Hasbro Q&A Sessions

[CHEWIE]

Well, the Pride Displays were a nice concept Adam, but priced at what they were for something that was nothing more than a shelf is why they bombed.  There was no movie accuracy with those.  I do agree that Hasbro is wise to farm this out to another company, as we know that if Hasbro were to attempt something like this, they'd bomb.  They don't seem to realize that with these sort of items people want movie accuracy and should be targeting adult collectors, which is the only way I can ever see something like this being successful.

With what Sideshow might be doing here, I'm going to be optimistic and will not dismiss what they are doing without seeing a single pic.  Regarding the price, if something is around $100-$200, and it's well done, count me in.  I understand that's not for everyone, but even given the many dollars I've already spent on some very nice custom playsets, I'm still not going to complain even if Sideshow tops some of the items that I've bought.  I say kudos to Sideshow if they are going to try and capitalize on the market.  $17.00 figures is extreme like you said, but comparing the possibilty of Sideshow playsets to the Hasbro $5-$7 price point on figures versue $17 exclusives is like comparing apples to oranges.  It almost sounds as if you think that companies like Sideshow are a failure because they aren't as big as Hasbro and market their product differently.

Anyways, like Jeff said, I'm sure some people are going to find something to whine about if these do come out, even if they are awesome. 

[Jesse James]

Awesome + outrageously cost prohibitive for most Collectors = logical reason to "whine", at least the last time I looked.  It's all about your reasoning.  I don't think Jeff was exactly trashing the people who cite a complaint with a reason behind it there...  That's the actual nature of discussion.  Some won't like price, some won't like articulation, some won't like pack-in or whatever other reason...  And some do like it completely.  It's a mix.

I want a full suit of Stormtrooper armor to put on display...  But not at the price people want for said armor on the interwebs.  That is my fear with these.  SS has it in their power to do something nice for a nice price, without a doubt, but the question is; will they do it with the playsets, or will it be something most people get stickershock from? 

I don't know what my threshold will be on these if they happen...  For me, I would have to see first what kind of quality we're getting (separate piece counts, size, decoration/detailing, etc., etc.), then the price that accompanies it...  Will it include moving parts like doors or whatnot?

Then at some point there's just a lot of crap I can't afford (or justify even if I can afford it).  I loves me some FX Sabers, but I buy them cheap only.  If these are $200 sets, regardless of how great they may be, I doubt I'd commit on them... 

Lot of variables for me.  I'm interested...  Intrigued...  But I'm by no means "thrilled"...  yet.

[CHEWIE]

For me, I would have to see first what kind of quality we're getting (separate piece counts, size, decoration/detailing, etc., etc.), then the price that accompanies it... 

And that is what we should all be waiting for. 

There's a lot of things I'd like to have to, beyond Star Wars collecting.  But we have to set limits on ourselves.   

 

[Brian]

This is definitely interesting news, and if nothing else, it shows that playsets are indeed on Hasbro's radar.  We'll have to see how this turns out.  Like some others though, price will be an issue for me, regardless of how spiffy they turn out.  I just don't have the budget for the higher priced stuff.  It also depends how they are done (modular?), and how many we get each year.  I mean, if the only "big" set for the year was a Death Star playset/environment, and I had a year to save up for it, that would help.  Really though, like its been mentioned, its hard to comment too much because we really don't know what these will be.  And, with Sideshow, I do hope they aren't impossible to get.  I've only gotten one of their 12" figures, so I can't complain, but I don't want to have to sit at the computer for a specific 5 minute time period on a certain day to be able to have the opportunity to preorder the playset that I want.  Hopefully it will be easier than that too.  Anyways, good news that playsets are at least being discussed.

[JediJman]

FYI if you read Hasbro Q&A they will not be doing any Vinatge figures..there goes a really great Dengar to round out the bounty hunters.

They are done with the vintage line for good?  Where was this posted? 

[Jeff]

Hasbro is not done with the Vintage line for good.

All they have confirmed is that 2008 will be like 2005 in that they will be doing the Evolution sets instead of a "Vintage" wave.

From Q&A sessions over the last few weeks:

"We like the Vintage figures, and can say for certain only that there will be more vintage at some point but don't have any details... We just need to figure out where it makes sense to plan for the next wave when we have an opportunity."

"We don't have any concrete answers yet on the future of Vintage... There is no set date for when we'll see the next wave - right now, Evolutions is our premium-format focus for next year."

