TheJawa's Q&A Section - Ask Away!

[CHEWIE34]

Here's a question that starting to burn in my head...

Hasbro, are you considering any plans to offer the TFU basic figures again around the time of the video game launch?  They seem to be selling very well here in the Spring, but when September rolls around, it seems there will be a new demand for them again, as casual fans and kids who may be passing on them now will be wanting them then... do you have any plans to re-release them in some format (perhaps even a Battle Pack)?

 

[General Grievous]

Will the Geonosis Battle Droid Commander be released in the next Saga Legends or The Legacy Collection?

[DarthWormie]

That market of hardcore/anal/OCD collectors has become such a small market that Hasbro could care less.

Agreed.

[darth father]

I have asked this question in other forums but do not get a reply.
 Dear Hasbro, will we EVER see a Clone Wars animated Qui Gon Jinn?

Hope to have it answered this time. If any one knows already, shoot me a message. Thanks!

[jokabofe]

Dear Hasbro, will we EVER see a Clone Wars animated Qui Gon Jinn?

I won't presume to know Hasbro's answer, but I would imagine that since he was killed before the Clone Wars started, the answer would be no. Unless they wanted to make a Ghost of figure...

[gorkoracing]

Dear Hasbro, will we EVER see a Clone Wars animated Qui Gon Jinn?

I won't presume to know Hasbro's answer, but I would imagine that since he was killed before the Clone Wars started, the answer would be no. Unless they wanted to make a Ghost of figure...

That's what I was thinking as well.  They probably wont make him in human form but we could possibly see him in spirit form if hes in the clonewars series.  They probably wouldnt make him unless there was a big demand for him if he was to play a pretty large role in an episode or 2.  It would be neat to see him still helping out obiwan through the series.

[DarthWormie]

I think what df is asking about is the 'animated' Clone Wars line that already has come and gone. If you remember Qui-Gon did show up in that series, as did a young Anakin Skywalker.

I think it's safe to say Hasbro is done with the first CW series. Even if Qui-Gon does show up in some form in this series, I'd put the odds of us getting an animated figure at slim-to-none. Judging from the pics we've seen of who's included in wave one, there are still plenty of more important figures (Mace, Padme, 3PO, Dooku) to fill up at least the next two waves. If there are that many more waves created that is.

[darthdan]

Dear Hasbro, will we EVER see a Clone Wars animated Qui Gon Jinn?

I won't presume to know Hasbro's answer, but I would imagine that since he was killed before the Clone Wars started, the answer would be no. Unless they wanted to make a Ghost of figure...

That's what I was thinking as well.  They probably wont make him in human form but we could possibly see him in spirit form if hes in the clonewars series.  They probably wouldnt make him unless there was a big demand for him if he was to play a pretty large role in an episode or 2.  It would be neat to see him still helping out obiwan through the series.

If anyone wants  qui gon ghost figure track the episode 1 quigon hologram down on ebay, that's what I did.

[darth father]

I think what df is asking about is the 'animated' Clone Wars line that already has come and gone. If you remember Qui-Gon did show up in that series, as did a young Anakin Skywalker.

I think it's safe to say Hasbro is done with the first CW series. Even if Qui-Gon does show up in some form in this series, I'd put the odds of us getting an animated figure at slim-to-none. Judging from the pics we've seen of who's included in wave one, there are still plenty of more important figures (Mace, Padme, 3PO, Dooku) to fill up at least the next two waves. If there are that many more waves created that is.

That is exactly what I was going for! Human form, animated Qui Gon.

[CommanderNaruto]

I was wondering if Hasbro will ever do a remake of anakin as a boy.  A super articulated one that comes with his pod racing helmet and and seethreepio w/ head and torso.

Any plans in the future on more mandolorians? I really liked canderous ordo. how about a jaing skirata or a walon vau?

[gorkoracing]

THE latest:

1: Will Hasbro be fixing the holster on the SA Stormtrooper mold so that his rifle will be able to fit easily in it? And is there a way to adjust the holster so that the Stormtrooper could actually sit in a vehicle without the holster getting in the way?

That holster was really meant to be true-to-scale to the figure for aesthetic reasons, so we didn't make it so you could fit the blaster in it.  We'll take a look and see if we can accomplish both objectives the next time we slot a Stormie version into the line.

2: Will the tooling that is being used to make the comic pack Grand Admiral Thrawn also be reused for a future Imperial Officer in the basic line?  And if so, will the "skirt" part be made of softer plastic so that he can actually sit down (for those of us who are already thinking of swapping heads from the Death Star briefing figures onto a new SA body -- hopefully the neck pegs are compatible).

