Galactic Hunter.com - Q&A with Adam Pawlus


	Q&A For April 12, 2004 1. Just wondering if you know of a checklist for the different languages that CommTech chips were released in? I know that most, if not all of Collection 1 were released in five languages -- English, Spanish, French, German and Italian. I'm not certain if Collection 2 received the five language treatment but I believe Collection 3 and the Classic Trilogy chips were only released in English. Now this is all an educated guess on my part because non-English chips can be difficult to track down here in the states and, so far, I haven't been able to track down any solid info. Any help here would be muy-muy hot! --Jim While I have no such information, I for one would love to know if someone out there has penned a guide to CommTech chips that might contain this sort of information. (If not, if anyone wants to write it, we'd love to have something like this here at Galactic Hunter.) It seems that only some of the figures received multilingual chips, but as far as we know, no single feature has been written on them yet. 2. Recently there was rumor (french website?) of new 3-packs including jedi council figs, but I didn't recognize the names or species, and searches didn't help. Seems like Wuher, Kittik, will be a three set in the fall with DVD timing, but I dig aliens and can't find identification. Familiar with these? --Andrew While our sources tell us that Toys "R" Us will be receiving a number of new Jedi Council three-packs, our sources aren't all in a row when it comes to the Cantina set(s) that are rumored. As your question wasn't what we in the biz call "specific," I'll finish this answer by saying yes, there are rumors and images floating around of some prototypes and mock-ups that may or may not be legit. 3. Are J'Quille and Tanus Spijek shipping with the Return of the Jedi wave now? I've seen all of the figures from this wave many times over except for these two figures. I'm just hoping that Hasbro is staggering the wave and that I didn't miss them. --Ryan Both are in the process of making it to stores, trickling in slowly to various chains over the past few months. I have seen neither in stores myself and am trying to find a Tanus as well. It is not known at this time for how many waves these will ship, but courtesy of a number of remix waves with heavier case pack-outs on some figures it's possible any of them could become pegwarmers before Spring comes to an end. 4. I can understand why Hasbro isn't in any particular hurry to ship more of [Ephant Mon], what with him being a space hog in the shipping cases and all. But why don't they offer solid cases of him to the online retailers or Diamond or whoever? Why don't they sell him directly through the fan club, like they did with the "fan club four" and others? --Eric When asked about this, Hasbro basically says that they don't know if the market needs more of him at this time. Given the fact that the first two Fan's Choice figures aren't exactly hard to find, and that the others were a little more conservative in their distribution, I can see where they're coming from. Solid cases are expensive to make because this is an expensive figure. Many companies determine the AVERAGE cost of the figure in the case-- meaning some figures cost more to make than others, so a repaint's low cost can offset the cost of new tooling and large, heavy, well-decorated figures like Ephant Mon. I would like to not that I have NO OFFICIAL INFORMATION stating that this is or is not the reason that Hasbro hasn't shipped more of this guy, but it is possible. If you've seen him, he's big and heavy. Frankly, he's bigger than many of the Deluxe figures and even at $10, feels like a better value than, say, Amanaman ever was. If Hasbro were to ship solid cases, it'd cost them a lot to set up production facilities for this purpose, and they would have to make new larger cases, and, of course, it would cost more to make him and this would be passed along to you. (Not that the final item on that list would matter to most fans.) My feelings on this issue are that the figure is expensive to make and Hasbro is assuming-- most likely correctly-- that the market may not need more Ephant Mons to satisfy demand. As the prices are $15-$25 on the secondary market, well, that isn't exactly a mandate to make more like the $100ish Y-Wing was the other year (as word on the street is we're getting a new one, you know.) If Hasbro decides to do a Jabba's Palace exclusive four-pack, though, it would be good for them to sneak in Ephant Mon in the place of a larger accessory and a figure, or maybe even a Fan's Choice box set. Right now, it seems Hasbro doesn't consider this much of an issue because outside of columns like this, odds are they don't hear much about his lack of availability. (I'd like an extra one, myself, so I can keep a set of packaged Fan's Choice figures.) If you are still in need of this figure and feel that the market needs more, my advice to you is to write a nice, polite email, snail mail, or other communication to Hasbro HQ and let them know. That, or ask super-politely at conventions, or perhaps hint that should the Star Wars Shop site ever relaunch, it would be nice to see it there too. 5. Do you know the release date for Episode III next year?Also,have you heard when the new Clone Wars cartoon might be out on dvd? --Eric Episode III had its release date announced last week, and it's due out on May 19, 2005. That's a Thursday. As of now, no official Clone Wars DVDs are known for release, although with a number of bootleg DVD rips showing up on the Web, it seems that LucasFilm might be wise to get those out there in the near future. I would half-expect an announcement at San Diego's Comic-Con International this Summer if it weren't for the fact it might steal the thunder from the upcoming Trilogy releases. As such, stay tuned, and be sure to write your local Senator. (And for the record, that isn't me.) If you're a fan that missed episodes, all of them are available to see (for free, in a low-res window) at the official Star Wars Web site. Also, Cartoon Network continues to air them once in a while, like the marathon last Saturday night. 