Author Topic: EE Exclusive Astromech 5-Packs  (Read 30330 times)

Offline DoctorPadawan

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Re: EE Exclusive Astromech 5-Packs
« Reply #15 on: July 17, 2005, 12:31 AM »
So what astromech mold are they going to be using for these packs?  Were these shown at the presentation or at the booth or anyplace else at the Con, or is it another one of those "top secret projects" that Hasbro's always going on about?

BEST CASE SCENARIO:  Mold used for body is either the R2-Q5 or R4-G9 body mold.

THIS WOULD KINDA SUCK SCENARIO:  Mold used for body is the R2-D2 Naboo Escape or the R2-B1 body mold.

THE OH NO THEY DIDN'T SCENARIO (comedy option, I hope):  Mold used for body is the 1995 POTF2 R2-D2 body mold.


Offline Jesse James

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Re: EE Exclusive Astromech 5-Packs
« Reply #16 on: July 17, 2005, 01:43 AM »
From a customizer's POV, not all current astromech molds are compatible...  How does that translate into potential GOOD news for us?

Well, the R3-T7 dome, I don't THINK, is compatible with say the Naboo R2 body...  However the mold for the Star Tours R3 exists and wasn't terribly different than the Naboo R2 body (if not identical) so they have a stationary R3...

To me ideal would be, even though I dislike the wheels, the R4 from the Preview Wave for ROTS.  I'd dig seeing it, as the way the leg drops but the dome still moves completely without the feature hindering it makes it ideal.  The little wheels are a bit silly to me, but the figure has the best overall sculpt for an astromech.  The back-up incase the R3 dome isn't compatible (I doubt it would be) is R3-T7's highly articulated body for the R3 droids.

I'm surprised no R4 ("Real" R4's, like M9 and stuff) aren't on that list if I recall...  That'd have been cool.
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Offline Diddly

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Re: EE Exclusive Astromech 5-Packs
« Reply #17 on: July 17, 2005, 02:33 AM »
I call bull**** on that R5-D4 remark. They've already made an R5 mold from the Star Tours figure (one of the best Astromechs ever made, IMO), and it could easily be modded to be a movie accurate R5-D4 (just need to get new "eyes" and add two antennae).

As for the sculpts in the set, I hope they don't use the ROTS Sneak Preview body, I'm in the minority in that I don't like the "turn head, move third leg" action feature, as he can't freely move his head. I'd prefer for them to use the Bar2-D2 sculpt, as well as the R4-M9, if they're making any of those.
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Offline Hemish

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Re: EE Exclusive Astromech 5-Packs
« Reply #18 on: July 17, 2005, 04:31 AM »
Yes
I will be all over those 2 packs

Finally something good from hasbro
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Offline Darth_Anton

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Re: EE Exclusive Astromech 5-Packs
« Reply #19 on: July 17, 2005, 02:44 PM »
At least AP fessed up as to what happend with the R5 units. I mean, what would we rather have if a new mold was just not possible, no R5's or the POTF2 mold? I hate to say it, but under those conditions, I think they did the right thing. Otherwise we'd have another carded Wedge on our hands.
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Offline Scott

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Re: EE Exclusive Astromech 5-Packs
« Reply #20 on: July 17, 2005, 04:31 PM »
But again, all they need to ******* do is mold a new head...or glue the two pieces of the existing mold together.  It should not be as hard as it has been

Offline CHEWIE

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Re: EE Exclusive Astromech 5-Packs
« Reply #21 on: July 17, 2005, 05:11 PM »
Here's some pics that are just awesome speculating on what they might look like, I believe these were put together by Darth Tedious  -

Imperial Astromechs -



Rebel Astromechs -



 :P

Offline DoctorPadawan

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Re: EE Exclusive Astromech 5-Packs
« Reply #22 on: July 17, 2005, 06:35 PM »
Cool, thanks for the photo, Chewie (and to Darth Tedious for putting everything on one place).  It's nice to be able to see what we'll probably be getting since for reasons unknown, Hasbro didn't seem to want to share these at the SDCC.

I can honestly say that the only way I will not buy a set of each is if they don't use either the R2-Q5/R4-M9/R3-T7/Bar2-D2/ or R4-G9 body/head sculpts.  In other words, the only way they will not get my money is if the Naboo Escape R2, POTF2 R2, or the Episode I R2-B1 sculpts are used as the basis.

