Author Topic: Mid-Size Vehicles You Want Back On Shelves  (Read 9048 times)

Offline Jesse James

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Mid-Size Vehicles You Want Back On Shelves
« on: April 26, 2011, 03:59 AM »
I'm always pondering what figures I'd like to have sort of readily available to pick up...  Sometimes that's easy, sometimes not.  For some reason, 2007 I was buying so much re-released stuff, that it was almost like collecting two lines.  It was great having some of that stuff just hanging around to pick up.

So anyway, this got me thinking about the vehicles...  They come, they go...  Some seem like they've not been around much or weren't around long when they were new.

So what's the vehicles you'd like to see back on shelves, and what upgrades would you like?  This includes minor tweaking/retooling to the molds.  Nothing major like a resculpt of a vehicle.  I'm thinking mid-size too, not the Deluxe or larger lines.  Just the $20-$25 pricepoint.

-Snowspeeder...  I'd take this thing repainted 10 times over.  Sure it's just come out, but it's incredible and this is probably the single mid-size vehicle that I'd go nutty army building right now.  I'd take Wedge's, Zev's, whatever.

-Luke's Downed Snowspeeder...  The cannons on Luke's speeder were bent upward, the window cracked...  I'd buy this.  Am I alone?  Slap some bent gun barrels in the box with it, a window-cling window crack like the one boxed Snowspeeder set, and damage the paintjob a (good) bit...  I'm in.  I'm in just for the scene.  I'd actually buy a Legends Snowspeeder Luke, to specifically do this as a fixed scene on my shelf, complete with a dead Dak in back.

-Zam's Speeder...  If Hasbro were able to fix the flexible part in the front so it wasn't tacky, I'd probably rebuy that speeder.  The scale's pretty good on it actually, just mine was a lint collector from the tackiness of the crumple front.  Cool concept, poor execution...  Knowing what they f'd up, I'm 100% sure this is fixable.  They have paint that cures on vinyl/latex type materials.  They can do this better.  With the Zam I've got now, I'd gladly rebuy this vehicle.

-EU Assault "Snow"Speeder...  There's an eu design on the "Snow"Speeder where the cockpit is opened, and where teh harpoon is, there is a quad-cannon similar to the Falcon's.  It's more a tan/brown color.  I'd LOVE to see this thing made.  Deco changes to the current mold, a cockpit retooling, and a new weapon for the back that just plugs in.  Very simple to do, and even more aggressive looking.  I'd be in on this completely...  multiples if they did it.

-The Snail Tank Droid...  I really don't even want another one of this, but I just know that it didn't last like some mid-size vehicles do.  This thing came and went here.  Seems like it'd do well out again.

-Homing Spider Droid...  Not sure on deco tweaking.  If I had my way, maybe a slight extension of the legs (it'd be really easy...  It's actually not hard to do on your own if you have a decent hobby shop nearby).  Really though, the Homing Spider's a pretty decent scale itself, and it's been a while since that's been on shelves it seems as well.  At least I haven't seen one in a while.

-Hailfire...  I'm frankly shocked the Hailfire hasn't made it back out, other than the RC version being on shelves maybe blocking the idea of the static one comign out.  Now that the RC one is largely gone though, the static one may be a nice item to have out.

-V-19 Torrent Fighter (Repaints)...  Only the Snowspeeder would get me to buy more I think.  If they gave us at LEAST a slightly worn deco on the Torrent, I'd rebuy it for that alone.  I have 3 clean ones, I'd buy dirty ones, and i'd probably buy different EU squad decoes, or weird nose art on one or something.  Loved that ship, and still do, just don't need another clean one anywhere on my shelving.

-A-Wing...  I long for a McQuarrie decoed blue A-Wing.  If they were nice and gave us accurate bulky laser guns, I'd be giddy (maybe include both sets of guns so you can go McQuarrie concept, as well as film accurate).  I've got green, which was pretty slick, and I've got 2 shades of red now...  the new cockpit upgrades are nifty.  But I am itching for a nice blue decoed ship.  It's one of my favorite McQuarrie art prints.

-Jedi Starfighter Slight Retool...  It's not likely to ever happen, but I actually would like Obi-Wan's fighter retooled to have all 3 landing gear.  The action feature was wonky on the ship in the first place, so I'd really like to see that eliminated, and the 2 rear landing gear able to drop down now instead.  They did the front gear so incredibly well, it's a shame teh back gear was sacrificed to the action feature on that otherwise really detailed ship.  It'd maybe actually get me to buy that design again, which I've not picked up now for quite a few releases.


