version will be on a red/white card (different from the original release) and will be a shared exclusive with HasbroToyShop distributing at the show, and HasbroToyShop.com and StarWarsShop.com distributing the figure online during and after the show.

What I'd be hoping to see appear as a Clone Wars or Saga Legends figure would be ARC Captain Fordo, since the new packaging for the figures is dedicated to Fordo, I would believe that there would be a figure for him as well. Is there a possibility of this? (JI, 2009-05-01)

     There is no Fordo planned right now, but there's a strong likelihood that we'll get to him someday. Lucasfilm has asked that we not pursue any more of the Clone Wars micro series figures, but given there are a couple important ones still to go, we think we'll be able to get them into the lineup in the future.

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The Battle On Mygeeto battle pack was never available in the UK. Are there any plans to release this again as part of the Legacy Collection, and what other hard-to-find battle packs might we see being re-packaged at a later date? (JN, 2009-05-01)

     There are no plans right now to re-release Battle on Mygeeto. Right now, the Battle Pack lineup is slated to be new sets (some of existing figures), but none of the previous sets are planned to come back into the lineup. That may change over time as we continue to respond to retailer needs and look to previous "greatest hits" to keep the assortment going. If that happens, we'll take a look detailed data we get back from retailers to decide what to get back out. Mygeeto is a good candidate forrelease some day.

Could we please get further details on the exclusives that will be released in the UK (such as Jabba's Rancor, Comic Packs, Droid Factory and Geonosis Arena sets, etc.), along with dates and which store(s) will be getting them? (JN, 2009-05-01)

     The Geonosis Arena 2-packs will be coming to Tesco this Fall. Unfortunately the news is not so good for the rest. We have offered these exclusives to several retail partners, but unfortunately did not secure placement for most of them. Comic Packs are not as strong across all of Europe as they are in the U.S., so the exclusives (both Spring and the Fall wave which has yet to be announced) will not be coming to the U.K. The Rancor and Droid Factory will also not be coming. We share your frustration - these are all excellent items and deserve to be distributed all over the world, but we need willing retail partners to be able to able to get them to you. We are working to solve issues for 2010 further ahead of time with the goal of having better global alignment.

With the demise of the Hasbro UK Toy Shop, will collectors in the UK now be able to buy directly from the US store (typically exclusives not released in the UK along with other items like stands and cases, etc.)? (JN, 2009-05-01)

     Unfortunately, U.K. collectors will not be able to buy from the U.S. store. The only other country in development for shipment outside the U.S. is Canada, and we have had extraordinary difficulties in getting that on line. We don't know if we will be able to add more global distribution to the U.S. site, but if we do it won't be for some time. Sorry - wish we had a better answer for you.

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Reissues are something that many collectors have grown accustomed to over the years.  Most notably with the vehicle line.  However there are some vehicles that have only seen limited release or re-release.  And some have never seen wide release at all.  Among them?

-AT-ST (general release in the 1990's / Toys R Us / Target exclusives)
-Landspeeder (Toys R Us exclusive)
-TIE Bomber (WalMart exclusive)
-Tatooine Skiff (Target exclusive)
-Y-Wing (Target/Toys R Us exclusives)

Can you elaborate on what makes it more difficult to bring these vehicles to the general release market?  And might we see any of these vehicles re-released in the near term? (JTA, 2009-05-01)

     Many of the ones you cite are more expensive than the regular Starfighter Vehicle assortment (notably TIE Bomber, Y-Wing, and even the AT-ST). Because of this, they are prime candidates for exclusives because we don't have a higher "mainline" vehicle price point in the $35-$40 range to host them.  Others, like the Skiff, have a very narrow interest and would likely be released once every several years at the most frequent.  The Landspeeder is one that we do not feel can command the price of the Starfighter Vehicle Assortment, and thus needs to be an exclusive to see the light of day.  We just haven't found the spot for it yet, given the other things we've been looking at.  Eventually, there is a high likelihood it will be re-released.

Collectors are still a little puzzled about the Return of the Jedi wave that was previewed in the Star Wars Insider.  Where in the schedule does this wave fall now?  Has the name on the Sullustan B-Wing pilot from this wave been settled?  And is there any chance of a look at that one? (JTA, 2009-05-01)

     The EpVI wave has now been pushed back to be the second wave in the new red/white line look and will be on shelf around October if not earlier. The timing was due to a wave order switch, when we made the EpI our lead wave to tie into the 10th Anniversary of EpI and the Qui-Gon/Eopie mail-in.  The red Sullustan will be Ten Numb.

I know that the Clone Wars is the hot ticket right now but where is the love for the Legacy? The line of deluxe figures from the Clone Wars looks solid for the fans of that line. For those fans of the Legacy collection we feel left out. It has been about six years (four if you count EIII) since we have gotten deluxe figures. Will the deluxe figure ever show up for the Legacy some day? (JTA, 2009-05-01)

     Interest in Deluxe expressions has always been much lower than for basic figures, but given the success of Clone Wars and demand for more of the mid-range vehicles, we believe that the Clone Wars Deluxe assortment is poised for success. It's very unlikely that we will be pursuing a deluxe-type assortment for the Legacy Collection; that is why we have tried to do some things differently in the Battle Packs this year (even thought that format will be changing eventually as well).

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Last year at Comic-Con, it was mentioned that there were plans for a second Endor-themed Battle Pack, which would include the second Imperial Officer pulled from the Shield Generator Assault set. More recently, early word has come out of such a set and the Original Trilogy fans ae eager to learn more. Can you tell us who will be in this new set (please have some Ewoks!), and is it possible to see a close-up of that ill-fated Imperial Officer, even if it's the same photo from last year's presentation? (RS, 2009-05-01)

     Sorry, but that pack never materialized. Instead, the pack coming this Fall includes an Ewok and glider, Imperial Officer, and Luke. Attached is the exact pic shown in last year's Comic Con presentation. The officer dropped from the bunker set is different from the one included in this new Ewok-themed set. We still have not found a landing spot yet. It's a safe bet to make that he will eventually make it out.

UPDATE: Hasbro has sent out an update to this answer with further clarification:

     As it turns out, we ARE using the officer that was dropped from the Shield Generator Assault set after all....he will have the original head, but on a modified torso (one that removes the rank insignia completely and is consistent with the imagery). As an added bonus, we can tell you that the Ewok in this set is Warok.

Combining two lines into one single question, since the question is pretty much the same for both: Mighty Muggs and Titanium Series. Can you comment on the demise of these lines, and more speficially, when they will be ending? There's obviously a lot of characters/vehicles to bring out in these lines, and of those that were already announced (like Ahsoka Tano, the UT-AT, E-Wing, Gungna Sub), which ones will actually come out before they end? (RS, 2009-05-01)

     Both lines are winding down for the same reason: diminished interest in these formats compared to anything else in the Star Wars lineup. While both started strong - and Titanium in particular has had an AMAZING 5-1/2 year run - interest had waned since the original launches.

     Actually, the two lines diverged significantly in a couple areas.

     Mighty Muggs were faster and simpler to develop, but we were dipping down into characters that consumers did not seem to care for in the vinyl format, and many fans who initially were excited about the concept either did not have the room to continue to pursue or decided that they had had enough.

     Titanium was more difficult to develop, was subject to pricing volatility given the metal component, and needed a significant amount of new tooling to keep it interesting. Both of them, because of the extremely high item count needed to sustain their sales, were less important than the need to refocus our design team elsewhere on new initiatives.


Over the past several years you have made many nice and interesting EU characters. Would you consider making figures from the DROIDS animated cartoon series that aired back in the mid 80's? Some notable characters that would make great figures are as follows:

- Animated C-3PO and R2-D2
- Vlix
- Admiral Screed
- Gaff
- Mungo Baobab

Vintage collectors would be very interested in getting these great figures, and many younger fans of the EU would be as well. In other words, these would probably be popular among everyone! Would you please consider making these? (RS, 2009-05-01)

     We've actually discussed doing figures from the animated Droids series with Lucasfilm. After discussion, it was felt that that way to do Droid figures "right" would be to produce animated-style figures. This would mean an inordinate amount of new tooling for admittedly niche figures, given that not a lot of folks have really been exposed to Droids. So while it's an interesting idea, the reality of the situation is that we won't be pursuing them any of the Droids figures.

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Any chance of using the 9" DC/Marvel Signature Series bodies for a 9" line of Star Wars figures? (RTM, 2009-05-01)

     We don't have any plans to go to this format, since it's a pretty niche area of collecting interest (we have abandoned it from the Marvel line for the same reason). Instead, we prefer to let Sideshow continue the larger-figure excellence in their outstanding 12" lineup.

Will we see build a droids released in multipacks geared toward mix and match action? Something along the lines of the C3PO and battle droid pack from Episode 2. (RTM, 2009-05-01)

     Right now we don't have any plans to go this route right now, but it is something that we have discussed. With the great library of parts we're building up, the opportunity to do something fun like this is interesting.

Are there any current plans for a new Zuckuss figure? Relative to the other bounty hunters from The Empire Strikes Back, he seems over-due. (RTM, 2009-05-01)

     We agree. A Zuckuss is indeed in the works... we will have more information available at Comic Con.

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On a few occasions last year US Walmart Exclusives found their way North to some of the Canadian Walmarts long after their US debut and landed on our shelves at clearance prices. How does this happen or more specifically why does this happen? Are they left over product that Walmart US feels they can't sell? Is there anything we Canadian collectors can do to encourage it more often? I'd love to see the US Exclusive A-Wing hit our stores (even at full retail price) but as it stands it's pretty much a crap-shoot. (SNOW, 2009-05-01)

     When this happens, it means that a) Wal-Mart Canada elected not to carry the exclusive the first time, and b) the exclusive was closed out in the US but Wal-Mart still had inventory and moved it to Canadian retail.  It's unlikely this will continue, as we are trying to encourage the opposite: placement of all exclusives with Canadian retailers if possible, and dialing in on the numbers so WM U.S. does not have overages on any exclusives.   The A-Wing is not planned to go north of the border, unfortunately.

Will the Wal-Mart exclusive evolutions packs (Evolution of the Commandos, Imperial Pilots #2 and Rebel Pilots #3) be coming to Canada in September? (SNOW, 2009-05-01)

     We have confirmation that the Evolution packs will now indeed be coming to Wal-Mart Canada this Fall.  Great news - as these are fantastic.  Look for them available at approximately the same time as the U.S. version hit retail - approx 9/1.

Now that we almost have all of the droids from the ANH Purchase of the Droids scene, is there a chance that Hasbro would make a new bigger Sandcrawler vehicle? You could increase the appeal to kids by making it also open up to function as a Kenner-style "droid factory" and ship it with a ton of different BaD parts (or even a BaD R2, C3PO and bronze RA-7). The OTC Sandcrawler looked great, but if Hasbro can't make a new one to the proper scale (which admittedly would be super huge), if you just made one bigger than the vintage mold this would be a terrific improvement. (SNOW, 2009-05-01)

     We have actually looked at this, but the costs would be staggering to deliver this very passive vehicle in a larger scale and we do not feel it would be successful at the larger size.  We'd put this up there with the likelihood of Jabba's Sail Barge - we would love to do it, but the likelihood is very, very low.

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With the unfortunate announcement of the Titanium Series line ending after 2009, fans want to know all about its now-limited future. How many new tools will we be getting between now and its end? When can we expect the last wave, and what will be in that wave? What happens to tooling and promises that were on the bubble for '09, like the Outrider which was promised and forgotten last year and then promised again for the end of '09, or the Gungan Sub which was tooled up and promised in 2000 but canceled? Using the term "hiatus" as you did, is there any hope for the brand's revival in the foreseeable future? As Titanium Series is the only outlet for the majority of Star Wars vehicle toys these days, will Hasbro be filling that void with an all-plastic form of Titaniums? (SSG, 2009-05-01)

     There should be nine all-new tools to look for from now until the end of the year, with numerous other repaints rounding out the line (these new tools all follow the latest that have hit shipped recently - BARC Speeder, Xizor's Ship, and IG-2000). The nine include: Hound's Tooth, Clone Wars Y-Wing, Hyena Bomber, Punishing One, Malevolence, a new Republic Gunship tool, Mist Hunter, Nebulon B Frigate, and the Outrider. Unfortunately, the Gungan Sub did not make the cut. We have a lot of heart for the series ourselves - it is amazing to reflect back on the 5-1/2 year run of this line and the incredible number of cool ships that were brought out. We are proud of it and feel it was a tremendous line, but we just couldn't keep it active any longer since the large development cost, the need for a lot of items to maintain retail productivity (an outcome of having a smaller but passionate fan base), and high cost of goods are all factors that could not be addressed for a healthy line. Aside from perhaps an improved cost of goods, an all-plastic vehicle line would not solve the problem either, since tooling costs are the same for plastic or metal, we would still need to introduce a ton of designs, and it would not necessarily attract a larger audience for Titanium. It's something we'll be exploring, though. It's important that we continue to work on ways to bring out the most exciting Star Wars vehicle lineup we can.

With the nifty Build-a-Droid line, every basic figure gets a little bio paragraph on the card except the actual build-a-figure droids themselves. Some of these BAF droids are made up by Hasbro (or are they unknown designs made up by Lucasfilm, we don't know) and have no backstories at all, while others are from comics, novels, even tertiary characters in the movies. Might Hasbro add a section to their website explaining to casual collectors who these droids are, both in-universe and even behind-the-scenes info, and perhaps make up bios for the characters new to the line? This would be win-win, fans would get more nifty bios about their figures, and Hasbro would get more interaction between the figures and their site. (SSG, 2009-05-01)

     We did not create any of the droids in the Droid Factory lineup - they have all come from Lucasfilm entertainment reference, with names supplied by Lucasfilm in the event that a particular figure had yet to be named or had been named by fans but not yet given the official Lucasfilm designation. That's a great idea about given each of their bios a day in the sun. We have some new plans on how to market the droids themselves a little better, especially since we'll be phasing out the confusing "GH" designation for repacked figures in favor of a continuous BD-series code. As a result, we are going to create virtual guide maps to collecting the parts from new/refresh of repack/carry-forward figures. The way we are creating the waves has not changed, with either 6 or 8 new figures, just the way we are labeling some of them is changing. Thanks for the suggestion - it's a great idea.

Given that we have a number of figures from SW: Purge (Bultar Swan, Tsui Choi, Koffi Arana, and of course, Darth Vader), does Hasbro plan to complete the remaining Jedi figures from that story - Roblio Darte, Sia-Lan Wezz, Ma'kis'shaalas, and Jasus Farr - at some point in the foreseeable future? (SSG, 2009-05-01)

     An excellent question. The answer, though, is probably not. Unless we do a multi-pack of figures where we could get extensive re-use of existing characters, it's very unlikely that we'd tool up these characters on their own. That's one of the inherent challenges with the EU - there are so many great and interesting choices, especially with Jedi, that we can only cover so many in a given year. A good example is the Republic comic series, during the Clone Wars era - each issue is literally a treasure trove of great heroes (and villains) but we simply can't do as many as we like as fast as we'd like in one area. Over time, we just hope to be able to continue to delve into these great veins and systematically tackle an occasional one in a particular series. We'll take a look at the Purge Jedi once more, and if they fit something we're doing theme-wise, and can get them tooled, we'll certainly consider it.

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Are you going to be re-releasing the electronic Battle Droid Blaster from Episode 1 any time soon? It would seem with all the interest in the "Clone Wars" cartoon this would be something to put back out in the market. (ST, 2009-05-01)

     We do not have plans to get that blaster back out there.  At least with the General Grievous blaster, which is very similar to the BD blaster, kids have shown that they strongly prefer the Clone and Stormtrooper blaster over the droid blasters.  So after this Spring, we will retire the Grievous blaster as well.

Now that we are getting a new Republic Commando with articulated legs, and since we're already gotten Delta Squad and Omega Squad, what are the chances of Hasbro doing a series of four packs featuring the various Repbublic Commando squads? This could be a exclusive with Target or Toys R Us or an open retail item, but it would probably generate a lot of interest with collectors and army builders due to the popularity of the Republic Commando books, video game, current action figures, and just plain cool looking armor. (ST, 2009-05-01)

     That is a great idea, and one we have had in mind when we updated the Commando tool.  It certainly is an intriguing idea and we are looking at it for down the road.

I hate to ask the ole "will we get such and such figure released again,"but will we see the Fan's choice Darth Revan in the saga legends at some point?"  I really hate seeing the escalating prices for this guy on evilbay. (ST, 2009-05-01)

     Right now, he is not in the lineup for re-release.  But we recognize the continued demand for Revan and are looking for ways to get him back out there.  It won't be soon, though - these things unfortunately take time to work out.  It may be in Saga Legends, but it may also be part of something else entirely.

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It's great to see Hasbro finally release a 501st Legion trooper using the #41 RotS mold. However, I bought a few and noticed a problem: the helmet's blue stripe is incorrect! The stripe should be continuous but instead we have a gap between the black rim and the visor. Also the stripe is too wide and should instead narrow from the top of the helmet to the chin.  Please see the paintjob that was done for your TSC Commander Appo figure which was done correctly (although on Appo, he had too much dirt and his chest stripe didn't reach all the way to the neck). Can Hasbro please correct the problem for a future Legends release, I'd love to army build dozens more but only if it's accurately done. (ST/"TJ", 2009-05-01)

     Thanks for the feedback on this one - we had not heard that on this guy and will definitely look to correct for the upcoming Saga Legends re-release.  It will probably be a running change at this point.  Thanks much for the email on this.

The black RA-7 Build-A-Droid looks great, but isn't the color of the eyes incorrect?  The BaD has gold/bronze eye lenses, but in ANH it seems as if it has silver eyes (and even Hasbro's PotF2 figure used silver eyes).  If this is a mistake, can Hasbro consider including a corrected head in a future Legacy wave so we can actually get a proper version of this character? (ST/"TJ", 2009-05-01)

     We work with Lucasfilm on the coloring of the figures, and this is what was determined was the correct coloration. It sometimes happens that previous color schemes were thought to be correct, but turned out to be slightly off. When we re-release or upgrade figures, we sometimes go back and adjust seemingly canonical figure colors as better reference becomes available.

The shirtless Evolutions Darth Maul looks great but if Hasbro ever re-releases this sculpt again, say... as part of a 2pack with a Sith training droid from the Darth Maul comic, could you use a brighter shade of red paint?  It was disappointing that the Evo Maul had such a muddy red look whereas in previous action figure incarnations, Hasbro used a much more intense red that really made him stand out.  And any chance of including a softgoods outfit with a re-release? (ST/"TJ", 2009-05-01)

     Thanks for the feedback.  We will look at this for any future releases. This Fall's Wal-Mart exclusive Droid Factory wave - which uses this figure and a soft goods robe, might satisfy your needs (although the figure is a little darker than the Evo figure version).  Beyond that, we don't have any plans for the figure but if we did re-release we will take your comments into account. Thanks!

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Many moons ago Hasbro mentioned that the Imperial Dignitaries released were precursors to the rest of the Imperial Dignitary gang. Given that it has been well over five years since the first two Dignitaries came out, any chance of seeing Sim Aloo or the others any time soon? (Especially Sim Aloo who we had in the vintage line). (SWAN, 2009-05-01)

     Answer is somewhere in this MP3

With the Unleashed Battle Packs coming to their end, and the Titaniums finishing at the end of this year, and Muggs being reduced to only Toys R Us exclusives, what can you tell us about the viability of the Star Wars Transformers line? (SWAN, 2009-05-01)

     MP3

This question is in response to a previous Hasbro Q&A question from another site which asked about creation of more cantina patrons. In your response you cited how collectors alone do not drive the market, pointing to the Yarna figures that seem to be abundant on pegs. In your response you point out that figures need to appeal to kids and collectors and while collectors may yearn for a Yarna or a Willrow Hood, the kid market prefers more iconic characters.

Our follow-up question: With these iconic characters appealing to the kid's market, have you found there to be more appeal in a resculpt of a character versus a repackaged, rereleased figure?

We ask because so many of the main characters have close-to-definitive versions already released, we wonder if it make more sense to put the effort of new sculpts and new toolings to figures that have never been done in the modern line (the missing Imperial Dignitaries, etc.) or ones that do not have good versions yet (such as Lobot needing an update), and keep the iconic, kid appealing figures to the Greatest Hits/Saga legends line. (SWAN, 2009-05-01)

     MP3

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Seeing as you've already made a figure of R3-A2, wouldn't it be better to make one of the other two predominately orange R3 units on Hoth for the upcoming BAD figure? One is in the control room and has some grey on his front and his legs, and the other one is in the hangar, and has differently painted back panels. (SWC, 2009-05-01)

     R3-A2 is one that we wanted to get back out there as there seemed to be fan demand for a re-release. If we could go back (and it's too late to change at this point), we would have looked elsewhere in Echo base for a different droid. We'll look at those droids for future opportunities.

There have been a lot of cool droids so far in the new CW series, and even a rack of assorted astromech and other droid parts in the Naboo repair shop. Might we see the BAD concept work itself into the Clone Wars line in some fashion? Their collectibility and creative construction features seem to be ideal fit for younger fans. You could even use the existing astromech parts since they are very similar to the animated style anyway. (SWC, 2009-05-01)

     The BAD concept will not find it's way into the Clone Wars - it will stay a part of the Legacy collection. The Clone Wars figures will continue to have missile launchers in most packs.