I'm just hoping EE puts up a case assortment listing soon so I can see if anyone wants to let me go in on a case with them.  ;D

Offline Darth Broem

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Re: EE Exclusive Astromech 5-Packs
« Reply #23 on: July 17, 2005, 10:11 PM »
Hell all they need to do for R5-D4 is to tinker with the Star Tours version a little bit.  I think Hasbro is just trying to make sure a big demand is built up before they release it.  They want to make damn sure it sells somewhere before committing to it. 

Offline Greedo The Green Menace

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Re: EE Exclusive Astromech 5-Packs
« Reply #24 on: July 18, 2005, 02:08 AM »
This one had me pretty excited. I've been wating for them to put out somthing like this for a while now. I'd like to say I won't buy it if it's too expensive, but I know I'll cave. I'm a sucker for astro droids. As for R5, I tend to agree with Darth Broem, they're probably trying to build up demand for him, though I'm really hoping we'll finnaly get him in '06. Who knows maybe they'll release an all R5 repaint 5 pack after that.

Offline Jesse James

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Re: EE Exclusive Astromech 5-Packs
« Reply #25 on: July 18, 2005, 04:22 AM »
It's an interesting situation really...  "tweaking" the mold to a toy is a bigger process than one can imagine.  It, as is my understanding, usually requires a new mold anyway, it's just based on an established sculpt.  Not sure on that, as I don't know specifically how capable Hasbro's manufacturing facilities would be to actually just alter an existing mold, but I know other companies are not capable of doing that...  So I'd think Hasbro would be limited in that way, but who knows.

Scott's right though, it boils down to it being more work than just ordering the manufacturer to alter the paint application order... 

One could say, "well yeah, but it'd cost more", but the reality is that the profit margin on sets like this is so spiffy for Hasbro, that it is a bit frustrating that one new "tweak" isn't done.  I doubt a new head mold for astromechs would really make the sets less of a success for everyone involved, ya know?

Another factor though, and maybe a good one to NOT get R5-D4 in these, is that maybe Hasbro felt R5 should be a basic figure...  sorta released en masse.  I know customizers will have a field day with the figure when it's eventually released...  Astromechs seem to be kind of popular, and almost like army builder figures.  Just a random thought.

I agree that the dome wouldn't cost them enough to be cost prohibitive...  Those sets are profit with really negligible costs.  That's what sucked so bad about the EE Clone set's price to me.  Short of them being REALLY limited  production items, which I don't bite.
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Offline ruiner

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Re: EE Exclusive Astromech 5-Packs
« Reply #26 on: July 18, 2005, 10:01 AM »
This is kind of a neat idea, and if there are some new molds sprinkled into the sets, they'll have a winner on their hands...of course, the price will have to be somewhat reasonable which is the part that worries me.

These sets might be great for a person like me who doesn't have a lot of astromech droids.

And I hope they don't go crazy on the packaging, the clone sets were WAY overdone - we wanted white mailer boxes and got freakin gold (double boxing adds A LOT of cost to the product).


Offline DoctorPadawan

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Re: EE Exclusive Astromech 5-Packs
« Reply #27 on: July 18, 2005, 10:04 AM »
Pawlus mentioned in the GH Q&A that his original description of the figures in the SDCC report was incomplete, so he updated with some more details on them.  Long story short, it looks like Hasbro is using a trio of molds for the astromechs, namely the R4-G9, R4-M9, and R3-xx molds, which makes me very happy.

With this news, I'm definitely getting one of each set.  This is one of the most welcome ideas I've seen in a long time.  :)

Offline ruiner

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Re: EE Exclusive Astromech 5-Packs
« Reply #28 on: July 18, 2005, 10:09 AM »
OT - I appluad Adam's decision to leave RS and form his own website which has a loyal following.  In doing so, he has partnered himself with EE and Hasbro thus creating a name for himself.

Kudos to Pawlus for seeing the writing on the wall, taking a chance, and making it work.


Offline Brian

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Re: EE Exclusive Astromech 5-Packs
« Reply #29 on: July 18, 2005, 10:25 AM »
These are kind of a neat idea I think, and I might bite on these sets.  The price might not be great, and that would be the only thing that would give me pause, but we all like more Astromechs, and this is a neat way to get a whole mess of them at once.  Nice surprise, and could be pretty neat.