There are certainly a few complete ground-up sculpts I'd like to see done too...  For some reason I'm interested in a Hyperspace Ring for a V-19, and I'd love seeing the ROTS Hyperspace Ring added to the line as well.  I'm also a big proponent of the Fanblade Fighter making an appearance in the line as well.  It's actually small, so it actually could break down in the box...  Doing one on your own, not too easy IMO, but Hasbro could actually do this to-scale in the mid-size line, it'd just have to be slightly more complex than a lot of mid-size stuff.

But ultimately there's a lot of minor things, sometimes even deco changes, I'd like to see on tools they already have all done up.  That Snowspeeder is just itching to get a repaint though.  And I'm kind of tired of seeing mostly mid-size stuff I just am not interested in.  Right now there's some new stuff but it seems like a drought may occur in the near future.  Little tweaks to spice up things on that shelf at retail may be a good incentive for a guy like me to (re-)buy.
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Offline CloneF13Y35

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Re: Mid-Size Vehicles You Want Back On Shelves
« Reply #1 on: April 26, 2011, 08:33 AM »
Great topic! Off hand, I'd say I'm more interested in a re-release of Luke's Landspeeder, don't know if I still have my original one. I did get the Zev snowspeeder from a friend who only wanted the figure, plus I have my original snowspeeder. I've got about 5 ep3 JSFs so no more of those other than the black repaint Anakin Vader one - now that was a cool paint job! My son wants Obi's ep2 JSF so one of those would be neat for him. He also wants the AAT but that's a 'wish list' item.  I never had any interest in the Anakin/Zam speeders but since I want the new Zam, hers is a possibility.
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Offline McMetal

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Re: Mid-Size Vehicles You Want Back On Shelves
« Reply #2 on: April 26, 2011, 08:48 AM »
My top priorities would be to see them re-issue all of the former "realistic style" Clone Wars midsize vehicles that have not yet been produced in the new animated style.

Aayla Secura's Starfighter
Dooku's Solar Sailer
Geonosian Starfighter
etc, etc

They all have traction in the current entertainment product, so it seems like easy money IMO.
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Offline Rune Haako

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Re: Mid-Size Vehicles You Want Back On Shelves
« Reply #3 on: April 26, 2011, 11:52 AM »
Geonosian Starfighter
AAT modified w/ Defoliator



Vulture Droid (TPM version repaint)
Tank Droid
« Last Edit: April 26, 2011, 11:56 AM by Rune Haako »

Offline Jesse James

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Re: Mid-Size Vehicles You Want Back On Shelves
« Reply #4 on: April 26, 2011, 04:22 PM »
Good choices...

The Geonosis Fighter did well at retail, it's to-scale, it has a unique figure that you ONLY could get with it (hopefully it'd come with the figure...  It really was a neat one), and people seem to want more of this ship.

I can't believe I forgot to mention a repaint of the Vulture Droid to TPM colors...  Love the Vulture Droid though.  I got a couple of the new one, and it's outstanding.

Also I agree 100% on Vader's ROTS Style Fighter...

There was a ship that came and went pretty quickly, and it's maybe one of the best repaints they ever did.  I'm really shocked how that one hasn't been out again, actually.  It's one of the only ROTS Ships I really am even into displaying.  I'm thinking about having it "landed" instead of hanging, and a Vader figure getting out of it like he's about to go hunt down some rogue Jedi on some distant planet he just arrived at.  I love that ship just for all the possible activities Vader was up to with it.

On the issue of the Landspeeder, I was thinking Hasbro said that's coming at some point in the Q&A's, but now I'm not positive.  I just recall them addressing that ship.  It was pretty great in its last release with a good paintjob.  It could probably get a more hyper detailed paintjob, and the new Luke sculpt could certainly go well with it if they gave it a new belt.

I wouldn't mind seeing some electronics work their way into vehicles too these days, since they're up to $25 and electronics have come down in price in terms of what Hasbro should be capable of in these sized vehicles.
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Offline Scockery

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Re: Mid-Size Vehicles You Want Back On Shelves
« Reply #5 on: April 26, 2011, 05:11 PM »
Imperial Troop transport...oh, reissues.

Ones I might get:

Snail Tank Droid

Snowspeeder

Geonosian Starfighter, never owned one but IIRC from what I read the pointy fronts sagged a log, so stiffer material there.

Luke's Landspeeder, if they toss in something extra...a womp rat a vaporator...smoldering corpses...that's something they should consider, combo packs of items that they won't make for deluxe or battle packs.

And I probably wouldn't get another one unless the deco was amazing, but if they did the Homing Spider Droid again, they need to have less projectile-looking laser barrels. Bugs me the way they look.

And if they don't reissue the Sith Infiltrator next year, I'll be surprised.

Offline Pete_Fett

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Re: Mid-Size Vehicles You Want Back On Shelves
« Reply #6 on: April 28, 2011, 08:21 AM »
The Geonosian Starfighter is definitely one that could be re-released. They could even make it a Clone Wars toy and pack in a repaint of the Geonosian that comes in the Target 2-pack.

