JediDefender.com Forums
Collectibles => Past Hasbro 3.75" Lines => The Clone Wars '08-'13 => Topic started by: Jesse James on February 18, 2010, 01:43 AM
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(http://www.jedidefender.com/gallery/files/gallery/Conventions/Toy_Fair_2010/Hasbro_Star_Wars/tn_156.jpg)
Here's another thing I'm surprised there isn't more buzz about it... Check it out in our Toy Fair Hasbro Gallery (http://www.jedidefender.com/toyfair2010.php)
The RC Hailfire Droid being shown at Toy Fair this year was outstanding. It's not accurately scaled but it's quite sizeable. I'm looking at it (since it has a smaller missle magazine as well) as a smaller model of the same vehicle. The wheels are much larger for durability reasons I'm assuming, and the missle pods are for 9 in each pod (fire in 3's).
They're really going all out with this. It makes me wish they'd tried to make the Turbo-Tank RC in some capacity, but I'm sure it would've impacted its cost significantly. I'd love to see a Speeder or something though.
RC's a toy niche that's come down in price significantly. Growing up I recall similar vehicles were quite expensive from companies like Nikko and Tyco. They were simply toys though, nowhere near the level of sophistication in the RC Hobby. This new Hailfire's not too different from the toys though, and will cost much less it seems.
This is one I'm actually anxious to add to my collection, and I'm glad to see the answer to the RC question we asked last year.
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Can anyone who got a close look at this please answer a burning question for me?
Is the Clone Trooper that comes with this going to be a unique sculpt/paintjob/etc? Or is it going to be a pure re-pack of a previously released figure?
I'm not a fan of the R/C stuff, but as a TCW completist I will have to buy this if the clone is something new or even remotely a variant at all.
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I had a "model" RC Tamiya Toyota Hilux when I was like 12 and loved that sucker, but I think I'm passed the RC thing now. Just like those spinny flying things. 0 interest.
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No interest in this thing whatsoever and I assume the average collector doesn't care about it either. It's destined for failure in my opinion.
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since I don't have a Hailfire yet I am mildy interested in this so far. I need to see it in action though before I would buy it. Are there any videos floating around with this in action yet?
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There's pictures of the Trooper in our Toy Fair coverage.
While I get why some collectors who have a Hailfire already won't care perhaps, the paintjob's new, the sculpt's nice, and it's intended for the main line, so I think some collectors are going to actually want this. Kids though are its main target, thus it has a battlepack planned specifically to go with the Hailfire Droid as well.
To me this is a great play pattern and it's targeted to the line that actually is selling well without collectors which is pretty key there.
I'm looking into one because it's really well done, and I enjoy RC as a hobby so this is interesting to me. The ability to control the missle launcher, etc. It's pretty neat. My only gripe's its scale but I'm willing to go with it as a different model of the same droid.
I can see kids wanting this to run over their Clones though, for sure.
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Did I miss the price?
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You didn't miss anything Nick, I didn't see a price either. Someone who was doing more chatting may know it, but I didn't catch it myself.
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I'm somewhat intrigued by this, but only at the right price and I doubt that will be the case.
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I'm guessing between $40 and $50.
Bearing in mind it's a fair size, it has RC function (drives like a tank, if you're familiar with that) that works not only the drive mechanism but missle firing in groups of 3... Cost will be a factor. I'm wondering on speed. Can it really plow into a line of Clones? That's my curiosity right now.
They're speedy in the movie so I'd hope the toy's got some umph.
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According to the most recent DCPI list (http://banthaskull.com/index.php/page/sub/new_dpci) it's $59.99
087-06-1497 HAILFIRE RC vehicle $59.99
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Ah ok... Didn't think to go to the DPCI lists, thanks Jayson.
Pricey... I'm still going to get one though. I'm already working in my head on just calling it a later model version of the same thing to adjust the size and payload differences, and be happy with it rolling around the room chasing cats and clones.
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Ah ok... Didn't think to go to the DPCI lists, thanks Jayson.
Pricey... I'm still going to get one though. I'm already working in my head on just calling it a later model version of the same thing to adjust the size and payload differences, and be happy with it rolling around the room chasing cats and clones.
Hasn't it been established that the CIS designs were scalable as that's how they explained away the sizes differences in the Tri-Droid and Octuptarra Droids? I think this could follow suit without too much of a stretch in logic.
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Kind of the way I was thinking... I was applying the WW2 military kind of logic, with how German tanks kept changing to adapt to the changes of war and things. This looks like it's kind of like that. Bigger wheels for the variations of terrain, lower warhead capacity perhaps because they're more powerful, smaller creating a lesser profile, and so on.
Geeky? Sure, but it's the kind of geeky that I enjoy I guess. I'm thinking of just dubbing it a "Mark IV 'Hailfire Droid' Tank" and going with its own little EU story sort of.
I think it'd be great to see RC updated in a Landspeeder now... Luke's or something. They're not aggressive enough probably, but it'd be neat.
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I guess I just can't see myself or enough people shelling out $60 for this to be successful. If the Y-Wing and ARC 170 had issues at $65, then I'm thinking this will too as it's much smaller and the previous versions of the Hailfire droid have been in the ballpark of $20. Even though it is remote control, I don't know if that's enough of a selling point... I could be wrong, but I think Hasbro's going to look back on this one and see it as a failure and the concept will be short lived.
