JediDefender.com Forums
Collectibles => The Vintage Collection => Topic started by: Dave on April 20, 2021, 09:22 AM
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I was watching Rogue One a bit last night and its a shame all the fun characters that they never made. In particular it'd be great to get a pile of the rebel pilots and the rebel soldiers.
It'd be nice to see them do a kitbash/repaint of General Merrick's whole Blue Squadron in a set. They could reuse a lot of parts and do new heads and helmets for them.
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I think a TVC ROGUE ONE Rebel Pilots 3-pack or even a Battle of Scarif 3-pack would be great. The number of characters to choose from is enormous! So many of the pilots have speaking roles, as do a bunch of the Rebel Pathfinders. And the flight suits of the Blue Squadron pilots look really cool, and totally work in-universe when you compare them to other Rebel Pilots in ANH, TESB and ROTJ.
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Anything Hasbro can do to get us more 3.75" figures from Rogue One and Solo would be 100% A-OK with me. So sad how underrepresented those two movies are on my action figure shelves.
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Anything Hasbro can do to get us more 3.75" figures from Rogue One and Solo would be 100% A-OK with me. So sad how underrepresented those two movies are on my action figure shelves.
The Rise of Skywalker would like a word.
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Anything Hasbro can do to get us more 3.75" figures from Rogue One and Solo would be 100% A-OK with me. So sad how underrepresented those two movies are on my action figure shelves.
The Rise of Skywalker would like a word.
Solo has four TVC figures. Skywalker has six, although one is just a re-release and one is just a variant with more weapons.
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Solo has four TVC figures. Skywalker has six, although one is just a re-release and one is just a variant with more weapons.
TVC has nothing to do with it.
Solo has dozens of figures overall. There were tons of 5-POA figures, two packs, multi-packs, 3 or 4 vehicles, and occupies a crammed 2 feet on my shelves.
Skywalker has like 10 figures total and occupies about 30 square inches. It's hideously underserved in this scale compared to literally every other Star Wars movie ever made. Hasbro ignored it.
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5 POA doesn't count.
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5 POA doesn't count.
(https://verfassungsblog.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Lebowski-Opinion-Meme.jpg)
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3.75" figures are 3.75" figures. At least there WAS a dedicated 3.75" figures line for SOLO. The Rise of Skywalker got shafted. And Hasbro's offerings for TROS were in danger of being outnumbered by the TROS figures in a Disney droid 4-pack!
As for Hasbro paying homage to the 5th anniversary of Rogue One? Still waiting. One figure and one vehicle are nice, but not anything notable as far as a focus on one movie.
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Yeah, I'm no fan of 5poa figures, but Quay Tolsite is a great figure, and the tripod laser that comes with Lando and the Kessel guard is a pretty awesome little thing.
I'm also really hoping for some RO love for the anniversary. Really need Baze and Bodhi for sure, but I also really want a Krennic. Probably one of my biggest Imperial wants from that movie. It would also be a great opportunity for Hasbro to rerelease Tarkin with photoreal and better color matching on the skirt area (there's probably a more accurate name for that part of the uniform, but it escapes me). Some of the guerillas, most notably Saw Guererra would be excellent.
This will be unpopular, but I would kill for a photoreal update on Jyn.
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There are so many great opportunities for figures from the last few movies.
I really wish that if Hasbro has decided not to pursue building out these figures, I wish they'd come up with a creative contract to sub-license this out to someone else to drive it.
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There are so many great opportunities for figures from the last few movies.
I really wish that if Hasbro has decided not to pursue building out these figures, I wish they'd come up with a creative contract to sub-license this out to someone else to drive it.
And with ten Disney SW properties revving up, it's going to get much worse.
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I spun this discussion off the Blue X-wing thread...
And with ten Disney SW properties revving up, it's going to get much worse.
It's the law of diminishing returns. And everyone wants something different.
What is our current rate for TVC? Maybe 6 waves of 4 figures a year. Let's be even more generous and say Hasbro can get 8 4-figure waves out. So 32 figures in a max year for the TVC line.
32 figures where 16 will be new and 16 will be "refresh/repack/photo real/updates" because of profit margin needs. 16 "new" figures to get spread out over 11 movies, 3-4 animated series, and the new TV Shows. They are going to be hopelessly behind forever from here on out as the galaxy keeps expanding but the 3.75" line shrinks.
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I'm fine with 5POA, 7POA, 9.5POA, or 14POA if reducing articulation helps them get out more figures. It sure would be nice, but I don't feel they absolutely need to be Vintage Collection 14 POA.
