Author Topic: Clone Wars General Battle Pack Thread  (Read 62463 times)

Offline shmashwitdaclub

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Re: Clone Wars General Battle Pack Thread
« Reply #45 on: December 23, 2010, 09:26 PM »
that Death Watch Pack needs to show back up somewhere.  I was sure I would nab it on sale some place and that never happened...

Offline Scockery

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Re: Clone Wars General Battle Pack Thread
« Reply #46 on: December 23, 2010, 10:33 PM »
Very hard to find. I lucked out and saw one and got it on sale over a month ago. Haven't seen it since. The Mandalorian stuff appeals to both collectors and kids (and scalpers). I've seen the deluxe pack just a few times, but I've yet to see the single card Death Watch Mando (which is the same as the battle pack, I think).

Offline DoctorPadawan

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Re: Clone Wars General Battle Pack Thread
« Reply #47 on: December 27, 2010, 10:22 AM »
So, with the price of Battle Packs up to 28 bucks at my TRU, it is time to go over this again, merely for the sake of posterity:

2008:  Hasbro states that, due to the economy and the need to keep Battle Packs at their affordable 20 dollar price point, packs will now include 4 figures rather than the 5 figures that we've been used to since the packs were first introduced in 2005.  The first pack to show this overtly is the "Shield Generator Assault" figure which dropped a second Imperial Officer figure.

2009:  Battle Pack prices increase at most retailers to between 23-25 dollars despite the dropping of the fifth figure.  Strangely enough, those same packs seem to be including less value despite the price increases, most notably in packs with "larger" items included (i.e. 1 Gunship turret with 2 figures; the unarticulated and arguably uninteresting Gelagrub with Felucia Clone).  Hasbro blames the economy.

2010:  Hasbro announces that the majority of Battle Packs will now feature 100% repacks, although some will still include newer figures.  Again, strangely enough, the majority of these repacks are figures that are already on the pegs in other assortments in different/better versions or, in some cases the exact same figure.  And, once again, retailers jack up the price to 25 bucks even (WM and Target), even going up to 28 bucks at TRU.  Cue Hasbro's "It's the economy, stupid" excuse any minute now.

As a collector, I'd rather see the BPs just go away completely or become unique retailer exclusives (ala the Target CW 4 packs this past fall) with new or redecoed figures instead of endless repacks.  But, the point remains that, as part of what Hasbro has repeatedly claimed is a "kid-focused" item at an "affordable price point", right now the BPs are failing miserably.  You can literally buy 4 figures at WM, better versions of the same characters, even, for the same price or less than you can buy the BPs at TRU.  Sure, some of the Battle Packs with "new" figures are great (I've gotten more of the Mandalorian Warrior packs than I care to admit in public, and the Anti-Hailfire Droid set is a really nice set), but paying 28 bucks for Anakin/Obi-Wan/Dooku/Ventress in one box is quite simply a rip-off.

Oh well, at least they're not putting one figure that people really want to get in with three figures that people already have in abundance anymore.  Huh?  "Orto Plutonia"?  I stand corrected.   :-\

Offline McMetal

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Re: Clone Wars General Battle Pack Thread
« Reply #48 on: December 27, 2010, 10:57 AM »
Yeah, I would definitely prefer that they stop making BP's that are 100% re-packs. I loathe buying these, even at the cheaper prices. I would love to see these revert to store exclusives like the Target ones last Fall. Those were sweet.

At this point, I am happy with less product, and more emphasis on all new stuff.
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Offline Scockery

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Re: Clone Wars General Battle Pack Thread
« Reply #49 on: December 27, 2010, 12:45 PM »
But...but...they added BATTLE MATS!

It's like those vinyl playmats cowboy and army sets I got when I was young, printed on terrain is so much fun.  :P

Dr. P, You forgot to mention Hasbro saying that $20 was the standard gift  point for boys, the Battle Packs being a gift set aimed at parents/etc. buying presents for birthdays/etc.

Also worth noting that the single carded figures often include more accessories than their battle pack releases. Ahsoka with Rotta the Hutt vs. Ahsoka with just a lightsaber.

Offline Pete_Fett

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Re: Clone Wars General Battle Pack Thread
« Reply #50 on: December 27, 2010, 05:00 PM »
Yeah, I would definitely prefer that they stop making BP's that are 100% re-packs. I loathe buying these, even at the cheaper prices. I would love to see these revert to store exclusives like the Target ones last Fall. Those were sweet.

At this point, I am happy with less product, and more emphasis on all new stuff.

Agreed - and if I wasn't also trying to secure an open complete set of all Clone Wars Battle Game Cards - I could totally skip the rip-off Anakin/Obi-Wan/Dooku/Ventress BPs to open as well...

What I find amazing is that the Battle Packs have now risen to twice the price of the Comic 2-packs. With the Comic 2-packs, I got two figures and a comic - and minimally 1/2 the figures in the set was something I didn't mind having in my collection, but most of the time, both figures were great additions.