The concept is cool of course, but for myself I pretty much just display my stuff and use some pieces for photonovels here and there, but this just looks too animated to me.
Ok, I made my case against this thing. There's just too many other items I'd rather spend this sort of money on. If it ends up doing well though, then good for Hasbro.
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Well, there's a whole half an aisle at most Targets dedicated to RC/electronic stuff that I'd never buy, but that doesn't automatically make them failures. While maybe not a classic "collector" market item per se, there are a lot of RC enthusiasts out there who may buy one despite not being into Star Wars otherwise.
It's like the RC Flying ships they did last year. According to Hasbro, those did well enough do introduce a few more this year (like the new Falcon). I don't know a lot of folks who bought them, but someone must have or they wouldn't be making more of them this year.
This RC Hailfire Droid has kid appeal with it being a Clone Wars item and it will have significant backing from Hasbro (a BP to go with it, TV commercials, etc), so I think it will do fine. Will it be the hottest SW toy out there this Fall? Maybe not. But I'm not sure that means it will be a 'failure'.
It's new, it's something different, and let's face it - it's a hell of a lot better than Star Wars Choppers or some of the other things they've tried in the past... :P
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Yeah, I'm sort of with Jeff on this one. There are a lot of RC things out there at Target, WM and especially TRU, so there must be a market for them somewhere. I know as a kid I always wanted a "good" RC vehicle (not Star Wars, just in general), but never really got anything more than the cheapo kind. I think a lot of kids still think they are "cool" to some extent. I do sort of question how well a Seperatist vehicle will do. Sure, the vehicle itself lends well to being RC, but it seems like that sort of stuff in general doesn't sell as well as "clone" stuff. Heck, they even packed a clone in with this anyways the way it looks. I don't now which others would be the best choice (although the Turbo Tank Jesse mentioned probably would be cool, but much more expensive), but we'll see how it does. I guess this is the "Clone Wars" big vehicle in a way this year, since the $100 assortment is more Vintage Collection based this year with the AT-AT.
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My 6 1/2 year old son is pretty geeked about - but then again he isn't the average kid. I pretty much shell out the $$$ for anything SW related, so, to him, me buying this is a given (though I am not going to drop any money on this thing til I see a video of it in action).
we never grabbed the Hailfire, and my SW collection is all about play, every toy I buy is for my son (i relive my childhood through him). I think some collectors might vomit if I showed off what we got going on in our house. I am thinking I will be taking some pictures of the chaos soon and post it all in the collectors section.
back on point - since this is all for my son - I could see him really digging this thing if it is what I am expecting it to be.
also, just curious, is the Clone in this pack from CW or is it a "realistic" version? Not a deal breaker - I would just prefer a non CW one.
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It's a Clone Wars toy, ergo an animated Clone Trooper (http://www.jedidefender.com/gallery/files/gallery/Conventions/Toy_Fair_2010/Hasbro_Star_Wars/153.JPG) pack-in.
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I think the AT-AT's as much geared at the Clone Wars crowd as this is by the way... Sure it's going to go for OT people but like I've mentioned before, AT-AT isn't that far removed from any other AT-whatever and kids will want it I think. Lots of play value, it's clone-ish... I think it's got that dual-appeal some vehicles maybe don't have.
Anyway back to the Hailfire, like Jeff mentioned, this is going to have a battlepack specifically made to "counter" it in a play pattern, and it's going to be featured in commercials unlike a lot of other things... Hasbro seem to feel it's got potential then. It's being made specifically for the 3.75" line too, not as a separate piece for some other line.
The RC ships were a good point as well, as those weren't something I saw as big sellers but they've apparantly sold regardless what my impression was. Those weren't tied to the 3.75" line either. I think that's going to be a big key.
I'm wondering if the Hailfire's going to be in the cartoon, or if it's just a thing Hasbro ran with on their own? I think if it's debuting in the cartoon at some point too, that's going to also help it immensely. So far that's a droid that hasn't shown up anywhere in the series though (very strange given its popularity).
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If it's going to have it's own commerical, I'm betting it'll show up in the cartoon at some point in the near future.
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That's kind of my thoughts too Jayson, but there wasn't mention and I didn't get a chance to ask.
It seemed kind of a good bet though. A number of things from presumably future episodes were shown, like Mace WIndu.
I figure the Hailfire's due for some time in the toon though. Considering its screentime in AOTC, I'm surprised it hasn't turned up yet. The Snail Tank Droid hasn't turned up though, but it also wasn't put out in anything but a movie deco either.
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The Snail Tank Droid hasn't turned up though, but it also wasn't put out in anything but a movie deco either.
The Snail Tank was in the CW movie I believe.
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That's right, he was on Christophsis in the armored columns... No deco change though I don't think.
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Yeah, when I first heard of this I thought it would be cool to get for my son. Then I see the $60 pricetag and that immediately killed it for me. Yeah, it's going to fail unfortunately. Oh well.
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New picture of the RC Hailfire Droid was tossed our way this morning... I'm pretty geeked for this item actually.