I recently noticed that in the Clone Wars movie, Ziro the Hutt has some "bartender" astrodroids wearing the same serving tray that R2-D2 used on Jabba's Sailbarge. Seeing as how there was also a second, red-striped R2 unit on Jabba's sailbarge using the same serving tray, what are the chances we might see you dust off the old "bartender" R2-D2 mold to produce one of these other droids? (SWC, 2009-05-01)

     That would be an interesting idea, perhaps in conjunction with a release of Ziro sometime. Right now it's not confirmed, but it is something we are thinking about.

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Can you give us any more details as to the likely Pilot characters we are going to see over the next 12 months, you've mentioned Gen. Salm and Lt Telsji previously as one's you'd like to do, are they there? What about the likes of Gavin Darklighter or any of the Wraiths? (TPU, 2009-05-01)

     Your question is excellent, as we are quite fond of pilots ourselves, and will try to provide some guidance. While there aren't going to be quite as many pilots in the next twelve months as there were in the last twelve, there is still a good lineup coming. Confirmed ones for this Fall include the Rebel Pilots #3 Evolution pack (Wal-Mart exclusive including John D. Branon - Red 4, Shira Brie as X-Wing Pilot, and Jake Farrell - A-Wing Pilot), Wedge X-Wing pilot (in a set still to be announced but is one of the worst-kept secrets of the line), Luke - Snowspeeder pilot (new sculpt) in the EpV wave this Fall wave, and Ten Numb (red B-Wing outfit) from the EpVI wave this Fall. In addition, there will be at least 4 more coming in Wal-Mart exclusive comic packs over the next twelve months, and the likelihood of a several more late next year in various exclusives.

The Clone Wars C-3PO is great! The most poseable version yet. Are you going to make a SA classic version of him anytime? Even if it's not in totally shiny gold finish as the others have been. (TPU, 2009-05-01)

     One of the challengers has been getting the vac metal finish right on C-3PO in the Saga/Legacy line, because to nail the finish we cannot use the kind of plastic that lends itself to insert-molder joints. So it's either one or the other, and in our discussions with Lucasfilm the need to have the shiny gold finished has always prevailed. So the current "Endor Throne" version of C-3PO is probably about as good as it will get for a realistic C-3PO.

Ref the Wal-Mart Droid Factory Exclusives. I think the Build-A-Droid idea is a good one but not when it's used on exclusive repacks. We have to buy 5 packs just to get a new Dark Trooper! With the exception of Corran Horn they are all repaints or variations too. That combined with the fact these aren't available in the UK means we have to spend a lot of cash to get them. Can't you bring back the Deluxe figure style and just sell the Dark Trooper that way? I'm sure you would get a lot of buyers. (TPU, 2009-05-01)

     We look at the exclusive wave as having new upgrades to each character (not always possible, but we do try) and a new droid in every pack, so the packs themselves are a solid purchase and together they even better. We do try to make sure that we are earning your purchase with each one, and feel that if a fan likes droids, then they will enjoy the packs and be rewarded with a tremendous buildable droid. Another way to look at it is like this - in the Droid Factory basic figure line up, you may get ten figures that would include a buildable protocol droid and an Astromech droid. For the same (or perhaps even lower) price in the WM lineup, you get 10 figures and the Dark Trooper - a solid proposition.

***

In the various QnA sessions over the years you've mentioned that sometimes old molds for figures and vehicles have been damaged or misplaced necessitating the creation of a new one (ex: the BMF). Can you reveal any often/repeatedly used figure or vehicle molds that we can look forward to not seeing again. (YF, 2009-05-01)

     That's a tough question to answer, since we don't know which tools will break or wear out in advance, necessitating their replacement. If you are referring to upgrades or replacement for older vehicles, there are a couple all-new surprises coming up this Fall that will effectively make existing tools obsolete. For figures, there are continuous upgrades in the lineup that make older tools obsolete. One example would be the current Legacy Battle Droid figure....there is an all-new BD coming that will effectively retire the older one. Details on all of these will be revealed at Comic Con.

When the Legacy/Droid Factory line was initially launched, the included B.A.D. parts were of 2 types: astromech or protocol droid. Now with B.A.D. figures like HK-47, L8-L9 and the ultra cool Darktrooper from the Walmart Droid Factory sets, the trend seems to be moving more toward "one-off" characters whose B.A.D. parts can't be repainted to create other characters as the astromech or protocol droid parts could. If that trend continues, is it possible we could see Episode I version of C-3PO without his coverings offered as the B.A.D. or would he be considered to be too "mainline" for such a release? (YF, 2009-05-01)

     The intention with the Droid Factory sets was to always try and produce new droids, not just use existing parts. We went to figures like the HK series (and there may be more than one of him!) and L8-L9, and others, because we wanted to add some variety to the parts list rather then cycle through a number of similar-looking proto droids. It is less of a concern for the astros, since there are two new ones per wave. You are right on the EpI C-3PO - we would not do this version as a BAD figure and would keep him as a mainline figure, if we ever slotted him into a future lineup (there is no update currently planned).

I am overjoyed to see that Corran Horn and Whistler will be part of the upcoming Droid Factory sets. I wondered though, what made you decide to give Corran an orange flightsuit despite all of the references indicating that he always wore a green one? Trying to keep us customizers on our toes? (YF, 2009-05-01)

     Since he does have the orange suit in some of the novels, we decided to go with that version, after consulting with Lucasfilm.

***

My favorite figures are the Stormtroopers / Sandtroopers so thanks for doing the Spacetrooper. He's an awesome addition to the line-up. I like the "VOTC" style trooper but think the recent Tantive IV Battlepack trooper is far superior. For me it's that whole torso joint thing that just doesn't work right. It gets loose and the figure looks hunched over. The Tantive IV troopers have a better stance and are aesthetically more pleasing with their ball jointed heads and wider stance. Would it be possible to do a carded run of these awesome troopers Sandtroopers in the near future? You could give them the correct utility belt with a functional holster and give them two hands that can grip a blaster the right way (the left hand is usually hard to open). (YN, 2009-05-01)

     The Tantive IV figure is actually the trooper that debuted in the Evolution pack back in 2005, that we have used every once in a while (and which also came out as the Sandtrooper in Saga Legends in the TAC lineup). Good point about the hands - that's come up a few times and something we can look into. It's a safe bet given the great aesthetics of this figure that we'll look to use him again, and a regular Stormtrooper in Saga Legends seems like a good idea - perhaps for Fall 2010.

Will we ever see more Clone Wars Figures based on the 2004 Cartoon Network's Clone Wars Series in Realistic Style? (YN, 2009-05-01)

     Beyond L8-L9, who is a buildable droid in one of this year's Legacy Collection waves, we don't have any more figures lined up. We would never say never, the focus has been on the new Clone Wars series. It's possible we could do one or more here or there - Fordo comes to mind as an important one yet to do - but we just have not slotted him into a figure lineup yet.

Can we get a high res picture of Clegg Holdfast? If not, maybe let us know which Klaatu is coming in a future wave? (*Please note that due to the new time schedule with questions, at the time we sent this in we had yet to see an image anywhere else) (YN, 2009-05-01)

     Sure - sorry that a site beat you to this one in the previous Q&A. See attached pic of Cliegg Holdfast. (click for the full size shot)
« Last Edit: May 6, 2009, 05:41 PM by Matt »
"The good news is that all that blood is actually ketchup. The bad news, however, is that all that ketchup is actually blood."

Offline Matt

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Re: The Hasbro Q & A Compendium
« Reply #71 on: June 12, 2009, 05:26 PM »
Session 70 - May 22, 2009

BS

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Without any collector/fan website input, what would Hasbro's Star Wars product offering look like? The fans, kids, collectors, etc. obviously have some influence, but from your perspective, how much? In light of the Organas, Yarna, Moff Jerjerrod, the Sarlacc set, and Lars Homestead set all shelfwarming, would Hasbro make those sorts of things if you didn't have a vocal collector base constantly nagging you in Q&A which obviously influences stuff like Yarna and the Spacetrooper and Willrow Hood? Is the collector base being more of a squeaky wheel getting too much grease, and if you weren't hearing that squeaking, what would the line be like? (CS, 2009-05-22)

     Great question! Without the collector input, we would not be emboldened to push the envelope on articulation and figure variety, to explore sub-themes such as aliens, Rebel Pilots and troopers, Ewoks, Droids, and Imperials, nor develop new and updated vehicles. Collector feedback, whether in the Q&A, in person at fan conventions, or via other media like the 2006 Toy Fare Top 25 Fans' Choice poll have all been outstanding sources of feedback and influence on the line. The collector Q&A has been a great way to both receive input on the line and get information back out there - two-way dialogue which has been instrumental in shaping the line. The Fans' Choice in the Saga Legends was a direct result of the Q&A, as have several figures that were asked about which have been added to our parking lot and subsequently turned into figures (the wildly successful Spacetrooper was asked about in a Q&A just as we were looking at that scene ourselves and asking, and we credit the Q&A for spurring us into action on this one). One of the biggest influences collectors have had was the 2006 Toy Fare Fans' Choice poll, which voted and ranked the Top 25 most wanted Star Wars figures. Since that seminal list came out we have knocked off at least 22 of the figures including the upcoming Jacen and Jaina Solo figures...quite an impact on the line! Some of the things you mentioned are not necessarily a result of fan requests but our desire to try some new things in the Star Wars 3-3/4" line, like iconic scene sets (Sarlacc and the Lars Homestead, for example). Since we are collectors ourselves, and want to see some new things done, we are willing to take chances and hope that what we do resonates with fans. It doesn't always work out the way we want it, though, but that's the nature of trying new things every now and then.

Although Titanium Series has done an ok job releasing vehicles from the Clone Wars, there's only been a loose smattering despite the series' meteoric rise in popularity. Still to be made from the Clone Wars includes the Tri-Droid, Pirate Tank, the Malevolence, the Trident, Pod Hunter/Separatist Boarding Ship, Escape Pod, Hyena Bomber Droid, Weequay pirate saucers, CK-6 Freeco swoop bike, as well as existing movie vehicles which are in the Clone Wars not yet done as Titaniums, like the STAP, Acclamator, Munificent-class Banking Clan Frigate, Padme's Naboo H-type Yacht, and LAAT/c carrier. So the Clone Wars is already a rich source of material that has only been somewhat mined in Titaniums. Are there any more Clone Wars vehicles due out before the line's end (besides the Y-wing which we already know about)? Why wasn't there a greater focus on Clone Wars vehicles in the line when it was becoming apparent the line was facing doom? (CS, 2009-05-22)

     Since Titanium has very few kid purchasers and the vast majority are collectors, we chose to direct our tools to vehicles that we thought would provide more interesting diversity to the vehicle lineup, such as the Bounty Hunter ships this year. We only have so many slots for new tooling, and most of the vehicles that you bring up from Clone Wars are less interesting than the Republic Gunships, V-Wings, V-19s, Starfighters, and others that we chose to repaint instead. Of the ones you specifically asked about from Clone Wars, we are doing the Malevolence and Hyena Bomber, and Cad Bane's ship the Xanadu Blood.

On the recent Jawa with WED Droid set, the Jawa comes with a small tin can-like piece that has 2 posts sticking out of it. Although there has been much speculation as to what this accessory is, no consensus has been reached. Also, the small accessory doesn't seem to have a dedicated storage spot on the figure's outfit unlike all the previous Jawa accessories, it has a sideways peg but the only peghole found on the Jawa is being used for the ion gun's power pack. So, what exactly is this accessory representing, and where does it fit on the Jawa? Or is it supposed to attach to the WED Droid instead? (CS, 2009-05-22)

     To be honest, your guess is as good as ours! We have speculated that it could be a power pack or transmitter for the blaster that stuns R2. But it could just as easily be can of rockwart soup or 40 weight motor oil. It is fun to speculate. As for the storage of the canister, there is a small hole on the back of the belt. The hole can be used for the canister or if the Jawa is holing the canister, to further secure the pouch that is attached to the gun. In hindsight, we should have added two holes. See attached pic for reference.

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Whatever happened to the Tales of the Jedi comic pack featuring Ulic Qel-Droma and Exar Kun? You mentioned a long time back that it was coming, but we haven't seen any pics or updates on this pack, all while other new comic packs are either being revealed or rumored. Was it canceled or delayed? (If it's still heading down the space-lane, might we ask for a photo of it?) (GH, 2009-05-22)

     It's still on the way, in the second wave for Fall.  It's trailing a bit at this point so it might not be on shelf until October - we'll have a firmer date for you at San Diego Comic Con. We don't have an image of this set ready to show just yet - we will reveal it at San Diego Comic Con.

Hypothetically, if we were lucky enough to be blessed with that awesome trio of "inebriated" Jawas flopped outside of the Cantina, would they be more likely to be a hard accessory with light-up eyes, or actual figures with soft-goods? (GH, 2009-05-22)

     Well that one caught us by surprise!  It's highly unlikely that we'll ever make a set or a figure specifically for this, but it would be nice to have Jawas that can be posed as such.  To achieve that, they may have to be soft goods, or a hybrid.  However the biggest trick is likely to be the ball-jointed hips required to hit that cross-legged pose. That's a little extreme for a Jawa figure design, but you never know.

Medal Han Solo? Medal Chewbacca? Are they slated for some sort of nice gift set with a spruced up Luke Skywalker and Ceremonial Princess Leia? (Also, since Carrie Fisher, in her royal capacity, appeared on MTV to give Chewbacca his medal, does that make her appearance there fair game for a Princess Leia figure, too?) ;-) (GH, 2009-05-22)

     We have a Galactic Heroes multi-pack lined up for the Medal Ceremony, but do not have a 3¾" Battle Pack or set lined up. We would like to do a medal Chewie some day, but since he does not get one in the film this is a little bit controversial and we have not discussed the idea with Lucasfilm.  Since he does get his medal in the novel, there is precedence for perhaps an "EU" version to commemorate this. Perhaps something we'll look at down the road, but unlikely in a multi-figure set.

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It's been a while since we pestered you about our good pal Han Solo... are you ready to tell us which version we're getting in the A New Hope wave later this year? The kids on the internet are spilt - about half are thinking new Death Star Escape version, the other half are thinking he's from Yavin someplace. (HH, 2009-05-22)

     He's not from Yavin, so the other half would be right.

It sounds like the new red & white cardbacks will be a bit smaller in size, much like the Marvel cards on the pegs at the moment. Will the smaller cardback affect our ability to get the occasional larger pack-in items (like the Bespin Torture Rack) we've been spoiled with these past few years? (HH, 2009-05-22)

     The smaller card size will limit the pack-ins we can fit in, but the reality is that costs have forces us to scale back on the number of larger-scale offering we can include. We still hope to sneak the occasional one in when we can and feel it's imperative to round out the figure.

That new Galactic Heroes Snowspeeder is fantastic! Any chance of more Galactic Heroes from Hoth, like say a repaint of the snowspeeder with Wedge, Janson, and a new Snowtrooper sculpt? (HH, 2009-05-22)

     That is a great idea - we are always looking to take the "fleet" type of approach with our Galactic Heroes, like we do with the 3-3/4" line. Thanks for the suggestion.

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A simple quick question, why does every Han Solo figure now have the same blaster?  The long barrel scope version is only seen in ANH, after that he has the shorter scope version in ESB and ROTJ. Any chance of getting this version of the blaster for ESB and ROTJ versions of Han in the future? (JN, 2009-05-22)

     Thanks for pointing that out - we'll take a look another look to make sure we are selecting the most accurate blaster for Han.

Recently images have surfaced showing carded shots of the ARF Trooper and it strikes me that the hips on this figure look terrible. Will these be altered for a future release or is there still time to do something for this outing? (JN, 2009-05-22)

     That is a pre-production version with the first generation hips.  The ARF Trooper has ball-jointed hips, developed so he could ride an AT-RT, but this early version is not where they will end up.  We have spend considerable time working with the vendor to bring them in tighter to the body.

How come that retail prices for Star Wars figures are so widespread, when they basically all come from one source (the same factory). Prices range from $7 in the U.S. to $15.48 in Germany, $12.88 in Belgium and Netherlands, $11 in the U.K. and $18 in France...?  With the worldwide economy in turmoil and oil prices at such low levels - the price should be coming down not up!  Personally I can see a lot less sales because of the increase in price, and especially once the younger audiences have vanished from the toy aisles again.  [Keep in mind that the prices quoted above are not inflated for special figures but can be found at large retail stores selling each figure from standard cases for the same prices.] (JN, 2009-05-22)

     The short answer is that we sell figures to all retailers in U.S. dollars which fluctuate in price and present problems for pricing stability; on top of that there are widely varying local taxes.  Combine these effects, along with retailers own margin needs, and you can have tremendous variability in local prices for all toys, not just Star Wars figures.

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Would you consider a Battle Packs set that would include a take on the 212th Attack Battalion as seen in Revenge of the Sith? And if you did, would you be able to better match the orange color used on the armor so it is more authentic to the film? It almost seems like a no-brainer since the other Battle Packs that have focused on Order 66 have been such great sellers and disappeared quickly, like Betrayal On Felucia or Treachery On Saleucami for example. I am sure collectors and kids alike would love to see these Utapau troopers out again (especially since they have not made it into the Saga Legends line yet).  And perhaps you can guarantee collector support if you recolor the orange or provide us with different battle damage applications. (JTA, 2009-05-22)

     That is a great suggestion for a Battle Pack, and one which we'll consider for the future.  Interesting comment on the orange coloration - we had not heard that one ourselves but will look into it. Thanks.

I think the Scramble On Yavin Battle Packs set is the best in a very long time.  I don’t think any collector could complain for the value of product you get for the money. Since this [value for the money] has been a steady complaint from the market, I think if you keep providing us with great Battle Packs sets or incredible action figure waves like the New Hope wave from early this year (which really gives us 11 action figures and awesome accessories) it may quiet the complaining.  Can you tell us if it is possible if you will be able to continue and focus more with this medium/platform for the Battle Packs and Basic collection? (JTA, 2009-05-22)

     The Scramble on Yavin set did come out great, but the format of the mainline Battle Packs will be changing back to a primarily kid-targeted multi-figure set definition because the intent of this assortment is really to provide more themed sets that make popular gifts or "trade-up" purchases.  Unfortunately, we can't sustain new tooling in this assortment and the focus needs to be on providing as much value as possible.  As for your question on basic figures - we try to make every wave as strong as possible and agree with you that the EpIV wave turned out great.  We have some additional great OTC waves coming out this Fall that we think you'll be equally pleased with.  One thing that will be changing slightly going forward is that there will be fewer figure multi-packs like the Jawa & WED droid, or Trinto Duaba & Dice Ibegon.

As awesome as the Sideshow 12” figure line is, I think it would be more than fair to say that they have unintentionally alienated the 12” figure market.  A single 12” figure that has surpassed the $100 mark is an unattainable purchase for the collectors who could only spend $20 per figure.  Is there any chance you are any closer to possibly considering bringing back the 12” line, however small and infrequent, so more 12” collectors from all incomes can get back into it?  Rumors exist of a 12” Hammerhead mold being completed, Oola, and the Max Rebo Band, and a ROTS Aayla Secura and Obi-Wan Kenobi.  We would love to see these figures finally realized in Hasbro 12” form.  The line seemed too quickly abandoned before Sideshow took over, there was no official closer so to speak. (JTA, 2009-05-22)

     We do not have plans to return to the 12" format any time soon.  Actually, we did not abandon our 12" line, as much as it tapered off from previous heights and the final shot for us was the 12" EpIII lineup.  The volumes had been trending down for us for years since the great run of 12" Star Wars in the late '90s. Since the 12" figure collector market is much smaller than the 3-3/4" market and the diminishing production volumes just did not make sense us to keep pursuing. Finally, since collectors have gotten much more sophisticated and exacting with regard to what they want, it made a ton of sense to have Sideshow work their magic with the format. Sideshow is bringing out figures of an astonishingly high quality, which are, in our opinion, worth every penny.

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My son and I love the Clone Wars voice changer helmets. He has the Blue and I have the plain white. They are really great items with excellent electronics and very durable. Yet we have been thinking...as Boba Fett is a favorite character of his (ours)...is there a chance at a Boba Fett Voice changer helmet in the future? You could even make a Jango Fett plus an entire Mandalorian range in different color schemes. (MD, 2009-05-22)

     We're really glad you like them. A Mando helmet is a cool idea, but we would only consider it if there was some form of additional current entertainment support for a Mando-type helmet. Being relevant to kids is the only way to make an item like this viable (look how long we waited to do a Clone helmet!).

The articulation in your figs keeps getting better and better but sometimes some of the figures have swivel elbows rather then the ball jointed elbows.
My question is will you guys phase out the swivel joints and completely replace them all with ball joints? Also is there any talk about a new way of doing the hips? Perhaps ball jointed hips? (MD, 2009-05-22)

     Thanks for the comment. It's unlikely we'll ever phase out swivel arms, as they remain a viable alternative for us as we can't simply produce every figure with super-articulation due to extraordinary costing challenges. We are happy with our current hip designs, and don't feel the need to go to ball hips as a universal solution.

This is more of an idea for "down the road", but one I was wondering if you had ever considered. 2-Packs seem to be popular among collectors, and can make great display pieces when the packaging is interesting.  So, have you or would you ever consider do a series of 2-packs featuring the Animated version of a charcter along with it's Legacy version? It would be an interesting way to perhaps celebrate the Animated series and the SW Legacy at some point down the road. Now, I know that not every character could be done as not all characters in the animation appear in the Live-Action. Obvious choices would be Anakin, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Padme, Clone Trooper, Grevious, Dooku, Commanders Cody & Gree, C-3PO and R2-D2. What do you think? (MD, 2009-05-22)

     At the present time, we would not consider this sort of combination. The simple reason is that it would narrowly appeal only to those collectors who appreciate both styles of figures. While more and more collectors are getting into Clone Wars, not everyone collects both styles nor would want to be "forced" to collect the other style to complete their collections.