With Battlepacks most of the time only one out of the four figures is something I wanted/needed and sometimes it's even zero of the figures in the pack. Sure there is a rare set like the ARC Troopers or the Mando Warriors or the Anti-Hailfire Droid Squad or the Clones vs. Droids set or even the Target Battlepacks this past fall, but beyond that, everything else has been a purchase motivated by MIB collection completeness.

Just like if a comic pack was guaranteed to have at least 1 figure that was mostly new, I think the battle packs should have at least 2 figures that are mostly new. Especially with the fact that they now sell for $24+ regardless of where you shop.
« Last Edit: December 27, 2010, 05:03 PM by Pete_Fett »
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Offline JediJman

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Re: Clone Wars General Battle Pack Thread
« Reply #51 on: January 4, 2011, 09:00 AM »
Does anyone have a definitive list of all the Clone Wars Battle Packs released in the '10/'11 dark blue packaging?  Here's what I was able to compile, but I'm sure there are more...

CW Mandos Battle Pack
CW ARC Troopers Battle Pack
CW The Hidden Enemy (Target)
CW Hostage Crisis (Target)
Anti-Hailfire Droid Squad
Clones and Droids
Orto Plutonia (TRU)
Rishi Outpost Attack (Repack)
Army of the Republic (Repacks?)
Jedi Showdown (Repack)
Holocron Heist (Repack)

Corrected.  Thanks!
« Last Edit: January 4, 2011, 10:25 PM by JediJman »
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Offline McMetal

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Re: Clone Wars General Battle Pack Thread
« Reply #52 on: January 4, 2011, 09:40 AM »
Think you pretty much nailed it there.

Orto Plutonia was not actually a TRU exclusive, they are just the only ones who seem to stock it for some reason.

Jury is still out on Army of the Republic too, although all signs point to this being another lame repack.
(edit: there is a new packaged photo of this up now at EE, still too small to tell for sure if this is all repack swag: http://www.entertainmentearth.com/prodinfo.asp?number=HS94743D11)

Only thing I can think of that you could conceivably add to that list would be the Euro-exclusive "Warriors & Droids" set, but that is technically a multi-pack and good luck finding one outside of Toy Palace. (For some reason they want $85 for a repack of 6 figures, still don't get the math on that one)
« Last Edit: January 4, 2011, 10:45 AM by McMetal »
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Offline Pete_Fett

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Re: Clone Wars General Battle Pack Thread
« Reply #53 on: January 4, 2011, 06:41 PM »
Jury is still out on Army of the Republic too, although all signs point to this being another lame repack.
(edit: there is a new packaged photo of this up now at EE, still too small to tell for sure if this is all repack swag: http://www.entertainmentearth.com/prodinfo.asp?number=HS94743D11)

I'm willing to bet it's probably more of a "repaint" kind of Battlepack instead of a straight-up repack - the Stone/Goji/Draa clone body with new unit markings.
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Offline Greg

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Re: Clone Wars General Battle Pack Thread
« Reply #54 on: February 12, 2011, 08:31 PM »
Did anyone else find the absence of BPs at Toy Fair to be kinda odd? I'd be shocked if they were cancelled, but I wouldn't be too surprised if they are on hiatus while those Blu-Ray 4-packs are out.

Offline Scockery

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Re: Clone Wars General Battle Pack Thread
« Reply #55 on: February 12, 2011, 08:39 PM »
I was wondering that, too.

They'd sell like hot cakes if they shipped the Mando and ARC sets in real quantities. I saw the Mando one once, the ARC one maybe 3 times.

Offline McMetal

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Re: Clone Wars General Battle Pack Thread
« Reply #56 on: February 12, 2011, 09:03 PM »
Yes, great call...I thought this was very odd too. They could at least have shown us the Army of the Republic BP due out next.

Maybe worth a question in the next Q&A.
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: Clone Wars General Battle Pack Thread
« Reply #57 on: February 12, 2011, 11:22 PM »
I think Hasbro's holding some stuff back for SDCC where the media tie-ins maybe play a larger role in how they show things off.  I think Clone Wars will outweigh Vintage come Summer's unveiling of crap then.  Battlepacks may be there then, and I doubt they're improved much though the ARC ones were nice.
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Offline Jeff

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Re: Clone Wars General Battle Pack Thread
« Reply #58 on: February 13, 2011, 09:55 PM »
I wouldn't be too surprised if they are on hiatus while those Blu-Ray 4-packs are out.

Yeah, I think you nailed it on that one.  They never come out and admit that they are shelving one thing to push another, but sometimes it's easy to see how they're related.

There will be "a couple" more CW Battle Packs (like Army of the Republic mentioned earlier), but since it was a collector-focused event they left them out.
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Offline shmashwitdaclub

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Re: Clone Wars General Battle Pack Thread
« Reply #59 on: February 23, 2011, 01:38 PM »
Star Wars The Clone Wars Battle Packs: Army of the Republic  now listed as coming soon on HTS with pictures available to check it out

A repack of this Star Wars The Clone Wars Battle Packs: Rishi Outpost Attack is also now listed as coming soon on HTS with pictures available to check it out
« Last Edit: February 23, 2011, 01:40 PM by shmashwitdaclub »