It is a good possibility that we could use some of the tooling for a new Officer but we do not have firm plans at the moment. We will try to add elasticizers to the PVC to make it as soft as possible, but Europe has different standards regarding PVC than the US, and so sometimes this affects what we are able to do. Also, even making the skirts flexible, it does not always reach the desired result, so that is why we sometimes add slits to the sides or do fabric skirts.

3: The VotC Chewbacca remains the absolute best version of Chewbacca ever made and probably for a good long time. But is it possible that Hasbro might someday make an even more premium Chewbacca figure that actually uses real "hair" as opposed to sculpted plastic?  You've already done this in smaller ways with the PotF2 Leia figures - and for that matter, would an ANH Princess Leia with real hair buns be another possibility?

There is a very high probability that version will never happen due to the extreme difficulty in getting soft goods "fur" to behave and look good in scale.  It was very difficult when we did a plush version in 2005, and even when we tried new fibers on the Bantha set...so we haven't been excited about the seemingly doomed exercise of trying it on a 3-3/4 figure."

[Napseeker]

Hmmm, that explains the rifle holster at least. It was never meant to be usable to begin with

I do wish they'd answered my question about a real hair buns Leia though. I actually would like to see that come back in some form (perhaps VotC or Evo).

[JediTray]

Dear Hasbro,

Pictures on the box for the new Millennium Falcon show a Luke figure with the blast shield helmet interacting with the training remote.  Does this mean that you plan to re-release and/or retool this figure so it will be available for kids and collectors alike to recreate the scene?  I have found that there are several occasions where you folks depict a character or a certain figure on vehicle packaging, but they are nowhere to be found at the time of the vehicle's release (case in point, there are no Clone Pilots at retail for the V-Wing).  Why does this continue to happen, and don't you think it's a bad idea to show kids figures that they can't find on the pegs at the same time as the vehicle?  Not everyone will understand that a figure is ten years old and not available when they see it on a brand new package.

[gorkoracing]

Here's the latest from Hasbro

1: You confirmed that a Visionaries figure is coming. Can you reveal how its coming, i.e. a Battle Pack or Basic Wave?

Neither. It will be in a comic 2-pack, out late 2009.

2: Was the cancelled Obi-Wan Evolution Set the ninth Evolution set? Does that mean that there will be eight in all this year? I'm not complaining, the one's we have are great.

It was actually going to be the fifth set, as one of the last in the Spring '08 time frame paired with the Padme set.  As we looked at our 2009 basic figure lineup, though, we realized that those Obi-Wan figures would be better served as anchors for key waves and the set was split up.  After that, we decided to continue the line through Fall 2009 and delayed Padme, and added the Rebel and Imperial Pilot sets.

3: We've seen (at least) two different Secret Apprentice costumes that were not in the Evolution set: Rhen Var rags and a Mandolorian-esque costume. Has any thought come into making these costumes into figures? If there are enough, is another Evo set in order maybe?

One thing we know for certain is that fans' passion for all things Star Wars, including films and EU such as games, comics, and novels, does not fade even years after release!  Our stance on The Force Unleashed is that right now, you have seen pretty much everything we plan to release through 2008/2009, with perhaps one additional new figure in 2009.  As is the case with the phenomenally successful LucaArts video games of the past several years, we often "follow" the game with figures that come later in various forms (including basic figures and multi-figure sets).  As certain characters or concepts bubble to the top - as we are certain they will when TFU is released - we will consider them for down the road when we are planning additional lines.

[Napseeker]

Q: Previously someone asked whether we might see the "burnt and toasty" Owen Lars and Beru coming with the Disturbance at the Lars Homestead bp, you answered no. However I'd like to ask if Hasbro would consider this as a solution to giving us the two dead bodies: since they are pretty much skeletons anyway, what about including two articulated skeletons in a future Indiana Jones deluxe pack that could be used by SW collectors to recreate that scene? (the articulation is to ensure their arms can be posed to match the scene)  It's obvious that there's no way the SW line could justify making them as toys, but in IJones, having some charred skeletons around Indy is a less controversial idea.  Parents would never know, and it's be a nice wink and nod to SW collectors from Hasbro! 

