Q&A For January 31, 2005

1. Hey, curious if you could explain something to me (doesn't have to be a Q & A question, I was just curious). When someone says they created a custom that completely kit bashed, what exactly does that mean? I've heard people say "It's completely kit Bashed / Scratch built" but I have no idea what it means.
--Buntz

This is actually a good question because I've been finding different words mean different things within (and without) the fandom. Usually "kit bashed" implied "bashed together from model kits" or perhaps other toys-- using mostly original parts. I used to assume "scratch built" meant "molded/carved/whatever from original parts" but it appears this is not always the case, and I've seen it used-- more than once-- to mean "not a repaint."

The whole custom scene is a diverse place where people use all sorts of words depending on their backgrounds and skill levels. A lot of people consider their repaints to be works of art which sometimes can be quite laughable, while others toil away on a Death Star made from popsicle sticks and car parts-- and it looks like the real thing-- and downplay it because they didn't mold all the pieces themselves.

So what does this mean to you? No clue. I'd say to all customizers, be specific when describing how you made your wares, and for the fans, feel free to ask. It's tough to tell what people are saying, especially because the LEGO people have co-opted MOC for My Own Creation while figure people have used it for Mint On Card for ages. So it's all a rich tapestry.

2. Is Hasbro showing their 2005 line at Toy Fair, and, if so, will Galactic Hunter be there? Any idea as far as what we fans can expect to see?
--Adam

Hasbro will be showcasing Star Wars at Toy Fair in 2005 in New York, and currently team Galactic Hunter is planning to go-- not me, as there is no "I" in "team" this particular time. That's the good news. The bad news is we don't much know what to expect. There's been a few rumblings of Hasbro showing new product in the UK recently for this and other lines and while not a lot has surfaced, it sounds like not a lot was there to surface in the first place.

So, what can we expect in the way of Star Wars? We don't know. In 2004, Hasbro showed off practically nothing-- most of the new info we got came from shooting the back of toy packaging, and in 2003, Hasbro didn't even let fans in the showroom. In 2002, though, they had dozens upon dozens of figures out for Attack of the Clones which surprised everybody because for Episode I it was fairly tight-lipped. So it will most likely be feast or famine, and even if they just show off a few goodies fact is you lucky Galactic Hunter readers have already seen quite a bit-- so who's to say that if they show anything, it'll be new to you anyway?

3. I was really excited to find the ROTS preview figures in Wal*Mart this week but, to my dismay these new figures don't fit in the standard Star Case or the Star Case 2. Do you know if there are any plans to make a new Star Case to fit the ROTS figures? If not, do you know who manufactures Star Cases so we can "Persuade" them to make a new Star Case design. Thank you.
--TD-2709

While I have yet to see a new Star Case for these items, it's a safe bet that as soon as the manufacturers get their hands on the new packaging style, we'll see a new case in no time. It's just a matter of time, of course-- they know there's a good market here and if they don't produce one, fans will quickly find an alternative.

For those not in the know, the new ROTS cards have a very flat bubble that "bleeds" off the bottom of the card-- meaning there's no cardboard place for the Star Case to "grip" and as an added bonus, the card is just a smidge taller than regular cardbacks due to a protrusion from the helmet of Darth Vader.

4. Wečve all seen the blue action figure prototypes and the "inside Hasbro" magazine stories, but in over twenty-five years of Star Wars figures, why have we never seen anything written, photographed or videotaped about the massive overseas manufacturing process that produces this historic line? I think collectors would be interested in how these things are made by the million with such precise detail and then painted, assembled, packaged and shipped. Would Galactic Hunter have the pull with Hasbro and the on-location contacts (i.e. I guess Chinese Star Wars collectors with a digital camera) to make a feature like this happen, or would fears of revealing corporate secrets or factory working conditions torpedo this?
--Duncan

This question is a sore spot for many, but as far as we know no, you can't get this story. I have talked to people that have toured Hallmark's facility in Hong Kong, and I do seem to remember ToyFare (the magazine) running a story showing Asian workers painting 12" Stormtrooper heads from around 1997 or so but my memory may be playing tricks on me.

Currently, this is not a story that has really been tackled and I'm sure it's one many would find fascinating. Hey, I'd be thrilled to write about something like this on a variety of levels but the fact is it's expensive and knowing the toy industry freelance rates it's pretty unlikely a fan could make his or her money back on it.

So if Hasbro's out there, and I know that you are, what say you? Is there a chance we could someday see a chart showing the life of a figure, from conception at a meeting or concept art board to a final plastic figure at the store?

5. Have you seen the preview Wookie Warrior figure? He's at least one head taller than the VOTC Chewbacca and nearly as rotund as Muftak. The fur sculpt is a little weak, but overall he's cool. Anyway, is he supposed to be this big or is this one of those scale hiccups that happens in the line? I'm wondering how big the ROTS Chewie will be compared to him... [to music]: "That wookie keeps on grooowing..."
--Chris

It's my understanding that our favorite fuzzball Chewbacca is, in fact, the runt of the Wookiees.

6. Is it worth resorting to Evilbay for the K-Mart Cantina sets? There isn't a Big-K within 100 miles of where we live and I'm hesitating to pay $30 for these things when I just want one figure from each. Your opinion will likely sway the fate of my wallet...
--Sparks

My Kmarts have them on clearance for about $16, which isn't THAT much of a deal but it's certainly better for $30 each. I think that the first set with Dr. Evazan, Wuher, and Kitik Keed'kak is the best of the two in terms of value because new legs were tooled for Evazan, Wuher has a new arm, Kitik is brand new, and everybody has very new and improved deco. Except, of course, Kitik Keed'kak is the wrong color.

