1. HASBRO enough with the frickin repacks.... RE-GH FALCON....arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
--STAR WARS DUDE

*sighs*

OK, let's add some context to this question, and perhaps a format more closely resembling a traditional "sentence." This question came in shortly after we posted a news update that Hasbro wisely planned on revisiting/reissuing the Galactic Heroes Millennium Falcon in 2008-- the same vehicle which was released originally in 2002, but since few people snapped it up then, it made sense to bring it out again in 2004. And since 2004 was a lifetime ago as far as toddler toys are concerned, the fact that this particular spaceship sells for $150-$200 on eBay makes it sensible for Hasbro to trot it out to stores again. While I am very sick of the "let's release a gift set with 2 figures you want and 3 you already bought" concept, I applaud straight reissues with no significant changes, like this one, because it might help to grow the hobby to *gasp* new blood.

So many fans and collectors are concerned about the "value" of their items, but without new fans to come on board, there won't be much of a secondary market forever. And while some items may dip in price due to reissues, well, without someone to buy the item, it'd drop eventually anyway. I'm really glad to see the Falcon reissued like this next year because there hasn't been a decent Falcon toy larger than the Titanium Series ships on the market since 2005/2006, and let's face it, the Titanium ships aren't really much in the way of toys.

The best thing about reissues like this one is that if you have it-- and by your anguish, I'd wager that you do-- you can skip it unless you happen to collect packaging variations, in which case this column's management sympathizes with your plight. But if I had to pick between kids getting the ship for a fair price and collectors angry about a reissue, I'd side with the kids (as long as demand exists, of course, and it seems to exist in this case.)

2. As I enjoy my drink and the post gift opening high, I couldn't help but notice my 6 year old lovingly play with his new Jabba's Palace Galactic Hero Target exclusive set. He has carried the cardboard "playset"/insert everywhere. All manner of adventures begin in that "playset." With WalMart's Cantinas and heck, I pulled out my old Jabba's Palace 3D Display Diorama (w/ Han & Carbonite) as well as the cantina w/ Sandtrooper, I must say that Hasbro is on to something. Dagobah playset or Death Star prison/control room/hangar bay would work well in this format. Is Hasbro going to go this way for the 3 3/4 crowd? And finally, you've spoken to this before but, when will the Clone Bubble burst? --Tony

Due to the fact that "variations on a theme" seem to be a popular way of recycling lots of similar material on today's popular culture, from recurring characters on SNL to the movie market's penchant for "threequels", I fully expect Clone Troopers to be around for a very long time. So far, Hasbro has done virtually no unique recolors on the Episode II-style troopers beyond the films, so that's ripe for picking up another dozen or more designs. There are also numerous clones in the Clone Wars Adventures comic books, and tons more in the upcoming TV series. Since Hasbro is choosy about what to exploit and what to barely trickle out on the market, there's a safe bet we'll see these for a while. Pilots are in short supply, as are clone-friendly vehicles, so odds are there will always be enough fans left wanting more that they'll keep buying any and every repaint from now until the line becomes unprofitable. If you as a collector find this distasteful or offensive, you can always elect to not buy the figure(s) in question, although if you watch comments on several forums, the negative reaction tends to go something like this: "I hate this figure. Hasblo sucks. I'm only going to buy two of this one." Yeah, that's sending the message you intended right there.

So, cardboard? Well, that's what I've been getting at for a while now. In 1997, Hasbro introduced fans to the concept of a pop-up cardboard diorama that can be shipped and packaged flat and, when collapsed, has similar dimensions to a normal full-size comic book. If Hasbro wanted to, they could easily distribute these in boxed sets, in comic pack-style packaging, or any other format. As you've hit on, they're really doing well with Galactic Heroes in this format with a "playset" package, and Wal-Mart is experimenting with it now with action figures and the Max Rebo Band sets. While that's probably a poor choice of "test" (I mean, I'm not the only one who passed on these since I own all the figures right?), it shows Hasbro is toying (hah) with alternative packaging and with any luck we'll see Battle Packs change from the mostly-disposable backgrounds we see today to a more collectible environment that we'd want to hold on to for a while.

