JediTricks
09-29-2006, 07:12 PM
Due to Columbus Day on Monday, Hasbro won't be taking questions this week, so voting will continue until next Friday, the 13th. Because of the extension,
the vote allotment has been bumped up to 6 {six}
Please post your VOTE for up to 6 {six} of the questions provided in this thread, letting us know which ones you most want to see asked on Friday, October 13th. Keep in mind that your votes in round 12 do not count in this round, so if your question is still on the list, you may want to vote for it again.
Also, when submitting a new question post it separately from your votes, a moderator will later edit it, add it to the list, and delete the question's post to keep the thread clutter-free. Try to keep the questions as clear and concise as possible. Hasbro's answers from previous SSG questions (http://www.sirstevesguide.com/index.php?categoryid=13&p2_articleid=76); and from other sites (http://www.sirstevesguide.com/index.php?categoryid=13&p2_articleid=220).
Current questions (vote for up to 6):
- Could we get a re-release of the hard-to-find Expanded Universe figures from 1998?
- What is the status/future of Action Fleet under its original concept - minifigure interaction and true play features?
- What is the status/future of actual Micro Machines (the smallest vehicles Galoob regularly made in plastic)?
- What is the status of Playskool's Jedi Force line?
- Having met some of you at SD Comic-Con, where I've been able to talk to you and learn all sorts of things about the struggle involved in making these toys, I wonder if maybe you'd consider sharing a lot more of that with collectors in general? If not, why? - asked by Plasticfetish
- Back when you were posting updates about the Fan's Choice figure development on your site, it did a lot to generate interest. Any chance that you'd go back to doing somethig like that? If not, why?
- I've seen the Kenner and Galoob logos on a few things lately. Is that just a "special" thing, or are we looking to see a relaunch of some old brands?
- Are more properties aside from Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica and Transformers planned for the Titanium Series lines?
- On the local level Hasbro gets only raw info on which items are selling at major retailers, but not specific trends such as what percentage are kids, collectors, hoarders, scalpers; nor why some figures sell poorly (is it a poor figure or the case ratio). Would Hasbro considerusing local collectors as area representatives for the Star Wars line?
- With each figure in The Saga Collection line having at least 6 different "exclusive hologram figure" pack-ins, some collectors think these were created solely to sell multiples of the same figure to completists. What was the thinking behind these "exclusive hologram figure" pack-ins, and why change the color from blue to red when there were no red character holograms in the movies?
- What are the chances of seeing a relauch of the Collector Fleet series (the larger, electronic starships of the Rebel Blockade Runner, Imperial Star Destroyer, & the very-rare Super Star Destroyer from '96), with new entries such as ROTS ships like the Venator Class Star Destroyer and The Invisible Hand?
- Any chance of getting a figure of "Heater", the character name given to the human actor stand-in for Jabba in for A New Hope played by Declan Mullholland?
- What's the chance of re-releasing older, harder-to-find figures (such as the Sio Bibble wave, the Admiral Motti wave, etc.)?
- Is there any way that Hasbro Toy Shop could be better-stocked than it is? There's rarely any new product on that site.
- Canadaian collectors miss out on a many of the US-only store exclusives. Any chance Canadians could have every exclusive figure/vehicle/combination made available on shop.starwars.com after their shelf runs in the US stores?
- Why were there only 5 Vintage-style figures this year, and why was Empire Strikes Back left out of the line-up when there are such candidates as Snowtrooper, Bespin Luke, Bespin Han, the Hoth incarnations of Han, Luke, & Leia, and even ESB style Boba Fett waiting to be made?
- Is there any possibility of seeing a 7" Unleashed Clone Wars Animated wave?
- Removable lightsaber blades so Jedi figures could have saber accessories that were "on" or "off" and could be worn on their belts was a good concept, but this made the blades more fragile. Are there any plans to release Jedi figures - both main characters and secondary - with both solid one piece ignited lightsaber and "off" lightsaber hilt accessories?
- What is the status of the Holiday line? Any thoughts to a release of a Padme & Anakin with baby Luke manger type of scene?