(http://www.jedidefender.com/news/images/1-08/010CW_RCHailfireDroidBoxed01_TN.jpg) (http://www.JediDefender.com)
Clicky to check it out!
I can see kids smashing their Clones with this one... at least that's what I'd be doing. :) I thought Hasbro should've done this a long time ago!
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Great pic...good to see some new sneak peeks.
I wonder if the Clone Pack-In will have the modified articulation ala Stone?
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Bleh easy pass for me.
I was hoping to get this until just now seeing that picture. It's WAY too chunky to me. I know it's probably impossible for Hasbro to design/manufacture one as thin as the movie Hailfire droid and still make it RC, so I'll be okay passing this one up.
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I think this is really cool but I probably won't buy it. I think the firing missiles make this a potential hit.
E...
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I'll pick it up if it hits uber clearance, but not much interest here.
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still waiting to see a video of it in action
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If this was the first time the vehicle was being released, I would definitely be a lot more excited.
I will get it, but it's gonna be really hard for me to justify getting a second one to open.
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Easy pass for me too. Maybe if my kid were to want one, but personally I have no desire for a plump Hailfire when there's three previous versions released aleady - and each of those look a lot better and were much more affordable.
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It's definitely not quite as realistic (at least at the wheels) as the regular version, but to me that's a nice sacrifice to make a toy that functions, rolls, is intended to run Clone figures over and things... This is a much different toy, in those regards. It's aimed largely at kids and people who want to mess around with it, and I'd fall into that category. I mean, my CW2D version doesn't roll well, youc an't push it and make it go... So something like this is cool, and different to me, but certain concessions are going to be necessary for it to function.
It's like R2 with light/sounds... Certain concessions on that figure's poseabitlity and such will be made for the functionality... Or maybe a better analogy is the RC astromechs we got. They're not quite as nice as a static Hasbro astromech, but there's a certain "fun" to them for me... I had a little Death Star set-up and wheeling that Q5 around it was kind of fun.
This is similar, but I think more aimed at the kids too... Rolling over Clones, rolling around a floor firing its missles at the AT-TE or other big item... From a play-pattern POV that's pretty great stuff.
I've always had an interest in RC stuff as a hobby though too, so I'm sure that makes it more appealing to me as well. For kids though I think this will be popular, though $50-ish may make it not popular enough.
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said it before, and I'll say it again - need to see it in action before I buy it. I buy everything for my son (almost 7) to play with. He has an RC car and likes it - if this functions well I can see myself grabbing this for him or possibly him putting it on his christmas list.
The bad thing is the price - thats a lot of money and as pointed out already you can get one of the other 3 previously released versions cheap - I just bought one that was MIB from someone for only $10.
But I am not going to get it until I see one in action - I am kinda surprised it wasn't shown off more at TF.
One at $10 is awesome - a second on anything costing $40-$50 more than you got the first at better be pretty darn spectacular.
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I have a feeling it will function well only because RC's something that in recent years has jumped in quality... In the last 10 or so years, the technology has just vastly improved where battery life's pretty great compared to the stuff I remember as a kid, and charge times are down on rechargeable stuff... That's a great improvement. I hope it has good speed to it, as they moved fairly fast in AOTC (this is still one I'm surprised hasn't seen more action in the cartoon... It's probably one of the cooler designs IMO).
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Saw it today at TRU... didn't look any better in person.
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This is the image I've been waiting for here (http://i.toynewsi.com/g/index.php?mode=view&album=2010_SDCC%2FPreview_Night%2FHasbro%2FStar_Wars&pic=DSC06407.jpg&dispsize=800&start=20). It really says it all... no way is it worth $60.00.
I wouldn't be surprised to see this on clearance pretty much everywhere after Christmas.
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Because it's sitting next to the $100 AT-AT? ???
It's a remote controlled toy... It seems appropriately priced compared to a lot of the RC toys in the toy aisle at $60 then... Since we saw AT-TE's on clearance, BMF's, CW Y-Wings, and Turbo Tanks... I'd say you're hardly going out on a limb predicting clearance on this, CHEWIE. ;)
It's like predicting AT-AT's could hit clearance... Given the track record of anything above basically $30 or $40, I wouldn't be surprised at all.
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I question why even create a remote control toy.
As for the AT-AT comparison - absolutely. Value wise, when you see this in the box in person, you'll see that it looks ridiculously overpriced compared to everything else in the aisle. I've already seen several in my area, and talked to collectors at the stores that say there's no way they're forking over that kind of money for it.
And from what I've read around, most people who post on the sites would rather spend their dollars on just about anything other than this over the next several months. I think Hasbro is going to be in for a disappointment here, and would be surprised if we see more offerings after this one (unless they have already invested in another one that is in development).
Also, maybe $60 is fair for what it does, but I can personally think of quite a few other things that I'd rather see Hasbro invest their resources into for a similar price range... I mean, they can do this, but not a nice playset for this price? Something tells me that, oh... say perhaps a new Bespin Freeze Chamber playset to coincide with the 30th anniversary of ESB would be more appealing. Pack in a new Han Solo, and I doubt any of those if they were made would be sitting around as long as these things will. Then also consider that the sculpt on this thing is a huge step back from the regular mold... and this thing is a niche toy if I've ever seen one in the 3-3/4" scale. Hasbro's taking a pretty big risk here - yet they won't take that risk on playsets. I find that extremely frustrating.
