Q&A For August 23, 2004

1. When I was looking at my collection recently, I noticed that K-3PO's hands look like they have been designed to hold a serving tray of some kind. Could it be possible that K-3PO and TC-14 share molds? Since I haven't got a TC-14 to compare, may be you can give me an answer?
--Kevin

Actually, it's more than possible-- this was the intention. In 2000, Hasbro had an edict handed down to the Star Wars design team that was basically "make more original trilogy, and do it now." To expedite the figure creation process, three figures were made from older and/or modified molds-- Endor Leia, K-3PO, and the Mon Calamari. While taking and modifying existing molds was nothing new, this was the first we really saw this happening in the normal line of carded figures, and odds are it won't be the last time either.

So if you were really desparate for a TC-14, you could always paint up a K-3PO. Of course, then you wouldn't get the drink tray.

2. Of the two Trash Compactor screen scenes that were W**-Mart exclusives, I only ever saw one of the Chewie/Leia half in my local store and didn't buy it 'cause it was beat all to Hades. I've never even seen the Luke/Han one. Is there reason to hope that these will be re-released as part of the OTC line? Or does their former "exclusive" status pretty much ruin that possibility?
--Joe

When an exclusive comes and goes, and then a year passes, it's usually a safe bet you'll never see it again. There are some exceptions in the history of the Star Wars toy line, like the recently rereleased TIE Fighter in the OTC, but that's really about it. But there is hope-- on eBay, these go for about the same or less than they sold for in the stores, which was nearly $20 per set-- a bad deal any way you slice it. Han was considered for an individually carded rerelease for 2004, but this didn't happen-- so while it is possible these could be reissued, my question is why wait? They aren't worth much of anything on the secondary market so you may as well get while the getting is good.

3. Do you know whatever became of the rumoured wave of Accessory Packs - I think we saw prototypes of Yavin (with Technician), Gungan Swamp (with Gungan Warrior), Jabba's Palace (with Gamorrean Guard) etc... ? I was particularly taken with the Yavin set because of the pack-in ladders and landing lights which would be great for a diorama. Have Hasbro any plans to release these as part of a multi-pack or in any other format? I also seem to remember seeing some pics of a gantry with early shots of the POTJ Y-Wing. I thought it was a nice touch. Like the Jedi Capture device from the Geonosis playset is this one of those pack-ins that never appeared with the final toy?
--Darkbill

Over the years, Hasbro has made numerous items that have gotten close to final production and then suddenly axed. For example: Cantina Wave 2, which was recently released in different packaging for K-Mart. Other items, like these accessory sets and the unproduced trophy Obi-Wan Kenobi and OOM-9 from Episode I seem to be doomed to never see final production, although, like you say, there's no reason they might not revisit the concepts later. For now, though, all these items seem to be in limbo and if I were you I wouldn't hold my breath.

4. Hello. So, I'm on eBay and I see a second version of the silver Darth Vader (with the saber fully inside the bubble) and I notice that the sellers are all from Japan, is this real? If so, is it coming out in the U.S. and if so, where and when is it coming out? Did I miss something here? If it's real, I guess it's for people who don't want to drop $180 on the toy fair exclusive version and need something to fill the gap???
--Mike

I'm assuming you mean the 2005 Darth Vader Silver Figure, which will be a gift-with-purchase at Toys "R" Us later this year. I could be wrong, but you see, my psychic powers are limited only to knowing which female readers of this column are hotties. And as we have no female readership, it's pretty useless. (Just kidding, ladies! I know both of you are dolls.)

What's a gift with purchase? Well, glad you asked. Toys "R" Us often has an item which is free when you purchase a specific amount of figures to increase sales of product they have in the store. They did this for X-Men ages ago with figures of Mojo and Senyaka, and they've done this a lot recently for Star Wars, offering silver versions of the Clone Trooper, R2-D2, and now Darth Vader. (In the Spring, TRU often does a number of buy-one-get-one-free type offers on their non-Star Wars brands like Xevoz and TransFormers. But I digress.) This item was probably done in part because a lot of fans never had a shot at any silver Vader, and well, Vader's exciting. A silver Luke wouldn't be as nifty to most fans.

This piece is for real-- it's based on the POTJ Dagobah Darth Vader, which has Luke's head underneath the mask. It's one of the better Vaders to see production and if they gave it a red lightsaber, it'd be pretty awesome.

5. Is the pack-in pilot figure for the OTC Y-Wing the same crappy figure as the pack-in pilot for the X-Wing? Is the Luke figure that is part of the 7 figure pack-ins for the Sam's Club Millenium Falcon decorated differently than the Commtech Luke which he was based on? Finally, what figures are truly unique to the OTC line? I count 15. By unique, I mean totally new i.e... Bespin Leia, or redecorated i.e... Gamorrean Guard?
--Scott

The upcoming OTC Y-Wing does in fact have a figure that's made from the same mold as the Saga Red Leader X-Wing, but he's painted a little differently. The Sam's Club Falcon Luke does appear to be based on CommTech Luke. As far as figures unique to OTC goes, that's really up to you-- some figures have paint decoration changes I would consider insignificant, as in, no different than what you might see from one run of a Saga figure to the next. Although as far as totally new figures go, there are seven brand new sculpts, seven repainted to the point where they're obviously meant to be "new," and a couple with changes that may or may not interest you. For example, R2-D2-- the repaint of the POTJ figure was changed in Saga so it may be new to you. Luke in his flight suit has a few different paint apps, but nothing that will interest most fans.

