6" Black Series Rumors

[Qui-Gon Jim]

I actually have more hope for Rogue One with the Vintage Collection.  That’s a place where Rogue One could really shine.

This right here.  100%.

[Nicklab]

I actually have more hope for Rogue One with the Vintage Collection.  That’s a place where Rogue One could really shine.

This right here.  100%.

I just saw the "rumor" post from Jayson on the Yakface IG feed.  It looks like we're getting photo-real updates on 5 previously released figures, but also Bodhi Rook at long last.  I can definitely see the need to re-do some of these - Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor, especially.  The paint apps on original releases of those figures looked awful.  But K-2SO, Chirrut Imwe and Baze Malbus, too?  Those figures already looked pretty good.

[Dave]

But K-2SO, Chirrut Imwe and Baze Malbus, too?  Those figures already looked pretty good.

Chirrut and Baze didn't even sell that well the first time around.  Re-releasing them doesn't make much sense.

[Muftak]

Chirrut and Baze didn't even sell that well the first time around.  Re-releasing them doesn't make much sense.

You aren't looking at it from a marketing standpoint--which is the only thing Hasbro thinks about these days. You have to have the whole crew in the new boxes so you can make the mosaic on the box sides...Baze and Chirrut are a must if you want to build that picture!

The current Star Wars team at Hasbro is all about re-using molds to sell us something "new." Here the new is the way you can keep the cardboard boxes together in a group, and maybe a chance for better deco on Jyn (especially)...oh yeah, and one new character. It is an exact repeat of the Rebels "Ghost" crew wave from last year. (They can do a little bit of good PR by using the Cassian Andor that only came in the multipack, and not the winter coat version this time, but I give them less than even odds that they understand the distinction between the two figures.)

In other words, they needed to do $125 worth of figure reissues to justify the new tooling required to make a $25 Bodhi Rook figure (and from what I remember of his costume, a lot of that could be recycled parts anyway.)

[Jeff]

TROS 6" Flashback Jedi Luke and Leia coming?.

I saw this and just had to LOL.

Collectors: Give us new and interesting figures from the sequel trilogy, like Crait Luke!
Hasbro:  Sequel Trilogy Luke?  OK, here's TROS Jedi Flashback Luke!

Collectors: Give us new and interesting figures from the sequel trilogy, like Creepy undead Palpatine!
Hasbro:  Sequel Trilogy Palpatine?  OK, here's TROS Dark Side Rey Palpatine!

They almost have to be trolling 6" fans on purpose.... 

[Nicklab]

The absence of Crait Luke Skywalker seems really strange. Especially since the rumor about that figure has been circulating for a while.

I personally like the idea of the flashback Luke and Leia.  Something about them tells me that they might have been easier to develop than other figures.  Dark side vision Rey might have been in the works since we first saw that imagery in the trailer.  I think we first saw that around the time of D23 in 2019, and that was in August of’19.  It’s been over a year since we first saw those shots of Rey. 

As for Palpatine?  I think that situation is the mystery box at work once again.  There’s been a trend during the Disney era where some plot points have been closely guarded.  I heard that the guys at Hasbro didn’t see Luke as he appeared in TFA until they actually saw the movie in the theater.

Further complicating things with Palpatine?  Do you make the zombie version that’s attached to a crane, or the rejuvenated one?

[McMetal]

Jeff, you really nailed it. Palpatine is the one figure we all want, and they are jerking with people on purpose. I’m happy to get these figures but they would have been way down the list for me.

[Dave]

Do we know anything about the timing of the pre-orders for the 6" Bad Batch Target exclusive figures? 

I believe the rumor is that these will be Father's Day figures in a shipper.  If that is the case I sure hope they're distributed in higher volumes than the retro figures released on the last few Father's Day as I never saw last year's wave of those in the store, and I live in Minnesota where we've got a Target on every corner.

[GrandMoffNick]

I didn't miss news on Target CW figs did I?

[Muftak]

I didn't miss news on Target CW figs did I?

None today. I believe YakFace stated yesterday there will be a Target Father's Day display for them and that they were slated to up for presale closer to June.

[Nicklab]

Some big news breaking from Jayson over at Yakface today:

RUMOR REPORT: 19 NEW BLACK SERIES CODE NAMES ADDED

"Today, we have a series of new code names added for our Master List of products. We’ll start things off with 19 new Black Series* and Black Series Archive listings in what I suspect are for 2022 release.

Black Series
Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Jacksonville, Key West, Lunge, Miami, North Dakota, Rochester, Tampa, and Tarrytown

Black Series Archive
Cambridge, Gloucester, Lowell, Peabody, Quincy, Waltham, Woburn,
and Worchester

*It is unknown if any of these items are retailer exclusives."

[Nicklab]

Per Yakface/Jayson there will be 4 Black Series Archive figures revealed, and 6 Black Series figures.  I’m curious to see what the mainline figures will be, and if there might be more exclusives in the mix.

I personally don't know what to expect with the Black Series Archive releases.  I'm thinking that maybe there will be a photo-real Rogue One figure in there - the Cassian Andor from the Target 3-pack might be a good candidate since that figure looked so bad.  Perhaps some more bounty hunters - Dengar seems to be in demand.  As for others?  I don't know.

The all new figures seem to be more wide open.  My guesses?
-Will they actually show a prototype of Omega, who was the last pipeline reveal?
-More characters from The Mandalorian seem likely.  Maybe Ahsoka, Fennec Shand or Mayfeld?
-I fully expect a Deluxe Boba Fett from The Mandalorian - maybe from "The Tragedy", in his nomad look, and you can put his armor on.
-Deluxe Darktrooper exclusive?
-A TBS Bodhi Rook at last?
-Possible Walgreens exclusive (if that's still a thing)

[Diddly]

Wonder if they'll go the Main Character route for the Archive wave, or with more Army Builders. I don't believe the recent reproduction run of Captain Rex is an archive figure?

[Dave]

Yakface is teasing new 6" exclusives going live next Thursday (July 22) at Walmart.com

They're also suggesting that we'll be getting a Mortar Stormtrooper soonish.

[Dave]

Yakface is teasing new 6" exclusives going live next Thursday (July 22) at Walmart.com

They're also suggesting that we'll be getting a Mortar Stormtrooper soonish.

They've issued a correction that the WM exclusives going live next week aren't necessarily 6" figures and may be Vintage Collection figures, or some combination of both.