2013 Saga Legends Basic Figures (Vader Cardback)

[Scockery]

I like the "I will army build these". All of the troopers offered so far have been available in the past, most of them frequently. Many of the Legends troopers you can get better versions of  on ebay for often decent prices. So why suddenly, do $6 five-POA troopers seem so appealing? Is it because army builder collectors finally admit all they like to do is line up row after row of the same looking figures? That was impressive 10 years ago, now it seems like OCD.

[Jesse James]

I'll never sit here and claim what is, for all intents and purposes, a regression in quality, is somehow great...  The price is good (not great...  $6 got you a lot more, at one point), but it's good.  It's good for these apparantly busy children.  It has its place IMO.

What it doesn't have a place in is replacing the collector-focused line IMO.

I also respect the opinion that these are "vintage-esque", but disagree 100% that they are.

Vintage sculpts weren't crisp, or detailed, or particularly accurate.  If you want vintage-esque, I've seen vintage-esque customs, and they're actually kind of cool as an extension of the ORIGINAL line.  These, to me, are just cheaper versions of modern figures.  Sculpts are intended to look good, and new.  So are accessories.  So to me they fail in that mindset that they're an extension of the original vintage line in some capacity to me.  They're, to me, nothing more than either POTF2-Level figures, or knock-offs even (from some of the reviews in terms of quality that I've read).

I'll nab some...  The price will get me to get in on NEW stuff.  But new only, and only if I really feel it's worth looking into.  That Maul for instance...  Vader's droid, maybe.

If they keep feeding a 3.75" Collector line with good quality, I'm fine.  If they abandon it completely, and go with this, I'm thoroughly disappointed in Hasbro's strategy with the line at this stage of the game.

At this point, stuff like the Kmart sets and Black Series 3.75" figures still have my interest and I'm pretty happy with what it is.  If I only got 20 collector figures and some cool exclusives a year even, and they filled in the rest with 5 POA's I barely pick up at all, great.  I'm a glass half full guy that way.  But these figures ARE a step back in quality...  Not just in terms of articulation, but features, they lack detail, the plastic quality DEFINITELY seems to be lacking from what I've heard.  They're priced right though for customizing even.  So if it's new, it still has me looking at least.

I have my opinions on what I think would work, like everyone else.  I think Hasbro's making some right moves.  I think they need to make some more though, to really right the ship.  We'll see.  I still love the line and always will.

[Scott]

I agree Pete...I also thought Hasbro was there for questions at the booth again but I guess that didn't happen

That said, I may pick up the Han/Chewie and R2/3PO sets...the likeness is actually pretty good.  It just sucks that the "collector line" is so full of Prequel resculpts.  I am looking forward to see if Series 3 rumors pan out.

Also...it makes absolutely no sense in saving information for CE...none

[Jesse James]

I'm with you Scott...  I think the Prequal stuff, it was done so they wanted to move it, so once we're over that hump I'm hoping for some OT love.  If you're going to explicitly make so much of a point to say, "collectors are the only ones who want articulation", then start making OT **** over PT because you also are damn well aware that PT stuff is waning fast with collectors.

[Jayson]

I understand (somewhat) people's view that these are a step backward. I for one love the 5 POA Original Trilogy figures - to put it in context. Imagine if we would have got these in 1996 instead of the beefy/He-Man sculpts. People would have flipped their **** with excitement. And if they were on Vintage card backs....

[McMetal]

Beefy He-Man sculpts kept me away from SW collecting for over a decade. I still consider those the most atrocious figures in the whole history of the line. So yeah, anything is an improvement compared to those.

[Brian]

I was thinking of exactly what Jayson mentioned earlier today.  If we had gotten these figures in the POTF2 days they would have seemed amazing.  Granted, things have come a long way since then, but it does put things in perspective.  Heck, I remember when a buddy of mine first picked up some POTF2 figures loose (from Brian's Toys I believe).  We didn't start in right when the line started back up (I bet that was a fun time), and decided to pick up a bunch of figures together a couple years later.  Granted, some of them were ridiculously beefy, but I remember getting that first Boba Fett (even though he was big) and thinking the detail was unbelievable (comparing it to vintage I guess).

