Star Wars Legacy Comic Packs Wave 2 Impressions
Friday, August 29, 2008
They'll all be in Figure of the Day soon, but I just got the rest of Wave 2 of the new comic packs. It seems Hasbro is putting more effort into this sub-line than the basic figures in 2008, as it's loaded with clever repaints, excellent retools, and brand new figures on par with your average basic action figure.
Star Wars #68 with Fenn Shysa and Dengar
Not one to rest on their molds, Hasbro took the 2008 Evolutions Jango Fett and gave him a new head. The 2003 Dengar was redecorated as well. As a fairly shameless fanboy for Marvel's Star Wars, I like this set a lot. The weirdly colored Dengar looks like a bootleg, and Fenn... well, I wish I liked Fenn more as a toy. Jango's oddly hanging holsters don't look good here, and Fenn's head feels small. His armor looks great though, very much a product of the 1980s. There are no real surprises in accessories or articulation.
Star Wars #69 with Tobbi Dala and Princess Leia
We have a winner! Princess Leia isn't the winner, but she's good-- it's a 1998 mold with a newly sculpted belt and improved paint. She fits right in witht he comic art, being almost entirely white. The holster isn't very good in that it's squished under her vest, which will also squish her blaster if it is held inside. Also, her right hand is warped and if you remove the rubber band, she may drop the gun. Tobbi Dala is a pile of awesome. Great metallic coloring, wonderful pose, and it's based on the 2008 Evolutions Boba Fett. The figure's poses remind me of the various hip-hop Mandalorians at comic conventions and the bright coloring is very retro. You simply must buy this set.
Star Wars Legacy #2 with Darth Talon and Cade Skywalker
Both are all-new molds. Cade doesn't include a lightsaber (no matter what the art or insert tray may say), but Talon does. Cade is super articulated, has his belt packaged on him backwards, and includes his trademark customized special rifle. His head is also a little funky, but the costume is great. Talon is almost super-articulated (no elbows), but is otherwise wonderful. Her lightsaber is a little rubbery, but she's unique enough to warrant a purchase. The set is a must-buy for fans of the Legacy comics.
Star Wars Legacy #6 with Antares Draco and Ganner Krieg
Both share a body, but it's an all-new body. Pros: wonderful paint, great soft goods, super articulation, good poses. Cons: hoods don't stay up well, lightsabers can't be pegged to belts, clearish white blades look goofy. Ganner's head is pretty good, but Antares is quite striking-- it almost looks like it can come to life and speak to you. Again, this is a must-buy for fans of the series. Draco won't let you down.
As a Star Wars comic fan, I'd rate the entire wave a must-buy... but you likely are not a fan of both comics from 1981 and 2008. As such, you might be put off by the oddly colored Marvel characters, or the distant future generations of Legacy. It's hard to identify a true favorite, but out of this wave I'd say the true highlights are Tobbi Dala and Cade Skywalker. If either character appeals to you on some level, buy the figures.
Posted byAdam16bit at 12:22 AM 0 comments
Labels: Action Figures, Comic Packs, Hasbro, The Legacy Collection
Q&A: Unleash Your Questions!
Monday, August 25, 2008
This week, we look at stuff surrounding The Force Unleashed, Indiana Jones, and more Clone Wars stuff. Oh, and there's more-- read on, won't you? (It's not like it's any less fun than working!)
1. Is the Darth Vader with the 2 part helmet a totally new sculpt or just the head portion? Also will the build a droid astromech dome part that he comes with be included with any other figures later on?
--Steve
Basically, it's just a new helmet. The head is molded in the fleshy color rather than painted, and the helmet is now a two-piece sculpted helmet. He comes with the head and foot of R7-Z0, and according to Hasbro's comments on the line will not likely see release elsewhere. So if you want a complete R7-Z0, and you do, choke it up and buy.
2. Don't you think it's about time that Hasbro (or the retailer responsible) announces where we can get that long overdue Force Unleashed Stormtrooper exclusive figure? The game is due to be released in just under a month from now. You'd think that whoever wants us to spend our money in their stores to get the game and exclusive figure would want to make it that much easier on us?
--GalacticHunter
You'd think so, but Hasbro (for some reason or another) keeps a lot of exclusives under wraps until after their release, or never really promotes them at all. This seems to be one of them. It's a GameStop pre-order bonus, but there has yet to be any official announcement despite people actually being given the figure in Canada already. (On that note, does anyone in Canada want to make a very lopsided trade in your favor if you have one or two or three of these?) Generally the delay has to do with the retailer announcing the exclusive on their own, but they rarely do this-- so in this case, it just didn't happen. Like the entire Hasbro Star Tours line.