For me, the seven repainted figures worth your while are: Gamorrean Guard, Bib Fortuna, Jawas, Tusken Raider, Bespin Luke, Darth Vader (ESB), and Greedo.

6. Anyway, can you explain the vac metal process and why is it such a big deal for production? I always thought it would have been awesome to see the Queen's ship from Episode One done in this way or atleast the Naboo Fighter to more acurately reflect the look from the movie. Big vehicles are rare these days and Hasbro gripes about the cost and questions the demand, plus I imagine it would have been an expensive thing to do. Is it the same process that was used on the vintage figs like C-3PO?

Still don't understand why Hasbro can't produce a set with the Naboo figs that had a shorter run at the end of the Episode One figs with Sio Bibble. Can't Hasbro make these four packs a little better with some harder to find figs. Atleast one harder to find fig per set could really make these things fly off the shelf. The Jedi set is such an insult. That detention thing that comes with it is laughable. Atleast the Unleashed are getting a second go around, right?
--Chris

There's a lot of things to take into consideration when painting a toy. These things include cost, the chance of the paint coming off, and how it may adversely affect the toy. Maybe it could produce an odor, make the toy more brittle, or rub off during shipment-- nobody wants these things.

Given the size and cost of the Queen's Royal Starship, not better known to you and me as the Marie Celeste but it should be, vac metal would probably be bad. While I must confess I am ignorant on how it stacks up on the issue of cost, I do know this makes some parts more brittle. If you collect TransFormers reissues, you may have noticed Hasbro has made the missiles a plain color in the USA while Takara leaves them vac metal. Why? Hasbro wanted to make these less brittle. With this in mind, I'd say making a big ship with lots of moving parts less brittle was a smart move, and I'd also wager that a flat, silver surface that shows a lot of fingerprints wouldn't look so good. If you really want to bag on this piece, bag on the fact it has a throne for the queen that she can't even sit on. That's a crappy thing if you ask me.

Episode I was, primarily, a line meant to sell to the masses. That is, to appeal to collectors and to kids and on some levels it did this. (On others, like price, it didn't.) So it's possible the vac metal process either tested badly or, and this isn't too uncommon these days, they were looking for a way to save a few cents per unit and this is the way they went. Frankly, I'm not a big fan of vac metal unless it's absolutely necessary, like on C-3PO or Optimus Prime's smokestacks. I haven't had anything break on me yet, but it doesn't age especially well nor does it hold up to heavy play well. So, I could do without it.

Hasbro hasn't put out one big set with all the Naboo figures yet. The hard to find Naboo soldier that shipped along the holograph Darth Sidious is shipping in a set coming to stores this Fall, so that's one. I think they're now realizing this is a good distribution channel for some harder to get items, but as you said, some aren't quite so good. I mean, does anybody really want to re-buy those Jedi figures? Probably not. Maybe if kids got into it, but well, some new Jedi or at least Jedi with the correct weapons would be nice, no?

7. I have been to eight Target Stores. None of them have had Princess Leia/Return of the Jedi. I have contacted Target and Hasbro. Target told me that they can't tell me if a certain store has gotten in Princess Leia because it is in an assortment. I was wondering, besides eBay, how can I get this figure. I don't want to spend an arm and a leg for it. I want to get it for its retail price of $9.99.
--VotaJohnKerry04

Well, I want a lot of things. I can't always get them. As such, keep hunting-- a lot of stores are just now getting new cases of these guys, and while I found the Luke Cup figure ages ago, I just found Anakin in the past couple of weeks-- and I've seen him a couple of times since. My advice to you is to either keep hunting or give up and go to eBay. If this is quite literally the only toy you're looking for right now, go to eBay... gas ain't cheap these days. (Although if you're like me and jonesing for Energon, Xevoz, and whatever new exclusive Star Wars junk you can find, continue the course.)

I should also note that some Targets put the cup figures on clearance while others have them on temporary markdown-- which means some stores should get more cup figures while others most definitely will not. So, keep that in mind when hunting. And for whatever reason, Target isn't offering these figures online-- so I would keep my eye on the official Star Wars Shop too, as they eventually got Target's animated Clone Wars toys.

8. With all the focus on Anakin becoming Vader as the centerpiece of the whole series and especially in Ep II, why isn't there a VOTC 12" Vader. Luke and Fett make perfect sense, but the Stormtrooper...? Come on Hasbro!!! Where's my vintage Vader of the 12" variety?
--Michael

All my sources tell me 2005 will be the year of Darth Vader. Hasbro has also made mention of more 12" figures in 2005. As such, I'm not worried that we'll see at least one really nice Darth Vader in 2005... now, which movie will it be from? That I don't know.