- With talk about the Expanded Universe figures returning in 2007, are the EU figures going to be short-packed like Scorch or will there be enough for everyone?
- Would Hasbro willing to create a catalog of replacement parts for those parts that break or get easily lost on vehicles and playsets so consumers can always get replacements even long after the toy has stopped manufacturing? If not, why not?
- If Hasbro feels that mid-sized vehicles is the way to go, then will we be seeing more airspeeders and landspeeders in the forseeable future? Some of the airspeeders are pretty much snubfighter sized.
- What is with the somewhat recent practice of putting the faces of clone template actors Temuera Morrison and Bodie Taylor on helmeted troopers that we never see unmasked in the movies, especially those in the Original Trilogy who likely are not clones (and if they are clones wouldn't be clones of Jango Fett since the DNA source was killed in Episode 2)?
- Eventually will all the Episode III Clone Commanders be released as an entire set?
- With the release of the George Lucas in Stormtrooper Disguise and the Lucas Family Collection, can we expect to see a George Lucas the Director action figure in his trademarked flannel shirt and perhaps variations of old and young Lucas?
- Will there ever be a Fan's Choice Titanium Series Forged Figure?
- Will you ever release the Trade Federation PK Droid seen in The Phantom Menace? You could use the Star Wars Saga SP-4 figure mold for the body since they have the same design, and just make a new head.
- Are the new 30th Anniv. Super Battle Droid's flames removable, and does this figure have ball-jointed hips or mid-torso articulation?
- If Hasbro is "testing the waters" with the new Unleashed reissues, why release figures like Grievous who were easy to obtain the first time? Why not the second (unmasked) Darth Vader, which you've said you know everyone wants and very few people were able to get?
- If the retailers were largely concerned with the size of the Unleashed figures packaging, why re-release them in packaging that is about double the size, especially given that they would logically be a tougher sell at the 33% higher price?
- On the issue of perceived value with small figures like Ewoks, Jawas, Astromech droids, etc., while scale-accuracy is important, smaller figures have often come in 2-packs - Wicket & Logray, Jawa 2pack, Gonk Droid & Jawa, Yoda & Chian, Jedi Padawans, Library Droids, even the just-released Dud Bold & Mars Guo; Wicket & Logray are not only a 2-pack but are scaled-up for perceived value - yet the recent Chief Chirpa feels like a very empty package because it's a very small figure with few accessories. Why was Chirpa not part of a 2-pack, and would Hasbro consider using the basic 2-pack format with smaller figures again in the future to give greater value for buyers' money and get more figures out there?
- We often wonder why the current "kids market" is treated so much differently from the "collectors market", could you explain Hasbro's perceptions of the distinctions between the "collectors market" and "kids market" in Star Wars collecting? Isn't that line blurred since most adult collectors started their interest as kids dating back to Kenner's first Star Wars action figures with notions of "collect them all" in 1978? There's a notion among collectors that the "kids market" is more important to Hasbro in the Star Wars collecting even though collectors make up a significant portion of the line's consumers and often buy multiples of each item, are kids today that much different in how they buy and enjoy their toys from 28 years ago that they should be treated as "non-collectors"?
- Recently you were quoted as saying that Hasbro had subcontracted the 12" figures to Sideshow as their smaller business model allowed them to manufacture collector-quality 12" figures in a more cost effective manner. Given Hasbro's shelfspace limitations and struggles to generate profits with playsets, larger vehicles, and Micro Machines/Action Fleet, would Hasbro consider subcontracting those fan-desired items out to other companies?
- Hasbro's efforts to produce a transforming Droid Fighter/Vulture Droid in the 3¾" line wasn't too successful, yet the Action Fleet Droid Starfighter mold is a very accurate version of the transformation with a quality sculpt and opening wings that's also a tougher toy and coincidentally is nearly the same size as the Hasbro 3¾" line's version. Can Hasbro start using that Action Fleet mold as the 3¾" line's Vulture Droid? It could even be offered in Ep 1 colors and Ep 3 colors.