I did some asking around, but didn't ask if the source would mind me divulging it. So I do have a confirmation from an official source that it will indeed be a GameStop exclusive in the USA, but with an asterisk-- the source didn't say or know how GameStop will distribute it. So I called GameStop to ask, and they answer my questions like I'm insane. So you may wish to pre-order the game, or if you have a friend who works there, ask them and tell me what they tell you. I'm a little shocked they don't know about it if it's a pre-order bonus-- for all I know they'll put it in the stores for $15 because shmucks like me will probably buy it.
It really is obnoxious. As a person who loves toys and video games, you'd think they'd want to attract my business, but no. (Say, does anyone have access to these from Canada and want to get a bunch of Legacy/Clone Wars stuff in a trade wildly unfair in your favor? Email me.)
3. So now that we have an awesome Lancer Droid and an equally awesome Obi-Wan in Clone Armor complete with nifty lances, do you think we might see a battle pack of those two and maybe Durge as well with their swoops?
--Ted
Yes. As in, yes, I think so. I can't say when, of course, but it's a pretty safe bet that this is going to happen at some point in the future. Durge on his Swoop is already out there, and I doubt Hasbro would do more than reissue it. As such, you might want to go ahead and track it down as it is essentially super-articulated (or close enough) and a nice little toy for the money. Although it too has some stability problems... which seems to be a trend these days.
4. Seeing as how we might get a "medical frigate" Luke, it made me think of question I wanted answered since the first time I saw Empire. Vader obviously cuts Luke's hand off at the wrist, so why on the medical frigate does 2-1B replace his forearm as well? Not a toy question, but I thought you might know.
--Chris
Because it looks cooler. I think it's purely so, visually, it was more striking. Subtlety doesn't usually pay off as special effects are concerned, so a lot of things-- like the Carbonite block, for example-- are exaggerated to give it a little more emotion and a little more zing. And, as you can see, it worked.
From the perspective of the story? Well, it's possible they had to goof with his arm a little to get it to function, I suppose. Like if you want a tire on something, you can't just slap a tire on it-- you need to put an axle in there too, and other bits and pieces to allow it to spin properly. Perhaps the assembly needed to be implanted in his arm to make the hand work. But I think mostly it was just the effects department wanting something that, visually, said it all.
5. I usually don't worry about finding non-exclusive figures at retail because I know they will show up eventually but I am starting to get a bad feeling about the Indiana Jones line. All of the stores near me have tons and tons of waves 1 & 2 and seem to be getting more and more of those waves in with no sign of The Last Crusade figures.
How is this line selling (to me it seems very poorly)? I know they have a few more waves lined up but I am beginning to wonder if we're ever going to see those. :(
--Keith
As far as I can tell, Indiana Jones is doing acceptably. It's not doing fantastic business, but people are somewhat interested and the bulk of the interest has certainly faded with the release of the new film. If anything, the line might have done better had it started before the new flick. From where I sit, it seems so much of the stuff is clogging up shelves that it's next to impossible to see anything new, and I found Sean Connery weeks after the rest of the world seemed to. (Well, the wave as a whole-- none of it seems to be making it to shelves.)
It seems that the figures are far enough along that it'll go for a little while longer. The Indiana Jones selling season should last until, at the very least, December or January as people are going to get the DVD and then watch the DVD and then go "man, I'd like a figure of that." So I'd be shocked to not see the line widely available during 2008. But 2009? That's harder to say-- it doesn't seem like the line has a lot of figures that are worth making, and to expect it to have more than 2-3 years worth of life seems... unlikely. But you never know, here we are with Star Wars roughly 1,500 figures later.
FIN
Ah, the post-movie season. The big event has come and gone, and apparently nobody cared-- yet all the figures seem to be selling just fine, which is... uh... kinda freaky. Who knew? I'd be curious to see if Hasbro or LucasFilm made a bigger profit in August 2008.
Now we're moving in to Fall, which I think means this may be one of the most unpleasant years in history for our collective wallets. First, we've got a huge July launch. Then, we've got exclusives and the stuff we missed from the July launch in August, plus another wave of basic figures. And in September, it's going to be a parade of exclusives plus a new video game, with more exclusives pretty much every month from here on out. So instead of giving up something for Lent, I think I'm going to have to give up Transformers and Joes for Q4. And probably beyond if this keeps up, it's just too nutty.
