Han Solo (The Scoundrel) - Hasbro - Galaxy of Adventures (2019)
Star Wars Collectible News, Photos, and Reviews

Q&A With JTA: Our Thirty-Fifth Column! (10 Questions!!!)

Posted by Paul | March 26, 2012 at 12:07 AM ET

Q&A With JTA continues! Click through to access the Q&A database with our latest batch of questions!

Hot Topics: Status of the Royal Starship Droids Battle Packs set, Wave 11 (Where for art thou?), you're opinionated, 'famous' RDR readers and releasing the parts that make up 2011's Death Star Trench Run separately

Q&A With JTA: Our Thirty-Fifth Column!

featuring Paul Harrison

We always need your questions! Please e-mail them to [email protected]. Thank you!

1. I’ve been following your site for a while now and appreciate all the work you guys put into it. You in particular are definitely an opinionated person, but it is always backed with a passion that is all too rare, almost making your opinions entertaining and respected. But I wonder if it’s worth getting worked up when things aren’t going to change anytime soon. I don’t think Hasbro has the same drive for the line like they did even a few short years ago. Maybe we’re in a dry spell. Maybe the line is doomed. But I don’t think any rant or rave will change the way things are going to be handled or executed for the duration of their license. So my question is twofold. What do you want to see in the basic figure line and what do you think will need to be done for Hasbro to get the line back in gear? (John G.)

JTA: I am indeed a very opinionated person. Some of my thoughts are insane and some are well grounded. But when I can’t find something in stores because of mistakes Hasbro and/or retail may have made, it’s even harder for me to contain my emotions. I find it frustrating when I can't support something I want to see last for years to come. Plus, my head is always racing 24/7. I am always thinking about something (while sleeping, talking and working). My head jumps from one topic to another. When I start thinking about things that annoy me, there is some unidentifiable connector that makes my mind leap from one topic to the next. And I am easily perturbed. (Yes, I am a nut case. Just ask Chuck.) For example, I get annoyed with trivial things. Like: It annoys me when people don’t know when something is parody or satire. It irritates me that Alanis Morrisette is solely responsible for a generations’ misunderstanding of what ironic truly means and that this in and of itself is what is truly ironic. Can you see how disconnected my crazy mind is? I don’t have the same level of hope for the Star Wars line as I did even a few short years ago and I am not talking really about the collector-focused line. The kid-focused line and The Clone Wars line are in dire straits. Other than continually expressing this to Hasbro, I don’t know what much else we can do. They need to stop reissuing their inferior sculpts, find a great way to balance their case ratios by changing the mixes up significantly and work with retail much more closely to prevent things from not making it to the shelves.

2. I am really concerned about the Deleted Scenes wave. It seemed to hit like crazy the end of February, but I haven’t seen remnants of it since. Did I miss out on this wave? (Bob K.)

JTA: Bob – I have to tell you that I am a little concerned about this wave for a couple of reasons. Let me preface my reasons by stating that my opinions do not mean it’s fact and I could be way off, but the processing of this wave strikes me as odd. Let me explain. Hasbro’s wave numbering never ever lines up with collectors and Star Wars fan sites. We are calling the Deleted Scenes “wave 11” (which it technically is), but do you know what Hasbro is calling it? They’re calling it wave 1.5. 1.5?! What the heck does that mean? It means that this is a remix of the wave 1 case. What the heck does that mean? That means Hasbro sees this as the first wave still but with a few changes to mix it up. This could include carry forward figures from older waves (of which there are none since the TPM wave is their 2012 wave 1) or all-new figures (which make up the Deleted Scenes wave and what normal people are considering the 2nd wave of the year). Hasbro can only ship “wave 1” for so long and I am starting to fear that we have received all that we should have by now. Hasbro can’t keep shipping wave 1 ad infinitum until all collectors are happy. The new and upcoming figures will get backlogged and then it will becomes 2009 all over again. We don’t want that. Hasbro can remedy this problem by getting case ratios more collector friendly and even hold back new figures if that means they can get us 10 out of the 12 figures in the case as all-new. These wave of three and five figures that we’ve been seeing lately are unacceptable. Who wants to buy a full case of figures when 7 to 9 of the figures in it are ones you already have. I am not trying to start a rumor that we’ll never see the Deleted Scenes wave figures again. (We already see some of them in carry-forward figures in case assortments later this year.) But I do believe the initial shipments have come and gone.

