Q&A For November 3, 2003

1. This was at sir steve's site from Kebco.

"New items including new Unleashed figures of Chewbacca, Luke X-Wing and Clone Trooper, new Ultra figures of Wampa, General Rieekan, C-3PO, Jabba the Hutt and Bomar Monk, new 12 inch figures of Jawa 2 pack, Garindan and Classic Obi-Wan and three new basic 3.75 inch figures of Jedi Luke, R2-D2 w/Drink Tray and Jawa w/Rig 4."

What is the last part concerning the Jawa and Rig 4?
--Eddie

Well, for starters, I did some searching because this didn't immediately click with me. Turns out the original news feed said "Jewa w/ Rig 4" and, obviously, that's even more wrong than what we heard before.

In the past, Hasbro decided to have Jawas always be packed with some other thing. In 1996, you got two Jawas in a pack, and in 1997 the Jawa came with the Ronto. In 1999, the Jawa came with the much loved GNK series droid. And then... the dark times. In 2003, Hasbro confirmed a droid-- R1-G4-- which is most likely what Kebco misinterpreted as "Rig 4" but the thing is, there hasn't been any buzz surrounding it being packed with a Jawa. Since R1-G4 seems to be a very large droid-- from the look of most shots I've seen, it's bigger than a Jawa-- it would really be a wonderful bonus to have two toys for the price of one, but Hasbro has yet to make this fact known.

Going back to the size of R1-G4, I should take note to say that while one was produced as part of a Droids figure box set from Galoob, those toys were not made to scale.

2. Has Marmit lost the Star Wars license? I heard awhile back that they were planning to release the 12" Sandtrooper with the Black Pauldron and a 12" scale Darth Vader... but that was a long time ago and I haven't heard about them since. One site even had pictures, although questionable, of the Darth Vader prototype. Interestingly, the owner of the DV piece also owned prototypes from all the other Marmit figures so I thought it added a little credibility to the photos. So... was the AT-AT Driver, (their fifth Star Wars figure release) the last of the figures... the line ending with a whimper than a bang? I really love these figures (though no the prices!) and would like to see them continue. A Marmit Clone Trooper would rock!
--Michael

I have received absolutely no information on to if it's coming or not. Marmit takes their time-- sometimes years-- between kits, so we could just be in a slump. If anyone out there has some facts on the Marmit/Star Wars issue, please do write in.

3. Three totally disjointed questions-Has the Ahmet Best figure been released?What is vour stand on spoilers,and rumours?Such as the Trilogy being released early?Script secrets etc.And finally,after watching the Planet of the Apes quintet marathon this weekend,(My wife HATES me!) I noticed the Ape's call to war sounded exactly like the Ewoks goat type horn.Is this some kind of Lucas tribute?Boy am I a geek.
--ABarra9721

For the first, no, not yet. Stay tuned.

I have no real stand on spoilers or rumors. If I'm asked about a rumor, I may choose to comment on it... then again, I may not. Depends on what else is being asked that week. As far as Episode III goes, I don't plan on writing much about it until this time next year-- in other words, when the toys should be revealed in some capacity, whatever it may be. As far as the DVD release goes, well, we should know if that's happening in 2004 before the end of November 2003.

Lastly, well, those horns do tend to sound alike...

4. From the few things I've read about the possible re-issue of the old Burger King glasses (which I already have the real ones), one thing has been burning in my mind. If they were to be exact copies, why would Target leave the BK logo on at all? Forget about updating the logo - change it to the Target logo! Unless they are somehow owned by the same company, why would Target go through the trouble of the exclusive glasses only to have a BK logo stuck on the side? I would rather the Target logo so there is a clear difference in the vintage/new glasses. I really don't mind vintage repros AS LONG AS there is some clear marking that can set it apart from the real one? What do you think?
--Chris

Well, this is the point I've been getting at in previous weeks-- this seems to be a very odd item to remake, especially if Hasbro is involved. Why stop with a Target logo? Maybe they should add Hasbro's as well. It just doesn't make a lot of sense right now, as I've said. After all, what would they market them as? Collectible Glasses? Burger King Glasses? Something else entirely? It's very odd.

