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Messages - Nicklab

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5821
I think some updates or adaptations of the Kenner mini-rigs might be pretty welcome.  But some other ideas come to mind, too.

Death Star troop transport (Imperial version of Rebel Hangar transport?) - with Stormtrooper & Imperial Scanning Trooper

Yavin IV watch tower - with Rebel Fleet Trooper & Rebel Honor Guard

Hoth Rebel Cannon - with Luke Skywalker in Snowspeeder gear & Echo Base Trooper (TVC 68)

Hoth Rebel mini-tank (modern take on vintage MLC-3) - with Princess Leia in Hoth gear & Hoth Rebel Trooper

Hoth Vehicle Maintenance Energizer (modern take on vintage mini-rig) - with Chewbacca & Echo Base Trooper repaint

Hoth Rebel Laser Radar Cannon - with Echo Base Trooper & Hoth Rebel Trooper

Hoth Rebel Hangar transport - with Echo Base Hangar Crew & Snowspeeder Pilot

E-Web Cannon - with 2 x Imperial Snowtroopers

CAP-2 (re-imagining of the vintage CAP-2 mixed with the Trandoshan hunting platform) - with Bossk & Dengar




5822
The Black Series 6" Figures / Re: 6 Inch Figures?
« on: January 31, 2013, 10:41 AM »
I think the reasoning is that Hasbro seems to want to shift collector focus to this larger scale line despite most collectors having sunk thousands of dollars into the 3.75" line and having no space nor desire for a new scale.

I think that with this move into the 6" figure line Hasbro might be trying to tap into a broader adult toy collector market, and not necessarily just Star Wars fans. 

Is it that these types of figures are not profitable or just not as profitable as Hasbro desires?

Let's keep in mind the one BIG variable in all of this: Disney.  Maybe it's a little premature, but I hold Disney, not Hasbro, responsible for all of these changes (ie 6" line, postponement of the 3D prequels, cancellation of Droid Factory).  Since Disney entered the picture, we have seen a lot of change.  Coincidence?   

I'm not sure I subscribe to that as much as the changes in the toy business.  Look at some other licensed boys toys.  And the growing trend seems to be to offer a range of figures in multiple scales.  We've seen that in movie lines like Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, Green Lantern & more.  If anything, Hasbro Star Wars seems a little bit late to the game in that business model shift.

5823
The Black Series 6" Figures / Re: 6 Inch Figures?
« on: January 30, 2013, 10:23 AM »
Also, I'm shocked about the nastiness I am seeing aimed at Hasbro SW team members.  Sure DePreist made a snide comment about the 15th Cantina guy, but how many times has this guy been called an "idiot" or "moron" or "evil" in SW forums.  People seem to think it's all his fault.  It's also his fault that we got the BMF.

+1

The virtriole and hyperbolic fanboy whining that has been sent in Derrly DePriest's direction has been ugly and uncalled for.  How some people can look themselves in the mirror after spewing venom like that is beyond my comprehension. 

Does anyone REALLY remember the state of things around 2002/2003 before he took over the Hasbro-Star Wars team?  Things were NOT good.  Hasbro failed majorly on the Clone Troopers that were central to the title ATTACK OF THE CLONES by giving us a Clone Trooper with rank markings that we barely even saw in the movie.  And when Hasbro offered up a plain, white super articulated Clone Trooper?  I can still remember the mad scramble for that figure from 10 years ago.  It was RIDICULOUS.  It was a great figure for it's time, and collectors were so amped for the Clone Wars that they were clamoring for that figure, but nobody could find them to do the army building they wanted to do.

Collectors wanted more Clones?  We got them, and in spades!
Collectors wanted more articulation and less pre-posing?  That happened, and higher levels are articulation are pretty much standard
Collectors wanted a Big Millenium Falcon with lots of details?  We got it, and it's pretty awesome.
Collectors wanted other large vehicles, like the AT-TE, AT-AT, Turbo Tank, etc?  We got them.

Are things perfect?  No.  There are serious concerns over distribution at this time.  But things got a whole lot better for Star Wars collectors in the period following 2004 than they were before then.

5824
Discover the Force / Movie Heroes / Re: Class II Ships - Ideas?
« on: January 30, 2013, 10:08 AM »
There are definitely some options with this line if you open things up for some Hasbro interpretations of vehicle concepts.  And there are also the vehicles that just didn't make the cut at the time.

