1. In [Hasbro's] GalacticHunter Q&A from 3/20/2009, Hasbro mentioned that sales of Legacy/Droid Factory figures have slowed considerably. With that news, what things would you suggest Hasbro do in order to help the Legacy/Droid Factory line? From my perspective, I think Hasbro needs better character selection (make figures that a have a broad appeal, not obscure characters that only a few collectors are interested in), better case assortments (if they have to make potential pegwarming obscure characters then pack them 1 per case/don't overproduce them), and eliminate pack-ins(bring costs down). They also need an efficient way to help the retail stores get rid of the pegwarmers that are already on the pegs such as Yarna and the Organas. Can you give us your take on restoring the health of the Legacy/Droid Factory line?
--John

The problem with situations like this is I'm never sure how much of it is because fans aren't putting down their money, and how much of it is the fact that sales are down, but so are new figures. 2008 was a crappy year for "movie"-style basic carded figures, with a mere 6 total waves, the last 2 of which were arguably pretty dull. (As repaints go, they don't get much lamer than the Imperial Engineer.) In 2009, we've had one wave of non-toon, non-reissue figures, and to be honest nothing stood out particularly well. Heck, having 5 stormtroopers in Joker Squad hit within weeks of Wave 5 and its 3 Stormtrooper figures seemed like a pretty poor idea too.

I'm sure rising costs didn't help, or the fact that some fans were put off by cartoon figures and their right to exist. I keep pointing to the fact that most waves of figures have few new characters, and I honestly don't think the third 100%-new sculpt of Bail Organa is going to make anyone happy. That Revenge of the Sith wave was about as boring as they come, conversely the Star Wars wave in early 2009 is one of the best yet and the figures remain in tight supply in some markets. It's easy to armchair quarterback the line but the truth is that issues of timing on Hasbro's part (big launches are BAD for scaring collectors into making a purchase due to the glut of product), and maybe we're getting tired as a group. There are over 1,000 figures to collect since 1995... and I defy any of you out there to name a single figure that would probably get a large group of fans to do cartwheels that isn't a green-clad beehive-haired space chick.

You might say that sounds flippant, but most fans' top requests exist in figure form. The increasingly obscure characters are done because Hasbro has to do something new, and the character selection is often quite good. I think bad timing is a real problem, the Force Unleashed wave hit far too early last year, the two really cool Legacy waves which kicked off the line came out against the biggest ships ever made, and in 2009, we have received but one wave of new basic movie-styled figures. That's downright sad. Odds are the bulk of the blame can be placed on a mix of big retailers not ordering enough and Hasbro not having the new stuff in big enough numbers, but none of us really have a look at the Big Picture right now. Personally, I don't think any of the groups involved here know everything, and I wouldn't be surprised if the truth was something closer to "well, we did some bad waves, but these reissues and cartoon figures are making us a ton of money so let's go that way now." A healthy kid-based customer pool will almost always outspend collectors. (Not individually, but as a group.)

2. I know you and a lot of folks will probably be annoyed at what I'm about to say but it's getting to the point where I don't have a choice. I've stopped buying Star Wars figures in stores. I have decided to buy them on eBay loose 6-12+ months down the road because they are cheaper if you can find a bunch from one seller and combine shipping. I just can't deal with the cost of the figures anymore. I'm 25 and I have a steady job but I'm not rich. I want to continue my hobby but I don't want to go broke either.

My question is this: do you think Hasbro is likely to bring the cost down on figures if this trend becomes more popular? Considering how quickly the price of loose figures drops and how accessible the secondary market is it just doesn't seem worth it to buy them in stores anymore. I'd prefer to buy them in stores because I love toy hunting but it's just not worth it when I get buyer's remorse afterward. Do you have any idea how common of a practice this is? You always so vote with your dollar so that is what I'm doing.
--Dan

You assume anyone really cares what we do other than our moms? Take 1: Wow, that's some ego dude. Take 2: That's adorable! Take 3: Please, tell me more! (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

Hasbro raised the prices because they can. That's how it works. Kids are buying figures, they don't care if you buy yours now or later-- fact is most figures seem to be selling just fine. Ultimately, buying stuff on eBay because it's cheaper is going to be a smaller group because if it became a larger group, the prices would go up, thus causing you to buy them at retail because then it's cheaper to pick them up when they first come out. (I liken this to the "why aren't loose figures worth more than carded ones since there's fewer of them in some cases?" argument. Don't overthink it.)

So yeah, good for you, vote with your bucks. If it makes sense to you, do what you're doing. Frankly, it doesn't matter because if the figures are on eBay for you to buy, that means Hasbro sold them to someone earlier, and got their money. The change in the line's focus will undoubtedly have to do more with Hasbro's whims and the increasing difficulty in coming up with figures that fans haven't seen before. (I mean, really, how exciting is it that we're probably going to get the fourth incarnation of Snowspeeder Luke this year?)

From a purely financial perspective it makes the most sense to collect a toy line in the period following its end. Typically, that's when nobody cares, there are lots of clearances, and you would hypothetically have access to information on what's out there to best avoid duplicates. (There are possibilities of poor distribution for the final figures, though. One never knows.) Honestly, if I had to do it all over again, I'd probably have sat out a few years and started buying stuff like you do now-- I wouldn't have a box of 1995 Stormtroopers that way.