Also, will the Disturbance at the Lars Homestead be available outside of the US? It's been getting VERY frustrating that the battlepacks and ultimate bps which have the desirable diorama set pieces (Senate pod, Hoth turret, now possibly the Tatooine igloo) which are wanted by more than just US collectors are so hard (and expensive!) to get in Canada and other countries. If you ever revisted the SW Deluxe line again, what about offering such pieces in Deluxe sets so that foreign collectors can have easier access to them (and since it's old tooling, your costs for the Deluxe line would be cheaper). The pieces could be slightly redeco'd to make them appealing to US fans who may already have them too.

Q: I assume that it's only a matter of time before Zam Wessell (a character that is sorely in need of an update) is given the SA treatment. Can Hasbro see to it that she gets a soft plastic skirt so that the figure can comfortably sit inside the old Zam Wessell speeder?  A friend of mine bought the speeder when it came out and bitterly complains to this day that Hasbro made a vehicle that couldn't seat any version of Zam that was out (the statue and the strangely articulated basic card one). So if for no other reason, I'd like to see him get some satisfaction on his purchase, and it'd be great if there were a swappable Clawdite head as a neat bonus.

Q: Normally figures with snap-on armor are not something I care for (due to the compromised articulation and the often non-neutral pose) but I was very happy with the recent TAC Jango Fett with removeable armor. He had great articulation, a totally neutral arm and leg pose, and thin snap-on armor that didn't "bulk up" the overall figure. Great job Hasbro!  I am now wondering (requesting) if we might get a similar Boba Fett with the same quality articulation and thin armor somewhere down the road?

Also, I wasn't so happy with the red fatigues training clone which actually retained many of the issues which originally soured me on removable armor figures: lack of articulation, a bizarre non-neutral leg pose, and an inability to sit (and have lunch with his fellow clones!). I realize the odds are slim in the immediate future, but will Hasbro revisit this character and give him SA and soft skirt piece? I would have loved to have bought a few training clones to make a Kamino diorama but this current version didn't really make the cut.

Q: Previously you mentioned that the comic book-style coloring in the Marvel packs was something that was popular with customers. However, I think that the reaction on a few forums to the upcoming Fenn Shysa and Tobbi figures, as well as to the red-cape Lando with blue-arms Stormtrooper would suggest that this niche approach can be adhered to a little too overzealously by Hasbro. There have indeed been some neat figures to come out of this style: the white R2-D2, the Marvel Boba Fett, and purple RA-7. But then we also have seen blue-tinted Stormtrooper Luke/Han (which you did eventually reissue without the blue) and now Day-Glo green and orange Fenn and Tobbi.

It's worth noting that R2 and Boba are desirable because they are neat variants of already-existing figures that were available in the realistic paintjobs FIRST but collectors complain bitterly when unique figures like Stormtrooper Luke and Han which some have waited for a long time, show up first in non-realistic styles. And worse, when characters like Fenn and Tobbi, which might never be released again, are seemingly only going to be shipped in really ugly green and oranges when it'd be more desirable for Hasbro to take an approach similar to the Animated Debut Boba Fett: faithful to the source, but not overly saturated and cartoonish. If Hasbro simply said: "Don't worry, we will indeed release Fenn and Tobbi in more realistic style in a few months after" this would probably alleviate some complaints (regardless of how much I want these characters, I would not buy the comic book paint versions even if a realistically-painted versions were never to come, so Hasbro loses a sale by only offering this version).  Some choices are also a bit odd: why blue-arm Stormtroopers?  As much as I'd love to buy a red-caped Lando, I am stopped by the fact that I'd end up with an odd Stormtrooper that doesn't fit in with my existing army builders of Stormies, and am thus paying a premium for a Lando figure that typically ends up pegwarming. The blue-armed trooper causes Hasbro to lose out a sale.

Given all this, why not simply make it policy that we will always get a running change from comic to realistic paintjobs for these Marvel packs (which are cheap to do since it's just a repaint) and guarantee a sale from customers such as myself who normally won't buy the comic-book styled figures? Or with a character as popular as Lumiya, you'd probably sell both versions to someone like myself.