A Gian speeder from Episode I would probably work from a scale standpoint.  But it seems like all things Episode I have a stink about them with the exception of Darth Maul.

A Z-95 from Clone Wars might have this line as it's only option for a release.  The Z-95 is starting to see some screen time on the animated series, but I can't see Hasbro investing heavily in the tooling for that vehicle.  So this line and the Z-95 might be a good fit.

Anakin's Jedi Shuttle from ROTS really isn't all that big.  I think it would definitely work in this format.

Bail Organa's speeder *MIGHT* be an option since it's in a couple of action sequences between the Jedi Temple / Order 66, and rescuing Yoda following his duel with Sidious.  But there's definitely some issues regarding the appeal of the character.  The pegwarming Bail Organa of the TLC Blue era made that abundantly clear.


As for the OT?  I think you need to think even more EU/concept here.

A modern take on the Kenner Imperial Transport might be cool.  I think vintage fans would be into that.  Making it fit in what's likely to be a smaller packaging footprint might be a challenge.

A Hoth Rebel Tank definitely sounds cool, too. 

An Endor Rebel speeder of some sort might be interesting, too.

5825
Collector's Tips / Re: Overhead Lighting
« on: January 30, 2013, 08:20 AM »
There are actually lots of options when it comes to lighting.  The fluorescent shop lights are pretty common, but they do cast somewhat harsh light.  You can probably do a number of things that will be relatively easy without having to call an electrician.

If you've got a single suspended light, you can probably use the existing wiring and put in a track light fixture.  It's an easy install, and I've put in a few of these myself.  Check out some of the options that Lowes has in stock.  With track lighting you can tailor your lighting to the room.

As for your shelves?  You might want to look into some LED shelf lighting.  There have been some nice advances here, and it's pretty easy to fix some of these lighting strips to the underside of a shelf.  That direct overhead lighting will give a nice added dimension to displaying your collection.  The LED's aren't going to be so harsh as to cause any kind of light damage to lighter colored figures & vehicles.  And they're definitely very energy efficient.

5826
The Black Series 6" Figures / Re: 6 Inch Figures?
« on: January 30, 2013, 06:46 AM »
I say again, why quit?  3.75" hasn't been cancelled yet...  6" is just another "thing" that will be there...  like Unleashed, mini unleashed, Might Muggs, Mini Mighty Muggs, 12", ****** 2013 12", Beans, Transformers crossovers, and so forth.

This isn't yet the ONLY future of the line.

I agree.  I think that with this move into the 6" figure line Hasbro might be trying to tap into a broader adult toy collector market, and not necessarily just Star Wars fans.  There are lots of toy collectors who will buy a lot of 6" figures of Marvel & DC licensed merchandise.  Add in the smaller companies like NECA, McFarlane, etc, and you see a sector of toy collecting that is very much about the 6" scale.  I think this is a very calculated move on Hasbro's part to broaden their collector audience by moving into this scale.

I suspect that Hasbro thinks the 6" scale might be a gateway into the 3.75" scale system, too.  I don't think the 6" line means a shift away from the classic scale at all.  Especially not when Hasbro & Kenner combined have a 30+ year history with that scale.

5827
The Vintage Collection / Re: The Future of Star Wars Collecting?
« on: January 30, 2013, 06:38 AM »
Did anyone else read DD's quote and catch a bit disdain for collectors (who they now cater to)?

If it means OT goodness, I'm in.

I saw the "15th Cantina alien" remark as a bit of tough truth more than anything else.  As time has gone on Hasbro has made a lot of definitive versions of the main characters while working through the more obscure background characters.  Over time that narrows the pool of characters that might have a broader appeal, and ultimately that may hurt sales.  Why?  Because a kid may not really care about getting a Danz Borin figure, or whichever other cantina character you want to insert into that scenario.

I think from a sales perspective, Hasbro is still banking on the Star Wars line having mass appeal to a wide audience.  And it's in the name of sales to both kids and collectors.  I think what we're very likely to see is this:  higher production numbers of the kids oriented line, along with greater shelf & peg space, and lower production numbers on the Black Series, but with an eye towards serving collectors.

