Big Items of the Future!

[CHEWIE]

The whole Turbo Tank "not in demand" thing has to be a regional thing... this vehicle is moving just as well as the AT-TE did last year in my area. 

As for the AT-AT, I think we need to consider that while collectors seem to be dying for it, maybe the kids are not as much as we are... regardless though, I think we're at a point where there's several large scaled items, that if made and were fairly representative of what we see on screen, would do fine at retail.  I don't see doom and gloom for these items or a signal that what came out last year or this year bombed. 

So unless we hear it straight from Hasbro that there's not going to be a "Big One" next year and beyond, I'll continue to be optimistic on this subject and will pay full price for items like this (after all, I've been pushing for them for years and will continue to do so as long as I am interested in this hobby).

[Brian]

As for the AT-AT, I think we need to consider that while collectors seem to be dying for it, maybe the kids are not as much as we are... regardless though, I think we're at a point where there's several large scaled items, that if made and were fairly representative of what we see on screen, would do fine at retail.  I don't see doom and gloom for these items or a signal that what came out last year or this year bombed.

That is what I was thinking as well when talking of perhaps OT items needing to be exclusives at this point.  The AT-AT would maybe be something "on the edge" that could be retail-wide like the Falcon was, but beyond that I'm not sure if others (talking big items here) could do that (unless Hasbro changed their tune and decided to do some sort of Death Star).  Like you mentioned, I don't know that kids would care too much about the AT-AT or other OT items for the most part - so it would largely depend on collectors.  And, no matter how awesome it would be, it seems like many collectors are passing on more and more of this stuff lately (due to changing interests/space or price issues/etc.), so there might be a lot "left over" if it was available everywhere.  It is hard to say for sure though.  Like I said, I think more collectors bought all the vehicles back in the POTF2 days than do now, no matter how improved they might be.  A sign of having rooms upon rooms of this stuff maybe, or the higher prices/burn out issues, but it is something to consider with future "big" offerings.  I'm anxious to see what Toy Fair brings.

[McMetal]

Interesting response from the latest round of Q&A:

Another rumor is that the ARC-170 Shadow Fighter has doomed the $69.99 Deluxe Vehicle Assortment. This is true to an extent, since the slow rate of sale of the ARC-170 Shadow Fighter has not given the Y-Wing a lot of daylight to shine. Still, when the Y-Wing has gotten out there, it has not done as well as the Turbo Tank. We don't think it's because the Y-Wing isn't a great vehicle, but more to do with there currently being less discretionary purchases above $50 in '09 than we saw in '08 when both the Millenium Falcon and AT-TE were successful.

Maybe people just don't want to pay $70 for a crappy repaint?

In another question someone asked about new mid sized vehicles for next year, and they alluded to ANOTHER repainted Gunship. (What is that, six or seven now?) This seems senseless to me, as we still need the updated Geonosian Starfighter from the "original" CW non-animated line. They have the perfect excuse to make this now, with that 4 part ARC from earlier this season.

It wouldn't hurt to give us Dooku's Solar Sailer too...

[CHEWIE]

$70 was just simply too expensive for the repainted ARC or the new Y-Wing, I think.  I also took that as a bit of a signal from Hasbro that the $100 Turbo Tank has done ok this year in their eyes.   

[efranks]

I think this new $70 price point is a little out of hand.  There was no way I was going to pay for an ARC-170 at that price for a repaint with no updated sculpt or action, and it didn't even come with a figure.

The Y-Wing, while it's all new, maybe could be justified, but I still think it's overpriced by about $20.  I was very unhappy last year with the Walmart Gunship at $50 but I'd love to have that price back now that TRU's exclusive was $70 also.  I bought both Gunships (Walmart and TRU versions), but passed on the Tank and Y-Wing as well as Target's exlusives, TIE, X-Wing and Rancor. 

Of those three Target exclusives, the X-Wing is the only one I'm kicking myself over.  I was out of money and had been passing on the two at my store and then the week I had the cash, they'd both sold over the weekend.  So unless I spot one this week while I'm travelling, I'll probably not pick that one up either.

For 2010 I wouldn't mind seeing the AT-AT.  I know a lot of people like it, I'm in the camp that thinks it is an iconic vehicle for the Original Trilogy, and if Hasbro was going to pick a vehicle to give the $100 - $150 treatment, the AT-AT fits the bill.  But, I won't buy it.

I wouldn't buy a super-sized Slave I either.  I really like the AOTC Jango/Target Boba versions, and have both.  It's a ship that has one exciting scene in AOTC and then one kind of boring scene in ESB.  I think what we have suits the purpose with the only possible upgrade being a storage spot for Han in Carbonite. 

