Jedi Temple Archives - The Holocron Report
Date: August 10, 2009 at 10:48 PM ET
Topic: Hasbro


San Diego Comic Con has become as big of a news event for Hasbro's Star Wars line as the New York International Toy Fair. It gives us insights into what's coming up in the near term. And for those of us who are adept with the Jedi Mind Trick, a look at what's to come further on. So peer into the Holocron, and see what the future may behold!




The big story? SOMETHING BIG! Hasbro openly discussed that they have something special planned for the 30th Anniversary of the theatrical release of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. It appears that this theme will run through a theme of basic figures, beasts and vehicles. And if the 30th Anniversary Collection was any indication, it seems that we may be in store for a solid year with some very nice collector focused items on the way.

BASIC FIGURES - THE LEGACY COLLECTION
Hasbro tends to keep mum on upcoming figures. But they have been letting some things slip here and there. Again, the EMPIRE theme seems to be something that will rear it's head again. Recent EMPIRE figure rumblings seem to revolve around Han Solo and Leia. And some more Snowspeeder pilots may be strong candidates.

But Hasbro also seems to be enthusiastic about RETURN OF THE JEDI. You know that AT-ST they were so proudly displaying? Well, some AT-ST hijackers may be in the works. There are also strong indications for a new Admiral Ackbar, an outright confirmation of the Klaatu, Wooof, and strong indications of more of Jabba's skiff and palace guards. Let's also not forget about the ROTJ Jabba the Hutt that's been mentioned in Q&A sessions with Hasbro dating back to 2008.


BASIC FIGURES - THE CLONE WARS
Hasbro has been playing CLONE WARS close to the vest. Mostly because there is the potential for storyline spoilers with some of the figures that may come late in 2009 and in early 2010. However, if you laid your eyes on the Lucasfilm pavillion at Comic Con, or attended the Star Wars Spectacular, you would know the central theme of the upcoming seasons of STAR WARS - THE CLONE WARS - The Rise Of The Bounty Hunters!

Prominently featured in some of the artwork are a number of bounty hunters, including the previously introduced Cad Bane, Aurra Sing and Robonino, as well as OT favorite Bossk. But there are also some new Bounty Hunters that are likely to excite fans and will most likely make their way into figure form, like a new Changeling and others. But the most exciting new characters are possibly a group of Mandalorians who will present a formidable challenge for the forces of the Republic. And Hasbro confirmed to JTA that the Mandalorian leader will be made in figure form some time in 2010.


VEHICLES
And one EMPIRE themed item that we've been tracking closely is an all-new Rebel Snowspeeder. Hasbro broke the news in This Q&A Session with JTA back in September of 2008. Indications out of Comic Con are that the new Snowspeeder will be revealed at Toy Fair in February, and it will be part of the Starfighter vehicle assortment which is available at mass retail. Another, much sought after EMPIRE themed vehicle would also fit in nicely in this assortment *cough* Cloud Car *cough*, but there are no indications that a modern era Cloud Car is in the works at this time.

As for other EMPIRE themed vehicles? Hasbro would not discuss anything specifically. But indications are that Hasbro's Star Wars team is well positioned to offer one vehicle at the $100 price point per calender year. The response to the Millenium Falcon and AT-TE were very positive, and they seem pleased with the Turbo Tank thus far. Looking in the figure display cases at Comic Con, one couldn't help but notice one very conspicuous Imperial Pilot from Episode V. Are we prepared to connect the dots just yet? No. Nothing is official until Hasbro says it is official. But the rumblings on the interwebs indicate that indeed, something BIG may be in the works.

As for a certain Bounty Hunter's ship being revisited? Hasbro shied away from this question, but stated that if it were to be supported in an entertainment format, that a new Slave I could be a possibility. And when presented with the information that producer Rick McCallum recently made statements about Boba Fett's involvement in the upcoming Star Wars live action television series, Hasbro sources expressed surprise. And the Holocron Report will continue to follow this story as it develops.


VEHICLES - EXCLUSIVES
On the exclusive vehicle front, we learned about one vehicle that got serious consideration for the exclusives program. It was prominently featured in the STAR WARS: THE CLONES theatrical release, notably during the Battle of Christophsis. This Republic vehicle was pitched to potential retail partners, but they ultimately chose the very popular new AT-ST instead. Will this Clone Wars era item appear at some later time? That remains to be seen.


PACKAGING
As we begin to see figures, vehicles, transformers, battle packs and more appear at retail the new white and red packaging, we're left with a question: how long will it last? And that will be approximately 1 year. Hasbro confirms that there will be another packaging change which will happen in the summer of 2010. This change is mandated by Lucas Licensing, and the new look will be picked up by multiple Star Wars licensees. There is no official word about what the new packaging will look like. However there are rumblings that the new look may harken back to the original black and silver appearance that graced the classic Kenner lines of the 1970's and 80's.

Keep checking back at Jedi Temple Archives for more Holocron Reports. We'll periodically be calling upon our perceptive powers to bring you a look at what just may be coming up.





This article comes from Jedi Temple Archives
http://www.jeditemplearchives.com/content

The URL for this story is:
http://www.jeditemplearchives.com/content/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=5046