3. I saw your post on the second wave of The Clone Wars figures. What in the world in going on with the Star Wars toy line? Hasbro isn’t respecting the line and I think they have forsaken it. Perhaps when you take ownership of anything too long you lose site on why you even have it. It’s being taken for granted and I am sure if these figures or the line fails that Hasbro will find some way to blame it on us. (Nicky J.)

JTA: If you saw our post, then you know it was something that was talked about at length and felt by all of our readers. It is extremely disappointing to say the very least. The Clone Wars line went from being the most important thing to Hasbro to only something that they want to bury and forget about for now. I don’t know what the answer is. So many short-shipped figures still haven’t been given a second chance at retail. (To be fair, Hasbro has made some important strides here, but there are a ton more needing rerelease.) They haven’t even scratched the surface of all the characters from seasons 3 and 4. There is a terrible lack in the number of action figures they’re making. What’s worse is that they’re going to lose the new audience that has finally fallen for the line because there isn’t anything new to buy. The Phantom Menace 3D multimedia event is really hurting the Star Wars brand. And if this is the way it’s going to be, we're in for a depressing half a decade. Now we’re losing baseline articulation in the figures. I don’t know how this would make anyone happy. But that’s me.

4. It was so cool to see actual Star Wars actors from A New Hope and The Phantom Menace commenting on their respective figures in the reviews. It got me thinking, are there any other “Star Wars” people we’d recognize who have read your column that you haven’t mentioned? (Scotty W.)

JTA: There are. There are some I can mention generally and then there are others I can’t specifically mention at all at the moment – but you’ll find out in the future. Hasbro reads our reviews (and steals the photos from them – Hasbro, we’re only kidding) and they even have used one in their Power Point presentation at NY Comic Con. Hasbro sculptors read our reviews and I have even received personal thank you and encouragement emails from them about my opinions about the products they sculpted. (We are currently working with one Hasbro sculptor at the moment and I hope we will have more info to reveal to you soon. It’s going to be madly exciting if it all works out!) A non-Star Wars actor (but still a fan) wrote me about the reviews to thank me for them. And a very prominent person “in the Star Wars universe” wrote me giving me incredible feedback on them. I wish I could give you specifics, but I can’t and you’ll all see why soon in the future. I promise. Oh, one of Sideshow Collectibles’ sculptors wrote me an email and also commented in the actual review for the 12” IG-88 figure. And there are a few more that I really shouldn't hint at here. I am so happy that they are reaching so many diverse people. It really keeps us going strong with them and it’s probably the reasons we haven’t missed one day since May 24, 2009!

5. Okay, I was thinking about the [Death Star] Trench Run set, and how it’s so expensive and so many people don’t want it because of Vader’s TIE (complete with POTF2 GREEN MISSLES? SERIOUSLY??) and everything, so how do we get Hasbro’s attention that releasing a single X-Wing Fighter from this updated mold is a good idea? Also, I was thinking, if they released it in a Vintage-styled box, it would be a TOTAL winner.

I have seen only prequel and Clone Wars vehicles piling up and collecting dust for too long. Hasbro REALLY needs to consider putting the Jedi Starfighters and such to bed for a while, at least until the corresponding 3D movie hits. As it stands right now, the stores are simply flooded with stuff that nobody wants. Just think if they re-released Vader’s TIE in Vintage-styled packaging! And better yet, how about releasing it around the time of the 3D movie! I haven’t seen and will not see any of the 3D movies, but I know that general interest in the toys will rise with each one. Even though, it petered-out big time on this first one, which is Hasbro’s fault for trying to push such junk on us.