I'd prefer to see new vehicles in the smaller scales.  The Cloud Car and Snowspeeder are excellent.  I'd like a new ROTJ Speeder Bike, I'd like the Geonosis Starfighter to come back (maybe with an update or two).  I'd like the AT-RT to be around, even if they took out the walking feature.  I think we're overdue for seeing Luke's landspeeder in stores.  How about an updated Naboo Fighter?  Something to give the Jedi Starfighters a rest.

   E...

[Jesse James]

On the issue of prices, I try to think of how it compares with the 1:18 military figures and vehicles I collected...  Their planes are scaled exact to the figures, so they make for pretty huge toys.  The Y-Wing is pretty huge...  And if it were an OT Y-Wing it actually would be considered to-scale I believe, according to the numbers on that ship's supposed dimensions anyway.

1:18 planes cost a low $50 to $75 more or less...  It depended.  My Avenger Torpedo Bomber was, I think, $75 at full price and that's the biggest plane I have, and plus it came with a crew of three unique figures, it was made of generally higher quality plastic than a lot of Hasbro's vehicles come molded in, it had elaborate paint application and decaling applied, and it's probably comprised of at least double (possibly triple or more) the number of individual parts that the CW Y-Wing is comprised of.  It also features full cockpit details, etc., etc., etc.  I can gush for hours on the positives about this.  Oh!  And its wings even fold up so it fits compactly in an Aircraft Carrier's hangar deck.

OK, so that was $75 a few years ago...  The only argument against it that can be made is the license, but for $75 you got totally what you paid for there. 

The Y-Wing looks like a sweet toy to me...  It has a couple neat features, but Hasbro tends to make very simplified molds.  The Falcon for instance is very cool, but the interior's comprised of as few pieces as possible.  It's like an insert into a shell rather than many separate pieces.  The Y-Wing, ARC-170, and most of their other items are like this...  Streamlined to save costs.  This is something I consider when evaluating the item's cost to its "value" as a toy.

Comparing the Y-Wing to the 1:18 plane then though, and they're not far removed from one another, they're similarly priced but the level of quality comparison isn't even in the ballpark.  The licensing issue is the only arguable point then (and some of the planes I have, are actually licensed, sometimes double licensed as the manufacturer's name plus the specific pilot's plane can hold licenses).   

Do I then feel the Y-Wing is worth it?  Eh...  I think it's cool, but $70's steep.  If it had been OT and done to scale (say the YW, or an X-Wing or B-WIng or some other ship that hasn't been done to-scale), I'd probably be more willing to cave and say it was worth it to ME, but that's just to me and because I'm biased to the OT design, not because I feel I can compare the two and say they are equal.  I just would be so giddy to get a to-scale version of a large OT fighter that I'd have blinders on I think.

I think the CW Y-Wing rocks as a toy...  So does the ARC-170.  Neither really is "worth it" to me though, as far as their full retail price.  I think $50's more fair.  And even then, that's steep IMO, but falling into my realm of value meeting the quality that's being delivered.

That's just sort of my outside opinion as I didn't buy the YW, mostly because it's underscaled according to what the EU is claiming that ship's size to be.  I still think it's a cool toy though.  Would a kid rather have 3 mid-size vehicles or 1 deluxe vehicle though?  Sometimes when you quantify it in terms like that, it starts looking less cool as well.

[Brian]

Excellent points on the big vehicle topic guys.  I gathered from Hasbro's answers this round as well that the deluxe line doesn't seem to be flying off the shelves.  They cite that the Y-Wing is still getting out there, but then they also mention how the Turbo Tank is doing better than the Y-Wing.  I have to admit, although it has definitely been more scarce, the Y-Wing hasn't been impossible to find by any means either.  I picked one up at Target with a discount/gift card, so I ended up paying about $52 for it.  Like others have said, $50 would seem about right for this item.  Still a little high maybe, but I don't think we would have seen nearly as many complaints if the "deluxe" vehicle line was priced around there.

I'm curious if we'll see this continue next year at all or not (not to mention the "BMF" sized vehicles).  They did mention a couple times this round that collectors don't seem as interested in vehicles as well, so maybe - outside of the starfighter assortment and some exclusives - we may not be seeing as many of those (at least new ones) either.  I'm thankful that the Snowspeeder and Cloud Car are both confirmed, with all the doom and gloom answers regarding anything collectors are interested in these days.  Definitely looking forward to those, and still hoping we'll see some more OT ship re-dos.  Like Jesse, I wouldn't mind seeing an OT Y-Wing re-done (as well as most of the others).  Probably a longer shot, but I'll admit the CW one made me want an new OT one even more.

