1. I noticed in the 2009 toy fair photographs that in the "Scramble of Yavin" battlepack that Garven Dreis Red Squadron leader has the same body as that of vintage Luke Skywalker X Wing Piolt that was released in 2006. If you look at the movie he is taller than Luke Skywalker. Will Hasbro give us a different body or was that one just a prototype?

I really like the new photograph of the upcoming Nikto skiff guard figure. Did a Nikto skiff guard actually wear this costume in the movie because I do not remember seeing him wear it? Will Hasbro add more detail to the custom because it looks plain?
--DM

While the "Scramble" Battle Pack pictures we've seen thus far are indeed prototypes, they're accurate (unless Hasbro decides to randomly select another body for the figure, which happens on rare occasion. Typically when Sandtroopers or Clones are involved.) There is little chance that what you see will be different than what you get.

As you know, there were many Nikto in Jabba's employ. What you may not know is that some were basically unseen on camera due to the fast cuts and the Lucas camp's desire to make a ton of great things beyond the scope of what's necessary. (And bless them.) In this case, it seems Nysad did appear on camera. As you can see at that link, he was one of Jabba's barge cronies.

2. I just lost the Naboo blaster to my Padme Illum Legacy Collection figure from 2008, and I contacted Hasbro via email about a replacement a few days ago, and have not heard a thing. Their list of replacement parts don't seem to show any blasters - is this something I'll just have to live without?
--Greg

Did you ask anyway?

Hasbro's replacement parts list does not cover all the parts they offer. In the past I've had to hand-write my request (now, fill out a form) for the item(s) I want, and at times I've included a link to a photo archive showing exactly what it is I'm missing. If they said "no we can't help you," you're temporarily out of luck-- until you get one for $1 on eBay when the value of the carded figure goes down to jack squat in the next 18 months.

3. I'm a big fan of the guard that they pulled from the Jabba pack we are getting in May. Now that the "Clarification" from Hasbro has come out about it, Is it safe to say we will see Jabba's guard come out eventually? And why does everyone keep calling him a weequay, He is clearly a Nikto? Has there been cases in the past where the figure was scratched completely from the collection? I for one hope not!
--Chad

In March, Hasbro confirmed the figure was tooled (made a mold) and that it should be appearing in some capacity at some point. I'd be shocked if we didn't see it in the next two years. As to why fans don't know Weequay from Nikto, I suppose they're racists, and they all look alike to some folks.

4. I saw the season finale of Clone Wars season 1. What are the chances of getting Cade Bane's whole gang in figure form? That would make a great set...
--Lou

The chances of you getting Cad Bane are fantastic-- as to the rest? Hard to say. The cartoon line is performing very well and it's selling mostly to kids-- as we adult collectors typically just complain about it. Because of this we're likely shooting ourselves in the foot for non-core characters as the line progresses.

I don't believe we'll see it in a boxed set in the very near future, unless these are recurring characters or the popularity continues to soar. We know Cad Bane is coming back next year, so it's a sensible collection of figures except for one thing-- it'd be all bad guys, and as a rule, Hasbro seems to not want to do a set of 100% baddies in its Battle Packs targeted at kids. (And for now, animated stuff is going to be fairly kid-targeted.)

5. Ive loved collecting Star wars figs for years,waaay back to the original releases when i was a kid but i gotta say...hasbro is really starting to creep in way too many EU, comic or novel figures. Frankly I have no idea who many of these characters even are (joker squad? WTF?). Im finding it harder and harder to get excited about a lot of these since im not prepared to read 50 paperbacks to get caught up in continuity. Clone wars cartoon characters I can deal with but most of these ive never heard of...any advice ? Is this the way the line is going to continue , to the point where a couple years from now the line may not have ANY commonly recognizable star wars characters at all?
--RV

Show me a fan who says they know every character in the saga and I'll show you a liar. I include myself in this number-- with hundreds (thousands?) of issues of comic books from 1977 to 2009, hundreds of books, countless hours of television, stacks of trading cards, and a lifetime's worth of video games, nobody is going to know all the characters. But to take a step back, the same is true for the films. Fans know who Willrow Hood is because it's become something of a joke, but there are numerous characters who appeared in the films which you wouldn't even recognize. Heck, Bane Malar didn't even appear in the movie from as far as I can tell.

The reason we're seeing all these other characters is because the Star Wars brand is strong, and because they sell. Joker Squad exists because many fans wanted to buy it and a retailer supported it. Fans love Sith Lords, many fans love Stormtroopers, and supposedly fans liked the Star Wars Legacy comic book series-- so hey, it adds up, right? Besides, it's tricky to come up with new concepts that would work as an exclusive and would fit within Hasbro's desires for the future of the line. I mean, they've made all the top-tier characters ages ago, so now most of what's left to be "new" is going to be increasingly obscure-- except for the TV show and new media, which is still fresh territory.

My advice to you? Buy what you want. I used to get people jumping down my throat for saying that but frankly those people can choke on their words for all I care. There are now over 1,000 Star Wars action figures in the marketplace. And that's not counting the 1970s and 1980s lines. As a collector or as a fan, there are going to be things I/you/we don't like just because there's a finite amount of source material to mine. Some things will make fans very happy, and others fans will find baffling. What matters is that you support the stuff you appreciate, because it's no longer realistic to truly "collect them all" unless you, like me, enjoy making a sport of it all.

FIN

Another week, another lack of new releases. It's really a shame how Q1 can be so light with product compared to Q3 and Q4, in which Hasbro releases almost an entire vintage Kenner line's worth of stuff during the peak shopping season. I did, however, manage to find the 3 Wal-Mart comic packs. And THEY ARE FANTASTIC. Anyone who tells you otherwise should be stabbed in the eye with a spork. The three Ewoks are actually more than repaints-- two of the three have retooled heads, and of course the armor bits. (One has a Clone Armor bit, another has an oversized Stormtrooper helmet.) The pilots are great, as is Sunber, as is the Amanin. Actually, I have to wonder what Wal-Mart had to do to get a trio of AAA-quality sets like this. Seriously, these may be my favorite comic packs which don't involve garish Darth Vader recolors or Tusken Raider Jedi Knights. If you're at all waffling, get 'em. They're cool, and one of the best examples of Hasbro combining new parts, repaints, and a token all-new sculpt into figures that are just as exciting as entirely new sculpts.

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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