I know they've got their singular assortment of TVC these days and probably don't want to add a second, but they've got to find a way to get more all new figures out.
I've said this before, but they should go back to a battle pack / multi-pack method, even with store exclusives if necessary, and have themed releases if they don't want to have a second carded figure line. I'd buy every 5-pack of 5POA figures they create that are all or mostly new figures, and it would be so easy to run down the list of the recent movies and D+ shows to put these together. We could probably name six 5-packs from just the Mandalorian that we'd line up to buy on release day.
If Hasbro doesn't want to do this then Disney should and release them via their ShopDisney app and put them in the parks. Their 5-pack of droids was fantastic (except for it being a park exclusive).
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I think they'd rather just have you buy their super cheap retro figures.
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I think a lot of this stuff is out of Hasbro's control. For example, Last Jedi divided the fanbase, and made anything related to the sequels virtually unsellable. That's my theory as to why Rise of Skywalker had zero figures made outside of Rey, Kylo, and some repaint troopers. TVC seems to be a cost issue due to the cost to make a figure, plus Disney taking whatever giant percentage they take for the license, which is why we get a lot of repaints and rereleases. Then Disney wants to prevent spoilers for Star Wars, which is why I think we don't get these coordinated releases for Star Wars like Hasbro does with the Marvel CU stuff.
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On the reissue front? If Hasbro is really going to focus on ROGUE ONE this year, then why not reissue the Tarkin figure? And the same goes for the Tank Driver and Commander.
As for other possible TVC Rogue One figures? These seem to be some obvious ones that would be at least reasonable well received:
-Baze Malbus
-Director Krennic
-Bodhi Rook
-Cassian Andor (Jedha)
-Saw Gerrera
-Admiral Raddus
-Shoretrooper Officers (Squad Leader, Captain)
-Bail Organa
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Good list. I'd take a handful of Blue Squadron pilots too and maybe some Jedha citizens/pilgrims.
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32 figures where 16 will be new and 16 will be "refresh/repack/photo real/updates" because of profit margin needs. 16 "new" figures to get spread out over 11 movies, 3-4 animated series, and the new TV Shows. They are going to be hopelessly behind forever from here on out as the galaxy keeps expanding but the 3.75" line shrinks.
And the TVC diehards are still hurting for their ANH Luke Han and Leia...plus the rest of the 96, so forget about any new media being in focus at least from the fan POV. I hope we get a Hasbro shake-up that leads to a little confidence in dedicated lines for the upcoming projects, in whatever cost effective form they need it to take. I guess the current mode might be Mission Fleet, but that is starting out behind the 8 ball as another new scale with very little depth yet, hitting all the low-hanging fruit first (though kudos on getting a Bluurg made.)
It's going to get worse, even for the Black Series collectors, as more and more slots there get eaten up by repaints/kitbashes to maximize on costs and keep the line at only $25 a figure. The current business model is going to be a long slow death until they break out of it and approach these toys as some sort of cohesive thing again.
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5 POA doesn't count.
(https://verfassungsblog.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Lebowski-Opinion-Meme.jpg)
I’m with Matt on that haha.
Retro is fine for 5poa but the rest blow. I’d be fine with lesser articulated stuff but not way lesser. I’d honestly rather see a price hike for more new and more quantities.
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5 POA doesn't count.
(https://verfassungsblog.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Lebowski-Opinion-Meme.jpg)
I’m with Matt on that haha.
Retro is fine for 5poa but the rest blow. I’d be fine with lesser articulated stuff but not way lesser. I’d honestly rather see a price hike for more new and more quantities.
I'm with Rob. Glad I got something.
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Yeah I want quality and quantity, but if I had to choose one, it would be quantity. I want weirdos, background characters, a robust representation of the movies in collection form. Having 10 figures from a whole movie does nothing for me.
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Yeah I want quality and quantity, but if I had to choose one, it would be quantity. I want weirdos, background characters, a robust representation of the movies in collection form. Having 10 figures from a whole movie does nothing for me.
Same here... I need way more random space jerks in my life.
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On the reissue front? If Hasbro is really going to focus on ROGUE ONE this year, then why not reissue the Tarkin figure? And the same goes for the Tank Driver and Commander.
