Q&A With JTA: Our Seventeenth Column!

1. The Research Droids Reviews come so fast since you do them daily. I try to catch them all, but sometimes I find myself missing them as they roll off of your front page. Is there anyway you can slow down the pace? (Bryan)

JTA: Bryan – you must not be aware of our Index page. If you look at the Latest File Acquisitions listing (the second column on the Index page), it houses the last 100 reviews we’ve done (in order). If you ever fall behind with our front page posts, just bookmark this link and check it as often as you need. We aren’t going to slow down our daily review pace because we have conditioned all of our readers to check in with us daily. And that appears to be what they expect from us now. :) So be sure to stick like glue to our site so you don’t miss anything cool. We do go off on tangents and review older figures to give people a break on the new stuff (and more time to read them), but it appears from our stats that a high number of you are also checking the older product too! In short, we don’t want to break our format….yet.

2. I respect JTA’s opinions on the state of the collecting community and what figures are better than others. There are of course other times where I have had my own ideas on things. However, I would really like to know what 10 figures are your favorite in the 30th Anniversary Collection. Between the 2007 and 2008 time span, there are 75 figures and as a new collector, I would really like to focus on the 10 that are the best. (Mark)

JTA:That is a good question. I wish I was part of JTA then because I probably would have done one of those site-wide "Digested Look" special reports at that point. I hope I can narrow it down to 10 because this was one of my most favorite collections Hasbro has ever done. My list is in no particular order.

Commander Gree (08 03) – he’s since been reissued in The Vintage Collection with a little bit better paint job.

Galactic Marine (No. 02) – A beautiful sculpt and a beautiful paint job override his difficulty to stand up.

McQuarrie Concept Stormtrooper (No. 09) – it proves my longstanding argument that paint jobs can make or break figures even despite limited articulation. This figure is gorgeous.

Rebel Honor Guard (No. 10) – an incredible sculpt and super-articulated. More Yavin people Hasbro please!

McQuarrie Concept Boba Fett (No. 15) – a stunning figure and I love the alternate head sculpt.

Hermi Odle (No. 29) – a lover of all things Jabba, I think I cried tears of joy when he was officially announced.

Roron Corobb (No. 31) – even though he has annoying swivel elbows, this is one of the best Tartakovsky figures I have ever seen.

Romba & Graak (No. 43) – more Ewoks please, more Ewoks please, more Ewoks please!

Obi-Wan Kenobi (08 01) – I don’t think this figure ever got the full credit it deserved. It should have been the one used for the TVC Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Battle-Damaged Darth Vader (08 12) – It may have parts out of scale and the armor may look bizarre in spots, but this figure is a lot of fun.

I felt like I was playing “lifeboat” with 75 children working up this list. I still think there are omissions, but this is pretty close to my top 10 favorites.

3. To be straight up with you, I am one of the harsh critics of Hasbro’s many, many mistakes. I have not been impressed the last few years and I don’t understand why you constantly praise them for the garbage they send to us. I read a recent Q&A of yours where a reader asked “why do you think people complain so much about Hasbro and their Star Wars products” you said it was because of entitlement. I couldn’t disagree with you more. Hasbro is not giving us the quality figures that, yes, “we” deserve and to say that it’s because collectors think they deserve more than they should is ridiculous. You probably won’t post this question anyhow because you're so upbeat, but I just wanted you to know that not everyone shares your point of view. (Scot)

JTA: I am not a censor and I appreciate all feedback I receive. So, yes, I am going to include this question in my Q&A With JTA segment. I think it’s actually quite sad that you are not impressed with many of the recent figures Hasbro has done, especially in The Vintage Collection. To understand your perspective better however, I need to know what you expect at this point? If it’s more articulation, then the Hasbro line is not for you. You should spend your time to appreciate the hyper-articulation on the larger scaled 12" Sideshow Collectibles figures. That is where you’ll be treated to a nearly infinite amount of articulation points and poses. I really don’t understand where you are coming from either. If figures from The Vintage Collection like the Gamorrean Guard, Fi-Ek Sirch (Jedi Knight), Luke Skywalker (Bespin Fatigues), Admiral Ackbar, Wooof, Kit Fisto, and many others don’t impress you, perhaps it’s time to call it quits with collecting altogether. (And I didn’t even get to all the wonderful figures from the awesome Build A Droid line or the 30th Anniversary Collection. Why spend precious time interacting with fan sites and forums just to be miserable and complain? JTA certainly isn’t the best place to air your Hasbro grievances. We are kind of like their cheerleaders and try our best to only complain when it’s warranted. (We feel we make our aggravations known, but in a productive way.)