For what these are, I kind of like them.  I'm likely in for the OT figures, and I wish there were more of those coming early on.  Granted, Hasbro couldn't avoid the whole 3D movie thing being dropped, but the first waves of these lines could really stagnate things at retail.  I'm starting to think everyone (kids and collectors) have had their fill of ROTS and clones.  As I mentioned in the other thread, I can appreciate these figures more because I already have more "ultimate" versions from past few years of VOTC, TVC, Evolutions, etc.  Having a more affordable, durable option for kiddos (and collectors) is ok with me.  I think Jesse mentioned it elsewhere, but I wouldn't mind having a "collector" line more limited in scope with 20-30 figures a year or something, that would be fine with me too.  I'm starting to wonder if Hasbro isn't planning (hoping?) that eventually we'll just have this cheaper 3 3/4" line and the 6" line will become the "collector" line.  We'll see I guess.  Things may be in a holding pattern until the new movies start.

[JediJman]

I understand (somewhat) people's view that these are a step backward. I for one love the 5 POA Original Trilogy figures - to put it in context. Imagine if we would have got these in 1996 instead of the beefy/He-Man sculpts. People would have flipped their **** with excitement. And if they were on Vintage card backs....

That would have been amazing, though it didn't happen that way and I feel for collectors who are really into the articulation.  Imagine if you had an Ipad back when you were in college instead of a spiral notebook or if you had Clone Wars style animation for the old Transformers or He-Man shows.  Sure, that would have been mind-blowing back then, but reverting to them now that you've had a taste of the new seems pretty painful.  Don't get me wrong - I like the 5pt style (for now).  But I do have this feeling like we're ignoring a technological advancement with the loss in articulation.

[Jesse James]

I mentioned it on Twitter Jay, but for me, if these had been what they are now in 1995, I don't think reactions would've been TOO different.  People were buying then...  Monkey Leia, hell, she was expensive beyond belief to the point Hasbro/Kenner put many more out.

I think they'd eventually have progressed in articulation, features, gone through the 2001/2002 pre-posed phase, etc.

I think the thing that would be different would be people would be looking back on those more fondly, and saying, "That figure still looks good".  I think these look good in many cases.  Not all though.  Just some.  I think Han looks pretty neat, I think the Clones don't look bad.

Like Justin said above me, it's like going from iPad to spiral notebook...  maybe not THAT drastic but similar.   

If these were sculpted to actually look vintage and not modern/realistic/detailed, I'd probably be into them actually.  If they were honest extensions of Vintage figures from where 1985 basically left off, I'm quite sure I'd be into picking/choosing.  OT for sure, some mains of PT figures I think.

Right now, when I see Han, I just figure my VOTC is better.  When I see Chewbacca, I figure my EB or VOTC is better.  When I see that Maul/Kenobi set, I get annoyed that I'm going to have to make that Maul what I want it to be, but at least it's not expensive to pick the base up.

My thought is what Brian said though...  I think Hasbro wants 6" to replace the current $10 level figures in the 3.75" line, and feels these $5-$6 figures are more than sufficient replacements for people who still want to collect only 3.75"...  It's like it took them to 2004/2005 (10 friggin' years) to actually get really good with the line and its features/quality overall, and then they're going to turn the hands back on the clock for different reasons. 

Like I said, if they ran together I'm not as annoyed or panicked about it as I notice some folks are.  I think it could help the "collector-focused" line even.  But I'm not so sure that's always going to happen.  I'm not so sure that collectors are going to have any more choice than low POA 3.75" or high POA 6", and nothing else.  That, to me, sucks.  That, to me, is the end of the majority of my collecting basically.  Customizing fodder would be it for me at that point and I'd be very selective.

