Author Topic: 30AC Star Wars Comic Packs  (Read 263691 times)

Offline Darth Slothus

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Re: Marvel Comic and EU 2-Packs
« Reply #75 on: July 23, 2006, 02:46 PM »
Re: Han Stormtrooper

Does anyone who's been around since the beginning of POTF2 remember anything about Kenner/Hasbro, around the time of the Kellogg's Fruit Loops Hantrooper in '95/'96, saying that a Han Stormtrooper would never be made available in the basic line?

I can almost faintly recall reading something about this somewhere, possibly on a Fruit Loops box or something--but I might just be imagining it, too.

Just curious, because we've gotten several Hantroopers since then (Death Star Escape Cinema Scene, Wal-Mart Trash Compactor Screen Scene, and now this one), but never on a single card.  Just seems strange.

But there may be something to it.  Could they have made some deal with Kellogg's way back then that this guy would never be available by himself?

That rings a bell as well, but that was also ten years ago, contracts and agreements expire, so if there was an agreement, I'll bet it can be gotten around.


I think the way they technically get around Matthew's argument is by introducing a comic book based figure. If it were a movie accurate fig. then, they would be breaching a statement made earlier. I believe the statement was made on the mail-in form from Kellog's. Another way Hasbro could get around 'reneging' on the statement is in fact if a different company made the statement. Anyway I think it's BS anyway you look at and good point Matthew.

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Offline Darth Jaxx

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Re: Marvel Comic and EU 2-Packs
« Reply #76 on: July 23, 2006, 05:24 PM »
As a nearly 45 yr old collector, I fondly remember these depictions of Vader, Tarkin and the others in the old Marvel comics.
The colors had to be slightly tweaked by the artists... imagine a black armored Vader against a a black space background... that's why he was always presented in many different dark blue/purple shades in the comics. Sure, there was a bit of artistic "interpretation" involved... but it's the stuff I remember waiting month-by-month for back when I was a kid!
In the comics, Vader's lightsaber was actually a flaming sword and I hope one is included with Vader.
Same with the Stormie... a plain white character was too boring. So, it was 'spiced' up a bit!

To summarize... I love the idea of these Marvel EU figs!

Offline speedermike

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Re: Marvel Comic and EU 2-Packs
« Reply #77 on: July 23, 2006, 06:17 PM »
When I first saw these, I thought that they were terrible, but after seing averything else at Comicon, they're the only figures I really want.  I'm a 38 year old collector, and as a kid, those Marvel comics were read again and again as there was no home video in the day.

We did, however, in the summer of & '78, have a black and white Super 8 highlight reel of Star Wars that was about 4 minutes.  We got that out of the library and watched it oevr and over!
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Offline obi-dad

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Re: Marvel Comic and EU 2-Packs
« Reply #78 on: July 23, 2006, 10:02 PM »
I have to say I'm not that all impressed, though I don't buy EU anyway.   It is a pretty bad choice to finally go back to EU figures but do cheap repaints instead of characters/figures EU collectors have been asking for for years.  But, it's a way for Hasbro to be cheap, turn a profit (if sold) or "verify" that EU figures don't sell.

Next thing you know, they'll put out a piece of craptastic plastic/cardboard for a diorama playset and when it doesn't sell, confirm playsets aren't profitable.

Offline Matt R.

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Re: Marvel Comic and EU 2-Packs
« Reply #79 on: July 24, 2006, 03:23 AM »
I am not a fan for the EU 2-Packs, I am going to buy Stormtrooper Han because he is articulated and it looks great, I wish Stormtrooper Luke would have been in the same 2-Pack. as for the other 2-packs (Vader, Tarkin) BIG pass. they look good but not for me.

Offline Brian

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Re: Marvel Comic and EU 2-Packs
« Reply #80 on: July 24, 2006, 09:45 AM »
I don't mind these comic packs, although the Rebel Fleet Trooper just looks silly.  I remember the old Marvel comics, so I wouldn't mind seeing this line continue on a little bit too.  I've been wanting a SA Han Stormie (haven't we all), and I really hope that the red eyes on the helmet is the only problem with this figure (please no blue body paint).  I'm not overly interested outside of the Han/Chewie set, but I'll probably grab them all if funds allow.  The Han Stormie really is the gem of the wave though, so far, but the 2 pack idea has potential.  Although these are pretty much just repacks/repaints at this point, $10 for two figures and a comic is the closest to a "good deal" we've seen in the basic line in the past year or so :).

Offline ruiner

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Re: Marvel Comic and EU 2-Packs
« Reply #81 on: July 24, 2006, 10:20 AM »
Wow, I can't believe Hasbro was able to use existing molds again with this line!  They're neat, but are they worth buying again, but in different colors?

I guess so, I keep buying clones...(and purples one to boot)!   :P

Offline jono

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Re: Marvel Comic and EU 2-Packs
« Reply #82 on: July 24, 2006, 12:06 PM »
Never mind the EU angle ,these will be released for the 30th of "A New Hope".
And,as such, they are a nice little time capsule to a year of hysteria and wonderment. :)
« Last Edit: July 24, 2006, 12:07 PM by jono »

Offline Spectre

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Re: Marvel Comic and EU 2-Packs
« Reply #83 on: July 24, 2006, 10:05 PM »
I actually really like the idea behind these figures. This coming year is all about the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars, not just it's release as a film, but as the beginning of a cultural phenomenon that continues to this day so putting out action figures based on the original comic book representations of these characters is just one more facet of the overall Anniversary. As someone who is old enough to remember buying the original Marvel run every month, I think the day-glo retro '70's look is just plain fun. Marvel had to take some liberties with the stark black and white imagery to make it more dynamic for the 4-color page and also the lack of good reference material available to them at the time (the writer and artist doing the original adaptation were only shown an early workprint of the film- complete with the long lost Tattooine Biggs and other misisng scenes- and then given a black and white press book as their only references). If I didn't already have my mint copies of the original books, I'd probably grab the sets just for the comics (even recent reprints of these books are not all that cheap) and the figures are a bonus.

