San Diego Comic Con 2013!

[Jesse James]

I finally had time to sit down and type up the Hasbro Q&A Session we were granted.

I want to thank Carlos (Solrac) for handling it, and Hunter PR for scheduling us in, and Hasbro for allowing the window to ask some questions one-on-one with them!

Due to some issues with the recorder I had to paraphrase a bit (TONS of background noise) , but conveyed their points and details they did share with us!


Clicky to check it out!

Thanks to Carlos, again, for taking the time to do this.  We have a little extra to report shortly from Darth Anton as well!

[Sybeck1]

Jesse, here is a question I was wondering if someone could answer. Are any characters on hold until the vintage cards come again?  Thanks

[Jesse James]

That's a good question...  Well put that one up for a future possible interaction.  I would think no only because I think they're all about the now at this point.  I think they'd just reissue figures should TVC come back and they wanted to get everyone who had a vintage fig onto a TVC card...  Like r5d4 for instance.  I think a carded DSD or that new Snaggletooth are likely repacks if TVC returns and any new figure they do now, like say Boussh or Ree Yees could just be repacks as well...  If they were made.

Hasbro loves to milk a tooling they have if they can.

[McMetal]

Thanks for posting that. For a company as obsessively secretive as Hasbro, they don't seem to have much reticence about sharing when LFL is the driver behind an unpopular decision. (Like killing TVC) I don't think anyone had gotten bored with that packaging yet, just bored with seeing the same 6-10 figures everywhere they went.

Still mixed feelings about the realistic Clone Wars stuff. They've pretty much done all the main characters already, or at least they will have once Rex and Mace come out. You can milk a few more Maul repaints maybe, but what about after that? They need to be open to non-core figures that would still sell well - (see Mandalorians).

[Jesse James]

They said, as I recall, that lfl didn't want TVC to become "boring" and "that's just what Star Wars is."

I think that's just marketing.  Keep things fresh and different to keep eyes looking.  I understand the thought.  It's not all about the collectors obsession with it but rather the buying public at large.

[Diddly]

Funny, I was at Wal-Mart the weekend after the 4th feeling the LEGO minifig packages when two kids and their dad ran up to the Star Wars figs. Both kids expressed disgust when they saw the same old Theed Soldiers, Battle Droids, Qui-Gons and Obi-Wans on the pegs, with one kid even yelling "This is ALL they have? AGAIN?!?"

I almost feel like the kids always end up the losers in Hasbro's plans even though they supposedly cater to kids. Can you imagine not being able to drive around town hunting for stuff like we do? And not having the knowledge that there will be no product shipping to stores for an entire year?

[Nicklab]

I think that's just marketing.  Keep things fresh and different to keep eyes looking.  I understand the thought.  It's not all about the collectors obsession with it but rather the buying public at large.

+1

Packaging changes are really about *SEEMINGLY*  keeping things fresh with the public.  And a superficial thing like a packaging change will do that.  We all walk down the toy aisle and after a while we become used to seeing certain things.  But when new packaging gets introduced it can catch the eye of a potential customer and get them wondering "Hmmm, what's this now?"

[Rob]

They said, as I recall, that lfl didn't want TVC to become "boring" and "that's just what Star Wars is."

I think that's just marketing.  Keep things fresh and different to keep eyes looking.  I understand the thought.  It's not all about the collectors obsession with it but rather the buying public at large.

Yeah, that's definitely what's going on.  I'd be all about the vintage packaging from now until the end of time.  Out of every cardback they've ever done, it's the only packaging that iconically screams Star Wars.

[P-Siddy]

Kenner never had that problem from 78 until the mid-80s.

[JediJman]

Kenner never had that problem from 78 until the mid-80s.

Well, a lot of things were different 30 years ago.  Kenner also didn't produce 116 figures in 2-3 years.  I'm with Rob - love the packaging and would be fine with me to just keep that look forever, but I get why they feel they need to change it.  Too bad they just can't find a design more appealing. I have almost no interest in keeping anything new carded now that VC is done.

[Rob]

Too bad they just can't find a design more appealing.

Yeah, to me OTC was the next best thing... at least it had a Star Wars feel to it.  When they go over the top with the artwork and graphics, I lose interest in the packaging.

[Jesse James]

And adding to the mix, our friend of the site and forumite Darth Anton also was at the show, and rubbed elbows with Hasbro on his own time, and was willing to send us a synopsis of what they discussed!

Thanks to Anthony for that!

WHere the hell can  you read that?  Well right the hell here!


Clicky the link to check out the story!

Found the army building stuff interesting...  Especially DePriest's apparent interest in that niche of the hobby.  Good for him.

[McMetal]

I am just hopeful they really do fix that RFT holster dealio.

[CHEWIE]

Nice questions by Anton, and were ones that weren't "more of the same." 

I'm wondering if anyone asked them about why the removable phase 2 clone helmets have been so oversized...

[Jesse James]

I'm hopeful as well.  I think it just might happen.