Posted by Paul | February 26, 2013 at 11:20 AM ET
I had intended to hold off a while writing about the disconcerting news that the animated The Clone Wars line is dead. But I accidentally broke my favorite irreplaceable coffee mug last night and it has set me into a very melancholy mood for which I must redirect my anguish elsewhere. Click through for more.
As I get closer and closer to approaching forty years old (it’s in the “near” future, but I won’t give you the exact date) I am amazed by a few things. First, I am amazed how I have approached the point in my life when I have become the age where I could be the father of more and more of our readers. We all get older. I get it. But when it’s you it doesn’t seem possible. (You younglings will find out soon enough.) But what surprises me more perhaps is the passion and intensity I see in these younglings. It’s equal to and maybe greater than what I had at their age(s). Yet their flame often than not originates from a very different ember than mine had. Younger Star Wars fans grew up with the Prequel Trilogy. Those films remain their favorites (as hard as that is for me to swallow). And even younger Star Wars fans are being weaned on The Clone Wars TV show. Obviously it is the love of Star Wars that binds us together, no matter where in the timeline we find our favor.
As someone who grew up with the original Star Wars films, I have admittedly been bothered with Hasbro’s focus on the Prequel Trilogy throughout my collecting years. And quite frankly it still bothers me today in some ways. (Just look at how Hasbro is opening up the Black Series line. Bad move, Hasbro. Bad move.) Nonetheless, I have accepted and embraced the Star Wars universe. So while I can’t say that The Phantom Menace is the greatest Star Wars film of all time, I can still appreciate the characters that were introduced to me and how their roles were important to bring the Star Wars story to the point with what I grew up watching (the original films from the 70s and 80s). It really doesn’t matter if my opinion is pro or con with regards to the Prequel Trilogy. I am a Star Wars collector and love the attention given to all characters in the saga. By now most of you know my affinity for action figures based on Attack Of The Clones. It’s my least favorite Star Wars film, yet I love the characters and action figures Hasbro designed for us. This in an of itself could be interpreted as a contradictory assessment to the fact that I am bothered by Hasbro’s focus on PT product.
That being said, it took me longer than usual to warm up to The Clone Wars series. I thought the show was good, but I thought creating animated interpretations of the characters was a step in the wrong direction. Many collectors my age initially felt this way. But in 2010 all of that changed with the “Shadow Of The Dark Side” facet of The Clone Wars line. I went from “hater” to lover in seconds. This long-running line brought us 65 incredible action figures with detail and articulation we would beg on hands and knees to see Hasbro do again for a kid-focused line. And I am not even focusing on the fine efforts before this line. It’s often said that “you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.” I will be the first to admit that I am guilty of this sentiment. Quite honestly, I think many of us took for granted the magnitude and magnificence of the 2010-2011 The Clone Wars line and everything it brought us. Whether you like The Clone Wars television show or not (and I would never be able to understand why you wouldn’t like it – you’re certainly entitled to your opinion), there is no denying that Hasbro went above the call of duty to bring us one of the finest collections of figures based on a multimedia project of all time. I would venture to say it’s been the greatest so far.
It was plagued here and there with distribution issues. That always makes collecting a line unenjoyable. (Thankfully the Force was on my side collecting this line.) Just for the fun of it, I typed “TCW” in our search bar in the Research Droids Reviews index. I would encourage you to do the same. As I scrolled down the search results, I was rekindled with memories and affection for the line. It was bittersweet at best. So many awesome action figures were released throughout the entire The Clone Wars tenure. Yet so many other characters didn’t get made as well. I did however focus on what was offered to kids and collectors alike and smiled as I saw all of the awesome clones, clone commanders, astromech droids and Jedi that at one time recently graced the pegs of my local retailers. I know it’s hard for Star Wars collectors to let go. That’s why I wrote this. Getting rid of stuff is contrary to the definition of the word "collector" as well as our character. I still have to ask myself a few questions. Do I think Hasbro has made a huge mistake abandoning the animated line? Yes. Am I glad that they are still making characters from the franchise but in a realistic style? Yes. But I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to see the animated figures continue.
2013 is going to be an interesting year. There won’t be new products for a while. If you trust my assessments and opinions, please do yourself a favor and use the first half of this year to acquire some of the figures from the past The Clone Wars lines. They are truly masterpieces in their own right. Hasbro was actually making collector-focused figures under a kid-focused banner. That may be part of the reason why there was so much inconsistency with how the line was marketed. If Hasbro is reading, I would ask them to please consider making exclusive Battle Packs to beat out squads of the 501st Legion and focus other Battle Packs on the most exciting battles in the television show. They could give us a lot of “new” stuff by utilizing sculpts they already have. What a waste to not use them anymore. Besides, I still want my Ziro the Hutt and not the Fighter Pods version that Hasbro so snarkily joked they were giving us in its place. Well, I have said my piece. I will accept that I can stick a fork in The Clone Wars line for the foreseeable future, but that doesn’t mean my spirit wants to see the line continue, because it does. What are your thoughts? Be sure to leave them in our comments.
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