Oh, and did you all check out the Force Unleashed demo? Maybe it's been too long since I played a Star Wars game on a modern-gen console that I genuinely liked, but this seems to be really fantastic. It's weird to be in a position where I've had a dozen figures from a game for almost a half of a year and now I'm eager to see just what their deal is. The graphics are great, the voice acting is OK, and the story seems to be... I'm not sure. Darth Vader's errand boy goes on a fan service parade and kills things? Sounds good to me! I like the fact that the demo is almost exclusively original trilogy stuff, or at least I can appreciate it. (Odds are that's where the money is.) It'll be fun to see how the final product turns out, and here's to there not being another maddening level like Gall from Shadows of the Empire. Speaking of which, I wonder if and/or when we're going to see that ported to the downloadable game services on modern generation consoles. Ah well.
Got questions? I bet you do. Email me with "Q&A" somewhere in the subject line and hopefully I'll get to yours in the next column!
Posted byAdam16bit at 1:08 AM 0 comments
Labels: QandA
Toys "R" Us Star Wars Galactic Heroes Exclusives Hitting
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Are you looking for the latest Galactic Heroes sets? We spotted one of the two at a Los Angeles Toys "R" Us today, meaning we can vouch for the Kashyyyk set (with Tarfful, Yoda, and some clones with an AT-RT) being out now. The Rancor Pit is also very likely out, we just can't vouch for it. Each set is $24.99.
Posted byAdam16bit at 10:47 PM 0 comments
Labels: Exclusives, Galactic Heroes, Toys "R" Us
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Xbox Achievements Revealed
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Game site Xbox360Achievements.Org posted a full list of achievements for the Xbox 360 version of the game. Curious what they may be? Click through!
Posted byAdam16bit at 5:56 PM 0 comments
Labels: Video Games
Star Wars Trilogies DVD Sets Coming?
Repackaged DVDs are apparently going to join repackaged action figures on the shelves, if the post at T-bone's Star Wars Universe is right. The site has an illustration for two new trilogy boxed sets featuring the prequel trilogy and the original trilogy. At this time there is no indication that any new content will be made available, and given all six movies can be purchased today, one wonders why yet another repackaging will happen without new content. Granted, it's nice to not want to rebuy the movies again.
Posted byAdam16bit at 10:02 AM 0 comments
Labels: DVD
Infinities Surprise: White Darth Vader Figure has New Neck
For the first time ever, Hasbro created an armored Darth Vader figure with a ball joint. UPDATE 8/26/08: It turns out the original 2004 figure had this joint too-- it was just never showcased in any photo galleries or, as far as I can tell, discussed by anybody. So I guess the real subject of this post is White Darth Vader is White. Also, he has a new cape with modifications around his neck, as there's no "chain" on my sample. So there you have it.
This mold has been used for the 2004 Vintage Original Trilogy Collection Darth Vader, the 2006-2007 Return of the Jedi Tin Darth Vader, the 2006 Imperial Shuttle Pack-In Vader, the 2008 Assault on Kashyyyk Battle Pack Darth Vader... I could go on.
Posted byAdam16bit at 12:23 AM 0 comments
Labels: Action Figures, Hasbro, The Legacy Collection
Open Letter to LucasArts
Friday, August 22, 2008
Dear LucasArts,
I have recently downloaded and played through your demo for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and am somewhat upset. Over the past decade, we had a deal: you make bad games tied in to the Star Wars saga, and I won't buy them. It worked out really well, and saved me hundreds of dollars which went toward other fun purchases. And now, you make something decent.
Don't get me wrong, we had some good times. The LEGO games? Sure. X-Wing? Absolutely. I even bought all of the games from the 8- and 16-bit generations, quality be damned, and played through Rebel Assault II on the PlayStation back when that sort of thing was considered to be largely impressive. And now you go and release something with polish that's fun to look at and to play? Seriously, what gives, LucasArts?
I've got toys to write about. I simply can't be bothered to spend tens of hours with high-quality software like this. Please do something about it, as it's going to be much harder to make fun of the average licensed Star Wars title if resources and talent go into them and make them good from here on out.
Your pal,
Adam Pawlus
Posted byAdam16bit at 12:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Editorials, LucasArts, Video Games
Star Wars LEGO 2009
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Want to see some 2009 previews? Of course you do. Flickr user Corran101 added several shots, as did a generous soul at Brickshelf. Check out the return of pirates (!), a Clone Shuttle (!!), and some classic 1930s cars in a new Temple of Doom set (!!!).