Without getting too philosophical on you, with the shape this world is in, shouldn't you expend your energies elsewhere? Think of the recent events happening in Japan, and even look at all the bullying in schools. And you’re wasting time angry at Hasbro for not catering to your every last need. I don’t know, but life is too short for me. I have found a hobby I have LOVED for the last 16 years (and counting) ever since the Star Wars line was re-launched. Do I laugh at some of the train wrecks Hasbro has included in the basic figure line? Yes, and so do they. But to stand here in 2011 and still not be impressed, well, I hate to say it, but you’re wrong. Find something else that does impress you. If you feel the need to spill your "poison," there are plenty of sites that host “negativity central” and you may feel more at home there. That is not a dig at those other sites, but we want to keep a more positive tone here. So JTA will remain a positive and upbeat site and it that bothers you, well, it bothers you. I certainly won’t apologize for that. You have an opportunity to post comments in our articles and reviews, yet we don’t see the feedback. I find this interesting. There is another forum for expressing your opinions.

You certainly aren’t the only one who feels the way you do and I have seen complaining in almost every flavor. Some readers have ripped me a new one because they don’t agree with my sourcing of characters in the films in my RDRs. And I have email “stalkers” who complain almost everyday that Lucas is releasing the Special Editions on Blu-ray and not the original versions and how since I have a voice at JTA should use it to start a petition to get people to boycott the Blu-ray when it gets released. Really? Again I ask, what about those people in Japan? So yes, entitlement, as I have called it before, is a debilitating disease. When we take our eyes off of our own selfish wants and needs, we are then able to appreciate the great things before us. But so many people are unwilling to put themselves even second in this day and age. It’s about the collective universe and the hobby, not just yourself. You are entitled to your opinions and I encourage you to remain steadfast in them if you truly believe the way you do, but I think you’ll see a smaller audience joining you as the line consistently improves. The Vintage Collection is wowing me to death. I am so thankful I am still alive on this Earth to still enjoy it. Sorry for getting too philosophical.

4. UPDATE: Do you have an approximate number of different Clone heads Hasbro had produced only related to The Clone Wars (2008-Current) line? I was checking out the Clone Commander Stone review and the different paint job as well as the baldness, made me wonder this. About differences between, moustaches, beards, no beards, baldness, scars, tattoos and so on. (Fernando)

JTA: Captain Rex (No. 4), Clone Commander Cody (No. 10), Clone Trooper Sinker (Ambush At Abregado), Waxer (Assault On Ryloth), Clone Commander Stone (CW44), Commander Bly (CW39), Clone Commander Wolffe (CW48), and Clone Trooper Hevy (CW41) are what I can determine as all unique head sculpts. But there are a lot more if you consider varying facial hair and different hair colors. This may be a qualitative determination instead of a quantitative one. You may have to decide what constitutes a different or unique head sculpt. If there are any more suggestions out there, please send them in.

5. What five figures do you want to see announced for production that have not been confirmed by hasbro yet? (Mike)

JTA:What is with all the ranking questions this session? :)

Seriously, I want to see Lumat, Teebo, Weequay (Skiff Guard) (the vintage figure redone), Nien Nunb, and the vintage Nikto done. (Do you see a pattern?!) I can’t help it. I am in love with Return Of The Jedi.

Are you new to Q&A With JTA? Click HERE to see our previous installments of this column. Each session is chock full of all the things you ever wanted to know about Star Wars collecting and the hobby in general!