Before everyone goes all gloom and doom, look at the second assortment- 3 never before made figures and (most likely) only a single repaint. The 3 never before made figures are actually ones that fans have been asking for for years now. I'm sure we will see some more never before made figures (both from the Marvel run and more modern books) if this line continues. My guess is that this line will be used to sell figures that have been in development but that Hasbro was unsure about their retail potential as they are from sources that not everyone knows (Vos particularly has been rumored to be "in production" for quite some time). The EU is not known by everyone, but at least Hasbro is showing that they do have some level of appreciation for all of the different types of people that buy their products.

Hasbro has said that there will be no less than 12 of these sets next year. I bet that they will do Marvel issues #3-#6 to finish out the first film (this is a no-brainer and only brings the total of sets to 8, leaving 4 to go) and then move on to other (hopefully original) characters. With the overwhelming number of EU characters that were in the top 25 Fans' Choice poll, Hasbro knows that there is a demand for figures from beyond the films. Luckily, alot of the EU characters have appeared in the comics making it easier for Hasbro to have a vehicle to get them into fans' hands as I'm sure that "Novel Packs" would be alot more expensive to make, take up alot more room on the racks, and might actually turn people off since they cannot actually "see" the character they are buying unless Hasbro commissions a special cover with the figures featured on it anyway.

My only real hope is that by the time they get to "original" characters of Marvel's creation (and the Dark Horse characters- which should be fairly realistically colored anyway thanks to the much more modern style in which the DH books are done), they do them in the realistic fashion that the regular basic figures are done in so that I can pick them up and add them to my diorama. I can see doing the movie characters in the comic colors or else there is really no reason to do the Comic Packs except for giving today's kids cool reprints of long unavailable, just plain fun books. If they don't and the "original" characters are done in comic colors, then I'll just have to repaint them in their real world equivalent colors, that's all. No complaining, no crying, just alittle time with a paintbrush :)

BTW- Tarken would make an awsome Hydra Officer (or Troopers in multiples with a masked head!) for any "Marvel Legends Showdown" collectors!
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Online Rob

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Re: Marvel Comic and EU 2-Packs
« Reply #84 on: July 24, 2006, 10:46 PM »
I'm going to buy one of the Han Stormtroopers and paint (maybe use a sharpie?) the red stuff black.

Then I'm not going to buy any of the rest.

I'm officially no longer a completist - and it's liberating.  Thank you Hasbro, for making so much stuff that I really really don't feel like shelling out money for lately.
« Last Edit: July 24, 2006, 10:46 PM by Rob »

Offline Darth_Anton

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Re: Marvel Comic and EU 2-Packs
« Reply #85 on: July 25, 2006, 11:18 AM »
I'm going to buy one of the Han Stormtroopers and paint (maybe use a sharpie?) the red stuff black.


I was thinking of doing the same thing, but, you know they're going to release a normal version eventually. :P
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Online Rob

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Re: Marvel Comic and EU 2-Packs
« Reply #86 on: July 25, 2006, 11:18 AM »
You're right.  You just saved me another 12 dollars.

I'm saving money left and right next year!

Offline JediMAC

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Re: Marvel Comic and EU 2-Packs
« Reply #87 on: July 25, 2006, 12:11 PM »
I'll have to get out my old comics and flip through them before these sets come out, so that I'll hopefully acquire a taste for them.  Heck, I think it'd be more fun to do some of the bizarre EU characters from those old comics as well, like that freaky deaky green rabbit...  What was his name again, Jaxx?

Otherwise, these marvel figures just look kinda bizarre to me at this point, as if a kid took his colored markers to his Star Wars figures.  There's just a lot of other comic material to choose from that would've made for better figures I think.  But I these stick with the theme of rehashes, as well as celebrating the 30th anniversary of the line.  Oh well...

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Re: Marvel Comic and EU 2-Packs
« Reply #88 on: July 25, 2006, 12:50 PM »
If Hasbro really wants to do EU, they should pick a story (NJO would probably be the best for sales) and make a series, 20 figures or more... on nice packaging... make Vong warriors, Jedi Knights, Luke, Leia, and Han.... they could even do Chewbacca ...etc...

It could be awesome.

Instead, they pick a few figures from all over the place that they can get onto shelves with little or no effort (repaints) and the product looks lame.


Offline ruiner

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Re: Marvel Comic and EU 2-Packs
« Reply #89 on: July 25, 2006, 05:49 PM »
The thing about these sets is that they LOOK like rehashes. 

With the TSC (and OTC) lines, the rehashes were somewhat decent because they were either A.) kit bashes of decent figures that made the "new" figure better or B.) existing figures with improved paint ops.

I think we're getting near the bottom of the barrel when we start painting "shadows" on Darth Vader and red highlights on stormtroopers.

I mean look at the Chewbacca compared to the comic.  There's really nothing EU about him (or any of the other figures) for that matter!
« Last Edit: July 25, 2006, 05:50 PM by ruiner »