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2011 NYCC: Hasbro Movie Heroes Floor Report

Posted by Paul | October 15, 2011 at 08:35 PM ET

Here is JTA's floor report of Hasbro's 2011 NYCC Hasbro presentation, this time focusing on the Movie Heroes line look. And we managed to squeeze in some analysis that sort of developed into a rant. You'll just have to click through to see what we compiled!

by Chad Cobain and Paul Harrison

Welcome to the Star Wars [The Phantom Menace 3D] collection! (We really don’t know what we’re calling it yet – the lines are becoming all blurred.) But we can tell you that we’re all going to party like it’s 1999.... literally! The line should be called Episode I "2" to be quite honest with you! Already causing a stir and creating a buzz that ranges from elation to despair, it seems not even Hasbro has a clear focus on how they’ll be presenting the lines to us. The metaphorical lines are blurred and for the first time we can recall, there is some sort of meta-cross pollination of the Star Wars basic figure lines. The same figures are being promoted in various lines and sometimes even duplicated. It lacks organization and sense. And while The Vintage Collection looks a little more hopeful, Hasbro is fixated on bringing back the collecting environment of Episode I back from the dead and have actually put their cash cow, The Clone Wars line, on the back burner to focus on the 3D release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. We are concerned about this move.

We were told by Hasbro that we can stick a fork in the Saga Legends line. While they managed the line terribly by the end oof its course, it was a line that transcended multiple generations. In its place now enter Movie Heroes, a line that promises to appeal to kids, collectors and the occasional casual fan. It's not meant to replace Saga Legends, but instead be an all new concept for a basic figure line. But will it be a line that truly has something for everyone, or will it be a line to really throw people off, cause confusion and charge more for the same figure based upon what packaging it gets relegated? Apparently the answer is yes. JTA field correspondent and friend Chad Cobain put together some stats for your perusal. The Movie Heroes line is so nonsensical that we are just shaking our heads over the madness! Check it out:

Movie Heroes Wave 1 will be out at the end of January with:

Qui-Gon Jinn (SA sculpt)
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ep I SA sculpt)
Darth Maul (older sculpt)
Battle Droid (SA sculpt, Ep I coloring)
Clone Trooper (Phase II)
Clone Trooper (Phase II w/ jetpack)
Destroyer Droid
Yoda

In the same month The Vintage Collection will have:

Qui-Gon Jinn (SA sculpt)
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ep I SA sculpt)
Darth Maul (SA sculpt)
Battle Droid (SA sculpt, Ep I coloring)

Also on the same release date, the Walmart exclusive Discover the Force line will have:

Qui-Gon Jinn (SA sculpt)
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ep I SA sculpt)
Darth Maul (not sure which sculpt this is)
Destroyer Droid
Yoda

In the same month the Class 1 Vehicle line will have:

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ep I SA Sculpt)
Darth Maul (presumably the sculpt that originally came with the Sith Speeder)
Battle Droid (SA sculpt, Ep I coloring)
Clone Trooper (Phase II)

Sometime within four weeks of all the above figures (presumably when these figures are still on the shelf), Movie Heroes Wave 2 will be released and will have:

Qui-Gon Jinn w/ light-up lightsaber
Obi-Wan Kenobi w/ light-up lightsaber (Ep I)
Darth Maul (SA sculpt)

This means in one month their will be 4 Qui-Gon Jinns, 5 Obi-Wan Kenobis, 5 Darth Mauls, 3 Battle Droids (not including the Ep II version in a Battle Pack), 3 Clone Troopers (two of them are in the same damn wave!!!), 2 Destroyer Droids and 2 Yodas. We will also get 3 slave-boy Anakins in TVC, a Battle Pack and a Target exclusive 2-pack; 3 different Darth Vaders in Movie Heroes, a Target 2-pack and TVC; and 2 Darth Sidious' in TVC and in a Target 2-pack. How could this doubling up of the same characters and in some instances the exact same figures NOT hurt the lines? I'm speaking mostly about TVC here. Why would someone (kids and parents especially) chose to pay more for a The Vintage Collection figure when the exact same figure is on the shelf right next to it for $2 less? One Qui-Gon Jinn purchased in the Movie Heroes line is one less Qui-Gon Jinn purchased in The Vintage Collection. This seems like it could easily kill one or all of the lines! Isn't this the same reason why the 1999 Episode I line failed? And we're talking about the same characters, no less!