[philippi]

Dear Hasbro,
Congratulations on the new super sized vehicles! They look awesome! I wish I could get them as my kids would absolutely love them, but I know that I personally could not justify spending that much money on a toy. Others can afford it and thats fine. But with the cost of living these days, I'm sure that there are lots of parents in the same boat as I am. I know vehicles are fun and add a lot to the play value of figures, but they can be hard to find (most stores in Canada don't carry them) and expensive to buy when you do find them. My question is, have you given some thought to making smaller, less expensive vehicles that would be available at most places where basic figures are sold? What I am thinking of here are things like Speeder Bikes, Swoop Bikes and other small vehicles, individually packed and sold at around a basic figure pricepoint. I know that you have been trying to make some of these things available in Battle Packs, but then those are sold at a much higher price, and become harder for a parent or a kid with his allowance money to purchace. Would it be possible to include something like a Speeder Bike or Anakin's Swoop in the basic figure line, preferably in the same wave as the pilot, and charge a basic figure price for it? This could at least make them a lot more affordable to kids and their parents, as well as making them available wherever basic figures are sold.

[odiewan]

Here is this week's answers from Hasbro.

-Enjoy

1: Previously someone asked whether we might see the "burnt and toasty" Owen Lars and Beru coming with the Disturbance at the Lars Homestead bp, you answered no. However I'd like to ask if Hasbro would consider this as a solution to giving us the two dead bodies: since they are pretty much skeletons anyway, what about including two articulated skeletons in a future Indiana Jones deluxe pack that could be used by SW collectors to recreate that scene? (the articulation is to ensure their arms can be posed to match the scene)  It's obvious that there's no way the SW line could justify making them as toys, but in IJones, having some charred skeletons around Indy is a less controversial idea.  Parents would never know, and it's be a nice wink and nod to SW collectors from Hasbro!


Also, will the Disturbance at the Lars Homestead be available outside of the US? It's been getting VERY frustrating that the battlepacks and ultimate bps which have the desirable diorama set pieces (Senate pod, Hoth turret, now possibly the Tatooine igloo) which are wanted by more than just US collectors are so hard (and expensive!) to get in Canada and other countries. If you ever revisted the SW Deluxe line again, what about offering such pieces in Deluxe sets so that foreign collectors can have easier access to them (and since it's old tooling, your costs for the Deluxe line would be cheaper). The pieces could be slightly redeco'd to make them appealing to US fans who may already have them too.

We don't have plans to release the Deluxe sets as is but some of those accessories may find their way into the regular lineup again somehow, and it is our intention that they be made available in all regions.  The same can be said for exclusives; we are working hard to ensure that they get distribution in every region whenever possible.  As for the skeletons, sorry but we don't have plans for skeletons in the IJ line either.  They may come some day, but no plans for now.  That's an interesting suggestion, though.

2: I've noticed that the new Homing Spider seems a bit "short", that is the spherical pod seems to be resting a little too close to ground level when compared to the film version. In the clips that I've seen the distance from the underside of the pod (including the cannon) to the ground seems to be high enough that a Super Battle Droid could stand just under the pod. In the toy however, that distance is far less, maybe half the height of the SBD. Is there any way to adjust the height higher or will Hasbro tweak it so that the pod will be raised higher as it is connected to its legs?

Like many of our vehicles, we have had to make some sacrifices to deliver what we feel is a great toy.  That included keeping the legs the height they are to accommodate both the articulation we needed as well as keeping our costs in the right area.

3: I assume that it's only a matter of time before Zam Wessell (a character that is sorely in need of an update) is given the SA treatment. Can Hasbro see to it that she gets a soft plastic skirt so that the figure can comfortably sit inside the old Zam Wessell speeder?  A friend of mine bought the speeder when it came out and bitterly complains to this day that Hasbro made a vehicle that couldn't seat any version of Zam that was out (the statue and the strangely articulated basic card one). So if for no other reason, I'd like to see him get some satisfaction on his purchase, and it'd be great if there were a swappable Clawdite head as a neat bonus.

Great suggestion and we definitely want to decrease your "friends" bitterness if we can.  While Zam is not in the lineup yet, it's a fair bet that she will make it into the 2010 line as one of those very interesting figures that is defintely in need of an update.  Great idea on the removable head; while the mask has charm, a head may be the better way to go.

[Napseeker]

Thanks for picking my questions... I'm a bit disappointed that Hasbro doesn't seem too keen to use the Indy line as a way to give us the dead Owen and Beru (it just seems like such an ideal and sneaky way to do it).

Wonder why they put "friend" in quotes?  It actually is a real friend of mine who owns a toy store and who periodically complained about his useless Zam Speeder.  Hasbro made a lot of vehicles at that time period which were barely suited towards comfortably fitting their action-posed Saga figures.

[Darth Spice]

The Sandtroopers won't get their interrogation methods turned into a figure eh? Too bad I've seen many "crispy" customs over the years and as desperate as they are for money, as we always hear about their cost issues in the QnA's! Maybe in the future, who knows maybe ask Yoda will say something better next time!