3. My question is in regard to figures that Hasbro made the first time around but haven't made it to the modern line. Kenner's Imperial Dignitary, whatever his name is...has not been made, sure they made others and I am grateful, butÉI am sure that there are those that have forgotten him or moved on to cantina aliens (a side note: Those of the fans that want every cantina alien are messed up in the head. They don't sell on the shelves at all and they are hideous...) Why does Hasbro feel that they need to release and re-release scores of figures we all have and from my two shopping mecca's (Orange County,CA, and Rochester, NY) that don't sell. Do we need another Siese Tin (sp)? Do we really need any more clones? More Vader? And droids are really waning interest here. Legends needs to end, it's just ridiculous. Honestly, they are just keeping placeholders out there. So is there a comparison of figures from Vintage Kenner vs Modern Hasbro? I see a flood of the legends come in while none of the new figures make it to the stores or if they do in limited supplies.
--Scott

Stop looking at the line as a collector, and look at it like Hasbro probably does. Sure, Hasbro could give fans 100% of the crazy things we ask for next year, but then what? If you hunt the buffalo to extinction, there's no more buffalo. If you kill the goose that lays the golden eggs, then there's no gold left. Hasbro needs to trickle out some fan requested characters in a very conservative way because it keeps you/me/us coming back for more. If in 1997, we had the complete Cantina cast, every Jabba's Palace alien, and 100% of the Imperials and Rebel Pilots, would you be reading this today? Probably not. By not giving you 100% of what you want, but maybe somewhere in the 90% range, Hasbro has managed to keep you coming back for more and cultivate your taste for stuff you'd never think you'd have bought. When this line started up again, did anyone honestly think we'd have Pons Limbic and Jodo Kast action figures in our collections? Probably not. Since we've had nearly everything else, we start looking for new things to ask for, which Hasbro is generally happy to give us. Eventually.

I know you don't believe Hasbro, but believe me-- Saga Legends sells. Not only is it free money for Hasbro, but kids buy them. Darth Vaders sell-- I don't think I've seen one at retail in months! Really, Hasbro is dropping the ball by not having Vaders in every case and 1-2 new Vader figures every year. Those are easy, easy money. In my region, most of this stuff seems to be selling just fine, but a few cartoon figures (Super Battle Droids) and movie figures (Gargan) aren't as popular. Depending on your region, and how many stores you hit, you're going to see a different snapshot of what does or doesn't sell. None of us are seeing the big picture because we simply can't hit dozens or hundreds of stores across the USA.

As to Vintage versus Modern, yes, there are still figures left to do. But not many. Like I mentioned above, I'm sure the reason we're waiting for so long for many is because Hasbro still wants to make new, never-before-made stuff like the two Dignitaries we got in 2003 but also to keep collector interest. The fact that you don't have Sim Aloo (the vintage Dignitary) has created interest and demand for what is arguably a horribly dull toy. By waiting, Hasbro might actually sell some units. The list of unmade old Kenner figures gets smaller every year, and now we're at a stage when Hasbro needs to start considering replicating the old Kenner "error" figures, like a blue-clad Hammerhead or the crazy wrong costume Greedo.

By the wya, from your question I'm not sure I can tell what it is you think should be done. Just remake the old vintage guys and be done with it? That ain't gonna happen.

4. With the popularity of the Republic Commando Books and revelation of another in the series coming soon, do you think another couple of multi pack exclusives ore in order? These would be extremely simple (and great sellers) as they deal with Mandalorians and clones. Besides, a DC-17 rifle with sniper attachments is desperately needed for our RC commandos.
--Robert

While the multi-packs of Delta Squad and the black Commando figures from Entertainment Earth's exclusives sold quite well, there's nothing else in the works as a boxed set goes. That I know of. It would seem sensible for Hasbro to consider another one, though, because they were popular toys. I don't think the accessories drive sales for these characters, but hey, I'd be a happy camper if we got some more funky colored commando toys out of this. A newish mold Commando will be exclusive to Wal-Mart later this year. A new boxed set would probably be reliant on a new game or cartoon appearances.

5. Do you think Hasbro will ever re-release Farm boy Luke VOTC either as a legends figure or some other format?
--CAP

Possibly-- like Leia, I'm a little surprised neither of these Vintage figures have ever made a return since their 2004 debut. While Luke had incredible articulation, his belt and shirt were a huge pain to deal with. It wouldn't shock me to see it again, but I'd say (like I always do) you may be better off just buying one of the tens of thousands that Hasbro made in 2004. Why wait when you can get one now?

FIN

I got my Xbox 360 arcade stick which I have been complaining about not being able to purchase. I ended up getting what may well be the most preposterous thing out there-- take a look. Naturally, the day after it arrived, I saw the Hori sticks suddenly show up at a Toys "R" Us. Toys "R" Us, who I might add, has seemingly never stocked hefty arcade sticks for the 360. Ah well. If you're one of the many playing Street Fighter IV you probably don't need me to tell you how much better it is to play with a stick, simply to prevent your hands from cramping up. Or perhaps I'm just a very old man. This nifty controller also makes me mad that Lucasarts hasn't contacted Namco to just go ahead and make some Jedi fighting game using the Soulcalibur IV engine, but I digress.

Hasbro's decision to inform us that collectors aren't as high on their lines as they used to be has had me racking my brain. What does this mean? My knee-jerk reaction is that there are bizarre release patterns, especially in 2008. We got about 16 figures in a couple of months, then months of nothing, then $600+ of new product in July and August, then not much, then a trickle as the year came to a close with very little new so far in 2009. As a fan-- and if you read this column, you know I'm a fan-- it's boring. There's no reason for me to go toy hunting. I'm actually buying other things, like giant arcade sticks, Namco collections, and high-def cables for the Wii. I assume others are getting a little bored too, and this has nothing to do with the actual product Hasbro releases, just the rate at which it hits stores. There really should be a new exclusive or something to engage us every month, but April seems to be pretty light with a dash of bad news. Hopefully May will be a little more positive.

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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