star wars "saga"

[anarky]

Ran, I got an extra BG torso. If you need the arms, and are patient, you might check eBay (or even the local TRU's) for the repack figures who had those parts. Not sure offhand who they are.

BTW, nice deal at Costco: last year's BattlePacks for $24.99. Yes, that's the original going price. Twist is, that's for two (taped together, and in preset combos). I wanted something cooler than that goddamned Kamino Repack Bullshit set with the Endor set, but, alas, this is the only one if was packed with.

[Ran]

Why did they bring back those Force Battlers again? Haven't they failed 2 or 3 times already?

Our Costco didn't have the battle packs. Instead they have clone wars/prequel vehicles taped together for $25.

Found this at list at RS.
# Dark Trooper (Phase I) (includes BG-J38 left leg)
# K'Kruhk (includes BG-J38 right arm)
# Spacetrooper (includes BG-J38 right leg)
# Jacen Solo (includes BG-J38 head)
# Jaina Solo (includes BG-J38 body)
# Shaak Ti (includes BG-J38 left arm)
# Darth Maul (includes BG-J38 left arm)
# Obi-Wan Kenobi (includes BG-J38 head)
# Luke Skywalker (includes BG-J38 right arm)
# R2-D2 (includes BG-J38 left leg)
# Chewbacca (includes BG-J38 body)
# Cloud City Wing Guard (Utris M'Toc) (includes BG-J38 right leg)

I might as well just buy the individual pieces on ebay and hope a I can find a single seller that combines shipping. I'll buy/trade that extra torso.

[anarky]

The Jabba set is really, really nice. However, they used some really soft plastic on Oola's joints, which are tough to see because of her wrappings. So, mine has a broken leg. If I see tons here, I'll exchange it. If not, well, I'll glue her leg in place. I'd like the set to be intact, given what it costs, but, eh, it's just Oola.

[Ran]

I've dragged in all my boxes of SW and have been going through them. The POTJ AT-ST isn't nearly as cool as I thought it was. Its small and doesn't stand up straight, kind of like Snigtad's cock. Maybe I should have bought that new Walmart version after all.

Found a couple things my wife or mother-in-law bought it for me a long time ago as a gag gift. One was an ANH "Fun with Stickers" where you had to color in stickers. Not much to color in on a Stormtrooper or Darth Vader. The thing is from the mid-90s. So it apparently took someone years for someone to figure out how to color them in and when they did, they were immortalized in the comic packs. The other was a Rose Art Droid Factory. It has plastic plates with different droids on it (R2-D2, C-3PO, R5-D4, 2-1B, IG-88, etc.). It looks like I started a 2-1B at some point, so I finished coloring him in.



Also found the Early Bird mail away set. Leia (even thought she is a statue) and Chewbacca are fine. Noting special about R2. Luke falls into that good idea/poor execution category.

Also dug out my Slave I. Its the SOTE version. Funny that the POTF2 Boba Fett doesn't fit in right, but the modern one does. I've also come to the conclusion that the only decent Han Solo in Carbonite so far is the POTF2 version. How often can you say a POTF2 sculpt is better than anything newer?

Over the years, I've collected some weird shit. Still have the Taco Bell/KFC R2 cup. Then there are some bootleg figures from Korea, Korean Qui Gon Pepsi can, and R2 & C-3PO models from Korea I never put together.

[anarky]

Y'know, I wonder why Hasbro didn't look at what happened to the Simpsons toyline and learn from it.

I'm serious.

Playmates initially expressed an interest in making every character to appear on the show. But they got severely bogged down in resculpts of Bart and Homer, and it became clear that there was no way they could make every character, so people gave up. There's not so much need to have a character like Blue-Haired Lawyer, who's not important or memorable enough to have a following, if you know the set will never be complete.

And now we're getting a "new" Obi-Wan, Anakin, Vader, Luke, Han, Leia, Chewie, Yoda, Boba, Jango, Captain (Commander?) Rex, Mace, Plo Koon (pick any six or more) per wave, and they're willing to go on the record to say that a character like Jocasta Nu will never be made, regardless of how many lines she has or how important she is to the story. (And, yes, she's pretty important to what story AOTC has. It's a short role, but someone has to fill it.)

