Alright!!!  Question for Toy Fair...

When will Hasbro product be available at Disney Stores?

Will the inexpensive 5 POA line cover all films, Clone Wars, EU and other "deep" characters, it will it essentially be just the main players?

Also, I would love it if someone passed on how excellent the twisted paper ties are in the vehicle packaging are, and it's good to see the wire and plastic supports gone.

What is happening with The Clone Wars figures?  Which line will contain those characters?

All I want is an interesting selection of never before done characters, and if they have to do a Luke, or Obi-Wan, just use the exact same one that has been released before, so there is no need to "collect" it, and it doesn't waste tooling money. 

I don't need pack ins, or droid pieces, or anything except for a weapon or two.

Yes, include realistic Clone Wars, and EU. 

Understand that the buyers for this line are the long-time fans who have many, many figures, and to keep them interested, offer an oddball, unpredictable figure selection.

Sure you don't want to go?

I'll go!

I've been thinking about this over night.  And while we won't have answers until Toy Fair, and maybe never, here's my thoughts...

If producing high quality obscure background characters, EU characters, characters from cut-scenes, and any other odd segment of the 3.75 collection is profitable for Hasbro, they would continue.

Obviously, it isn't.  If they need to move the scale to more kid friendly assortment and less articulation to keep SW going, then that's what they need to do. They are a business, and business needs to make money.

Honestly, if they said tomorrow that 3.75 figures are done, and there would be no more, I'd be bummed, but I would also be shocked of the ride we've had since 1995.  We have toys that I never imagined being made.

The 6 inch line just seems like another idea that they want to try.  Personally, I'm in.  8-16 figures a year is nothing.

Also, I'm shocked about the nastiness I am seeing aimed at Hasbro SW team members.  Sure DePreist made a snide comment about the 15th Cantina guy, but how many times has this guy been called an "idiot" or "moron" or "evil" in SW forums.  People seem to think it's all his fault.  It's also his fault that we got the BMF.

I think that this looks fantastic.  10 years ago I would have passed on it, but at this point I say bring it on.  As I said before, I'm totally committed to the 3 3/4 line, but if it mostly becomes repacks, or resclupts of figures that are already well done, there's not much there for me.

If Luke X-Wing looks this good (his hips and legs look a bit wide) R2 is going to be really fun.  Personally, I bet they don't end up doing more that 20-25 of these.  In a few years it will be a footnote, but I think it's a cool one.

Yeah, but those Batman figures were one step above Happy Meals.  The Bane figure was just horrible.  It looked like it had maybe three colors of paint.  I doubt SW would ever get that cheap looking, but that's the sort of quality I would pass on.  If they could do them like the Target Battle Packs, then I would really like them.

Speaking of that, any thoughts as to the six figures in those battle packs (Luke Bespin, Fett, Vader, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon and Maul)...perhaps they will be the first carded inexpensive figures?

While I don't know enough about it, this is what I am thinking.  The money examples I am going to give are only examples......perhaps tooling a 3/34 figure costs 1.00, and production costs 1.00 but that figure will cost 9.99 at retail, but few people want to spend 9.99 on a 3/34 inch figure.  Maybe 6 inch tooling is 1.20, and production is 1.20, but they can charge 12-15 and no one blinks.  It really might just come down to profit margin.  Hasbro is always talking about "perceived" value, like all the packs in and crap. Perhaps a new scale, even though expensive, would seem to be of much higher value.

Again, I am speculating out my ass.

For me, right now,  I'm not going to buy most 3/34 figures unless they are at least 50% new sculpt.  So, something new might be pretty cool. Granted I will always buy new 3 3/4 figs.  But they seem to be less and less these days.