Posted byAdam16bit at 10:52 PM 0 comments
Labels: LEGO
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Demo Available Now
Good news, everyone! LucasArts' demo for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is up and ready to download on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. (Heck, I'm downloading it now.) It's about 900 megabytes, so prepare for a bit of a wait, but I hear it's excellent.
Posted byAdam16bit at 10:51 PM 0 comments
Labels: Video Games
Star Wars Action Figures. Collect all 92!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
File under "Bad Ideas."
The slogan was updated constantly and emblazoned on nearly every Kenner Star Wars product for the better part of a decade. Understanding fans before they knew what was going on, the Ohio-based toy giant encouraged fans to collect them all, and as they grew up and got jobs, a lot of them did exactly that. After all, 92 figures on the final figure cardbacks in 1985, plus a few others which weren't shown, wasn't going to be cheap.
Flash forward to 2008 and Hasbro, after buying Kenner, has done a pretty good job updating the entire line. There's a mix of figure which haven't been made yet, and were made a little inaccurately in the original line. Now that we're almost done updating the figures in name, how about accurately representing them as their 1978-1985 plastic selves-- correct or otherwise?
Make way for a real Vintage collection of modern figures! After the McQuarrie Concept line, I can't think of a better line-within-a-line to appeal to old-school original trilogy fans!
Yak Face
The 1998 figure, while arguably an improvement over the supremely rare original, wears a distinctive and different costume. The original Kenner release didn't have the long duster, and the costume coloring was a little different. Since there hasn't been a Yak Face for sale since 1998, why not go retro next time?
R2-D2 (plain, with Sensorscope, with Pop-up Lightsaber)
The original had a body which was created with a big sticker, a wildly inaccurate head, and a height deficiency. The label wouldn't really look good with the rest of the line, but it might be fun to see Hasbro engineers retool a 21st-century take on the original R2-D2 head on a modern body. The giant saucer eye may have been the stuff a good Hungarian bootleg would be based on, but it's also an iconic part of how an entire generation of kids played with the droid. It's also an excuse to do another R2-D2 without lava reflection paint or ash stains or some other minor deco variant.
Han Solo (Carbonite)
While there have indeed been multiple Han Solo figures with the big metal ice block, none have been made in clear brown plastic. None have been molded with his hands at his sides, either. Since a new mold would be needed to make a Kenner-style block (plus it's quite inaccurate), it seems unlikely Hasbro would want to attempt this design-- but hey, why not? Han sells, and the Carbonite has been out of circulation since 2006. This would be a supremely fun Vintage figure!
Warok (Ewok)
To date, this figure has not been done in any modern capacity.
Imperial Dignitary (Sim Aloo)
Again, the figure has not been done in any modern toy line.
Barada (Kithaba)
Supposedly on the short list from Hasbro, the vintage 1984 figure named "Barada" has been since renamed "Kithaba." He's distinctive from the modern Barada figures because he has a slightly different torso and red pants-- this one could be an easy redeco of Barada, although it might be preferable to see a post-Kenner design of the character as a figure.
Lumat (Ewok)
Initially planned to be released in 2007, apparently Hasbro got cold feet and repainted (and renamed) the figure to "Graak." As such, a satisfactory vintage-style Lumat figure is as simple as repainting an existing mold.
Bib Fortuna
After a few tries, Hasbro nailed the movie version of this character-- but the odd looking Kenner original (and the prototype) haven't been done yet. While the movie character had a black robe, the original had a brown robe, and a prototype had a dark red robe. What's more he was armed with a staff which, to date, seems to have originated with Kenner's designers. (Sideshow remade it for their 12-inch figure recently.) As such, there's another opportunity to do another figure to look more like the Kenner original, but even I doubt they'd consider this one.
Emperor's Royal Guard
While there have been three figures of the movie guard in the modern line, none replicated the elegance of the original. The figure could stand guard, hold a large force pike, and sported a cloth robe. It's so simple, and yet we're not quite there yet-- but we came close in 2005 with the Revenge of the Sith figure. Were Hasbro to retool the arms and give him a new weapon, they could make an update of the Kenner orignal (with accessory) and a movie-perfect version with a shorter pike in one easy release.
Nikto
The modern-era figure from 1999 doesn't match the 1983 original at all. An entirely new sculpt may not be required, but really all that's potentially salvageable is the head. They may as well go for broke and start from scratch here.