[tmanthegreat]

Jesse James brings up some interesting points in his post regarding the prices, and I will have to agree with him.  I have the CW Y-Wing and it is a good attempt by Hasbro, but falls short of what it could have been, especially for the price.  While it was a ship that I had to get, it was by no means a bargain for the $70 I spent on it.  Large vehicles do not need to be cut out completely, however. What Hasbro needs to do is simply adjust their prices better for what they make or simply make fewer of the larger more detailed items and cater those items towards the collector market that is getting them.  

I am first and foremost a collector of the 1:18 scale military items Jesse James mentioned above and the ratio of detail versus the price point have always been greater than what Hasbro has offered.  Really one cannot compare a 1:18 scale P-51D Mustang made by 21st Century Toys to the similar-priced Hasbro X-Wing and never mind the larger 1:18 scale aircraft and vehicles.  It only seems that in recent years Hasbro is addressing the detail issue on their vehicles, so we get items like the new AT-ST and retooled TIE Interceptor that start to better approach the scale and level of detail that is seen in the military collecting world.  Greater levels of detail will necessitate higher pirces, but that would make the items more worth it in the end.  

What is all the more interesting is that the companies that produced the 1:18 military items were much smaller than Hasbro and catered to a very limited collector market.  That limited focus did spell the demise of two companies that produced the models - most notably 21st Century Toys - but that company was tiny with nowhere near the staff, organization, or market clout that Hasbro possesses.  Far more people buy and collect Star Wars items than 1:18 scale aircraft and tanks, however, the 1:18 manufacturers traditionally kept their prices low on more complex models and with a fraction of the resources that Hasbro possesses and only a fraction of the conusmers.  

That said, I really see no reason why Hasbro cannot continue to make larger, better scaled, and highly detailed toys/models even if they were produced on a limited scale and geared more towards collectors.  They would be able to spare the resources and still turn a profit.            
  

[Pete_Fett]

I would not be surprised if Hasbro tried to get one more vehicle out as part of the $70 price-point line. Specifically, I'm thinking another Gunship repaint might show up since that vehicle can also fit into this packaging footprint.

They could also put an X-Wing in that packaging as well - perhaps a Red-5 X-Wing since the only Red-5's that have come out are the version with the fixed Luke figure and the Dagobah dirty version. An ANH version that could be used with the VOTC Luke or Smiley Luke would be nice.

[Force Guy]

Definitely the Death Star.

[JACKOFTRADZE]

Another rumor is that the ARC-170 Shadow Fighter has doomed the $69.99 Deluxe Vehicle Assortment.

Everyone saw this coming they should have delayed the SKU instead they opted for a Kamikaze run. I got the ARC for $45 at a Toy show and its really sharp but not $70 sharp. $45 was pushed it to the limit. I got the Y-wing for $60 after coupons and while it was done nicely the price was too high for what was there. That thing should have had lights/sounds, figure and way more deco. A $50 price point seemed more fitting for this SKU.

Not really sure what other vehicles could have found there way here but it would seem they would have to be a Starfighter type of vehicle like the ARC or Y-Wing. I will not miss this slot, I prefer to pay $100 or $150 on something that rocks. All signs point to an AT-AT which I would gladly buy two of. I would not mind a new Slave One but it fan iconic not mass iconic like the AT-AT is. Plus it can easily translate to the CW crowd.

[CHEWIE]

This might already have been discussed here, not sure.  But according to a new report at Bantha Skull, there's another "Big One" on the way for 2010... and it's priced at $99.99 with the DPCI 087-06-1503

So looks like both Hasbro and their retailer partners agree that there's still a market for this sort of thing in spite of the economy.

Let's hope it's something most of us collectors will enjoy, and that the kiddos will too!

[Daigo-Bah]

I so WANT it to be an AT-AT, but I'm worried that $100 is too little for a significant update.  To be a minimalist about it, Hasbro could almost keep the head size and leg size/length, and just upscale the body to look more proportional.  Some think it's a new Slave 1, and that just seems so unlikely to me.

Edit: I thought I'd do a little rough MS Paint messing around, so I took the POTF2 AT-AT and upscaled the body and legs 125% of what they were, to get an idea of proportion.  Here's the rough:

[McMetal]

Sigh...$100 would be a perfect price point for a large scale Separatist shuttle for the TCW line, or the Twilight.

[Jayson]

Not a lot of "fun factor" for a separatist shuttle nor all that iconic for parents during gift giving season when this would probably be scheduled.