But yeah, Galactic Heroes is getting a lot of love lately, and it's nice to see that at least someone is getting playsets. If kids get them when they're young, there's always the chance they'll demand them as they age.

3. Just wondering your opinion on Hasbrotoyshop scalp.. ahem, selling AFA graded PD Destros on their site for grossly inflated prices.

It seems to me it's a little unethical. This is akin to Hasbro scalping their own product while actually being able to control the market. What they've basically done is under-produce an item, lowering their cost, then hold back a couple (hundred?) units, grade them and sell them at grossly inflated prices.

When I thought about it, I thought what's the difference between this and say Gentle Giant's limited runs on busts? Or Sideshow with their 12" figures? The big thing to me is, GG and Sideshow don't then sell their products at inflated prices after they're supposedly sold out (at least not to my knowledge).

I don't begrudge Hasbro making money. They're a business afterall. But this just seems a bit shady and disrespectful to collectors. This may or may not be directly star wars related, but if it's happening with Joe figures, I'm sure SW figures would be sure to follow. I'd like to hear your thoughts on the matter.
--Tim

As a rule I'm not a fan of stores cherry-picking collectible items and changing the price. Given that HasbroToyShop.com had an exclusive, it's really unfortunate to see them exploit their fans with premium pricing of AFA-graded goods, even if it is cheaper than buying an ungraded Destro on eBay.

Unfortunately, business is business. If HasbroToyShop.com management stumbled on a case of Destro figures and decided that they should get the premium pricing on them rather than someone else who snaps them up and flips them on eBay, that is unfortunately their business. It's also a reason why I will probably never buy anything from them that isn't an exclusive, but then again, in the modern collecting age, "boycotts" are meaningless. If you as a consumer want to show your wrath to Entertainment Earth/HTS/Target/Wal-Mart/Toys "R" Us, you can do so by not shopping there-- but if you buy their exclusives, even from eBay, it means someone else gave them money. So what do you do? Nothing. Or write them an angry letter or six about their policy and why they aren't getting as much of your business as they could be getting as a result.

Taking a "retired" item and selling it at a significant increase will always be viewed as scummy by the public, even if the item is being sold below the current collectible market value. (Although I should note that if the proceeds went to charity, all bets are off and that's A-OK by me.) I'd actually have rather seen HTS.com dump the items on eBay, as at least there the market can decide for themselves what the AFA items are worth. Of course, I got my Gold and Silver Destro figures at Comic-Con, so perhaps I'd be whistling another tune if I'd missed them and was awarded the "opportunity" to get them for a mere $50.

As collectors, we don't know the full extent of what happened here. Perhaps AFA purchased units at Comic-Con and sold them back to HasbroToyShop.com at a low price in order to generate awareness for the AFA program/business model. As a promotional tool, AFA lucked out because here we are, talking about their service (which I ordinarily don't do because I find the notion of grading an item professionally to be meaningless over the long run-- items age and decay, period.) So yeah, that's that-- in the future I personally would rather never see HasbroToyShop.com sell an item above its suggested retail price, but, as I've said, I am not aware of the full situation leading up to this dubious listing on their web site. There's nothing wrong with using those hard-to-get figures for promotional purposes... I mean, it'd make a heck of a nice contest prize, which would generate loads of goodwill and limited backlash.

However, it seems the items all sold through-- so it's moot. There's no reason for them to not keep doing this if the market supports it.

4. the Target Exclusive Endor and Hoth sets are cool and for $50 a bargain. In Endor, you get an AT-ST, 2 speeder-bikes, some props and 8 figures! Unbelievable really. Perhaps annoying to collectors who only want the ewok repaints, but for parents of kids, it's great. Now compare that to the Wal-Mart exclusive, nominally same price ($50) for ten members of Max Rebo's band, each of which is an unadulterated reissue with absolute minimum articulation in every figure. If I were the Wal-Mart representative dealing with Hasbro, I would want to know how can Wal-Mart be expected to sell through this crappy and over-priced exclusive, especially when a direct competitor, Target, has a similarly priced exclusive with two less figures, but instead with an AT-ST, 2 speeder-bikes, some props? Do the math. Wal-mart got screwed. Is it just me, or does Hasbro intentionally send the crappy exclusives to Wal-Mart? How can Wal-Mart stand for it? They have financial muscle. I guess Sam Walton just doesn't care.
--David

Generally speaking, the big retail chains don't have a lot of say in the development of an exclusive, or so I've been told over the years. Basically, Hasbro develops something, says "What do you think?" and the store says "great, go for it." Or "what can we do to get a higher or lower priced item in our store?" Or something else entirely-- I don't have every meeting bugged.