Are they not afraid some folks will say, "Well, gosh, if I'll never have Jocasta Nu, there's not a whole lot of point in buying that Dak Ralter"?

[Ran]

(And, yes, she's pretty important to what story AOTC has. It's a short role, but someone has to fill it.)

Kind of like Charleton Heston's role in Wayne's World 2.

[Senor JabbaJohnL]

That's ironic that you feel that way, as I've always heard that the Simpsons line failed due to them making too many background characters and not having the main characters more accessible to grab new fans. I mean, come on, just use your eyes. Yes, they make a shit ton of Darth Vaders and Yodas. But they outsell Yarna, the Organas, and Jeremoch Colton a thousand to one, and you know it. Even look right now at the pegs. The ones hanging around are Dengar and 4-LOM, not Luke and Han.

They've stated that, with The Vintage Collection, they wanted to start with mostly main characters to bring in people and then move into more obscure territory, as was the case when the line was starting in both 1978 and 1995, and for every movie line since. I mean, look at the upcoming ROTJ and AOTC waves. Yes, there are some main characters, but they're new or vastly improved versions, including some (like peasant Anakin) that you yourself were championing. The ROTJ wave's only main character is Luke, which is a long-requested upgrade. Even with the ROTS wave, which people are complaining about having too many main characters, there are several examples of long-requested figures (Sith eyes Anakin, Senate duel Sidious, proper-scale Grievous with cape).

There's a difference between being important to a story and being a good action figure, or one that sells well. Breha Organa is more important than Jocasta Nu, and nobody wanted to buy her. (If I recall, even you could barely bring yourself to get her.) Absolutely nobody - not even the actress' family - walked out of AOTC thinking, "Wow, I'd really like to own a Jocasta Nu action figure. Forget Mace Windu or Jango Fett - that library scene kicked fuckin' ass!"

[anarky]

No, but it's interesting that they pick random background characters that no one's asking for (Leesub Sirin) over equally random characters that have lines and are being asked for. And that they outright say they won't make them.

I didn't dispute anything you just said, I just find it weird that they don't, I dunno, make these weird characters as online exclusives or something. If they made Jocasta Nu and charged $15 for her, they'd have to sell less, but they'd sell enough to break even.

Everyone I knew who collected Simpsons got all of them, partly based on the idea that they could have a complete Springfield population, or something close to it--particularly after they announced the celebrity figures. What killed it was the requirement to buy expensive playsets to get major characters like Moe, playsets that only worked with a few figures and were out of date within a few months, and the sudden heavy focus on Bart and Homer variants. Not Bart and Homer repacks, and, generally, not variants of Bart and Homer anyone wanted. (I recall "Guy Incognito," Homer's double from the episode where Homer is banned from Moe's, as one that was highly requested and never even considered.)

I still think they should combine Legends and Vintage, and not constantly update the same characters in the same outfits every year just to update them. Keep Vader around, but keep it as the latest (or best) Vader until it's time to update him again. With other characters, mix this strategy with new outfits. Have Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, Vader, C-3PO, R2-D2, Yoda, Obi-Wan, Mace, Palpatine, Anakin, and Padme (yes, Padme) available in some form at least nine months out of the year. And when it comes to updating background characters, they need something a bit better than their current strategy. Momaw Nadon, Greedo, Bossk, Dengar... fuck, I love all these guys, but each figure has been great for the time in which it was released. Trouble is, someone like Dr. Evazan had one total shit figure in 1997 and has yet to be updated, despite him being a lot more iconic than Momaw Nadon. (Go up to anyone and say, "He dudn't like you. I don't like you either." Even if it's a newborn infant, they'll get it.) What about Jar Jar? Love him or hate him, he's half of The Phantom Menace, and when was the last new figure we got of him? A scene-specific one from 2001, if I'm not mistaken.

And Vader and C-3PO are the heavy pegwarmers here. Curiously, I noticed today that Leia appears to actually be selling well this time.

