Author Topic: Toy Fair 2015  (Read 21853 times)

Offline Jesse James

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #75 on: February 17, 2015, 06:28 PM »
BMF and AT-TE showed up the year of Clone Wars' blitz, no?  2008.  The movie that launched the series late that Summer, the series with its initial ratings hit, etc.  It was a LOT of toys in that late Summer period where the ramp up to Christmas is kicking off.

I'm working under the assumption a Ghost is going to cost a lot too...  Who knows how cheap they could get one to be, ultimately, but assuming it's in the $100 or more range, there's absolutely no incentive for it to be out for a Summer time push is my thinking.  $100+ toys that eat up shelf space tend to be Christmas things.

I agree, opportunity squandered for the most part.  It could happen in the future.  Who knows how long the cartoon is going to last right?  Or what ties it may have to future films, again.

I keep thinking about what Jeff said, and given everything that'd been going downhill with the line, and really it predated 2012, their being overly cautious makes some sense I suppose.  But when you have a new property it seems like you'd want to give it a little more than they did.
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Offline Darby

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #76 on: February 17, 2015, 07:31 PM »
Actually maybe some vague hope for the Ghost right in the SSG Toy Fair Q&A: http://www.sirstevesguide.com/2015/02/17/toy-fair-2015-hasbro-star-wars-qa-with-jeff-labovitz/

Offline Jesse James

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #77 on: February 17, 2015, 07:33 PM »
Yeah at the end of the Q&A there's a 3-question segment that's interesting, regarding big ships...  But how soon?  That'll be the question.  I've heard huge stuff for TFA, maybe bigger than the PT toy launches in terms of overall scope and product numbers.  Maybe they'll go nuts.
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Offline Darby

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #78 on: February 17, 2015, 07:42 PM »
Very interesting questions. Maybe they just go for it and like 2008 try and pair two big ships. Maybe we see the Falcon again - we will either in general or as an exclusive, for sure - and the Ghost together, or the Ghost and some big TFA ship we're unaware of. Like you said Jesse, this makes more sense if the Ghost / Rebels characters have some crossover with the film, which isn't unreasonable...

Offline Jesse James

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #79 on: February 17, 2015, 07:43 PM »
Falcon's tooled, that's a plus.
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #80 on: February 17, 2015, 07:50 PM »
Apparently someone's already still bringing up the Sail Barge as maybe what's coming by that one Q&A tease...  I can't make this stuff up at this point.

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Offline McMetal

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #81 on: February 17, 2015, 11:00 PM »
"SSG: Is the Ghost outside the realm of possibility?

JL: No, definitely it’s not outside, no.

SSG: Great.

JL: It’s not something that’s in our immediate future, but we love Rebels.  The Ghost is so iconic and certainly a great option.  The Ghost would be great."

 :) :) :)
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Offline Muftak

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #82 on: February 18, 2015, 12:24 AM »
Not very surprised at the lack of anything new at Toy Fair. Even a TFA Preview Figure (or wave)deserves/commands its own press release. In effect it would be slumming in NYC.

As for a Ghost ship this year, I am still in the camp that doubts it. While I do now believe a BMF reissue is a done deal (and will cost $300) and that actually does free up the time and resources to tool a big ship, I gotta go with my gut and say they would use that slot on whatever big new design they have with TFA (Bad guy ship?) In the end, EP VII will never have another Christmas to support it, the attitude there has to be "now or never."

The long game could be a Ghost in 4th quarter 2016, if the standalone movie is a Han Solo or Boba Fett vehicle (no pun intended.) Since their signature ships are already done (well) then a 3rd season Ghost might stand a chance at getting made.


Offline Darby

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #83 on: February 18, 2015, 01:07 AM »
This is an excellent point:

EP VII will never have another Christmas to support it, the attitude there has to be "now or never."

I agree wholeheartedly. I think we'll see strong support for the film and the saga into 2016, but come September 2016, it's on to the next movie. I think this fall and winter will be staggering in terms of offerings.

Offline Jesse James

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #84 on: February 18, 2015, 01:11 AM »
I wonder how the one-off movies will work...  If movie lines for them will be as full as the assumed trilogy's line will be.  Again, who knows, right?  I am assuming The Ghost getting made is as dependent on the show itself being super popular and hanging on as anything too.  It's so weird having a cartoon squeezed in as the lead-up to new films like this.

It'd be really fascinating to see inside Hasbro, their plans on this...  It's unprecedented for this property, which as said above, it's got diversity that I'm not so sure other properties possess.

TFA toys are going to be staggering indeed.  I really have some solid impressions about the amount of stuff.
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Offline Matt_Fury

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #85 on: February 18, 2015, 01:25 AM »
Falcon's tooled, that's a plus.

It does need a new sensor dish.

