Vintage Collection Rumors

[Rob]

You better hope they've got a HasLab Fondor Haulcraft planned for Celebration in April to go along with Andor S2 then.  That's the only way we'll get them to support three waves for Andor.

The bulk of Jayson's list seems to be designed to either support the Ghost (4 Rebels/4 Ahsoka) or the Cantina (5 ANH).

Just feels like we're going to need a HasLab project to get significant traction on places where figures are lacking like Andor or The Bad Batch.

Oh I don't think it'll ever happen... that's just my wish for a better tomorrow.

[Dave]

I see where they're making an SM-33 in the Epic Hero Series line.

It'd be nice to get an SM-33 in TVC too, but if they're not planning on making the four kids too then I don't know what the hell they're thinking.  What they've done with the Bad Batch is non-sensical.  Would it kill them to make Omega and the four Bad Batch clones?

If they don't think these will sell at retail, then make these a 4-pack via Hasbro Pulse / Fan Channel exclusive and mark it up a bit.  Not having the core characters in a show and throwing out a random one here and there is just dumb (Hunter for Bad Batch and Ja for Skeleton Crew).

[P-Siddy]

It'd be nice if Hasbro could just finish teams that they've started.
4/6 Rogue One
1/6 Bad Batch
1/6 Skeleton Crew (Jod, the 4 kids and 33)
2/5 Imperial Dignitaries (I wouldn't count these as high as main characters teams)

I'm sure there are more...

[Rob]

I feel like Disney kind of screwed it all up by having 10 shows or whatever it is in a 3 year span.  Hasbro just isn't keeping up.  Maybe they could, maybe they can't, I have no idea - but it's pretty clear their attention is heavily divided now compared to years ago when there were just six movies and then EU broadly.

[P-Siddy]

I feel like Disney kind of screwed it all up by having 10 shows or whatever it is in a 3 year span.  Hasbro just isn't keeping up.  Maybe they could, maybe they can't, I have no idea - but it's pretty clear their attention is heavily divided now compared to years ago when there were just six movies and then EU broadly.

There is this, too.  Too much media and not enough resources to get things out.  Plus, with Disney seemingly tight-lipped to prevent spoilers, Hasbro doesn't get figure designs until it's too late to meet the release date, so by the time figures from Show A come out, everyone's attention is now on Show C.

[Matt_Fury]

There's no excuse for TVC having more of the Bad Batch than just Hunter.  The show had three seasons!

Skeleton Crew has been finished for a while and actually sat on the shelf a bit before it aired, there could be more in the works or released by now.

Pretty much every figure made for these shows in Black Series should be at least in the pipeline for TVC....there's no excuse.

[Nicklab]

I agree wholeheartedly that the entire Bad Batch should have been offered in TVC by now.  And looking at more of the March Madness character nomination posts that people have been sharing, Clone Force 99 is representing again.  Demand is there.  But I think Hasbro has been really hesitant to go there. 

I think a big reason for it all is because TVC, more than the Black Series, tends to look further back in the Star Wars source material than the Black Series does.  So there always seems to be demand for things from the OT, as well as calls for playsets and vehicles.  I think it's diverting Hasbro's resources from new media.  And shows like TBB and now Skeleton Crew suffer.  TBS isn't always trying to make the next Cantina alien or some deep cut Imperial officer.  The Black Series also isn't offering playsets or vehicles, so they can stay much more current with new media.

[Matt_Fury]

When it comes to the big projects, TVC collectors always show up (4 for 4 backed TVC Haslabs compared to 0 for 2 for Black Series).  It's time Hasbro recognize that and make the investment.  Hell, there's barely a price difference between the two lines at this point!

[Nicklab]

Check your inboxes.  Some fan media surveys are circulating, and it looks like the company doing the polling has been hired by Hasbro.

[Rob]

Who do I have to bribe to get on this email list…

[Nicklab]

LOL!

I think it's just Hasbro sending Pulse account holder contact info to the research firm, and they randomly choose who they're going to contact.  I've heard about these going out before, but I had never been contacted.  First time for everything!  Although I think I leave enough of a footprint in the online collecting community that all they'd need to do is get a few account ID's and they could just take all of that in.

[Jeff]

No pipeline reveals today, but they did reveal a new "Return to Tatooine" checklist they will be populating over the coming months as they reveal new things. 

Chris said "you might see a hint or two in there of what else might be coming" - what do you see?  Are those Dewback tracks next to Luke?

Hasbro promo poster at Spielwarenmesse (International Toy Fair for Europe, held in Germany) shows off what seems to be a new Landspeeder, the pipelined Obi-Wan Kenobi and a new yet-to-be revealed C-3PO?  Maybe a new Sandtrooper too (can't tell for sure)?

Check out the image and judge for yourselves...  we'll have to see if anything else leaks out this week as well.


image from FantahTracks via Yakface Twitter

[Muftak]

Looking at that C-3PO closely, it is the same old craptastic removable panels TVC version they keep putting out since 2010. The right arm's weird pointy elbow and very specific finger pose are dead giveaways, as is the barrel chest.

(That said, Jayson did update his rumor list to include C-3PO today, so the plot thickens.)

[Matt_Fury]

I'd welcome a new Landspeeder...I'm using the POTF2 version in my display and never got the TVC version.

[Ryan]

I'm happy with the TVC 1.0 Landspeeder, but with the all-new Cantina, Luke, & Old Ben and the fact that the last Landspeeder came out nearly 15 years ago, it makes too much sense to not revisit it. We have to be getting Sandtroopers this year based on that image too. They are long overdue on the new Stormtrooper buck.

I imagine they are there just for the photo, but I really wish Hasbro would rerelease the TAC moisture vaporator, I only bought one originally and really would love a few more for my displays, but the Luke that they originally came with is usually close to $30 after shipping, which is more than I want to spend on them. But I guess w/ today's prices, a new rerelease in a deluxe set would likely be close to that anyway...