Big Items of the Future!

[Captain Piet]

And that's all well and good except for the fact we have a fifth and sixth season of a Clone Wars TV show.

[Nicklab]

That's all well and good, but where does a Sail Barge figure prominently into Clone Wars seasons 5 or 6?

This isn't about busting chops or hating on people who want big vehicles.  I'd love a Sail Barge.

This is about the fact that right now the market won't support it, and Hasbro doesn't have high enough confidence in the Star Wars brand to invest in the design, tooling, product safety testing and eventual marketing of a big vehicle.  With a company the size of Hasbro this isn't a casual undertaking.  A piece like this is a centerpiece that you build a line around.  And engineering a vehicle line this is more complicated than pressing a big Castle Greyskull.  The two items really are not that comparable.

And then you look at other things in the line:

BLACK SERIES 3.75" FIGURES - Only 19 being offered in 2013
CLONE WARS ANIMATED 3.75" FIGURES - DISCONTINUED
SAGA LEGENDS - Basic figures reduced to 5 POA, price point deliberately lowered to draw in higher volume sales
STARFIGHTER VEHICLES - Stripped down to smaller / simpler sculpts to meet a reduced price point

The only big chance Hasbro seems to be taking is on the BLACK SERIES 6" figures.  And that seems to be tied in to a scale that has been more attractive to general toy collecting.

The line simply does not seem healthy enough to support a $150 - $200 vehicle.  Perhaps in 2015 or beyond, following the Episode VII release we'll be in a position where Hasbro can take a chance on something like the Sail Barge.

[Brian]

Yeah, with the 3D releases postponed (cancelled?), I think it might be some slim years until Episode VII hits, whether that will end up being 2015 or later.  Like mentioned, our chances of big vehicles might be put on hold until then.  Too bad though, I really thought we'd have a shot at a Death Star of some sort when ANH 3D hit theaters.  Now, who knows.  Unless we see Death Star Three in the new movies .

[Captain Piet]

That's all well and good, but where does a Sail Barge figure prominently into Clone Wars seasons 5 or 6?

This isn't about busting chops or hating on people who want big vehicles.  I'd love a Sail Barge.

This is about the fact that right now the market won't support it, and Hasbro doesn't have high enough confidence in the Star Wars brand to invest in the design, tooling, product safety testing and eventual marketing of a big vehicle.  With a company the size of Hasbro this isn't a casual undertaking.  A piece like this is a centerpiece that you build a line around.  And engineering a vehicle line this is more complicated than pressing a big Castle Greyskull.  The two items really are not that comparable.

And then you look at other things in the line:

BLACK SERIES 3.75" FIGURES - Only 19 being offered in 2013
CLONE WARS ANIMATED 3.75" FIGURES - DISCONTINUED
SAGA LEGENDS - Basic figures reduced to 5 POA, price point deliberately lowered to draw in higher volume sales
STARFIGHTER VEHICLES - Stripped down to smaller / simpler sculpts to meet a reduced price point

The only big chance Hasbro seems to be taking is on the BLACK SERIES 6" figures.  And that seems to be tied in to a scale that has been more attractive to general toy collecting.

The line simply does not seem healthy enough to support a $150 - $200 vehicle.  Perhaps in 2015 or beyond, following the Episode VII release we'll be in a position where Hasbro can take a chance on something like the Sail Barge.

I wasn't referring to the sail barge, but the media support. There is current media in the Clone Wars and Hasbro doesn't support it.

[Scockery]

Big items of the future may be in doubt, but there will be Biggs Items of the Future. 

[Nicklab]

I got together with the folks from SWAN today.  And their impressions from Toy Fair were very similar to my own.  They had some additional notes.  Most noteworthy is that word has come down from Hasbro corporate to ALL the licensed groups:  CUT COSTS & REDUCE YOUR NUMBER OF SKU'S.  With that kind of corporate edict you can completely understand the current state of the Star Wars license and why they will not offer a new large vehicle in 2013.

[Jesse James]

Well not a lot of updates to this for a long time, and not Playset specific, but I thought I'd post in here an article I did with a review.

https://www.jedidefender.com/index.php?id=2651



The review was from a sample we were sent by Nova, for their Ubiquitous Display system.

It's sort of like the GTP Space Walls, but different.  I'd say the name explains it all fairly well, but they are a more customizable system.  A bit more versatile way to make scifi/industrial/military looking backgrounds for your action figures.  They're scale-neutral.  They're interesting and while the concept isn't new, I would say it's not been this polished.

The sets are entirely injection molded plastic, no resin or 3D prints, and in general just the kind of thing I think collectors might enjoy having as a display option.

Check out my review please, and feel free to chat up the topic here till we maybe make a thread otherwise for it.

PS: I took pictures with 6" figures for reference only.  I don't really collect them but I wanted to show they're quite at home in this system even though I obviously focus on 3.75" figures throughout it.

Any questions or concerns about my photography skills can be addressed by donating to the "Buy Jesse a nice camera fund".