9. Since Hasbro is releasing the crappy Bib Fortuna and the old Gammorrean in the Otc line, does this mean that the chances of producing cool new updated versions of these characters are next to nothing? I REALLY would like to see an Episode 1 Bib Fortuna, but it doesnt look like thats going to happen any time soon.

Also, this is kinda off topic, but does anyone know why ILM doesnt use many of the classic alien designs in the prequel movies. Id like to see some Arcona, Givin, and Sakiyans around... not a million Ishi Tib or Quarren!
--lowtek

First, let's look at ILM. On the whole, the bulk of the aliens used in A New Hope were constructed quickly, cheaply, and in some cases, with some modifications to off-the-shelf masks available everywhere. I don't know which ones are which because to me, like a mother who loves all their children, they're all wonderful in their own ways. In a way, I don't mind the fact that we don't see all the Cantina aliens before we get to the Cantina. I mean, when you get to the Cantina, it's this big weird thing with odd music and some incredibly unusual faces. If you were to watch all six movies in order, many of these will still be "new"-- and that I can live with. (And frankly, if I already have my toys of a specific alien, it doesn't much matter to me if it shows up elsewhere in the saga.)

While I agree with your sentiments on Bib Fortuna, I don't think that these repaints mean much of anything for the future of the line. Hasbro needed some stop-gap quick-to-make figures to flesh out the Fall line, and this is what they had handy. Down the road, I think they're going to revisit a lot of characters, and it wouldn't at all surprise me to see Bib Fortuna as one of them. (Frankly, he'd make a good vintage figure. In a way. In another more realistic way, he wouldn't sell well at ten bucks.)

10. ON toy polls,(ships/sets) and I've been involved with customer feedback and have gathered it from many shows ACROSS THE NATION for the past 8 years, and I've heard Hasbro's side of the expense - dollar efficiency concerns etc. The simple solution is this.. Hasbro should do a ships/sets poll and put a price point tied to each item.. This way they know they can recover their costs.. And find out what the best thing to do is, for instance on your recent Death Star Poll. We would really find out if most of us are willing to spend around $150 for a serious D.S. playset (not the junk of 1995), or if realisticly speaking, more people would rather pay say $39.95 for a better Dagobah playset (larger than the vintage and more realistic).. Same thing regarding the ships, I know many are in demand such as the Sith Infiltrator, AT-TE, and so on. A couple of ships that could make great sales and that would be reasonable to produce are mid sized such as the Twin Pod Cloud car and the very cool Assaj Vetress Fighter.
--Sam

One thing I do have to agree with you on is that today's Hasbro doesn't seem quite so interested in getting new product to shelves as they seem interested in repainting old product again and again. While I have no problem seeing them repackage the same toys over and over-- this way kids can get it and it looks "new" on the shelves-- I agree that the love of saving a few bucks in favor of no new vehicle molds is a real drag. The Tatooine Skiff isn't a great toy-- sure, it's nice they reissued it, but the mold more or less sucked and the pegs for the figures really don't work well.

You say Hasbro would find out most of us are really willing to pay $150 for a Deat Star playset. I have to say here that I really disagree with you. Toy fans in a lot of lines often say they'll pay whatever it takes and list some insane dollar amount, and let me tell you, this goes far beyond Star Wars. $150? That's a lot of money. Tons. If for any reason it didn't work out, this would be a tremendous failure-- one that may make it so we never see a playset made from new materials ever again. As it stands now, Hasbro has made precious few playsets in recent memory-- most of which were in the G.I. Joe toy line, and all of those were repaints or remolds of existing toys.

I do think Hasbro is missing the boat with vehicles and the real lack of anything new and exciting in this department. I don't have access to sales figures but it seemed the new ships from Clone Wars sold OK in most markets and around here, few got cleared out and few still remain in stores. (And the stores that still have them are notorious for hanging on to old stock forever.) There's unquestionably a market for new vehicles, but I think Hasbro's right on starving the market to keep them interesting. That said, there's no new vehicle being offered to fans in 2004 that wasn't offered before with different paint or different electronics, and that's just kinda sad.

I agree that small vehicles may be the way to go but really, does anyone believe the Cloud Car would be some amazing seller? I think it'd sell well if made in a modest production run, but it's no X-wing in terms of popularity. And as far as vehicles from the Expanded Universe go, we got lucky with Clone Wars, Shadows of the Empire, and the three concept vehicles-- I seriously doubt we'll ever see more anytime soon.

FIN

Guess what? I'm moving. Not to another web site this time, but to a new residence across town. As such, I'll be having to pack away a lot of great stuff. How will this matter to you? Well, if you have any questions about how toys differ from one another or anything like that, I'd ask now. A lot of this stuff is going to get boxed up soon and as this happens, I don't plan on digging through the many, many, many boxes until I get settled in, so fair warning.

That's all for this week. So get those questions in for next week, and if you could put "Q&A" in the subject line, that would greatly help my email filters find your message. Just email me with your inquiry, and we'll see what we can do.