As for other possible TVC Rogue One figures? These seem to be some obvious ones that would be at least reasonable well received:
-Baze Malbus
-Director Krennic
-Bodhi Rook
-Cassian Andor (Jedha)
-Saw Gerrera
-Admiral Raddus
-Shoretrooper Officers (Squad Leader, Captain)
-Bail Organa
Bail Organa would be good, but I don’t need reissues. Give me that slug that they hooked Bodhi up to. Mon Mothma... General Draven... Jeddah Pilgrim... Galen and Lyra Erso... more rebel grunts from the Scarif assault... Gold Leader... more of Saw’s crew...
The only reissue I want is that stormtrooper and I wish they’d sell them in bulk at a discount.
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On the reissue front? If Hasbro is really going to focus on ROGUE ONE this year, then why not reissue the Tarkin figure? And the same goes for the Tank Driver and Commander.
As for other possible TVC Rogue One figures? These seem to be some obvious ones that would be at least reasonable well received:
-Baze Malbus
-Director Krennic
-Bodhi Rook
-Cassian Andor (Jedha)
-Saw Gerrera
-Admiral Raddus
-Shoretrooper Officers (Squad Leader, Captain)
-Bail Organa
Bail Organa would be good, but I don’t need reissues. Give me that slug that they hooked Bodhi up to. Mon Mothma... General Draven... Jeddah Pilgrim... Galen and Lyra Erso... more rebel grunts from the Scarif assault... Gold Leader... more of Saw’s crew...
The only reissue I want is that stormtrooper and I wish they’d sell them in bulk at a discount.
Agreed. The Bail Organa that I'm hoping for would be an all-new figure that's specific to his look in Rogue One.
As for the others? I'm hoping for TVC level upgrades to those Rogue One 5 POA figures.
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I wonder if some of the discussion around the community about how Hasbro could re-use parts to make a whole bunch of troopers resonated with Hasbro (Imperial Tank Drivers, Transport Drivers, Mudtroopers, etc), and they thought "Hey! That's a great idea" and thought that we wouldn't notice the differences with the troopers on Aldhani.
I'm fine with some trooper kitbashes (ideally still screen accurate though), but along the way we need more truly new figures, new characters, etc.
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I wonder if some of the discussion around the community about how Hasbro could re-use parts to make a whole bunch of troopers resonated with Hasbro (Imperial Tank Drivers, Transport Drivers, Mudtroopers, etc), and they thought "Hey! That's a great idea" and thought that we wouldn't notice the differences with the troopers on Aldhani.
I'm fine with some trooper kitbashes (ideally still screen accurate though), but along the way we need more truly new figures, new characters, etc.
This!
I mean, Star Wars isn't Cassian Andor (or other main) takes on the whole Empire by him/herself. Even though Dak Ralter felt so, doesn't make it so. Give us Luthen, Skeen, Nemik, Cinta, The Client. Characters that should have been done by now.
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Regarding the price point? It's interesting that the Target exclusive Axe Woves got rolled out at $16.99, and people thought that was just Target pricing an exclusive figure a little higher. But no - it's the harbinger of Hasbro hiking the price on TVC figures to $16.99. At this price point there should be more new sculpts in this line. The trooper repaints are getting out of hand.
Everything I see Hasbro doing regarding the Star Wars lines tells me that new TVC figures ought to be around $25, no joke -- like, if the current tooling went away and they had to start from scratch, every TVC figure would cost $25 (Unless it was a Deluxe figure, they would still be more.) Be it the complexity of their construction and paint apps, the ever lower order quantities they can sell as the brand struggles to retain relevance as a kids toy, or the licensing fees being squeezed out of them by Disney, we are kind of lucky the line got rebooted in 2018 and luckier still that it seems to be maintaining a foothold in stores.
My hat is off to the fact that they can work some brilliant budgeting math to get figures out at the prices they currently do. It is all precipitated on the repaints of previously released figures, the rereleasing of figures, and yes the near constant trooper rereleases. I think there is a machine in a factory in China that has had the Stormtrooper tooling in it for 4 years straight now, running 24/7, trying furiously to subsidize the line with all the repaints and rereleases they can get out of that tooling.
But what running decisions through that equation means to the line has become very clear now: Troopers and "part-swap friendly" designs will always get preference over one-off characters when it comes to new tooling. In 2022 I don't think there was a single new figure that was designed as a one-off...even the Dark Troopers came out immediately as a Deluxe release and as a battle-damaged version in the Exclusive multipack.
I enjoy seeing new sculpts as much as the next collector, but I have embraced that not only are they are going to be few and far between, but that they are going to be more and more sourced from the Disney "entertainment" and are going to be less and less anything I want to collect.
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This is why I miss the les articulated figures. I may be in the minority but I’d rather have more character variety and less tooling.