[CHEWIE]

Great review, you  just convinced me that I need at least 1-2 sets.  Which, I really can't afford right now due to the Sail Barge.  I'll guess find a way.

[Nicklab]

Well not a lot of updates to this for a long time, and not Playset specific, but I thought I'd post in here an article I did with a review.

https://www.jedidefender.com/index.php?id=2651



The review was from a sample we were sent by Nova, for their Ubiquitous Display system.

It's sort of like the GTP Space Walls, but different.  I'd say the name explains it all fairly well, but they are a more customizable system.  A bit more versatile way to make scifi/industrial/military looking backgrounds for your action figures.  They're scale-neutral.  They're interesting and while the concept isn't new, I would say it's not been this polished.

The sets are entirely injection molded plastic, no resin or 3D prints, and in general just the kind of thing I think collectors might enjoy having as a display option.

Check out my review please, and feel free to chat up the topic here till we maybe make a thread otherwise for it.

Cool stuff!  I had seen some similar Japanese starship interior pieces (on the HLJ site, IIRC), but never thought about the potential for crossing that stuff over to Star Wars.  Probably because the walls didn't have that telltale Imperial interior look to them.

But seeing this in the context of your review?  These spaces could pass for a more unaffiliated starship interior.  A diorama of Han Solo's  freighter in TFA, the Eravana, might be well served with pieces like this.


Beyond that?  It's interesting to see the comments in this thread from 5 years ago, my own included.  ESPECIALLY about the Sail Barge!  I would jump at the chance to get a $200 Sail Barge like someone mentioned, compared with the $500 we're faced with now.  Who knew crowd funding could be such a force?

[Matt_Fury]

A Jesse James review.  My day is now a better day!   

[Mister Skeezler]

Thanks for the review Jesse! I might have to pick up one of the sets for my Alien display.

I noticed is has a USB connector for the LED lighting. I've been looking at a few options for running LED lights in my displays, but I'm trying to find something modular and battery powered. Are there battery packs that the USBs can plug into?

[Matt_Fury]

Thanks for the review Jesse! I might have to pick up one of the sets for my Alien display.

I noticed is has a USB connector for the LED lighting. I've been looking at a few options for running LED lights in my displays, but I'm trying to find something modular and battery powered. Are there battery packs that the USBs can plug into?

a lot of 501st guys have battery powered fans in their helmets.  Look around whitearmor.net and you may find something that will work for you.

[Jesse James]

A Jesse James review.  My day is now a better day!   

Hah, thanks man.  I know I don't do much like this, but I'm also not sent a review sample too often either, haha.  When I saw the Ubiquitous I went and asked them about it directly and we got to talking about the concept and everything.  They're a cool company, think outside the box I feel. 

Thanks guys for the positive remarks, I appreciate that.  Obviously I'm not a skilled photographer like Jayson is, and this was my first light box set up and everything.  I'm trying to improve that angle of anything I do wind up reviewing though.  I'd like to maybe do some reviews of some of these smaller toy lines like Vitruvian HACKS and such for our readers because that stuff is different, but high quality.

With a return to TVC I wouldn't mind reviewing cool figures again when I have time, but time is something we all wish we had more of it seems. 

On the lighting, Lando, these are all self-contained I THINK.  I cannot say that definitively because the company sent me the non-lighted kit, however it is done with micro-USB cables that I believe connect to a "battery box panel", essentially.  A single panel has the Nova name embossed on it (this is in the instruction manual which is very generic and for all the different sets they make).  This panel has a box screwed into the back with 4 micro USB ports it appears, and the instructions explain how to route their micro USB cables between the interior and exterior panels. 

You then just plug the other end into each light unit's port for the cables.  I'm assuming when you get the lighted kit then, there is some pre-wired LED panel in there since all these "cases" that hold them in are screwed into the back of even the non-lighted system.  I took one apart (they're screwed in) and it just is missing the wired LED panel from inside.

The "Nova" embossed panel and any of the micro USB cables are the only things my set didn't come with.  And of course none of the wired innards of the light panels are there when you take them apart.

You can light the non-lighted system if you know how to wire LEDs, which I do and it's not too horrible, but their system seems very compact and perfect for their design, obviously.  I've never done wiring with micro-USB cables, rather just a battery box and LEDs to it haha.

If you're hell bent on a lighted set up I really recommend their kit.  It seems to run about $100.  It also is remote controllable, and you can change the LED colors with the flip of a button.  Red, purple, green, white...  a rainbow of colors and things.  Pretty slick stuff really.  I'm glad you guys liked it and thanks for the kind words again.  I appreciate that. 

[Darth_Anton]

In light of the Sail Barge, what's the next big item you'd like to see?

High on my list is a properly scaled Imperial Shuttle.

U-Wing is high up there as well.

[Rob]

Give me a bigger Sandcrawler.

I'd love an expansive Cloud City or Death Star play set.  If this format allowed for a re-release of the big Falcon I'd be all for it.  I'd also be down for a modern take on the Ewok Village.

As for non-OT... maybe a larger version of Maul's Sith Infiltrator?  I don't really care too much about non-OT vehicles though.