Anyway, before this becomes a novel, what would you say is the best way for folks like me sitting at home to contact Hasbro about our ideas? I know I can’t be the only one that has thought of Vintage packaging for the X-Wing, etc. And here’s a novel idea: Let’s get the PILOTS in stores at the same time that the vehicles are!

Penny for your thoughts? (Tray C.)

JTA: I am all for Hasbro releasing any OT vehicle in The Vintage Collection. But it looks like the time for that is coming to a close. TVC is likely being tucked away for a little bit starting in 2013. So stuff like you’ve mentioned is probably going to have to be held off until they return to the vintage line look again (hopefully) soon. I really do believe we will see that retooled X-wing fighter one day (but in modern packaging). I don’t think it’s coming in TVC packaging. The Death Star Trench Run actually sold VERY well thanks to TRU’s Big Book promotion of it (and multiple sale prices). It sold out in my area twice. Now only one TRU in my area has two left. That is astounding to me for something that was so expensive and included a lot of repeated items. But it was an OT item and OT items are typically guaranteed sells.

Maybe we here at JTA can join efforts with other sites to see if we can garner enough interest for such things. If anyone reading this is interested, please speak your voice by typing your comments in the Disqus module below. It’s free, it’s easy and it’s fun! Join our crazy discussions!

6. Regarding the Jawa with WED droid from 2008, you said its a slight retool of the TAC version. Could you possibly tell me what you mean on that? thank you much. (Bryan D. via Facebook)

JTA: This is actually a very simple answer. They each have unique bandoliers. Hasbro tooled new accessories (that really aren’t removable), so we count that as a retool. And as you probably already know, they have extremely different paint jobs between each other as well.

7. I'm very curious to see what you have to say about this item. Thank you for your time. (Jason C.)

JTA: I reached out to a few friends of mine and this is the best we can come up with for you: It looks like something manufactured by Wizards of the Coast (because the graphics on your cardboard stand up match the look of the earlier packs). Plus, they were primarily responsible for the game except for the last couple of years. Comic book shops were notorious for having just about every cardboard stand up of almost every Star Wars character years ago, so it’s quite possible that this was exclusively made for them.

8. Hey Paul, I was looking through some old rumor reports, and I was wondering, why would Hasbro make Echo in Bric Armour? I don't recall Echo ever wearing Sergeant Bric's armor, was it in a comic book or something? Just wondering, thanks. (Anthony P.)

JTA: I have heard multiple explanations about this over the last year or so. The rumor list described it just as you have stated: Echo in Bric Armor, but that wasn’t ever meant to imply that we would see Echo wearing his clothes. No, this was meant to be one of the “training gear” outfits like Hevy since Bric trained them. Also, I have also heard it explained that the “shape” of Bric’s outfit armor mirrors other clones like the Flamethrower Trooper, Rex in now gear, and even Dengar in the Original Trilogy. Because the training cadets also wear this uniquely created armor, maybe the makers of that rumor list were trying to imply that Echo would be wearing armor similar shaped (but not colored) as Bric’s. (That might be a stretch, but it is certainly plausible.)

9. This has been the worst year yet for Battle Packs. I know there are new ones coming, but why are the three we have right now so undesirable? And why are the good ones like Royal Starship Droids nowhere to be found? (Nate M.)