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The Jabba's Rancor Target Exclusive pack has been available for some time via Target.com but has yet to find its way to stores. During the Toy Fair presentation your slide show said it was "In Stores Now", yet it is not. Any word on the hold up of this guy or when we should expect to see him (ie release date) in Target stores? (RS, 2009-05-22)

     This has been a source of frustration for us, as well as Target. When this item slipped its original date from last Fall into Spring, Target agreed to take it but did not have an open spot for it on either the planogram or an end-cap. They are still finding a place for it on-shelf and when we get that date we'll keep people posted.

In order to improve sales on the TLC line, have you looked into non-movie themed waves? That could make it easier to anchor waves with more popular characters instead of having to focus on one film per wave.

In order to keep figures flying off the pegs, would it be possible to stagger waves throughout the year (one wave every two months) instead of very little in the early months of the year followed by a glut of product in the fall? It would be easier for collectors to catch up and for kids to save up for new figures but still allow bigger items in the holiday season for gift-giving. (RS, 2009-05-22)

     As for non-movie-themed waves, we are looking at going that way but not until after 2010. The reality is that after the first couple of waves each year, we carry-forward the "Greatest Hits" anyway, so the result after a couple months is the same. The challenge with managing The Legacy Collection waves is how many of the purely collector-targeted figures we produce, and how many we release. Too many released too deeply for the size of the collector market at any one time could lead to back-up.

     One solution, which we don't plan on implementing, is going to only versions of the more popular characters....this would ensure sell-through but would eliminate a lot of the newer and more niche characters. Finding the balance is the key.

     As for regular schedule, well that's the real trick, isn't it? Ideally waves would arrive every 6-8 weeks apart, like clockwork. Unfortunately, a combination of different delays has caused periodic bottlenecks to occur. We are ahead of it for the rest of 2009 and 2010.

     Of note - there will always be a bit of a dry spell in the months before the line look changeover.



In a recent Q&A you confirmed the upcoming TFU wave is going to be canceled due to the slagging Legacy line. The reason you gave is that Hasbro wants to scale back on the main action figure line and focus more on the animated series. My question is will this be a temporary phase until things are a little more sound (economically at least) or are you really planning on scaling back and eventually phasing out the main figure line? How will this effect unmade characters, core and background alike, and future Star Wars developments like the live action show? Does the future of Hasbro Star Wars really lay in The Clone Wars and repacks? (RS, 2009-05-22)

     Actually, none of the reasons you relayed are the reasons we gave to as to why we were moving the TFU wave from mainline basic figures to the exclusives line (note that the figures will be coming out, just not as basic figures).

     What we did say, and we are happy to clarify, is that the number of active collectors seems to have softened, which presents a problem for a basic figure line like The Legacy Collection where new sculpts of more obscure, fan-requested or as-yet-unmade characters remains part of the "heart" of the line. Because of the high volume expectations for the basic figure line, it needs to be very tightly planned or we will miss our targets and retailer expectations will not be met. We are very committed to the main Legacy figure line and do not foresee this fading out as long as there is a strong collector following.

     Slowing demand results in two problems - when we are left with extra figures at retail above what we have planned and forecast, and also in lowered volume expectations for the line, which throws the financials for that line (including the amount of tooling that can be assigned) into trouble. It's something we will be keeping a close eye on, since we are fans ourselves and want to see the line continue to be able to explore some of the more interesting and niche characters that add so much color the Star Wars world.

     We will still continue to pursue new and interesting exclusives whenever possible, which is another way of delivery new and interesting figures. The challenges on Legacy do not have anything to do with The Clone Wars - that line was planned to be very robust alongside Legacy.


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Every major character in the movies has received a Mighty Mugg with one exception: Padme! Is she coming and when? (RTM, 2009-05-22)

     There is a Queen Amidala figure in the Mighty Muggs line, but that is the only Padme that will come out for the line.

As a Star Wars collector, I have ALOT of figures. What I don't have is a great way to store them. Back in the old days, there were vinyl cases with plastic holders that worked great. Is there anyway to re-issue (or even better, make new ones) these so we have some way to store our figures? (RTM, 2009-05-22)

     We don't plan on re-releasing the vinyl carry cases, but we are looking into a re-release of the Darth Vader carrying case. If that's not your cup of tea, then we recommend storage boxes like the type that are used to organize small household objects, found in the home section of stores like Target. These are clear, and can hold up to a couple dozen figures. They don't have trays like the vinyl cases, but they are modular and relatively inexpensive.

Are there plans to re-release the recent Death Star Trooper figure as a repaint of the vintage Death Squad Commander/Star Destroyer Commander figure? (RTM, 2009-05-22)

     We are saving that one for a possible re-release should we ever relaunch the Vintage line. With the nostalgic package, it would make the most sense.

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Last year, with the launch of The Clone Wars, you guys (Hasbro) gave us collectors an awesome breakdown on what was being released in the form of a PDF booklet/brochure. That was incredibly helpful when it came to determining personal spending budgets. Will we be seeing something like that again this year? Please say, yes... (SNOW, 2009-05-22)

     Yes indeed, there will be a new one available this year at Comic Con timing.  It takes a tremendous amount of energy to bring this out, and we had hoped to do one for the Spring lineup, but time got away from us. We're glad to be getting one out for the Fall lineup.

Is there any chance Hasbro would be interested in doing any Al Williamson designed Han Solo, Luke Skywalker or Princess Leia figures based on the Classic Star Wars comic series that Dark Horse reprinted? How about figures of Luke and Leia from the Splinter of the Mind's Eye comics? If you do make these figures, with all due respect, PLEASE keep them in scale with the rest of your EXCELLENT figures, as I passed on the Shadows of the Empire Comic Pack due to the small Princess Leia. THANKS! (SNOW, 2009-05-22)

     Thanks much for the comment.  Yes, we are very interested in doing some of the Classic Star Wars issues - just figuring out how and when to fit them in is the trick.  The characters would probably not look different from the regular line, since Williamson was trying to go for likeness matches. Aside from some great takes on the main characters (the space suit versions of Luke and Han from this series are outstanding), the series was also known for some very interesting color choices which is always interesting when we need to fill out the lineup with packs that are less reliant on new tooling (which is always a consideration with comic packs).  Look for the first of the Classic Star wars packs later this Fall.  As for Splinter of the Minds Eye, we do want to do Luke and Leia, and possibly a Yuzzem, at some point in the future but have not slotted any Splinter packs into the lineup.  It is true that the size of Leia has changed over the years, but the height of her in the Shadows pack is accurate to her height in the Star Wars universe.

It's great to see Hasbro finally release a 501st Legion trooper using the #41 RotS mold. However, I bought a few and noticed a problem: the helmet's blue stripe is incorrect! The stripe should be continuous but instead we have a gap between the black rim and the visor. Also the stripe is too wide and should instead narrow from the top of the helmet to the chin. Please see the paintjob that was done for your TSC Commander Appo figure which was done correctly (although on Appo, he had too much dirt and his chest stripe didn't reach all the way to the neck). Can Hasbro please correct the problem for a future Legends release, I'd love to army build dozens more but only if it's accurately done. (SNOW, 2009-05-22)

     Thanks very much for the heads-up - we had not caught this one ourselves and will definitely take a look.

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In Q&As lately, there have been some disturbing answers that subtly point to problems with the future of the Star Wars collecting hobby. Repeated mentions of Hasbro's iteration of Force FX sabers underperforming at market, then the cancellation of Titanium Series, and now the bad news about the TLC basic figure line culminating in a whole wave of figures getting pushed into exclusives. Force FX not thriving might have something to do with the fact that there is a focus on re-releasing existing designs, or perhaps the lack of marketing and "event" releases. Titanium Series has suffered unbelievable amounts of repaints and price increases, and zero marketing. TLC basic figures have seen heavy production of collector-oriented figures like Yarna and Breha Organa (despite even collectors knowing these should have been hard to find rather than abundant), and miserable pacing with just 3 waves of new figures between July '08 and May '09. Hasbro generally has a poor track record of nurturing collector markets when it comes to lines not centered around the 3.75" theme. Doesn't it seem as if that part of the issue is management decisions, overly lofty expectations, even (in the case of Force FX & Titaniums) Hasbro desired profit margins which can't match the lines' business models established by previous licensees, leading to these lines stumbling and thus their collecting markets waning? (SSG, 2009-05-22)

     First off, things are not so doom-and-gloom when it comes to FX and 3-3/4", and in fact we are very excited about what we are bringing out and believe fans will be delighted as well. We discussed the current situation on each with candor, because we want to fans to understand what is happening in each case. In the case of FX, things are taking longer for a reason. The majority of the business, year after year, was built around the core sabers. New products introductions were a relatively small part of it, since the main consumer for these sabers is not the core collector but a more casual fan, with majority of the business being done in book stores and specially channels (not conventions or the Internet as some might think). These channels and this type of discretionary purchase were hit hard last year, with some going out of business. Combined with an excess of the Master Replicas sabers still in the market last year, it meant a longer than expected ramp up. The good news is that will be behind us as we head towards fall, and new sabers will be on the way, with more new styles coming in 2010 and 2011. In the case of the 3-3/4" collector-figures, there will be fewer of those coming in the basic figure lineup for the near-term and we feel that collectors deserve to know that as well as out commitment to ensuring that the figures will come out even if they are not in the basic lineup. The situation is basically like this: following EpIII, we had reached a new plateau in figure collecting, with a lot of re-engaged fans coming on board through The Saga Collection and 30th Anniversary lines and helping keep Star Wars basic figure sales at very high levels. During the last three years we released a fixed amount of each purely collector-targeted figure - figures like the Mustafar lava worker, any Cantina alien, Umpass-stay, most McQuarrie figures, etc. The releases of these collector-targeted figures would be the lowest quantity of any figure in the line, determined to be a quantity of each figure that would satisfy the core (completist) collector base. This quantity was reliable and consistent and the figures would always sell-through with time. Last Fall, however, we saw a change. There was an overall reduction of collector dollars in the action figure collecting hobby to which Star Wars was not immune, and we saw this on a more granular level in the sell-through of purely collector-target figures. While the hero figures (Obi-Wans, Anakins, Lukes, Vaders, troopers, etc) continued to do very well, the collector figures really started to struggle compared to all past years. This resulted in a need to recalibrate our release levels for these figures, since without that recalibration the normal releases we would make on purely collector figures would now be too large for the current collector market to bear, pegs would really start to back up, and the whole Legacy/Droid Factory figure flow would grind to a halt - in short, a disaster, unless corrective measures were taken. Therefore, we pulled back on the amount of each we release. Since this resulted in a significant impact on the financials of the overall basic figure lineup, as collector-targeted figures cost more than others given their almost 100% new tooling yet smaller production runs, we had readjust future waves because we could not construct them the same way with as many purely collector-targeted figures we as have been delivering. We made this to known to fans because they deserve to know, as it will have an impact on how future basic figure waves will be affected. It is far from a gloomy outlook, as collector-targeted figures are still vital to maintain that emotional core of the line and we have many great ones coming, but instead a short-term (we hope) adjustment to make sure that the basic figure program is going strong. We will also still look to our exclusives lineup to augment the basic figures and comic packs with new and exciting figures drawn from the films and EU, which are great avenues for new and interesting ideas since they stand apart from the basic figure lineup. We certainly don't want to feel the fans who have stuck with us feel like we are letting them down - to everyone who is reading this we say "thank you!" and can't wait to showcase some of the things we are working on for this Fall and beyond at Comic Con We also hope that the fans who were on the sidelines last Fall due to the economic conditions will be able to come back over time; this is a fantastic hobby to which we are deeply committed and earning fan enthusiasm and loyalty is something that promise to work hard to earn.

Last time we asked about Titanium Series capital ships, the 3 examples we used got blasted out of the sky. But there are popular capital ships, from the Acclamator (which you already said "no" about) to the Malevolence to the Rebel Medical Frigate to the Interdictor and more, which are deserving of Titanium Series releases, many of which are recognizable to a general audience and have no other toy outlets. With Titanium Series now facing a finite and already set-in-stone future, are there new capital ships planned for release in the line? If not, what was the thinking behind not choosing them? (SSG, 2009-05-22)

     It's not always a question of recognizability, but a question of what makes the best-looking vehicle. Not all vehicles are created equal, we track weekly sales of all different ships in the line to assess which types fans are selecting at retail. The capital ships, unfortunately, are not the most popular ships in the Titanium line which remain the more aggressive fighter-classes, droid ships, gunship, and the like.

The gauzy material used to make black capes and other soft goods is intolerable. The material is always cut too large, never hangs right, and is translucent. Darth Vader especially has a real miserable time of it, looking more like he's wearing a black chiffon number than his menacing duds. And not one figure using it can avoid it flaring out, poor Garindan looks like he's flying away. We've seen better materials used at this scale, even by you (the second Darth Maul figure comes to mind), so it's past time to reassess new materials for these purposes. If nothing else, getting sharper and better-looking cape designs will sell more Vaders to collectors and kids who already have an army of them. So, what say you on this matter, why are you still using the gauzy black cloth, and are you willing to look into better materials and better sewing for them? (SSG, 2009-05-22)

     Thank you for you positive and insightful feedback. Fabric cloaks or capes at the 4" scale have always presented difficulties. There are several issues that have to be balanced and they are not always within our direct control. Firstly, fabric is purchased by our vendors for the open market, unless they have some still on hand from other items. So, they have to buy what is available and making special orders from fabric manufacturers increases costs and delays the manufacturing schedule. Secondly, fabric that is less "sheer" has a higher thread count. That is why it is more opaque but this comes at a higher cost and thicker fabric also tends to not drape as well on the small figures. So, draping vs. opacity has to be evaluated. Finally, the largest cost to fabric pieces is due to the labor that is required to cut and sew the pieces. The hemming of edges greatly increases the cost, adds thickness, and tends to cause the fabric to hang poorly. We tend to use a polyester tricot material because it can be heat cut which keeps the edges from fraying and eliminates the need to sew hems. I for one do not envy the vendors who create these tiny pieces of Star Wars apparel and think they do an outstanding job. But, we are always striving to improve in every area.

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ST

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ST/"TJ"

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In a Hasbro Q&A with Galactic Hunter you mentioned that collector interest seems to have waned in Star Wars figures and as such you will be taking action, such as moving The Force Unleashed figures to exclusives, out of the primary line-up. You also stated, in a different question, that you don't believe the price increase is at fault for this falling out of collectors. What do you think has caused collectors to stop buying figures, and do you think this is something likely to reverse itself? (SWAN, 2009-05-22)

     (MP3)

Given that you actions are already being taken to deal with the loss of collector buyers, what does the future hold for the EU figures planned, in the comic 2-packs or the upcoming EU wave with the Solo twins? (SWAN, 2009-05-22)

     (MP3)

So if there is a reduction in collector-specific figures, does this mean we will be seeing an increase in repacks, more of the Saga Legends, while Clone Wars holds steady and Build-A-Droid figures decrease in release? (SWAN, 2009-05-22)

     (MP3)

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I'm greatly looking forward to the upcoming Sail Barge gunner Nikto figure. However, in looking closely at his rail cannon accessory, there is obviously a clip on the bottom which one would assume would be used to attach to the railing of a some sort.

Was this done to "future-proof" the figure IF a Sail Barge were ever to be released? Or is there serious consideration currently being given to producing one? (YF, 2009-05-22)

With the release of the upcoming Anakin Concept figure, can we expect to see more concept art figures being released?

There are some amazing pieces you could choose from, one in particular is this Padmé Amidala Concept Art that would have been used for Revenge of the Sith had the character not died in childbirth. I think that it would be a great figure to release and would be rather popular due to the fact it's based on an alternative ending of a main character. (YF, 2009-05-22)

The new Luke Skywalker (Medical Frigate) is an all around great figure in my opinion, plus it covers a version of him that's not been offered before. The question is with his accessory. There's been debate on various forums and amongst my friends as to what this small silver piece actually is. Can you clarify definitively that it's either the commlink that Luke used to speak to Lando aboard the Falcon or is it a tool used by 2-1B to "test" Luke's new cybernetic hand and is it possible to provide the reference photo used in sculpting this "mystery" piece? (YF, 2009-05-22)

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YN
« Last Edit: June 17, 2009, 11:17 AM by Matt »
"The good news is that all that blood is actually ketchup. The bad news, however, is that all that ketchup is actually blood."

Offline Matt

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Re: The Hasbro Q & A Compendium
« Reply #72 on: June 12, 2009, 06:01 PM »
Session 71 - June 12, 2009

Rumor has it that there will be a Captain Jeremoch Colton figure in the ROTS wave later this year. Are we talking about a new sculpt or just a kit-bashed version of the 2005 Captain Antilles figure? (BS, 2009-06-12)

     He's an all-new figure with much more articulation than Antilles.

Can we get a better look at the Camie & Fixer comic pack that was recently mentioned to be coming soon? (BS, 2009-06-12)

     Actually, the Camie & Fixer pack has been removed from the Comic Pack lineup due to some changes we had to make to balance the tooling budget (the tooling bill was staggering and could not do everything we wanted). We are looking for a home for the set, and it will eventually come out, but have not settled on final plans yet. In any case, it's too soon to release any pics on that. It would likely be early Spring of next year before we talked about it.

Bounty hunters seem to be lacking lately or in need of update. Any chance of getting Zam, Dengar, Zuckuss, or Aura Sing (non animated)? (BS, 2009-06-12)

     Yes, there are a strong chance that they all will be updated within the next 24 months in one form or another.

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Any chance of September's Wal-Mart Evolutions "Army Builder" figures making their way to single-carded status, like in The Saga Legends Collection or even the regular line-up? Specifically, the Storm Commandos and V-Wing Pilots? Please, please, please?! (CC, 2009-06-22)

     With so few Saga Legends slots to work with, and so many great figures that we could choose, the odds of any one getting selected are very small. It's possible that we could do a future vote to determine some that we might add into the mix (we are aware of some of the fan votes currently underway for topics like this), but that won't be for a long time. Better to get enough of them when they are available for your needs, because you just can't count on any availability afterward.

If Fi Skirata in his "custom-painted" white Commando armor is going to come out in an Evolutions Pack like Scorch came out single-carded, might there be an Omega Squad multi-pack forthcoming, like you did for Delta Squad, or Omega Squad in their black "stealth" armor . . . ? Hint, hint? (CC, 2009-06-22)

     We don't have one in the lineup, but that is an outstanding idea for some time down the road.

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Recently, Hasbro has updated cockpits on a few OT ships, including the B-wing, TIE Fighter, and A-wing, not to mention the detailed cockpit on the new Millennium Falcon. We understand that the B-wing and A-wing got new detailed cockpits because they had the opportunity from their use as exclusives, but exclusives or not, are there any plans or thoughts about continuing that practice on other ships? The X-wing, Vader's TIE, and Y-wing are all good candidates for new, detailed cockpits, but would the small size of some of those cockpits prevent those upgrades? (CS, 2009-06-12)

     We would like to eventually work the same cockpit treatment on all of the classic ships. Right now, the Y-Wing is likely to be up next.

Now that we're starting to see pictures of actual samples of the new basic figure packaging, it begs the question: what is the thinking behind the significant amount of blank white area behind the figures? It basically looks like a nearly empty bubble that one would see in lesser products, such as last year's Star Wars figure keychains from another company. Especially considering the figures' new pricepoint of $8, doesn't it seem like a particularly poor idea to use packaging that minimizes the visual impact of the amount of product within? (CS, 2009-06-12)

     The line look was directed by Lucasfilm.

Fans are glad to see the Jawa with WED Droid set produced, getting us 1 step closer to a complete "purchase of the droids" scene, but it seems like this pack-in WED droid is a tad on the large size. Comparison images have it around 25% larger than its movie counterpart. Also, the coloring on the toy is significantly different from the Jawa scene's white and red design seen at the droid sale (WED-15-ST68) - the gray and copper droid made into the figure was used in a cut scene by Fixer at Tosche station. So on the WED droid, why the increase in scale, and why the different colors? (CS, 2009-06-12)

     We "measured" the WED droid very carefully against several film reference points to triangulate the size, but in the end we were faced with a tough choice: due to minimum plastic thicknesses, we either had to break the proportions of the various elements, or take everything up in scale just a tad. We went with the increase, thinking that the proportion and overall aesthetic was more important for on-shelf display than having one element or the other out of balance. As for deco - great detective work! We thought we were doing the Purchase of the Droids version; we'll look into that and if you are right, we have a cool variation for sometime down the road. We expect that few people would mind adding another one of these incredible droids to their shelves given evidence for two distinct ones. Thanks for the heads-up and interest.

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Is there any chance of a retooled or kitbashed Cade Skywalker without the jacket and with sleeveless arms (similar to the first Quinlon Vos' arms)? We see him like this more in the comic than with his jacket on. And on the subject of Cade Skywalker, is there a possibility of someday getting a version in Sith Armor for when he was being mentored by Darth Krayt? (GH, 2009-06-12)

     As to a sleeveless version, yes there is one in the works. The Sith Armor version is interesting but short-lived in the comic relative to other characters from Legacy that we are looking at. It's unlikely we'll get to this version.