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I was pretty much done collecting in 2008 before TVC started, but I cherry picked new stuff I liked if/when I saw it in stores after that. I don't feel like I really got back into it until 2016, when the Rogue One 5POA line really added a ton of OT-adjacent designs that I really wanted. I would love to see a "20-40 new figures a year" 5poa line still going to give the Disney+ show lines some depth and true world building.
But without kid and retailer support, that ship has sailed.
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This is why I miss the les articulated figures. I may be in the minority but I’d rather have more character variety and less tooling.
I'm all for it if it saves us money, are easier to design, and make. I love TVC, but if this is what is holding us back from getting new figures then lets go all 5POA. Kitbashing is getting really, really old.
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I chopped this latest round of "argh Hasbro, we need more figures" and dropped them in here. It's funny that here we are over a year later (years later in some cases) and the points are all still valid... :-\
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The pricing for TVC is getting to a point where its a little nuts. Again, I don't know where all the costs sit for making a new figure and how different they would be between 5POA and TVC, but if 5POA could get us back to a $10 price point with good paint apps, and afford us more new figures, then I would be fine if all figures were made like this. I don't think it needs to be "kid oriented". To me this could the the whole line.
It was a lot easier to buy slightly retooled figures. Goofy kitbashes, etc. when prices were lower. At $16+ a pop I've started passing on a lot of the "new" figures. Skipped the Jabba's goons redos and other recent releases. Dropping $70 on four figures is lot more money than $40, and that adds up quickly.
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But without kid and retailer support, that ship has sailed.
THIS!
I don't think a lot of collectors realize just how much the loss of volume sales has hurt Hasbro's Star Wars line. The last fairly large Star Wars section that I can remember at brick & mortar retail was for the SOLO line, and that was maybe 4 feet of shelf space at Target. That kind of presence matters. And the evisceration of the TRU chain in 2018 really hurt the toy industry far more than anyone at Hasbro or any other toy manufacturer would care to admit.
Regarding the price hike? Now I more fully understand the price disparity with R2-SHW. That was another case of paving the way for the new $16.99 price point. And news is coming out that Mattel has also increased prices on their Jurassic Park Hammond Collection figures to $16.99 as well. So there is the possibility that this might be driven by some macroeconomic forces.
This is why I miss the les articulated figures. I may be in the minority but I’d rather have more character variety and less tooling.
I think that some figures do merit higher levels of articulation. The new Dark Times Vader has 17 POA, and I would not want to sacrifice any of that. Figures of Jedi tend to merit this, too. And a good number of troopers as well. But then I look at that 2003 super articulated Clone Trooper which was a game changer in terms of articulation. That had 13 POA and people could not get enough of it. Dialing things back to that standard might help this line gain more figures per year. And then if we got characters from the OWK series like Bail Organa or Mon Mothma from ANDOR. Could each of them make due with 10 POA and we would be just fine with that? I think the answer is yes. Because I think the sculping of 2022 is superior and so are the softgoods and paint apps.
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Did you see the new Walmart and Target exclusive figures revealed today? Another Fett repaint and another ARC Trooper repaint. This line is LIT af right now! ::)
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I'd like to see them split the line like they did back in the day. Have TVC for mostly new figures at the premium price point, and come out with a "Greatest Hits" line that is repackaged main figures and a bunch of trooper repaints that they could offer at a discount vs TVC.
Alternatively, I was thinking about new interesting kitbashes / repaints they could do if they were going to stay with this mentality and get their moneys worth.
One I'd like to see is a new Ithorian sculpt that they could repurpose for:
- Momaw Nadon (ANH)
- Mok Shaiz (BoBF)
- Jedi Roron Corobb
- Probably others that aren't coming to mind
Maybe make a common base with different soft goods or molded vests, and a different head sculpt.
They could do something similar with Tusken Raiders for BoBF. Use the same base with different softgoods and different colored plastics as part of a multipack.
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I agree, Dave.
I’d love for some diversity in the line besides the Jango Fett and his spawn.
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I'd like to see them split the line like they did back in the day. Have TVC for mostly new figures at the premium price point, and come out with a "Greatest Hits" line that is repackaged main figures and a bunch of trooper repaints that they could offer at a discount vs TVC.
I see where you are going with this, and I agree to a point, but since the packed/repainted figures are currently subsidizing the line, the "premium price point" line would not even be as cheap as $17.99, it would be well over $20. I don't think I am ready to go there, even for new sculpts, except for a few holdovers from my 2008 OT "want list" that I've waited for forever.