Luke Skywalker (Hoth Gear)
Even though there hasn't been an ultimate super-articulated version of the movie version of the costume, the suprisingly different Kenner figure from 1982 hasn't been touched in the modern line yet. The perfect companion to your blue costume Hoth Han Solo figures, a new Kenner version would have dark goggles, dark brown boots, and a red scarf around his hat and neck. Retro-tastic!
Bespin Security Guard (Black, Arguably Asian)
While an acceptable Bespin Guard was released in 2001, it didn't look a thing like the original. It didn't have a moustache, and it wasn't black. It also didn't have his jacket closed. For this reason, there's not one but two opportunities to do old-fashioned versions of this guard, both of which could be made from a single mold except for the head. Two for one here, Hasbro!
Darth Vader (and the same comments apply to Obi-Wan Kenobi)
While seemingly every possible variation on Darth Vader has been done, there's one action feature which has never been touched on-- the telescoping lightsaber built in to the arm. All that would be required here for a "Kenner" style release would be a new arm with a lightsaber inside and, if they were feeling saucy, the strange over-the-shoulders cape. Which is really closer to being a floor-length vest with something resembling a hood. Either way, it's another way to sell Darth Vader and cash in on that oh-so-delicious 1978 Kenner nostalgia all at once.
TIE Fighter Pilot
Not only has Hasbro still not yet delivered a super-articulated version of the pilot, the 1982 Kenner orignal really doesn't look anything like the movie aside from the fact that it was black. It features a misshapen helmet design, black gloves, little bits and pieces on his costume, and he was pretty stocky. When every possible version of the TIE Pilot from the movies has been exhausted-- which, I should add, it hasn't yet been-- here's another way to redo the classic.
Greedo
While sales of the Vintage figure in 2006 may have squashed any hope for a new version, the 1979 release had a strange green jumpsuit with big green boots. The head could be reused, as could the hands and maybe bits of the limbs. A whole new torso might be worth a shot in an attempt to create the Kenner original.
Snaggletooth
Like Greedo, it seems Kenner designed much of the costume on their own. His red costume seems only to share the color and the belt with an on-screen counterpart, and his head qualified as close enough. It's time for Kenner to go back to the well and recreate the barefoot, gloveless, grey-furred shorty from the bar.
Boba Fett
The no-brainer of the year! With different colored right and left gauntlets, a unique jetpack, no cape, and a blue body suit, this might be the best possible candidate for Kenner-ization. The original figure was fairly off-model from the final film figure, and the 12-inch Kenner figure from the same time was also pretty unique. Heck, there's two versions right here.
Imperial Officer
Despite there being dozens of Imperial Officer figures, none of them replicated the look of the 1980s original with its pressed uniform, gloves, and hat. Hasbro could easily recolor Moff Jerjerrod to make a figure that's close enough, and that's what they're doing in late 2008. But will it be enough? (Probably.)
Hoth Rebel Solier
Simply put, none of the modern ones have been great. Six points of articulation, tops, and height problems are part of a large list of grievances. After the perfect movie-authentic version of the figure comes to be, Hasbro might want to do a version with a brown parka like the original. The fans would appreciate it.
Rebel Commander
To go with the soldiers, a new commander might be nice. Essentially Major Derlin with a dark moustache and a one-color costume, this should be an easy figure to recreate as a repaint of Major Derlin. Heck, the 2007 Target exclusive rerelease is quite close as it is.
Death Squad Commander/Star Destroyer Commander
Despite being one of the original 12 figures, he's always getting the short end of the figure stick. A good version was released in 2007, but it had a black jumpsuit-- Kenner's figure was clearly grey. This could be either a simple recolor, or something a little more creative. The 2007 figure's hat fits perfectly on Officer Cass, which could mean Hasbro could crank this one out with little to no effort.
FX-7
The 1980s version and the 2001 version are so different it really isn't funny. While some of the original Kenner figures are unique due to misinformation or conscious choices in style, this one seems to be chalked up to the technology of 1980s toys not being up to snuff. Were Hasbro so inclined, they certainly could make one with fewer arms and a slightly different head like this original release. "Could" being the key word-- it's a big step back, so it probably would never happen.
Walrus Man
While we've received several Ponda Baba figures since 1997, all were based on the same basic mold, and none of them were as weird as the original from 1979. Green skin, swim fins, a blue rubber diver suit, and some sort of an orange garment make this another twisted parody of the real deal. Were this sold in eastern Europe today, it would probably be viewed as an outrageously goofy bootleg, but because it was a Kenner original, it actually has a limited amount of respect from fans. By reusing some G.I. Joe parts, Hasbro could easily crank out the brightly colored version for the 21st century collector.
