1. I live in the Northwest,and I have to say that I am totally fed and frustrated with Target,they have completely slacked on getting anything in but wave 8 & 9 of SAGA 2 from last year and the same vehicles.Where are the Order 66 packs? V-Wing fighter,and everythng else that people have been reporting finding at Target.Talking to a Target employee about it is as frustrating a trying to explain safety features on a speeder bike to a Ewok(they just don't get it). Am I the only one having this problem? Why can't these stores get all the same stuff in at the same time? Is Hasbro holding stuff back? What gives? Any info you can come up with would be great.
--Daryl

Well, I'm going to assume you're only going to one Target. And that's your problem-- you can't expect to find everything if you just go to one (or even two) stores. Each store gets different stuff at different times and as you are not their only shopper, there's a good chance that a single collector could snap up the first shipment or two of vehicles, figures, exclusives, and so on. (Seriously, I bought a whole Order 66 case.) I'm also going to assume you're new-ish-- not everybody can find every figure in the first shipment of the first wave, either. That's why figures ship for months at a time. It sucks to not get stuff first, especially if you're like me and crazy about the stuff-- but sometimes, well, your options are waiting, ordering online/trading, or just going to more stores more often. I never saw Order 66 packs on the shelves at many of my local Targets-- they're just popular.

Talking to employees is usually not the best use of their time, or yours. While there are people there who are really interested in helping, there are lots of people who have been yelled at by collectors/scalpers/angry parents and aren't the most receptive to this sort of thing. So expand your search beyond Target, settle in for a wait (I've not seen the V-Wing or Sith Infiltrator at retail either), and don't worry. Except for exclusives, those you should worry about.

2. You think all of this expanded universe stuff is kinda testing the waters for Hasbro with the upcoming TV shows? I am not a fan of the EU, except for the concept art stuff and maybe video games. The previous Clone Wars cartoons were quality and I thought captured the essence of Star Wars and I feel confident the new shows will as well. Most EU books and comics go a little too far for my taste. Do you think Hasbro is confident Lucas will be able to pull off taking fans in a direction other than the big screen? I mean if you think about it, what if the shows were to tank like Star Trek. Yeah, I know, maybe apples and oranges here. I think Star Wars has always appealed to most people and Star Trek seems to not have the same reach. But hasn't Hasbro payed like a gazillion dollars for the S! W license for like ten or fifteen years? Just wondering if they have made their money for the investment or would make it or get burned...when you look at the big picture.
--Chris

If this is a test, it's a very long test-- Hasbro started releasing non-movie figures in 1996 and even took a big poll on Expanded Universe offerings back in 1997. The entire point of Shadows of the Empire was to see how they could market a movie without a movie-- and the answer is, quite well. The brand is big enough to support gobs of merch with no normal media to tie in to it. Given that Hasbro sold a ton of Delta Squad sets, a whole mess of Foul Moudama and Scorch, and a number of made-up repaints during Revenge of the Sith, I have absolutely no doubt that Hasbro realizes that the future of the line will come from beyond the films. But ignoring the films would be bad-- so I figure we're going to see a healthy mix from here on out, like with the prequels and the classic trilogy.

Trek is its own beast-- Star Wars has a lot going for it that helps it gain new fans, like reaching out in new media (there's a big emphasis on treating games like they're a major deal, Trek doesn't do this) and one thing I've always found fascinating: Trek fans have two derogatory names for them, "trekkers" and "trekkies." We're just Star Wars fans. We also don't have conventions and what have you, plus Trek doesn't exactly do a lot to reach out to new fans-- I mean, look at Enterprise. Much of the show was very in-jokey in terms of what was or was not revealed, and unless you were already a big fan of the franchise a lot of stuff may have required more explaining. There's over 700 hours of Trek to watch, while there are only six films for Star Wars. I don't think one is necessarily better than the other, but Star Wars is a bazillion times more accessible to a new fan. A kid wanting to get in to Trek has a lot of homework to do, and that's ignoring any non-TV media. There's a crushing weight to be a Trek fan-- just to see every episode and movie once will take you a few months to a year, assuming you stop to eat and sleep and go to work.

Plus there's the issue of Trek's eventual decline-- you have to remember that before 1987, there were like four movies and under 70 TV shows. And starting in 1987, the franchise was almost non-stop until 2005, with a brief break between Voyager and Enterprise and several years where there were two series running at the same time. That's a lot for fans to be able to digest, regardless of how you feel of its quality.