The Naboo N-1 Starfighter would be welcome as well - I think that will also be re-released next year for the 3D release of TPM. I always thought they would re-release it around the time of AOTC since Padme flew one and they released her in that pilot outfit.

Definitely a re-release of the Vulture Droid in TPM colors - I'm still surprised that we haven't seen that yet, but perhaps they're holding it for the 3D release of TPM.

Everything else I can think of has been re-released or re-painted already. They need to make sure the Droid Gunship is in the assortments for a while yet, that thing just flys off the shelf in my area. I'm surprised that the Jedi Turbo speeder isn't doing as well - I'm seeing that all over now.

I am expecting a re-release of the Sith Infiltrator but I'm hoping they don't - I would rather see them use the movie re-releases as an opportunity to offer a new large scale vehicle we've never seen before - so the 3D re-release of EP1 is a great opportunity for a larger, better scaled Infiltrator - it doesn't have to be so big that Maul can park his Speeder in it standing up, but how about big enough so that the sphere in the back can open up at the bottom and hold the speeder horizontally and then the top of the sphere can open up to reveal a full featured cockpit, spots for Sith probe droids and other Sith Hunter gear. So I would say something that is at least double the size of the one we already got.
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: Mid-Size Vehicles You Want Back On Shelves
« Reply #7 on: April 28, 2011, 05:21 PM »
Not sure if this counts since it was an exclusive, but it seemed to me the box was about the size of the mid-size line...

The Octuparra Droid.  I'd love a crack at a movie-decoed one of the big assed Octo-Droid.  It's one of my favorite Separatist items, if not my absolute favorite really.  It's huge, towering.  The only thing bigger is the AT-AT, and that's barely larger.  It really is just that tall and imposing a toy.

I remember when I first asked for it, saying how it's mostly air and would fit in a small box...  Hasbro sure proved that!  But built up and standing tall, it makes one hell of a big, mean looking Separatist droid.  Definitely my favorite piece of armor for them.  But a movie deco of it would definitely demand a repurchase for me.
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Offline Greg

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Re: Mid-Size Vehicles You Want Back On Shelves
« Reply #8 on: April 28, 2011, 08:18 PM »
Not sure if this counts since it was an exclusive, but it seemed to me the box was about the size of the mid-size line...

The Octuparra Droid.  I'd love a crack at a movie-decoed one of the big assed Octo-Droid.  It's one of my favorite Separatist items, if not my absolute favorite really.  It's huge, towering.  The only thing bigger is the AT-AT, and that's barely larger.  It really is just that tall and imposing a toy.

I remember when I first asked for it, saying how it's mostly air and would fit in a small box...  Hasbro sure proved that!  But built up and standing tall, it makes one hell of a big, mean looking Separatist droid.  Definitely my favorite piece of armor for them.  But a movie deco of it would definitely demand a repurchase for me.

I don't know if a re-release of the Octuptarra could happen in the basic $25 line. The boxes were the same size, but there must've been some cause for the O-Droid to have been $10 more than the other droids. WM exclusive Jedi Starfighters were the same price as their mainline counterparts, so I'm guessing the O-Droid was more expensive due to production costs rather than exclusivity. I wouldn't be opposed to an exclusive repaint with a larger window box that highlights the size of the vehicle... I just think we won't see a re-release in the main assortment.

The Geonosian Starfighter is definitely one that could be re-released. They could even make it a Clone Wars toy and pack in a repaint of the Geonosian that comes in the Target 2-pack.

The Naboo N-1 Starfighter would be welcome as well - I think that will also be re-released next year for the 3D release of TPM. I always thought they would re-release it around the time of AOTC since Padme flew one and they released her in that pilot outfit.

I would love to see both of these vehicles back on shelves, and I'm curious as to how Hasbro might handle the exclusive pilot (Geo fighter) and electronics. (Naboo fighter) For some reason I don't think Hasbro would want two vehicles with drastically different play features competing with other ships that just have "firing" projectiles. I think dropping the Geo pilot and offering a newly sculped pilot on a single card would work better for Hasbro... similarly I think a Naboo fighter retooled without electronics (and hopefully with an astro droid socket) would be better, and might be very likely with the upcoming TPM release.

I am expecting a re-release of the Sith Infiltrator but I'm hoping they don't - I would rather see them use the movie re-releases as an opportunity to offer a new large scale vehicle we've never seen before - so the 3D re-release of EP1 is a great opportunity for a larger, better scaled Infiltrator - it doesn't have to be so big that Maul can park his Speeder in it standing up, but how about big enough so that the sphere in the back can open up at the bottom and hold the speeder horizontally and then the top of the sphere can open up to reveal a full featured cockpit, spots for Sith probe droids and other Sith Hunter gear. So I would say something that is at least double the size of the one we already got.

