Toy Fair 2015

[Brian]

I didn't really get a chance to come post here yet, although I've been following everything through the weekend.  Just...wow.  Now, I knew we weren't going to see any TFA stuff (they told us that), and honestly, I didn't expect to see much overall either as far as figures went - but nothing new?  That was a surprise.  I can see that we won't see much before the big movie push in the fall (and now, according to the JTA Q and A, it sounds like what we've seen is it, right?).  I did think we would see more 5 POA stuff if nothing else, and maybe a couple new 6" figures.  Definitely a lull for the better part of the year, which in a way is ok I guess.  If it weren't for all the cool Marvel Legends stuff (and the Batman Animated line from DC), I could really save up for the TFA release.

Also, although I'm not surprised we didn't hear it, it would have been nice to get a feel for the direction of the line in the future.  Yes, we know you can't tell us about TFA, and there are a lot of vague "we're dedicated to all scales and collectors and kids" type answers, but things would go a long way (even if it made people mad) if they just said "come Fall, the focus for the line will be 6" and 5 POA for the new movie(s).  Or maybe not even something that specific.  I'm really hoping we'll get some type of a peek at Celebration, to at least know what is coming down the pike.  It has been said before, but the new movie(s) is just the shot in the arm the Star Wars line needs right now.  This has been the definition of "limping along" the last few years, and this TF showing is one of the worst I think we've ever seen.

[Nicklab]

I have to say that I was genuinely shocked at the lack of new product from Hasbro at Toy Fair.  But thinking about it and what we've seen?  And the slow pace of 3.75" TBS releases?  It starts to make some sense.  Looking at how this year is going to shape up now...

JANUARY 2015
-TBS 6" figure 2015 wave 1

MARCH 2015
-TBS 3.75" figure 2015 wave 1

APRIL/MAY 2015
-TBS 6" figure 2015 wave 2

MAY / JUNE 2015
-TBS 6" Deluxe figure 2015 wave 2


...I think this is a likely schedule:


MAY / JUNE 2015
-TBS 3.75" figure 2015 wave 2

JULY / AUGUST 2015
-TFA 3.75" figure Preview wave

SEPTEMBER 4th 2015
-TFA Line Launch

[Dave]

I saw all these posts around the net about guys thinking they'd see a giant Ghost...

Has Hasbro ever confirmed this, or even brought this up, or is this wishful fanboy thinking?

I personally would love a Ghost, BMF style or smaller.

[Jesse James]

Just something they want...  I have a hard time seeing it happening, especially now.  But if it's in a movie?  Who knows where it may turn up, ya know?  But not this year.  It never stood much chance for this year.

[Darby]

Unless I missed it, the Ghost has never been more than wishful thinking. I don't expect it now with the movies. Hasbro has been conservative with Rebels and the line in general for a long time, understandably. I expect that changes in the fall. It's a movie year. We've been through this before. We get nothing, and then everything all at once. I know people wanted to see new stuff here at Toy Fair - I always want to see new stuff - but my shock has been more in reaction to the reaction of some of the comments I've seen. There seems to be little to no objective understanding of the circumstances the line is in. Can Hasbro's communication be better? Always. Is some of their communication a reaction to the communication they're getting from some circles of fandom? I have to think so. If I was Hasbro, I'd be reluctant to engage in a dialogue with anyone, especially in a movie year - there's that phrase again - if what I was confronted with at every single show was demands for apologies, for the line to be exactly to the specifications of a fan base which is already the most rewarded, coddled and coveted in the hobby, for constant information on what's coming next in a line that apparently this same base has no interest in. The message to Hasbro has to be everything you do is ****, I can't stand you or your company but for the love of God, what are you doing next? TELL ME! If Hasbro sounds indignant in some responds, can you blame them? What is there honestly we want that we don't have? Some obscure characters? Some obscure vehicles? Playsets? The line is exhaustive.

My feeling is, enjoy the hobby. If you don't, and there's plenty reason not to depending on your perspective on it, don't collect. Don't buy. Vote with your dollars. Hasbro will get it. They always do. They've been good to us. We've been very good to them. We're going to be good to each other for a lot longer than we ever expected, if that's what people want. If you don't, it's been good. It's been fun, hasn't it?

[McMetal]

I wouldn't characterize it as wishful thinking so much as a reasonable expectation. I'm not an idiot, I understand what is going on with the line, the industry, the economy, the seasons, the rotation of the sun, etc etc. But this is the very definition of an iconic ship, at least as far as the current media goes. It is a gaping omission from the Rebels toy line-up thus far. The damn thing is practically designed to be an ideal vehicle/playset too, from the cockpit to the living quarters to the docking station for the Phantom.

