Hasbro wants our Questions:

[Mithel]

Dear Hasbro,

      It would seem that with the results of the fan choice poll heavily favoring EU troops such as the shadow stormtrooper, and utapau shadow trooper, will you give more leeway to ideas for more EU army builders, such as the Nova Stormtrooper from SWG, the Rebel Marines from My Brother My Enemy, and Xandel Carivus' Red Guard (which I think will sell well because they look like Master Chief)?

Still want to know this 

[jokabofe]

Still want to know this 

Are you sure? Last week we asked your question, and when the answer came back you complained that we asked it 

[Mithel]

Let me explain, I posted that I wanted it removed before it was asked, for another question, because

1.  I didn't think it was that good of a question

2. I had just bought 9 VOTC Stormies over the net

3. I'm more of an EU man.

[Darth Spice]

That's cool and we all know there is no such thing as a stupid question but the fact is we only get 3 each time and we have to try to be efficient. We've sent the next round off and we urge you all to keep taking fire as we can never have too many to choose from. Let's just do the best we can to avoid something that is already been asked. Which at this point is damn near getting to be impossible! 

[VadersFist]

Correct Spice, because there is so many great BP's out there including the huge BP's. With hasbro seeming to get better on there figures and accesory's, I wonder what would be next in-line. I am truely loving what they are doing now.

[Darth MiniMe]

Dear Hasbro,
With the release of the Battlefront - Renegade Squadron game can we expect to finally see a super-articulated Rebel Commando figure in 2008? Since you can use the legs, backpack and helmet from the 2006 Endor Rebel Trooper you only need to sculpt a new upper body, arms and head. There could also be a running change including the rodian and the sullustan heads based on the customizing feature from the LucasArts website.

[Darth Spice]

THE latest:

1. Now that we have seen 3 different Ultimate Battle Packs for this year, is this a segment of the Battle Packs we will continue to see more of? They have a lot of potential as long as there is something new for the collectors. The Arena lacks anything new while the Hoth and Endor have some new 'different' repaints and kitbashed figures.

Any future packs in this larger format (and we hope it can continue, pending successful sell-through) will be developed along the same principals that guide our development of the "regular" Battle Packs.  That is, developing with an eye toward kids only, collectors only, or a dual audience. The Arena is meant to simply bring back the iconic creatures and scenes that the new generation of Star Wars kids, brought into the fold through Episode III, had not been able to get before. It is not really a collector-targeted set in that sense.  As such, we did not see the need to add to the scene as the creatures and the characters pretty much carry the excitement of that scene, and the only changes we made were to update to more movie accurate deco.

2. Has Hasbro ever given any thought to re-releasing/slightly adjusting any of the older Jabba molds (like the vintage - with the throne perhaps??) for a re-release any time soon? It's been a while without a Jabba, and we need a good one. Or, you could even go with an updated paint scheme such as a Gardulla the Hutt figure/beast, or any of the other EU Hutts from the comics?

Yes, we see the need for a new Jabba and are looking for ways to work one in somewhere, whether as mainline or exclusive.  We really like the idea of alternate Hutts at some point - Gardulla, and there are a lot of cool ones in the EU especially - but our first efforts will probably be devoted to Jabba since kids know him too.

3. Why should I buy exclusives when the figures return in 2 years at half the cost most of the time?  You are removing the point of these figures being exclusives and paying the higher price point because they are exclusives.  By treating fans this way, do you think that the sale of exclusive figures will decline as collectors refuse to pay $15 or more for a figure that will return on a poll and be released for $7?  I really hate the fact I bought the lastest Fan's Choice winners at full price the other year.  Doing the packins like Zev and Neyo are one thing as they have not been carded before, but to do it with carded figures that people paid through the nose for is a slap on the face.

You are referring to Convention exclusives for the most part, I believe, since these are usually the ones that are premium priced.  Star Wars is one of the most beloved and collected brands out there and this is always a tough choice for us to make.  There is often demand from collectors who can't make the event or get figures otherwise (or if the quantities sell out), who feel left out want to see figures re-released (for instance, the conversations about the CIV/Comic Con exclusives this year).  Re-releasing them later is a way for us to help close the gap with demand, but re-releasing in a way so that the packaging is differentiated from the original.  This helps the package collector hold onto something unique, but it does test the loose figure collector, as you note.  Most of the cases recently have been of the Trooper variety, which we felt better about because we know that folks would like to have multiples, if possible, and wouldn't mind being able to pick up a couple more to complement the original.  This is something that we will weigh carefully going forward each time we make a choice on a fan vote or a "greatest hit" type of offering.