Sorry Jesse, I know you like this thing and all, but I ain't feeling it. My 3-year old kid might think it's cool actually, but those missiles would be lost in a heartbeat and he'd be pissed, so there's plenty of other things I'll be spending those hard earned dollars on.
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I question this too, only considering its a relatively low recognition vehicle getting a relatively huge showcase. I'm sure Hasbro wanted some major CW vehicle to be out there to compliment the AT AT, which is cool. I just don't think this is it.
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I question why even create a remote control toy.
Why?
I know it's not something you'll buy, but you're a 30+ year old man, like myself. Not a 10 year old. It's not a toy aimed at "us". It's aimed at "them", who most of the modern line itself is aimed at.
As for the AT-AT comparison - absolutely. Value wise, when you see this in the box in person, you'll see that it looks ridiculously overpriced compared to everything else in the aisle. I've already seen several in my area, and talked to collectors at the stores that say there's no way they're forking over that kind of money for it.
Actually, I have seen it in person, back in February, when I was at Toy Fair. :) Same time I saw the AT-AT, and they weren't far from one another.
The AT-AT is $100 worth of toy... Possibly more, which Hasbro said that it was coming in at more but they were only releasing it for $100. Probably because of all the clearances, even at $100, making them reluctant to put it out for more.
The Hailfire Droid is not as big as the AT-AT, but costs about half as much... And it's a remote controlled toy to run over clones with. Like I said, I go back to my point I made about this in February, that it's for kids. It's to entertain kids. It's to be "fun" and move around, and interact in a unique way with the action figure line. Compared to other RC toys, its size and price are pretty in line with each other. Look at the RC Gunship and such. They weren't cheap either, but they actually didn't do dismally at retail either, to the point they got continued. They were far from cheap though.
And from what I've read around, most people who post on the sites would rather spend their dollars on just about anything other than this over the next several months. I think Hasbro is going to be in for a disappointment here, and would be surprised if we see more offerings after this one (unless they have already invested in another one that is in development).
And most people posting on websites like ours aren't 10.
I'd be surprised if they offer more RC stuff like the Hailfire Droid though, simply because I can't think of what they'd do. The Hailfire's design itself worked for the concept, but not much else in Star Wars does. Nothing exciting and that they can tie to Clone Wars anyway. :-\ Good or bad at retail, the choices are pretty limited on this type of thing, and to have them still be an "exciting" item to kids.
Also, maybe $60 is fair for what it does, but I can personally think of quite a few other things that I'd rather see Hasbro invest their resources into for a similar price range... I mean, they can do this, but not a nice playset for this price? Something tells me that, oh... say perhaps a new Bespin Freeze Chamber playset to coincide with the 30th anniversary of ESB would be more appealing.
True, but then again, like I said, a $60 Bespin Freeze Chamber is for you... And me... And other 30+ year olds buying toys, which is a dwindling market.
Then again, Hasbro offered us a cool Lars Homestead that didn't sell, so maybe the same would be said of a Bespin Freeze Chamber for $60.
Then also consider that the sculpt on this thing is a huge step back from the regular mold... and this thing is a niche toy if I've ever seen one in the 3-3/4" scale. Hasbro's taking a pretty big risk here - yet they won't take that risk on playsets. I find that extremely frustrating.
I can't say I agree on the sculpt being that huge of a regression, but I feel your pain on playsets. I don't think the risk here, is the same as a risk on a big playset though. The risk on the playset is banking on adults. The risk on the RC Hailfire Droid is banking on the lion's share of the market, which spend more. The risk's aren't anywhere near one another then, in my view.
Sorry Jesse, I know you like this thing and all, but I ain't feeling it. My 3-year old kid might think it's cool actually, but those missiles would be lost in a heartbeat and he'd be pissed, so there's plenty of other things I'll be spending those hard earned dollars on.
I do like it, but not because I think it's a scaled perfectly, accurately detailed Hailfire Droid that has features out the whazzoo, and things. I like it because the "kid in me" likes it. It's the same reason I like playing Uno. It's something that will have some fun to it, but I'm not the guy they made it for.
At $60, like I said, you're hardly going on a limb predicting clearance. The precedent is there, well established, that pretty much anything above $40 has a grand chance of seeing CLearance. As precedent has also shown though, it doesn't mean that sales were bad enough that it wasn't a good move financially. I'm glad they made it, and I think for the CW3D line it's a good idea.
An RC Sandcrawler for the Vintage Line though? Bad idea. :-\
Now, Darby's point about it being low profile... I can't disagree. It hasn't even turned up in the CW Cartoon that I can recall. But it's made for that line for a reason I think, and I agree with you Darby, on Hasbro possibly doing this to get something with some umph out for the Clone Wars line specifically. Still, I think the AT-AT is intended to bridge a gap between collector and kid as well. It's a walker, it's very Clone-ish... I think they're expecting kids to want that as much as adults, or more.
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Dude, I'd be all over an RC Sandcrawler! ;)
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Some good points Jesse... but hold on a second...
