1. There seems to be the feeling among collectors (reflected in the 10/19 Q&A) that the Tonnika sisters are "done." I'd like to push against that idea. The Tonnikas were pack-ins available only with a very expensive and large toy available only briefly. As someone who couldn't justify the expense of a cantina at the time, I'd like a shot at buying just the Tonnikas. What do you think the odds are of Hasbro making these characters available again? At $600 or so, only $500 over retail price (of less, given they paid tax and shipping) I'd say Hasbro has more or less delivered on the Tonnika request.
--Greg

My hope is all fans get all of what they want for a fair market price. When it comes to crowdfunds, that's sort of a different beast.

My feeling is once a figure is mass-produced and marketed somewhere in North America, that figure exists, it has been done. Can you get one on eBay for less than rent? It's obtainable. Given the deluxe Cantina was $500 plus tax and shipping, and I see them selling for $600 plus tax and shipping, I'd say the item is within the realm of affordability. Do you want to pay that? Maybe not. Parted out at $150 or more per figure seems a bit much to me, but if I missed the HasLab? I'd probably have paid it, or bought the whole package. $500-$600 for this playset, with all the figures, doesn't seem unreasonable.

Having said that, Hasbro has alluded to making figures available later on different cardbacks. I don't know which ones we'll see, or when, or how, or if there will be any changes. (Also they'll be at least $20, thank you tariffs.) Heck, in Hasbro's position I'd probably drop the alternate hand and either the blaster or the tumbler, just to make things different, but that's me. I assume Hasbro is eager to make some extra cash off its tooling investments, but I don't know that these are figures that would perform well outside this particular environment if widely available. Maybe in an assortment, but if they did a Target-style reissue with solid pegs of them? Oh, the pegwarming.

It would be nice to see these figures rolled in and out of assortments in small quantities. If you need those specific cardbacks, unchanged, an exact reissue is not going to happen. Completists for package variants will need to go to eBay, and honestly I assume prices will waver and dip a bit more before going up. Keep an eye on them, maybe you'll find them to your liking in the next few months as the heat temporarily wears off.

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2. After screwing around with the layout of my cantina, I finally decided to place it on two different shelves and build out two themed areas. There technically could have been 3 areas if I tried a little harder. Do you know if others are taking this approach? Bonus question... You sort of hinted at this last week. Hasbro essentially sold people a display “kit” and some figures. So, is this how a Death Star could be doable? Like, yeah, you can make an end table out of it. But, most will just build out scenes from the various parts and pieces. Still seams pricey... That’s no moon. That’s my wallet.
--Dan

I don't know if there have been polls about the Cantina displays. Most pictures I see are of a complete building, often tricked out with lights or other extras. I don't think most people are going to want to do that, mostly due to space concerns, but obviously you can write in here and tell me I'm wrong. It's just such a large thing to have spread out.

The very idea of what a The Vintage Collection Death Star could be is something fans will not agree on, and I really think this is the kind of thing Hasbro should have gotten out of the way back when we were getting playsets at "toy" prices. With something like a space station, it helps to take some toyetic license in order to fudge what goes where, or how big a thing should be. You might be able to get away with that if you sell the various locations piecemeal, connecting them as you see fit rather than in a giant man-sized configuration.

The funny thing is we've got to see this hobby mutate from "toys" to something else. There are fans who want something more or less resembling full movie sets, or a "real" version of the building that's as close to the sets as humanly possible. Hasbro's recent playsets seem to go under the "this is more or less a set" umbrella, so I would anticipate a hypothetical Death Star to follow that route. I just don't know what that means (i.e., would a Death Star Conference Room have all four walls or just three.)

I assume anything Hasbro makes is going to have to be in pieces for shipping reasons, assuming that economic conditions would allow for a Death Star to be made. Tariffs are still happening - they weren't a year ago - and that may impact what we get and when we get it. (Or if Hasbro is even going to do it, or was going to do it.) If you look at the Cantina, and what $400-$500 got you, imagine two of those stacked up. That's $1000 now, or more. Would that be a satisfying Death Star? I'm not sure.

If I were Hasbro, I'd probably want to do a few smaller items that you can connect - sort of like the Cantina. Think of it as an installment plan with actual installation. I have a hard time believing a Detention Block + Garbage Compactor could be done for under $400-$500 in today's economy. If you want an elevator, a docking bay, a conference room, and so on? Those would probably be pretty big, particularly if they could accommodate your big Millennium Falcon.

If such a thing ever comes to pass, even if it's awesome, I think it's going to be a thankless task for Hasbro. A lesser license gets you 2 small vehicles, a couple of flat planes, and five figures for $260. If that's $260, what would $500 or $1000 get you in today's economy? And would you be remotely happy with that?

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FIN

Not a lot of Star Wars news, but I got some stuff that may be of interest to people who want toys to go with their toys.

First, the reissue of Star Wars The Retro Collection Return of the Jedi 3 3/4-Inch Action Figures Set of 6 - with Yak Face and Mon Mothma is shipping. Did you miss it? Get it now. Mine just shipped and I don't have it in-hand yet to know if they made any slight production changes.

Second, Healey Made updated the shop with a new "Anthony S" wrestling figure as well as some old stock of his very good Raider figures. The Raiders are 3 3/4-inch scale guys sculpted by the guy who did Walrus Man and a number of Kenner (and also later a few of the better Super7) figures. Give 'em a look.

Third, if you want a few more stamps punched on your Indie Cred Card, check out the Onell Design Store. The Four Horsemen-sculpded Infinite Pheyden guys sold out their first run, and two new colors are up for grabs - a black repaint, and one in purple and green that reminds me of the old Fisher-Price Construx space alien I had as a kid. (Yes I ordered both.) Also available is the Armorvor, which is sort of a chunky dream Battle Beasts-like figure - only larger. The Pheydens are all newish designs first released in October and I bought the first batch. They scale nicely to Star Wars 3 3/4-inch figures so if you've got $20 burning a hole in your pocket, try one out.

It might be a slow Q4 for pre-orders as we lead up to new movies and the holidays, but it's not like there's nothing of interest. Heck, maybe sock away a few bucks for a Cantina if you missed one.

--Adam Pawlus

Got questions? Email me with Q&A in the subject line now! I'll answer your questions as soon as time (or facts) permit.

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