[Diabolical]

There will always be a kid just getting into Star Wars (especially now iwth Clone Wars) and doesn't have a Darth Vader or Boba Fett (or Clone/Stormtopper or Luke or Han or Artoo or Obi-Wan or Anakin, and so on), which is why the main/popular characters will always be in every wave. There is no getting away from it. And kids dwarf the number of collectors out there. If a kid walks into the toy aisle, looks at the Star Wars toys and sees and elderly woman, a fat bitch, random officer #43, generic Jedi #77, and Darth Vader, who do you think he's gonna pick?

it's interesting that they pick random background characters that no one's asking for (Leesub Sirin) over equally random characters that have lines and are being asked for. And that they outright say they won't make them.

Hasbro has said before that cool looking aliens sell better than many of the collectors most wanted figures, so they tend to get a higher priority.

And Vader and C-3PO are the heavy pegwarmers here. Curiously, I noticed today that Leia appears to actually be selling well this time.

Perhaps they're packed more per case?

[vynsane]

(And, yes, she's pretty important to what story AOTC has. It's a short role, but someone has to fill it.)

Kind of like Charleton Heston's role in Wayne's World 2.

SWEET, second wayne's world 2 reference this week!

GORDON street, oh, yes... i remember gordon street.

[Ran]

Wayne's World 2 is underrated.

You'd think they could cram some of the more obscure background characters fans want into an online exclusive multi-pack like that Death Star Officer set a while back.

[anarky]

But would it be too much to ask for Hasbro to recognize that collectors are getting sick of the constant resculpts, and just reissue the figures instead of trying to do something new every fucking time? If nothing else, more tooling money elsewhere.

I'm not saying release anything in large numbers. But make them. Even if they have to be online exclusives. Much as I love Teek, really, he shouldn't have been made before any number of movie characters who will never be made.

And I'm really surprised their recent history hasn't totally soured them on aliens.

[Ran]

It isn't rescuplts, its resculpting the wrong figures. Walrusman and Dr. Evazan could use an update (and I thought were coming out). Did anyone ever ask Hasbro why Leesub Sirin was made over other more requested cantina aliens like Bom Vimdin?

That wishlist poll at RS kind of answered some of the questions. They had Tarkin General Lando and a bunch of other resculpts on their list.

After this year, if they never make a new R2, C-3PO, Vader, Boba Fett, Chewbacca, or Luke Skywalker, I'd be fine.

[anarky]

I'm almost in agreement with you. I'd like a new ESB removable-limbs C-3PO based on the new sculpt, and possibly a revisit of the TPM C-3PO. Padme still needs quite a few outfits, and Leia needs some updates.

I am a long, long way from the days when I would buy anything Vader.

One thing that makes me wonder: apparently, the newest R2-D2 mold (coming soon in the ROTJ wave) is smaller than existing Artoos, because the figure was off-scale. Watching ROTJ this weekend, Wicket is about half the size of Artoo. So how the fuck small is Wicket going to be for $8?

[Senor JabbaJohnL]

No, but it's interesting that they pick random background characters that no one's asking for (Leesub Sirin) over equally random characters that have lines and are being asked for. And that they outright say they won't make them.

More people are interested in the cantina figures - even the super-obscure ones - than in Jocasta Nu. With Leesub Sirln, she's an interesting-looking figure (how many pink ladies are in the line aside from her?) that works well with other figures to populate an important, popular scene that evokes nostalgia for a lot of fans. Jocasta Nu is a boring old bitch who only interacts with Obi-Wan in one short scene in most people's least favorite film in the saga; her scene was cut from the IMAX version and the film honestly flowed better without it. You still get the vital information (Kamino's not in the archives) when Obi-Wan relays it to Yoda in the youngling scene and nothing is really lost whatsoever.

I didn't dispute anything you just said, I just find it weird that they don't, I dunno, make these weird characters as online exclusives or something. If they made Jocasta Nu and charged $15 for her, they'd have to sell less, but they'd sell enough to break even.

If people don't want her at $7, they're really not going to want her at $15 plus shipping.

