1. When something sells out fast like Disney's recent R4 droid, does someone take note and adjust future volumes? Or, do the talks start for another run or such? Seems like a quick sell-through means untapped market.
--Dan

Generally speaking, the world of collectibles tends to be torn. Some people want everything to sell out, to underserve the market, to ensure nothing is ever marked down or dumped at a loss. Others want to try to capture the entire market - and if you make 5% too much, that's OK as long as you didn't leave any customers angry or frustrated.

Disney's done a lot of both. I missed a few droids in recent years, and I tend to have a pretty low tolerance for that before I start to skip things that aren't awesome. I'll buy that R4 if I see it for a fair price (or if a friend is going to a theme park and asks me), but there's a real solid chance I will never see it and as a result I won't pick up the B2-EMO reissue either.

We've seen Disney (and Hasbro) alter run sizes to meet demand, as that first Pride droid was basically superbly rare but later releases (like the multi-pack) wound up on clearance. Figuring out the right size of the market is incredibly difficult, because you never know if a bunch of your collectors are going to embrace a figure or reject it. Look at R2-BNE - what might have been intended as an Easter figure wound up being a fast sell-out and a big mascot to a generally ignored portion of the fan community. And it's also a fantastic robot figure.

It's my hope somebody takes note and reruns some of these guys - in the smallest reasonable quantities - every few months (years) until demand is filled. Disney and Hasbro won't make money from eBay sales, but Disney and Hasbro also can't pivot on a dime. The figure that just sold out two weeks ago was probably manufactured around January and it wouldn't surprise me if the order quantities were locked in a year ago. In a perfect world they'd take pre-orders for another run and everybody would reject the ridiculousness of "one run and done" or "we have to make this collectible" in favor of a small first run followed by a pre-sale follow-up limited to 2 per address... but hey, what do I know about such things.

I bet you'll be out of luck for the next 4-5 droids. It's also worth noting the online allocation for a lot of really good droids sell through, while some don't - and I don't get the feeling the buyers at the Disney store are necessarily questioning what makes a hit and what makes a miss. (From what I gather: If it appeals to a specific online community or if it appears in a movie/on a TV show, it's probably going to sell out quickly. If it is only at a theme park or is the fourth or fifth version of a droid, it might stick around a bit.)

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2. Love reading your insights into collecting. Again, you piqued my interest when you posted:

"We used to get 2 Jawas or 2 Ewoks for the price of 1 tall figure - but not since Vintage. And I don't know about you, but I don't find the level of articulation on Jawas or Ewoks to be extensive - I just need little guys to stand around."

I feel like there are a lot of little guys that have been ignored in the line or maybe have a subpar figure. Kitster, Wald, Young Boba, Rycar Ryjerd, Maz, Peli Motto... I mean there is a huge list of smaller figures from Padme to random aliens and droids from the Solo movie, to Maz's castle or even updating an Ugnaught or a character like Omega or the kids from Skeleton Crew...

Is there an actual issue with doing these or just 'they don't want to' or 'they don't want to do 2 in a blister'... ??
--Kevin

I believe Hasbro has never confirmed it, but they have very rarely done a proper 2-pack for The Vintage Collection because Kenner's original line was always single-packed figures. Sure, we get the occasional sidekick (like L0-LA59) or a legit multipack (The Mandalorian Shriek-Hawk Battalion), but since the very first "vintage" figures in 2004 and the debut of The Vintage Collection in 2010, we've never been sold two figures in a box. You want Wicket? Then all you get is Wicket. You want a Jawa? That's all you get.

I don't think they've given a reason why other than to stick with the packaging form factor, which we don't see them deviate from. And that's a shame - non-Vintage collections would give us two-packs, or giant accessories, or ridable creatures, or Jawa/Droid friends. We were given some truly wonderful stuff, but right now the "we demand Kenner cardbacks with expensive articulation" crew is very loud and is probably driving new or casual fans out of buying these figures. Nobody wants a $19.99 single Jawa or Ewok, and Hasbro has been reluctant to put shorties in the line other than easy sellers at any price like Grogu.

I can't prove it with a quote, but fealty to the packaging format (if it doesn't fit in the blister, it's not included) has come up in the past. I assume being able to increase the profit margin on a case of figures with limited-articulation shorter-figures from old molds like R2-D2 just happens to make Hasbro and a slice of the fandom very happy, while vexing kids and people who open their figures. I assume we'd see an occasional two-pack, or variable levels of articulation, or weird accessories again if Hasbro ever gave The Vintage Collection packaging the boot for a year or two. And I'm probably the only person calling for that, so it ain't gonna happen.

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FIN

The most interesting tidbit of news from last week is Target seller Bullseye Deals has last year's Retro 6-pack super cheap. I ordered one, but mine isn't here yet. Reports from people who got one have shown some damaged packaging and some perfect packaging - so if you're looking for custom fodder or army builders, this is a no-brainer. I've already got more than one set, but under $6 per figure? I couldn't say no to more, and if it's still there in another week maybe I'll get another.

The Mandalorian and Grogu opens in theaters this week, in what is feeling like a weird roll-out. I've been told Major League Baseball is doing a number of Grogu nights, meaning there are tons of promotional bobble heads about to enter the secondary market. I've seen a few YouTube spots and fast food tie-ins, but for whatever reason it feels something is missing. Hopefully it won't be audience members, but if it is? Reportedly this is a much lower-budgeted movie, and it really only cost $166 million it's probably fine if it comes in at less than "all the money." At this point I wouldn't be surprised if its main function were to get more people to sign up for Disney+ rather than to sell toys and buckets for popcorn.

The kid line seems to be somewhere between "interesting" and "bleh." So far I've skipped it due to the figure proportions and scale change, but I won't lie - the Target exclusive STAP is the kind of thing I'd run out and buy at a "standard" size. The little base, the figure, it all looks pretty cool. Walmart's Grogu and Anzellans ship for $20 is, similarly, pretty neat - but too big for my current needs. (On clearance, all bets are off, and I assume that ActionVerse is going to be a good clearance scale. Not a knock on quality, I've not played with any of them yet, I just assume it's harder to sell toys to kids when dad goes "not my scale!" We're in a generation of LEGO dads.)

Here's hoping this is a surprising and fun week, because it certainly feels like the Star Wars spirit isn't in the air.

--Adam Pawlus

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