I can say with absolute certainty though, Hasbro feels their 5 POA figures are of the highest quality, and as good as the current $10 figures but for half that price.    I don't care for that mindset they have if they can't see a difference like I think most collectors can agree, there is an obvious difference.

[Rob]

As much as it pains me to say this, I'm not entirely hating this line.  Sure, most of them look cheap, and I'd rather everything be Vintage-line level quality at $9 or $10, but the reduced price will be nice.  At least Hasbro's constant need to have core characters on the shelf has something new to it now instead of just being repacks or repaints...

Plus, at the end of the day I don't play with these things.  They get opened up and stood on a shelf and that's about the end of it for me.  So, if the sculpts look great I'm still interested...  If they could get them all up to the quality of this Luke I wouldn't have many complaints.  I might be the only one, but as someone who prefers neutral poses, I think that's the best looking Jedi Luke they've done in 18 years.

[CHEWIE]

Yeah, I'm not a total hater of these figures either, Rob...

I don't really like too many of them to say I'm going to actively search for them - but I have to say, Hasbro's $6 Legends line looks like a hell of a better deal than their $10 Movie Heroes... and the thing here is, it actually looks like they put some effort into the kids line after how poorly they handled things with the 2012 lineup.  All that was, was basically poorly chosen repacks, at an inflated price.  These are NEW sculpts at a reduced price... much better.

So... why these don't exactly make me jump for joy, I'm surely not that upset, either.  I find myself far more annoyed with certain other aspects of Hasbro these days than this new direction with the kid aimed lineup.

[Darby]

I agree this is the best looking Jedi Luke they've really ever done. The TVC version is killer, especially the Deleted Scene one - I love it - but this is simply the best looking one portrait/sculpt wise. The same might be said of the Stormtrooper. I for one really like like the looks of these and look forward to the OT ones really. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want SA versions of Maul or future CW figures. But I don't think it's the end all be all for me personally. Like Rob my figures stand there and articulation for the most part is down to 1) can they hold their weapon with both hands if necessary 2) can they stand up? With these the inabillity for the Jedi figures to hold a saber is an issue, but I have so many that can. So it's new and different and doesn't destroy my wallet. That works for me.

[Nicklab]

I finally saw the first wave of the new Saga Legends line tonight.  Truth be told, the sculpts are not terrible.  I actually like the Yoda and R4-P17, to be honest.  But I know I don't need the droid, and I get the feeling that this Saga Legends Yoda may be the version that gets packed in with the TRU exclusive Gunship.

Are they still underarticulated?  Going by 2007-2012 standards, yes.  But the Hasbro Star Wars business model has changed, and they now have to focus on higher volume sales.  That means offering a product line at a lower price point that will draw in more customers.  How to do that?  Cut costs.  And do that by reducing articulation.  Still, I was pleasantly surprised by the portraits/likenesses on the figures I saw tonight.  And I get the sense that no, Chicken Little, the sky is not falling.

[P-Siddy]

I guess one can't complain about articulation.  I bought my daughter a Despicable Me Minion figure with a whopping 2 points of articulation for $8.  I guess us fans are too demanding.

[speedermike]

The analogy of the iPad back in college instead of a spiral notebook doesn't actually work, because the iPad technology didn't exist.  The thing about these current figures, and people wishing that this is what they should have looked like in 1995, is that kenner/Hasbro was capable of making theses back then.  What they did was make poor aesthetic choices (buff builds, causal accuracy, odd stances).  In the creative arts, there is a huge difference between what one is capable of, and what one chooses to make.  In 1995, they chose poorly.

I'm in the camp that Hasbro could have made these exact figures in 1995, and we would have gone totally ape****.

I'm liking these for what they are.  I am missing deep character choices, and background characters, but these, to me, del fresher than the current Black Series.