I firmly believe the Ghost has a lot better chance to be made than Jabba's sail barge.
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Offline Nicklab

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #86 on: February 18, 2015, 06:35 AM »
Falcon's tooled, that's a plus.

It does need a new sensor dish.

I firmly believe the Ghost has a lot better chance to be made than Jabba's sail barge.

+1

Looking at the broader view, we appear to be in a down cycle.  Perhaps that was done by design, so that when merchandise for THE FORCE AWAKENS hits there will be some legit demand for new Star Wars after something of an absence from retail.  As the saying goes, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder".  And Disney has some experience here.  Who else recalls all of those commercials for Disney titles on DVD where they would say "It's going back in the vault.  Who knows when it's going to come back, so get yours now!"

I think the Ghost might just be the victim of poor timing.  And the show is also still in it's first season.  I also get the sense that collectively LFL licensing and Hasbro want to hold back on a big ticket item like the Ghost.  The priority is clearly the promotion of THE FORCE AWAKENS.  The release of TFA is going to impact Star Wars as a whole.  Sales on a range of merchandise is going to increase significantly across a range of the Star Wars licensees in the leadup to the film and following its release.  That's going to translate to increased sales for Hasbro.  And THAT will make the release of the Ghost that much more feasible.  At least if the show continues to do well, the Ghost will be much more in the eye of Star Wars fans than something like the Sail Barge.
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Offline McMetal

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #87 on: February 18, 2015, 08:44 AM »
I still maintain that no matter what happens come Christmas, Hasbro is not going to be myopic in their focus on TFA. There ARE going to be other new Stars Wars toys to purchase that have nothing to do with that movie. And there will continue to be.

I think there is room for Rebels and TFA stuff, over the holidays, and beyond.
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Offline Jeff

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #88 on: February 18, 2015, 10:10 AM »
I feel like we've had this Ghost discussion before... let's all jump in the way back machine to last Toy Fair! ;)

Looks like Jesse was pretty accurate with this one...
I think they may wait to see if the shows popular before committing to a big ticket toy.  There are still sdcc and such to go though.  I just could see them go conservative this time around is all.

I guess it was Curto and Burns that started everyone on the "Ghost is coming in 2015!" train...
I was just starting to listen to the Rebel Force Radio Collector Cast (with Curto/Burns) today, and while discussing Hasbro - and specifically the new Rebels vehicles - James Burns said that Hasbro told him that we wouldn't be seeing the Ghost in 2014, but it was on its way in 2015. 

Funny though that one year later, we're all still here rationalizing why "time X" would be the perfect time for them to get to the Ghost.  :P

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Offline Jesse James

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Re: Toy Fair 2015
« Reply #89 on: February 18, 2015, 04:09 PM »
I should've vaguely told everyone I had come by that information first-hand somehow, and pulled a stan.  :D

The only reason I look at this Christmas as likely TFA-centric is that we are in a situation where there's a cartoon, and a film, at the same time, and I have a hard time not assuming they'll want to focus on the movie, and the cartoon is really just "advertising" for the Star Wars brand, at that point.  It's, again, a weird uncharted situation where a cartoon is complementing a movie more than being a focal point itself (ala TCW) which had an insane toy line launch for something that wasn't a main film in one of the trilogies, and had a film itself.

It's a really weird situation, so there's a lot of guessing and only guessing that can be done, as to what's happening and when.

I lean towards Hasbro focusing on TFA...  I know for a fact they were told, and immediately began diverting resources, to start working on it immediately after the Disney/LFL merger and announced.  Now, which ships will be "iconic" from it?  Who knows.  The Ghost may be in it throughout? 

I don't think The Ghost will never happen, but I just don't see it this year, personally.  I think the SSG Q&A gives it some hope though, and if the Falcon is the sort of centric hero ship of the new trilogy, like I said before, it's tooled so you could re-release that and maybe a Ghost with it?  I think it's doable.  I think The Phantom was made to clearly dock to a Ghost too, so I think Hasbro wants to do it.  When it comes to big stuff though, and this goes back to the line's beginning, they've always had to fudge ways to do it...  The media support helps though.

So at this point I lean towards not this year...  But I think any year (that Rebels is on, at least) there's a chance.  I just think companies like this hate having big ticket stuff fighting amongst itself for shelf space at Christmas, and parent's dollars too.  Would Hasbro want a $300 and $150 toy (just throwing numbers outta my butt there) on the shelf at the same time?  Could they do a Ghost for less than $150?  I dunno.  Would they do just The Ghost in a year when a whole new trilogy of Star Wars is kicked off, with all new characters, vehicles, locations, and on top of it the classic main characters are back WITH the Millenium Falcon?  And all of it at the Holidays, just to add toy frenzy to it all.

That's where I'm coming from.  It'll be really weird, and interesting, to watch it all shake out because, it's uncharted waters.
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