[DarthWormie]

Here's the latest Q & A feedback from Hasbro, hot off the press:

1: Normally figures with snap-on armor are not something I care for (due to the compromised articulation and the often non-neutral pose) but I was very happy with the recent TAC Jango Fett with removeable armor. He had great articulation, a totally neutral arm and leg pose, and thin snap-on armor that didn't "bulk up" the overall figure. Great job Hasbro!  I am now wondering (requesting) if we might get a similar Boba Fett with the same quality articulation and thin armor somewhere down the road?
 
Also, I wasn't so happy with the red fatigues training clone which actually retained many of the issues which originally soured me on removable armor figures: lack of articulation, a bizarre non-neutral leg pose, and an inability to sit (and have lunch with his fellow clones!). I realize the odds are slim in the immediate future, but will Hasbro revisit this character and give him SA and soft skirt piece? I would have loved to have bought a few training clones to make a Kamino diorama but this current version didn't really make the cut.

Unlikely that we'll see either of these versions any time soon. The Boba figure seems like a natural, but is tough simply because there isn't an on-screen or even EU version of Boba without armor based on our notes (if fans know of something, please give us the feedback).  As for the Clone, we were pleased we could bring him out as we did.  This was an expensive figure for us to do since there was such a high piece count, and it's highly unlikely we'll ever do a basic figure upgrade to SA.  If we ever do a non-basic figure (battle pack, etc) your suggestion would certainly have merit and we'll keep it in mind.

 
2: Previously you mentioned that the comic book-style coloring in the Marvel packs was something that was popular with customers. However, I think that the reaction on a few forums to the upcoming Fenn Shysa and Tobbi figures, as well as to the red-cape Lando with blue-arms Stormtrooper would suggest that this niche approach can be adhered to a little too overzealously by Hasbro. There have indeed been some neat figures to come out of this style: the white R2-D2, the Marvel Boba Fett, and purple RA-7. But then we also have seen blue-tinted Stormtrooper Luke/Han (which you did eventually reissue without the blue) and now Day-Glo green and orange Fenn and Tobbi.
It's worth noting that R2 and Boba are desirable because they are neat variants of already-existing figures that were available in the realistic paintjobs FIRST but collectors complain bitterly when unique figures like Stormtrooper Luke and Han which some have waited for a long time, show up first in non-realistic styles.
 
And worse, when characters like Fenn and Tobbi, which might never be released again, are seemingly only going to be shipped in really ugly green and oranges when it'd be more desirable for Hasbro to take an approach similar to the Animated Debut Boba Fett: faithful to the source, but not overly saturated and cartoonish. If Hasbro simply said: "Don't worry, we will indeed release Fenn and Tobbi in more realistic style in a few months after" this would probably alleviate some complaints (regardless of how much I want these characters, I would not buy the comic book paint versions even if a realistically-painted versions were never to come, so Hasbro loses a sale by only offering this version).  Some choices are also a bit odd: why blue-arm Stormtroopers?  As much as I'd love to buy a red-caped Lando, I am stopped by the fact that I'd end up with an odd Stormtrooper that doesn't fit in with my existing army builders of Stormies, and am thus paying a premium for a Lando figure that typically ends up pegwarming. The blue-armed trooper causes Hasbro to lose out a sale.
 
Given all this, why not simply make it policy that we will always get a running change from comic to realistic paintjobs for these Marvel packs (which are cheap to do since it's just a repaint) and guarantee a sale from customers such as myself who normally won't buy the comic-book styled figures? Or with a character as popular as Lumiya, you'd probably sell both versions to someone like myself.

We know there is fan chatter about the Marvel series, and while some boards may not embrace the coloration, others want us to continue exploring the Marvel source material as we have been doing for a portion of the comic line. Whether some fans like it or not, the coloration in the Marvel series is part of the EU canon, evocative of the charm of the post-movie era, when the comics were the only storytelling around.  Due to this importance in the EU universe, and the nostalgia they evince and interesting characters they introduce, a good portion of the collector-base seems to appreciate this approach .

It is certainly not our intent or charter to reinterpret the EU canon, but rather we embrace it as part of the amazingly rich comic storytelling history of Star Wars. Therefore we (with Lucasfilm) have decided to be true to the source material and that means using the coloring that the creative teams at the time (with Lucasfilm) chose for those characters.  That leads to your second question: Doing alternate versions of these characters.  It's an interesting thought, but highly unlikely that we will have the luxury to do these characters a second time - instead spending our product "slots" on new packs.  With the item count constraints we have, we feel lucky to be able to bring out the variety we have been, and strive to make each one "definitive" since it's likely the only chance we'll get for many of these characters.  Thanks as always for the interest and questions on comic packs; they are certainly one of the most talked-about of all the Star Wars sublines and we appreciate the passion.
 