"There will not be another vintage-style line in 2008, because we are dedicating those resources and tool budget toward developing the Evolutions reintroduction. We certainly hope to pick up vintage further down the road, and the polls we conducted recently have informed our thinking for when we do bring it back out."

[jedi_master_sal]

can't we just be happy that this might actually be happening rather than already finding something to complain about?

Sorry, that's not how the internet works.  Everyone knows that as soon as something is announced (playsets, Willrow Hood, whatever), at least 50% of the collectors will find some reason to hate it - price, exclusivity, articulation, accessories - it can be anything.

Half will say "Yay!  Our hours of complaining on the internet were heard" while half will say "They cost too much" or "They are too hard to get".

Just the way it has always been... and no doubt the way it will always be.

Yeah, sorry Jeff and Chewie. Really I'd be happy if playsets get made, but it really does matter to who does them and how muych they will cost. Looking at Adam's post...

Hasbro's considering some means to bring out playsets?

Maybe creating wishlists and asking Hasbro about playsets a few times in the Q&A's wasn't such a burden on the community after all.

If this comes to fruition, and regarding through which avenue they are sold, can't we just be happy that this might actually be happening rather than already finding something to complain about?

Ordinarily I'm the cheerleader with the big smile and pom-poms, but seeing what Sideshow charges for its current environments ($80 for the Space Worm cave from ESB), and how the Retrobilia Pride Displays worked out (clearance for $60 plastic environments) I have to say that I think Hasbro is probably smart to pass the buck to another company so they don't get burned. 

Given Sideshow doesn't really make its product widely available in stores and they price things for the kind of collector that a lot of us aren't-- which is to say, the kind that balk at $17 figures-- I can't say I'd be optimistic about a toy category being farmed out to the makers of some of the most authentic and expensive collectibles available today.

He's right. Sideshow does some nice work, but their limited releases of "playsets" are already priced out of the market for the average collector/kid/parent.

I honestly believe we need to see these at retail for them to succeed and for us to have any chance at getting the many different sets we'd like to see.

For the sake of it, I'll also "argue" the point of why Hasbro should not make the playsets.
It's obvious with just a little browsing on several mamjor collecting sites that people are more than displeased with Hasbro's efforts in playsets. Most feel playsets should be more  detailed, movie accurate. That's something Hasbro just can't do for the price most of us want to pay for them.

No doubts SSC can do and awesome job of detail, but the cost factor most likely, given what they've already manufactired and released is going to keep this subline from being a runaway success.

So the key to this is do we want TOY playsets that cost less and would be less detailed, yet available to everyone, OR do we want highly detailed sets at high prices that will take much longer to afford and collect for the average collector, with hardly any kid/parent support in the way of dollars spent?

Personaly I'd rather them be toy sets. I can add to them as I want.
I want these to be affordable and available to anyone who wants them for a reasonable price for the average consumer, not just collector.

I'll reserve judgement fully on SSC's efforts to make playsets, until we've seen them and know their pricepoints, however, I'm not overly optimistic that they can achieve what the market as a whole desires.

[ruiner]

Weird that they'd let Medicom do Uzay figures but not Hasbro...

[Adam_Pawlus]

<snip>

With what Sideshow might be doing here, I'm going to be optimistic and will not dismiss what they are doing without seeing a single pic.  Regarding the price, if something is around $100-$200, and it's well done, count me in.  I understand that's not for everyone, but even given the many dollars I've already spent on some very nice custom playsets, I'm still not going to complain even if Sideshow tops some of the items that I've bought.  I say kudos to Sideshow if they are going to try and capitalize on the market.  $17.00 figures is extreme like you said, but comparing the possibilty of Sideshow playsets to the Hasbro $5-$7 price point on figures versue $17 exclusives is like comparing apples to oranges.  It almost sounds as if you think that companies like Sideshow are a failure because they aren't as big as Hasbro and market their product differently.

Anyways, like Jeff said, I'm sure some people are going to find something to whine about if these do come out, even if they are awesome. 

No, I just don't like high-end stuff.  I'm a low-end collector, as I presume a great many action figure fans are.   Yes, a $17 figure is not a Sideshow item, but if people are going to complain about a $17 action figure, and figure-scale playsets are compatible products being sold to a similar audience, seeing an item go for four to five times what a customer might expect could mean it's not necessarily unpopular... it's just seeing its audience getting more selective.

