New cards for early releases?

[Thomas Grey]

Mdarthdaddy - Michael pointed out to me in an email recently that the Anakin (Secret Ceremony) figure has an original Saga card variation and a new yellow stripe on the left side card (darker blue).

Questions:

1. Why?
- Are they doing this to get the early releases out to people that couldn't get them due to the shipping problems and bad cards the early 2003 figures were on?

- Are they just doing it to create some consistancy? Seems a bit late for the Anakin figure at least.

2. Are there other figures that have had the same card variation? I have heard there may be a Boba Fett on both types of card too. If so, which figures have you noticed beyond the mentioned Anakin?

3. Here we go again with the card changes. Almost a repeat of the first 16 (if in fact others have the same change) Saga figures with the inserts. I am not a fan of this. I wish these types of changes would be left alone and not done at all. It makes no sense and it drives variation/error collectors ape.

Let me know if anyone has found others. I actually was able to find both Anakin's on a fluke, so I can try scans for those if any are interested...

[aka DaBigKahuna]

Thomas,

I have seen the Han Hoth (brown coat), Boba POK, and Anaking Secret Ceremony on the new cards.  I have heard of sightings of Aayla, Barriss, and the Padawan kids.  I can't confirm the later as I have yet to see those myself.  I have heard of a Blue Coat Version.

I can see the thinking behind the Han Hoth and Fett, as those were not too plentiful on the West Coast, but the Anakin and deffinetely the Padawan's, Barriss, and Aayla I saw in abundance.

Seems like a scheme just to get rid of created product.  

-edit- I saw one lone recarded Barriss today at TRU.  I also saw a Yoda and Chian on new card, this was a pegwarmer here on the West Coast as well.  Bring on the Mon's for those who were not fortunate to get one.


-Fish-

[Thomas Grey]

How does that work though?

What I mean is this...

When the Vintage and even Modern Power of the Force came out, I believe that retailers would send overstock back to Kenner/Hasbro and then they would recard them on more current cards. I imagine that's why we saw so many red and green carded figures before they started in on newer figures and unique figures. They also rereleased old sculpts of older figures on ESB and ROTJ cards for this reason.

So, does this happen currently? I know that we are starting to see mark downs at Target, but is there a retailer back to producer exchange in this day and age?

I doubt it, but just a thought.

The Han makes sense because the figure is different too. The others just seem to be a way to dress up something we have already seen or to move product on the collectors and away from the child markets. Who exactly is Hasbro's target audience here and why do I even care anymore?

[aka DaBigKahuna]

So, does this happen currently? I know that we are starting to see mark downs at Target, but is there a retailer back to producer exchange in this day and age?

I doubt it, but just a thought.

The Han makes sense because the figure is different too. The others just seem to be a way to dress up something we have already seen or to move product on the collectors and away from the child markets. Who exactly is Hasbro's target audience here and why do I even care anymore?

I have read threads in the past that discussed Hasbro Rep's coming into a retail store to pull stock to make room for new waves.  I imagine that this does happen in todays market.

Thus the recards.  If Hasbro was concerned about getting figures out that the collecting community wants, the first on the list would be Ephant Mon.  

Or we would have more storewide clearences.  Target tend to do this every year after Christmas.  I remember picking up a Slave 1 for $6 and change last year.


-Fish-

[SilverZ]

Re: retailer returns:

I think that's not happening much if Hasbro can at all avoid it.  I can imagine that the costs of recalling unsold product from the shelves has changed drastically from vintage days. It may be more inexpensive for Hasbro to remanufacture and distribute than to hire 3rd party reps (which they were in those rare modern cases when ALL their key accounts were literaly swamped with pegwarmers) to travel, recall, inventory, and ship the items.

What I wonder is if Hasbro has started doing price protection for accounts, and that's why we're seeing such a quick discounting of '03 items at Target. We often do that in my industry to shore up preorders from accounts like WM, TRU, Best Buy, etc. What doesn't move at the retail price the retailer can discount and bill back the cost or be credited, within a set price margin.

Re: recards:

Aside from seeing a LOT of SC Anakin at Walmart recently (but sold, amazingly), the figures from Collection 1 that they reshipped seem to be fairly popular and there's probably a reasoning that quite a few people missed out on these. Not that that explains why there's NO Ephant being reshipped or why Ashla/Jempa needs a recard, but hey.  

Plus, they know there's idiot like me out there that still collect all the card variations! And, I really think the new packaging with the gold band is much more peg-appealing than the earlier Saga cards. In the end I don't think its that big a deal that they're doing this, considering how fast the assortments are changing this year.

Don't forget that there's this "Hall of Fame" assortment coming in a few weeks:

(from EE):

1x HOF Chewbacca Mechanic (NEW), 1x HOF R2-D2 (NEW), 1x HOF C-3P0 (NEW), 1x HOF Obi-Wan, Coruscant (NEW), 1x HOF Anakin Skywalker Hangar Duel (NEW), 1x HOF Stormtrooper (NEW), 1x HOF Yoda (NEW), 1x HOF Darth Maul, Theed Hangar Duel (NEW), 1x HOF Princess Leia, Imperial Captive (NEW), 1x HOF Hans Solo, Flight To Alderaan (NEW), 1x HOF Luke Skywalker (NEW), 1x HOF Darth Vader Throne Room (NEW)

Now that's a bunch of hooey that I'll be annoyed if I have to sift through at Target looking for a frickin' Rappertunie.  

Sorry for the long windedness,

J

[aka DaBigKahuna]

J,

What's a "Rappertunie?"  Is that one of the Jabba band members?

Regarding your comments, who knows.  Working for a corporate 500 company, I can say decision makers overlook stuff like this until budget time, then they make a decision to remove the practice.  Who knows what Hasbro is thinking.  

I do like the new cards better, and don't mind picking figures up like the Fett POK at $2.38 - it just looks better to me on the new card.

But, being free from the "completist" syndrome, I can say I am no longer in the boat of JM and yourself.


-Fish-  

[SilverZ]

Yeah Fish, I wish I could break the completist syndrome, but I fear I'm too weak for that.

Rappertunie is indeed a Jabba's Palace band member, he's a little green guy added in the SE. I think he's due in March or so in the wave with resculpt Lando.

I think that's the only constant with Hasbro - ya never know what they are thinking!  

J