As far as vintage repros go... I do mind them. I don't want to see them. It takes a lot of effort to reproduce authentic reproductions of toys from previous decades since those molds are most likely at the bottom of a Hong Kong harbor. If time and effort is being spent on product, but I don't need remakes from the 1970s. These were produced by the millions and are widely available on the secondary market... and I don't buy into the "well, no other people can afford them" issue. A 20 year old toy becomes a collectible... not everybody is meant to have one.

5. What does a Jawa look like without its robe? Do we even know?
--Clint

This is one of those things we may never know, like what's under a Tusken Raider's mask, or the name of Yoda's species. So for now, just assume that those two beedy little eyes are their faces.

6. I live in upstate NY. I still haven't seen a 12" Lando Skiff, Han solo, AT-ST driver, Yoda or Ewoks. Not at TRU, KB or WalMart. Did I miss out? If I did, where did they all go? Thee aren't a lot of on-line retailers who have them either.
--Scott

A fun fact I like to share is that I have no idea what distribution for toys is like in your neck of the woods. Absolutely none.

The Lando Skiff wave is shipping to Toys "R" Us stores, but they come and go and it is not known if stores have received all they will receive. I have never see the Yoda wave in stores but some of them sell for a fair price on eBay and elsewhere, and I would advise you to buy them online. Word has it the Yoda wave will be one of the shortest run in that scale to date, so don't dawdle.

7. Last Q is a quick one: which is the movie-accurate Taun Taun from the Hoth set (the broken horn one or the one with both whole horns)?
--Robert

Both are, from a certain point of view. Luke rode on a cracked-tusk version of the beast, and as the Luke figure included in the set is meant to ride it, that is the proper one to have Luke sit atop. Han, on the other hand, rode a non-broken tusk snow creature, and that was the one that was sliced open. To have Han ride it, or to have Luke in it, this is the correct one. So it all depends on what your reason for buying the toy is. I say buy both.

8. I managed to track down the Bonus Clone packs at Kay Bee this week. When I checked out, the employee commented on what a great deal they were, considering they also had the single clone wars figures as well (2 for $6 vs. 1 for $6). I agreed and also stated that they were good because the white, yellow and blue clones had not been made yet. His reply surprised me because he said that Kay Bee had an exclusive yellow trooper. Was he thinking of the 12" tropper, or di I totally miss something?
--Michael

Either he meant the yellow 12" figure, or he was confused. Nobody has received a small scale exclusive Clone Trooper yet, and the only one known to be in development is the chrome one.

9. As a collector since around 96, I have amassed a pretty good sized collection. I know most Home Owners Insurance policies do not cover Collectibles because they have no way to validate the worth. I havenąt checked in with my own company yet. I have been reviewing Http://www.collectinsure.com and a couple others.

So I was wondering about your Certain Point of View on insuring our hobby and any recommendations.
--Derek

Most collectors I've spoken to do have their collection insured as part of their home owner's or renter's insurance plans. I have not heard from anybody who has dealt with collector-specific packages, and for the most part I would wager most collectors won't need such a thing. Unless you have lots of $100+ pieces, of course.

As far as worth goes, people usually just take pictures and give the insurance company a number as to the value. Most plans have something set aside for "other" items in your home, which can include your tennis rackets, furniture, and in many cases, collectibles.

As such, I am not qualified to assist you further, and I have yet to see any consumer reports on such things. I also wouldn't be so sure what word of mouth is worth on collector's insurance unless you know someone that had a disaster.

10. Can you provide us with an extended look at all the Fan's Choice selections to date?
--Lots of people

After serveral months, your wish is granted. Come back later this week for everything I've been able to dig up on these guys. It's like several pages. Want to know how many of the candidates from Fan's Choice never spoke a word? I went all out with this one, and it should be up for your enjoyment Wednesday or Thursday.

FIN

A good week for questions? Yes, I'd say it was. Keep it up, guys and gals, you asked some great ones this week.

Q&A will be taking a hiatus from Thanksgiving to New Year's, as was the tradition every year except 2002. As such, if you've got a question to ask, there's only three more Q&A columns between now and the break, so don't hesitate if you've got a burning question. The November 24 column will be a blow-out where I'll empty my mailbag, so I look forward to answering what I can between now and then!

Anyway, get those questions in for next week. Just email me with your inquiry, and we'll see what we can do.