You say you can see why they made a remote control toy. Yet you also say the Hailfire has a low profile. But then you also indicated that you can't see them doing something else as a remote control toy after this one... so that goes back to my point... why do it at all? I know you have your reasons and are seeing this through Hasbro's eyes, but I think their lenses need to be cleaned a bit. Remember, these people also thought Choppers were a brilliant idea aimed at kids.
I can't say the Lars Homestead is a great comparison to a nice Bespin playset, because it was overpriced beyond any level of sanity. Once they hit around $35 though, everywhere around here they were gobbled up quick as that price was more in line with what the set should have originally been. Really - that thing should have never been priced so high, or at least if it was it should have come with all new versions of Owen and Beru. I can't blame you for the comparison though, because there's not much else in the playset avenue Hasbro has done... their fault entirely in my opinion. They have the coolest toy license around and should be setting trends.
Anyways, we'll see if the RC Hailfire is a success or not. I doubt it will be, but more power to Hasbro if is. I just can't see it though when one can almost get three mid sized vehicles for a similar price.
When you get it, I look forward to the video you post running over some clones with it. ;)
And I think it's cool they tried something new, but... eh.
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You say you can see why they made a remote control toy. Yet you also say the Hailfire has a low profile. But then you also indicated that you can't see them doing something else as a remote control toy after this one... so that goes back to my point... why do it at all? I know you have your reasons and are seeing this through Hasbro's eyes, but I think their lenses need to be cleaned a bit. Remember, these people also thought Choppers were a brilliant idea aimed at kids.
I can't say the Hailfire has a low profile, but that it's a good idea? Like I said, they made it for kids, in the line that's almost entirely geared at kids (CLone Wars 3D). Having a low profile maybe doesn't help its cause, but it also doesn't hurt it either since it's marketed at that line that is selling the best. It's the same reason the origianl GIJ Tank that came out was motorized and things. It looked like poo, but it rolled around over Cobras and logs and dirt (well, for a little while), and was FUN, and for the kiddies. The Hailfire maybe is going to get some play in the toon? I don't know that. It's a 2010 item so that's possible I guess. If they were wanting to do something like this though, they had no real good choices otehrwise.
THis gives kids, who have probably amassed a Clone army by default now, the opportunity to run them over and spin around, and fire rockets at AT-TE's and Turbo Tanks... It's even getting a battlepack made specifically to interact with the item. It's no mystery what the play patterns are there, that Hasbro is banking on with this toy.
I'm seeing this through more than Hasbro's eyes, but also the eyes of kids. If it were me, I'd want it scaled perfectly, thinner wheels, all the missles firing, and all of them accurately sculpted to look like the ones in the films, and a paintjob that makes it look like the Genosis HF Droid. :) But again, I'm not who they are selling this to.
Hasbro may have made "Choppers", but they've also kept a toy line running since 1995 that should've died probably around 1999 or 2000.
I can't say the Lars Homestead is a great comparison to a nice Bespin playset, because it was overpriced beyond any level of sanity. Once they hit around $35 though, everywhere around here they were gobbled up quick as that price was more in line with what the set should have originally been. Really - that thing should have never been priced so high, or at least if it was it should have come with all new versions of Owen and Beru. I can't blame you for the comparison though, because there's not much else in the playset avenue Hasbro has done... their fault entirely in my opinion. They have the coolest toy license around and should be setting trends.
I agree, shouldn't have been priced that high, but it was... and my opinion of why it was too much is just my perception as a consumer. I don't think figures should be $7.99 either. And even around me, at $35, they were easy to get yet. That's when I bought mine and was much happier. I can't say though, what that should've cost, as I don't know what it did cost the company. I do know the larger the pieces, the higher the cost of tooling. I know that from my manufacturing experiences with steel, and injection molds.
A figure's arm, leg, or head, costs so much. The chassis halves the Turbo Tank has (I only use it as an example as I have one apart on my floor right now) are a LOT larger than a figure's limb. The dome for the Lars hut is a pretty big chunk of plastic. Same with the base. I may have viewed it as a $35 toy, but what it actually cost to produce, and make a good profit margin for TRU to say, "Sure we'll buy that" is different. Or at least it may be, I don't know. I just know Hasbro isn't being misleading when they tell us that the tooling dollars for a playset, because it's bigger, costs more. Maybe the Lars Homestead only cost $10 to make though? I doubt it, but who knows?
Anyways, we'll see if the RC Hailfire is a success or not. I doubt it will be, but more power to Hasbro if is. I just can't see it though when one can almost get three mid sized vehicles for a similar price.
I guess. I look at it as not terribly different from the sub-lines Hasbro's tried with kids. I can't say I hope it does well or not because I don't foresee a second item that I'd really want. A hailfire Droid was the only thing RC I was really thinking they could do, and now they have, so I hope it does good for the line's sake only. I don't expect them to roll out another RC item though, unless they make something up or something wheeled turns up in the cartoon that they can crank out. :-\
What I wanted is happening though, more or less. Like I said, it's not EXACTLY as I would've done it, but then again mine would've been more a model, and less a toy.
