Q&A With JTA: Our Twentieth Column!

1. Hi Paul ... Prices on a loose Teek seem to be holding steady online.... I finally caved and bought one (well I actually bought the whole Boarding Party set as it was pretty much the same price as a loose Teek) .... It got me thinking .... the vast majority of loose figures are pretty much worthless (or at least no where near the original retail cost) - but which ones have bucked the trend? I see that a couple of the later Build-A-Droids still command a premium but are there any other stand-out examples in modern collecting? Also.... I'm psyched about finally getting a Teek.... if only there could be a few more Battle For Endor figures ..... (Cindel, Terak and Charal) (Matt)

JTA: It almost seems if there is no rhyme or reason. But you can bet that figures part of multipacks with elusive availability due to the popularity of the set or just its overall scarcity will absolutely produce high premiums for wanted figures of those sets. The Scramble On Yavin Battle Packs set still commands a huge aftermarket price. Hasbro really goofed by only rereleasing the Rebel Ground Crew and Speeder. Many more collectors want another stab at Garven Dreis and R5-K6 too. So those figures will likely remain high sellers. Gha Nackt from Ambush On The Vulture's Claw is another great example. It's amazing that Hasbro has never reissued that pack. Everyone loves characters that tickle the nosdtalgia of the Original trilogy. A chubby version of Bossk is something almost any Star Wars collector would want, hence this set goes for a pretty penny too! Essentially a figure part of a multipack (or in the case of the Build A Droid figures - any figure that needs to be buit across MANY figures) will indeed demand more of your money. You'll see the trends and there are plenty of exceptions too.

2. Is there a lightsaber hilt that fits into the vintage collection episode 2 obi-wan kenobi figure? all the kenobi lightsabers i've tried are to big for the hole. (Davy)

JTA: We have not been successful in finding one but would love to post an update here if anyone out there knows something we don't. Unfortunately, this is the problem when there isn't a master approach to the basic figure line. All figures should have the same interchangeability. But that's juts our two cents.

3. Will Hasbro re-release more production runs of the Vintage Collection Gamorrean Guard? After so many case revisions, it's still nowhere to be found! (Medusa)

JTA: Yes! You must know the news by now! In order for all of us to get a chance at Wedge Antilles, Hasbro is releasing a [very] late "wave 3.5" case (our own designation - we haven't seen anyone else use this yet) in June of this year which will include the Gamorrean Guard. Keep in mind however that Wedge may be the overall "impossible" figure to find. We hope not, but as of right now, this is the only possible way to get him into your collection. For those of you who don't know, the Gamorrean Guard is easily the best figures of Hasbro's career. If you don't know the glorious positives that outweigh [any of the] negatives, then educate your self and learn all about him HERE! It's a crying shame that he hasn't been elected as one fo the carry-forward figures. (But Hasbro made sure to keep shipping that stupid Clone Trooper VC15 figure! Ugh!)

4. hello from germany...i really enjoy your site every day - great work! maybe a question for you: do you know what happened to the arc-180 starfighter "flaming wampa" edition? it was anounced years ago but the only image i found on the web was the one on rebelscum showing the packaging...was it ever released??? another question (maybe too much european focus?): i bought the clone turbo tank recently and was quite surprised that there were no trooper phrases available. i found nothing in the whole www commenting on a version without the phrases...quite strange......(Tim)

JTA: Thank you for checking in with us daily! Tim, if you mean the TRU exclusive "Wampa" ARC-170 Fighter, yes this was released (I believe in early 2009) and sold out rather quickly. To date, we haven't added it to our Research Droids Reviews, but we will try to work it in before August for you. (We're kind of booked until then.) It's actually my favorite ARC-170 fighter so far. It literally came in to stores and flew out all of a sudden unexpectedly, sort of the like the "Lucky Lekku" Republic Gunship Walmart exclusive. I know you're out of the USA, but I recommend trying to get exclusives from the USA as soon as you can from any online source, including eBay. Once they're gone, they're even impossible for Americans to find (for the most part). As to your second question, I am unfortunately not too well-versed in the foreign distribution of Hasbro product and what features are or are not included. I have not heard about what you have described until now, but I am not surprised. Hasbro may remove English features from foreignly distributed product as to not frustrate the collector. When even Star Wars films are translated into foreign languages for the benefit of the said country, it may not be wise to have the toys still containing English.

5. It seems everyone has that character that they want made into a figure or update on. For me it's the second duros from the cantina. How about you? Thanks! (Mike)

JTA: Mike, this is not a good question for me because there is no way I could pick just one. I can tell you that I want to see (and I am talking for The Vintage Collection here) Grand Moff Tarkin, Gargan repacked, (YES - I SAID GARGAN), R1-G4 (repacked), Snaggletooth, Lumat, Sim Aloo, vintage Nikto, Blue Snaggletooth, Death Squad Commander (gray outfit), the unlreleased Utai, the unreleased Imperial Scanning Crew (leave out the case and put it in a future Battle Packs set), a stellar knock-it-out-of-the-park Saesee Tiin, Figrin D'an (with all the accessories), a stellar knock-it-out-of-the-park perfect Stormtrooper without removable helmet and the rest of Jabba's Palace that needs updating and or first time super-articulated action figure treatment! : )

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!