- Buyers have long suffered basic figure case assortments that cause more collecting problems than they solve, whether they be cases trying to refresh older product, focus on unpopular figures across multiple cases, or an extended lack of focus on popular figures - even a perception of intentional shortpacking (and I don't mean chase figures like UGH, that's a separate can of worms). Case revisions often don't do enough to remedy the problem, sometimes making it even worse. Currently, the "Greatest Battles" and "Heroes & Villains" older-figure assortments are in heavy rotation and are choking off shelfspace for actual new assortments in many markets. Nearly every Target, Toys R Us, and Wal-mart is stuffed with those figures which move much slower and have no room to put out the newest TSC wave, Endor 2/The Phantom Menace. Now Hasbro is saying this "greatest hits" style of assortment will be continuing next year. Why are new-product case assortments still such a problem, what is Hasbro doing to deal with the problems beyond simple case revisions, and - understanding that there is some need for older figures to keep a continued presence on shelves - how will the current problems of the "greatest hits" assortment be addressed?
- Can HasbroToyShop.com's ordering system be augmented with an active preorder system on all items listed as "coming soon"? Currently they cannot be preordered if they're still listed as "coming soon". And/or how about an email-notification system on "coming soon" and "out of stock" items? All the pages say now are "check back soon" which isn't too handy, especially for high-demand items that sell out quickly once they go online.
- Now that we're getting a super-articulated Super Battle Droid figure in the 30th Anniv. line, can we expect to see a super-articulated regular Battle Droid as well? If not, what is holding that back?
- What are the chances that you will make the Homing Spider Droid and Corporate Alliance Tank Droid in 3¾" scale if they appear in the upcoming animated series? And their chances if they don't appear in the series, or perhaps do you already have plans to make either of them? Would you be willing to add cockpits inside each for extra play value which don't affect the look of the outside (this would be consistent with Star Wars Battlefront 2)?
- With Hasbro now producing 6" super articulated Marvel figures, could we eventually see a special line with 6" super articulated Star Wars figures?
- Lots of fans love both Jedi Starfighters and were looking foward to the AOTC Action Fleet release and then the ROTS Titanium 6" Ultra release, both were cancelled just before going into production but were tooled. Could these be saved from limbo and presented as an exclusive special Titanium 2-pack?
- Has Hasbro considered taking figures that were released in the original Kenner vintage line that have already been remade with modern VOTC quality (example: OTC Cloud Car Pilot) and packaging them on VOTC-style packaging, perhaps for a lower price than new-mold VOTC go for (msrp $10)?
- Are there going to be any more silver 'raw metal' Titanium 3" ships like the silver Slave I, 5-pack Millennium Falcon, 5-pack Death Star, etc.?
- Why aren't all the SW forum boards voting on the inclusion for next year's Greatest Hits line?
- Hasbro was previously asked in a Q&A if the cancelled trophy edition OOM-9 could be released in a Battle Pack, and the response was "If [it] would fit into a future scene we want to do, we'd consider [it]." What about releasing cancelled OOM-9 and also the cancelled Destroyer Droid (from the Droideka vs Gungan 2pack) and Trophy Edition Obi-Wan as regular basic carded figures?
- Hasbro previously said in a Q&A they wouldn't be releasing any new Separatist Leaders in 2007, but when you do decide to visit these characters, instead of worrying about basic figures not selling, what about offering them as a set like the upcoming Death Star Imperial Briefing set? You could even do an AOTC set and an ROTS set.
- Since two recent Neimoidian figures (Neimoidian Warrior and Lushros Dofine) were extremely heavy pegwarmers, how does that affect the chances of more Neimoidian figures being made in the future?
- With the Saga Collection being extended, will the miniature hologram figures change color once again, stay red, or go back to blue?
- What is with the rumored price increase to around $8 for basic figures, is that Hasbro's new MSRP? While we understand that costs can go up, 3¾" Star Wars figures are already in the same price neighborhood as as many larger licensed figures with more moving parts, such as Marvel Legends and DC Superheroes, can money be saved by eliminating the "bonus pack-ins" such as holo minifigs and collector coins which a lot of collectors and kids alike think are needless? Does Hasbro really think the market can bear yet another price hike for 3¾" Star Wars figures without driving away more customers?Vote now, and in separate posts, add new questions!
the vote allotment has been bumped up to 6 {six}
Please post your VOTE for up to 6 {six} of the questions provided in this thread, letting us know which ones you most want to see asked on Friday, October 13th. Keep in mind that your votes in round 12 do not count in this round, so if your question is still on the list, you may want to vote for it again.