Are we going to get a version of the Tactical Droid seen in the new Clone Wars cartoons, such as TX-20 or TA-175. Several have appeared in episodes with different paint jobs but they all have the same body design. It would be a great candidate for multiple releases with the different paint jobs. (GH, 2009-06-12)

     Yes, we will be getting the Tactical Droid out there sometime within the next 12 months.

In the Q&A from 05/08/09 it was stated that there are new 'tools' (new models) coming out this fall for vintage vehicles that would make the old tools obsolete. It's already assumed that one is the AT-ST (from Endor), and we know two vehicles from Hoth are up for their makeovers. So the question is, does the Hoth vehicle walk or fly? (GH, 2009-06-12)

     You're digging in the wrong spot. Answers will be revealed soon, at Comic Con, and as always our collector panel presentation will be picked up and run by all major websites as well as starwars.com, so fans everywhere can get the same information at nearly the same time (not to mention pictures galore from the show floor).

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Can you clear up for us when that second Ugnaught sculpt is shipping? We thought he was coming with the Phantom Menace Wave, but the case packs don't list him. Is he delayed until the RotJ wave (or later) or has he been cancelled all together as some are claiming? (HH, 2009-06-12)

     The second Ugnaught sculpt is shipping in the Fall red & white line look. We decided to make him a "seventh" new figure in a Fall wave rather than not have him ship.

The 'Training on the Falcon' Battle Pack was a great way for you to get some figures and accessories out there to compliment the new Falcon. How about trying it again with an ESB theme this time? Maybe an upgrade to the classic Kenner 'Vehicle Maintenance Energizer' along with a couple of mynocks, Echo Base Han & Chewie and a new Echo Base droid? (HH, 2009-06-12)

     Interesting suggestion, but we have some other plans for the figures next year. Stay tuned!

New info from online shops has revealed a new wave of Galactic Heroes - Ahsoka & Goldie, Thire & IG-86, ARF Trooper & Yoda, and Kit Fisto & Grievous! We’d love to see pics, but if you can’t share them until SDCC can you at least tell us if they are all new sculpts or if some are simple repaints of existing sculpts? (HH, 2009-06-12)

     These are all new figures, and they are indeed awesome! Grievous in particular is amazing with four spinning lightsaber-clenching wrists.

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IS

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We've noticed a few of the e-tailers are now soliciting a Ratts/Clegg 2-pack in the Phantom Menace wave cases. Can you please confirm/deny for us if you've been able to work out the tooling cost to give us a Pod Racer 2-pack instead of just a lone Cliegg? (JD, 2009-06-12)

     That image was not vetted before it went out and as such had outdated information. We are working to correct this with our retailers. Even if we could have been able to cost him back in, which we couldn't, it is far too late now.

Are there any plans to re-use parts of the new Captain Typho figure to help whip up a new version of Captain Panaka or maybe a new generic Naboo Royal Security figure from Episode 1? Those original Episode 1 Naboo Troopers are looking a bit dated and sure could use an upgrade.

     We will certainly look at this. We want to make EpI waves on a regular (yearly) basis and the troops are a solid option to always look at for those Naboo hangar scenes.

When designing new figures, what determines whether the head will be cast in flesh-tone plastic or cast in another color and then painted flesh-tone? Is it cost, asthetics or something else that determines which path you choose?

     We are agnostic as to flesh tone in a molded color vs painted, since there are copious examples of both throughout the line. The decision is usually based on what is going to be the least-expensive way to get to the final result, by controlling the fewest deco operations.

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Have you ever considered doing a Star Wars Holiday themed type battle pack? (JI, 2009-06-12)

     We have done holiday-themed set in the past, with mixed results. With the best ones behind us, inspired by Ralph McQuarrie's card art in many cases, we don't see going back to the format for 3-3/4". The Galactic Heroes holiday sets did just OK, so we're not in a hurry to back to the holiday theme.

Will the Clone Wars Y-Wing fighter come with a figure or droid? (JI, 2009-06-12)

     Similar to the Starfighter Vehicle Assortment, the Deluxe Vehicle Assortment will not come with any figures.

Have you ever considered making a Bespin Gantry playset from Empire Strikes Back? (JI, 2009-06-12)

     We have not considered making this scene. If we did embark on playsets, which we are not actively pursuing, we would be likely to select a scene with more action or playset-type features that would be appealing to kids.

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JN

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We've been tracking the news of the new Rebel Snowspeeder since your broke that news with JTA in this September 2008 Q&A session. Can you give us an update on when this new Snowspeeder might be coming to market? And with the equally exciting news of an impending Snowspeeder pilot Luke Skywalker, could we also be in store for a new Dack Ralter to man that Snowspeeder with Commander Skywalker? (JTA, 2009-06-12)

     The Snowspeeder is still on track for the 2010 Starfighter line.  No plans for Dak right now, but it's a virtual lock that we will get to him at some point.

Fans of the both the vintage and modern figure lines were excited with the news that the Ewok Warok (one of the few remaining vintage Ewoks) would be part of an upcoming battle pack. And it's always a great topic of conversation amongst collectors to see which figures from the vintage line have yet to be produced in the modern era. So when planning out the Basic Figure line, how much of a consideration is making modern resculpts of those vintage line stragglers? And which of those might be next on the list for their modern line rendition after Warok? (JTA, 2009-06-12)

     We do try to get some key upgrades into the lineup every year; when we can't fit them in the basic figure lineup we look for other ways to have them "in the bag."  There are quite a few more surprises lined up for next year as well, but we need to keep that close to the vest.  Trust us when we say that the list is shrinking although perhaps not enough for some fans (some like the Imperial Dignitary will still take a long while to find their way into the lineup).

One of the single most anticipated figures in the basic figure line is undoubtedly the RETURN OF THE JEDI throne room duel Luke Skywalker. Collectors seem to have been waiting for years for this one! And more than a few were a little bummed to see that it wasn't shown in the recent Star Wars Insider article. How much of a challenge has it been to design and produce this particular figure, especially considering the great expectations from the collecting community? (JTA, 2009-06-12)

     The Luke figure has not been a particular challenge, it's been more the whole wave which has been bumped back due to delays.  We will have the entire EpVI wave available for inspection shortly, at Comic Con.

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I've read recently that you made a comment in regards to the "Legacy Collection not selling well" That may be true, from a certain point of view, but I don't think you guys have the full picture. One of the major problems I have noticed (especially in recent times) is that retail continues to restock with older assortments. My local Target-Australia store has been without new Legacy (and Clone Wars figures) for some months now and yesterday they finally had something on the pegs - turned out to be Legacy Wave #1 and Clone Wars Wave #1 - again! This is happening at a number of stores.

On the same day Coles-Australia put out a fresh case of TAC Wave 4/5 remix (Holiday Boba, Jedi Luke, Stormtrooper etc) and now the people who already bought these figures, have to wait until these are all sold, which could take some time. The last few months have seen Big W-Australia restock, but with TLC Waves #3 and #4, preventing Wave #5 from getting through at many retailers.

How are we expected to support the line, if retailers aren't educated on what is new, what is old and what is last years collection? How can we truly support the line, if there is nothing new to collect? (MD, 2009-06-12)

     Retailers, for the most part, are far removed from the components in the assortments that ship out of their distribution centers and into the stores. If older waves are showing up, it's because they haven't moved through from Hasbro the retailer in the original expected quantity, meaning that it's slower than we'd like. Before we get to the new waves, we often have to make sure we get through the prior, or else the inventory will get increasingly older and will have nowhere to go.

     However, your comment about TAC shipping into the Legacy Collection space is a disturbing one, since those have distinct 5-digit Assortments and that should not be possible, unless the retailer has "linked" the assortments to avoid markdowns. If that is the case, it could explain why older assortments are showing up, likely out of their warehouses.


Why do we need to have "exclusive" action figures, such as the ones sold on starwarsshop.com or hasbrotoyshop.com? Wouldn't it be easier to simply relegate these releases to the basic line? Then collectors wouldn't have to worry about the (exorbitant) shipping costs from sws.com or the fact that hasbrotoyshop.com does not ship outside the US. (MD, 2009-06-12)

     HasbroToyShop has made a commitment to go to San Diego Comic Con every year, and we support the initiative with exclusives to offset costs and help contribute to their goals. If not for that, it's likely that we would not do exclusives through HasbroToyShop.

Is there any chance that the following figures will receive upgrades in the next two or three years - Grand Moff Tarkin, Gamorrean Guard, Yak Face, Artoo Pop Up Saber, EV-9D9, Anakin Skywalker (Shaw), Rebel Commando, Rebel Fleet Trooper, Ishi Tibb, Dash Rendar, Anakin Skywalker (Lloyd), See Threepio (TPM and AOTC), Jar Jar (TPM) or what about Chewie as Snoova from SOTE? (MD, 2009-06-12)

     Yes, some of these *will* be updated in the next two years. We really want to do Snoova; he's come up a few times recently. We think it might be due to the renewed interest in bounty hunters thanks to The Clone Wars.  We would like to see him upgraded but right now don't have him in a specific slot.

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If collector-oriented obscure movie-only background figures are going to be less common in the basic line, is there any other place where they could be offered like a HasbroToyShop similar to MattyCollector.com? Their online-exclusive lines have been pretty successful and they are limited runs. You know, like the Lucas Family box set that was offered on StarWarsShop.com? (RS, 2009-06-12)

     We have actually been in business with this model before with the GI Joe line, and it has *not* been a successful business model. The reality is that online sales are only a small fraction of the total releases that brick and mortar will support. Despite the ease of getting figures online, many fans simply don't bother, or they enjoy the thrill of the hunt that is part of their collecting experience. As such, we have no plans to move back to this space and we prefer to devote our resources to delivering figures within our mainline assortments along with great exclusives and occasional Convention items.

Will we see more Shadows of the Empire figures remade (the Prince Xizor & Leia Comic Pack is great!) like Chewbacca in Snoova Bounty Hunter disguise and Dash Rendar, Luke Skywalker In Imperial Guard Disguise and a few characters that were never made like Guri, Furlag, and Leebo! (RS, 2009-06-12)

     Yes, there will be some more Shadows figures from the list you mentioned, but it will take some time. Our guess is that within the next two years there will be at least two and perhaps more make it into the lineup in one form or another. Guri is the top choice, but she is not likely to be the first one out.

It's great that you're releasing the remote control astromechs in the U.S., but one of them (R5-X2) was never made as a basic figure (or a Build-A-Droid). All the other droids relased as remote control are also available as regular versions (which are more in scale and better detailed). Any plans to eventually release R5-X2 as a regular figure? (RS, 2009-06-12)

     While R5-X2 is not in the lineup now, he would be a great one for down the road. Eventually, within the next couple of years.

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RTM

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The lack of recent Legacy figures appearing at Canadian retail is disconcerting. Can we expect to see waves 5 and later of the Legacy in greater numbers at regular Canadian retail or has ordering & production switched to the new line of figures (in the new packaging) slated for later this year? And is this current lack of Canadian Legacy figures due to a slowdown in the Star Wars brand or are the retailers taking a step back due to the economics in the world? (SNOW, 2009-06-12)

     Retailers are not scaling back, but chasing the assortments that are doing very well.  Similar to what is happening in the U.S., the Legacy Collection/Droid Factory is struggling a bit compared to the other basic figure assortments (Clone Wars and Saga Legends).  Other assortments will be making their way to retail, but likely in smaller quantities in line with the current consumer demand.

I wanted to echo a previous Q&A in saying how great I think the Spacetrooper helmet is compared to all the other removable Stormtrooper helmets tooled so far. Now that we have a great helmet mold, could Hasbro perhaps look at redoing the stormtrooper blaster rifle? If you look at your own artwork on the card for Stormtrooper Han (showing him holding up a blaster), it's a somewhat larger weapon than the current Hasbro mold (especially heightwise). The same actually goes for the clonetrooper short rifle as well, which has always seemed a bit smaller than the movie (look at when the 501st points his rifle at Bail Organa, it looks far bigger/menacing than the rifle that we currently get with our clones). (SNOW, 2009-06-12)

     Thanks for the comment.  We thought we were in scale, but we'll take a look and see if future improvements can be made.

The ESB Evo Emperor with a plastic hood looks great, finally solving the problem of soft goods hoods not having the necessary "weight" to drape downward on the head. And better, the plastic hood isn't too oversized like the previous attempt at the RotJ Emperor's hood. Can we now also get plastic hooded versions of old Ben (using your fantastic ANH Ben sculpt) for a proper ANH Duel with Vader, and of ANH Leia for her scene with R2 in the Tantive corridor? Also can you add footholes to the feet of your next incarnation of ANH Leia (the current ESB one doesn't have them, making it harder to stand her up). (SNOW, 2009-06-12)

     We're glad you like it - the removable hood does seem like a nice solution.  You make some excellent suggestions, and we'll look into it for future versions of Obi-Wan and Leia.

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In a recent answer, you said unless you could find a way to market Titaniums to kids, there were slim chances for a re-launch. Ok. However, in the Titanium brand's history, there hasn't been any focus on in-package co-play, that is, vehicle vs vehicle battle excitement, a "battle in a box". That has long been a feature of the micro-vehicles expression since Galoob's first foray into Star Wars 15 years ago, and over the past 5 years has been a growing portion of Hasbro's 3.75" action figure brand with stuff like multipacks and battle packs. But Titanium hasn't enjoyed such marketing, there haven't been battle packs recreating the Death Star trench run, there haven't been 2-packs of Jedi Starfighters vs Vulture Droids or AT-TEs vs Hailfire Droids. Why hasn't that been explored, get the kid market into battles right from the package, and thus start their Titaniums interest? Might the concept be worth testing out for a holiday retailer exclusive? Relatives are likely to buy kids an X-wing vs TIE Fighter, Snowspeeder vs AT-ST, Slave 1 vs Falcon, and other recognizable 2-packs for Christmas, especially if they have dynamic "in battle" packaging, don't you think? (SSG, 2009-06-12)

     While potentially a very interesting visual packaging execution, we don't think this the multi-pack suggestion an approach that will get kids interested in Titanium. With no inherent play pattern other than to facilitate imagination, and collectability, the format has limited chance to appeal to kids. We have looked at Micro Machines type of play, and even launched a full-scale (non Star Wars) Micro Machines relaunch a few years ago, but the micro play pattern as we know it is no longer interesting to kids.

With the drop in sales of the Legacy Collection, might it be time to rethink the stance on realistic versions of the Clone Wars characters? We know you have said many times "no plans for that", but the original Clone Wars animated line couldn't survive at market with a realistic-styled version out as well, it just seems like 1 popular figure line is always destined to cannibalize the other line's sales. Having realistic-styled CW figs would slow the hemorrhaging of casual collectors away from the core brand, unifying some of the fractured collector community. It also allows interactivity between the lines for the more fickle kids and collectors. So while Hasbro has no plans currently in place for the format change, might Hasbro ask Lucasfilm to rethink their stance for the protection of the realistic line, perhaps at least a single figure exclusive to gauge support for that realistic CW format? (SSG, 2009-06-12)

     It doesn't seem that a migration to Clone Wars is responsible for the drop in Legacy/Droid Factory. On the whole, collector purchases have dropped some, across the whole brand. There may be collectors active in Clone Wars, but if that's the case they have really "voted" to collect that expression. It remains an interesting suggestion, but there are still no plans to "cross-over" the lines.

Hasbro has confirmed that the 2009 Return of the Jedi assortment will include a new sculpt of Malakili, the Rancor Keeper. Given that virtually nobody was asking for a revisited Malakili, and that the '97 figure is one of the biggest pegwarmers of all time, certainly the most notorious one, why did you choose him over so many seemingly more deserving (and requested) Return of the Jedi characters? If there was a Hasbro desire to revisit him, wouldn't it have made far more sense to include him with the Target exclusive Rancor instead? With figures like Bane Malar, Breha Organa, and other not-really-thought-about collector-focused figures being released to less-than-enthusiastic sales, isn't Malakili an even bigger risk? Will there be a conscious effort to limit this figure's production and/or release rate to stem pegwarming concerns? Could you explain to collectors what the thinking was behind this release? (SSG, 2009-06-12)

     We decided that he was deserving of an articulation update, part of our desire to eventually rework all of the Kenner lineup. We would have liked to include him with the Rancor, but he was not ready in time (the Rancor was actually intended to be on shelf last November, but a date slip bumped him out to this Spring; essentially, they were almost a year apart). He will indeed be limited as will *all* collector-targeted figures starting with the Attack of the Clones wave. Despite what you think about Bane Malor, the fans seem to like him; unlike some of the "passive" characters, he was a very successful figure with no sell-through issues whatsoever.

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Hey Hasbro - What's UP? Why haven't the stores in my area seen any new figures since early February? Are you planning on ramming 56 new figures down my throat in a 6 week span sometime soon? (ST, 2009-06-12)

     We assume you are referring to Legacy and not the Clone Wars figures. The Droid Factory EpIV wave has been shipping for a while (we assume that's the Feb wave you mentioned). The EpV wave has been out for a few weeks, and the EpII wave is now available.  We are actively shipping the new waves.  Beyond us making the waves available for retailers to order, we can't control when they get out and to what stores, since it's up to the automated replenishment systems at individual stores to note when figures need to be shipped from a retailers distribution center to the stores. If your store has some slower-moving figures on the pegs, this may be the reason why. We have noticed that Wal-Mart seems to be doing a much better job of getting the new Droid Factory figures to shelf lately than other retailers.  Those will be the last of the blue/white line look, to be followed in late August/early Sept. by numerous new waves.  There have been about 20 new figures so far this Spring; there will be about 34 available in the Fall.  This is more back-loaded than is ideal, but the change to the new line look meant we had to hold over at least one wave until Fall (the EpVI wave) rather than have it risk not being released at all if we ended up not needing it in Spring (which we didn't).

Today, I picked up the new Star Trek Bridge playset at Target. I am not a big Trek fan and I am not a Trek collector but I thought the playset would be a good way to display some vintage figures from other lines (Black Hole, Battlestar Gallactica, Buck Rogers, etc.) in one spot. The playset is a fairly simple piece (actually, a group of pieces) but is very well done (it actually reminds me somewhat of Palpatine's office in Ep. II and III). Because of its simplicity, it doesn't appear as if it would be overly costly to produce. In addition, the playset can be significantly expanded by buying separate packs of 'galaxy packs' that include chairs, consoles, and figures. Clearly, the galaxy packs are meant to help minimize the actual cost of the original playset while still offering consumers the chance to complete the environment. They also help increase the viability of production by "encouraging" fans to purchase the additional sets, which are mostly composed of re-paints and re-packs of previously released items. Is this an approach that Hasbro would consider for playsets? I can envision similar approaches to several Star Wars environments; the Emperor's Throne Room in ROTJ, Palpatine's Office in AOTC and ROTS, the Mos Eisley Cantina, various Death Star areas, the Hoth base, Yavin, Bespin, etc., etc. (ST, 2009-06-12)

     This is not an approach that we would consider for playsets.  We do not believe that this would be a successful model for us, because the model is collector-targeted and the only viable playset approach would be a kid-targeted or, best case, attract a dual audience with a properly designed playset.  Playsets cannot narrowly target collectors, since the costs to tool them up are formidable which places a burden on garnering the largest audience possible (for example, like we do with the new large-scale vehicle program which consumers the same design resources and approximately the same tooling and retail price as a playset would). All of the ones you cite would only appeal to adult fans at this point since kids are primarily Clone Wars-focused. If we felt there was a great playset we could do that matched the current entertainment, we would pursue it, but there has been nothing in Clone Wars that is an enduring environment that would led itself to great playset design.  If the Death Star ever came back in future entertainment, that would be our choice, but for now we are concentrating on driving the vehicle system to new and greater heights until the time we do see a large playset opportunity.

In the final part of Season One of the Clone Wars, the Ryloth story arc featured Republic AT-TE's with a different color scheme (Grey with green accent) than the AT-TE's featured in Episodes 2 and 3 (grey with red/maroon accent). Will we see a re-issued AT-TE with this new paint scheme at some point in the future or at the very least a re-release of the AT-TE with grey+red/maroon coloring? (ST, 2009-06-12)

     We are not planning a re-release of the AT-TE right now, but we hope that in the future we will have an opportunity to bring it back out.  If we do, we have earmarked that Ryloth version as a possibility, along with considering any future color schemes we may see.  The only thing certain is that if there is a re-release it will not the original color scheme.

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With talk that Hasbro might reuse the Ten Numb/Keyan Farlander sculpt again in 2009, can you fix the tendency for this figure to lean over to his left side?  While the problem is not as bad on Keyan, on Ten he leans over quite conspicuously. I wouldn't want to end up with a small squad of B-Wing pilots that all lean over to one side as Hasbro uses this sculpt for future pilot figures. (ST/"TJ", 2009-06-12)

     This figure was actually made to stand with one leg forward, rather than the standard "at attention" pose that a lot of our pilots have.  We were trying to give some variety to the posing so scenes could look a little more organic and like we see in many scenes. We have heard from a number of collectors that they would prefer to have figures that are in a standard pose, so this is something we'll consider, especially as we release future B-Wing Pilots.

The only really disappointing aspect about both the TAC Mace Windu and now the TLC Stass Allie is the use of rigid plastic for the Jedi skirt. Hasbro took a big step in the right direction with the elasticized skirts and partial soft goods for the rear when they re-did both Obi-Wan and Anakin for TAC so they could easily sit and pose their legs in more dynamic action poses.  That can't be said for Mace or Stass though and it's frustrating that I can't sit them either in Jedi starfighters or in my Jedi Council set from a few years ago.  Could Hasbro please try to design future Jedi figures similar to the Obi and Anakin for better overall playability and poseability? (ST/"TJ", 2009-06-12)

     That's a great comment that we'll pass on to the design team.  Thanks very much!