I'd love a giant RC Sandcrawler too Darby, but like I said... Bad idea for the line. :) *shrugs*
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You can say whatever you want to regarding if it's a good idea, it just seems there's more reasons to not go down the whole RC theme at all from my perspective.
Not trying to be disagreeable, would a RC Sandcrawler really be any worse for the line than a RC Hailfire droid? Because they couldn't scale it properly? What if they made the mold somewhat bigger than the vintage mold, had it open up and all that with more room for figures, included some new exclusive figures (kinda like their ploy with the upcoming Slave One set) and the sucker was actually remote control? I'd probably be interested, but not because it's remote control - I just want a bigger Sandcrawler... this would probably not be all that popular with kids though, unless they had a side open up with a big ass cannon or something and it had some sort of presence in the CW cartoon involved in a battle... which really just gets me wishing they'd get the Sail Barge prominently involved in the CW and make that damn thing. :-\
As for other mid sized vehicles that could work with RC treatment? Perhaps the following:
- Republic Tank
- Swamp Speeder
- AAT Federation Tank
With the Hailfire Droid included, that gives you two vehicles for each Clone Wars faction.
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would a RC Sandcrawler really be any worse for the line than a RC Hailfire droid?
Yes.
I can think of several reasons, ranging from one item being from the current CW3D cartoon to the other being from a 30+ year old film, all the way to one being clearly for kids to have fun with and the other being for adults to set their dusty action figures on and bitch about how much it cost them (and likely wait for clearance rather than beg their mom and dad to put it under the tree for them so they can run down in giant footy pajamas, complete with assflap, X-Mas morning and open it up just like they did 30+ years ago). :)
Making it to-scale has nothing to do with the equation... not to me anyway.
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On that note, I'm sure countless kids will be losing sleep in December praying they get the RC Hailfire droid for Christmas... :P
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Love the jibba jabba...good points all around.
I'm not a fan of RC stuff at all, but scaling this to the 3.75" line and throwing in a Clone Trooper makes it a mandatory purchase as per the Completist Rulebook Section 23. ;D
Still cannot figure out if the Clone Trooper is strictly a re-pack of something previously released. He looks a little different somehow...
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Yeah, I think there's points to be made on both sides.
To me this thing is more of a novelty more than anything else; something different... and not appealing to me. But, I hope that for those that get it, it works well and is a lot of fun. And good luck keeping track of those missiles (I believe they fire through the remote control mechanism)...
On a side note, I think Hasbro should include a few extra missiles with all their Hailfire droids. Those suckers are easy to lose.
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Saw this thing tonight for the first time at TRU....$60? Really? I don't know what RC stuff sells for these days, but this just seems a tad to expensive IMO. Seems cool for the kiddos with the firing missles and all, but ya - how is a AT-TE going to hold up when this thing smacks into it? I dunno. Might pick it up if I ever see it on clearance, but still 0 interest.
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So I picked this up this afternoon at my local Wally... I figured since I'd nabbed most of Wave 2 Vintage now, and wasn't really expecting anything else on the immediate horizon, why not?
I waited till I got home to open it up... Some thoughts:
-The RC Mechanism functions really quite flawlessly. It's a LITTLE sensitive with the steering, but full-tilt speed surprised me. It motors for something this size, and with what I'm guessing aren't the most powerful motors inside.
It functions like a tank used to, which gives you a significant ammount of control on the turning, which can take a little getting used to. One wheel works for one joystick on the controller, and another wheel for the other. It turns by either not moving one wheel, or by pulling the stick opposite on one wheel which will give you the ability to make the Hailfire do a 360 degree spin.
-The missile firing mechanism is neat, and functions on a staggered firing operation. The missiles fire in 3's out of their launcher (as near as I can tell), and go a decent distance, though not much of a height arc to them, which I was hoping for a little better there. They give you 4 extra missiles too, assuming you'll wind up losing them (which I can see easily happening).
I will say, I wish the firing button were a little more convenient on the controller, as it's tough to fire and have the vehicle moving forward ala the Geonosis Battle in Attack of the Clones.
-The vehicle is similar in size to the AOTC styled tank from the Clone Wars line. This makes it fit in well enough with that one. It has chunkier wheels and drive mechanisms to house the electronics, bbut it's not as different as I thought it would look, once they're side-by-side. The paintjob is 100% Clone Wars 3D EU though.
-A cool surprise to me was that the droid's red eye actually lights up. I hadn't realized this till I fired it up and that allows you to clearly see the tank is on. I found that neat littl eextra. I also liked that Hasbro apparantly went the extra mile to hide the vehicle's whip antenna. I don't know how it exactly picks up signal as I've not taken it apart, nor do I know the range on it, but mine was going a decent distance away in the house without interruption, and there's no visible antenna which is nice. That took some design effort for it to work.
-Traction is something of a mystery right now as I have only run it on carpeted flooring. It gripped well though, moved very nicely, even over some thicker carpeting. Lumped up thin rugs in the kitchen caused it to do a little wheel spinning though, so I'm not sure how it will react to pavement or grass. I'm guessing pavement and hard packed dirt will both work fine for it though.
-No clue on how the wheels will "wear" over time. They feel pretty rigid though, so I'm thinking they'll be ok.
