Author Topic: Big Items of the Future!  (Read 211195 times)

Offline Jesse James

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Re: Big Items of the Future!
« Reply #195 on: August 13, 2008, 12:06 AM »
Same here...  Family Toy Warehouse even dumped them when they went out of business for pretty good prices, and their prices were never pretty good on anything.

TRU I think was where I got mine though for a steal.
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Offline Diddly

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Re: Big Items of the Future!
« Reply #196 on: August 13, 2008, 12:22 AM »
I probably would have bought a Royal Starship if all the ones I saw didn't have the Red Astromech stolen from it.

Honestly I think the only resculpted/proper scale items I would buy are an AT-AT (could easily be done for $100, maybe $120), an AT-ST ($40-50?) and a Snowspeeder (san easily be redone and put in the $20 line). I'd love a new Slave I but I think the Saga version is fine. Mine's buried somewhere and I haven't pulled it out to see if the new Jangos will fit in it but other than a prison chamber (with a cage and a place to put the Carbonite slab) I can't see that much they could add to it.
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Offline CHEWIE

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Re: Big Items of the Future!
« Reply #197 on: August 13, 2008, 12:56 AM »
Yeah Diddly, you're right - a Snowspeeder could be redone in the $20 line, I'd think rather easily.  I'm not interested at all in a new Slave I, but a new AT-AT or AT-ST?  Sure!

Back to the EPI stuff.  Definitely the weakest film, and the least interesting.  That being said, I don't knock the Royal Starship - it's a cool toy and worth $100.  Hasbro did a fine job with it.  Problem is, that vehicle didn't have any weapons or much to make it really cool.  And to it that the entire EPI line was a flop... remember the mass EPI clearances before POTJ hit?  Wow.

Let's not forget that in 1999, most of the fan base was quite a bit younger than we are now... how many of us around here had good paying jobs then?  Since then most of us have moved forward in our careers and are out of high school, college, whatever.  Point is we have more disposable income now.  So $100 toys aren't as out of reach as they were 10 years ago.  Part of the market has more income now, and kids are asking their parents for this stuff more than ever in the prequel era... that's opened the door for many larger items (including playsets) that some would have bet their left nut would never happen.

I seem to recall the Royal Starship being released in late summer/early fall of 1999.  God, I was broke then, still in college.  I did get it for Christmas though, the one item I asked for that year since I couldn't afford it.  I did get it, and shortly thereafter TRU cleared them out, lol.  Oh well.  Still a nice collection piece, though I don't want to see it released again.  The MTT sounds a lot more appealing to me.  It's new, and can double as a Clone Wars droid vehicle.
« Last Edit: August 13, 2008, 10:35 AM by CHEWIE »

Offline Matt_Fury

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Re: Big Items of the Future!
« Reply #198 on: August 13, 2008, 02:00 AM »
Hmmm...I thought the Royal Starship did better...of course I was living in Alaska at the time.
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Offline Brian

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Re: Big Items of the Future!
« Reply #199 on: August 13, 2008, 11:04 AM »
Its been said before in this thread I think - and don't get me wrong, I'm really happy and excited for the larger items that we've gotten and have coming up - but I think Hasbro might be in danger of over doing it with the big/higher priced items.  Granted, it might just be me, but even putting the space issue aside (which is really getting difficult at this point), but its tough financially to keep up with all this - especially when it all comes in the back half of the year.  Sure, I don't have to buy it all - and I don't - but it seems these days if you do like something (Star Wars in particular) you better buy it when you see it.  It seems like quite a bit of it disappears quickly these days.

Anyways, with these larger items (particularly those approaching the $80+ pricepoint), they might want to limit it to one a year - or spread a couple out a bit.  Personally, for "big stuff" I've only gotten the new Falcon so far, but if you look at the rest of the year we have the Falcon, AT-TE, Sarlacc BP, Lars BP and possibly some other unannounced UBP around the holidays that are all at least $50 or more.  That's not even mentioning other $20-$40 stuff that is hitting the shelves as well.  Then the Rancor early in the year - and so on.  Its amazing to me that even though the movies are "over" (although now we have Clone Wars and the series coming up to push things), we're getting more stuff in non-movie years than we ever did in movie years before.  With 60+ basic figures, comic packs, Evolutions, battle packs, ultimate battle packs, starfighter vehicle assortments, "big" vehicles/battle packs, and exclusives - there's just a ton of stuff out these days to pick up.  It gets tough to keep up with the basic 3 3/4" line all by itself.

Offline iFett

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Re: Big Items of the Future!
« Reply #200 on: August 13, 2008, 11:30 AM »
Back to the EPI stuff.

Not that this has anything to do with big items - but I wonder why Hasbro has only chosen to re-release one vehicle since Ep1 release.  It obviously has connections to the other movies and the CW, but we all know how Hasbro likes to paint things and we could have seen 10 repaints of the Naboo Fighter by now.  Not to mention the beasts...I actually thought the Fambaa was pretty cool - way over priced, but cool.
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Offline CHEWIE

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Re: Big Items of the Future!
« Reply #201 on: August 13, 2008, 02:07 PM »
Its been said before in this thread I think - and don't get me wrong, I'm really happy and excited for the larger items that we've gotten and have coming up - but I think Hasbro might be in danger of over doing it with the big/higher priced items.  Granted, it might just be me, but even putting the space issue aside (which is really getting difficult at this point), but its tough financially to keep up with all this - especially when it all comes in the back half of the year.  Sure, I don't have to buy it all - and I don't - but it seems these days if you do like something (Star Wars in particular) you better buy it when you see it.  It seems like quite a bit of it disappears quickly these days.

