I'm perfectly fine with the TLC2013 line being delayed. Until Hasbro gets this inventory mess sorted out with the remaining cases of The Vintage Collection, the works are going to get gummed up. Let them work it out and get the distribution system running correctly. And then we can *HOPEFULLY* get back on a regular schedule where we see a new wave at retail every 4 - 6 weeks.
However, I'm disturbed to see some Star Wars collecting websites abandoning reason and throwing out alarmist nonsense like "THERE'S GOING TO BE NO NEW PRODUCT FOR 2 YEARS"! Really? Based on what? If you want to call yourself an authority in the Star Wars online collecting community and you go spouting off nonsense like that, you'd better be prepared to back it up.
This bit of news from Hasbro regarding the return of TVC figures to the pegs took a lot of people by surprise, but it's far from unexpected. We knew from a number of statements from Hasbro that they had a tremendous backlog of TVC basic figure inventory. This was caused by Hasbro's massive miscalculation on the level of demand for the EPISODE I themed wave of Vintage Collection figures. And Hasbro has openly acknowledged that they over-produced the TPM wave and that had a ripple effect on subsequent waves of The Vintage Collection getting out to retail chains. This led to an overstock of later TVC basic figure waves in Hasbro's warehouses.
Hasbro also announced that they would be offering a great deal of TVC basic figure stock to closeout chains like 5 Below, TJ Maxx, Big Lots and others. But there were still at least 5 WAVES of TVC basic figures that followed the EPISODE I wave. So what to do with those? As much as I like buying TVC figures for $5 a piece at 5 Below, I can't see that chain and TJ Maxx being able to take on the tremendous backlog of stock that must have been the result of the TPM wave logjam. Hence this announcement that 2012's wave 4 & 5 will be returning to brick & mortar retail!
So where does that leave things? Very likely, we're probably going to see TVC basic figures continue to ship through the new year and Q1 of 2013. That gives Hasbro and the retailers about 4 months to try to work through this backlog of TVC stock. And Hasbro will probably transition over to THE LEGACY COLLECTION of basic figures & vehicles for Q2, which begins in April 2013. Plus, the way the toy business works, we usually see new licensed lines launch within a month or so of Toy Fair. And that takes place in mid-February.