Author Topic: Wal-Mart "Early Bird" Exclusive  (Read 110116 times)

Offline Pete_Fett

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Re: Wal-Mart "Early Bird" Exclusive
« Reply #90 on: March 30, 2005, 04:21 PM »
I just don't think we are going to get obscure figures like Porkins, Lt Faytonni, Ach Med Beg, etc.  However, I can see them still making Admiral Piett, Bossk, AT-AT Driver or even a Dignitary.  I am almost sure we'll get Luke in almost every outfilt.  Same with Han and Leia. 

re: Obscure chracters... that's true, but I'd settle for really great versions of Tarkin, Wedge, 4-LOM and Zuckuss and I'll be happy...

Besides who the heck needed Lt. Faytonni and Ach Med Beq anyway? I got 'em but only 'cause I'm a completist. But if you look at the article the Insider did on the Outlander club from AOTC, there are WAY more interesting looking characters that could have been done from that sequence instead!
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Offline Nathan

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Re: Wal-Mart "Early Bird" Exclusive
« Reply #91 on: March 30, 2005, 04:47 PM »
If they are "rebooting" the line and starting over symbolically with the Luke, Leia, R2 and Chewie - I hope (for sanity's sake), when they do this, it means that they're going to handle the line a bit more like it was handled during the vintage days.

There was only ONE Tatooine Luke from ANH - sure he got re-released under the ESB and ROTJ banners, but there was never a second, third, fourth, etc... sculpt of the figure.

I would be happy if they use this line to put stakes in the ground and say "This is the ultimate Tatooine Luke and we'll never make another version of Luke in this outfit." If done with the right amount of accessories (long rifle, floppy hat, tan poncho, swappable belts (black vs. Stormtrooper) , binoculars, imperial blaster and lightsaber (lit and unlit)) and a high-level of articulation (at least 15 points) -- then I'd be okay with that.

If you think about it this would help the line survive the longest. Constantly re-issue the exact same figure in the exact same packaging and your profit margin goes up....................

My thoughts exactly, Pete. Get one or two definitive sculpts of core characters and recard them endlessly in a perpetual Hall of Fame assortment. This would free up a lot of production space and shelf space for bit players and background aliens--as well as repacks of some harder-to-find figures--red ARC, Holo Sidious, etc. (I just keep banging away on my Holo Sidious drum don't I? ;))
« Last Edit: March 30, 2005, 06:16 PM by Valin Kenobi »
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Offline John C

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Re: Wal-Mart "Early Bird" Exclusive
« Reply #92 on: March 30, 2005, 05:42 PM »
http://www.hasbro.com/starwars/pl/page.retailer_promos/sub.wm/dn/default.cfm

It looks like the EB set has vintage reproductions and not new figures if you read this page.

Offline DoctorPadawan

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Re: Wal-Mart "Early Bird" Exclusive
« Reply #93 on: March 30, 2005, 06:46 PM »
Okay, first of all, I have to say it:

IN BEFORE GNT STARTS THE OFFICIAL EARLY BIRD CHECKLIST (if he has not done so already; if he hasn't, I'll give a shiny new nickel to the first person who starts such a checklist on the RS forums)  :D

And on to the (relatively) serious stuff:  If Hasbro relaunches SW for the new year, I'm going to be simultaneously irritated and relieved.  Irritated because they will (most likely) begin ignoring the background stuff and/or things that we've been asking for for several years and concentrating on the main characters.  Don't get me wrong, I would love a SA/Ultimate Maul/Jango/Qui-Gon/etc, but at the same time, part of what has made the line such a success (in my opinion) is the large variety of characters available.  It's why (in my opinion) lines like SW, GI Joe, and Marvel Legends succeed while the Batman lines continually fail: Mattel (like Hasbro before them) makes 50 million versions of Batman and one villain per wave. 

I'm also going to be irritated because (and this is based on the assumption that this will be an "Ultimate" line where the figures cannot be improved upon) Hasbro will start out doing a great job on the figures (along the lines of Pete's suggestion), but will gradually stop putting forth the effort.  We need look no further than the VOTC, where Threepio seemed like an "Oh ****, we forgot to do Threepio" type of figure that was done at the last moment.   Or (and this is again based on photos), as with the ROTS line, we'll start out getting Bail Organa-esque posability and we'll eventually wind up with Captain Antilles POTF2 statues.  Hasbro is like a child these days: they are interested in something for ten minutes and then something cooler catches their attention and they couldn't care less about the original thing.