[Bloodant]

Good news all around.

Personally I like the repacks of hard to find figs. I hope they continue to do so. I do not want to pay scapler prices again if i miss something.

My question:
Will the AT-TE come with some new type of clone driver?

[lordabell]

There must be a tremor in the force, Hasbro had really good answers this time.  I hope that the Ultimate BPs sell through good, because I am interested in what else they can do with that size of a BP.

[Jaing Skirata]

Good news all around.

Personally I like the repacks of hard to find figs. I hope they continue to do so. I do not want to pay scapler prices again if i miss something.

My question:
Will the AT-TE come with some new type of clone driver?

If I remember correctly, at least in the early Clone Wars era, the drivers and pilots all wore the same armor. Byt he late Clone Wars, the pilots had changed their looks and the standard pilot varied slightly from the V-Wing pilot. I'm guessing when they produce the ATTE from the Clone Wars line it will be based on early Clone Wars era. I would assume if it comes with a driver at all, it would have the appearance of the AOTC Clone Pilot.

[Napseeker]

Q: Given that there are only so many SW vehicles that you can do for the Titanium line, is it possible that Hasbro will revisit certain vehicles again and make improvements on them?  You've mentioned already that there are plans on doing a new X-Wing mold with wings that will close. What about a Falcon and Shuttle Tyderium with working landing gears and door ramp, or Gunship with working doors and ball turrets (detachable, so the gunship can be displayed without them as well) and this time painted the correct color to match the full-sized Gunship vehicle, or an AT-AT with actual usable knee and neck articulation (given that the first release could barely move either).  Even the eps3 Jedi Starfighter could be improved by actually including a tiny plastic Obi (or Anakin, or whomever) pilot actually sitting in the cockpit rather than just the empty seat or windows painted black to hide the lack of a pilot.

Q: While I do like the latest mold for the Super BattleDroid in the TAC line, I've avoided buying any because quite honestly the two holes in its chest used to attach the "flames" annoys me beyond words.  Will Hasbro eventually plug up these holes and re-release the SBD again?  (BTW I noticed that some early photos of the SBD in the forthcoming comic 2pack with the white Rep Commando show that in some photos he has no holes, but in others the two holes are back again...)

Q: Hasbro has obviously had a lot of success with the SA clonetrooper mold in all its forms (Clone Wars SA, RotS #41, Evolutions Commander, Clone Commander, Galactic Marine, etc etc). It's well known that the tooling is very expensive and with the clonetrooper tooling you've obviously gotten a good return on your investment by being able to reuse that tooling over and over by just doing inexpensive repaints and/or tweaking minor parts of the figure to make "new" figures.  And the fans are more than happy to buy them up too, so it is win-win for all involved.

So why has it taken so long for Hasbro to adopt the same policy for other army builders?  Why not dive in and produce tooling for SA bodies such as the Tantive IV Rebel, Hoth Rebel Soldier, X-Wing Pilot, Hoth Snowspeeder Pilot, Mon Calamari officer, Imperial Officer (black/olive/whatever), Jedi Knight (human/humanoid), etc.  After which, you could vary the heads, the ethnicity, the ranks, gender (maybe), or what not and get the same kind of ROI that you've gotten with the clones.  So long as every "template" body is SA, has neutral leg pose (i.e. no more Codys or spread-legged puffy-knee Death Star Troopers please), has either ball-jointed elbows or if angled-cut swivel elbows then at least the arms can be posed straight (and not bent like the AT-TE Gunner), you can reissue that sculpt again and again.

One speculates that if enough thought is put into it in advance, you could even build into the tooling extra leg or arm parts that would let you produce figures of different heights as well so that the soldiers don't all feel too generic. By now it should be fairly obvious that kit-bashed figures that are based on less-articulated molds like Dutch Vander or Major Derlin aren't being greeted too warmly by collectors, we'd all rather wait until Hasbro makes the "ultimate" mold and then happily buy up all the variations churned out from that mold.

[Jaing Skirata]

Hasbro,

With all the success of the concept figures, are you planning to continue this into the future? I'd love to see a concept Clone Trooper and concept Jango Fett.

[jokabofe]

I think they answered a similar question on another site about continuing the concept... err, concept. I'll try and see if I can find it.

[lordabell]

I think they answered a similar question on another site about continuing the concept... err, concept. I'll try and see if I can find it.

I think I remember them saying something about it, but that it wouldn't be in '08.

[VadersFist]

I don't know if this question has been asked before. But here is my question.

If the Sandcrawler does make it's return, will we see any jawa's or accessories with this vehicle or will it be a huge Battle Pack that is being done at this point with the Endor and Hoth.