I know a lot of collectors wanted (maybe they still do) a large Sith Infiltrator. Personally, I think vehicles that can only hold one or two figures should be reserved only for the $25 or Figure & Vehicle assortments. I love how the current Sith Infiltrator is a perfect size for one figure, and is comparable in size to Jedi and Clone starships. Anything larger for a ship with minimal screen-time and just one pilot is overkill.

Definitely a re-release of the Vulture Droid in TPM colors - I'm still surprised that we haven't seen that yet, but perhaps they're holding it for the 3D release of TPM.

That is a repaint I would love to see. Like you said, it's probably on the way for the TPM 3D release. I wouldn't mind seeing another tan AAT, but hopefully with better tan paint and some good battle damage/weathering.

Offline Keonobi

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Re: Mid-Size Vehicles You Want Back On Shelves
« Reply #9 on: April 28, 2011, 10:43 PM »
I know its probably lame, but I didn't pick up the Interceptor Tank, or whatever they called the TX-130, until it had the blue repaint.  Now I want the Red version.

Its not a mid-size vehicle, but now I want the AT-TE to complement my Imperial/Republic armor... :)

Great topic.
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Offline darth broem 2

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Re: Mid-Size Vehicles You Want Back On Shelves
« Reply #10 on: April 29, 2011, 12:17 AM »
I personally would like to see Luke's Landspeeder on the shelves again. 

Offline Jesse James

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Re: Mid-Size Vehicles You Want Back On Shelves
« Reply #11 on: April 29, 2011, 02:31 AM »
Someone mentioned the Imp. Troop Transport earlier and I just wanted to say while probably too new for the criteria, I too would like to see Hasbro maybe try their hand at an updated version...  Same basic shape/style, same basic features, but a maybe more detailed interior (both front and back) so it had trooper compartments...

I always envisioned it as a landspeeder the Empire used almost as a police vehicle.  Nothing for combat, so much as it was just a transport to a "hot spot".  maybe like a Humvee on today's modern battlefield, but with a little more capacity to it.  Lots of customizability to it for a "flatbed" model, an "ambulance" model, etc.  It's a vehicle I always liked.  I doubt the original's molds exist so it'd need to be a ground-up reworking, but it's the kind of thing that'd really go well with Stormtrooper figures.  The original was a cool idea that hasn't passed its prime IMO.
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Offline Darth_Anton

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Re: Mid-Size Vehicles You Want Back On Shelves
« Reply #12 on: April 29, 2011, 09:02 AM »
I'm with you guys on the Imperial troop transport too. That would be fun.
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Offline DoctorPadawan

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Re: Mid-Size Vehicles You Want Back On Shelves
« Reply #13 on: April 30, 2011, 08:24 PM »
Put me in the list of people that thinks the Geonosian Fighter could stand to be reissued.  I have one, and it does indeed suffer from a very slight drooping of the noses (as scockery mentioned), but it's not as bad as it could be and doesn't detract from the overall look on the shelf.  I think that Hasbro could easily release it in the mid-size "starfighter" assortment and still include the original pilot figure, since the ship is quite a bit smaller in profile than any of the other mid-sized vehicles, and since vehicles it was released alongside back in 2003 (such as the Hailfire Droid, Jedi Starfighter, and AAT) have all been rereleased in the mid-sized vehicle line since with the same features and at the same price.

Other small modifications I'd like to see:

-Rebel Alliance Snowspeeder with red markings (heck, put Wedge and Janson figures in it and make it an exclusive, as was debated last fall, and I'd be all over it)

-TX-130 Interceptor Tank (Imperial Colors, or lack thereof).  I'm surprised we didn't get this before the blue 501st-themed deco, since the Imperial version was in both Battlefront games (IIRC; it's been a while since I've played the first one).

-Vulture Droid (TPM redeco).  I'd be highly surprised if Hasbro didn't release this next year with the 3D release of TPM.  It's a great toy, and it would enable me to finally get rid of the 1999 three pack version. 

-Anakin AND Zam's Airspeeders from AOTC.  I don't know if these could even be done well using the 2002 molds, as my main problems with both are the inability to seat figures comfortably (I have Anakin and Obi-Wan in mine, and they both have their door-side arms hanging out) or at all (Hasbro's claims back then that "Zam does fit, you just have to fiddle with her a little" still makes me retch). 

Also, to blatantly steal from Jesse's list further, a blue McQuarrie A-Wing goes without saying.  :)

Offline Darth_Anton

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Re: Mid-Size Vehicles You Want Back On Shelves
« Reply #14 on: May 1, 2011, 01:11 PM »
Yeah, they can reissue the Snowspeeder a few times. Wedges and Zev's at least. I'd buy 'em in a heartbeat.
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