...of course, for new collectors, this is a rotten hobby. There's probably as many or more Star Wars action figures as there are Star Trek episodes, and it's a lot harder to track down a toy than it is to watch TV. (Trust me, I've done both.)

The future of Star Wars is on small screens-- TVs, PCs, and so forth. How it does will depend on how it's marketed and if Lucas learns what Paramount didn't-- that you can't cram stuff at fans forever. Eventually all you'll have left will be hardcore fans, and you need new fans to keep something going-- somebody's got to read those books, play those games, watch those TV shows, and so on. If Lucasfilm keeps it sensible-- like two shows max-- odds are fans will be able to keep up. But still, two shows is a lot to swallow if you think about it. We fans like to watch the movies again and again-- can you imagine what it's going to be like when we have to digest and memorize 100 1-hour episodes and 65 (or whatever) 30-minute animated shows?

So yeah, I think Hasbro is sure the TV shows are going to do well, Clone Wars is still popular, and it was just a marketing ploy to get you to buy merchandise between films-- that's the sign of someone being able to do something right. I'm sure Hasbro has made back more than its necessary investment on the franchise, and probably did so before Episode II's juggernaut ended. They're a business, they got the license to make money. As long as people like you and me are here buying this stuff and armchair quarterbacking a TOY COMPANY of all things, they're obviously not hurting for interest. I mean, thousands of you read MY Q&A column every week-- if there are thousands of people out there who just want to read my goofball column about a toy line, and that's like a niche in a niche, they're in no danger of hurting. When my Q&A column gets down to under 500 reads in a week, that's when the trouble starts.

3. is there any support out there for a darker tinted kashyyk version of the republic commandos and also light and dark side versions of bastilla from kotor? especially with bastilla i could easily see the possiability of two versions as the dark side version would only require a black repaint of the robes and a lightsaber colour change. if we rally support for a bastilla + variant we could see both with luck as im sure many would buy both.
--Rich

Hasbro is well aware of the interest in KOTOR figures, and I can assure you that I'm going to throw my weight behind pretty much anything else. Sure, there are some neat designs, buuuut I'm going to let that cult argue for this one-- you've got the numbers, you've got the drive, now get to it.

Hasbro is always looking at new ways to sell you figures that you've already bought. It's a safe bet somebody somewhere is considering multi-colored Republic Commando action figures from other scenarios, but, well, it's not like I've got a crystal ball to tell you about these things.

4. I was wondering if Hasbro would consider revisiting the overseas exclusive Eopie beast that came packed with Qui-Gon Jinn from TPM. Only this time have the Eopie with Obi-Wan Kenobi and baby Luke from the final scene of ROTS. Two previously released items but in a new package. Take it a step further and include the younger versions of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru. This set would trully rock!
--IGGY

A new release of the Eopie has been requested by fans for years, and it's my understanding that a second release has been seriously considered-- but obviously, there hasn't been one. Fans aren't exactly crazy vocal about anything these days, typically one person mentions something, a bunch of people nod, and that's the end of it-- new ideas don't tend to take root and grow, and certainly nobody is devoting any serious time toward successfully lobbying Hasbro to make or remake an item.

Fans have been asking for this set-- or some variation on it-- since 2005, but I'm not too sure why as all the fixings are already in many collections. (Like mine.) This could make a great Battle Pack for somebody, but well, as someone who has a teensy bit of say on exclusive development, I can tell you I wouldn't take it. Reissues of items solely to satisfy collectors are usually a bad thing-- not because the item's value crashes, but the interest crashes. The Eopie is a dull toy. It doesn't do anything. Once you take away its one special thing-- that it's rare-- nobody's going to buy it. So it's a trap-- if you don't release it again, it'll still be a harder to find item. But if you do release it, its luster and appeal evaporates because the people that want one JUST because it's rare are no longer interested. If you know any die-hard Transformers collectors, ask them about the Battle Unicorn. I dare you.

I bought my Eopie from the UK and it wasn't cheap-- like maybe $60 for two of 'em before shipping. (But hey, a complete collection is its own reward.) Today, they go for about $60 on eBay-- if you're collecting everything, that's a pretty good price considering it used to go for $150-$200. It's no bargain, but a reissue would likely cost you at least $20-$25, and that's a real hypothetical item too. If Hasbro ever re-introduces the "deluxe" price point or beast assortments, anything could happen-- but today? I don't think the secondary market price or the interest I see is enough to warrant a rerelease.