Hammerhead
Much like Walrus Man and their Cantina pals, ol' Hammerhead looks very little like his movie cousin outside his head and skin color. While the Kenner original was much thinner than the modern figures, Hasbro could easily make the version in the blue garment without too much trouble-- just take and modify the 1997 mold by giving him a new body and new coloring. Presto-- classic Kenner Hammerhead!
Jawa
Two words: cloth robes. The original figure was pretty cool, but covered by a single cloth garment which rendered all the work of the sculptors invisible. Hasbro could go for a double-dip here, including the original plastic cape as well, appealing to figure fans in a whole new (and goofy) way. However, the 2007 version has a brown jacket/vest that may be close enough to the plastic cape to count for even the most critical Kenner fans.
Yoda
The 2004 Vintage release was close, but no cigar. Where's the big goofy grin, the knobby belt, and the neon orange snake? Some new cloth pieces and revised accessories could make this one a reality lickety-split. And I can't imagine Kenner turning down another Yoda variation.
Power Droid
While similar to the 1997 version, the 1979 release had a blue body and a lot more color. There's no reason Hasbro couldn't replicate the original Power Droid just by using the original mold and some paint. It's so easy, it's almost frightening that it didn't come out with a Jawa four years ago.
BONUS ROUND: Kenner Accessories!
A lot of figures have been released, but lack the unique, original, and/or wacky accessories of the originals. While some have found their way in other figure releases (like the grey Biker Scout pistol), others have never seen a modern update. Here's a quick list of what would still be fun to see.
Paploo's staff
Imperial Gunner's gun (also A-Wing Pilot, Endor Leia, etc.)
Bib Fortuna's staff
Emperor's Royal Guard's staff
Boushh's rifle (with handle)
Squid Head's grey blaster
Nien Nunb's block black blaster
Ree-Yees' gold rifle
2-1B's sharp grey probe
Bossk's gun
Admiral Ackbar's staff
Luke Skywalker's yellow lighsabers
So there you have it! Appealing to old toy collectors has never been easier-- just market the mistakes from the old days. I'm only partially kidding here-- I really do think there's a market for several of these figures, and if there was a burst on the packaging boasting "ORIGINAL KENNER-STYLE WEAPONS!" I'd be excited enough to pay up for some new versions of old figures.
...if any of these happen, well, please accept my apologies or a sarcastic "You're welcome!" in advance. As you can see, there really is no end to the ways Hasbro can go back to the well just for the original trilogy. And if they go back to the well to update barely adequate modern figures like Paploo, Nien Nunb, and so forth, this could go on forever.
Posted byAdam16bit at 11:59 PM 0 comments
Labels: Action Figures, Editorials, Hasbro, Kenner
The Force Unleashed Demo Coming This Week
Monday, August 18, 2008
Hey, here's some good news! Even though the full title won't be out until September, Lucasarts is going to give fans a playable demo of its Star Wars: The Force Unleashed game this week. So far, they have confirmed demos for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, both of which should be available Thursday, August 21.
Posted byAdam16bit at 12:05 AM 0 comments
Labels: Video Games
Q&A: We Came, We Saw, We Cloned
Like a someone waking up after a long unpleasant blackout, it's time for Q&A! The Clone Wars' box office take was lower than that of Star Trek: Nemesis. What the heck happened? Just how good are the previously released Star Wars Playsets from 1999-2005? And what's going on with the build-a-droids and how they're paired with various figures? All of this and a chance to match the stars in this week's Q&A '76!
1. In anticipating of the [recent] Clone Wars release, I do not see much marketing geared towards informing general audiences (i.e. non-SW fans) of Lucas' latest efforts-what gives? Granted I do not watch much television, but I would have expected to see more hype with the movie less than two weeks away. Am I a victim of my own aversion to non-interactive mass media or am I on to something here?
--Steve
I think they're doing exactly what they want to do... from a certain point of view. The marketing machine has been cranked up to fairly under-the-radar levels, but the question is what exactly are we promoting here? That, I'm not so sure of. The film managed to boost the living daylights out of toy sales, so that was a decent success. I assume. It could just as easily have been that the market was starved for so long.