5828
The Black Series 6" Figures / Re: 6" Black Series - 2013 Wave 1
« on: January 29, 2013, 01:47 PM »
Hmmm.  I've got to wonder how they'll offer Darth Maul.  Will it be a traditional TPM version?  Or could we be looking at a Clone Wars rendition of Maul?  The recent events on CLONE WARS would make a CW version rather topical.

5829
The Black Series 6" Figures / Re: 6" Black Series - 2013 Wave 2
« on: January 29, 2013, 01:20 PM »
My predictions?

Han Solo (ANH)
Boba Fett (TESB)
Darth Vader (ANH)
Obi-Wan Kenobi (ROTS)

5830
The Black Series 6" Figures / Re: 6 Inch Figures?
« on: January 29, 2013, 01:12 PM »
The X-Wing Pilot Luke looks okay.  But then, we've only seen 2 publicity stills of that so far.  I want to see more.

As for the line?  I hope that EACH release of every character (scene specificity excluded) is DEFINITIVE.  I would really hate to see figures issued that clearly have room for improvement, leaving Hasbro an opening to offer a new, improved version of the same character 4 years down the line.

5831
The Sequel Trilogy / Re: Star Wars Episode VII
« on: January 29, 2013, 06:43 AM »
News is coming out that in addition to J.J. Abrams signing on to direct Episode VII, there is no longer a commitment to (presumably) a May 2015 release date.  That is now a soft date that is changeable due to the needs of production.  Check out this Hollywood Reporter article for the details.  And notably this quote:

Quote
Episode VII is set for release in 2015, but sources say Abrams has not committed to that release date, meaning the date could be changed if the development process requires it.

5832
The Prequel Trilogy / Re: Rumor: No more 3D Prequel Releases?
« on: January 29, 2013, 06:29 AM »
I can't say that I'm terribly surprised.  I skipped TPM in 3D, and didn't really feel all that bad for doing so.  Would it be nice to have seen all of the Saga converted to 3D?  Sure.  But to me, that's a luxury.  I think that I'd rather have Lucasfilm/Disney focus more on new Star Wars content than regurgitating and repackaging older content.

5833
Middle Earth / Re: The Hobbit - Toy Line
« on: January 28, 2013, 02:15 PM »
Gloin's absence is a little weird.  IIRC, someone mentioned that the Bridge Direct also has the license for LOTR, correct?  So perhaps they would do a Gloin / Gimli 2-pack?

5834
The Black Series 6" Figures / Re: 6 Inch Figures?
« on: January 28, 2013, 10:51 AM »
I saw the RS post.  Let's wait and see. 

After this Droid Factory fiasco, the scaling down of the starfighter vehicle line, and the shrinkage of Star Wars shelf space at retail, do we REALLY believe that Hasbro is going to double down on Star Wars and launch a new scale of figures?  And mind you, this is IN ADDITION to the 12" figure line that has just started showing up at retail?

5835
TV-9D9 / Re: The Clone Wars - Season Five Discussion Thread
« on: January 28, 2013, 06:28 AM »
As this arc goes on Maul is coming across as a much more complex and fleshed out character. His manipulation of the various factions has been very deft, and he's showing himself to be much more the Master to Savage Opress's apprentice.  And his fight with Pre Viszla?  It was one of the best moments of the season, if not one of the best duels of the series.  Viszla armed with his dark saber as well as the Mandalorian armor against an agile Force wielding Sith with a lightsaber made for some of the best combat we've seen in the series.  And you have to appreciate that Maul was struggling somewhat since he seems to be getting accustomed to the cybernetic legs that the Death Watch gave him.

Where does this all go?  Well, the season trailer with Sidious has to give you some indication that things are going to get more .... complicated.  And there's also the matter of Obi-Wan getting involved in the conflict, which we also saw in the early trailers.  I have to suspect that he may join forces with Bo Katan's faction in an attempt to restore Satine to power.

But the most interesting thing about this Maul/Savage/Death Watch arc?  We're getting into characters whose future doesn't have the level of certainty of the mainstays like Anakin, Obi-Wan, Padme, Yoda, etc.  We all know that those characters survive the Clone Wars to make it to the events of Episode III.  With the characters in the past couple of episodes we just don't know how things will shake out, and for me that makes for a much more compelling storyline.

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