I get that not everyone is a diehard fan of the show or the toys...that's totally cool. It's not for everyone. But I would not go so far as to imply collectors who are big fans of the show are unhinged from reality for assuming this is going to get made at some point soon. Maybe it's already under development and will be unveiled prior to Christmas, when the second season (which has been confirmed) will be airing. It's not like everything is going to come grinding to a halt come September and all they are going to make is TFA stuff anymore. Hasbro is on record as saying they plan to continue supporting Rebels, so I think it is fair to expect more to come. And there's not that many other vehicles there to choose from at this point.

I don't think it has anything to do with the movies, or being in a movie, or whatever. Eventually, IMHO, it'll happen. It's a major part of "The Canon" now. (It took them awhile to get to the MTT too...)

Just my two cents~

[Dave]

This is where I think there is a breakdown in our hopes vs. reality based on history.

I wouldn't characterize it as wishful thinking so much as a reasonable expectation. But this is the very definition of an iconic ship... It is a gaping omission from the Rebels toy line-up thus far.

The Clone Wars ran for 5 or 6 seasons and we didn't get The Twilight, or anything beyond the $20 vehicle assortment.  The support for the figure line was fairly weak after the first few seasons as well.

I think Hasbro has also under supported and largely missed an opportunity with Rebels.  While there is a decent selection of vehicles, there really aren't many figures or other releases.  I think this would have been a great time to fill the pre-TFA gap with lots of Rebels items, but instead we get an impotent dribble of product.

Hasbro and/or Lucasfilm/Disney seems to have little interest in supporting their non-movie media. 

Maybe they're smarter than us.  But based on the amount of Rebels product that stagnates (none) on the pegs/shelves, I would say they completely missed the boat.

We've got seven months before the supposed street date of TFA.  Its hard for me to believe we're going to get much more than what has already been show from the Rebels line before the shelves are devoted to TFA.

[P-Siddy]

I think Hasbro has also under supported and largely missed an opportunity with Rebels. 

Especially when the show is aimed at the youth market.  Obviously, some of us adults watch it and some of us with our children.  We are getting our children into the show, the excitement of the Star Wars world, just like we did growing up as kids.  I think Hasbro is missing the opportunity to get more young costumers to buy their product for the next ten years or so with Rebels and through extension, the movies.

[Dave]

No kidding. 

I bought my five year old daughter a Sabine t-shirt from HerUniverse and gave it to her on Valentines Day.  She hasn't taken it off yet.

She asks me every day when I get home from work if I have found the new Sabine MS figure at Target yet.

Maybe we're the exception, but there appears to be a fair amount of money in our wallets waiting to be spent on Hasbro items that aren't released or aren't planned to be released.

[JediJman]

Anytime you go to the shelf and find empty pegs, it's a missed opportunity.  I'd love to know how Hasbro feels about this internally. Was this part oa planned slowdown and they're happy to just be selling the low volumes that get out?  Or did something get mucked up along the way?  Frankly I'm surprised that retailers are dedicating any real shelf space to Star Wars at this point given the ridiculously small amount of product flowing through. 

Personally, I've spent a few thousand bucks on vintage SW and high end transformers over the last year to fill the lull in SW products.  That's a small figure for Hasbro, but I'm just a single consumer.  I can't imagine the opportunity cost they've all but thrown away these past few years. 

[Jeff]

The Clone Wars ran for 5 or 6 seasons and we didn't get The Twilight, or anything beyond the $20 vehicle assortment.

Except for the $65 line of vehicles that died before they ever got to the Twilight.

If that $65 line hadn't been sabotaged by manufacturing issues that forced them to launch it with an ARC-170 repaint instead of the Y-Wing (like they wanted), maybe it would have been different.  I recall reading/hearing Hasbro say something to the effect that the slow sales of that $65 ship line really damaged the chances for The Twilight making it out.

I think Hasbro has also under supported and largely missed an opportunity with Rebels. 

I'd love to know how Hasbro feels about this internally. Was this part oa planned slowdown and they're happy to just be selling the low volumes that get out?  Or did something get mucked up along the way?  Frankly I'm surprised that retailers are dedicating any real shelf space to Star Wars at this point given the ridiculously small amount of product flowing through.