I still think they should combine Legends and Vintage, and not constantly update the same characters in the same outfits every year just to update them. Keep Vader around, but keep it as the latest (or best) Vader until it's time to update him again. With other characters, mix this strategy with new outfits. Have Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, Vader, C-3PO, R2-D2, Yoda, Obi-Wan, Mace, Palpatine, Anakin, and Padme (yes, Padme) available in some form at least nine months out of the year. And when it comes to updating background characters, they need something a bit better than their current strategy. Momaw Nadon, Greedo, Bossk, Dengar... fuck, I love all these guys, but each figure has been great for the time in which it was released. Trouble is, someone like Dr. Evazan had one total shit figure in 1997 and has yet to be updated, despite him being a lot more iconic than Momaw Nadon. (Go up to anyone and say, "He dudn't like you. I don't like you either." Even if it's a newborn infant, they'll get it.) What about Jar Jar? Love him or hate him, he's half of The Phantom Menace, and when was the last new figure we got of him? A scene-specific one from 2001, if I'm not mistaken.

They're not updating these figures every year.

Let's look at the current and next waves, and see when the same characters were last on a card:
*Bespin Luke - 1998, 2002, 2007
*Echo Base Han - never
*Hoth Leia - 1998
*Dack - never
*C-3PO - last update in 2007, this is all-new
*Vader - last update in 2008, this corrects factory issues with that one
*Boba Fett - last released in 2009 in extremely low numbers
*Cloud Car Pilot - 2004, this is a different outfit
*Dengar - 1997, 2004
*AT-AT Commander - never, though Veers was released in 1997 and 2006
*4-LOM - repack from 2007
*Anakin - last update was in 2008, this is the first Sith eyes since 2005
*Obi-Wan - repack from 2005
*Grievous - 2005, 2006, 2008
*Sidious - never
*Cody - repack from 2009
*Magna Guard - 2005
*Sandtrooper - repack from 2009

They're doing your strategy right now in the Legends line but I assume you haven't noticed. It's not the same figures they've been releasing the last few years, but different outfits, like Snowspeeder Luke, Hoth Han, Hoth Chewie, and so on, mixed with non-updated figures that always sell. You mentioned Plo and Saesee before; they're out of the line, Hasbro knows they stopped selling well. Saesee was in Legends and sold well until last year.

Momaw Nadon and the other cantina figures they update are probably done in part to evoke the nostalgia from the original line. Dr. Evazan wasn't in that line, so there you go. But Evazan, Ponda Baba, and Bom Vimdin are coming next year. (I know it doesn't seem like it, but Bom Vimdin is actually less visible in the cantina than Leesub Sirln.) It's a fine line between wanting to space out releases through the years so fans are still left wanting more, and front-loading everything so there's nothing but boring shit left after all our wants are fulfilled.

Even when characters are pegwarmers "right now," you've got to look at the bigger picture. Vader has sat on shelves in heavy numbers for years (he's packed two to a case right now and one each in the upcoming future) but he always, always, always sells through. They've never had to recall him or put him on clearance. Eventually, he finds buyers. You yourself say it's important to keep main characters on the shelves for kids, but then turn around and lament that there are too many of them. Figures like Yarna and Neimoidian Warriors sit on shelves for months at a time, and everyone who wanted one got one when they came out; as has been said, no child is going to walk into a store months after Yarna was released and go "Now is the time to finally buy this one!"

But would it be too much to ask for Hasbro to recognize that collectors are getting sick of the constant resculpts, and just reissue the figures instead of trying to do something new every fucking time? If nothing else, more tooling money elsewhere.

I'm not saying release anything in large numbers. But make them. Even if they have to be online exclusives. Much as I love Teek, really, he shouldn't have been made before any number of movie characters who will never be made.

And I'm really surprised their recent history hasn't totally soured them on aliens.

As I pointed out, it's hardly "constant." Your focus determines your reality, and I know you haven't been following the line closely for years now. When they think a figure is good enough, they re-release it. When they see an opportunity to make it better, like on the Vintage Vader or Grievous, they go for it. Again, you wanted a proper-scale one with a cape, so you're asking for resculpts of main characters as well.

Teek was 100% Disney's idea; they choose their own exclusives and present them to Hasbro, not the other way around.

They're not going to do another TPM C-3PO, the deco is too much to cost out.