NYCC Preview Party: Hasbro Q&A - Your Questions Answered

I did my best, so please click through and see what responses we got to some of your questions. There just wasn't time to ask every last question, but we did get some scoop, much of which we posted as separate articles, but there is more juice inside!

Q: Do all of the rumors surrounding the collector-focused 3.75" going away hold any water?

A: Not true. There is a lot of energy and room for figures in the 5 POA and super-articulated lines.

Q: Collectors are loving the Ewok packs. Are there any more on tap.

A: Hasbro loves Ewoks too. Yes, there are additional sets in the works. They are shopping for a retailer now. Things liek this are always tenuous because they need to find that right relationship with a retailer to make it work. (Editor's Note: Both Kmart and Toys R Us have both had incredible success with Ewok multipacks, so this seems like a no-brainer to me.)

Q: The Cinema Scenes of the POTF2 line were always some of my favorites. Now that Hasbro has made fantastic modern updates of Luke Final Duel, Snaggletooth, and the upcoming Vizam - what are the chances of some of the other characters like Labria, Emperor with his throne, or Barada being updated either as single carded releases or three packs as I've illustrated below.

A: (Editor's Note: I showed Jeff L. from Hasbro all of Gotal's mock-ups.) These are all wonderful concepts and updating the original Cinema Scenes is a wonderful idea. Nothing is planned right noe, but it is something we could consider for the future.

Q: can you please delay carried forward figures from being in consecutive waves? back to back waves of the same figures (sometimes as many as 7 in a box of 12) creates the illusion that very few are selling and clogs the pegs which may delay or prevent future waves from being stocked

A: Hasbro always tries their best tio manage ratios to meet the highest demand action figures first. In the case of the first wave of The Black Series, carrying-forward Biggs Darklighter was necessary to have a figure accompny the Toys R Us X-wing fighter. Also, the line is planned so far in advance that calibrating perfectly is a task that just can't be 100% perfected.

Q: What happened to the "warehouse full" of Vintage Collection back stock? We were expecting it to be released via discount retailers, but that really hasn't happened in any significant numbers. Is it going to get one more shot at big box retailers perhaps similar to the Black Friday Walmart 8 packs?

A: (Editor's Note: I have a witness to the answer to this question. My friend Big Kev can confirm this response.) Hasbro will check on this but Jeff L. is confident that they have all been released and made their way out of the warehouse. Jeff even brought up figures names Bastila Shan and Ponda Baba have all been part of a second release. This of course is bologna because these two characters were NEVER part of the "TVC greatest hits assortment, so I don't know what he was thinking about. I told Jeff that nothhing has been released. No greatest hits assortment were even able to be pre-ordered anywhere. I walked away from this question that Jeff believed I just missed them at the retail level. But we all know that's a crock too since there would unequivocally be leftovers from any case assortment. They did however conclude with "they will check on this".

Q: We appreciate the KMart exclusive 2 packs as a great way to get Vintage packaging still on the market. Will Hasbro pursue more of these, maybe a set with some kit-bashed and new Cantina Patrons? Realistically, you can't have a wave only consist of Cantina Aliens, Jabba's goons, Droids, Senators, etc. That's why I think Hasbro should focus on releasing some of the obscure collector characters in multi-packs. Sure fans would buy Mosep if he was on a single card, but throw in a chair, table, and another alien??? I think you'll get casual fans piqued by nostalgia and seeing them as a compilation set. For example when a single Bom Vimdin was hanging on the peg that isn't going to get most new collectors to begin the daunting task of going back and starting a Cantina focus, but having two or three multi-packs available on the market will give them the instant gratification of having a mini collection. This actually happened to me last year with the ewok sets. I only owned 4 ewoks. After the Toy's R Us and Kmart sets I was hooked. I purchased all of the ewoks I missed out on from ebay and eagerly await more of the little buggers.

A: (Editor's Note: I showed Jeff images of Local Gotal's cantina two-pack ideas). Hasbro thinks these are incredible ideas and we will have to look into this. A side discussion started about Kmart also. I asked Jeff why is Kmart kicking butt with the best exclusives for collectors? Jeff said Kmart is about the only retailer that gets collectors. That probably has to do with them being in the business at the crux of the vintage Kenner era. Not too many other retailers (including Walmart and TARGET) were nearly as big then as they are today. It makes me wonder why TRU wouldn't remain at the forefront of identifying with collectors, but maybe they're too big for their britches now too.

Q: With th release of Rebels next fall, any plans for any figures, and if so , will they be animated or realistic style?