The relief would come from the hopes that they would do these figures in a completely new scale and the 4" line would end.  While I would be pissed off that they would not have completed the big holes in my collection (Sith Infiltrator, about 15 different Padmes, a decent young and old Owen and a young Beru, a Cloud Car, etc), at the same time, I would not follow this line (from a completist standpoint) to a new scale and if they went bigger (size-wise), it would save me a lot of money, which would in turn, give me a lot of relief.  I would still collect the Unleashed line (unless Hasbro decides to abandon it to devote more time to the by then hugely popular Force Battlers*), but if they went to a new scale, it would be a pick and choose situation for me. 

The thing that I find completely ridiculous about all this is that Hasbro hasn't even released a clear statement and/or photos of what these four figures for the Early Bird set look like.  With their present mindset, I wouldn't be surprised for Hasbro to start out spreading rumors that these would be part of a new line, only for them to abandon plans for that line completely and end up shipping everyone either Vintage repros of those four, or the VOTC versions in a white mailer box.  Then they could say, "We never said what versions they would be, you guys just drew your own conclusions."

And also, have they actually said how long people will have to wait for these figures once they mail in their certificates?

*complete and total sarcasm, in case you couldn't tell.   ;D

Offline Jim

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Re: Wal-Mart "Early Bird" Exclusive
« Reply #94 on: March 30, 2005, 06:47 PM »
http://www.hasbro.com/starwars/pl/page.retailer_promos/sub.wm/dn/default.cfm

It looks like the EB set has vintage reproductions and not new figures if you read this page.

Fortuneately there is no writing on the wall that these are reproductions of the vintage figs.  Hasbro released the vintage redos with the rebirth of the POTF line in 95 and as far as I am concerned it failed miserably. Plus it was pointed out that these figs will lead to the next series of new figs of classic characters from all 6 films.  If Hasbro decided to start doing figs of the vintage mold it would fail badly.  What kid nowadays would want a fig with the details of the vintage days?  None.  That nostalga only lies with vintage collectors.  And as one I have no use for them.  The only vintage repro I would ever consider would be figs that should of been in the day. 

I think everyone is on the same page as far as background characters.  Zuckuss, Piett, Wedge, Greedo have alot more pull then figs like Faytonni, Boshek or R-3PO.  With SW characters I always found 3 ways to layer characters.  Core, Memorable and Background.
« Last Edit: March 30, 2005, 06:50 PM by rebeltrader »

Offline Jim

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Re: Wal-Mart "Early Bird" Exclusive
« Reply #95 on: March 30, 2005, 06:53 PM »

The thing that I find completely ridiculous about all this is that Hasbro hasn't even released a clear statement and/or photos of what these four figures for the Early Bird set look like. 

When the original early bird was released I dont think pics of the four figs existed.  They were still in either the development stage or proto stage.  Any one know ???

Offline Paul

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Re: Wal-Mart "Early Bird" Exclusive
« Reply #96 on: March 30, 2005, 07:35 PM »
I am approaching this with Guarded Optimism.

After cancelling GI Joe out of nowhere and giving the Yu-GI-Joe Sigma Six, When I heard re-launch I got very nervous.  But with the assurance of the line staying to scale, unless they go to the Animated "Style" that the Clone Wars figures are, then I can definately see getting the figures.  If they are the "Definatives" or "ultimates" as speculated above....then it is a dream come true.  I just wonder what the "Stars" or "Core" figures will be....I hope the first 12 for sure.

Ultimate Tusken Raider, Jawa, Death Squad Commander and Stormtrooper....where's that drooling Icon from the Top 5 hotties when I need it....

Plus as a purely OT collector, the EB sets give me a chance to get OT figures this year!!!!
« Last Edit: March 30, 2005, 07:36 PM by pmundheim »

Offline evenflow

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Re: Wal-Mart "Early Bird" Exclusive
« Reply #97 on: March 30, 2005, 07:48 PM »
I have no idea what to think anymore. I dont know if i can afford a relaunch. I dont even know if i want to buy everything all over again. This is just terrible.
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Offline Ben

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Re: Wal-Mart "Early Bird" Exclusive
« Reply #98 on: March 30, 2005, 11:52 PM »
IF the line carries on in 2006 as SA figures that are the definitive versions, I'd stick around for that.