[Master Frank]

Dear Hasbro,

I love the fact that Star Wars products are sold from your site, mostly because it saves me time and gas money from having to drive from store to store and look for particular figures, and this year I've probably ordered about a dozen times. When I order action figures it's mainly to put them in my sealed collection, and assume I am ordering new, good condition product. I mean your site doesn't say otherwise.
Multiple times this year action figures that I've ordered have arrived heavily damaged, with badly torn cards, and once the wrong figures were sent. Upon examining the packages, I've noticed that when I order 1 or 2 figures in the same order the items seem to arrive in very good, new collectible condition. However, orders with more than 2 figures in a shipping box have arrived damaged, which leads me to believe the employees packaging the orders aren't being careful. The damaged figures all arrived in boxes without exterior damage, so I know the actual shipping wasn't a problem. Without me having to order no more than two items at a time, for risk of the items/figures arriving damaged, can you look into the customer service standard of the packaging of your product to make sure that staff carefully packs the items, such as grocery store clerks do?
Other Star Wars collectors in these forums have also commented about receiving damaged figures from Hasbro.com, due to poor packaging I believe. I bring this conern/question to your attention because I've called the customer service number listed on your site to point out my concern and they told me that orders are sent to a shipping warehouse, they apologized and said they have nothing to do with it, separating themselves from the problem.
During online checkout there is an option if the item is a gift, I believe one can have it wrapped. Does this more expensive option guarantee better packaging? Can you please address the poor packaging of items with your online shipping department? I appreciate you taking questions in this forum, as doing so, interacting with us lets us know you guys do your best to be fan-friendly.
Thanks in advance.

[Darth Spice]

THE latest:

1: Dear Hasbro, With the release of the Battlefront - Renegade Squadron game can we expect to finally see a super-articulated Rebel Commando figure in 2008? Since you can use the legs, backpack and helmet from the 2006 Endor Rebel Trooper you only need to sculpt a new upper body, arms and head. There could also be a running change including the rodian and the sullustan heads based on the customizing feature from the LucasArts website.

No plans for 2008, but we have a more articulated Rebel Commando on our longer term "to do" list.  Your idea for a figure set is really cool - we will look into it.

2: Will the AT-TE come with some new type of clone driver?

We have not officially confirmed (despite reports from the Dallas show) that there will be at AT-TE in the line.  We merely said that if we did it, it would have to be pretty big. Folks are reading between the lines at what we have said earlier, and that's fine, but it's a big vehicle to tackle and it's not 100% certain yet that we will be able to deliver. So....until we have officially confiirmed, which we hope will be Toy Fair time, it's still a wish list item.  There are so many uncertainties with cost, etc. that we would also have to see what is left for a budget to see if a new driver could make it in or whether we would look to do a driver in a different pack.

3: Dear Hasbro, I know you don’t like to comment on rumors or speculations, so … if you were to produce new X-Wing or Snowspeeder pilots in 2008 … would you use the existing mold from 2004 as you did with Biggs Darklighter, Hobbie Klivian and Lt. Lepira or a completely new one with more articulation? Ball jointed shoulders and (at least) swivel elbows would make a major improvement.

Here's the skinny.  We are looking at various pilots next year (confirmed in previous Q&As) and it does look like we will be able to deliver at least one upgraded "classic" rebel pilot next year in some form (mainline or exclusive). It is our desire to advance the articulation eventually on all the rebel pilots in the manner you suggest - but it's not confirmed that we will be able to just yet.

[Napseeker]

Q: Hasbro did a magnificent job with the sculpt for the Galactic Marine, however there has been one negative aspect to the mold that fans have mentioned over and over again which I'm wondering if Hasbro is aware of. The base of the marine's feet is slightly curved and this makes it difficult to stand him up (he tends to fall over onto his back) unless you pose him in a very specific way. Typically this has been in a semi-walking pose. Some fans have made this adjustment and had no problems, others have tried and never had any luck (I have 9 marines and read all of the tips from various fan forums and have had absolutely no luck in getting them to stand no matter how I position the ankles or legs).   Is there any chance that you might flatten the feet so that any future reuse of this mold won't suffer the same issues?

Q: The 2008 Obi and Anakin figures seemingly were retooled so that both could sit more easily in their Jedi fighters, the 2008 Gree has ball-jointed hips... and this got me wondering if, now with the Clone Wars TV show looming and the possibility of more kids getting into playing with Star Wars again, is Hasbro looking at making sure more figures down the road will be able to easily sit in the vehicles that are being released in your $20 price-point line (V-Wing, Starfighters, etc).  This would be great news if so since I fondly remember as a kid playing with the Kenner vehicles and always knowing that any figure at any time could fit inside any vehicle (or beast, like the Dewback and Taun-Taun) and this is one of the aspects that I'd love to see more of.