JTA: Hasbro isn’t brainstorming the best concepts for products to be released for the toy line. One of the best products that came out for the 2012 line was even handled incorrectly. The Republic Troopers Battle Packs set should not have been released the way it was. Hasbro could have made three separate Battle Packs out of that and instead of giving us the crap that is the Rebel Heroes and Geonosis Arena Battle sets, they could have given us an army-building Bomb Squad three-pack (complete with bombs for heaven’s sake), a Battle Packs set with the rest of the Domino Squad (what the heck is up with releasing these clones one by one – enough already) and then they could have made another Battle Packs with Clone Trooper Cutup with two more generic clones if needed. If they just thought about this a little bit more, all three of these theoretical sets would have sold through like crazy while making us all very happy. Hasbro just doesn’t get it sometimes. Their insanely popular ARC Troopers Battle Packs set from 2010 was the most popular and fastest-selling I have ever witnessed in my life. Have they reissued anything from it yet? Yes, but the figure rereleased was the least wanted one: Captain Rex (it came in 2011’s TCW Ultimate Gift Set). And the ARC Troopers Battle Packs set is out of most collectors’ price range now. Why haven’t they made this a priority? But yet they’ll rerelease Cold Weather Plo Koon a whole bunch of times again in 2012. I know the Battle Packs format has changed significantly, but these figures collectors want can be converted into basic figures or released in other ways. Something’s gotta give at this point. Collectors keep feeling defeated every time they turn around. Season 4 went into great depth with the 501st Legion. How in the world do we not have multiple Battle Packs with all of the unique 501st Legion members? They could make about 4 amazing set out of that alone! How is this off of Hasbro’s radar? It just isn’t right. So many collectors want these figures and it looks like it isn’t even a remote possibility at this point. It’s all too sad for me.

The Royal Starship Droids is the greatest Battle Packs set Hasbro has made in years. As a result, it's ultra popular with collectors and fans of Build A Droid figures. I have no idea what the longterm availability of this will be, but I suggest if you see it to not even hesistate. Also check Walmart.com frequently. It fluctuates from in and out of stock mutiple times throughout the day.

10. What in the world do you think happened with the recent DVD sets that are now making their way to TJ Maxx now? Did they never make it to Walmart or did they go straight to the discount chains? (Phillip C.)

JTA: I am not sure how long you’ve been following us, but I did a major in-depth research assignment about the Walmart exclusives that never made it to retail when originally intended (but obviously all have seen release now). You can read that report HERE. But in that report, both Hasbro (via HunterPR) and Walmart acknowledged receipt that they had been shipped. While I could have been misinformed, I do believe that the DVD sets arrived at the Walmart distribution center from Hasbro. Because of Walmart’s chronic disorganization, they never made it out of the warehouse. Typically buyers from retail discount chains buy from “big box” stores and not the vendors themselves. (I am sure there are exceptions where it goes directly from vendor to discount chain.) But keep in mind that my report showed that Hasbro had “ship dates” notated in their computers for these sets which mean they had shipped. Hey, the Class I sets and the Ultimate Gift Set both made it out. (They arrived in November/December yet Hasbro showed that they left their warehouse in June/July. Now tell me there isn’t some major disconnect somewhere. Someone isn’t doing his job.) So, that’s my analysis of this situation.

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!

       Digg!    

Related Links

Jedi Temple Archives comments powered by Disqus

-Click HERE to return to the home page-

Channels

 

Follow Us

JTA Info

Affiliates

Hasbro

Gentle Giant

Sideshow Collectibles

Hot Toys

LEGO

Mattel

Disney

Disney Store

Acme Archives

Hallmark

Trading Cards

Store Reports

Research Droids Reviews

Visual Guides

Books & Novels

Convention News

Movie & TV News

Rants & Raves

Special Reports

       Facebook

       Instagram

       Pinterest

       Youtube

       RSS

Home

Contact

News Archives

Site Search

Image Use Policy

Disclosure Policy

Privacy Policy

RDR Index

Visual Guide Index

Bantha Skull

Collector's Cantina

Jedi News

Star Wars Figuren

Star Wars New Zealand

Star Wars is a Copyright and Trademark of LucasFilm LTD. This site is intended for informational purposes only, and is not in anyway associated with LFL. All Visual Guides, images, and content are the property of JediTempleArchives.com, © 2004-2019 and may not be reused without permission. Please do not direct link to any of the content on this web site.