For the other rebel ground crewman that was dropped from the Scramble battlepack, can Hasbro include him in a way that makes it easy to army build? For those of us who want to recreate the Yavin ceremony, there are dozens of these crewmen in the audience. Hasbro may love it if we buy a dozen battlepacks to get more of this guy, but our wallets sure wouldn't. And what about making it easier to swap heads with future rebel figures so that we can try to diversify the looks of the crewmen (they aren't clones after all). (ST/"TJ", 2009-06-12)

     While it's a great idea, we can't ensure a head-swap standard since we don't have a "universal" size and the size of the neck ball differs based on the figure (they are sculpted by an array of sculptors).  As for the future repacking of the ground crew figure, we have no plans to get him back out there but understand the desire.  Perhaps some day we will look at him again.

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In past Q&A's Hasbro has stated that certain segments of the line have suffered due to a shrinking of the collector base. Hasbro has also stated that they have changed some plans due to this downturn (canceled EU wave, etc). With no new theatrical pushes anytime soon for Star Wars, does Hasbro expect the collector base to grow again at some point and/or what will Hasbro try to do to attract the collector base back? (SWAN, 2009-06-12)

     MP3

Certain other toy companies seem to have found some level of success with a line of action figures aimed squarely at collectors available as online only exclusives ordered directly from them (Mattel's Masters of the Universe Classics). Instead of having overflowing pegs of Yarna and Wilrows, collectors could just get them on line. Is this a business model Hasbro might employ to distribute figures that might be collector focused but would otherwise languish on store shelves? (SWAN, 2009-06-12)

     MP3

Recently we have noticed that Hasbro Toy Shop has been selling AFA graded figures. What were the reasons behind this decision to sell AFA graded figures and will we see this AFA trend continue with Hasbro exclusive figures in the Star Wars license or others? (SWAN, 2009-06-12)

     MP3

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I really like how you keep adding a few new cantina aliens to the lineup every year. The accessories that some of them have come with are great too! What I am wondering is if a similar yearly focus on Jabba's Palace aliens could be successful as well, or is there a fear that collectors would not support that kind of a theme as well as they have the cantina denizens? There are still a lot of great palace characters that have yet to be made such as Wam Lufba (Yuzzum), Geezum, Loje Nella and many more. (SWC, 2009-06-12)

     We would like to follow the Jabba's skiff/Sail Barge aliens systematically, and hope that we can get a couple new ones in each year. Geezum would be a likely candidate someday. The other two are doubtful, at least for a very long while.

You have said in the past that if the vintage style cardbacks ever return, they would also be used for prequel and EU figures. Do you think that these will ever become a reality? Have any concepts ever been created of what a vintage style card for a prequel film character would look like? If so, would you be able to share a picture? (SWC, 2009-06-12)

     We actually have not created a vintage style card for a prequel character, but can indeed confirm that this is the agreed direction should Vintage ever return. While there is no mock-up, we think that the cards would look spectacular, as if the Vintage line had never stopped. It's an intriguing and powerful concept, and one we hope to be able to get to when the time is right.

I've heard that Malakili is on the drawing board as an upcoming figure. While I look forward to being able to buy a companion for the upcoming Rancor, was any consideration given instead to do any of the other rancor keepers present in Jabba's dungeon that have never been previously released? (SWC, 2009-06-12)

     We decided to go with Malakili because he checked off another box - that of a vintage figure that we wanted to bring completely up to date. We would like to do the other main Rancor keep some day.

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I find the Clone Wars figures hit or miss. I realise they are designed for kids but some are amazing and others not so much. Are you going to go back and redo or variations of some you have already released at all? For example a fully articulated Anakin and Obi-Wan would be most welcome.  The 1st versions were hampered by the robes and not able to do much below the waist. (TPU, 2009-06-12)

     We will not be re-doing the basic figures to cater to the collector audience, but instead re-releasing them to keep up with kid demand for the core figures. We may release more articulated versions of Anakin and Obi-Wan as needed for other sets - such as the figure/vehicle packs for
example where they may need greater articulation to sit astride a vehicle. There will be other versions of both coming as well (such as space suit versions) but articulation will be on a case-by-case basis. In general, the Clone Wars line will not have as much articulation as the Legacy figure line, since kids are less demanding in this regard.


My 6 years old daughter is becoming a big Star Wars fan, but there aren't any girl orientated toys for her. Are there any plans to fill this collector group? Maybe a Barbie style of doll with interchangeable clothes would be a direction to take. (TPU, 2009-06-12)

     We build any line around consumer insights drawn from the entertainment, matched to the demographic. Despite the huge success of Clone Wars, Star Wars still remains very boy-focused. That's not to say there aren't girls watching, but the market is just not big enough to warrant development of a line for the small demographic and a play pattern that is not a solid fit (more credence could be given to interchangeable Clone gear, for instance, than a Padme-type play pattern like we attempted for Episode I and which did not succeed). We do know that many girls who get into Star Wars want lightsabers and role play, and will play with action figures just like the boys... we saw this during Episode III and believe the same trend holds for Clone Wars.

You have made bigger scale X-Wings, Tie Fighters and Millennium Falcon, is there any chance of there being bigger scale Slave 1? With Boba Fett being such a popular character I am sure that a bigger Slave 1 would be welcomed by collectors. (TPU, 2009-06-12)

     The Slave 1 is very high up on the list of vehicles we'd like to see re-done someday. If there were entertainment support behind, we'd feel more confident about it's chances of success, since we'd need more than collectors to get behind what would be a more expensive vehicle.

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Recently collectors have been noticing a shift in the color of the B.A.D. parts for U-3PO from the bright silver in their initial release to a more subdued champagne/platinum hue. Was this variation produced intentionally to correct an initial molding error or are the new colored parts just something that happens in production? (YF, 2009-06-12)

     This change was based on a request from Lucasfilm.  We were able to catch the request partway through the run, and the color moved from the silver version to the slightly more yellow "champagne" version.  The color difference is *very* subtle.

The new Magnaguard fighter is starting to hit shelves around the country and I was lucky enough to pick one up the other day and it is one awesome vehicle. High praise to the designer(s) that had the foresight to incorporate the storage hatches for the Magnaguard's electrostaff in each wing. I did notice something quite curious about the fighter though. What is the intended purpose of the hexgonal hole on the top of aft section of the fuselage? The only use I can see for it is to stow the CW Magnaguard figure's rocket launcher. Am I close in guessing what this is for or is there some other function for it that I'm not seeing? (YF, 2009-06-12)

     Yes indeed, it is designed to be compatible with the Magnaguard's launcher.  You know, this vehicle is a pretty cool one when you think about it.  Who knew, when we first saw Episode III unfold on screen, that we'd see these cool guys get their own ship (much less multiple different versions of this single type of droid).  This is why we love Star Wars!

It's been a while since we've heard anything about the progress of Willrow Hood, can we expect to see a finished version of him on display at SDCC (San Diego Comic-Con)? If not*, would it be possible for you to share a teaser photo with us of the prototype (or final figure) to see how this fan fav's sculpt is coming along? (YF, 2009-06-12)

     Yes, you will see Willrow in all his fan-requested glory, with signature accessory, at Comic Con.

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YN
« Last Edit: June 17, 2009, 04:19 PM by Matt »
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Offline Matt

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Re: The Hasbro Q & A Compendium
« Reply #73 on: July 8, 2009, 03:59 PM »
Session 72 - July 6, 2009


BS

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Regarding exclusives: Do you have a set number you must produce each year by contract, or do you take each year as it comes, churning out as many as the various retailers, websites, and conventions ask for? And is there any way you could please reduce the number of exclusives per year so we foreigners (and struggling Americans) can catch up? };D (CC, 2009-07-06)

     Star Wars is one of the brands in highest demand for exclusives by retailers, so there is a lot of interest in them every year. We actually turn down a large number of Star Wars exclusive requests every year for simple lack of resources and bandwidth to deal with them all. We do hear your pain, and the good news is that there are fewer overall exclusives in 2009, and our plan is to bring that down even a little further in 2010. We plan to keep doing "meaningful" exclusives (multi-figure sets with some key new figures like Droid Factory, Geonosis Arena, comic packs), more new vehicles, and updated vehicles in the coming years. Trust us, the hunt will be worthwhile.

Looking at the "Turbo Tank Gunner Crew" Figure & Vehicle Pack image shown off at Toy Fair, I got to wondering: are the two missile launchers / mortars in the set actually designed to plug into the Turbo Tank somewhere? And if so, where? (CC, 2009-07-06)

     Yes, they are designed to work with the Turbo Tank and plug into mounts on the top and side door.

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Recently, pictures of the TPM wave surfaced online, and they seem to be of final production samples. We've seen a trend in the last few years of deco work becoming steadily weaker and weaker, with the Gungan Warrior sporting a particularly weak deco. On all previous Gungans, the colored parts of the arms have been detailed and accurate to the film and the different colors on the face have blended together well; on this new version, the paint seems sloppy, with no details on the arms and a stark contrast between the dark and light colors. While we understand that you've cut back on weathering and other details due to cost issues, this Gungan seems a bit much. Will we continue to see increasingly poor paint applications as the line continues, is there too much budget given to articulation at the expense of deco, and if so, what reasons are behind these issues? Will the line's deco get cheaper and more toyetic as the prices increase due to ever-tightening budgetary issues? (CS, 2009-07-06)

     We understand your frustration, and will try to address what you seem to be seeing. Please note that In every case, we are trying to make the best figures we can and in recent years have attempted to increase articulation, which brings with it it's own set of challenges in delivering the overall line on our costing targets. One factor that you may not appreciate is the inherent costs that higher articulation bring; with it comes an increased number of tools to manufacture each figure, increased labor to assemble and paint, and increased deco count because of the number of parts that need to be painted. So just because you see what *looks* like fewer deco ops, doesn't mean there actually *are*; in fact, there may be more depending on the complexity of the figure. The Gungan happens to be a highly articulated figure - moreseo than any Gungan we have done to date - with a decent number of accessories. We are very proud of him and think that you will be very pleased when you finally get to see him in person.

Hasbro has had a long history of packing new figures or improved sculpts in various multipacks with re-released figures. This essentially makes longtime collectors choose between re-purchasing figures they may have multiple times already (Vader and Han Solo are notable repeat offenders), or completely miss out on the new figures in the sets. This has, unfortunately, caused many unscrupulous collectors to purchase the sets, remove the figures or accessories they want, replace them with older, less desirable figures, and return them to the store for full credit. Though honest collectors will bring this to the attention of store management, many times the tampered-with items are back on the shelf the next day for whatever reason. Though we understand the business sense behind offering the new with the old, the practice of figure-swapping-to-return theft is steadily on the rise and far less rare than it should be, while employees are less able or diligent to keep that tampered product off their shelves. Isn't there anything you can do to potentially slow the problem, both the initial swapping and the employees re-stocking the tampered items after it's been brought to their attention? (CS, 2009-07-06)

     It's an annoying problem to be sure, and something that we try to police as we can. Our retail merchandising teams, who are out in stores weekly, let us know of issues fas they arise and pull the damaged product they notice. This ensures it comes out of the system to make sure it gets replaced. We also alert the retail folks at the return desk, and have even participated in criminal prosecutions in a couple of cases in conjunction with our retail partners. Still, we could always use help here since the differences in figures are subtle, and if you are noticing a systematic issue in your local store, please be sure to let the area manager or return desk know of the problems. As for our general philosophy of repacks, which you mention upfront in your question, we always try to make sure that either *all* of the figures in a pack are new and improved in some way, or *none* of them (straight repacks like many Battle Packs). In this way, the completist collector does not feel compelled to buy three figures they already have, say, to get one figure they need. We are always cognizant of the figure completist who wants to have a sample of each figure loose and out of pack, and from that determine our strategy. It doesn't always work out quite the way we want it to for various reasons (tooling resources, figure availability, etc) but we plan to stick with this philosophy.

A recent disassembly of your Titanium Series V-19 Starfighter led to the surprising discovery of a detailed cockpit underneath the opaque yellow canopy. Why was this item released with the opaque canopy rather than a transparent one which would have shown off the detailing underneath? You guys are paying to design, sculpt, and tool up that interior, so why hide it? Will this be addressed in some sort of re-release before the line's end? (CS, 2009-07-06)

     This was a production mistake that was overlooked during final approvals. There will be a running change to a clear canopy that should get out before the line goes on hiatus.

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Now that Pod Racers will be coming only one-per-card, does that mean that you will start doing the same with Ewoks? I hope not, but if that is the case, it would be nice to get a really nice accessory with each Ewok. Some cool Ewok accessories to date have been the Imperial Helmet Drums with Drumsticks; C-3PO's Ewok Deity Throne; the trap net that came with R2-D2; the Ewok Glider; and the Wokling. [Editor's Note: More Woklings, please.] I hope you can find a way to add some more to the mix like the Ceremonial Roasting Spit with Fire Pit! (GH, 2009-07-06)

     For now, we plan to keep producing Ewoks at two-per-card.  We really like your idea on the Spit/Pit and will mark that one for a future accessory should we need to reduce, or look at it for a potential Battle Pack if it makes sense.  Thanks!

Since the beginning of these Q&A sessions there have been hints about the resurrection of beasts (in particular the Dewback). What time frame are we looking at now? A lot of collectors are expecting/hoping to see this come to fruition at Comic-Con 2009. (GH, 2009-07-06)

     We don't have plans to do a wholesale Beast SKU, but do hope to get them into the lineup occasionally.  Look for news on a significant new one at Comic Con - we're not revealing which one it is just yet. Stay tuned!

How good is the chance of getting an Revenge of the Sith Beru Lars retooled/repainted from the [currently shipping] Attack of the Clones Beru Whitesun? The Revenge of the Sith version appears to have the same style outfit except in a different color scheme, with a different hairstyle. Therefore she only needs a new headsculpt and a repainted body. We need Revenge of the Sith Beru Lars to hold our Baby Luke Skywalker figure! (GH, 2009-07-06)

     While we're in no hurry for another Beru, this is one that we know we can activate at some point. A baby Luke figure does make a ton of sense as an accessory.

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In previous Q&As, you've revealed that there will be "a couple" of Cantina Dudes in the Fall ANH wave... but you've also indicated that you'd like to keep their exact identity secret until SDCC. How about this - we'll list off a pile of Cantina Dudes and you tell us generically if we've ID'ed one, two, or none of the figures? Sound Good? Ok, here we go: Mosep (aka Marvel Comic Jabba), Baniss Keeg, Reegesk, Hrchek Kal Fas (Saurin), Tzizvvt, Arliel Schous (Defel), Leesub Sirln, or Solomohal. How'd we do? (HH, 2009-07-06)

     OK, since your approach was fun and you have a very high quality of selects on your list, we'll play along. That list you have there matches pretty well our personal wish list. We'll go ahead and acknowledge that both of the aliens coming this Fall are on your list. Complete details and a preview will be available in a few weeks - stay tuned!

Any chance we could get some bigger pics of the Fall TRU exclusive Galactic Heroes Cinema Scenes (AotC Kamino and ANH Droid Purchase)? Staring at the tiny pics from the Toy Fair collector presentation has been hurting our eyes and we'd love to get a closer look at them before they hit stores in a couple months. (HH, 2009-07-06)

     See attached...

Kamino Showdown Cinema Scene

Purchase of the Droids Cinema Scene

Here's another Han Solo for your "parking lot" - what about combining the parts of Hoth Han and Bespin Han to give us an Echo Base Hangar Han Solo figure? One where he's wearing his brown pants (with yellow stripes) and the notorious Blue/Brown winter parka (hood down). Part Hoth Han, Part Bespin Han, but all good. (HH, 2009-07-06)

     Good spotting. That is one that we have our eyes on for a future version as well. Expect to see him within the next couple of years, most likely in the basic figure lineup.

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We have heard rumors of a newly tooled ATST being released this fall. Can you tell us what price point we are looking at for this item, and if possible, will it include driver figures or inspire the release of a 2 or more driver battlepacks to man up the ATST? And will it be released in either an Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi theme (we would love a little sneak pic if possible please)? (IS, 2009-07-06)

     No information has or will be released on any future vehicles or creatures. Both mainline and exclusive, until Comic Con.  We will say that you will be very pleased with the selection we have on tap.

With the increasing sophistication in figures, particularly in the excellent articulation, will Hasbro be revisiting any other older figures for a revamp, like was done with the ESB Hoth Rebels and Ugnaughts?  Examples would include:  ANH Uncle Owen, Aunt Beru, her Service Droid, Wuher, Naboo Security, Bespin Security, Sebulba, and so on. (IS, 2009-07-06)

     Yes, we will be looking at some of these periodically and at least one significant figure from your list will be coming this Fall.  As for the rest, they are not high on our list and will be much longer-term options for us - especially Wuher whom we think is most in need of an upgrade. It's unlikely that we'll get to Sebulba - in our opinion that Dug is still a sharp figure and would not see redoing him as a priority.

I have noticed that some of your not yet released Clone Wars figures have been showing up for sale on ebay. Some are listed as official Hasbro figures and some are listed as customs, but obviously are not. Some are loose and one, Commander Ponds, are MOC. I am talking about Gree, Bly, Thire, Ponds, and Droidbait coming from Hong Kong, Malaysia, and the Phillipines. Are these figures already released in these countries and not in the US yet? We are including a few examples of sample ebay auctions for reference that can be searched through ebay. (IS, 2009-07-06)

     We cannot comment on these auctions, but we do keep our eye out.  We do take appropriate actions with authorities to ensure the integrity of the chain of custody of our pre-production and prototype figures remains intact.

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It's time for some love for the Endor Rebels. We're curious to know if a possible future Endor Rebel figure could maybe be modeled on the "Sergeant" with the trench coat (like Sideshow's recent 12" figure). Also, the vintage Kener Endor Commando (with the opened camo coat) has never technically been recreated for the modern line. He'd make a good unique looking Endor Trooper in the future too! *hint hint* (JD, 2009-07-06)

     Hints taken..those are excellent figure selections. Right now we don't have a new Endor Commando slotted into the lineup, but it's only a mater of time before we get to them. We feel confident that at some point, one or both of those will see the light of day.

Lots of Star Wars video game updates were doled out at the big E3 show this month. In particular, we're all totally excited by the look of Star Wars: The Old Republic. Based on the fact that we've seen you pull from the recent games (KOTOR, TFU), we're hoping you've got something cooking for potential SWTOR figures in 2010 and beyond? (JD, 2009-07-06)

     Right now there is nothing planned for 2010, only because we are reaching the latter stages of 2010 development and we know nothing about the game beyond the trailer that was recently introduced. We would certainly look to try and do something beyond that, and plan to get together with Lucasfilm when they are ready to give us a peak that could inspire development.

What are the chances of sneaking the Yavin IV Technician figure from the Scramble Battle Pack into the Legends assortment this Fall? Lots of folks out there would love to put together a little army of techies. Or are there other plans for his tooling that would keep him out of the Legends assortment? (JD, 2009-07-06)

     There are no plans for him beyond the Scramble on Yavin Battle Pack. He would not fit the current definition of a Saga Legend since he is not a kid-targeted figure and those slots go to the highest demanded and most recognizable characters from across the Saga.

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JI

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You've said that the Battle Pack format will be changing shortly. Can you tell us how and when this format will be changing - will it be the contents of the packs (to include more vehicles, and less figures, like the recent Yavin Pack) and/or will the size be changing?  When these first started out we had 4 troopers in small mailer boxes and then this evolved into the Cinema Scenes so we're intrigued as to what's next?  Also, will the recently shown pictures of the Kamino Conflict Battle Pack feature any revised sculpts? (JN, 2009-07-06)

     The size will change next Fall - the footprint will be approximately the same size as the Battle Packs that ran from late Fall '05 through until Spring '08, with a little less height since the format has changed to four figures so the height is not needed to pose so many figures in pack.  The deeper package from the blue/white Clone Wars line look has been very difficult to manage for some retailers since fewer could fit on shelf at a time, which presented problems with the number we could include in a case pack and overall ratio management across all retailers as a result.  As to the contents, there will be no more vehicles like the Yavin set in the mainline battle packs, and the assortment will consist of more four (and maybe five) figure packs. We will also draw from the existing library of sets that continually sell very well like Jedi vs. Sidious, Clone Attack on Coruscant, etc.  We will mix in a few new ones, but they are going to be primarily kid-targeted.  As for the new Kamino set, all of the figures are existing with originald eco. We did have to remove some of the grungy paint wipes from R4 for costing reasons, but that is pretty marginal.

We've seen images of the animated Clone Wars Cad Bane figure - will we get the other Bounty Hunters from the last episode of Season 1 of the Clone Wars including Aurra Sing and others? (JN, 2009-07-06)
 
     Yes you will - by next Fall there will be a tasty new assortment of Clone Wars bounty hunters to look for.  We will have a lot more detail on the full range next Spring at Toy Fair.