Plus this is a "well, they COULD do this! They should!" type idea. Sure, they could, but why? Are collectors really foaming at the mouth enough for Hasbro to make a new SKU, to spend time and resources repackaging, redecorating, and/or retooling stuff that's available-- not widely, but still-- just because? It's like when Kay-Bee got that exclusive Jedi Starfighter with Obi-Wan from Episode II. On one hand, hey, an exclusive! On the other... who cares? Maybe package variant people, but as a fan I thought this was like getting socks for Christmas. It takes time and money to develop an exclusive, even if it's just special packaging-- so why not spend it on something we haven't seen yet?

And the Battle Unicorn? I believe when I ordered mine from Big Bad Toy Store, who was goodly enough to order thousands of them from Hasbro to fill interest on this rare toy, I ended up paying $2.49. Not that "value" interests me as a collector, but it's really, really bad for the store(s) when something isn't a hit and I'm fairly sure I've never heard of another non-Top 5 (Toys "R" Us, Target, etc.) store taking an exclusive run (or rerun) of a Transformers toy since.

5. I was hoping you wouldn't mind giving me a minute of your time to answer a couple of questions: why does every Target out there only carry TWO pegs of 30th and 6-10 pegs of Saga. What the heck is going on here - I can never find any figures because they only order 1 box every 2-3 weeks and then if I'm not there, they are of course all gone because there are at least a dozen other collectors like myself gunning for these figures. I have complained to Target many times and they don't seem to want to make any more sales on these figures. Seriously, I am ticked off - what can we do? Second, OK, that was it. Or wait - what is the DPCI for Saga Legends? Same as Saga?
--Ryan

Target can only put out what they're shipped, and most of their shipments are automated. In other words, it's not something they can control-- a lot of stores want more product but they can only get what Hasbro ships them, even if they ask for thousands more units. Also, it's not in most stores best interest to have 30-50 figures around-- maybe just a dozen or two at a time, turn those over, and get more. Nobody wants a glut of figures, good or bad, hanging around and taking up space that would best go to a variety of lines. So what can you do? Shop elsewhere. Seriously. Shop online, go to Toys "R" Us, or just wait for them to show up at a grocery store. (Sometimes you can find good stuff at the grocery store.

Second, yes, the DPCI should be the same for both "Saga" lines-- as they're both assortment 85770.

6. I disagree with the helmet question [from a previous week, and because I didn't feel like typing up what the question is, Adam is going to write it here in these brackets when he could be doing something fun instead. Adam made the point that a figure with a removable helmet kind of sucks if the helmet rips the figure's head off.] I always wanted the figures to have removable helmets. It was something that I had always hoped for and is an added bonus that makes me want to collect more. Real gun holsters are another feature that has added to the overall experience. I donŐt mind a little fidgeting with the figure to get the realism that is fun. Could they do it better? Sure, that is why they can keep making figures, there are always improvements. Next might be adding small electronics to the figures such as a C3PO with internal lights. Maybe interchangeable hands might be an added feature. We do not want all of our figures to look like the microman series but I feel added detail is an improvement.
--Jeremy

I like removable helmets-- don't get me wrong. My issue is when the removable helmet grips the head and pulls it off. That's no good. Removable helmets may be best when they're combined with old-fashioned heads, or are at least designed with the idea that these are toys in mind. It's freaky to pull off a helmet and find out you've just decapitated Luke Skywalker at the same time, if you're a kid. And if you're an adult, it's just annoying.

There's no "realism" in figures falling to pieces. I don't think there's anything you can say to argue that arms and heads falling off make a figure better in any possible way.

We love our features in toys, but some of them are bad. More electronics might mean the battery can corrode over time, ruining your mint-on-card figures. Added detail is most certainly an improvement-- perhaps, a very definition of improvement-- but you can't expect the world from a $7 plastic 4-inch person. Extra wires and screws and electronics will eventually limit mobility or give a figure an unsightly battery compartment, at least today. Sure, we'll get smaller batteries and electronics with time-- but we already got a C-3PO with an internal light and it was just rereleased. It was OK, but not great. Making a good, solid, durable toy is the most important thing, and hopefully the focus inside Hasbro will go in that direction.

