Q&A For July 11, 2005

1. whats the deal with the epic force line? as far as I know there are only 9 figures ever released: C-3PO, stormtrooper, leia, luke, darth vader, boba fett, darth maul, qui con jinn and obi one... didnt hasbro do any from episode 2 or 3? I liked these figures a lot!
--Josh

The Epic Force line was a short-lived flash-in-the-pan attempt to create a "third scale" of Star Wars figures at Hasbro. There were six POTF2-era figures that were widely released, three POTF2-era figures that were FAO exclusives in the USA (Han Solo, Chewbacca, Obi-Wan Kenobi), and then three Episode I figures (Maul, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan Kenobi.) The line died due to product glut-- odds are it'd still be going on if people didn't drown in product in 1999 and 2000. As such, no more figures-- when the Prequel Sequels hit, Hasbro moved on to Unleashed.

Epic Force eventually morphed into the Mega Action line (which only saw three of several proposed figures released), and then mutated into Unleashed, which fans eventually warmed up to. Epic Force should not be confused with Epic Collections, Galoob's very short lived line of six figure and vehicle micro sets. (The second wave was sold exclusively through the company directly and are some of the rarest modern era toys.)

2. Do you think it is possible to see more die cast vehicles at size larger than current 3" Titanium? Titanium is cool but I think the 3" size is somehow limiting the detail, so if there is any news of larger die cast ships, I would be very happy to know that.
--Ivan

As stated here before on more than one occasion: yes. There's going to be Action Fleet-sized Titanium ships. Will this satisfy the demands for metal and for Action Fleet? I doubt it. But it's possible that these will be an interesting product in and of themselves.

The bulk of the current Titanium line (anything not from Episodes II or III) are leftover Galoob toys. Starting around 1997, Galoob had a die-cast subset in their MicroMachines line, and you can get a lot of these on the secondary market fairly cheaply. It appears Hasbro will be mining these molds as the line goes forward and I fully expect to see them all reissued and repainted in some cases, so there's a lot of potential here. If you like reruns.

3. In the last Q&A you recommend several times contacting Hasbro about Star Wars toys youÕd like to see made (for me itÕs the return of theÉahem, ACTION FLEET vehicles!!! Pardon the caps but IÕm trying to catch some Hasbro attention here). ThereÕs a gaping hole in my collection with no Action Fleet ships made from Ep 3 and some important ones missing from Ep 2. I think youÕve mentioned before that regular mail is the most effective means of someone actually reading your wish list. IÕve checked HasbroÕs site before but havenÕt found an address. Can you please tell us what that address is and if in fact itÕs the best way?
--Robert

To be honest, this is a bit of a puzzle-- Hasbro doesn't tend to publicize the exact street address, but their current mailing address (or something close enough to get it delivered) should be on almost every toy box you own. (City, State, ZIP, name of company.) There are no guarantees, of course, but if you want to see these things, make a big stink about it. I can't help you here because if I do this at a show, Hasbro knows my face.

4. Do the accessories included with the Clone Commander (#33) have a specific name? For instance, what's the rope for and that other odd little thing it came with?
--Rich

Hasbro did not name these accessories, and as such, they're whatever you want them to be. For me, they're junk drawer fodder.

5. I am very excited about the exclusive clone 3 packs (501st, Utapuan, Kashykk) but I have a nagging fear that they will be the static deluxe versions. Why do you think Hasbro would go that route instead of Super posable Clones (which I think more people want) or even the Quick Draw one? I really hope I am wrong but if Hasbro takes the deluxe route I believe quite a few people will feel pretty bitter.

Could you see about a Republic Commando 4 pack for Entertainment Earth? Do you think Hasbro would bite?

Alot of what I see in forums and Ebay are custom clone commanders. Is Hasbro aware the demand for Gree, Cody, Appo, etc? I really would hate to resort to Ebay.
--Washington

The exclusive Clone 3-packs are not yet officially revealed. That said, I'd be a little surprised if they weren't the three-pack deluxe versions. I'm hoping Hasbro will allow someone to do super posable versions in the future because the demand is there-- I mean, who doesn't want super-posable and super-awesome 501st Troopers? Hasbro, don't let the cash cow pass you buy-- repaint, recard, and rerelease!