The second set was an interesting one-- the first sample I saw had the Snaggletooth stolen from it, and that pretty much sums it up. Unless you need the Ponda Baba with the break-away arm or the 1998 Flashback Obi-Wan (and if you don't have it, you do need it) this set is a bit of a pricey proposition. HOWEVER-- I had to buy this because $20 is what I paid for my first vintage Blue Snag back in/around 1990 and fact is if it were an exclusive for the Fan Club all by its lonesome, I would happily shell out the $12.99 plus $7 shipping to get it. I don't think I'd pay $30 because frankly it's a hard sell-- again, one I'd probably eventually waffle on and then buy, but still.

7. I recall you saying in your previous Q/A session that you had a minor hand in the decision making process for the EE Clone-trooper army builder sets. With that I was wondering if you know whether or not the troops come with the larger blaster rifles from the initial AOTC figures or those piddly little guns from the SA release Clone. Also, do you know if there's any chance that the Action-Fleet line will be revived for ROTS? It'd be a shame to not see some of those wicked ship designs in this format.
--Don

This was a really interesting and eye-opening process, one I might be able to document when the sets come out if I can scrape together enough information that isn't, well, confidential and/or incredibly dull.

Basically, the weapons were a tough call, and a lot of options went around. Last I heard these were going with the smaller blasters, and not the giant ones. But for you giant blaster lovers out there, there's a lot of ways to get those-- the AOTC Target weapons pack, Sneak Preview clones, Red Clones, the Wal-Mart Bonus Clones, you get the idea. I swap a lot of weapons around in my displays to make it look like I have more different figures than I actually do... and I find it ironic that my Stormtroopers look identical where no two Clones look alike.

As far as Action Fleet, I currently do not know of a revival for sure-- but Hasbro has said they've considered reviving it for the final film. Seeing as we're just now seeing Micro Machines packs (old vehicles, new deco, new figures) I'd say it's possible. I really, really want to see Action Fleet fully revived-- I want to buy the vehicles I missed from Episode I due to funding issues at the time, and I want to see things like the Sail Barge reissued for you cats who missed them in 1998 because they were out for all of four seconds. It's a spectacular line and the best one ever for fans of vehicles from Star Wars-- arguably. MicroMachines is theoretically better because they've done more weird vehicles in it, but still, the best vehicles for my money is still Action Fleet and will be until Hasbro gets off their duffs and releases more new figure-sized vehicles. POTF2 turns 10 this summer, and I still don't have a Cloud Car? Shame, Hasbro. Shame.

8. Having been one of the many (including yourself, I'm sure) who jumped on the EE-Exclusive Clone Trooper Army Builders the day they were announced. I couldn't resist buying the full set, and will ultimately probably pick up a set for my nephew as well. One question I've had in mind though, will these will actually have foot-holes for stands/pegs (unlike the previously-released CW version)? Whether in my humble CW diorama or during a Friday afternoon re-enactment, even though the SA 'trooper stands well on his own the flexibility of some real standalone action poses would be awesome. Thanks.
--BigHeaf

While this did come up in the development process, it turned out that at this time no changes to the molds could be made-- which is too bad, otherwise we could probably tweak these into ROTS Clones. This is a real shame as that aside from adding in a G.I. Joe style O-ring construction, there's really not much you could do to make this mold any better.

9. Is there any chance Jar Jar Binks be eliminated in episode 3? Are we to expect wookiees against another droid army as to gungans did the same in episode 1,by the way I only enjoy the maul scenes in that movie nothing else. And last,it seems the market is overwhelmed with Vader again,I got enough already not getting new ones,maybe the 12 inch quick change,but that a big maybe.
--Luanne

At this time the fate of Jar Jar Binks is unknown. Frankly, I'd be happy to just plain not see him in the film so I don't have to hear about it one way or the other.

There will be various characters in the 12" scale for Revenge of the Sith but I have yet to see what I consider to be "official" word of a Vader. Some plan-o-gram photos with packaged toys are floating around and you can see some new 12" guys in them if you squint-- some neat choices too.

10. Recently I purchased a Padme Unleashed figure from Ebay; and the seller refereed to it as the (Perky) version. Now I'm assuming this is because of her large sculpted breasts. Looking around on Ebay at other Padme's I noticed several other sellers were selling Padme's that they were calling the perky version. Is this a variant? Is there another Padme with smaller sculpted breasts? If there is, does the perky version command a higher price? I paid $40.00 for mine.

Another question. Any Ideas, if Hasbro plans to release a filler unleashled wave after wave 11, consisting of reissues? My vote would be for Boba Fett, Yoda, and Darth Maul. Since these command alot on the secondary market like Ebay.
--Jason

...WHAT? Holy crap. Unleashed Padme was POISON in 2002 (and 2003) and stores couldn't get rid of her, and there were never any variants-- just the one version. Padme only comes in the well-endowed variety, it's possible you were a victim of clever marketing or a market that loves Unleashed and has just realized that she is now one of the rarer figures in the collection. But then again, so is Anakin. Ain't nobody buying "disgruntled" Anakin. Maybe if he had a bigger rack.

FIN

Wow, Padme shot up... who'd have thought? Unleashed is proving to be a pretty interesting area to watch, wouldn't you say?

Oh, and for next week, just email me with your question and I'll put it in queue. (If you do not put "Q&A" in the subject line I cannot guarantee it will get through due to the high volume of spam these accounts get.)