7. I've been working my way through the New Jedi Order books and I really enjoy the story, especially the idea of the Yuuzhan Vong. So in your personal opinion (feel free to speculate like wild) do you think given Hasbro's more receptive attitude towards expanded universe material, we will ever get Yuuzhan Vong figures? Perhaps in the style of the comic two packs? We could have Jacen and Warmaster Tsavong Lah (with lop-off foot action!), or perhaps Leia with Nom Anor (bonus points if they make a "masquer" mask to disguise him), and as long as we're making crazy wishes, Elan and Vergere. Maybe even a Vong handler with a Voxyn, like the Tusken with Massif. I realize that a lot of fans wouldn't know who any of these characters are, but the hypothetical two pack could be an exclusive like the Kir Kanos and Carnor Jax pack. And this is just pure wishful thinking but imagine if they started making Vong ships and technology too. A Coral Skipper vehicle with firing plasma missiles! A Capture Beast you can use to store multiple figures at once, similar to the old He-Man Battle Bones!
--Ted

While the Vong have their fans, they've all but vanished from the eyes of fans-- as far as I know, there's no new Vong stories on the horizon, which may make it tougher to make a case for them. That, and most of the visual interpretations came in "Guide" books (which aren't commonly bought) and these guys weren't big stars in visual media like games or comics. As such, it might be difficult to really push for these as, well, people might argue what they're supposed to look like.

Hasbro has considered figures, and I think there's a chance we'll get one eventually. But a lot? I wouldn't hold my breath. Even with an exclusive, you're dealing with tens of thousands of units most of the time, and smaller runs means a higher price. (That and Kir Kanos and Carnor Jax were part of a new line launch, plus they reused a lot of old parts. Vong figures would likely be 100% new sculpts, and there may be other more recognizable things fans would want first.)

Now... ships? Big beasts? Perhaps when Hell freezes over. One of the big worries about Star Wars pushing to new directions is you might lose the potential new audience. Darth Vader sells, the Falcon sells, Anakin sells, and so forth. When you get into the novels-- especially one with as much work involved as the New Jedi Order series-- you're dealing with a much narrower audience and "Star Wars in name only" items are harder to push to some fans, especially the newer ones.

There's still a lot of stuff from the films and Clone Wars projects to do, and Clone hardware will probably take precedent over a war beast. But that's the fun of Expanded Universe-- it's a great place for debate with lots of pockets of fans that have specific desires, some of which we'll get, and others... not.

For example, my areas of crazy interest are more in the 1980s EU-- specifically, Marvel (Orman Tagge, Lumiya) and Droids (Vlix, Fromm Gang, Assassin Droids). So given free reign I'd probably try to push in that direction. I have a feeling most of you would look at my want list and cringe-- and some of you would do cartwheels. It's all part of the fun. And who didn't read Splinter of the Mind's Eye many moons ago, and we're still waiting for figures from that-- and it was published in the '70s.

8. I'm wondering why you and so many others prefer your figures dirty. I think the Evolutions sandtrooper is ridiculously overdone. I mean, I understand that a sandtrooper or a Dagobah R2D2 needs to look appropriate for its scene, but I just don't understand the idea behind "the dirtier the better." Especially with clones. I'd rather have a clean clone or stormtrooper or biker scout that I can customize and dirty up myself than have one with red dirt on the feet that limits it to a Geonesis or Endor battle. It reminds me of the reissues of the AT-ST, with brown dirt that made it look bad for a Hoth diorama. I think these paint jobs also limit the imaginations of kids playing with them. I mean, how hard is it to make a figure dirty on your own? And yes, I'm the kid that didn't want battle damaged stickers for my X-wing and TIE fighter back in the day. But at least they gave us a choice back then...
--Michael

Well, I never said I had a preference either way. What I do like, though, is variety-- if Hasbro's going to sell me multiple versions of an item, I want to see a big difference. The Sandtrooper is a prime example-- I have clean ones, I have lightly dusted ones, and I have ones that are obscenely muddy. Ditto with Clones or anything else-- if there are going to be multiple releases, let's get some variety in there.

I don't think dirt or mud hurts a child's imagination-- after all, a kid can imagine it isn't there. I can't imagine a child getting a vehicle and going "oh crap, this AT-AT has brown on its feet! Well crap, I can't use this with my Snowtroopers, that'd be wrong. Oh well, better throw it out!"

Also, customizing-- this is an area that I think is somewhat overstated. Not everybody buys a toy and says "OK, I gotta 'fix' it." I want my toys to be as close to production as possible, I get angry if something is repainted or changed, even if it's MORE authentic-- I want the real item Hasbro squeezed out, even if it sucks (and in some cases, it does). While there is a great customizing fan base, and they do some truly wonderful stuff (and some real crap), it isn't the norm for the hobby-- some fans like me buy a lot of toys and we don't want to paint and cut and paste and glue. I'm too lazy, I want my toy and I want to have fun with it out of the box. I'm never going to be adding battle-damage to something because to me, that's a damaged toy. If Hasbro makes it that way, it's different.