Q: When the VotC line eventually returns after 2008, will Hasbro be trying to put any new and amazing innovations into the figures that are a part of this sub-line?  VotC was where the super articulation that we "take for granted" ()today in the basic line began and this past year I've seen some postings suggesting that for the higher price point, collectors now want to see an even bigger bang for the buck aside from the super articulation and of course the great classic packaging.  Does Hasbro plan on pushing the envelope here to keep the collectors dying to pay those higher prices or is it possible that eventually VotC will simply be sold at a much lower premium to the basic line to reflect the fact that the primary difference now is solely the packaging?   

I don't think most collectors would mind paying the current cost of VotC so long as it offered something that was presently exclusive to this higher-end line SUCH AS (ahem!) environmental pieces --  you've done it this year with the inclusion of the moisture vaporator, cantina bar piece, and Bespin interrogation uhm, thing....  we realize that this was done at a time when your costs are very high due to the high price of oil and that you've said it's unlikely that your accountants would let you get away with this in the future.  So it could make more financial sense to offer us these goodies in the premium line (without affecting the classic cardback design obviously, these extras could be packed elsewhere into say the starcase itself). An example might be the Death Star Commander which could come with control panel, Death Star wall backdrop, and floor piece with footpeg (similar to the scene-specific stands that came with the RotS figures). And a cardboard backdrop that could depict the large viewscreen with Alderaan being targetted (the cardboard piece wouldn't have to be as elaborate as your earlier Jabba Palace and Cantina Bar cardboard sets, but it should be sturdier cardboard that won't wilt) -- the cardboard backdrop would be a nice homage to the Kenner playsets like "Land of the Jawas" and very fitting with the nostalgic VotC theme.  This would at least partially fulfill the continuing desire for SW playsets, even if it is only a mini-playset.

Finally, the cost of the tooling for the set pieces could be recouped eventually by reusing some parts as accessories in future battlepacks similar to how some VotC molds are retooled for the basic line.

Q: You've mentioned in a previous Q&A that you don't have plans on standardizing the size of the ball joint on the necks of ALL your action figures so that heads can be easily swapped around.  But as Hasbro gradually churns out "ultimate" SA bodies for the various army builders characters (X-Wing pilot, Imperial Officer, etc) which will of course become the template for future kitbashed "new" figures, will Hasbro consider at least trying to standardize the size for the ball joint for all or most of the human characters? 

The reason for asking this is simple - you previously made a great point about why you can't produce SA "ultimate" figures all the time because even though the tooling may be a one-time cost, the labor to construct SA figures is an increasing expense so some figures will not always get the SA treatment. That is totally understandable although for collectors it can be a frustrating one. As an example, I would love to have bought an X-Wing Pilot Biggs this year but I've sworn to myself never to buy any kitbashed figure based off the Dutch Vander mold which I've never liked from day one. As a result Hasbro loses a sale (or two or however many other collectors feel the same as I do and will vote with their dollars) and I find myself frustrated that this version of the character may not be revisited again for YEARS or if ever again.  However, there is a way for me as a customer to resolve this problem and in the process increase sales for Hasbro -- by issuing a SA X-Wing Pilot body with a common neck ball joint, then in the future, I could create my own SA X-Wing Pilot Biggs in this way:

1. buy the SA X-Wing generic pilot, discard the head that it comes with
2. buy the TAC Tatooine Biggs figure to obtain a ball-jointed head to stick on to the SA X-Wing generic pilot body
3. buy the TAC X-Wing Biggs figure to obtain an accurate Biggs helmet

...and as a result, I get the desired SA version of the character I wanted, Hasbro has sold me 3 figures instead of zero (on top of the fact that I already own the Tatooine Biggs to begin with), reduced the numbers of what would've been a possible pegwarmer (the actual TAC X-Wing Biggs), and the labor to make the SA Biggs was completely on the customer's part and not Hasbro's.  Let us be your cheap labor force for assembling SA figures, Hasbro, we are willing!    

Customers who want something bad enough, and for sure collectors always want things badly, won't hesitate to spend some additional money to solve the problem for themselves (as opposed to being left in the dark as to whether the corporation will eventually, years from today, solve it for them or having no solution at all which is what exists today) -- we only ask for Hasbro to give us the means to do so (while making more profit for you in the process).  It also shouldn't be underestimated that being able to make your own custom figure, of any kind no matter how minute the change, offers a real value-add and satisfaction for the customer of any product; whether you're a kid or an adult, being able to make your own custom toy and showcasing it to others on the web is plain old fun.