A couple of weeks ago I was thinking about the lack of posters and billboards, and I'd say there's two possibilities. One, that Lucasfilm has indeed dropped the ball and underpromoted this film. (Especially in light of this weekend's box office numbers.) Remember that this "movie" is actually just a glorified television pilot-- the original plan was to air a Clone Wars TV series, and the movie was crafted as a way to kick it off. So what I think may be going on here is that they're probably using the film to promote the television series, and the film itself doesn't necessarily need to make a splash (but anything it does make is gravy) and if it promotes the toys and awareness of the TV show and licensed merchandise, all the better. Lucas' camp seemed less concerned about their DVD trilogy releases, for example, than they were about their Lucasarts game sales. It's also possible it was a huge flop. As I do not sit in the Lucasfilm marketing meetings, it's tough to say-- if the movie really did only cost $10 million to make, the limited marketing and $15 box office gross is probably a good place to be.
If anything it seems like all the "movie without a movie" campaigns we've seen like Clone Wars (2003), Shadows of the Empire (1996), and the aborted Jedi Quest have proven is that you can make a big splash in sales, but you need a movie to make a huge splash. If I'm right, that means The Clone Wars doesn't need marketing, it is the marketing for the entire Star Wars brand in 2008 and 2009.
As far as the actual marketing-for-the-movie goes, I've seen a fair amount of PR-- which is marketing, but free, and that you get someone else to do for you-- surrounding the toy launch. Which generally gets the news to talk up the movie, but that doesn't seem to be the case this time. I've also seen a few TV spots and a very limited poster campaign here in Los Angeles. (Like, I've seen one poster in one mall.)
It's strange to see a Star Wars movie greeted by such total indifference. If you want an idea how little people care, take this into consideration-- Star Trek Nemesis had an $18.5 million opening. That's right-- there's more Trek fans out there who will support their favorite franchise than there are Star Wars fans. This is further driven home by the fact that Nemesis' box office was in 2002 dollars.
2. My question, briefly; have you discovered any way to reliably make either of the animated Grievous figures stand? Sure, Hasbro has given us other wobbly people in the past, but at least all of them can use a base -- not an option here. I'm getting tired of picking one -- or the other, the holo is no better -- up. Any hints?
--Oshram
Basically, you (and by you, I mean all of you, and me) are currently out of luck. It's always possible Hasbro will retool him with foot holes (it happened before with other figures) but who wants to re-buy Grievous? It seems to me your best bet is to prop him up or lean him against something. It isn't a solution so much as it is acceptance of a poor design, or at least a design that doesn't work too well as a figure which can stand up.
3. Hi. This might be a little odd, but I was going through RebelScum's archives to see what kind of holes there were in my collection, and I was wondering if I could get your opinion on a few older items:
-The Theed playsets; How much do they suck? Is there a price so low that they're worth it? Even a little?
-Episode I R2-D2 Carrying Case; Was that Destroyer Droid released in anything else?
-Episode I Flash Cannon; As far as I know, this is not seen in the movie. Is there something you know that I don't?
-Episode I Battle Bags; I was looking at these, and some of them are smaller creatures (pikobis, nunas, the fish), and I thought they were kinda neat. But I can't find anything on how big they are to judge if they're anywhere near figure-scale. Do you know how big they are?
-Mustafar Playset; Kinda the same question as the Theed ones. Suck/not suck?
--Brian
Oy. Well, a good rule of thumb I tend to tell people is that if you don't feel an absence in your collection, there's no need to fill it-- there are thousands of dollars worth of goodies coming in the next 18 months, so unless you're itching to buy something you can save yourself some real money by not looking back.
The Theed Playsets aren't especially good-- they're somewhat flimsy, and the exclusive figures aren't so great. I actually put off getting the larger of the two for years. The smaller one is pretty neat as a way to display a Maul, Qui-Gon, and Obi-Wan, but they aren't really all that fun. I certainly wouldn't miss them if I never purchased them, but if I had to pick I'd buy only the smaller one.
The R2-D2 Carry Case is one of Hasbro's finer items. I'd actually say it's the absolutely best carry case created for the modern line that wasn't a vintage reissue, too. The little adjustable compartments act like a tackle box for storing figures, and the environment is pretty cool. Figure or no, I'd still suggest getting it. A slightly different ball Destroyer Droid was issued in a Clone Wars set with a "launcher." It's almost a shame Hasbro never reissued it, it's so good I'd like to suggest more fans get one.
The Flash Cannon... yeah, you can skip that. This is a big gun with a red light in it, and Hasbro thought it was worth $10. Is there any doubt as to why the accessory packs all tanked? There's a Gungan Catapult as well, and it's not so great either. Save yourself some money and pass on it. If you can get it for a buck or two, it's amusing enough, but I'd suggest you pick up a Flash Speeder instead. Unless you want to write a column where you examine and/or make fun of toys, it really doesn't serve much of a purpose.