Anyways, with these larger items (particularly those approaching the $80+ pricepoint), they might want to limit it to one a year - or spread a couple out a bit.  Personally, for "big stuff" I've only gotten the new Falcon so far, but if you look at the rest of the year we have the Falcon, AT-TE, Sarlacc BP, Lars BP and possibly some other unannounced UBP around the holidays that are all at least $50 or more.  That's not even mentioning other $20-$40 stuff that is hitting the shelves as well.  Then the Rancor early in the year - and so on.  Its amazing to me that even though the movies are "over" (although now we have Clone Wars and the series coming up to push things), we're getting more stuff in non-movie years than we ever did in movie years before.  With 60+ basic figures, comic packs, Evolutions, battle packs, ultimate battle packs, starfighter vehicle assortments, "big" vehicles/battle packs, and exclusives - there's just a ton of stuff out these days to pick up.  It gets tough to keep up with the basic 3 3/4" line all by itself.

Yeah it is tough... but a lot of what we're seeing in the basic line is repacks.  So for me at least, that's money saved.

It seems like quite a bit of it disappears quickly these days.

^ That illustrates the whole point I am about to make...

Is Hasbro overdoing it right now?  From what I can tell - no.  At least not at this point.  Like you said, it seems like quite a bit of it disappears quickly these days.

The initial shipments of Clone Wars/Legacy stuff sold like crazy, and the larger items moved very well too.  And they're still doing so.  I have noticed that all the Walmarts and TRU have restocked to the max in my area with their basic figures over the past few days, which coincides with the new films coming out this week.  I'd say give it 2-3 weeks from now and we'll really know if they overdid it with the basic figures production numbers, but in terms of the big items, I think it was high time they did something like this.  A lot of people have been waiting and waiting for stuff like the AT-TE and new Falcon.

Regarding the Lars Homestead and Sarlacc Pit, those are exclusives so I'm not worried about those at all.  Maybe the Homestead just a bit, but I gander it will do well enough to justify it being made.  The Rancor should do fine in 2009 too, better than the TFU one did.

Lots and lots of product though like you said, and I've definitely felt the strain too (more on the wallet than on space - older outdated stuff, I am able to part with that for superior sculpts/etc.).  But I'm not a completist by any means, thank God.

Offline Muftak

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Re: Big Items of the Future!
« Reply #202 on: August 16, 2008, 12:28 PM »
For those keeping score, Adam May has completely retracted his Death Star rumors.

Offline CHEWIE

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Re: Big Items of the Future!
« Reply #203 on: August 16, 2008, 05:44 PM »
All because of something Hasbro said in a Q&A... kinda funny.

Offline Jesse James

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Re: Big Items of the Future!
« Reply #204 on: August 16, 2008, 11:14 PM »
The DS we've heard that "comes up" at Hasbro's table isn't anything close to a modular style playset so I was a little skeptical, but it's always fun to wonder "what if" too...  I'm not surprised though, as it sounds like the push has been in recent years for something more akin to a pressed cardboard type set, similar to the Palitoy Death Star/Vintage one (Not the Kenner/plastic one).  And that push was all for economic reasons, and it still doesn't get done.  Basically I'm just sayin' I'm not shocked at all at this news.

I'm sure Hasbro's open to a stackable modular Death Star if the toy karma and stars align for it though.
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Offline EpicGon

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Re: Big Items of the Future!
« Reply #205 on: August 17, 2008, 03:06 AM »
How about a new Rebel transpot?

with a movable gun on top, wide cockpit for 4 action figures, longer than BMF, with some accesories like the vintage one, like gas mask, bags, weapons.

Offline Darth_Anton

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Re: Big Items of the Future!
« Reply #206 on: August 17, 2008, 09:57 AM »
How about a new Rebel transpot?


I love the old one. Now that figures are getting less bulky, maybe they could pull one off.
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Offline David

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Re: Big Items of the Future!
« Reply #207 on: August 17, 2008, 12:44 PM »
How about a new Rebel transpot?

I actually hadn't thought of that yet, that's a pretty good idea. They could pack in Torynn Farr and a soldier or two and I'd buy it at BMF price.
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Offline iFett

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Re: Big Items of the Future!
« Reply #208 on: August 17, 2008, 05:01 PM »
How about a new Rebel transpot?

That ship holds a special place for me as it was the first vehicle I owned from SW as a kid.  That's right, by the time I got into the movies - all of the X-Wings, Ties, and Falcons were gone from K-Mart/Sears so I'd dig the BMF treatment for this fella.
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Offline Adam_Pawlus

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Re: Big Items of the Future!
« Reply #209 on: August 17, 2008, 09:29 PM »
How about a new Rebel transpot?

Definitely not in the next few years.  Probably after the Cloud Car... which is also probably not in the next few years.
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