It's too bad they will never tell us the whole story of what happened...  like you said, Justin - was Rebels always meant to be a smaller line, just a stop gap to TFA?  Or did they want to flood the shelves but never got to because of the "mystery cloud" of distribution issues out there (the West Coast port issues, the squabbles with Walmart, some internal issue with Disney/LFL, etc)? 

Another theory I've seen is that Hasbro/Disney were they gunshy about going balls-out for Rebels after the failure of TPM-3D and the ensuing product overload.  If that's true, I can't blame them for hesitating to support an unproven kids cartoon after the disappointing flop of a big-time movie event.  I don't think they wanted two product flops heading into the giant Ep7 launch.

[Jayson]

No kidding. 

I bought my five year old daughter a Sabine t-shirt from HerUniverse and gave it to her on Valentines Day.  She hasn't taken it off yet.

She asks me every day when I get home from work if I have found the new Sabine MS figure at Target yet.

Maybe we're the exception, but there appears to be a fair amount of money in our wallets waiting to be spent on Hasbro items that aren't released or aren't planned to be released.

Tell your daughter I have a Sabine for her (I have an extra) 

[Jesse James]

Regarding the Ghost, its window was this past holiday season, not next...  I don't say that to be condescending to people who love Rebels, or love the Rebels toy line, I simply say that as truth.

Last year the toon launched, and this year TFA is going to be the focus.  It's not going to be the cartoon getting a $100+ toy for the holiday push...  There MAY be some $100+ ship on the shelves, but my $ would look more towards the Millenium Falcon if it's playing a major role in the films.  Just an educated guess on the matter.

Last year, and for whatever reason that didn't happen, would've been the better year to see The Ghost as part of a line launch, ala what The Clone Wars received...  Unfortunately for Rebels though, it's a smaller show than TCW was.  TCW having a movie of course, and a product blitz that very much was movie-like in its broad scope.

Like I said, it's not that it won't happen, I just think where we're going into a movie a year scenario, where does Rebels fit in?  This all goes back to the thing I've been saying repeatedly, which this is uncharted waters for the hobby, top to bottom.  But I don't see them cranking out big ass ships left and right either.  They didn't when it was far more affordable to do so, so I don't see them doing it now.  Likewise I don't see them devoting the big ass vehicle slot to something that isn't in the movie for that given year.

I think The Ghost may actually turn up in one of the movies as a main ship though.  Aren't they wanting to streamline some of this stuff?  And carry things over?

Jeff's speculation on the issues with distribution is about as succinct a synopsis as I've seen.  I'd not heard the Disney/Hasbro gunshy thing, but tough to argue it.  TCW ratings were in constant decline and it was an established thing.  TPM 3D underperformed (at the box office and retail) too...  Rebels isn't proven, so the first year they're maybe unwilling to commit to that big ass item, second year just doesn't seem like a good fit because of the movie schedule...

If Star Wars were going like before, with 3 year gaps, I think Rebels would've had a far better chance to get that "Clone Wars" treatment.  I like the show a lot, I think it gets better as it goes too, but it's in a weird spot for sure.  All these films and their toy lines are in a weird spot.

I don't collect Super Hero stuff, but they've kind of dealt with this pace.  That said, Super Hero movies don't seem to have as diverse a range of characters and vehicles as Star Wars does either, so that's not even a direct analogy.  It's just weird territory we've been in since, at least, 2012.

[Darby]

Just to be clear McMetal on the Ghost - I didn't mean to conflate some of the reactions to Toy Fair with expectations on the Ghost. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect that ship, though like Jesse I think there was a window for it and it's passed.

I agree there seems to be a general hesitation on the line but yet Target has a fairly massive part of the aisle devoted to SW/Rebels; bigger TRU's have an entire aisle dedicated to them. The last time I saw that around here was 1999. So it's not a lack of will, I think, from retail. It has to be some mix of the distribution issue and something inherent to Hasbro, because bottom line, the distribution issue does not seem to impact lines like TMNT. I could be very wrong as that is not my interest but that line motors through stock and never seems to be wanting for replenishment. Lego I would characterize the same way. So where's the gap? We want Rebels. Retail wants Rebels. There's no Rebels. That's a legit gripe. I want a dozen SL Snowtroopers. I wanted a dozen when he was supposed to have come on the previous lava card thing. I can live without him, because I have dozens of previous ones, but absolutely it's a missed opportunity all around.

[Matt_Fury]

That's why I thought the Ghost would come out sometime this year.  Remember the BMF Falcon and AT-TE showed up at the same time...in the Summer of a non-movie year.  I thought we could see the Ghost sometime this summer.  It would've been a good way to whet the appetites of collectors and fans of the show.