6. I know you've probably have gotten many questions about the silver clone, but I hope this is no trouble. On Sunday (the day the promotion started) I went to my TRU to pick up the clone. None were on the shelves, unlike what reports said. I asked the salseman standing in the area, "No silver figures yet?" He said, "It's a promo figure. Their behind the service desk. You have to spend $14.99." Bummed, since I was going to use the $15 I had for figures during the week, I picked up an unleashed figure and got the silver clone. My question: Do you have a slight idea why it was like this? I was just planning on buying it for 5 bucks! --Barry Well, it is a promo figure. The silver figures are made purely for promotional purposes, like giveaways, gift-with-purchases, or convention exclusives. In this case, a gift-with-purchase is used to help clear the shelves of Star Wars product that they can't sell otherwise. Back in the day, Hasbro and Kenner used mail-in offers for this purpose. You may have noted some reports said it would be sold, but those were often put out early by ill-informed night shelf stockers while the ad (and the intent of Hasbro and Toys "R" Us) was for this to be a freebie. The gift-with-purchase concept isn't a new one at Toys "R" Us and Hasbro, as they've given away Mini-Cons from TransFormers Armada, Energon Omnicons and Terrorcons, G.I. Joe CD-ROM figures, and of course Silver R2-D2 in the same way previously. The people that snagged them for $5 were lucky, basically-- it means Toys "R" Us screwed up in their areas. 7. My question is the simple "gloom and doom" perspective question about Star Wars toys ending after Episode III. In light of how fast the line died after ROTJ, how well it did after a long hiatus, and comparisons to Star Trek which in my opinion has been run into the ground with no new stories or perspectives, do you believe that Star Wars toys should be hung up a year or two after the third movie? In looking at the return of Star Trek it was huge for years generating several TV shows and a gang of movies. However, I believe that after so much of the same the idea has stagnated and needs to be shelved for a while to generate interest again and hopefully some new ideas. I believe the same of Star Wars. I would love toys to go on for years to come, but realistically I would rather not see the line become tired or boring. With the release of the original trilogy collection this year is seem that Hasbro is jumping the gun a little bit and missing the opportunity to do this in 2007 on the 30th anniversary of Star Wars. So perhaps this would be a good opportunity to get out quickly. Simply put wouldn't be nice to see the line bow out gracefully on top with a good run instead of being milked dry and leaving a bad taste in fans' mouths? If Episodes I and II have taught us anything it is that pegs will be clogged with mediocre characters for months after the movies release and I doubt much good will come our of it. Kids are fickle, and so are retailers and I like hunting and collecting toys with my fellow fans and collectors, not fighting them for toys. So as a long time collector and fan, I would like to see Star Wars toys go away for a while after Episode III, and honestly after so many great toys wouldn't be easy to let go for a while? How do you feel about this? Thanks!!! --Christen Toy lines don't go out gracefully on top. Ever. They get cleared out, they crash and burn, their final waves are dumped in Asia and Europe, and only their fleas will mourn them! If and when Star Wars ends, it will be because Hasbro has decided there's no more money to be made at that particular time, because the license has ended, or because the headaches of dealing with the likes of you and me finally got to them. (Well, maybe not the last one. I don't necessarily think Hasbro will shelve the line-- the collector market could support a greatly reduced line without a hitch (maybe a couple dozen figures a year) plus the likes of Unleashed seem to be doing pretty well. Some licenses can outlive their media tie-ins, too. In 1985, Star Wars couldn't, but at the same time, neither could DC Super Heroes, or Marvel's mutants. Fast forward to today, and aside from comics, there have been periods of time where these franchises have not had anything new to feed off of. Mattel's Batman line, which I must confess I have no idea how it's really doing other than ill-informed fan analysis (you know, like what I spew, hehe.) What's my point? Star Wars has all the life that Hasbro will give it. New figures continue to sell very well at retail with few figures hanging around for too long. Assortments focused on characters that sell well in the right, small quantities could guarantee a healthy collector's line for years to come. Is the OTC jumping the gun? I say now. Hasbro and LucasFilm are using what we love-- Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi to help push something that America at large doesn't necessarily love, and that's the end of the prequel trilogy. So basically, look at it like this: the bigwigs frequently dust these films off for promotional purposes. In 1997, it was for the Special Editions. VHS rereleases are often used to promote the newest installment in the series, and this time, they're doing it with DVD. We got some 25th Anniversary items as well, with no DVD tie-in, which seems to prove that Hasbro can dust off the classics every few years and we'll gobble them up, usually. (I would argue that their core 25th Anniversary products were iffy. But I digress.) In 2002, we got 25th Anniversary alongside AOTC. Now, in 2004, we're