Exclusives are a tricky thing. Sometimes, Hasbro will come to you and say "hey, we have this toy all nice and finished. Would you like to have the entire run of it?" Other times, you can go to Hasbro and say "we want this specific thing. Make it for us." The problem is new molds are expensive to the point where Hasbro isn't too likely to give a new exclusive mold to someone unless they see a vendor as the perfect partner for a release. Every vendor loves exclusives, but when it comes to figures that require a new mold, those typically don't make for good exclusives-- those are more of a wide release item. If, of course, Hasbro ever decided to give it a shot.

Hasbro is aware of the freakish popularity of Clone figures of all sorts and is trying hard to make up for the current lack of product come Q4-- you can only make so many figures in a year, after all! There's going to be a lot of repaints and not all of them have been revealed yet, so stay tuned. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that all of the commanders are on tap just yet, which seems unfortunate given the going rate of a custom Commander Cody.

6. Well I was looking at my target exclusive clone trooper ,admiring it's cooless, and I looked up the character it's based on and it doesn't look like what he should. The facial element of the helmet design is different and the weapon the figure carries should be unique. So the this clone trooper is really just another common trooper but with a red circle on its helmet, that's it?! Yes,yes,yes the figure its self is not common with the sculpt and the articulation but it's a white clone trooper......except they just slammed a red circle on its forehead and sold it for twice its worth compared to the super articluted clone trooper. I hope I'm wrong though.
--Evelyn

The figure's mold is the 2003 Clone Wars Super Posable Clone body with foot holes and a new helmet, repainted. So it's not even the new armor. So this was a quick head swap exclusive that was not made with authenticity as a top priority. It's a "cheap" figure and as a basic Clone, would be seen as a dull figure. But as a $13 exclusive, it becomes attractive. Disgusting how we collectors act, no?

7. I would like to know what figure surprised you this year (since I have not opened many as of yet)?

As rumors creep around of army builders being packaged for Fall (hmmm DVD Release fodder) was the EE based Army Builder (Clone Wars) Clones a success in Hasbro's eyes?

Would these rumored army builde clones be the same non articulated 3 pack that is out now or the #6 or #41 clones painted (or decaled) a better choice?
--Val Da Car

A lot of figures surprised me this year in terms of quality. Tarkin was a fantastic release, as was Ask Aak, C-3PO, Evolutions Anakin to Darth Vader, Bail Organa, and many others. Except for the figures that cannot stand up due to weak plastic, the entire line was great to me-- even the repaints. Hasbro did a great job with sculpting and articulation, just not with the quality of plastic. One of my favorites, though, was the basic Revenge of the Sith Darth Vader-- he can hold up and choke Captain Antilles from Saga! How cool is that?

There are many rumors of army builders for later this year. And no, you haven't heard all the Clone rumors just yet-- more are apparently on the way! The Clone Trooper set was a huge success and according to what I hear, one of the reasons you'll be seeing more exclusives later this year. Hasbro also seems to have no interest in doing more super posable Clone Trooper army builder sets right now-- which sucks, as this is one of my favorite exclusives yet. (I love sensible repaints. Hasbro can repaint droids and Clones and even Optimus Prime-- as long as the latter is black and greenish.) You will be seeing a lot of Clones this year, but it doesn't seem like they'll all be ones you want in the level of quality that you want. (Me, I want a super posable 501st Trooper Set. Now.)

Hasbro told us that they have prepared options for repaints of at least one of the existing basic Clones at Celebration III, but that it would likely be a regular figure and not an exclusive or a multi-pack. The rumor is that the three-packs are just repaints of the three-pack sold as a Deluxe Figure, but as I have not seen anything on them at all, I can't really comment on them just yet-- maybe we'll see more this week?

Of course, if Hasbro does go and do non-super-posable exclusive Clones, that doesn't mean they can't go back and do a set of them the way you and I would prefer. In 2003, Hasbro put out a bunch of Clone repaints using the solid statue molds and the 2002 "red Clone" molds-- and in 2005, they were goodly enough to repaint the good one for an exclusive. Persistence pays, as does a large vocal fanbase-- as I've said before, just keep asking Hasbro, and odds are they'll love to sell a ton of them to you, me, and everyone else.