As a kid, I wanted clean-- period. I hated battle damage, but back then I had ONE TIE Fighter and a single X-Wing. Today, I have six modern X-Wings-- a little variety with swamp moss and battle damage is most welcome in that sort of collection. But then again, while customizers aren't the norm for buyers, neither are freaks like me who own all six different modern X-Wings. We've all got different takes on what the line should be like, and none of us are Hasbro employees-- I assume, maybe a few of you out there are. They're doing something right, after all, they managed to make a line for a 30-year-old movie series seem fresh, exciting, and worthy of your attention for many many years now.

9. Can you refer a toy donating charity that would be interested in some cool star wars toys. I missed out last holiday season. But I figured I would ask someone like you. I like in your Q & A that you suggest people should donate rather than try to sell. Besides I want to give to a child hospital or something. Hopefully I'll hear back soon.
--Doug

Depending on which organizations are active in your area, you've plenty of options. Contacting pre-schools for those less fortunate, hospitals, religious organizations, and so forth is a great way to start. Just call and say "I have a whole bunch of action figures in perfect condition that I want to give to an organization who has kids that can enjoy them. Where can I drop it off?"

Also, Toys for Tots, the various Christmas Angel programs, and Goodwill are interested in the stuff-- Goodwill being unique in that they aren't picky about packaging. Your toys can make a world of difference for someone, so if you don't need them, give them to someone who can enjoy them. Someone will be glad you did.

10. Any chance of seeing more titanium ships from the expanded universe? I love to see an Ebon hawk, wild Kardde and and Outrider. Of course, I am still waiting for the Mon calamari ships to come out in that form. I love this line and i hope to see it expand to several ships. Of course, I still would love to see a six inch Mon Cal Cruiser or a Super Star destroyer. I know I hoping for too much but anyways, Thank for doing all that you do!
--Dwight

I love questions. Nobody says "can you suggest this to Hasbro?" They just say "are they making this?" What they mean though, is if Hasbro will see their suggestion. And as you can see, it works sometimes.

It's entirely possible any ship could come out-- so far, Hasbro has proven that there's really no limit to what they will do if they feel enough people will buy it-- and it can be repainted. Since most fans couldn't tell you what the Wild Kardde looks like, let alone wouldn't ask for one, I wouldn't hold your breath. I'd expect more items from video games, more repaints, and more movie items first. For example, there's still no ROTJ Death Star, no Cloud City, no Cloud Car, no Lars Family Landspeeder, no escape pod, no Cargo Skiff, and, as you pointed out, no Mon Cal Cruisers. The Outrider made a cameo in the Special Editions, but I'd be a little surprised if we saw too many vehicles that weren't immediately recognized by fans who have minimal... shall we say expertise in the Expanded Universe. Anakin's ship from the Clone Wars is a good example-- it's pretty recognizable. But when the AT-AP hits, people probably won't even recognize it, despite it being a movie design. Hasbro's gotta be picky, to a point. There's only so many slots for products in a given year and they have to cram Battlestar stuff in the cases, too.

Oh, and six inch? Dead. A pity, as those last few ships are pretty darned nice, but life will go on, the circle of life, life is precious and God and the Bible, etc. Fans and retailers voted with their dollars, and if Hasbro picked the best possible ships for the line or not is irrelevant at this point-- it wasn't a big enough monkey-maker, so that's the end of it. And thus, the chapter on Action Fleet may be closed forever.

FIN

So this week I find out I do not have a pass for Celebration IV. Panic. Still panicking. If you hear lots of screaming in about two weeks, odds are that's me looking on eBay.

I expect much news to surface at that show-- well, I hope anyway. Celebration I and II had some nice new stuff on display, but Hasbro pretty much announced the whole year of Episode III product before Celebration III, so who knows? We still need to see Wave 5 of the 30th Anniversary line and beyond, and hopefully some new vehicles, so here's crossin' my fingers.

Oh, and I got my Wave 2 comic packs-- if you want to hear more about them, I jabber about them like an idiot on the Entertainment Earth Podcast this week. Obviously, they're awesome, but you can actually hear me say that they're awesome. Which has got to be one of the absolutely best ways to waste the gift of hearing bestowed upon you.

Got questions? I bet you do. Email me with "Q&A" somewhere in the subject line and hopefully I'll get to yours in the next column!

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