I'm not sure what happened, but around 2005 it seems Hasbro and Target hopped into bed together. Target gets loads of great normal items, often receiving (what seems to me to be) a better selection than its competitors, with many products showing up early. Target also has a very diverse suite of exclusives, with nearly a dozen Transformers this year alone, plus several Star Wars items, Littlest Pet Shop toys, and next year, G.I. Joe vehicles. So yeah, Target's definitely getting favorite treatment as products go.

The speculation concerning the price points of those "Ultimate Battle Packs" at Target was as follows: Target is not making a large amount of money per unit. They're meant to be attractive items to pull regular people-- not you, not collectors, but boring gift givers-- into the toy aisles. Much like the Shuttle of 2006, these sets are a limited time promotional item that was meant to get you in the stores and buy big. (Not just these toys, but other gifts, batteries, socks, peanut butter, etc.)

As far as the Ewoks go, well, that sucks doesn't it? Thankfully, Hasbro has been allowing fans to vote for reissue figures via the Fan's Choice Saga Legends polls. With any luck, Oochee and "Wicket" will be eligible in 2008 or 2009, because I'd surely buy a pair of them on top of the one of each I already have from the sets. They're nice!

Wal-Mart has been offered some neat items over the years, and sometimes they end up elsewhere because someone changes their mind. It happens. I think their current crop of exclusives ain't half bad, but obviously, it's not the bargain bonanza that Target had.

5. How can Target blow-out the Attack on the Tantive IV battle pack earlier in the year and now my local Wal-Mart has fifty of them at full price, stacked sky high on top of the shelf? Again, it appears that the people at Wal-Mart who negotiate with Hasbro are either completely ignorant of Hasbro's product line or just don't care. What's your take on this?
--DK

Clearances at Target are a strange thing-- they don't always make sense. Generally, it works like this: Target has a SKU. When a SKU reaches the end of its life cycle, or when Target decides it needs to be purged briefly and then brought back later in the year, a clearance happens. The Target chain is very, very high on purging dead stock from its shelves in a hurry, so if a SKU isn't making money and turning over quickly, it hits the markdown in a hurry. Some items may last longer, some may be gone in less than a month-- and not all stores mark down the same items at the same time, but they generally do.

Wal-Mart, on the other hand, is a little more stingy. You only see big clearances seasonally, with few exceptions. I tend to see decent bargains at Wal-Mart in the Summer and around the middle of January, after they mark down the markdowns a little more. This is a little simplified, of course, because most stores will stop carrying a product after clearing it out. Target will bring them back from time to time... but not always.

6. Okay, so this may seem like a longshot, but do you know of any plans to continue the "Concept Figures" past 2007? And I don't mean the re-releases like we're getting with the Rebel Trooper either. I ask, because of an interesting potential "loophole" that could exist if they do. We got most of the main characters in concept form, minus one big one: Leia (who was depressingly absent from 2007's basic line entirely). Looking through the comic book reprint that came with the Return of the Jedi DVD (it was a Wal*Mart exclusive), there are a series of conceptual drawings in the back, including one entitled "Leia After Prison". What struck me as interesting about this is that the outfit she's wearing appeared in A New Hope, but worn by the Tonnika Sisters, not Leia.