getting another push of classic product, but on a larger scale than the previous anniversary. So where am I going with this? There's no reason that Hasbro can't do a 30th Anniversary range if they so choose, and there's no reason they can't stretch the line out that long. They didn't leave a lot from Clones left to do, so who knows if they'll hold back some Episode III goodies for years 2, 3, or beyond of that toy line. Also, Hasbro will not let this line go out on top-- that moment has long since passed as, arguably, it peaked before Episode I came out and goodwill was at an all-time high. Toy lines don't end because it's the right time to end them, but because there is no money left to be made there. (Hence why He-Man is ending, in Europe, with maybe a handful of new items and not being retired gracefully. TMNT died once in a bit of a letdown, as did the original run of the 4" G.I. Joe line, and pretty much everything else that ever happened.) If it goes away and comes back, it could probably do a pretty decent, if short, run before going away forever. I don't think it would have much of a run if it was away for too long, though, as collectors have short attention spans and move on quickly these days. As such, I hope it lasts as long as Hasbro can make it easy for us to get (well, as easy as they can) while maintaining our interest. Not being able to find new toys can kill a line real quick... cough He-Man cough. Other fans have expressed interests in continuing building a huge collection with no end in sight which is, to say the least, draining. More than anything else, this could be what kills interest in Star Wars-- if you set it all up on shelves, you'd probably look and go "wow, how much money have I wasted since 1995?" It's a great line, but as I said above, you can only buy so much of this stuff before needing to unload it, and it isn't exactly a bad thing to see a line slowly fade away. 8. Can you please shed some light on the upcoming gentle giant bust ups? where, when, and how can I get them? and how much will they set me back? --Jaster These are due starting this Fall in alternative toy market venues like Sam Goody, Suncoast, and comic shops for about five bucks a pop. Good deals, to be sure. 9. Why is Star Wars Insider distribution so inconsistent? I don't get my copy in the mail until at least two weeks after people on various fan site forums start reporting news from their copies. --nagauthier Sometimes mine arrives before the Internet populace's at large, and other times, much later. (Lately, it's been later, it was much earlier before.) I think they just mix it up a little every few months, but I can't say for sure or even know who to ask to find out. 10. Clone Wars Ep20....A panicky padawan....in need of a canine treat to calm his nerves....just call him Sha'a Gi!!! Just wodering if that Jedi Shistavanen we saw was Lak Sivrak or Sco'o Bi??? And what about Jedi Masters Derf and Padawans Amlev and Daff'Ni? Not too crazy with this inside (tribute) joke, but eh, whatever... --Scott He's neither. Lak Sivrak, while supposedly a Rebel sympathizer according to some resources, was most certainly never a Jedi. This particular warrior is Voolvif Monn. "Wolf Man." Clever. A number of punny-named Jedi were voted upon to appear in the final episode of the series, and well, this is it. The in-jokey Sha'a Gi, for those not in the know, was the "Red Shirt" human that looks like Shaggy from the Scooby Doo series... a cute joke, but it begs the question why our wolf-like Jedi wasn't named Sco-obi Doo? FIN I finally caught up with Clone Wars with the Saturday night marathon. All in all, I'm most pleased. The series, while brief, was well done and seems to have struck a nerve in fans, in a good way. I know I'd be happy to see more, but I have my doubts that this format is something we'll see more of. While it's fun to comment on the future of Star Wars, fact is, as the answers this week should indicate, it's really hard to know where it could go. Some lines come back after their first run and last a long time, only to fade away time and again, and to be revived and reinvented all the time. Star Trek, TransFormers, and numerous Super Heroes come and go all the time, and when I spoke to Mattel at Toy Fair, they said this wasn't to be the end of He-Man, because they could see another return to toy shelves in the future. Perhaps the distant future, but hey, it's certainly good news, right? I'd say that Star Wars could last forever, but look at Star Trek. The video game licensor supposedly sued Viacom for running their license into the ground, driving their ability to sell games into the basement. I would have assumed that the die-hard fans of Trek could keep it going forever, but with word on the street that Enterprise may end this season, the future of the movies in great peril, and the toy license supposedly not being so hot, well, anything could end these days without the right exploitation. I mean, when was the last totaly new traditional side-scrolling Super Mario game? Things fade away, and it's part of the game, sadly. Well, maybe not sadly... a reduced influx of new toys would be greatly appreciated some weeks. Like this week. Because I like feeling old, I picked up the four-pack of Toddler Turtles from the new TMNT line since they had a bonus DVD at Wal-Mart packed in and it came in at under six bucks. (For the record, I'll repeat that-- four figures, a DVD, under six bucks.) According to a review I read, the episode that came with this particular pack of figures is basically the same as the Batman cartoon where Bruce Wayne got kidnapped into some homeless slave labor camp. As I haven't seen the new series much (or at all) I'm quite curious to see how this turned out, and am now feeling delightfully out of touch. That's all for this week. So get those questions in for next week. Just email me with your inquiry, and we'll see what we can do.