8. I noticed that I have an EP1 battle droid, it is unpainted, with limited articulation, and the blaster molded to it's hand. I know this is similar to the foreign 2-packs, but based on Rebelscum photography it is different. My version does not have a hole in the back for the radio pack, whereas the bonus version does. Can you remember where this figure came from???
--Bret

There were several special Battle Droids released during the Episode I years, and while I know not of this "radio" pack of which you speak, you may have a running change or a bootleg. I'm fairly sure that the Bonus Battle Droid, and the Battle Droid from the Naboo Power Annex playset both have a hole in their back, along with the molded blasters. This could be a variation I'm unaware of, and if anyone knows if it is, please do write in and let me know.

9. Which of the 12 Star Wars VOTC are worth opening and which ones aren't. I'm looking for "this is the best version of that figure ever made." I'm guessing Han, Lando and Boba might fit into that category. I've read bad things about Luke. And I'm guessing the Evolutions Vader might trump the VOTC version.
--Scott

My advice to you is to leave everything carded unless you have to have the best right now. If there's one thing Hasbro has proven is that they're constantly on the move for making a better figure every year, so today's "best ever" may be tomorrow's crapfest. With this in mind, here's a rundown of the line and some speculation of what I'd do in your situation. Assuming, of course, I wouldn't just pony up some money and buy a set to open.

Luke Skywalker: A unique figure, but not a great one. The cloth outfit is baggy and not pleasing to the eye. He may be the best articulated Tatooine Luke ever thus far, but he ain't good. Open only if you can get a spare cheap.

Han Solo: Best ever, bar none. Buy one to open or else.

Obi-Wan Kenobi: Not especially great. Baggy cloak, iffy articulation. This is a fine example of a figure that can be improved upon easily, so in this case, you're better off waiting for something better.

Princess Leia: Inconclusive. Some fans love her, others hate her. For what she is, she's great-- Hasbro has room to improve, but it might be a while before they try her again with cloth parts and loads of joints. Buy one if you can.

Darth Vader: Very good. The 500th Vader is largely based on this figure but costs about twice as much and has interchangeable hands, making it superior to the VOTC release. I just got the Evolutions Vader, and aside from the fact you cannot plug his saber in to his belt, he's better than the other two.

Yoda: Iffy. The OTC regular figure is superior in appearance, but if you like the look of the VOTC one better, go ahead and open it.

Lando Calrissian: Awesome update, easily the best articulated Lando in this outfit. It's unlikely he can be improved upon, so get this one and bust it open.

C-3PO: Pass. Rotten figure sculpt, poor articulation, bad face paint. A better eye paint job could have made this figure be at least average, but as it stands, it's a fool's figure.

Boba Fett: Awesome but not perfect. Minor deco tweaks and articulation fixes could improve him, but for now, there's none better.

Stormtrooper: Also awesome but not perfect. I don't expect we'll ever see a better one, though, because improvements can only be made in the area of the kind of plastic they use or perhaps added weapons. Buy one, two, or seven.

R2-D2: It's very good for what it is, which is a 2004 version of the 1982 R2-D2 with Sensorscope. The chrome dome, clicking action, light-up eye, and added gizmos are cool but the unfortunate fact is that Hasbro has made a better gimmick-free R2-D2 sculpt-- so this is good, but arguably not perfect. I am also biased against chrome domes.

Chewbacca: Best yet. Being rereleased for the Early Bird Sets. Thumbs-up, he has the best pose yet.

10. Hello, I had seen some information on a TRU anakin skywalker holographic figure. I was wondering, when is the action figure available and what can you tell me about it.
--Master Windu

There were rumors of a Holographic gift-with-purchase Anakin figure but nothing has been announced yet and as far as I know no photos have been leaked yet. So any hypothetical Anakin figures are still just hypothetical-- I'd love to know more, but unfortunately, I don't.

FIN

I've been asked about several rumors this weekend that I can't answer about. Put yourself in my position and please guess why. :)

Note: Due to Comic-Con International this week and my duties at Galactic Hunter and Entertainment Earth, Q&A will return next week on Monday, July 18 or Tuesday, July 19 depending on when I get back.

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.)

Click here to read the previous installment of Galactic Hunter Q&A!