The Force Awakens Toy Line - Rumors and Speculation

[Jesse James]

I can't think of any reason why not?  His comedy is timeless.

[Jeff]

Was talking to a casual collector friend last night and he reminded me about the handy shopping guide Hasbro made for us in 2008 for the CW Movie Midnight Madness launch.  He asked me if Hasbro had made one for 9/4 yet and I let him know about Disney and the wall of silence we've got this time. 

I had forgotten all about that Hasbro PDF...  maybe Hasbro will surprise us and get us something like that via Hasbro Pulse closer to 9/4?

[Jayson]

Was talking to a casual collector friend last night and he reminded me about the handy shopping guide Hasbro made for us in 2008 for the CW Movie Midnight Madness launch.  He asked me if Hasbro had made one for 9/4 yet and I let him know about Disney and the wall of silence we've got this time. 

I had forgotten all about that Hasbro PDF...  maybe Hasbro will surprise us and get us something like that via Hasbro Pulse closer to 9/4?

God, I forgot all about that thing. I probably still have the one printed somewhere all marked up.

[JediJman]

Not sure if this is new news, but was news to me.  Per the PR Newswire ALL TRU STORES will open at midnight on the 4th for Force Friday.  That's good news for those of us in MN now that Bloomington is shut down.

[Diddly]

JTA Report - All TFA 3.75 inch figures will be 5POA

If true, this saves me a TON of cash.

[Jesse James]

I kinda figured that, for the TFA figures...  right?

I mean do you want a 4" articulated Ren and a 4" non-articulated Ren on the pegs together? 

What I'm curious about is non-TFA...  Which is happening. 

[Phrubruh]

Weren't the Episode 1 figures all 5 POS? We really didn't see articulated stuff until AOTC. The last lines of that post from JTA remind me how Episode 1 stuff was everywhere and then eventually sold at huge discounts to get rid of it. Could we be seeing a giant feast of stuff only to be followed by years of famine because the stores are too scare to buy Star Wars stuff again?

[Jeff]

JTA Report - All TFA 3.75 inch figures will be 5POA

I mean do you want a 4" articulated Ren and a 4" non-articulated Ren on the pegs together? 

Just like Clone Wars.  Give us animated style that 'no one' wanted (I know, I know - some folks did want them) but lots of people bought anyway and then later, give people realistic versions and sell them again with much collector fanfare. 

They did the same thing with Ep1, Ep2, Ep3, etc.  Release limited articulation figures that everyone will buy in droves (Jedi Duel Ep1 Darth Mail, "saber-in-arm" Ep2 Anakin, Jedi Kick Ep3 Obi-Wan) and then after a while start releasing better versions to get you to rebuy the same characters over and over.

This should not be a surprise when you look at the history of the line, but we're all acting like we can't believe this is happening.  Collectors are dumb, I guess. 

[Nicklab]

Weren't the Episode 1 figures all 5 POS? We really didn't see articulated stuff until AOTC. The last lines of that post from JTA remind me how Episode 1 stuff was everywhere and then eventually sold at huge discounts to get rid of it. Could we be seeing a giant feast of stuff only to be followed by years of famine because the stores are too scare to buy Star Wars stuff again?

Episode I figures like the Jedi and Darth Maul had about 6 POA when that line came out.  And yes, articulation was definitely minimal at that time.

[Darby]

The hysteria over there at JTA and elsewhere (as has been noted before) has become a phenomenon on to itself. NOTHING we know today is any different than we knew months ago - there would be 5 POA figures. There would be 6 inch. There would be mission series.  All we don't know is the exact fate of SA figures - which this report still doesn't preclude. The only drop in articulation has been in this argument by some who feel they are entitled to a certain standard of plastic toys and the stones they throw at anyone who says they'd be ok with something else. You can lob stones and say you're above it (speaking in the royal 'we' which - I'll just keep moving) - but perspective in life is a great thing. People disagree. They're toys.

[Nicklab]

I've said this but it bears repeating.  I think that the quality of the sculpting of figures in the 5 POA Saga Legends line has been surprisingly good.  Now am I enthusiastic about the level of articulation?  Not really.  And in this respect I've voted with my dollars by not buying figures in that line that have been made before with superior levels of articulation.  I don't feel the need to be a completist in this regard because I think that the 5 POA Saga Legends line was a vehicle to get previously released characters back on the market at a lower cost to both Hasbro and potential new customers.

