3rd Party Kenner Retro-Style Toys

[Rob]

I don’t know if it’s real, and I can’t figure out how to post it here from my phone, but in the RS thread for this line someone has a screen grab from Home Bargains showing a retro collection Bantha and Sand Person.  I can’t find it on the site but it LOOKS legit.

[Muftak]

The image in question...



I can't verify it, but this picture is calling to my mind a custom Bantha I've seen before that was solid fur sculpted on top of the POTF2 Bantha. The telltale was the reuse of the saddle. But for all I know, that's how modern Hasbro would do it, too.

I dunno, but it would be neat if true!

[Darby]

If that is real, I will FLIP.

[JediJman]

I don’t know if it’s real, and I can’t figure out how to post it here from my phone, but in the RS thread for this line someone has a screen grab from Home Bargains showing a retro collection Bantha and Sand Person.  I can’t find it on the site but it LOOKS legit.

That does look legit.  Would be cool to get a Tusken, let alone the Bantha.  US price translates to about $40.

[Muftak]

I knew it looked familiar...



The custom was even on display in a Vintage Star Wars toy museum show last year, displayed as if it was a Kenner prototype, but as you can tell by the familiar "Kenner Sandtrooper" custom, it is a modern recreation:





Its creation as a custom was confirmed during the show.

Lots of great pics and a write up at this site: https://greencardback.wordpress.com/2018/10/10/star-wars-irl-2-may-the-toys-be-with-you/

[Rob]

So probably fake?  I’d f’ing love one of those.

[McMetal]

Dammit, I would buy that in a heartbeat. 

[Muftak]

Yeah, that listing had to have been faked, the picture is the custom-made one. Hasbro may be doing one, who knows, but this isn't evidence of it.

Put your money back in your pockets, everyone. 

[JediJman]

Nice detective work.  I wasn't in love with that Bantha design anyway, but love for Hasbro to take a swing at something like this.

[Brian]

Man, I'd be all over that too. How do we think that the retro figure line is selling so far? I know personally, I don't think that these have even made it to the floor at our Targets. I got a set there that was brought from the back, and I think a couple more went that way as well. I don't know that they are still listed on the Target app, while the exclusive Han and Luke figures have been pretty well in stock. Seems like they are well received.

[JediJman]

I think its selling well enough for them to do additional waves.  I have yet to see them on the pegs anywhere, which is generally a good sign I would think.

[Muftak]

Yeah, I think they are a hot seller right now. Part of it is just straight up collectors chasing the nostalgia and doing what we have all been programmed to do. I think the other big part of the heat right now is the entire wave in one case with no duplicates, no chase figures. It's not an assortment of $10 figures so much as it's a $60 multipack. And then folks want multiples of the multipack, and store supplies dry up insanely fast.

Once Hasbro realized this (data from the Target website presell, I am guessing) they went back to the factory to do another run, and announced just prior to the line's "street date" that more are coming in the fall, which is probably as fast as they could get a factory turnaround. This tells me they knew the supply of the intial run was not going to hold out.

I have hopes for a wave 2, but I can't imagine it just being the "other 6" of the first 12 since all the heavy-hitters were already cherry picked. And the droids are a problem in and of themselves because Hasbro doesn't vac-metallize anymore. The selections could get interesting, I have no idea how to even formulate a guess as to where they will go.

I do expect retreads to knock out variations like small head Han, tan-hair Farmboy Luke, maybe even green-limb Chewie. My hope is we could get some retooled figures like removable helmet Vader, a Luke without the lightsaber built in, Sandtrooper, etc. And that is only working within the 6 figures already made.

I am also wary of Hasbro using the brand-new Retro figures as an upsell for larger items like they pulled off with Tarkin. It would be conceivable to get, say a Stormtrooper Han and/or Imperial Scanning Tech with a Death Star (extra points if it is a Palitoy Death Star, but I'd take a Kenner version too.) Cantina Band Member with the Creature Cantina, Sandtrooper with Dewback, Wedge or Biggs with X-Wing...they could really make a lot of interesting combos that the collectors would gobble up.

And really, it is only a matter of time before we get Retro prequel and sequel figures. I just hope they don't come to dominate the release schedule.

[Rob]

The only way this line has any real draw for me is if they sprinkle in never-before-made stuff with the re-dos.  I want that Bantha!

[Muftak]

The only way this line has any real draw for me is if they sprinkle in never-before-made stuff with the re-dos.  I want that Bantha!

If that's all you want, it's up for presale already!

(Sand Person not included!)

[Rob]

The only way this line has any real draw for me is if they sprinkle in never-before-made stuff with the re-dos.  I want that Bantha!

If that's all you want, it's up for presale already!

(Sand Person not included!)

Whoa... that's incredibly tempting.  I'd rather have it at the kind of $30-$40 price Hasbro would charge, but... my birthday is coming up...