Based on their other diorama pieces, I don't have high hopes unless they aim to go back to the mass market like they did when they started selling stuff in Targets many moons ago.  The $80 space slug doesn't sit well with me.

[CHEWIE]

I see what you're saying Adam.  I guess I'm just thrilled that something could be happening on the playset front.  Maybe we'll see Sideshow go with a pricepoint of $50-$75 for some modular sections, I don't know.  But modular seems to make the most sense since like you are saying, a lot of people won't want to fork over a ton of dough for these things.  Maybe for the more casual opener/etc., they'll be willing to spend $50.00 on something if it's a decent piece.  I'm definitely hoping for modular sections when doable, because a $200 or higher playset will sting for a lot of us including myself (but I'd pay it).

For example, take the Carbon Freeze playset that Hasbro made in the POTJ era. Not bad for $20 - $25, but I'd think that Sideshow could make something of comparable size for around $50.00 that was a lot more detailed (not saying that a properly done Carbon Freeze Chamber could be done for under $150.00 though).  But hopefully what I'm trying to say comes across right - say for example this room by Owen D - I use Owen's dioramas for reference all of the time because not only have I commissioned many pieces from him and seen first hand the quality of work, but also since I don't know of anyone else who has made so many examples like this -



I'd think that something like that, similar to the Carbon Chamber in size, could be made by a company like Sideshow for a fair price tag.  More expensive than Hasbro, but at the same time, looking more film accurate than something we typically see from Hasbro on the playset/diorama front.

Anyways, jedi_master_sal , I didn't mean to point any fingers at you in my little rant.  But I do think that something from Sideshow would be better than nothing at all... ideally we'd see maybe a mix of offerings, some from Sideshow that are more niched towards the collectors, while Hasbro could release a few more pieces for the kids/more casual collectors. 

But I definitely think there's a good enough size market for these sort of things.  If Sideshow and other companies can consistently sell more high scale items such as statues, props, etc, then I see no reason why high scaled playsets wouldn't see as well if marketed towards the right niche in the market, as the 3-3/4" line is still the bread and butter of Star Wars collecting. 

I know there's people that disagree with me on this, but I do think that at some point we are going to see something like this come to fruition. 

[Jeff]

The latest Hasbro QnA has been posted.

- "no comment" on any recall-related price increases in 2008
- future TIE upgrades?
- More Wookiees in 2008?

[Jesse James]

Good news on the Wookiee figure(s), IMO.  I really believe that's a great figure that was overlooked for re-release in 2007, so I'll take more if they change up the paint aps on him.  I'd like some dark (black furred?) Wookiees, maybe a  little striping on a brown one?  Love that figure...  Bummed that the head isn't getting resculpted though.

Would like to see a smaller size sculpt at some point too, but equally articulated.  The basic line Wookiee was a disappointment to me, and not as appealing then to army build despite the 3 color variants on him. 

[Nicklab]

I was reading through JTA's Q&A roundup and noticed a disturbing trend in this week's Q&A.  One question predictably wound up being submitted from a number of sites.  That was about the Battle of Hoth Ultra Battle Pack, and it was answered with a resounding series of "No comments" from Hasbro.

But the other thing that was REALLY annoying?  Apparently one forum user at Jedi Insider, Rebelscum and Sandtroopers wound up having the EXACT SAME QUESTION submitted by ALL THREE SITES.  The wording in the question is pretty much identical from all three of those sites.  It's bordering on ridiculous.  It certainly begs the question that perhaps the collecting sites should pool their resources and collaborate on who asks what in a given week.  But given the competitive nature of the news people at the sites that are involved in the process it's very unlikely to happen.

[evenflow]

Yeah i agree about the same questions being asked. Sucks becuase it gets us less answers.

I am pretty happy with this answer from SW Collector:


"QUESTION:  With a new Max Rebo Band set coming out, could we finally be close to getting a figure of Jabba's palace dancer Yarna del' Gargan?

ANSWER:  She's on the short list of ones we would like to do next, but we have not confirmed so. Hopefully by 2009."

[Sprry75]

The redundant questions did, as did the Target "no comments."

Although, reading a bit between the lines, I got the impression that the Hoth battle pack we've seen is taking the Holiday exclusive place of last year's Imperial Shuttle.  Similar price point, similar cool repack concept.