I don't know if it was Ralph McQuarrie who drew the picture or not, so it might be a stretch to shoe-horn her in somehow, but I know I'm not the only fan who missed Leia this past year, and while the head sculpt isn't the same, it'd be a nice way to get a Concept Leia, and a base figure for kit-bashed Tonnikas too.
--YTRJD

Hasbro claims there are no plans for more concept figures, but the way I see it, anything can and will happen with exclusives. No, I don't have any dirt yet, but seeing how hot they were at conventions last year I think it's a safe bet we'll see additional figures eventually, just because they were hot. But here's the problem-- what the heck does anyone want? OK, so you list Leia-- which could be OK, but if she doesn't have the unique hardo, she isn't really one of the Tonnika sisters. Also, it doesn't make sense for Hasbro to make a figure solely due to the aftermarket kitbashing possibilities of said figure, because most consumers simply buy the figure and play with it or leave it on the card and admire it. Considering Hasbro sells tens of thousands of these things, catering to the aftermarket activities of a thousand collectors probably isn't in their best interests.

But let's back up just a bit-- what concept figures does anyone really, and I mean really want to see? While there are some unique concepts for the TIE Pilots, Lando Calrissian, and some of Jabba's goons, these aren't necessarily good choices. This year's batch featured major, hugely popular characters which probably would have sold well even if collectors didn't embrace the concept. If Hasbro can sell a green Batman or a yellow Optimus Prime to kids as a toy, they can surely sell a white Boba Fett. While I enjoyed the many McQuarrie Concept figures, some of them weren't all that hot. The Rebel Trooper and Snowtrooper were pretty low on my concept toy wish list, and I wasn't too thrilled by the execution of Han Solo. There may be some other great items left, especially from the prequels, but we'll probably have to wait a little while to see those. I'd love to see something like that reserved for future "Evolutions" sets... that'd be pretty cool. Concept Padme, Movie Padme, and The Clone Wars Padme. Concept Ewok, Movie Ewok, and... let's say TV-Movie Ewok. The concept has legs, but not very strong ones since most of the finest and weirdest recognizable designs have been made.

On one hand, it's cool to see some of these figures-- key word being some. I don't necessarily think anyone wants to see every character from the films in a preproduction state, and while I'm sure some do, well, uh, I'm ignoring both of them. One here or there is great, and this 2007 sub-line was a lot of fun. It's just... OK, we've done it. It's sort of like the Clone repaints-- we've done lots of them, and yeah, some are pretty great, but I don't think a lot of us would shed tears if Hasbro just up and moved on, either. Sure, there are some nice designs to be had still, but I think we hit all the really good ones already, and would prefer to see the time and resources dedicated to cranking out stuff from the Expanded Universe that might have a decent level of recognition or awesomeness built in (like most of that rumored Clone Wars list for 2008 Wave 3), or better still, stuff from the movies. (Granted, the number of really great movie figures left to do is dwindling too, given how so many figures have been done and re-done at this point.)

Of course, that's not to say they couldn't mine the well sort of like what happened during Power of the Jedi, where we got figures which were a hybrid of concept designs with movie likenesses. There were some spiffy costumes done up for Luke, Lando, Leia, Han, and more which never made the films-- they could make great Expanded Universe toys were Hasbro so inclined, and I know I'd love to see all-new sculpted Luke, Leia, Rebel, or Imperial figures with new and unique outfits. Eventually. I could stand to see a few more aliens and droids first.

7. Hey, do you know exactly what the differences are between the upcoming 2008 wave 1 Obi Wan and Anakin/Vader figures and the Pilot Obi Wan and Evolutions Anakin are? Are they really major differences/upgrades? I love the 3 3/4" line from Hasbro, but all these little minor tweaks with the characters to make them slightly better is killing me.
--George

It's my understanding that the changes are minor but intended to help the figures sit better (but no, there are no new joints added to the hips). Each figure has a slightly tweaked head, a slightly tweaked "skirt," and slightly tweaked deco. There may be other changes but, as you say, they are minor and slightly better.

8. Star Wars Infinities. I don't get it. Read the issue sold with figures. Even though I understand that it is supposed to be out of the main line continuity, it still makes no sense. If anyone ever wanted an argument that comic books aren't canon. They can find it in "Infinities". That's stuff is just cannon fodder. The Vader figure is cool though. In the past, you have expressed reservations against gimmicky SW figures (like Mickey Mouse Jedi or Red Christmas Vader). Do these Infinities figures escape your definition of gimmicky? From the rumors list, it now appears in 2008, there may be a "White Vader" from an Infinities issue. Hot damn! Do you know if they ever made a purple paisley Vader in the Infinities comic book series, because if they did, I am going to start a poll to get him immortalized in plastic.
--David

What the heck does "gimmicky" mean to people anymore, anyway? Is Hasbro sculpting two new figures, packaging with them a comic book, and charging you $10 for it rather than $7 for just one figure considered some sort of high-minded trickery?