Wave 2 of the Clone Wars 2-Packs arrived in the UK at Sainsbury's a couple of months back but we've not seen Wave 1 at retail - will we see these in the UK and if so when?  Also, are there any plans for anymore Clone Wars 2-Packs and if so what figures will feature - any chance we'll see any repaints of Battle Droids in these packs as it seems an easy way to get them out there to the fans? (JN, 2009-07-06)

     What you are seeing *is* Wave 1 of that particular assortment….a heroic good guy figure vs. a battle droid, both consisting of mainline deco without changes.  We do have plans for different Clone Wars 2-pack configurations.  Toys 'R Us will also be carrying a wave of 3 other repack 2-packs (Anakin/R2-D2, Grevious/Battle Droid, Cody/Clone).  In the U.S., there will be a couple of special clone-focused 2-packs coming this Fall (unfortunately, we could not get a retail partner to sign onto this one in the U.K. and Europe, although they will be coming to Aus/NZ.

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One of the big attractions of the Ultimate Battle Packs has been the inclusion of some never before made set pieces. Items like the new Hoth Rebel turrets, the Sarlacc Pit and even the Endor logs wound up being a significant draw for some collectors. But something that collectors have become more and more mindful of in the Q&A process is that tooling these items is costly, and these sets take up a good deal of space at retail.

With that in mind, will collectors see more of these exclusive Ultimate Battle Packs in the future? And what of the larger accessories? I know that I for one would LOVE an Imperial Turbo Laser station from the trench run in A New Hope! (JTA, 2009-07-06)

     Right now, there are no more Ultimate Battle Packs on the horizon. We would like to do more, but recent costing challenges have forced us to abandon the concept. We hope to get back to it at some point - there are a bunch of things we would like do to if we did go back to the format.

A continual point of discussion amongst figure collectors is articulation, articulation and articulation! And since the introduction of the modern vintage line we have seen basic figure articulation improve significantly.

But one of the things that has been a hallmark of the Star Wars saga is that life forms come in all shapes and sizes. Yoda told us that size matters not. But how does the size of a small character such as Yoda impact the sculpt and articulation of a figure? Especially when such a dynamic character as Yoda is involved. (JTA, 2009-07-06)

     The smaller the character, the less articulation (and fewer sculpted parts) they will generally need. Since we are used to sculpting things at very tiny sizes, though, small limbs do not pose that much of a different challenge as opposed to a regular-sized character. Down to road somewhere is sure to be a smaller character - like Yoda - where we will want to push the articulation envelope and we are sure that our team will enthusiastically step up to the challenge. We have some amazing sculptors working on the Star Wars line!

One of the much talked about images from Clone Wars season 2 has to be the clip of a Mandalorian warrior that was shown at Star Wars Weekends at Walt Disney World. Can we expect to see a Clone Wars Mandalorian in that line in the coming year? And can you offer any insight into who this Mandalorian might be? (JTA, 2009-07-06)

     You can expect to see him in the lineup in 2010. We are not at liberty to reveal any more, except in due time. Stay tuned!

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My question is about Padme Amidala. Looking over the figures of her that you have produced, I noticed that you have almost completed her "Episode 1 Collection", with only 2 gowns to go, her "Post-Senate" appearance in Palpatine's Apartment, and her "Return to Naboo" appearence.

On top of those, we could use an upgrade to both Padme in her Battle outfit and her Tatooine Disguise (even though the original was great, additional articulation would be appreciated). Being aware of your plans to produce at least 1 Padme per year, what are the chances that any of these figures may appear in the line up in the next few years?

And while I'm on about Padme, if you did a new SA Padme in her Ep1 Battle outfit in the next few years, you could easily create a Battle Pack featuring her Handmaidens in the same outfits, by creating several new heads, for when the demand for Episode 1 becomes greater - as you have predicted. (MD, 2009-07-06)

     The ones you suggest are very good, although neither EpI designs are slotted into the lineup anywhere yet. In particular, we like the idea of an upgraded battle outfit at some point….that is actually a more agressive figure. That is a very interesting idea for the handmaidens in the Naboo battle outfit - thanks for the suggestion.

I really liked your idea of adding extra guns to the saga legends figures during legacy. Are you going to change this up abit and maybe add jedi robes and lightsabers to the jedi legends that are release?  We can never have enough soft good robes or lightsabers these days. (MD, 2009-07-06)

     We don't have any plans to change the format for now, since the cards are all done and we don't plan a re-release with different accessories. That is an interesting idea if we ever go back to the pack-in format beyond the red/white line look.

Way back at 2002's New York Toy Fair with the Attack Of The Clones line was first officially unveiled, the Geonosian Arena Playset was shown with a Geonosian Sonic Cannon. This was ultimately left out of the final set, presumably for cost reasons. What are the chances that we may see this finally released, perhaps in a Battle Pack, or even as part of the Geonosian Arena 2-Packs - should they continue beyond 2009? (MD, 2009-07-06)

     We would ike to do a sonic cannon at some point. While it is not on our active list, we would say that there is a very good chance of this one seeing daylight in the next 3-4 years.

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Fanboys director Kyle Newman has an interesting suggestion regarding an exclusive: bring back the classic cardbacks! This has worked well for G.I. Joe in recent years, and the former "vintage" line from 2004-2007 was somehting that longtime collectors really enjoyed, and one you've stated that you'd like to bring back one day. As a promo, maybe we could even see an exclusive figure of the long-ago promised firing jetpack Boba Fett? That could spark a lot of interest and get collectors very excited! (RS, 2009-07-06)

     There is one way to ensure that Vintage cardbacks could make a return, and that is if Kyle comes to Rhode Island. With Kristen Bell. Then we are pretty sure that we could figure out how to get them back into the lineup. No Ben Quadinaros, though - he is off the table even if Kyle himself would buy ten of them.

You've stated a number of times that there will be 4 concept figures this year. We know the first one is the Anakin concept figure in the AOTC wave. Without mentioning which figures you have on tap for the other three, could you let us know which waves they will be in and can we expect to see the other three concept figures this year, or have any been pushed back to 2010? (RS, 2009-07-06)

     The three will be coming this year, in the last three waves slated for 2010 (EpIV, EpIII, and EpV respectively). The first two red/white line look waves (EpI, followed by the epic EpVI wave) will not have concept figures.

I am very impressed with what you have managed to accomplish with the comic-packs line since it has become available. That said, there is one modern comic that has been ignored so far: Dark Times. Do fans of this series have some hope on the horizon? (RS, 2009-07-06)

     We have our eyes on one Dark Times #6 pack for 2010 (pending final tooling allotment, which has run way over our prediction and as a result some items have been delayed, dropped, and shifted around). Once we get settled down, we hope to get that first one out there and then see where the series leads us. We know there are a couple more we'd like to do longer term if we can ever get to them as well.

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Many popular characters from Season 1 of Clone Wars, such as Cad Bane, have had upwards of half a year between the time they appeared in the show and when their figure was released because it was impossible for Hasbro to design and produce the figures quickly enough. However, Season 2 of Clone Wars was completed several months ago, even though the new season won't premiere until later this fall. With this additional lead time, will we be able to see new characters appear as action figure close to, or even before, those characters appear in the show? (RTM, 2009-07-06)

     Unfortunately, we still do not have perfect synchronization between the show and the figures in North America, since the shows air first here and the final order is not determined until much later after production is well under way. Similarly, we are not able to proceed until we get assets, and they may not come in time for us to produce a figure since it takes upwards of 15 months even for basic figures from the time we get input until the time they see daylight on shelf. We are working with Lucasfilm to close this gap as much as possible since we want to have a much better match to the actual air date of episodes, at least in North America where the season will debut first. For the rest of the world, or figures will more in synch with the show.

Could they clarify a previous answer? In the last Hasbro Q&A RTM posted the answers to, Hasbro said that the only Padme Mighty Mugg they would release was the Queen Amidala Mugg. That was a strange answer, as up until now, there has been no Queen Amidala Mugg, no mention or rumor of an impending Amidala and the line seems to be coming to a quick halt. Is a Queen Amidala Mighty Mugg forthcoming, or was that answer a mistake? (RTM, 2009-07-06)

     Unfortunately, the wave that was to include Queen Amidala was the last wave that was cut from the line. At present, there are no plans to release them. If Toys 'R Us has great results with Mighty Muggs as a global exclusive, and we need to release more new ones to fulfill need, this would be the first wave to activate since there are four Muggs (including Amidala) all done and ready to go. Right now, though, we cannot make a release to get to them until current production sells through.

The Build-A-Droid promotion that has been part of The Legacy Collection has been one of the most fun and exciting pack-ins in action figure history. Will the Build-A-Droid promotion definitely end in 2010, or is there a possibility of it continuing for a longer period of time? There are still many, many background droids that could benefit from this program, such as R2-X2, a better R2-B1, and R2-A5. (RTM, 2009-07-06)

     It's too early to talk about what is coming that far down the road. We will have complete details on the Fall 2010 line, and whether Droid Factory will continue in the mainline, at Toy Fair next Spring.

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Why the big price increase on the new Y-Wing? It sounds like it's the size of the $20 ship assortment, maybe the B-Wing size of $40 tops.  Does it include electronics and lights to bring the cost up so high?  I'm afraid that if it is "plain jane" you are pricing the collectors and the kids out of the market, especially in these difficult economic times.  As cool as it looks, many of us will not pay the $65+ dollars that is being asked for this. (SAND, 2009-07-06)

     It is a huge ship - the Y-Wing is *much* bigger than the Starfighter Assortment and is bigger even than the Republic Gunship/ARC 170 type ships.  As such, it is an expensive craft to tool, and it commands the new price.  There are no eletronics with this ship.  If this format is sucessful, we hope that it can be a continuing price point that will enable us to introduce some additional "midsize" vehicles and upgrades into the mix.

How come Star Wars figures don't have a list of what the items included are or instructions if needed? For instance what is the tiny item on the new Captain Typho's belt?? There have been a couple of instances in the past where just figuring it out takes an adult time, why wouldn't it be made easier for a kid? (SAND, 2009-07-06)

     Specific contents like figure accessories change more frequently than we'd like right up until production, so we typically don't list them. Sometimes, they actual accesories aren’t defined but are left more to the imagination to decide how to use (the cannister that came witht he recent Jawa/WED Droid is a great example).  In this case, Typho's accessory is defined - it's a Naboo army-issue thermal detonator.

After the success and positive customer/fan response to last year's Force Unleashed figures that tied in with the video game of the same name, what are the chances that we might see some figures from the upcoming Old Republic video game? And what characters would have the best chance of being made? There were several in the cinematic trailer alone that would translate well into plastic. (SAND, 2009-07-06)

     It's way to early to talk about The Old Republic.  We saw the trailer at the same time you did, and we were completely blown away by it's awesomeness.  At this point, there is no timetable on when we'd get to meet and discuss what is at the game's core and what and when we would in figure form to accompany it.  What we do know is that we would probably follow the game's debut, rather than try and time our figures to the launch.  We can't wait to see more...and the wait will be too long until we do!

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SNOW

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Understanding that it's still too far away to talk about and that plans could always change, with the upcoming live-action TV show on the horizon to again boost interest in Star Wars collecting, would Hasbro release those figures as their own separate line, or would they be integrated into an overall line such as the Saga series? (SSG, 2009-07-06)

     We have absolutely no idea what's up with the live action TV show. Most likely we would look at a separate line, as Clone Wars is.

As the first generation of TLC and Clone Wars packaging nears the end of its run, we are noticing smaller amounts of new waves hitting local stores, and odd case assortments in those waves and their revisions. The ESB wave seems to be trickling in very slowly, with many collectors not having seen it "in the wild". The AOTC wave has appeared online, but still not in stores as of June. Clone Wars wave 5 has appeared in short supply and with a case assortment that still only includes 1 of each new figure, padding shelves with existing figures that aren't in short supply and don't seem to need significant restocking, while ensuring new figures get choked out, and it seems to be continuing for the next few CW and TLC waves (we understand the Hasbro argument about not having enough new product manufacturing volume for a wave, but there seem to be less revisions to address that, and more figures not moving fast enough to make way). While we understand that there is always a retailer reset of the lines with new packaging, a holding of the breath, it seems like this year it's been a longer-term problem and many collectors are growing frustrated with the scarcity of newer figures. Are there other reasons behind the lack of new figures on shelves, is there a remedy for it before the new packaging comes in? (SSG, 2009-07-06)

     Clone Wars continues to be a monstrous hit with kids, necessitating waves with only 1/case of the new figures and constant repacks of the "greatest hits" to ensure that the most popular characters remain in rotation. The problem has been with Legacy; with sales not where we were expecting them, the new waves are having a harder time getting in to retail since there is still a good amount of previous waves on the shelves. However, there here should be plenty of EpV to go around by now. The challenge will be with the EpII wave - we cut back production on this one and it will be the scarcest of all the Legacy waves, and we needed to give new production over to the red/white waves to make sure they get in to retail approximately late August/early Sept. If folks want to be sure they can get the complete EpII wave, we recommend one of the Internet-based suppliers as they are able to order product directly from us by the specific wave, whereas the brick and mortar retailers do not have that precision and there is no telling which stores will get it. Just as an FYI - there is no hard planogram reset date this year for Star Wars, so the new red/white packaging will flow in right after the previous waves have gone through retail, and will not be the same for all retailers depending upon stock.

Perhaps a longshot, but does Hasbro have access to the old Kenner Droids line's vehicle molds, the Side Gunner, ATL Interceptor, perhaps even the infamously never released White Witch? Will there be any chance to see these given new life and released under Hasbro one day? (SSG, 2009-07-06)

     Sadly, we don't have any of these left in our tooling library. We're not sure if the White Witch was ever actually tooled up, but it sure is a good looking vehicle. Unless it gets modern entertainment support it's highly unlikely that we'd go ahead with it.

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It has been announced that Wal-Mart is going to be shrinking its toy departments by half or more. While it has been said the biggest impact will be felt by independent toy producers we can't but help wonder what impact this will have on Star Wars toys. What have you heard about this and can you tell us if this means no more wal mart exclusives for Star Wars of if we will see less Star Wars in our Wal-Mart stores? (SWAN, 2009-07-06)

     MP3

For the Toys-R-Us exclusive V-Wing it came with a clone pilot. Does this pilot differ from the figure called Oddball on regular cards and if not why not just say the vwing comes with Oddball? (SWAN, 2009-07-06)

     MP3

It had previously been said the new sized cards would not have clamshells that fit. However the sdcc luke figure comes in a clamshell. Can you clarify about availabily of protective cases for these new smaller figures? (SWAN, 2009-07-06)

     MP3

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Several core characters are still in need of updated accessories to bring them current to the modern line. Now that we have an Episode I Obi-Wan with a flare-bladed version of his lightsaber, Episode I's Darth Maul still needs a flare-bladed double-saber and Episode VI's Jedi Knight Luke needs a flare-bladed green lightsaber. Any hints as to when we might see these inprovements made? (SWC, 2009-07-06)

     Interesting - the older-style lightsabers do seem to be a little simple. The short answer is that we don't have plans to update these accessories, but they would be a good idea to do should these figures become slotted into the Saga Legends line at some point. Thanks for the comment.

In a recent Q&A you stated one of the upcoming Concept Art figures would be a Clone Trooper. Will this be an Episode II or Episode III clone concept? (SWC, 2009-07-06)

     Sorry about that - we may have mis-answered. There is no concept Clone Trooper figure coming. If you want to check on the answer you were referring to and let us know what the question/answer was, we can help clarify and get you the answer you need.

Photos of a cardboard Death Star Playset prototype have surfaced online recently. Is this something currently in development, or an old concept that was abandonned? (SWC, 2009-07-06)

     That was an older concept model from several years back. There is no Death Star playset in development.

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In a recent Q&A, in regard to the collector-oriented figures you stated that "the collector figures really started to struggle compared to all past years." My question is how do you account for Bane Malar? He shipped in EQUAL quantity to Ak-Rev and Yarna Gargan and yet he completely sold out! Gargan was a very niche figure and not action-oriented, and Ak-Rev was so poorly articulated and as such both had little play value. Based on the success of Bane Malar, does Hasbro recognize the potential of collector oriented figures that are well articulated and chosen wisely? Yes, we know that super-articulation adds to your costs, but compare the sales figures and I'm sure you'll see the benefit. Please look at what you did right in the initial Legacy wave instead of focusing on the mistakes when planning the future of the line. ("TJ", 2009-07-06)

     That is an excellent point, and one which we recognize and does factor into our decision when picking figures.  Bane Malor was a very well-received figure, but not becase of the articulation necessarily.  He is an intriguing figure, is clearly a fighter/type, and has a certain unique, identifiable "galaxy far far away" vibe about him that places him squarley in the Star Wars universe and makes you want to know more about him.  Some of the other figures that have been struggling - Yarna, Ak-Rev to a certain extent, the Organas, and even Pons Limbic - don't have the same kind of quality to them.  So among collector-targeted figures, there are a couple sub-types that allow them to be separated into the "aggressive" camp (Bane Malor, Rum Sleg, skiff Gaurds, bounty hunter-types) and the more background/passive types.  The former seem the "safe" bets for these collector-figure spots, but we are still going to be pursuing the second type as well because a certain number of these figures every year helps keep the emotional heartbeat of the line going.  We just have to be careful on the overall number we commit to both in the number we produce, since they eat our tooling budget at a rapid rate, and since we don't want to slow down the productivity of figures at retail  The majority of problems should be behind us this Spring as we rgain balance with the collector base.

Since Ewoks always seem to be good sellers, have you ever considered including a female Ewok to the line? If it's a possibility, how about making it Chief Chirpa's daughter Princess Kneesaa? Even though she was not in Return of the Jedi, she was the most marketed EU character of the Original Trilogy era, appearing as a main character in cartoons and comics, as well as in many different kinds of merchandise: plates, stickers, cards, books, games, dolls...you name it! From '84-'85 Ewoks were huge and Kneesaa was pretty much the number two Ewok character behind Wicket. To this day she is probably the most heavily marketed EU character of all time, yet she has never been made into an action figure. Is there a desire at Hasbro to some day get a Kneesaa figure out there? ("TJ", 2009-07-06)

     Yes, we would certainly like to get to her some time, but after we have attacked more of the on-screen Ewoks.  There are plenty of them to go, and over the next few years we hope to keep producing them in mainline, and exclusives, to keep growing out that Ewok clan.

For the other rebel ground crewman that was dropped from the Scramble battlepack, can Hasbro include him in a way that makes it easy to army build? For those of us who want to recreate the Yavin ceremony, there are dozens of these crewmen in the audience. Hasbro may love it if we buy a dozen battlepacks to get more of this guy, but our wallets sure wouldn't. And what about making it easier to swap heads with future rebel figures so that we can try to diversify the looks of the crewmen (they aren't clones after all). ("TJ", 2009-07-06)

     We can definitely look at releasing the ground crewman in another pack or as a single carded item with a different head sculpt. As for the neck joint ball, this is something that we have been trying to standardize with our China vendors. The way it has worked is that we send them the completed sculpt using a standard ball size (we have two sizes that we use for most figures, depending on the figures head size), but from time to time they will make adjustments to the size depending on the specific needs of the figure (i.e. whether it needs to fit into a helmet, etc.). By the time we finally see the figure, the factory has made the decision on final part fit and the figure has already been tooled. We are actually in the process of trying once again to work with the vendors to push for a more consistent standardization of the articulation (especially ball joint necks) and will hopefully have good results to share going forward.

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TPU

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Unofficial pics broke online of the upcoming Octuparra droid, and from what were able to see this will be in the mid sized vehicle range and that it's going to be very tall when the legs are extended. How tall is it compared to the Tri-Droid from the 30th Anniversary Collection. Also can you confirm if the legs are going to be sturdy like the Homing Spider Droid, or are we going to see a bit of "bendy" plastic like the 3-3/4" Tri Droid? (YF, 2009-07-06)

     We have not made any announcements of an Octuptarra Droid.  We will not reveal any information on additional releases until Comic Con.  Stay tuned!

Unofficial pics broke online of the upcoming Tank Droid and from what were able to see this will be in the mid sized vehicle range and the sculpt looks amazing! Can we see a picture or two of it with figures for comparison, and will the final product have foot pegs on the sides for Battle Droids to ride into battle? (YF, 2009-07-06)

     We have not made any announcements of a Tank Droid.  We will not reveal any information on additional releases until Comic Con.  Stay tuned!

Now that we've received pretty much the ultimate Imperial officer sculpt in Captain Needa, can we expect an updated A New Hope version of Grand Moff Tarkin (or other officer) in the not to distant future? (YF, 2009-07-06)

     Perhaps not as quickly as you'd like, but we do have plans to utilize this body for future officer releases and upgrades.  Tarkin would certainly be high on the list of those we'd like to see updated.

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Can we get a high resolution picture of the new ewok 2-pack Paploo and NoApaak? More ewoks please! (YN, 2009-07-06)

     Here you go. Keep in mind that these are pre-final versions; we should have final production versions for public viewing in a few weeks at Comic Con.

(click for high res image)

When making future troop-builder type of figures (Imperials, Pilots, etc.) can you consider making the ball joints on the heads the same size in all of them? This would make easy customizing possible; we buy extra figures, swap their heads and have "new" reinforcements for our legions. (YN, 2009-07-06)

     This has been a question asked time and again on the Q&A, and something that we have been trying to standardize with our China vendors. The way it has worked is that we send them the completed sculpt using a standard ball size (we have two sizes that we use for most figures, depending on the figures head size), but from time to time they will make adjustments to the size depending on the specific needs of the figure (i.e. whether it needs to fit into a helmet, etc.). By the time we finally see the figure, the factory has made the decision on final part fit and the figure has already been tooled. We are actually in the process of trying once again to work with the vendors to push for a more consistent standardization of the articulation (especially ball joint necks) and will hopefully have good results to share going forward.