A: Hasbro is actually still looking into this. They had nothign ready to show us at the Preview Party. But Jeff did state that they will match the style of the show. They will definitely come with five points of articulation.

Q: At Comic Con this year the slide showcasing the K-Mart ewok catapult showed a very unique ewok with a "Dalmatian" deco. Why was this figure axed from the set in favor of another ewok and will he be released in the future (maybe with a new stormtrooper helmet drum set as this particular ewok is seen playing them)?

A: Hasbro doesn't know. (Aggravating). I did ask if he could make a mental note of this and plese get both Ewoks released. (They may very well be aprt of the another Kmart excluisve two-pack, so don'tfret yet.) We will definitely ask again at Toy Fair.

Q: What does the future hold for Leia? Sandstorm Leia was great but is a basically just TVC Slave Leia with a few additional accessories. Hoth and Bespin Leia were nice, but we have not seen updates of all of her other looks in close to (if not longer than) a decade. It's very nice to see more females make it into the line, but Leia is undoubtedly the #1 female in the universe and we haven't heard a word about her 3.75" future.

A: We actually couldn't wait to post this answer, so you have already seen our news that it's been confirmed a new Princess Leia Organa is coming in The Black Series line in 2014 (read: NOT 6" - sheesh). Read our article HERE.

Q: Seeing the Angry Birds 12-back set was a punch to the gut. It was one of the few things you did that actually made us visibly upset. Is there anyway you could do this for next year's Comic Con but with the Hasbro 3.75" figures. It will finally give us an update to Princess Leia Organa, Jawa and Death Squad Commander, and you could package the rest with existing sculpts on replica Star Wars 12-back card backs. Please? This is a no-brainer and something hardcore collectors NEED to have in their collection. Wherever you can update existing sculpts with paint apps would be appreciated too. (For example, glue down TVC's See-Threepio's parts, vac-metallize him, and call it a day. If you want suggestions on which other figures to use for this gift set, just reach out to us. We'll give you plenty of ideas. :) Please make enough to satiate demand. Many collectors will likely want 2 of each.

A: It's a wonderful idea but there are no plans to do this. The Angry Birds set was a novelty item and we thought collectors would enjoy it.

Q: Hasbro, why have we seen ANH Leia so neglected? On that token, how about a new Leia (using the Legacy Frigate body) and a new head, like this mockup? Or a new Hammerhead? And an accurate looking C-3PO (you could even use the B.A.D. mold).

A: There is no update to Princess Leia yet, but Hasbro wouldn't say "never". (Editor's Note: a different conversation about Leia revealed that a new one is coming). I felt that Hasbro was withholding information on this one. We'll see.

Q: Hasbro, would you consider bringing back regular Q+A sessions through the various collector sites, or perhaps having them return in a new format? Not only did the Q+A's provide collectors with a lot to discuss, but they also engendered a more positive relationship between Hasbro and its most ardent consumers. Thanks!

A: Hasbro asked me to address this with HunterPR (??). But we will do this.

Q: When, or should I say if, The Vintage Collection returns:

1. Will the rest of the original figures be released? Still waiting for many like Power Droid, Death Star Droid, Han in Carbonite, etc. A: (Don't know)

2. Will the "Holy Grail" of the first 12 card backs ever be complete? By that I mean the first 12 figures on Star Wars backs, not Empire, Jedi... A: (they would definitely like to complete these)

3. Why were figures that were originally released on The Power of the Force card backs like General Lando put on a Return of the Jedi card? It would be nice to have the final 17 on TPotF backed cards. So far we have not seen any of the figures on TPotF cards. A: (They have talked about doing POTF card back and it's a possibility they would bring this style of the line back if TVC was to return)

4. Is there any thoughts of doing Droids and Ewoks Adventures in the Vintage Collection? A: (Not at this time.)

Q: An exclusive multipack (brick and mortar retail and/or online) in order to get the super-popular TVC Emperor's Royal Guard out to a wider audience: several Guards from the final wave of the Vintage line along with a couple of other Imperial characters along the lines of an Imperial Dignitary or Moff Jerjerrod to round out the set and fall in line with other recent multipacks (Ewoks, Yavin Pilots, Rise of Vader) that had four or five figures plus accessories in them?

Is that a possibility since the molds for all these figures already exist and in the case of the Royal Guard are very, very recent? Some of us would love this.

A: Hasbro is aware of the demand of the Emperor's Royal Guard. This may be re-released in The Black Series to help meet this demand. (I then asked Jeff about their decision to not include repackaged figures in the line and he stated that there will be exceptions because there are so many figurs that need a second chance at retail.) It's possibel that this figure will make it to retail (brick and mortar) for th first time yet! (Sorry DE - I was so excited about the ERG I forgot about the other parts of your question.)

