If I see they are making another ___, I'm going to blow!!!

[Scott]

I swear if I see Chewbacca in any form on any rumor list I might blow a gasket.  Darth Vader is quickly apporaching that point as well.  The Cloud City Chewie is about perfect.  It looks like the upcoming 4 pack Vader and the MOTD Vader are definitive scuplts of ROTJ and ANH Vader.  There are a lot more main character new sculpts and resculpts they can do before these two borons

[dustrho]

Don't forget about Han Solo... I can't stand seeing him over and over and over again.  It's really starting to make me sick thinking about it.  It would be even worse if Hasbro started making "buff" figures again (like Luke & Lando back in the POTF2 days).

[Morgbug]

Oh, stop thinking like a collector Scott  

Seen any Chewie's or Vader's on the pegs lately?  Probably some of the figures that kids actually do buy.  Sales, sales, sales that's what it's all about.  

Not that I need another Chewie, just letting my right wing business side out for some fresh air.

[CHEWIE]

Ah, another Chewbacca is already on the way (2 actually) in the snowy Chewie from the 4-pk and the Mynock Chewie.  I have no problem with him being made; he is a cool character, each one seems to get better than the last, and he sells.

As for Vader, I really can't wait for the removable helmet version coming up.  That one just looks sweet.  The one in the 4-pk though is a waste to me, I think they should have included another army-builder instead.

Bring on the Wookies and Sith Lords!

 

[MisterPL]

Apparently Hasbro has finally gotten to the point Kenner started at back in 1978. They've got "definitive" sculpts of key characters that everyone is happy with.

CommTech Han, Emperor's Wrath Vader, and Bespin Chewie are all fan-approved sculpts that SHOULD be reissued or repainted. I'd rather valuable development time be spent on characters that NEED to be redone or haven't yet had their shot. But you can't expect Wal-Mart and TRU to jump at an assortment of secondary and tertiary characters when Taun We and Luminara Unduli are jamming the pegs.

The Bespin Escape Chewie is great, but I honestly don't see how Hasbro could have done a Mynock Hunt version justice without retooling at least the headsculpt. The previous Cinema Scene Mynock Chewie was a terrific sculpt compared to the Planet of the Apes Chewie figures we were used to, but he is still out of scale. Hasbro's correcting that.

As for Hoth Han, I thought most agreed that POTF2 figure needed a resculpt, nevermind the whole coat color debate. We're getting exactly what we asked for.

And while the first Vader with removable helmet is a favorite figure in many collections, it honestly does not hold up to its modern counterparts. The original might have been the best POTF2 figure ever, and certainly represents a benchmark for that line, it's now as different an era as Vintage.

There are very few POTF2 main character figures that still hold up to today's figures. There are plenty that could stand to be resculpted, including main characters, that haven't been on the pegs for years. Figures I'd still like to see redone would include:

Luke - Dagobah
Luke - Snowspeeder Pilot
Han & Luke in Stormtrooper Disguises
Leia - Boushh Disguise
Han - Carbonite
Lando - Rebel General
Leia - Bespin Gown
Leia - Rebel Ceremony
Luke - Rebel Ceremony

And that's not including figures like Lobot or Tarkin or Uncle Owen who could stand a little tweaking here and there.

Main characters will continue to be the big part of the line. But I honestly don't see Hasbro going overboard on resculpts as much as they used to. (Personally, as someone who lived through the Vintage years with ONE Vader and ONE Chewie, I think you're all spoiled!)

[Scott]

I too am glad they are abandoning the weak resculpts in favor of reissues.  Their choice on some of the reissues are a little bit of a head scratch but that will probably change.

Uber accessorizing a new Tatooine Luke...

Poncho
Long Rifle
Lightsabre with Hilt
Stormtrooper Belt
Blue Milk Glass
Tools for Scraping R2
Droid Caller
Blast Shield Helmet
Training Remote
Blaster

And reissuing these figures over and over again would be fine with me...means I won't be tempted to buy another one ever again.  Does that make sense for Hasbro though?  Is the cost savings in design, production and the like made up in reduced sales from collectors who will buy one of every figure?

[Angry Ewok]

Because I'm fancy...
Figures I don't want to see anymore :

• Jar Jar - I hate Jar Jar, he has ruined the prequels, and every time I see his image, it reminds me of how much EP1 sucks as soon as he gets on-screen.
• Imperial Officer - Look, the dude has a crumpled up uniform, we've got 4 (?) head-sculpts in the same crappy uniform. I'm tired of all my death star officers looking like they're onboard a cramped submarine. NO MORE. Re-issue the 4 we have from time to time, but no more headsculpts.
• Ponda Boba - Two is enough.

Figures I want to see more of :

• Leia Boush Disguise - A great figure already, but it needs a POTJ update... that is, a really superb scult with tons of articulation.
• Han Solo in Carbonite - It's not too much to ask to have a carbonite block that is in-scale and lights up.
• Han Solo (Cantina) - Sure, it's a cool figure already (and one that I need in my collection, see my WTB list!), but it could use a better head-sculpt and more articulation.
• Old Ben Kenobi - Okay, the POTJ is great, but the head-sculpt isnt... I'd take a new head on the old body...
• Wicket, Logray, Paploo -> All deserve the Teebo update.

[MisterPL]

Is the cost savings in design, production and the like made up in reduced sales from collectors who will buy one of every figure?

That depends on who the market REALLY is.

If it's made up largely of adult collectors who will only buy one or two of everything, then Hasbro would not reap the benefits of completist collectors like me who are a sucker for every arbitrary resculpt. Basically this is the Vintage line all over again. Some collectors will buy the figure on every card it comes out with, others will be happy with just one and move on to the next costume change.

If your consumer base is made up of an ever-cycling rotation of kids, ala Power Rangers, who are constantly coming into and getting out of buying the toys like a revolving door demographic, then re-releasing the older figures for new fans makes perfect sense. However, I don't think that's the Star Wars scenario right now.

I believe the future of the line will include a MAJOR overhaul. Sometime around 2007, Hasbro will relaunch the Star Wars line with Power of the Force 3 featuring a line of fully poseable, fully accessorized, definitive 6" scale action figures. Basic figures will retail for $9.99, more obscure figures will be multi-packed with other core characters for $24.99 - $44.99. Emphasis will be on scale, authenticity, color, and articulation. There will be VERY few vehicles in this scale, probably only for the hardcore collectors due to high pricepoints, and playsets will be limited to small diorama type displays packaged as "deluxe" accessories.

I have seen it. It's all true.