If every figure that comes out of that line is up to VOTC Han, Fett, and Stormtrooper standards, I'd be very happy with that.
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Offline JesseVader08

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Re: Wal-Mart "Early Bird" Exclusive
« Reply #99 on: March 31, 2005, 12:33 AM »
IF the line carries on in 2006 as SA figures that are the definitive versions, I'd stick around for that.

And we'd hate to lose you too.

 :)

Offline JesseVader08

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Re: Wal-Mart "Early Bird" Exclusive
« Reply #100 on: March 31, 2005, 12:41 AM »
So Hasbro officially announced the Early Bird set, but they still don't tell us what the figures are going to look like.  My guess is they haven't even got a clue yet.  They threw this together and are going to rely on sales of ROTS figures to determine whether or not the line will keep going.

Offline Pete_Fett

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Re: Wal-Mart "Early Bird" Exclusive
« Reply #101 on: March 31, 2005, 09:18 AM »
So Hasbro officially announced the Early Bird set, but they still don't tell us what the figures are going to look like.  My guess is they haven't even got a clue yet.  They threw this together and are going to rely on sales of ROTS figures to determine whether or not the line will keep going.

Unfortunately, this is probably the REAL story right now unfortunately.

I would not be surprised to hear that Hasbro has found great success from retailers with speculative purchasing of the Sigma Six line for GI Joe and as such they are applying the same mentality to the Star Wars toy line.

For me, a scale change would signal my exit - while I absolutely LOVE Star Wars, the exact same thing that happened with the Star Trek line will happen to Star Wars - the "new" line will FAIL - just like Art Asylum's far superior (but out of scale with the Playmates line) Star Trek figures did/has.

I think if ROTS sells well and retailers are pleased they will continue to be willing to support Hasbro making a 3-3/4" line. If the retailers are NOT pleased with the performance of ROTS then Hasbro will NEED to change almost EVERYTHING about the toy line in order to try to get the toy buyers to "bite".

I will still buy as many as three Early Bird kits come Saturday morning and send away for two of these sets (keeping the third EB package mint) -- if the figures I get back are 3-3/4", I'll be happy, I'll be happy even if they are simply VOTC in a white mailer box, at least to me it indicates the direction the line is heading.
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Offline Simdog

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Re: Wal-Mart "Early Bird" Exclusive
« Reply #102 on: March 31, 2005, 09:56 AM »
Some people are saying that these figures will be VOTC. I don't think so. The whole concept of the "Early bird" is to reserve the figures early or before the figures are done. What is "Early" about getting VOTC figures?

Also, Luke, Leia, R2 and, at some places, 3PO are still readily available. I was sort of hoping that they will be "classic reproductions of the 1977 figures". I already have them all but it would be cool to get them all in mint condition. However, Hasbro's site said that the line would include all 6 movies so I know they won't do vintage styled PT figures.

Offline Pete_Fett

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Re: Wal-Mart "Early Bird" Exclusive
« Reply #103 on: March 31, 2005, 10:14 AM »
Also, Luke, Leia, R2 and, at some places, 3PO are still readily available. I was sort of hoping that they will be "classic reproductions of the 1977 figures". I already have them all but it would be cool to get them all in mint condition. However, Hasbro's site said that the line would include all 6 movies so I know they won't do vintage styled PT figures.

My problem with vintage figure reproductions is that it will surely put the rest of the nails in the coffin of this line.

No kid out there wants a figure that looks like it was sculpted, made and painted using 1970's technology. They just don't.

I loved my vintage Star Wars figures when I was a kid, but I'll take my 1995-2005 figures ANYDAY over the vintage ones if I had a choice - they just LOOK BETTER. Quality beats out nostalgia anyday in my book.
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Offline Simdog

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Re: Wal-Mart "Early Bird" Exclusive
« Reply #104 on: March 31, 2005, 10:31 AM »
I agree, the new figures are much better but, we have already agreed that collectors keep the line going more than the kids do (although hasbro hates to admit it) plus, if hasbro is going to keep on pumping out Tatooine Lukes, Cantina Hans and white goen Leias then I would rather go for the repros.