3) I was wondering if Hasbro will ever do a remake of anakin as a boy.  A super articulated one that comes with his pod racing helmet and and seethreepio w/ head and torso?

It is likely that we will get to a new EpI Anakin at some point, but so far we haven't slotted him in to the lineup yet.

[Napseeker]

Well I'm disappointed in their stance on the Marvel comic colors but I guess this is Hasbro's way of saving me money then (for food and gas! )

Anyhoo...

Q: Why is the TAC RotS 2-1B figure so insanely tiny? You mentioned previously that sometimes a figure, like the recent Kashyyyk Trooper, turns out slightly smaller than anticipated due to issues with the tooling or the plastic, but 2-1B was actually so far off the canonical size compared to the film (I rewatched that scene to even confirm it) that I thought he belonged in a separate 3 and 1/4 inch figure line of his own. Was it a design choice or a cost-saving measure (i.e. save money on plastic usage) or a serious flaw in the tooling?  If Hasbro does do an Empire Strikes Back 2-1B in the future, please tell us that this scaling issue will be fixed, as the articulation was excellent here but the size really detracted from the overall quality of the figure (and made it quite the pegwarmer in my area).


Q: In an earlier Q&A, regarding the comment that lately Han Solo seems to have super skinny legs, I think some clarification is needed... we've seen that Hasbro has reused the VotC Han's legs (if not reused the tooling, then kept the same leg scaling on any new tooling) in a few figures: Torture Han, VTSC Endor Han, TAC Falcon Pilot Han, and now Deleted Scene Han. The actual gist of the critique wasn't intended to suggest that the legs are universally too skinny - for example, on both the original VotC Han and the Pilot Han, the legs look fairly good and I don't believe ever seeing anyone complain about them on those figures. But for your Torture and Endor Han, Hasbro went with a separately molded black vest / TESB jacket, which is a great idea but because the vests are so thick, they give Han a WAY bigger upper body than lower body.  The VotC-legs wind up looking skinny in comparison (as if Han was a weightlifter who only did upper body weight lifting!).

The follow-up question then is why not go with the approach that you used when you made the Yavin Ceremony Luke? He also has a separately-molded jacket but in this case, it is considerably thinner plastic which prevents his upper body from appearing bulkier than his legs. All that said, the Deleted Scene Han does feel too skinny overall actually, even without a heavy jacket; as fans of Han, who is the "man's man" of the SW universe, most of us what to see a Han who looks rugged and muscular (but not crazy like PotF2 Han!!!) as opposed to the more "tall and slender" look. In the new Indiana Jones figures for example, Hasbro has done an outstanding job at conveying (sculpting) that ruggedness we expect of a Harrison Ford figure.

Q: One of the things that worries me as someone who has army built a lot (a LOT) of eps2 and eps3 clonetroopers, and now a lot of TAC Stormtroopers, is the longevity of the whiteness of the plastic. Two years ago, I opened up two of my VotC Stormtroopers and put them on a dark bookshelf for display. In 2 years, I barely have touched them and have kept them out of sunlight but I noticed that their chest armor has begun to yellow quite noticeably (yet the rest of the armor is not as yellow yet). While I did expect over time for the plastic to change color a bit, this seemed to happen a lot lot sooner than I'd ever thought possible.

Now granted, at the end of the day, these are just toys to many and meant to be played with and perhaps even discarded eventually, but for any collector who has army built vast numbers of these figures, obviously it would be maddening to say the least if our armies of white turned to armies of yellow in only 2 or 3 years of buying and opening them. I wanted to ask if Hasbro is aware of this kind of concern given that white is the predominant color of the armies we are building up at huge cost and if you in any way discuss the issue internally. You obviously use different white plastics (e.g. the AT-TE gunner figures had one of the worst plastics given they were already yellowing only weeks after I opened mine up). Is resistance to discoloration a factor at all in your clone or stormtrooper figure design?  And does it cost significantly more to use a more resistant white plastic e.g. the plastic used in the Evo figures compared to an AT-TE gunner or Deluxe Clonetrooper?