Also, when submitting a new question post it separately from your votes, a moderator will later edit it, add it to the list, and delete the question's post to keep the thread clutter-free. Try to keep the questions as clear and concise as possible. Hasbro's answers from previous SSG questions (http://www.sirstevesguide.com/index.php?categoryid=13&p2_articleid=76); and from other sites (http://www.sirstevesguide.com/index.php?categoryid=13&p2_articleid=220).
Current questions (vote for up to 6):
- Could we get a re-release of the hard-to-find Expanded Universe figures from 1998?
- What is the status/future of Action Fleet under its original concept - minifigure interaction and true play features?
- What is the status/future of actual Micro Machines (the smallest vehicles Galoob regularly made in plastic)?
- What is the status of Playskool's Jedi Force line?
- Having met some of you at SD Comic-Con, where I've been able to talk to you and learn all sorts of things about the struggle involved in making these toys, I wonder if maybe you'd consider sharing a lot more of that with collectors in general? If not, why? - asked by Plasticfetish
- Back when you were posting updates about the Fan's Choice figure development on your site, it did a lot to generate interest. Any chance that you'd go back to doing somethig like that? If not, why?
- I've seen the Kenner and Galoob logos on a few things lately. Is that just a "special" thing, or are we looking to see a relaunch of some old brands?
- Are more properties aside from Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica and Transformers planned for the Titanium Series lines?
- On the local level Hasbro gets only raw info on which items are selling at major retailers, but not specific trends such as what percentage are kids, collectors, hoarders, scalpers; nor why some figures sell poorly (is it a poor figure or the case ratio). Would Hasbro considerusing local collectors as area representatives for the Star Wars line?
- With each figure in The Saga Collection line having at least 6 different "exclusive hologram figure" pack-ins, some collectors think these were created solely to sell multiples of the same figure to completists. What was the thinking behind these "exclusive hologram figure" pack-ins, and why change the color from blue to red when there were no red character holograms in the movies?
- What are the chances of seeing a relauch of the Collector Fleet series (the larger, electronic starships of the Rebel Blockade Runner, Imperial Star Destroyer, & the very-rare Super Star Destroyer from '96), with new entries such as ROTS ships like the Venator Class Star Destroyer and The Invisible Hand?
- Any chance of getting a figure of "Heater", the character name given to the human actor stand-in for Jabba in for A New Hope played by Declan Mullholland?
- What's the chance of re-releasing older, harder-to-find figures (such as the Sio Bibble wave, the Admiral Motti wave, etc.)?
- Is there any way that Hasbro Toy Shop could be better-stocked than it is? There's rarely any new product on that site.
- Canadaian collectors miss out on a many of the US-only store exclusives. Any chance Canadians could have every exclusive figure/vehicle/combination made available on shop.starwars.com after their shelf runs in the US stores?
- Why were there only 5 Vintage-style figures this year, and why was Empire Strikes Back left out of the line-up when there are such candidates as Snowtrooper, Bespin Luke, Bespin Han, the Hoth incarnations of Han, Luke, & Leia, and even ESB style Boba Fett waiting to be made?
- Is there any possibility of seeing a 7" Unleashed Clone Wars Animated wave?
- Removable lightsaber blades so Jedi figures could have saber accessories that were "on" or "off" and could be worn on their belts was a good concept, but this made the blades more fragile. Are there any plans to release Jedi figures - both main characters and secondary - with both solid one piece ignited lightsaber and "off" lightsaber hilt accessories?
- What is the status of the Holiday line? Any thoughts to a release of a Padme & Anakin with baby Luke manger type of scene?
- With talk about the Expanded Universe figures returning in 2007, are the EU figures going to be short-packed like Scorch or will there be enough for everyone?