As for new characters in the 5 POA format?  Well, if that's the only way they're going to be offered, then that's what I'll buy.  I bought in with the Jedi Temple Guards because they were new characters that had never been made before.  And from a strategic business standpoint I think it is far less risky for Hasbro and Disney to take on THE FORCE AWAKENS with a figure line that costs them significantly less to produce and market.  Perhaps with the new movies the action figure business will rebound?  We just don't know yet.  But I think Hasbro is very much mindful of the disastrous, overly confident sales projections that were made going into the Prequel Trilogy back in 1999.  It took Hasbro and retailers a good 18 - 24 months to rebound from that EPISODE I merchandise glut.  But if sales are good?  Then perhaps that will be reason enough to reintroduce a collector focused 3.75" figure line.  I also have a sneaking suspicion that in 2017 we're going to see the Vintage Collection return with premium articulation figures, but that depends greatly on how the current movie lines are going to perform at retail.

[Phrubruh]

I just worry that retailers will be left with a line that is massively over produced and never restock again even after discounting the stuff at a loss. Greed is the factor here. If retail buys too much we may be stuck with old stock for a very long time and miss future waves. It's 1999 all over again.

Of course you know everyone and their grandma will be stock piling stuff in their attics right next to their worthless Episode 1 stuff.

[DoctorPadawan]

Weren't the Episode 1 figures all 5 POS? We really didn't see articulated stuff until AOTC.

Pretty much.  There were some figures here and there (such as Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, and Maul in wave 1, as Nick mentioned, along with some others) at various points that had additional articulations, but most of the Episode I and 1999/2000 POTF2 stuff stayed pretty close to the 6 POA standard.  I think that the most highly articulated figure around that time was either the CommTech Han Solo or the CT Stormtrooper, actually, and both have some pretty wonky poses mixed in with said articulation.

The first real SA figure that I remember (and someone correct me if I'm wrong) was the AOTC/Phase II Clone Trooper, which was released on a 2003 Clone Wars card.  The Durge figure from the CW Deluxe Speeder Bike was basically an SA figure, too.  Even after that, SA wasn't even really a standard thing, and the next real SA figures were the ROTS #41 Clone Trooper and the ROTS Pilot Obi-Wan figure (both of which have been thoroughly milked ever since).  I don't think SA became the "standard" for the regular SW line until the 2007 30AC line, at least as far as I can remember. 

Personally, I'll be sad and/or saving a lot of money if things go back to 5 POA across the board for TFA, but it honestly wouldn't shock me at this point, and I'm certainly not going to lose any sleep over it.  I'm still undecided on whether or not I'm going to go out to TRU at midnight on 9/4, more out of curiosity than anything else (he says right before he spends an unplanned 200 bucks on a 6" TIE Fighter). 

[Jesse James]

99 was the sort of first time articulation was starting to jump from the 6POA stuff.  Commtech era saw some extra points.  Usually a figure with just elbows/wrists, or just knees and maybe a single elbow. 

It's cool looking back to think of that stuff now.

AOTC saw some horridly underarticulated stuff.  5 would've been generous.

To me, this pales in comparison to '02 in that regard.  And then when '02 was moving into '03, there were some passable figures and some better than passable (I still buy Dodonna/Antilles if I see them for a fair price).  Then again I still buy ASP-7's like theyr'e going out of style.  And even POTF2 2-1B's too.  And the Commtech Gonk...  Not everything lacking articulation is junk to me. 

Though I will say, the price has to be right on that stuff to me, but you've also got to realize costs to manufacture in China are vastly different now than they were then.  And don't count on Hasbro shifting manufacturing to India, Vietnam, or another country with the means/tech to do complex plastics mold work, and whose socio-economic progress is behind that of China.  That's not something Hasbro can do on a whim obviously.

ANyway though, I still like collecting when it comes up.  I usually find something I enjoy a lot.  That Han Carbonite has been a blast to me.  Perfect?  No.  But fun.   And I am quite sure Hasbro isn't folding up shop on articulation completely yet as well.

[Jeff]

Just looking through social media today at all the things that leaked the past two days - Funko POP!s, board games, etc...  sure seems like we're going to be seeing a lot of Stormtrooper, Kylo and Phasma on 9/4. 

Lots and lots and lots of leaks so far with Kylo, Stormtroopers, Phasma, Rey, Finn, BB8, Chewbacca, 3PO - but nothing for Luke, Leia, and Han.  Guess all the rumors that the big three would be held back are most likely coming to fruition?