Q: Even though we are in a terrific era of soft goods and being a lover of things cloth, I was recently looking at my eps1 Darth Sidious figure and remarking at the great job that Hasbro did in sculpting the plastic robes on him.  I don't think I'm alone in saying that this figure captures the look of the Emperor in both the PT and OT eras better than any other sculpt so far, mainly because of the ability to capture the folds of the cloth in a way that soft goods can't and most important of all, the drape of the Emperor's hood!  Is there any chance that Hasbro might retool this figure someday to give him new arms (obviously one to hold his cane) and cast it in black plastic (to match the Evolutions Palpatine) with grey skin?

[CommanderNaruto]

SWEET! my question was asked funny thing is i just bought a loose anakin w/ pod racer for 3.99 at a garage sale real nice condition but the anakin pretty much sucked

[Clone22]

Unlikely that we'll see either of these versions any time soon. The Boba figure seems like a natural, but is tough simply because there isn't an on-screen or even EU version of Boba without armor based on our notes (if fans know of something, please give us the feedback). 

In The Unifying Force - last book of the NJO series, Han recognizes a familiar voice (which he can't place), but not the face of a dark-haired man his age wearing an old, gray flight suit with a broad red belt. This happened on Caluula. They had some conversation after Han introduced himself. The man went by the name "Hurn." Later, "Hurn (wearing the rest of his armor and jetpack) would save Han's life --- Han would return the favor shortly after. Finally, when escaping the Yuuzhan Vong invasion in the MF, Fett saved Han one more time with the Slave 1.

[jacensolo66]

Unlikely that we'll see either of these versions any time soon. The Boba figure seems like a natural, but is tough simply because there isn't an on-screen or even EU version of Boba without armor based on our notes (if fans know of something, please give us the feedback). 

In The Unifying Force - last book of the NJO series, Han recognizes a familiar voice (which he can't place), but not the face of a dark-haired man his age wearing an old, gray flight suit with a broad red belt. This happened on Caluula. They had some conversation after Han introduced himself. The man went by the name "Hurn." Later, "Hurn (wearing the rest of his armor and jetpack) would save Han's life --- Han would return the favor shortly after. Finally, when escaping the Yuuzhan Vong invasion in the MF, Fett saved Han one more time with the Slave 1.

hasbro probably means they want a picture like from a comic or something. they dont seem to want to get into novel characters.

[MonkeyCrumb]

Questions for Hasbro:


2. Since the Indiana Jones Temple of Doom wave of figures should be hitting retail around the time that the mail-away offer for the Crystal Skeleton figure expires, will the mail-away offer be extended to allow for the lateness of that wave relative to the offer? Many of us plan to army-build from this wave and would like more crystal skeletons!

3. Will the Indiana Jones 3 3/4 inch Deluxe series continue into 2009? This line seems to be selling very well and there are still so many possibilities for this line! We're hoping to see the TLC motorcycle with side car and the TOD Mine Cars! Plus the ending of ROTLA when the ark is opened, a 2-pack of Indy and Marion tied to the pole would be great!

[gorkoracing]

Check out the latest:

1: What are the chances that Hasbro will produce a comic 2-pack based on the Jango Fett: Open Seasons comic? Aside from the fact that there are plenty of Mandalorians to pick from, I noticed that it is also an excellent chance for collectors to get both a young Count Dooku (before he left the Jedi Order) and a young Jango Fett wearing the Boba Fett-style armor! Both figures would be relatively cheap to make since you obviously now have the Evo Fett tooling and any number of existing Jedi bodies to kitbash a new Christopher Lee character.

There is a very strong chance that some day you will see at least one, if not more, comic packs based on this series.
 
2: If Hasbro ever updated the OT-era Red Royal Guard, would it be a new sculpt or just a reuse of the RotS sculpt? I'm still hopeful for ball-jointed elbows on a future Royal Guard but more importantly, is there a way to revisit the robes in a way that's a bit more flattering to the character?  I love softgoods, but admittedly in the case of this figure, I had to agree with a friend of mine that it looked as though he were wearing a moo-moo and needed to lose some weight underneath! I think the main issue seems to be everything flares out a bit too much (both the moo-moo and cape) so perhaps using some velcro or thin wire to allow for the robes to be tightened up a bit would help?

We would like to update the Royal Guard to SA status some day, but he will have to continue waiting a bit longer until we slot him in.  You make interesting (and accurate) observations on the soft goods; next time we get to the Royal Guard we'll take a look at the issue and see what can be done to tailor the robe.  It may not be possible in the basic figure line, but it deserves some study.