Q: Hasbro, why would you think that a figure like Biggs should be in waves 1 and 2 of The Black Series but not a Royal Guard in there somehow? What's the status of getting more Royal Guards out there? This figure (and several others from the last wave of TVC) are in huge demand - why aren't they in the Black Series since you are already using repacks for it anyway (or slightly retooled figures)?

A: Because of the concurrent TVC X-wing at TRU. Hasbro hasn't had good luck releasing corresponding pilots with their vehicles and are trying harder to do so now.

Q: Has there been any preliminary talk of re-issuing the 2010 Jabba the Hutt from the Walmart-exclusive Throne Room set in new packaging? Some people couldn't find him in the 2010 "SOTDS"-themed packaging when he was first released due to some stores getting small, limited numbers of the set and others balk at the oft-inflated secondary market prices. Since a lot of tooling and other effort went into creating the best 3.75" Jabba yet made and he didn't seem to get the circulation that he should have, can we expect to see this mold repacked in another set of some kind anytime in the foreseeable future so he gets another shot at retail?

OT fans would gobble him up as they seemed to the first time around, so it seems like a win-win. If we can't get a Sail Barge for all sorts of reasons, can we at least see Jabba again?

A: No. Hasbro made a ton of him and he didn't sell as briskly as they'd hoped. Many went on clearance and Walmart lost on that deal. (This is why we need to buy AT LEAST ONE at full price people!) But I think Hasbro is foolish to not re-release Jabba in TVC packaging. Big mistake!

Q: There will always be a hole in my six inch collection without Han in Carbonite. Will it ever be offered again or will it only be for the wealthy or connected?

A: There are no plans but they would certainly liek to get this out again. (This is contrary to a post Rebelscum alluded to on their site a few moths ago.)

Q: why does the new (and expensive) TVC Republic Gunship come with 3 figures from the under-articulated Saga Legends line and not the better articulated TVC line? Shouldn't all products in the TVC line come with all TVC quality pieces?

A: The Republic Gunship is for everyone, not just collectors. (Huh?!) It's a great holiday item and the figures are decently articulated. In order to keep the price down, we had to use less-articulated figures. They expended their budget on the vehicle and turrets to give it as much value as possible. (Huh?!)

Q: Will there be any more Old republic figures released in the future?

A: No.

Q: Does fan/collector feedback help determine which figures are getting made for the collector series'? It seems as though collectors (as a community) have a different opinion on what should be released, and as a result have a tempered enthusiasum toward new releases in the near future.

A: Yes. (But then why do things never seem to change?)

Q: Given that so much ground has been covered with the Vintage Collection so far, is it possible that it could return to it's original incarnation as a stand alone wave devoted to OT characters? With one wave a year of around 10 figures this would be a great way to check off much needed updates to OT characters i.e: Ree Yees, Squid Head, Sim Aloo, Yak Face, Klaatu Skiff Guard, Leia Organa, Bespin Security Guard (handlebar moustache), Hammerhead, Lobot, Lando Calrissian, 2-1B?

A: Ree Yees (you all know this answer now), Squid Head - NO, Sim Aloo - NO, Yak Face - NO, Klaatu Skiff Guard - NO, Leia Organa (one is coming), Bespin Security Guard (handlebar moustache) - NO, Hammerhead - NO, Lobot - NO, Lando Calrissian - NO, 2-1B - NO? I also asked for clarification on why we were told at CVI that a new Hammerhead and Lobot were done but still not announced. Jeff didn't seem to know anything about this.

Q: Would Hasbro consider retooling and merging astromech G9 and BAD sculpts to create the perfect astrodroid?

A: I asked Hasbro specifically about the incorrectly installed R4-G9 third foot. He said he would make a mental note of this.

This is all I was able to get folks. I was shooed away twice and I didn't want to get kicked out of the event. I partially kid of course. Whatever questions remain unanswered by Toy Fair, I will try to get answers to them next. In retrospect, I am upset at myself for not getting some important questions answered. Like, is the 41st Elite Corps Clone Trooper getting fixed or not. And , what happened to The Black Series bubbles? And what is going on with the remaining Build A Droids R5-X2 and R8-B7 that still don't have a confirmed release yet. And I could kick myself for forgetting about some of my own questions like "will you create an adult-focused collectors' line. But then again, I can only do so much. I missed out on a lot of gourmet appetizers doing this for you all. I hope you appreciate it. Hugs and kisses.

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