- Would Hasbro willing to create a catalog of replacement parts for those parts that break or get easily lost on vehicles and playsets so consumers can always get replacements even long after the toy has stopped manufacturing? If not, why not?
- If Hasbro feels that mid-sized vehicles is the way to go, then will we be seeing more airspeeders and landspeeders in the forseeable future? Some of the airspeeders are pretty much snubfighter sized.
- What is with the somewhat recent practice of putting the faces of clone template actors Temuera Morrison and Bodie Taylor on helmeted troopers that we never see unmasked in the movies, especially those in the Original Trilogy who likely are not clones (and if they are clones wouldn't be clones of Jango Fett since the DNA source was killed in Episode 2)?
- Eventually will all the Episode III Clone Commanders be released as an entire set?
- With the release of the George Lucas in Stormtrooper Disguise and the Lucas Family Collection, can we expect to see a George Lucas the Director action figure in his trademarked flannel shirt and perhaps variations of old and young Lucas?
- Will there ever be a Fan's Choice Titanium Series Forged Figure?
- Will you ever release the Trade Federation PK Droid seen in The Phantom Menace? You could use the Star Wars Saga SP-4 figure mold for the body since they have the same design, and just make a new head.
- Are the new 30th Anniv. Super Battle Droid's flames removable, and does this figure have ball-jointed hips or mid-torso articulation?
- If Hasbro is "testing the waters" with the new Unleashed reissues, why release figures like Grievous who were easy to obtain the first time? Why not the second (unmasked) Darth Vader, which you've said you know everyone wants and very few people were able to get?
- If the retailers were largely concerned with the size of the Unleashed figures packaging, why re-release them in packaging that is about double the size, especially given that they would logically be a tougher sell at the 33% higher price?
- On the issue of perceived value with small figures like Ewoks, Jawas, Astromech droids, etc., while scale-accuracy is important, smaller figures have often come in 2-packs - Wicket & Logray, Jawa 2pack, Gonk Droid & Jawa, Yoda & Chian, Jedi Padawans, Library Droids, even the just-released Dud Bold & Mars Guo; Wicket & Logray are not only a 2-pack but are scaled-up for perceived value - yet the recent Chief Chirpa feels like a very empty package because it's a very small figure with few accessories. Why was Chirpa not part of a 2-pack, and would Hasbro consider using the basic 2-pack format with smaller figures again in the future to give greater value for buyers' money and get more figures out there?
- We often wonder why the current "kids market" is treated so much differently from the "collectors market", could you explain Hasbro's perceptions of the distinctions between the "collectors market" and "kids market" in Star Wars collecting? Isn't that line blurred since most adult collectors started their interest as kids dating back to Kenner's first Star Wars action figures with notions of "collect them all" in 1978? There's a notion among collectors that the "kids market" is more important to Hasbro in the Star Wars collecting even though collectors make up a significant portion of the line's consumers and often buy multiples of each item, are kids today that much different in how they buy and enjoy their toys from 28 years ago that they should be treated as "non-collectors"?
- Recently you were quoted as saying that Hasbro had subcontracted the 12" figures to Sideshow as their smaller business model allowed them to manufacture collector-quality 12" figures in a more cost effective manner. Given Hasbro's shelfspace limitations and struggles to generate profits with playsets, larger vehicles, and Micro Machines/Action Fleet, would Hasbro consider subcontracting those fan-desired items out to other companies?
- Hasbro's efforts to produce a transforming Droid Fighter/Vulture Droid in the 3¾" line wasn't too successful, yet the Action Fleet Droid Starfighter mold is a very accurate version of the transformation with a quality sculpt and opening wings that's also a tougher toy and coincidentally is nearly the same size as the Hasbro 3¾" line's version. Can Hasbro start using that Action Fleet mold as the 3¾" line's Vulture Droid? It could even be offered in Ep 1 colors and Ep 3 colors.