-The missle pods aren't poseable at all... Again this goes to my gripe about them not having a high firing arc, and I wish that was a possibility, but with the RC firing mechanism it's probably just not feasible for the design.
-The pods fir all 18 missiles by the way, which I thought only 6 missiles in each pod fired, so that was a pleasant surprise.
-The tank plowed through some Stormtroopers on my floor that were lined up and waiting to be put into storage, and it's exactly what I always envisioned the "play pattern" to be on this toy... Just something sort of sizable for the Separatists to crush Clone figures running at them full tilt. This is basically a toy to be the antithesis to the "big Clone stuff".
-The Clone pack-in lacks a lot of deco, but so do some other CW3D Clones it seems. I don't know if this is the first one, but I'm guessing not, as I believe I have a CW3D Clone around here from something I bought that lacks pretty much anything but black bodyglove and visor decoration. That's all this figure has on it.
That's basically it... I think the Clone Wars Hailfire is a nicer display piece due to the less "chunky" look to it, but they're more similar than I realized once they're together. I prefer the movie deco though, myself. I do, however, love the RC mechanism. I was thinking Hasbro maybe wouldn't do well with this, as RC can be something tricky for companies to master if they don't make toys likek that often. This one works well, and the missile mechanism works great.
I think it'll be ultimately fairly easy to pick one up on sale. This is prime for a discount at Target, though my Targets don't seem to have as many of these as Wal-Mart does, who are more reluctant to drop prices on anything. Wal-Mart has at least 8 of them on my last stop... Well, 7 now I guess. Target only has one last time I was there.
I think for "fun", it's a good toy. For "collectible", it's not so good. It's not attrocious, but it's just not as nice as the original Clone Wars sculpt of this vehicle. For having something to actually use though, and drive around outside or just messing with the kids, it's pretty neat.
Oh, and I don't believe they can be run together. I'm assuming the frequencies are all the same, so if you bought 2 you'd have to run them one at a time for find a way to change the crystals. I'm going to take this for a tear outside after work while I've got some good weather. I'm going to run it on a tank obstacle course I have outside on my property for RC tanking. This should be an interesting challenge as the controls are a little sensitive on the Hailfire, but I was getting pretty good at firing the missiles reasonably accurately in 5 minutes. I'm curious to see it perform on hard packed dirt, as well, and also see how it climbs various grades and some mild obstacles and varying sized paths.
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I'm going to take this for a tear outside after work while I've got some good weather. I'm going to run it on a tank obstacle course I have outside on my property for RC tanking. This should be an interesting challenge as the controls are a little sensitive on the Hailfire, but I was getting pretty good at firing the missiles reasonably accurately in 5 minutes. I'm curious to see it perform on hard packed dirt, as well, and also see how it climbs various grades and some mild obstacles and varying sized paths.
I want a video of this ;D
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I should probably tape it someday, but I don't have a way to do that, sorry. :) I was setting up droid obstacle courses with the RC astromechs, sort of the same idea, but inside.
I'll try and find video of other people's much more elaborate tank set-ups... RC tanking is a growing hobby, and some guys make (actual) concrete pillboxes, concrete destroyed buildings (concrete is super easy to work with if you have any experience at all with it), and so on. Some guys even weld their own metal obstacles ala D-Day beaches. All about the scale of Star Wars stuff. (1:16-1:18-ish).
Some guys make theirs to look like narrow Italian mountain streets, others try for a more open Northern France/Belgium look. Others add bridges, anti-tank ditches, all kinds of good stuff. Many of the tanks actually fire too, so there's objectives to be "destroyed" too, along the way.
I'm just more curious how this'll roll on hard packed dirt, and control on a given path.
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Glad you like it Jesse, the eye lighting up sounds cool.
And I agree, this will hit clearance and probably be able to be purchased on the cheap at Target... I'm starting to see a bit of dust on them here.
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LIke I said, in my area Target has the least of them out... One has none, the other I visit routinely has one. So that may or may not work out. TRU and WM have the most of them, and the most space dedicated to them... This may tie slightly to the idea that Target sometimes leans towards collectors while TRU and WM sometimes lean the other direction, I don't know. I could see TRU discounting theirs though relatively quickly after the holidays.
I took mine out tonight on the old tank course...
It grips a rougher surface better than it does a smoother surface. The tread on the wheels just isn't deep enough nor pliable enough to really grip the smaller imperfections of a smoother surface like dry hardpacked clay/dirt or a tile floor.
It also rides lower to the ground, and has absolutely no suspension (too bad because the mounts for the wheels to the body would've worked way cooler with functional simple spring shock systems), so it will hang up on obstacles if you don't get enough oomph to just blast over them. It is surprisingly maneuverable, but you have to be sort of quick with the controls because it's sensitive, and it is a little speedier than I thought it maybe would've been.
I'm kind of curious if the transmissions in each wheel will hold up over time, or rough driving? Without the suspensions being functional, I could see gears grinding if they're played with hard, like jumped off things. Even small "jumps" can jar the transmission. The wheels don't even really give the vehicle a cushion either, so damage there could occur. Only time will tell.
