Hasbro @ Celebration 5 - Douse The Houselights (Big Photos With Commentary)

By Adam May — Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Jon Stewart, call me! I'll trade you a Stormy Sevenspire figure for a Jon Stewart, and welcome to the club! Also... Aayla Secura A-Go-Go, Dr. Evazan, the FAN-tastic/KID-tastic Droid Factory Galactic Swap Meet, Slave 1, and some of the rumors (keeping me grounded). Also... exit smiling.

Jon Stewart, call me! I'll trade you a Stormy Sevenspire figure for a Jon Stewart, and welcome to the club!

Note!!! Aayla Secura is a work-in-progress, and this is by no means the final sculpt. Sculptor David Vennemeyer went out of his way to let his rotating audience of collectors know that her portrait (face) has a long, long way to go before the figure would make her way out to San Francisco for the Lucas Seal-of-Approval. (She's a 2012 figure if my notes are correct.) Can anyone guess what the piece in the lower right [with Dr. Evazan work-in-progress, too] could possibly be?

This was one of the single most enjoyable things that I was able to watch (without a queue even). Kids and collectors would amble up to the Droid Factory Galactic Swap Meet and swap out parts to finish off their Build-A-Droid droids, or they would create their own unique droids from parts that they chose. I'm especially overjoyed because the whole thing started with a very simple e-mail asking if "we" (collectors) could have a very small space to swap Build-A-Droid parts. The fantastic people at Hasbro took it to another level altogether by having their factories send their surplus Build-A-Droid pieces to allow kids and collectors to swap parts and finish up their droids. (Kids, above all others, seemed to have the most fun swapping their Build-A-Droid parts.) Some people even brought in DARKTROOPER parts to swap-up! Hopefully we'll see the Droid Factory Galactic Swap Meet open up shop again, and kids and collectors can nudge Hasbro to keep our Build-A-Droid foundries going in the future. (Hey, leave COMMENTS if you think a Build-A-Droid "factory" would sell either as a collector or a parent! A lot of people asked about purchasing the figures.)

OK collectors (and especially commentators) please speak up and let LFL and Hasbro know that we LOVE the figural sketch-work (even the stuff going back to the 1970's) and we'd like to see it compiled into a book or disc that we can archive and enjoy along with our favorite artwork. [I'm hoping for a disc in order to print out copies of my favorites like wallpaper for my figure display.] While I'm at it, I watched all of the classic-to-modern commercials (even the one featuring Ricky Schroder) at the Hasbro pavilion, and I'd give my eye teeth for a disc with a classic-to-modern toy commercials set. (Even Rick Schroder could probably use the cash in this economy.)

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For $99.99 at (sadly) Toys'R'Us we can buy the all-new Slave 1 from The Clone Wars and FIVE figures plus Mace Windu's Jedi Starfighter, which, if sales go well, could (well, it's likely to) lead to an Empire Strikes Back version of Slave 1 (the rumor-mill has this already set as an exclusive to Target stores — we're awaiting confirmation) and an Attack of the Clones (a/k/a Jango Fett Slave 1). We could also see a pretty general-purpose Mandalorian Interceptor, too! Does Boba Fett (circa The Empire Strikes Back) need an escape pod? What is it for? We'll find out (eventually). In the meantime, YOWZA, doesn't this set pack a lot into it?

Finally, here are some of the fine points that may not have been picked up by everyone else who didn't take up residency in the Hasbro booth... The current/modern Vintage Collection C-3PO is the first figure that was digitally (that means real computers, not iPhones) modeled for its creation. [Editor's Note: It has been said that the Episode I C-3PO was one of the most expensive figures to create based on just paint applications.]

While the approval samples of Camie (from the Camie/Fixer Celebration V Exclusive set) did have "fine washables", none of the production pieces included her dainties. (That means DO NOT pay more for a "party" Camie.)

The first modern "vintage" C-3PO can be traced back (and I won't name names) but I can say that the perpetrator is not working on the Star Wars line anymore, but I still give the figure points for being one of the few C-3PO figures that can sit and pilot Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder. He may be able to bullseye a Womprat, but C-3PO still has to chauffeur him around.

Even the team running The Clone Wars line do not know what becomes of Asohka Tano, yet!

Sadly, although this is not 100% confirmed, I may have set the new BaR2-D2 back a bit by requesting (via Q&A) that future Hasbro update(s) of the figure include a less-flexible/non-sagging bar rack. (I was aiming for the G.I. Joe standard, not Teflon.) Early samples have proven to be brittle and breakable. (That's never a good thing.) [Editor's Note: Everything is subject to change without notice from Hasbro.]

What else is there to say? Wedge Antilles will be worth the wait.

"This is the last song I will ever sing... Oh, yes... goodbye and thank you!"

Well, I guess I'll be the

Well, I guess I'll be the first to chime in and say that as a collector I dig the droid factory idea. I'm also a parent though and will say that my 6 year old would LOVE this. He's loved the whole build-a-droid thing (anything he can take apart and put back together, honestly) and would be all over a factory set if hasbro were to make it.

Also, while I'm at it, add me to the list who'd love to see the figure sketches released in some form!