[jacensolo66]

Will any of the figures from wave 5, especially Darth Malak, Darth Revan, and Pre-Cyborg Grievous, appear in any future TAC wave case assortments?

[Jaing Skirata]

Will any of the figures from wave 5, especially Darth Malak, Darth Revan, and Pre-Cyborg Grievous, appear in any future TAC wave case assortments?

Magic 8 ball says... "Yes, we mix the popular figures into future wave assortments." I believ they've answered that question on other forums in the past. Not specifically to those figures but in general with popular figures.

[Bloodant]

Napseeker had a good one with this question:
Its a little long winded but a good one to ask.

Q: When the VotC line eventually returns after 2008, will Hasbro be trying to put any new and amazing innovations into the figures that are a part of this sub-line?  VotC was where the super articulation that we "take for granted" ()today in the basic line began and this past year I've seen some postings suggesting that for the higher price point, collectors now want to see an even bigger bang for the buck aside from the super articulation and of course the great classic packaging.  Does Hasbro plan on pushing the envelope here to keep the collectors dying to pay those higher prices or is it possible that eventually VotC will simply be sold at a much lower premium to the basic line to reflect the fact that the primary difference now is solely the packaging?   

I don't think most collectors would mind paying the current cost of VotC so long as it offered something that was presently exclusive to this higher-end line SUCH AS (ahem!) environmental pieces --  you've done it this year with the inclusion of the moisture vaporator, cantina bar piece, and Bespin interrogation uhm, thing....  we realize that this was done at a time when your costs are very high due to the high price of oil and that you've said it's unlikely that your accountants would let you get away with this in the future.  So it could make more financial sense to offer us these goodies in the premium line (without affecting the classic cardback design obviously, these extras could be packed elsewhere into say the starcase itself). An example might be the Death Star Commander which could come with control panel, Death Star wall backdrop, and floor piece with footpeg (similar to the scene-specific stands that came with the RotS figures). And a cardboard backdrop that could depict the large viewscreen with Alderaan being targetted (the cardboard piece wouldn't have to be as elaborate as your earlier Jabba Palace and Cantina Bar cardboard sets, but it should be sturdier cardboard that won't wilt) -- the cardboard backdrop would be a nice homage to the Kenner playsets like "Land of the Jawas" and very fitting with the nostalgic VotC theme.  This would at least partially fulfill the continuing desire for SW playsets, even if it is only a mini-playset.


And hopefully they make the AT-TE with a Driver.........

[lordabell]

Good question, but I think they will say no.  In trying to stay with the vintage cards and the starcases for the line, I do not think they will even consider adding environment pieces or backdrops.  I do agree with you on the point that for $10, they need to up the ante a little to me getting the vintage style line in the future.

[TheWolverine]

Will Canada be getting any figures from the TAC line past wave 5 or have we seen it all up North. One of the  sites said they would not be getting wave 6 on CDN card, so does that also mean we wont be getting anything past wave 6 at Canadian retail?



*id appreciate it if you guys submit this question as there is no CDN collector site up with hasbro from the QA sessions and this is something we would love to know.

[sinkie]

Will the 2008 Comic Book packs come with stands bearing the characters names? If not, will Hasbro be considering another figure stands release with a new sticker list to include these?

[jokabofe]

I would say no to coming with stands, since they have a "pack-in" already (the comic book) and Hasbro has already said that they won't revisit the stands for at least a little while, since they are still in stock. And for whatever reason, they have no plans to make another sticker sheet, which IMO would be a great idea.

[Darth Ravenous]

what is a 'sticker sheet'?

[jokabofe]

Not to sound like a smartass or anyting, but... its the... uhm... sticker sheet that came with stickers of character names that go on the front of the figure stands.

[Lt. Starfox]

what is a 'sticker sheet'?

a sheet of stickers with characters names that you can put on the Hasbro stands

[Darth Ravenous]

Not to sound like a smartass or anyting, but... its the... uhm... sticker sheet that came with stickers of character names that go on the front of the figure stands.

I guess the answer was obvious...  was this wishful thinking, or has Hasbro done this in the past?

[Lt. Starfox]

Not to sound like a smartass or anyting, but... its the... uhm... sticker sheet that came with stickers of character names that go on the front of the figure stands.

I guess the answer was obvious...  was this wishful thinking, or has Hasbro done this in the past?

they had an online order several months ago....someone here got them, they will have more info, wish i could remember who