I'm kind of curious to take one apart, but don't feel like running the risk of having it not go back together easily. I just took a Turbo Tank apart to customize recently, and it's nothing short of a bear to take apart completely (why on Earth Hasbro would actually GLUE screw hole covers in, rather than leave them so you can pry them off, is beyond me. That's one of the dumbest things ever IMO, as they plugged in almost permanently, and would've required major prying to remove... Very dumb to glue them then).
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Personally I would rather have a Sandcrawler or a large scale Landspeeder over this.
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Well my 5 year old (soon to be 6) is now wanting this. LOL! I do like it personally. I just did not want to shell out $60 for it since I have the other non-remote control version. That and I shelled out $100 for the big AT-AT. He's got a good chance of getting this because A) he wants it really bad B) he's got plenty of family members willing to get him a "big unique item" that he'll love and C) AOTC is his favorite Star Wars movie because of the Arena and Jedi/Clones vs. Droids/Seperatist action. I really don't see tons of these hanging out in the stores though. Granted I have not really been looking for it. Anyway, it sounds like it will be in our house at the latest by X-mas.
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For you RC lovers...from Mousedroid
QUESTION 2:
Recently the Radio Controlled (RC) Hailfire Droid turned up at retail in Australia, and well I must say, what a fantastic vehicle. Quite possibly the best "toy" I have bought in a while. I must admit that it picks up quite a bit of speed, but the Radio Controlled Firing Missiles are by far it's best feature! It is also really great that you have made it in the 3 3/4" scale so that it will work with your/our existing manual vehicles and Basic Figures. As you have probably noticed, when you move away from your "core" products (3 3/4" Action Figures), interest eventually dwindles off (Titanium and Might Muggs are a couple of examples of this). My question is: Do you have plans or any interest in persuing the RC format in the 3 3/4" scale further? A Republic Tank would be good *wink*
HASBRO RESPONSE:
Thanks for the compliment - we're glad you are thrilled with the Hailfire. As a matter of fact we have been looking at developing additional 3-3/4" RC vehicles, and the Republic Interceptor Tank is on our list of candidates. No telling whether it will "make the cut" though as it's tough to top the feature-laden Hailfire!.
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Well I guess if the thing has to shot missiles, I guess we will never get a RC Sandcrawler. Unless Hasbro pulls a rocket firing R5-D4 trick on it. Jawas of Death!
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTPvw9tXTL4&feature=player_embedded
I'd gotten a couple requests about the RC obstacle course... I can't video my own, but this guy's showing off a 1:16 Jagdpanther tank (WW2 German Tank Destroyer), and I thought his set-up was awesome. Mine's nowhere near this level of quality, but it's similar in some respects. Mine's nowhere near this cool looking though, but I thought I'd share just since it's what the gist of the RC obstacle courses are like for some folks.
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My son had his birthday Friday night and his grandparents bought him this. The toy is fantastic! I know it is $60 but he loves it. The missiles basically fire in groups of 4 remotely. IT has a great spinning feature. The thing looks super-durable and sturdy. It was quite the hit.
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I've beat the piss out of mine now a bit... Honestly I think it's one of the more indestructable RC's I've had. I'm shocked because it has no suspension to speak of at all. That usually can murder a gearbox. Not this thing though. I rolled it off a couple steps even. :o
The spinning is cool too, I agree. It controls like a tank (or like tanks used to), by driving each wheel independantly. It's incredibly maneuverable once you get the feel for the somewhat sensitive controls. I'm a little experienced with RC stuff and the bigger things control a bit more sensitively, but really this isn't hard to master. It's just right for kids I think.
The rockets... They should include a full extra set. These things will be lost. :) They go very, very far... Definitely not for use around the pets with little ones I think. ;D
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Thinking about biting on this tomorrow for $39. Probably not, but I will keep it on my list I guess...
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Black Friday did this better around me... Target's near me is down to one,a nd WM had 3 (they had about 10 to start, so not bad). I noticed this got pimped in some toy catalogues a bit, so I'm sure that didn't hurt it either.
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Target had these marked to $35-ish this weekend, and they were all gone where I visited. I believe the mark-down started Sunday, but I wasn't too sure on that. Both stores I visited sold out though.
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Target's clearance of the R/C Hailfire Droid appears to be in full swing. I found a couple at a local store that were marked at $24.98 or so. Given that price drop I was ready to pull the trigger on this vehicle. And imagine my oh so pleasant surprise when I got to the register and to find that the current clearance price was ACTUALLY $14.98. A nice score in my book.
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Same here - I scanned some that said they were 50% off, but they were 75% off. They've been sitting for a couple weeks at several Targets with the 50% sticker. Maybe if they update with the correct stickers they can finally get them out of there.
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They sold at my local Target with only one markdown to $42. It's surprising to see the "successful" toys hit clearance.
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Yeah I haven't seen one at Target since early December maybe? Whatever that first markdown was they had before Christmas time. They sold out then. I'd buy another for $15 for sure.
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I'm still seeing these around for $20somethingish and $40somethingish. Managed to secure a 75% off version through a local - I think I originally said I had no interest in this thing unless it hit extreme clearance so ya...
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nabbed what appeared to be the last one of these at Target today for $15. They were doing a reset of areas of the toy dept.