I'm of two minds about some of the stuff, but honestly, is it any better or worse than the other stuff Hasbro makes up? I prefer my figures to have some context to them. For example, while the non-canon Holiday R2-D2 and C-3PO have no place in the Star Wars storyline, and as toys, do not fit with the rest of the line, I thought they were neat because I recognized them from the old McQuarrie painting used for the Lucasfilm Holiday Card many moons ago. The end result was a quirky release, but it served a purpose and was an item I'm glad to have in my collection.

Red Darth Vader, I just didn't get. It reeked of cynicism, and even though there was a precedent for a "Santa Vader" on a (I believe) UK Marvel Comics cover, this wasn't it. It's just Darth Vader, but red-- which, like the Silver figures, really doesn't make too much sense in the context of the story. If it had a historical reason for it being made, like Santa Yoda or the Holiday Jawas, sure, let's do it. But without that, it just seems like a lame release. Jedi Mickey is sort of in this aspect of the line, as it was part of a set which seems like it was meant to be kept separate from the rest of the line and sold specifically as a gift shop item, unlike the other Star Tours droids which were very obviously designed to fit in with the existing action figure line.

Depending on how Hasbro does it, I give Infinities the same weight as any other comic-- if it's a solid design, sure, let's get a toy of it. It's not like the comics are taken into serious consideration when making new movies or, in some cases, other comics. White Vader is one of very few Darth Vader redesigns you can do that comes from a story, and as long as Hasbro does a new mold or picks one of their better molds to base the figure on, I'd be interested in seeing it. I mean, we got black Stormtroopers, a white Darth Vader could be fun as well. I'm curious to see what the companion figure might be, and how it turns out, but the concept was sound and the Infinities comics supposedly did fairly well. If the fact that the story is lame in the context of the saga, well, allow me to point you to the super-cool Wal-Mart exclusive Boba Fett & RA Droid comic pack... which comes with the comic "Jawas of Doom" in which it's implied Boba Fett is a droid/cyborg with amnesia. Its value is about the same as a stand-alone "what if" retelling of an existing story if you ask me, but, as I say above, you can always vote with your dollars. I really do implore fans to not buy things that they think suck. Hasbro generally looks at sales more than fans going "oh that sucked" when determining the next year's line. Even if you hate an item, if Hasbro sold through it, they're going to take that as a vocal majority supports this kind of item.

As I'm a fan of saying, if you don't like it, don't buy it. Please feel free to write Hasbro a letter (and I do mean an actual paper letter, a polite and brief one, and not an email) letting them know the one or two things you have on your mind.

9. Okay as the end of the year draws to a close it seem we are overwhelmed by top ten lists for everything. So I ask you. What are your top 10 figures for 07? Mine were( in case you were wondering) Mc Boba, Mc Luke, Mc Vader, Mc starkiller, Ani Boba, Jango,Votc Leia, Infinities Vader and Leia. kind of biased huh?
--Kevin

I'm a little too close to the year still to be able to say what I think really worked well, but I will say Hasbro did a fantastic job of filling the year with figures fans weren't asking for and seeing them sell well. There were also a lot we did ask for, but the sheer volume of off-the-wall releases like the McQuarrie figures and the various Expanded Universe characters were really pleasant surprises. I wish the number of honest-to-goodness new characters was greater, though, as the bulk of the 2007 line was new versions of existing figures.

Looking over the list of 59 (minus Coin Album Vader) 2007 basic figures, maybe about 1/3 of them were really new characters. The rest were resculpts, repaints, and new outfits for existing characters. Now, some of those "new outfits" were really welcome, like Biggs Darklighter in his Academy outfit, or Padme in her black leather get-up which fans have been requesting for years.

