I have a little bit to add to the story.  I went to Rhode Island Comic Con back in the fall, and was going to this party they were holding at the official convention hotel.  I saw some people recording a podcast and one of them looked pretty familiar.  When we were leaving they were still there.  And I realized just who it was I recognized - DERRYL!  I had dealings with him when I reported for a couple of collecting sites, and he was always pretty genuine in our interactions.  I remember hanging out with him at Star Wars Celebration in LA in 2007.  We had both been imbibing, and he was explaining the whole prototype swap meet that was happening in the lobby of our hotel that night.

But back to RICC!  At first the conversation was mostly just to catch up.  Whether or not my gf was impressed that I was acquaintances with this former Hasbro exec was beyond me.  But the conversation turned to the Tonnikas, and this whole situation that had been going on at this point for decades.  He was well aware of it all.  I distinctly remember at Star Wars Celebration III in 2005 when the guys from Sandtroopers brought one of the Tonnika sisters actors - Christine Hewitt - to the Hasbro panel to ask about getting the Tonnikas made.  And Derryl had to look down at the table in awkward silence.  Fast forward to 2023 - he had left the company years earlier - and even now he could not say exactly what the issue was.  But the essence of it seemed to be that the Tonnikas were essentially blacklisted by Lucasfilm.  I pitched the theory about the whole "Star Whores" bit, and the current climate around the objectification of women.  He seemed to think that was likely not the issue - despite the situation that developed following the release of the Black Series "Huttslayer" Leia.

There were indications at one point in time that Hasbro *MIGHT* be able to produce one of the Tonnikas because they could get the aforementioned likeness rights.  But that did not seem to get Lucasfilm's position to change.  He summed things up by saying that the licensing people at Lucasfilm that he had worked when he was with Hasbro had not turned over in a long time.  And they seemed to have a long memory, and he felt pretty certain that LFL's position was almost certainly not going to change. 

Taking all of this into account?  I don't feel overly optimistic about them being part of the Haslab.

WOW!  I can reclaim a slot from my 2023 list since the announcement of the Blurrg opens things up.  Otherwise, very little has changed

1 - Mudhorn (TM)
2 - Bantha (ANH)
3 - Boba Fett’s Rancor (TBOBF)
4 - Tatooine Sand Beast (TBOBF)
5 & 6 -  Hutt Twins (TBOBF)
7 - Ziro the Hutt (TCW)
8 - Lady Proxima (SOLO)
9 - Giant Ice Spider - Maldo Kreis (TM)
10 - Loth Wolf (REBELS)

I'm still a little surprised that Hasbro would put the Cantina behind a Haslab pay wall.  And I'm seriously wondering if this situation might evolve into something like the Jabba's Palace sales model.  Could that be the reason behind the delay?

Something is going to get locked behind a pay wall.  I think that's a certainty.  But it just comes down to WHAT is that?  And is it niche enough to belong there and only there?

The pricing is certainly a new way to approach a Haslab between the base offering and the deluxe offering.  I imagine we'll know in time what that's going to entail.

Part of me thinks the leak was an exercise in ineptitude - either by the marketing team or by the Hasbro Pulse online store team.  And another part thinks that it might have been a trial balloon.  Gauging the sentiment of the community on a set like this isn't exactly uncharted waters for the brand.  They periodically hold focus groups in order to get feedback that's more in depth and focused than what they see on social media.  And if they planned this in order to get a sense of what the response would be?  I wouldn't be completely shocked, because the fandom is more segmented now.  There's a generation of Star Wars fans who might not hold the Cantina scene in such high regard as those of us who saw it on screen when the OT was the totality of Star Wars.

The size of it all does concern me.  My first instinct would be to get the Deluxe version, because FOMO, of course.  But how much real estate will it require to display it all?  I think we're looking at something that would need to be placed on a table top.  As for what's shown in the image?  Maybe that could be displayed on a shelf that's 11" deep.

As for figures?  Count me in with Jeff in wanting the original Kenner Cantina aliens in something like the Amazon 4 - packs.  Those shouldn't get locked behind a Haslab pay wall. 

Regarding the rumor of 8 figures?  Part of me wants 3 of them to be Wuher, Ackmena and Chalmun.  A Cantina has to have a staff, right?  Beyond that?  I think some of the most visible Cantina patrons are called for, and I tend to favor those that have not been made.
-Baniss Keeg
-Arleil Schous
-Danz Borin
-Yerka Mig
-Atheloe
-Saitorr Kal Fas
-Reegesk
-Tonnika Sister (from what I understand Hasbro might be able to make one of them)

Beyond that?  There are some that deserve to be revisited.  My short list there?
-Muftak
-Bo Shek
-Takeel
-Labria
-Dannik Jerriko (because of the stupid holes in his face and those never seen on screen tentacles)

They won’t do it but a forge would be an awesome place to include a light up feature.

If only you could incinerate a Stormtrooper in it!  I've got plenty of POTF2 Stormtroopers that I would happily throw into the Forge.

I’m hoping for some TM season 3 specific accessories for the Armorer’s Forge.  The Beskar chain mail shirt is one thing that works.  I’d also like to see things like Bo-Karan’s Mythosaur pauldron, Ragnar’s helmet, and the Clan Mudhorn plate armor for Grogu.  Those would make the forge that much more of a world building piece.

Well, the Shriek-Hawk Training Team is a group of Mandalorians from the Nevarro Covert.  Should we bump them off the list and advance the next choice?