Hasbro's Questions & Answers #61

     Don't forget, you can submit questions in our forums and we'll try to get as many as possible submitted to Hasbro. We can send only three questions per week, so make sure they are good ones! Now, on to this weeks Questions and Answers directly from Hasbro.

Q. Ever since the inception of the VOTC line, collectors have been pleased to get a series of well-articulated Imperial troopers in both the Vintage and Basic figure lines.  We've seen Stormtroopers, Scout Troopers, Snowtroopers, AT-AT Drivers, Death Star Gunners and the like over the past several years.  And we were pleasantly surprised by the upcoming Space Trooper, which is probably one of the coolest easter eggs in A NEW HOPE.  But we're left to wonder which OT Imperial trooper are we likely to see get this treatment next as a Basic Figure?  The AT-ST Driver?  The TIE Pilot?  The uniformed Imperial Officer?

A. We do like to add in new upgraded imperials every year.  Next year should see the introduction of three, including an upgraded officer (although he will be named, and not generic).  One of our choices will surprise you, as he is one of the more minor troop-builder potential imperials we have wanted to see re-done for a long time. Also, a super-articulated generic TIE Pilot will be featured in the last wave of Spring 2009 Evolution packs, so he will not be out on the basic figure card next year.

Q. We see a lot of fan chatter about Expanded Universe characters that people would like to see made into figure form.  But all too often, some of these characters have only come to life on the pages of novels.  The Hasbro Star Wars team seems to have embraced the EU through the comic 2-pack concept, but what about the novels?  Are team members chomping at the bit for Dark Horse to adapt some of the novels into comic form in order for some of these characters to take shape as figures?  And which novel characters are at the top of the Hasbro Star Wars team's wishlists?

A. This is a question that has come up time after time in the Q&A, and the simple answer is that we would like to do more figures from the novels, but we lack the proper reference and context to do many of them.  The comic packs work because of the visual nature of the medium (many novel characters lack good visuals for us to design from) as well as a much-needed story context to flesh out some of these characters.  Even Jacen and Jaina Solo, which are high on our wish-list, are difficult to do because they are so scarcely depicted.  Fans of the novels should take some heart in the fact that we are listening and looking to work in figures when we can (the basic figure line makes the most sense but has very few slots available for EU figures).  In addition, fans should enjoy the novel-based figures that we are doing in the comic packs, including Rogue Squadron figures, the upcoming Yuuzhon Vong/Kyle Katarn comic pack, and more.

Q. We've done a little digging through the history of Hasbro's Fan's Choice Polls.  And in the process we've discovered that over time a startling number of the candidates in the polls have been produced.  Of the 47 Fan's Choice Poll candidates over the years, 33 of those have been produced or have been confirmed to be on the way in the near future.  That's over 70%!

That leaves us wondering about the remaining 30%.  Are these remaining Fan's Choice Poll candidates still on the Hasbro Star Wars team's radar screens?  And how likely are we to see these remaining Fan's Choice Poll contestants immortalized in plastic?   

• Bom Vimdim – ANH – Cantina Alien (Fan's Choice Poll # 1)
• Ben Quadrinaros – TPM – Pod Racer (Fan's Choice Poll #2 & #5)
• Twi'lek Masseuse – TPM (Fan's Choice Poll #3)
• Captain Nym – EU – Battle For Naboo Video Game (Fan's Choice Poll #4)
• Anakin Solo – EU  (Fan's Choice Poll #6)
• Bastila Shan – EU – KOTOR Video Game (Fan's Choice Poll #6)
• Corran Horn – EU (Fan's Choice Poll #6)
• HK-47 – EU – KOTOR Video Game (Fan's Choice Poll #6)
• Jacen Solo – EU (Fan's Choice Poll #6)
• Jaina Solo – EU (Fan's Choice Poll #6)
• Kyle Katarn – EU (Fan's Choice Poll #6)
• Nom Anor – EU (Fan's Choice Poll #6)
• Padme Amidala – AOTC - Naboo Lake retreat (Fan's Choice Poll #6)
• Padme Amidala – ROTS – Funeral (Fan's Choice Poll #6)
  

A. If all goes according to plan and if schedules hold, next year will see five of these figures finally make it, with another four of them possible for 2010 (they are high on our wish list, but 2010 has yet to be nailed down).  By the way, we see "Padme Lake Retreat" complete with the"fireside" outfit from the 30th Anniversary Collection.

Check back in a few weeks and we'll post the next round of Questions (and answers) as soon as Hasbro offers them.