- Buyers have long suffered basic figure case assortments that cause more collecting problems than they solve, whether they be cases trying to refresh older product, focus on unpopular figures across multiple cases, or an extended lack of focus on popular figures - even a perception of intentional shortpacking (and I don't mean chase figures like UGH, that's a separate can of worms). Case revisions often don't do enough to remedy the problem, sometimes making it even worse. Currently, the "Greatest Battles" and "Heroes & Villains" older-figure assortments are in heavy rotation and are choking off shelfspace for actual new assortments in many markets. Nearly every Target, Toys R Us, and Wal-mart is stuffed with those figures which move much slower and have no room to put out the newest TSC wave, Endor 2/The Phantom Menace. Now Hasbro is saying this "greatest hits" style of assortment will be continuing next year. Why are new-product case assortments still such a problem, what is Hasbro doing to deal with the problems beyond simple case revisions, and - understanding that there is some need for older figures to keep a continued presence on shelves - how will the current problems of the "greatest hits" assortment be addressed?
- Can HasbroToyShop.com's ordering system be augmented with an active preorder system on all items listed as "coming soon"? Currently they cannot be preordered if they're still listed as "coming soon". And/or how about an email-notification system on "coming soon" and "out of stock" items? All the pages say now are "check back soon" which isn't too handy, especially for high-demand items that sell out quickly once they go online.
- Now that we're getting a super-articulated Super Battle Droid figure in the 30th Anniv. line, can we expect to see a super-articulated regular Battle Droid as well? If not, what is holding that back?
- What are the chances that you will make the Homing Spider Droid and Corporate Alliance Tank Droid in 3¾" scale if they appear in the upcoming animated series? And their chances if they don't appear in the series, or perhaps do you already have plans to make either of them? Would you be willing to add cockpits inside each for extra play value which don't affect the look of the outside (this would be consistent with Star Wars Battlefront 2)?
- With Hasbro now producing 6" super articulated Marvel figures, could we eventually see a special line with 6" super articulated Star Wars figures?
- Lots of fans love both Jedi Starfighters and were looking foward to the AOTC Action Fleet release and then the ROTS Titanium 6" Ultra release, both were cancelled just before going into production but were tooled. Could these be saved from limbo and presented as an exclusive special Titanium 2-pack?
- Has Hasbro considered taking figures that were released in the original Kenner vintage line that have already been remade with modern VOTC quality (example: OTC Cloud Car Pilot) and packaging them on VOTC-style packaging, perhaps for a lower price than new-mold VOTC go for (msrp $10)?
- Are there going to be any more silver 'raw metal' Titanium 3" ships like the silver Slave I, 5-pack Millennium Falcon, 5-pack Death Star, etc.?
- Why aren't all the SW forum boards voting on the inclusion for next year's Greatest Hits line?
- Hasbro was previously asked in a Q&A if the cancelled trophy edition OOM-9 could be released in a Battle Pack, and the response was "If [it] would fit into a future scene we want to do, we'd consider [it]." What about releasing cancelled OOM-9 and also the cancelled Destroyer Droid (from the Droideka vs Gungan 2pack) and Trophy Edition Obi-Wan as regular basic carded figures?
- Hasbro previously said in a Q&A they wouldn't be releasing any new Separatist Leaders in 2007, but when you do decide to visit these characters, instead of worrying about basic figures not selling, what about offering them as a set like the upcoming Death Star Imperial Briefing set? You could even do an AOTC set and an ROTS set.
- Since two recent Neimoidian figures (Neimoidian Warrior and Lushros Dofine) were extremely heavy pegwarmers, how does that affect the chances of more Neimoidian figures being made in the future?
- With the Saga Collection being extended, will the miniature hologram figures change color once again, stay red, or go back to blue?
- What is with the rumored price increase to around $8 for basic figures, is that Hasbro's new MSRP? While we understand that costs can go up, 3¾" Star Wars figures are already in the same price neighborhood as as many larger licensed figures with more moving parts, such as Marvel Legends and DC Superheroes, can money be saved by eliminating the "bonus pack-ins" such as holo minifigs and collector coins which a lot of collectors and kids alike think are needless? Does Hasbro really think the market can bear yet another price hike for 3¾" Star Wars figures without driving away more customers?Vote now, and in separate posts, add new questions!