3: Given that there seem to be many other rebels at Yavin who wear an outfit similar to the Rebel Honor Guard, will Hasbro be reusing that mold any time soon to churn out a few more Yavin rebels for us?  It seems like most are only a quick color change or head swap and baseball cap a way from being realized and obviously the cost of making these guys from existing tooling is relatively cheap for Hasbro to do.

We have been looking at some of these guys, and we will probably do at least one of them before the end of next year.  There is a very good chance we'll do more of them as time goes on, although it will be a more patient approach to them since they are pretty minor background troopers. Still, we are very glad to see fans of the Rebels asking for more!

[Napseeker]

Fantastic news to hear we'll get another Yavin rebel for next year, and Open Seasons had a lot of great characters so good news overall   

ADD: Since some of my last batch of questions were long-winded and Hasbro has requested to minimize these types, I'm going to add some more shortly worded questions to mix in with my longer ones:


Q: The BMF instructions mention that once you connect the mandibles to the main hull, they can't be removed. In the future, could Hasbro tweak this so that the mandibles might be removable? Some of us don't have enough room to store the entire size of the Falcon and it'd be nice to have the option to display it as a playset (for the interior) and leave the mandibles off so it can fit on a smaller table.  In fact, for future "big" vehicles, having an option to disconnect some parts and display only a smaller part of the toy would be a great boon for those of us living in smaller apartments.

Q: When Hasbro offered mini-holograms for the TSC line, a great opportunity was missed to give us a TESB-style holo Vader (with his hands on his hips).  Any chance Hasbro will give us this as an accessory eventually, e.g. an updated SA General Veers with the holo Vader?

Q: Any chance that the forthcoming SA eps2 Obi-Wan will have two heads (one with normal hair, another with the "wet hair" look from his outdoor Kamino scenes) that we can choose from?

Q: If Hasbro made a Torryn Farr figure, is there any chance she might come packed with a large set piece (similar to Torture Rack Han and Vaporator Luke). Obviously the hope would be for her to sit down at her Ion Cannon control station and issue out orders to fire the cannon.
 
Q: Even on the many rumor lists that I've seen online, there's been no hint of Hasbro giving us a new fully SA Princess Leia from ANH.  Given we still haven't gotten the definitive ANH Leia yet (though the VotC one is decent, but my vintage Kenner Leia still remains the best overall especially because of the great face sculpt) will she be coming soon?

[odiewan]

Here is this week's Hasbro's Q&A response.

1) I've noticed that the new Homing Spider seems a bit "short", that is the spherical pod seems to be resting a little too close to ground level when compared to the film version. In the clips that I've seen the distance from the underside of the pod (including the cannon) to the ground seems to be high enough that a Super Battle Droid could stand just under the pod. In the toy however, that distance is far less, maybe half the height of the SBD. Is there any way to adjust the height higher or will Hasbro tweak it so that the pod will be raised higher as it is connected to its legs?

We designed the biggest & best toy we could afford to hit our price point for this guy, and that meant balancing out the articulation, size, and tooling. There is no way to adjust the height. If we added to the height, something else would have had to give or we would not have been able to afford it at all.   It's one of our favorites, and hope that once you get it (this was submitted prior to 7/26) that you approve!
 
2)  There was previous mention by Hasbro of a ROTJ style Rancor based on the recent TFU Target exclusive Rancor mold. Is this still coming, and will it come with a newly sculpted Malakili, the Rancor Keeper? This figure is long overdue for an update and packing him in with the Rancor seems to be the best way to prevent him from pegwarming.

By now, you have seen the Rancor based on the new TFU mold (with new molded parts for EpVI).  He (she?) will come with Luke, but we can confirm that a new Malakili will be coming in 2009 in the EpVI wave.

3) Was there any reason why it was not possible to have a passageway that connects the BMF's cockpit to the rest of the ship's crew area?  Was it a structural issue or a cost-saving measure?

There were actually several reasons why this was considered, but ultimately not executed.  First was structural support; as this is a big vehicle, we needed to make sure that it had all the structural integrity possible and it was deemed necessary to have a solid "wall" there. Second, there are lights, wires and switches that needed to run through the area.  Third, it would have required more parts than we had in the plans.  And finally, it still would have been a tight passage and not that fun to push figures through.  So for all of these reasons, that passage was left closed.

[Lt. Starfox]

hhmm, a new ROTJ Rancor for sure and a new Malakili...cool

[VadersFist]

I'll take another Rancor.