Still, your list is a good one-- so let's just go with that for the year's best for now. (Even though I kinda thought Vintage Endor Leia was an uninspired and poorly executed choice. But that's me, I'm the kind of sucker who'd gladly shell out for a nicer, super-deluxe Hoth Leia instead.)

10. I was curious if you have found out for sure if the Boba Fett that comes with the new Fett Evolutions set has a removable helmet or not? I remember that the pictures of this set from Celebration 4 showed him with a removeable helmet and the newer TAC Stormtrooper head underneith,but all the recent pictures of him in Lee's don't show him without it(just Jango).
--Daryl

It most certainly does! Thankfully it has something new about it, as it would be really lame if the figure was essentially just the 2004 Vintage Boba Fett with new paint. Although some fans think it's lame that we're going to see Boba Fett's face on yet another toy, but I'll leave that argument up to you guys. I'm not completely sure if it's identical to the Stormtrooper head or slightly different, as these things can sometimes change and the pictures are, at times, slightly misleading.

FIN

We're back! After seeing a lot of holiday weekends, I took a break-- I figured it'd be better I not write if you aren't here to read it. Hope you had a nice holiday.

So, it's 2008-- so far this year, it looks like Hasbro is going to continue Titanium Series (regular size), Transformers, basic figures, Galactic Heroes, Unleashed 2-inch, and more while introducing us to newfangled concepts like Mighty Muggs. It seems Titanium Series (Ultra), Attacktix, and Unleashed 7-inch are gone for good, which is sort of depressing on a number of levels. Attacktix had a lot of product developed for it that never saw release, but its "collectible" blind packaging made it impossible for fans to just plain get the figures they wanted. (I bought dozens of packs to try and get a Royal Guard. Never found one.) Unleashed 7-inch has been on the way down ever since Asajj Ventress came out and basically choked the line to death at retail, with all subsequent products being exclusive, shared exclusive, or reissues of older products. Titanium Series (Ultra) really never caught on, it did OK but seeing the last four exclusive ships blown out at Toys "R" Us for $5.98 over the weekend is pretty depressing. Right now I predict Mighty Muggs will be gone by the end of 2009, and I have to say I'm somewhat shocked Unleashed 2-inch is still around-- I don't know anybody who gets really excited about it. It's a decent product, sure, but the total lack of environmental pieces or playsets just isn't very appealing. That and it's basically at the same price as Galactic Heroes, which I find infinitely better.

The basic size of Titanium Series vehicles should be around for a while-- Hasbro seems to be doing well with the repaints, and I'm sure the remolded X-wing will prove they can do like they do for the figures and redo everything on a regular basis. Which is depressing. The integration of other series like Battlestar Galactica seems like a smart idea, I just hope they consider adding in Star Trek (if licensing permits) alongside other sci-fi classics. I love the fact I've got a classic Cylon Raider that's the same size as an X-wing and a Japanese Vic Viper I just picked up-- it's a great size for ships and I hope we see other stuff just like it. Like E.T.'s ship. I mean, really, why not?

Basic figures will never end at this rate. In 2007, it felt like maybe 1/3 of the line were non-movie concepts, if not more-- between the "Art Of" books, Hasbro's original ideas, and three decades worth of games/comics/novels/etc., the only thing that can hurt the line is if Hasbro decided that it's no longer worth doing anything but repaints. Which, of course, will probably happen after the TV shows reach their end of life, or if the entire franchise burns itself out due to their being too much material for fans to take in. The SW Transformers line just seems to be a constant winner, even though the toys are less fun to play with than their non-SW counterparts. (Which is depressing-- I've got hundreds of Autobots and Decepticons which are mostly loads of fun to play with, yet Boba Fett is a real drag.)

Oh well. The year is looking good-- I'm hoping to see the line streamlined a little, but with the August release of The Clone Wars I seriously doubt there's any chance we'll see Lucasfilm and its licensees pull back on the product this year. My advice to you: get picky, start saving, and/or quit. (I'm going with "saving," just in case you were curious. Although at the rate things are being released I really can't see picking up on any "new" lines that are being introduced any more.)

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!

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