Anyhoo...this just kind of struck me as an INSANELY HUGE MISTAKE on the part of Hasbro!!!

As you can see, a lot of these releases are just not making sense at all. And why does the same figure need to be released in so many facets of the line(s)?

On another and more positive note, TVC looks really promising for some great looking new figures and for fans who missed out on some incredible figures from earlier this year. It's nice to see Hasbro realize that this is the line they should be focusing on. Although I am not optimistic on what looks to be a distribution mess with three lines debuting at the same time. And shuffling waves around has never been Hasbro's strong suit. Let's all pray for the best.

And why is The Clone Wars line becoming the pimple on the butt of Hasbro’s Star Wars branding? And why did it happen overnight? Unless they relieve our fears during Toy Fair 2012, we have a bad feeling about the possibility that The Clone Wars line as we know it is done. Remember how the original 2003 Clone Wars line was a small blip in the 2003 Star Wars “Saga” line? Chad echoes similar sentiments: I am very very sad that The Clone Wars line has all but ceased completely. The figures lately have been some of the best figures Hasbro has ever produced and I've been just as excited about nabbing them as I have about TVC. As much as my pocket book (I actually carry a wallet) sees this as a welcome break, I will no-less personally miss new The Clone Wars figures.

So we snuck in a rant with our Floor Report for the “Darth Maul” line. Here is what you can expect to come on January 30th and after:

Movie Heroes:

Wave 1

Darth Maul
Battle Droid
Qui-Gon Jinn
Super Battle Droid
R2-D2 (all-new electronics)
Shock Trooper (white Clone Trooper shown)
Destroyer Droid
Obi-Wan Kenobi (2009 LC version)
General Grievous
Clone Trooper (white - it’s the 2005 Deluxe Jetpack Clone Trooper)
Darth Vader (2003 Star Wars “Saga” version)
Yoda

Wave 2

Obi-Wan Kenobi (w/ light-up lightsaber)
Qui-Gon Jinn (w/ light-up lightsaber)
Jar Jar Binks (all new)
Anakin Skywalker (Podracer Pilot) (all-new)
Darth Maul (all-new)
Padme Amidala (Naboo Battle Gear) (all-new)

Class 1 Fleet Vehicles:

Wave 1
Sith Speeder With Darth Maul
Naboo Royal Fighter With Obi-Wan Kenobi
STAP With Battle Droid
BARC Speeder With Clone Trooper

Class II Attack Vehicles:

Wave 1

Sebulba’s Podracer
Anakin Skywalker’s Podracer
Armored Assault Tank (AAT) (all-new tooling – action feature removed!)
Sith Infiltrator (OK, this is nice to get in Darth Maul packaging!)

Wave 2

Republic Fighter Tank
Anakin’s Jedi Starfighter (The Clone Wars)
Naboo Starfighter (all-new; R2 unit fits in droid socket)

Battle Packs:

Geonosis Arena Battle
(Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jango Fett, red Battle Droid)

Rebel Heroes
(C-3PO, Han Solo, Chewbacca)

Exclusives:

Walmart

The Phantom Menace “Discover The Force” exclusive basic figures in Movie Heroes styled packaging: Mawhonic, Naboo Pilot, Aurra Sing, Gungan Warrior, Ric Olie, G8-R3, Yoda, Destroyer Droid, Darth Maul, Tusken Raider, Qui-Gon Jinn (also in Movie Heroes), Obi-Wan Kenobi (also in Movie Heroes)

Royal Starship Droids (Battle Packs)
(R2-R9, R2-A6, R2-B1, R2-D2)

Mos Espa Arena (Battle Packs)
(C-3PO – all-new, Anakin Skywalker, Sebulba, Pit Droid)

Creatures:

Dewback

Vehicles:

Vulture Droid (painted green)

TARGET

Exclusive Figure 2-packs:

Rise of Darth Vader (Anakin and Vader) and Emergence Of The Sith (Palpatine and Maul)

Toys R Us

Pod Racer Pilot Pack
(Dud Bolt, Mars Guo, Clegg Holdfast, Gasgano, Teemto Pagalies – most look repainted)

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