Can you address the Target Rancor Paint Variants? Some seem to have a dull white or snow like look while others have a glossy dark brown or green look? Was this a running change or just a fluke? (YN, 2009-07-06)

     This was not an intended variation. The original deco submission from the factory was the whitish version, but we asked them to change to what you are referring to as the glossy brown/dark green version. We asked this for this change from the start of production, but a number of the white did get out there; we did not notice this ourselves until product began to be distributed at retail. It's something we are looking into with our vendor.
« Last Edit: July 14, 2009, 05:49 PM by Matt »
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Offline Matt

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Re: The Hasbro Q & A Compendium
« Reply #74 on: August 11, 2009, 02:42 PM »
Session 73 - August 10, 2009

We do so enjoy seeing our figures whenever possible, and often buy multiple extra pilots just to outfit the ships. Now it seems there's no longer a need to do so. Over the years Kenner and Hasbro have generally made vehicles with clear or light grey, but still clear, plastic windows. Since the release of the Darth Vader Sith Starfighter, we've seen a few with virtually opaque canopies, thus negating the need to buy pilot figures. (Other candidates include the 2008 Clone Wars Republic Gunship and the fairly dark recently released Anakin Delta 2 Jedi Starfighter and Magnaguard Droid Fighter.) Is there an aesthetic decision in making the vehicles impossible to see inside, is this an oversight? (16B, 2009-08-10)

     The tech of craft in the Star Wars universe does not have to conform to conventional viewpoints, like the viewpoint that all canopies must be clear. The real world is no different - who hasn't seen cars with opaque windows using polarized filters? Yet these are perfectly functional vehicles. For each of the craft you mention, it was just an aesthetic decision on the part of the designer. It makes it harder to appreciate what we may put inside, but could also lead to different choices for display - is the fleet in space, or in a hangar where I can put the pilot in front? Either way is valid, although there is something heroic and chaotic about the pre-battle chaos of the hangar that evokes both the team-oriented yet deeply personal nature of the Star Wars conflict. That's one reason why we have been going after more pilots - both Imperial and Rebels - recenty, because these largely unsung film-based and EU pilots need to have their day in the sun. We can't wait to see the different ways folks will use set pieces like the vehicle from Scramble on Yavin, or even simply the ladder that comes with the Comic-Con Luke Skywalker exclusive.

If we recall correctly, there was some mention for the Battle Pack box form being changed in the very near future, thus making it so this next wave of Battle Packs will be very here today, gone tomorrow. Assuming this is true, will any of the final 4 Battle Packs from that wave find homes in the new assortment, or perhaps put into other assortments like the new figure with vehicle assortment 91349? (Naturally, we're awkwardly getting at the big Republic Gunship pod, of which we all want several.) (16B, 2009-08-10)

     The same package size will be used for the new red/white battle pack versions, and it will go back to the older, narrow, figure-based footprint for Fall 2010. The Gunship pod is not targeted for re-release in the new red/white line look, but we'll keep an eye on the sell-through to see how it tracks and guage whether there is a chance/need for re-release. We think based on the first release that there should be plenty to go around, but the extent to which folks will be buying deeper multiples of this is the wild card that could drive it to be scarcer. UPDATE From Hasbro - August 12, 2009: It was decided to re-release the Geonosis Assault (Gunship pod) set, so it *will* be coming out in the red/white line look this Fall.

We just got the yellow Anakin's Delta 2 Jedi Starfighter, and it's great-- R2-D2 is sitting in the droid socket, and everyone's favorite future psycho is in the pilot's seat. We've had Obi-Wan's for months, and love it-- but there's no astromech droid specifically for Obi-Wan Kenobi just yet. Is one planned? We're all ears when it comes to new cartoon astromech droids. (16B, 2009-08-10)

     Great question. With as many cool things as there are to keep track of in Clone Wars, we sort of lost sight of our little mechanical astromech companions in the line planning (other than R2 and goldie, of course). We are indeed looking at getting out more of the cool cartoon astro droids, but we don't have any details yet on who/what/when will be added. We're hoping that we can get some more out - and Obi-Wan's R4 tops the priority list - by late next year.

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Admiral Natasi Daala is a prominent character in the new Star Wars novel series.  Since we have gotten more Expanded Universe characters over the past few years, what are the chances of getting a Daala figure, either by herself or in a comic-pack? (ASM, 2009-08-10)
 
     Unfortunately, the list of novel-only characters who have not yet found a home in the lineup is a long one.  Corran Horn and Whistler, some of the Mandalorian figures from the exclusive set a few years ago, and the upcoming Jacen and Jaina Solo figures pretty much comprise the contingent so far.  The simple reason if one of reference; if they appear in a comic, they have a much higher likelihood of being made into a figure since we have reference and a segment dedicated to the comics (for example, the X-Wing series has a good showing for a novel since may stories have been adapted).  If Daala, or any other novel-only characters make strong showing in the Fans' Choice poll, we will certainly take consider them for the mainline or another opportunity as it may arise.
 
Along the same line of thought, any other EU characters you can confirm?  I know that Comic-Con is just around the corner, and you may not be able to reveal anything until then, so if that's the case, can you at least hint at characters or, at least, how large a presence the EU will have? (ASM, 2009-08-10)
 
     One of the drawbacks of having his batch of Q&A due *after* Comic-Con is that some answers have already revealed themselves.  We hope that you were pleased with what was shown for the EU - both in the mainline wave with Jacen and Jaina, K'Kruhk (finally!), the new Shaak Ti from The Force Unleashed, Space Trooper, and Dark Trooper Phase I.  We think it's a sensational wave.  In addition to this wave, we revealed some of the next comic packs, including Exar Kun and Ulic Quel-Droma from Tales of the Jedi, Master Tholme and Tr'a Saa from Republic, a Black Hole Stormtrooper from Classic Star Wars, as well as 2010 previews of Jarael and Rohlan Dyre from Knights of the Old Republic, and Darth Nihl and Delia Blue (our first Zeltron) from Legacy.  All in all, we think it was a strong showing for the EU at Comic-Con.
 
With the release of "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen", was there ever any talk of ramping up more Star Wars/Transformers Crossovers to ride the hype and excitement of the sequel? (ASM, 2009-08-10)
 
     We actually don't expect much of an effect, positive or negative.  Our experience from the first Transformers movie, in 2007, showed us that during the movie window kids who might have otherwise been into Star Wars Transformers seemed to show interest in the "real" Transformers personalities, but this was to a small degree.  This did not last long, and kids found their way back to the Star Wars Transformers play pattern after the movie window, but not to any greater extent because of the huge new awareness and interest in Transformers brought about by the movie.  They have their own kid fan base, pretty much, who stick with it reliably.

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BS

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C-3PO needs new figures from across the saga, it's sad but true. The original Ep I Threepio figure was quite good, but he needs knee and ankle joints, perhaps the ability to hold the Anakin Skywalker podracing flag, and a little more accurate deco with yellow eyes and slightly toned-down wires. Episode II Threepio's removable parts gimmick hampered this figure's design, and since then we've gotten the fantastically-sculpted U-3PO Build-a-Droid figure, so that mold could sport the Ep 2 Threepio deco. And then there's the OT Threepio, which you've recently said is hampered with vac-metal bodies because LFL is stuck on the concept over a painted look. However, your team has produced some great-looking shiny silver protocol droids lately without vac-metallizing, and Hasbro's Marvel Universe team has been able to produce 2 different tones of shiny, metallic-looking gold colors on a few Iron Man figures, which are still super-articulated. Is something of those qualities still not to Lucasfilm's approval, or might we finally be seeing a truly super-articulated Threepio soon? (CS, 2009-08-10)

     Back when we added knees to the OTC C-3PO, we were happy with that because it added pretty much all of the articulation we ever thought we'd need in a C-3PO figure. It never seems his poses that require anything more than knees for sitting down, and his arms remain inactive most of the time. But you do have good points on all versions, especially EpII, which we hope we are covering for you in the Target-exclusive Geonosis Arena 2-packs this Fall. We'll take a look at future updated versions of the others for down the line. Thanks for the thoughts.

Are there any plans to make an R6-series Astromech Droid, either as a build-a-droid or a basic figure? This would be the realistic-styled droid with the unique head, not the Clone Wars version that's visually just another R2. We currently have R1 through R5 and then R7, but no R6. The only new tooling for R6 would be a new dome, as the body is the same as the R2 and similar. And while we're on the subject, what about R8 and R9 droids? (CS, 2009-08-10)

     We would like to do R6, R8, and R9 droid domes at some point to really complete the astromech series. While we don't have them slotted into the Legacy/Droid Factory basic figure lineup, it's possible that we'll do them in the future in some way or another.

This might seem like an odd request, but would you re-issue the old Kenner X-wing, specifically the POTF2 version, with some modifications? There's no X-wing at kid pricing anymore, the only OT vehicles at the Starfighter pricepoint are lonely TIEs with nobody to fight, and that classic X-wing had some decent sculpting, strong wings, and was fun to whoosh about. As well, the POTF2 version had a pretty decent deco (though pre-applied stickers would be nice), and that version also had the best sound effects in any X-wing (aside from the Power FX X-wing, but the sacrifices there are numerous), those sounds alone would sell another batch to collectors. To modernize it a bit, the ship could use a tune-up on the cockpit interior, the canopy exterior, the dedicated R2-D2, and the blaster cannon tips need to be reoriented to the proper upright position to get it ship-shape. Don't you think the kids today deserve an awesome X-wing fighter? (CS, 2009-08-10)

     Our hope is that kids who do want an X-Wing will respond to the Wedge version out this Fall. We think most collectors like this more accurately-scaled version as well, so we plan to keep it in rotation every few years with a different pilot/droid combo and accurate paint. We actually hadn't thought of it, but you bring up an interesting point, and that is that we don't have an X-Wing solution for an "everyday" price like the Starfighter vehicles. If we did decide to look at the PotF2 tool, it's likely we run it without too many modifications since it would be largely kid-targeted.

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Now that we see packaging for the 501st Clonetrooper 2 pack can we expect to see 2 packs of current and older production Imperial troopers and Rebel soldiers. Like Gen Veers in armor with a Snowtrooper, or AT-AT driver. Even 2 packs of Stormtrooper & Bikerscout. For the Rebels we can have 2 packs of Hoth Rebel soldiers and Snowspeeder pilots- you get the idea but it be a great way to fill the ranks out. (DP, 2009-08-10)

     It's certainly possible. We have experimented with several different 2-pack configurations in Legacy in recent years, mostly as exclusives (Order 66, the continuing Wal-Mart exclusive Droid Factory packs , and the upcoming Target-exclusive Geonosis Arena). We would like to keep these "themed" pack ideas going as they are fun to do, can create a great program for our retailer partners, and allow us to get to some interesting characters we might not otherwise get to for a long time. One of the key things with these two-packs is to make sure we are delivering some core heroes to keep the segment interesting for kids as well. Whether we will get to what you suggested remains to be soon, but such an idea has been on our list of possibilities. We'd like to do it, but only time will tell if we can get to it.

You recently expressed interest in redoing all the Kenner figures that are in need of a refresh. Does that include figures from multipacks such as: Max Rebo, Sy Snootles, Droopy McCool, Uncle Owen, Oola, Labria, Nabrun Leids, Dr Evazan, Klaatu, Nikto, and Barada? These figures really have not stood the test of time as well as some others and could use the update. (DP, 2009-08-10)

     Most of these we do see as needing an upgrade and plan on getting to them a bit at a time over the next few years. First up, in our books, would be Dr. Evazan, followed by Jabba's skiff guards. Of lesser importance would be the Max Rebo band. We honeslty don't see updating these guys, since articulation isn't the be-all end-all for all figures, and they already have some very nice sculpts.

With the success of the Scamble on Yavin battle pack (it flew off the shelves) has any more thought gone into producing more quality sets based on the OT? (DP, 2009-08-10)

     Yes, but it will not be in the mainline since the Battle Packs are going back to their roots of tooling-light, value-based sets. We will be looking at some of these ideas for exclusive Battle Packs, however, and if they do make the lineup we'll have details on those next year at Toy Fair or Comic Con.

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With Pons Limbic, Hasbro now has the tooling for Cantina tables. If the team simply put together the existing table; VotC Han Solo, VotC Greedo (with a plastic vest this time), and the seating for the booth, you'd have a cool Battle Pack for a Cantina shootout. How about it? Or what about adding a little battery powered table lamp to the table? It would  enhance the Greedo-killing mood (yes, I can dream...). You would of course have to call this Battle Pack Cantina Encounter: Han Shoots First!?!  Diorama builders would definitely like to get more seating for their Cantinas. (GH, 2009-08-10)

     It is one of our dreams to complete this scene, but the trouble is really in the large tooling needed to complete the alcove back and bench. This would be a sweet accessory to do some day, but first we want to figure out how to deliver the "distillery" section seen behind the bar. That is our #1 "dream piece" when we will be in a position to offer a Cantina Battle Pack some day.

The modern Star Wars line  from Hasbro/Kenner has been dominating the toy aisles for almost 14 years, and yet we still don't have an accurate and complete representation of the iconic Jabba the Hutt and His Dais from Return of the Jedi. What is Princess Leia [as Jabba's Slave] (which leaked last week) going to sit on? C'mon guys, don't hold out on me, and please send photos of Big Daddy Jabba the Hutt in honor of Father's Day or something. (GH, 2009-08-10)

     We did design Leia to be "forward compatible" with a Jabba and throne if we did make one. While we started the figure without having a plan in place, we can confirm that we are looking at a new Jabba, which would come with or without the throne depending on costing and tools. We would expect to have an update next year around Comic Con timing.  Stay tuned!

Since you probably have most of your 2010 lineup planned by now, and you indicated last year that we might get a Sandstorm Leia and Sandstorm Lando in 2010 to round out the sandstorm group, can you give us an update on that projection?  Is a sandstorm version of the upcoming Slave Leia in the running for the 2010 line? (GH, 2009-08-10)

     You are right in that 2010 is done and has been locked in for some time, even if we are getting to the final waves of sculpts. Unfortunately, these two did not make the cut for 2010.  We are starting work on 2011 very soon, and there is a strong possibility one or more of them will make it into the 2011 lineup.

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It was sort of an after-thought when we asked about the Ugnaught variant in a previous session, so we'll ask this time.  We're assuming that what you said about the Ugnaught variant (saving him for a "seventh" figure in a future wave) also applies to the Hoth Rebel Trooper variant (saving him for a future wave).  Correct?  And can you shed any light onto exactly which wave that will be? (HH, 2009-08-10)
 
     Actually, the alternate rebel *is* shipping with the final wave of the blue/white Legacy/Droid Factory wave.  He is tough to find though, since not all of the figures in this wave are the clean-shaven version.  Even though we want to re-release him, we have not slotted him into a future wave of the new red/white packaging.  The reason is that the Droid Factory waves are very complex to balance out, and once they are set in motion it's very difficult to move things around.  We will make this pledge: if we cannot get him into a future wave of red/white, we will look to release him on some other way to make sure that everyone gets a chance to get (and troop build) this great Rebel.  
 
My boys love the Galactic Heroes line and they really love the ships and beasts that have been added over the past year.  One thing that we're missing in the line though to truly give them that Kenner-esque Star Wars experience is carry cases.  They need a Star Warsy way to lug those GH figures to Grandma's house!  Here's an idea - drag that vintage Hoth Rebel Transport out of the mothballs!  It's a carry case; it's a ship; it's perfect for the little guys! (HH, 2009-08-10)
 
     Great comment.  We have not been looking at carrying cases in a while simply because they are not as productive as other SKUs, and can carry a stiff luggage tariff that can drive the price up.  In the highly competitive boys' aisle, an expensive, slow-moving item can be a real liability.  However, we are looking at some different ways to do carrying cases, and our first priority is 3-3/4" figures.  If we can figure that one out, we'll look at Galactic Heroes as well.  Thanks for the suggestion.
 
Since fan polls and wishlists are all the rage these days, we thought we'd pass along our Han's Hideout "Top Five" list for your consideration:
 
1) Super-Articulated Bespin Han Solo
2) Bollux/Blue Max (Han Solo at Star's End)
3) Jolli (Marvel Comics)
4) Crimson Jack (Marvel Comics)
5) Bom Vimdin
 
Having seen our list, should we be super-excited for 2010, sort of excited, or bracing ourselves for disappointment? (HH, 2009-08-10)

     It's interesting that you have chosen, aside from the on-screen Han and Bom Vindin, three figures that commemorate the very earliest EU storytelling and are remembered fondly by long-time fans.  In the scheme of what's happening today, however, these are a little obscure and probably not high on most fans' wish lists, but we'll see when the next Fans' Choice Vote nominations conclude in August (be sure and get your top 30 votes in!).  From your list, at least one of those will be out in 2010 (you can probably guess which) and one more is almost a certain "lock" for 2011.  As fo the rest, well, we hope that the comic packs have a long and fruitful life and we can get to one or more of them.  As for our personal choice, it would be very cool to see Bollux/Blue Max some day.


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We are all really liking the new Hoth Rebel Soldier from the Legacy Empire Strikes Back wave. Several Shipyards members have noticed a rather wide stance in the leg portion that makes him a no brainer to ride a taun taun. Would there be any likelihood that we will see a new taun taun as a battlepack or multifigure pack in the future, perhaps similar to the gelagrub battlepack  that is coming out? (IS, 2009-08-10)

     We did not design the Rebel Soldier with a new Tauntaun in mind.  By now you have seen our update on the Dewback, and we hope that it meets your approval.  We would like to take a similar approach to the Tauntaun and are indeed working on one for 2010.  No details yets on how it willcome out, but odds are that it will be an exclusive.  Stay tuned!

We have seen pictures of the new Y-Wing prototype. Does the droid socket fit a regular size droid completely? (IS, 2009-08-10)

     Yes, the new Y-Wing will fit a droid completely.  By now, you have seen the pics from Comic-Con and we hope that this amazing vehicle meets your approval and will find a place in your collection this Fall.

We have seen pictures of the upcoming TRU exclusive Crumb Bomber gunship and I was wondering if you could give us a clue or a pic of the paint apps on the upcoming Walmart exclusive gunship? (IS, 2009-08-10)

     By now, you have seen pictures of this one from Comic-Con, from multiple angles and better than we can supply - we hope they meet your satisfaction.  If not, let us know and we'll see what we can do.  Thanks for the interest!

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A lot of the new Clone Wars Clones have been been getting some nifty wrist articulation. What are the changes of seeing that wrist joint on more figures outside the realm of the armored guys? (JD, 2009-08-10)

     What you are referring to are insert-molded wrists. We use them on a case-by-case basis, and make most sense when characters have wrist armor because of the thickness of the joint needed. This particular joint is very expensive and we cannot afford to do it on many figures; to include it on more figures would mean that we would have to compromise on some other aspect of our figure waves.

In an earlier Q&A, you mentioned plans for the VOTC Chewbacca to ship in the Saga Legends line this Fall, but the figure that we're getting appears to be the Legacy Sandstorm Chewie sculpt instead. What happened? Are there any new plans to get the VOTC or the Early Bird Chewbacca versions back onto the pegs somehow? (JD, 2009-08-10)

     Yes, that was an error and we have made a change to the figure. It will be the VotC version, not the Sandstorm version.

Can you explain to us a bit about the injection molding process that is used to create the ball/socket joints on knees and things? It seems like the pin is molded with a more rigid plastic and then the accompanying body part is cast in a more soft PVC-type plastic OVER the pin itself somehow. Anything you can share on how those joints are built? (JD, 2009-08-10)

     That is essentially how some of our ball and socket joints are created. The process is technically called "insert molding" and involved first casting one element, of a stiffer plastic with a higher melting point, and then inserting it so another component can literally be molded around it. This results in a greater degree of movement in a smaller space. It does not come without cost, though, as labor costs are relatively high for this joint so we use it as often as we can, but not as often as we'd like.

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JI

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We know that a lot of exclusive products are not being taken up by UK retailers.  Is there any way that we can get Hasbro/UK retailers to change their minds over these products - what would we have to do to convince you/them?  In these difficult times all the sales for these items are going to eBay sellers instead of helping to prop up the UK economy which seems crazy, especially when the high street is suffering so badly. (JN, 2009-08-10)

     Every attempt is made to get retailers in all regions to carry everything we do - including making sure that the production window is aligned so high minimum run quantities are not an issue.  There are various reasons why retailers might pass, and once they do we offer it to additional customers if possible.  Sometimes it may not be possible to offer it to anyone else if a UK retailer is aligned with a US retailer; for example, ASDA is aligned with Wal-Mart, and Wal-Mart exclusives can only go to ASDA and nowhere else.  Toys 'R Us exclusives may only be offered to Toys ' R Us globally, but not all regions or countries may take every exclusive depending on how well the buyers think it will sell. It is frustrating to us that not everything has global distribution, but it's something we hope to be able to better address as we achieve success in the UK and more broadly in Europe with this year's batch of exclusives.

We've seen some great pictures of the new Galactic Heroes Slave I and some great new Scenes as well (Max Rebo Band, Medal Ceremony etc) will these products all be available in the UK?  Also, you've told us previously that the AT-AT, seen at the UK and Canadian Toy Fairs earlier this year, will be delayed until 2010 - is that to coincide with the 10th Anniversary of Empire, if not will it definitely be coming next year? (JN, 2009-08-10)

     The Galactic Heroes AT-AT was not delayed into 2010 because of the 10th Anniversary of ESB, but it's a nice coincidence!  The real reason is that we could not fit it onto the planogram with everything else we had going on this year, and double facings were needed for some of the items we had this Fall.  So with nowhere to go, it went the only place it could go - off into the future.  We think we shouldn't have a problem for 2010 at this point.  We would prefer it remain "mainline" (available to all retailers) but should we have difficulty with planogram space, then we will look to make it an exclusive with a key retailer.  It's an awesomely cool vehicle.

We're finally getting a new Slave Leia and one that reclines too (with swappable legs) and it looks amazing!  We're getting LOTS of e-mails asking us again and again when we'll finally see a new Jabba with throne from Return of the Jedi - it's the final piece that people are waiting on to complete their Jabba dioramas/environments.  How long will we have to wait (it's been around 25 years since the last release)? (JN, 2009-08-10)

     We did design Leia to be "forward compatible" with a Jabba and throne if we did make one.  While we started the figure without having a plan in place, we can confirm that we are looking at a new Jabba, which would come with or without the throne depending on costing and tools. We would expect to have an update next year around Comic Con timing.  Stay tuned!

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Just saw the figure two-packs for the Clone Wars. Could we ever see something like this for the Legacy? Maybe an Imperial Officer (named) and a trooper? Same idea with the Rebels: named officer and basic trooper. Or, maybe just Troop builders. (JTA, 2009-08-10)

     It's certainly possible.  We have experimented with several different 2-pack configurations in Legacy in recent years, mostly as exclusives (Order 66, the continuing Wal-Mart exclusive Droid Factory packs , and the upcoming Target-exclusive Geonosis Arena).  We would like to keep these "themed" pack ideas going as they are fun to do, can create a great program for our retailer partners, and allow us to get to some interesting characters we might not otherwise get to for a long time.  One of the key things with these two-packs is to make sure we are delivering some core heroes to keep the segment interesting for kids as well.  Whether we will get to what you suggested remains to be seen, but such an idea has been on our list of possibilities.  We'd like to do it, but only time will tell if we can get to it.

In a recent Q&A you stated that from now on, battlepacks will be straight repacks. Does this mean main characters or could secondary/background characters be packed in as well? If secondary characters (i.e. troopers) are repacked, will they be straight re-releases or could they be modified? For example, lets say a Echo Base/Battle of Hoth battlepack is to be released. We get a General Rieekan, Major Derlin, Han and Echo Baste Trooper. Would the Trooper be one of the two versions that are currently in the Legacy collection or could it possible have a new head sculpt? (JTA, 2009-08-10)

     The mainline battle packs will be taking a turn away from the beast and occasional collector-targeted set and will be focused on figure-based, kid-targeted sets effective for 2010, with a return to the original packaging depth next Fall.  Since these are often holiday or special-occasion (reward or birthday) purchases, we want to make sure that we are providing as much value as we can and as a result we can't keep put significant tooling into these sets right now.  We'll be concentrating on either pure re-packs (as we have been doing each of the past several years) or sets that all have something new to all the characters with minor changes (such as the upcoming Resurgance of the Jedi, which does hit a duel kid/collector audience).  It's unlikely that in the mainline we'll be doing collector-targeted sets like you suggest.  We don't rule out the possibility that exclusive battle packs could have a composition like that, but we were responding to a question about the mainline battle packs when we answered that.

We got our first look at the new package artwork around Toy Fair, and that has prompted some questions that seem to arise any time we see a transition between package art looks.

-First, will we see a hard street date for the new look as we did in 2008? If so, what is that date? -Will provisions be made to get decent ammounts of the last waves of the current collection to retail? There's been historical evidence that suggests that the last wave(s) before the transition sometimes get shortchanged. (JTA, 2009-08-10)

     There is no hard shelf-date for the line this year.  As a result, each of the ongoing assortments will "change" to the new look when the new look is ready to ship from our warehouse to fill orders (i.e. when retailers are selling down on blue/white and need fresh inventory).  This will vary by item, with Saga Legends and Clone Wars already out at retail as this is written, and some other assortments trailing a little further behind.  As for the latest waves of Legacy, one of the reasons why the red/white line look is slower to get in to retail is because still have a decent amount of blue/white inventory that we are trying to get out there, but with the slowdown in a few figures it makes it tougher to control. At a certain point we need to go with red/white and this may mean that the last wave - based Attack of the Clones - will likely see shorter distribution at brick and mortar stores than previous waves.  However, with retailers like Entertainment Earth and Brian's Toys as a solution, collectors have a way of getting complete waves even though they may be short at retail. We recommend going this route if there is any uncertainty in finding the Epi I wave - or even the EpV wave that preceded it - at your local retailers.

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MD

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A new Barriss Offee...how about it? (RS, 2009-08-10)

     We agree she is long overdue in the Legacy lineup. Within the next couple of years there is an outstanding chance of seeing her either in basic figures or an exclusive.

Would you ever create a figure based on the original stand-in Jabba the Hutt from ANH deleted scenes? I'm talking about the fat guy in the furry vest! Since we have gotten some figures based on deleted ROTJ scenes, this version of Jabba would be a nice addition. (RS, 2009-08-10)

     This figure, Mosep, does show up in the Marvel run of Star Wars comics. While he's not high on our list, it's an interesting possibility and we could get to him some day.

Now that Hasbro has sculpted an Ugnaught that seems to be based on him, have you thought about releasing a Yoxgit figure any time soon? The costume you've sculpted matches his pretty closely and you've even put an altered photo of Yoxgit on the front of the package! All you need to do is repaint the suit red, gloves black and use the tusked head and you have a perfect Yoxgit. Perhaps because of saved tooling costs, you could include another small Jabba's palace denizen (such as Attark, Wam Lufba or the fan-waving Jawa) to get us closer to completing the palace scene! (RS, 2009-08-10)

     Well, we Star Wars collectors certainly are a patient lot. We waited 25 years for Yarna, and there are still so many other cool Jabba's palace denizens (and skiff/barge guards) to go. We promise that we won't take our eyes off this area, with new or upgraded figures in the lineup every year.

     We can't promise you a timeframe, but Yoxgit can indeed be used as you suggest than it does make his likelihood of making it closer to realtity. We'll look into for when we have an opportunity and need a repaint. Thanks for the suggestion.


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With Wal*Mart cutting its shelf space for toys, what is going to become of the exclusives that the retailer has picked up? My local store is already overflowing with old product without the aisle reduction, and I'm concerned if they'll be passed over because of it. (RTM, 2009-08-10)

     The exclusives will still be coming in, targeted for end-caps whenever possible so they do not hit the main aisle space with their full force of volume when they arrive in store. It does not mean that your store will be getting all new exclusives, though, as Wal-Mart creates a distribution strategy based on the current landscape at the time with the stores they feel will be strongest for sell-through. As for older stock, it's possible that those items are not perceived as a "national" problem since there is little or no remaining inventory for the most part, and so do not get closed out. The next time you are in the store, if you could point out to a department manager the issue with older inventory and it's possible they could target them selectively to deal with them; they are motivated to keep the shelf attractive and productive, but do not know the nuances the way you and the rest of the knowledgeable fans do. You can also let us know your local Wal-Mart store # and we can look into it if it's a real problem.

It has been strongly hinted that new mini-rigs are coming. Would these be based on the old Kenner designs or brand new ones? (RTM, 2009-08-10)

     Well, we announced the new "deluxe" figure/figure assortment at Toy Fair so we suppose this is what people are talking about regarding mini-rigs (that and the fact that Mark Boudreaux, creator of the original Mini-Rigs concept, is leading this assortment too). The philosophy of the line is provide lower-cost, single man vehicles to add excitement to the 3-3/4" play pattern. We plan to match the entertainment as much as possible Speeder bikes, Freeco bikes, etc. will be the typical focus. However, if we need variety Lucasfilm has certainly given us flexibility to go beyond the entertainment in a way that is true to Star Wars if we don't have variety in the entertainment. So from this standpoint, it is possible that Mini-Rig type ideas could find their way into the assortment down the line.

The upcoming Leia as Jabba's prisoner figure features separate removable legs which allow her to be displayed in a lounging position. Is a "Return of the Jedi accurate" Jabba the Hutt (and his throne) currently in any stage of planning or production to display alongside Leia? How about Jabba's throne? (RTM, 2009-08-10)

     We did design Leia to be "forward compatible" with a Jabba and throne if we did make one. While we started the figure without having a plan in place, we can confirm that we are looking at a new Jabba, which would come with or without the throne depending on costing and tools. We would expect to have an update next year around Comic-Con timing.

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SAND

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Everyone has heard stories about toys being manufactured in Asia with manpower working in despeacable conditions, as some factories often employ children to minimize their costs overhead. With people being more and more sensible about these questions, and sometimes willing to change their buying habits based on such matters, how does Hasbro ensure that the toys produced by their overseas factories meet the basic human rights? Is this even a concern at all for your company? (SNOW, 2009-08-10)

     It sure is.  Setting - and following - the highest possible standards for our employees and suppliers is of paramount importance for Hasbro, and workplace conditions have been a key focus of our management team.  We have a rigorous process by which we vet and regularly monitor compliace in all our warkplaces.  Incidentally, these are the same standards that have been in place for years and enabled Hasbro to stand tall among the volatile issues that have plagued the industry in recent years.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! for the 'Build-A-Droid' figures.  I LOVE THEM ALL!  Will we see this continue into next year and maybe the year after?  Will Hasbro ever consider releasing a pack of just re-used, re-painted droid parts so fans can make up their own droids?  Yes, I LOVE my DROIDS!   And how about a re-pained R4-G9 with clean R2-D2 colours and a silver (not chrome) dome?  THANKS AGAIN! (SNOW, 2009-08-10)

     We're glad you love them.  We certainly do too.  There is still a ton of droid excitement in front of us, both in the mainline and upcoming exclusives (assuming that the Wal-Mart Droid Factory assortment is successful this year, we would like to see a similar set again for 2010).  While it will likely not go on forever in the mainline basic figure SKU, it's very likely that we'll continue to use the library of droids parts in exclusives, and in ways like you suggest where we either use the parts as basic for new figures or even in multi-part sets.  As for R2 using the R4 body, we have that version coming this Fall.  Stay tuned!

I love my Clone Wars Obi-Wan Delta Starfighter but, dang it, all I have is an R2-D2 or R3-S6 to navigate. When can we expect to see a Clone Wars R4-P17? Obi-Wan refuses to go on any missions without R4 despite his claims that he never owned a droid.

Also, seeing as you are re-issuing the Clone Wars General Grievous in the new red packaging, do you consider this to be the best, most accurate effort given to getting his likeness to the fans? As one of the most imposing villains in The Clone Wars his current figure seems rather petite and non-functional. Any chance Grievous will get the treatment he deserves soon? (SNOW, 2009-08-10)

     Yes, Obi-Wan does throw is a curve with that phrase.  Could it be that he believes he could never truly "own" a droid, and thus the statement is truthful?  We could debate for hours….the R4-P17 question ("When? When? WHEN!?") seems to be the most popular question from the last few weeks.  We are planing him into the lineup, but it will take some time to get him in.  As for the Grievous, we were quite pleased with the way he turned out, and judging by the demand, he is one of the top five figures in the entire line.  Since the Clone Wars line is kid-targeted primarily, we don't see a need to update him for now but will take your comments into account for when we ge a chance for a new take at him.

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There's been a great focus on troop-building with prequel- and Clone Wars-themed battle packs, especially lately, with even more on the way. Reasonable, after all, it is "Star *Wars*". However, this tactic hasn't been done all that much with the Original Trilogy troops, there are no squad packs or anything of that nature (except perhaps for the Tantive IV pack). Understanding that there is more troop-oriented storytelling going on with the Clone Wars era, there are still plenty of kids and casual collectors who want to set up battles with Stormtroopers and Rebel Troopers from all 3 OT films, the battle packs themselves can help do the storytelling to guide play. So why aren't we seeing more troop-building Battle Packs for the OT? (SSG, 2009-08-10)

     The focus has been on the prequel-era and Clone Wars because the heat has been here in recent entertainment. We also felt some of this need went filled with some of our Evolution sets this past year. One of the challenges with OTC-themed battle packs is the need to put recognizable characters in with them to ensure that they succeed; it is unlikely that just trooper-themed sets will suceed on their own. That said, next year is a special year with the 30th Anniversary of EpV and we do have plans for a couple surprises next year. Stay tuned!

Having worked on the modern line for some time now, you've no doubt had to look back at the original Kenner line's grand history many times when deciding what the future of the modern line will be. So you've seen it all and made yourselves familiar with figures, vehicles, accessories, cards, boxes, and even baggies from the '78 - '85 Star Wars line. With that in mind, what does the current team consider some of the most oddball, head-scratching entries from that original Kenner line? What types of things do you guys look back and you can't even imagine doing with the modern line? (And should we give Mark Boudreaux a free pass since he actually DID work on that original line, or pull a "Sophie's Choice" and make him take sides?) (SSG, 2009-08-10)

     Thanks for the interesting and different question. It actually required some thought to get the answers since we have nothing but respect for the Vinatge Kenner line! When it comes to the 3-3/4" figure line, we actually don't have any obvious head-scratchers, just a few things that were a bit odd. Everything seemed to be very well thought-out and blended nicely into a coherent system of play. We did ask Mark what he thought, and he had a few comments, not surprisingly all figure-related since he worked on the vehicles! "I always felt that the wrap-around labels for astromech "deco," as well as vinyl die-cut figure capes, were all odd design choices even though they were standards for the time." In addition, Mark thinks the original 5-point Kenner articulation was a curious choice at the time, even though it became the Kenner "standard" for years afterward. A couple team members singled out the 3-3/4" Rebel Transport as an oddity. Neither a very good vehicle and an awkward carrying case due it's size, it's one item that seems to not really hit either mark. Oh yeah - one of our designers singled out something else from the vintage Kenner line that almost made it out but got cut - the unproduced Luke and Leia fashions for the 12" figures. Those designs were crazy funky (especially Leia's giant clear tarp!).....a shame they never made it out just for the sake of novelty.

Recently, pictures surfaced of a few Clone Wars two-packs based around specific episodes, including characters from "Ambush" and "Rookies". While these look to be great ways to expand episode-specific collections, they also cover existing or already-planned ground. Why were some one-off clones like Thire and Echo chosen for inclusion in these sets when they're also being released via other avenues? It seems like it would make more sense to keep these characters unique to one release so that collectors wouldn't have to choose between releases. Will we be seeing more of these screen scene-type 2-packs, and will they be covering more types of characters beyond just clones? Out of the 4 two-packs we've seen so far, the only non-clone is Yoda. (SSG, 2009-08-10)

     It came down to need. Due to our retailer relationships, we actually needed to create multiple clone-focused 2-packs for a promotional window, and we had exhausted all other clones from Season 1 when we made the selects. Additional 2-packs will cover different sub-themes and characters, as this format is expected to continue into the future.

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We're seeing a trend (especially in the last AOTC Wave of Build-A-Droid) of figures from the Evolutions or Order 66 series of figures making their way to their individual cardback releases. This includes:

BD #29 327th Star Corps Clone Trooper (from Evolutons: Clone Trooper to Stormtrooper)
BD #50 Anakin Skywalker (from Evolutions: Anakin to Vader)
BD #51 Jango Fett (from Evolutions: The Fett Legacy)
BD #52 Clone Pilot (from Evolutions: Imperial Pilot Legacy)
BD #53 ARC Trooper (from Order 66: Anakin & ARC Trooper)

Are these considered to be Greatest Hits figures, and can we expect to see more of these types of repacks in future lines - perhaps with more specialized figures like Mandalore, one or more from the Padmé Amidala Legacy, Darth Bane, Darth Nihilus, or perhaps even Tsui Choi? (SWAN, 2009-08-10)

     Yes, we consider these "greatest hits" figures even though they received their own BD # in error. We have since abandoned the GH numbering since it proved to be confusing overall.  We do plan to keep some of the high-demand figures in rotation, especially core characters and troopers which are high kid-demand figures.  Some of the more specialized figures like the ones you mentioned are likely to be interesting only to collectors, and there only to those who did not get them the first time (which we hope is nobody!).  We don't rule it out, but right now we do not have plans to re-release these.  It's also possible that we will do another Saga Legends vote down the road; if we do, these are great candidates to include in the re-release voting (along with Darth Revan and Malak).

The Qui-Gon Jinn Mighty Mugg has a decal on the back showing his green lightsaber accessory. As the word "Lightsaber" is printed on the box, I'm guessing perhaps the wrong color is underneath the decal? As I cannot remove the decal without destroying it, can you tell us what is under the saber decal, and if it was a wrong color what color it was? (SWAN, 2009-08-10)

     Actually, we released the packaging with a blue lightsaber and added the label to show the correct color.

I don't know if anyone on the team involved in the Q&A at present was involved with the relaunch of Star Wars figures way back in 95, but if so I was wondering if you could share with us what the mindset was to provide the overly-muscular depictions of the Star Wars characters, such as the "He-Luke", etc. Was it a trend in toys at the time, an attempt to make the toys more relevant, etc?  (SWAN, 2009-08-10)

     There is a strong element of fashion to the toy business, and that is exactly what one of the prevailing trends was that influenced the sculpt of the first waves of the figures.  Fans spoke out, however, and the design of the figures was subsequently toned down and pretty quickly became the movie-real proportions we enjoy today.

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As a person who grew up during the original trilogy era, nostalgia plays big part in my Star Wars collecting, as I'm sure it does for many other collectors in my age bracket. Things like the Kenner line, the Ewok craze of the mid 80's, the first Star Wars animated cartoons and even the Holiday Special provided lasting and cherished memories of the first 10 years of Star Wars. Now I know that those times are long gone, but as great as the modern line is, isn't it about time for some sort of 'blast from the past' salute that just screams 70's and 80's Star Wars? There are lots of possibilities for things that you could try: retro packaging, modern takes on some Ewoks or Droids characters, a character or two from the Ewok movies like Kaink or Chukha-Trok, or even an exclusive never before released vintage figure like this Luke. I'm sure you could come up with something great! (SWC, 2009-08-10)

     You are right that there are ways to celebrate our heritage and that we can do more, either with special packaging or a subtle change to characters from these other venues that have not been seen before. We remember the same engagement that we had with Star Wars in all the formats you have mentioned, and we want to capture that feelng of fun and excitement that we all had collectively playing with our toys; it makes the present seem so much more enjoyable when it is connected to those times. The good news is that we are looking at all of these options for the future. We expect to have some of them announced next year at Toy Fair, and another surprise or two around Comic-Con.

It was announced since Toy Fair that Shaak Ti and the other "The Force Unleashed" wave 2 figures would be released as retailer exclusives. What are the other figures, and which retailer will they be available through? Any images yet? (SWC, 2009-08-10)

     Actually, Shaak Ti is in the wave prior (the EU wave, recently shown at Toy Fair). The other figures, which were a new wave, were pulled from mainline and adjusted for the exclusive packs. The packs will now be five-packs, and will be either all new sculpts, or all new deco when we have used a previously existing sculpt. Included will be several trooper variants, including a jump trooper with newly added jump pack. Across the two packs, there will be two versions of Galen Marek, Proxy, and a twist in Juno. More information will be available as we get close to launch later this Fall.

With so many Cantina Aliens getting new sculpts or their first figures, isn't it about time for updated versions of that pair of ruffians, Dr. Evazan and Ponda Baba? (SWC, 2009-08-10)

     We agree. While not slotted into the lineup yet, these two are high on our sights (along with Wuher) and should be in the line within a couple of years.

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"TJ"

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TPU

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Images have shown up online giving us a glimpse at the new Slave Leia and her interchangeable leg accessory allowing her to sit by Jabba's side. The execution looks great and I think this is an excellent way to create a scene specific figure and it also give collectors more options on how we display our figures. Are there any other plans for an accessory of this type (legs or arms) to be used with other figures? The first one that comes to mind is the possibility of creating a true "Kneeling Darth Vader" as seen in The Empire Strike Back during his communications with the Emperor. It would give us (collectors) a new take on the Dark Lord while keeping a top tier character like Vader available to kids. (YF, 2009-08-10)

     The reaction does seem to be extremely positive to the new version of Slave Leia and was pretty much the main reason for wanting to do a new, "ultimate" version of her.  While we don't have any additional figures planned with swappable torsos, it does give us encouragement that such features would be welcome for the right character.  Your suggestion about Vader is interesting, although we think that the super-articulated Vader (also included in the Disturbance in the Force set last year) can already achieve this pose, albeit with a turned boot versus a toe to the ground.

Any chance of seeing a Blurrg in the deluxe or battlepack line from the Clone Wars 3-part storyline that takes place on Ryloth? Blurrgs have been seen in the Clone Wars cartoon, video games, and even the made-for-tv Ewok movie! See image attached... (YF, 2009-08-10)

     It's unlikely we'll do one, unless they show up again in future episodes of Clone Wars.

There has been some confusion in regards to the second version of the Ugnaught to be released later this year. Will he include the same accessories as the first run Ugnaught or might he have a different pack-in? How about a repainted version of the Han in Carbonite block without the thawing effect? I think the inclusion of this accessory would advantageous from a cost standpoint as there is no new tooling, it gives an a "new" version of an existing "core" character and its slim enough to fit in the new form factor packaging. What say you? (YF, 2009-08-10)

     The second version of the Ugnaught will include the exact same accessory as the first one.  The carbonite Han is a very interesting suggestion, but is too late to actually impact the production at this point.

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YN
« Last Edit: August 20, 2009, 02:27 PM by Matt »
"The good news is that all that blood is actually ketchup. The bad news, however, is that all that ketchup is actually blood."