Battle Bags may be neat, depending on what floats your boat. They're tiny, about the size of the 2006 bonus holographic figures. Because I'm enamored with fish and dinosaur toys, I saw these and picked them up on extreme clearance in 2000. There's no articulation and they're about as fun as those little figures you can use as cake decorations. I'd suggest getting them if you can enjoy a nice collectible figure that isn't a 3 3/4-inch scale item... although the fish come pretty close.
Hasbro's 2005 Mustafar Playset kind of sucks-- probably mostly due to safety restrictions and the kind of plastic Hasbro uses these days. One of the things playsets usually have going for them is play value, and this one is built around a single duel and a bunch of armored guys with buckets. You can connect some Battle Arenas and the Deluxe Darth Vader with Medical Table to it, but by itself it's just an OK toy. It's an OK toy, but I would be lying if I said I had a lot of fun with it. The giant pylons that stick out of it tend to fall off thanks to heat and gravity, so I can say you're probably better off without it unless you want to rig up some fishing wire to prop up two of its larger pieces. I personally think it's inexcusable to design a toy that, if left alone on a shelf, will actually fall apart over the course of a week or two. And that's exactly what this set does.
4. Did you get these new vehicles and put them together yet? I was very disappointed, for the cost, that these were not sturdier than they are. I had a heck of a time to get the legs/feet of the AT-TE to stay on the vehicle..everytime I move it one just falls off. Then I got to putting together the Millennium Falcon and one of the landing struts wont stay on. I tried it in different locations without success. All the others stay in the slots I put them in. Do you know if Hasbro would consider sending me a new strut to replace the one that wont stay in?
--Orbles
I did indeed get both, and with both, in the first day, I did suffer some issues of pieces falling off. However, after that, it really hasn't been a problem. If you do have a damaged piece, the good news is that Hasbro tends to be pretty great about replacement parts if requested through their customer service web site at Hasbro.com.
With my AT-TE, I found the middle legs falling off pretty constantly the day I got it. I pick it up, it falls off. I walk up the stairs, it falls off. However since then, I've taken it down the stairs, outside, shot a bunch of video of it, took it back in, put it on a shelf, moved it around some more, and had no problems. The legs are designed to come off so they won't snap (basically, we're seeing fallout of the infamous "drop test" that toys go through) and it seems like some units are more sturdy than others. Also, to employ an old joke, "Doctor, my leg falls off when I do this." "So don't do that." In the past few years we've seen Hasbro try to do more ambitious pieces, but the result is our having to be more careful. Two-piece lightsabers are prone to breakage. Additional articulation means small pegs which can cause arms to fall off. Big toys mean some pieces will have to fall off if certain levels of pressure are applied. It isn't 1983 anymore, and the things you can and can't do with a toy are largely dictated by those horrible parents and their congressfolk who deny us awesome toys because their stupid kid choked on a missile. (IT'S CALLED SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST, PEOPLE!)
Oh wait, where was I?
5. Is there a rhyme or reason to which figures go together to form the [build-a-droid] figures? For instance, when I look at the ROTJ wave, it seems that maybe Hasbro has a pattern. Luke, Han, Chewie, and the Ewoks go together. Those four from the wave seem to be kid-friendly (not that there aren't collector friendly as well). The other four, Bane, Yarna, Ak-Rev, and the Removable Helmet Vader seemed to be geared towards collectors (although Vader is a kid favourite, collectors have been asking for such a Vader for a while now). Is this a possible pattern for upcoming astromech waves or am I just reading into this too much.
Also, could you speculate on where Hasbro seems to be going with the 2009 Battle Packs. Are we (hopefully) going to see more "Mini-Rigs" with three figure Packs?
--Damian
The entire build-a-figure concept is done largely to encourage fans to buy deep into the line, and to keep collectors buying them all. As such, I'm sure much of the distribution of who gets what is done to maximize purchasing. I don't necessarily see a pattern-- Luke, Han, Chewie, and the Ewoks are more an example of "one of these things is not like the other." I'm not sure kids are really interested in Ewoks any more than they would be in Bane, as he's a weird looking guy and the others are angry little teddy bears. If anything, I'd say Hasbro may be doing this somewhat randomly, or in such a way that it might get fans to buy one figure that they wouldn't otherwise just to complete the droid. (Or would give them a piece of droid so that they would be likely to seek out the rest.)
With the Battle Packs, it seems Hasbro has decided that this is a great avenue for bigger pieces-- scenery, Deluxe figure reissues, and so forth. The new footprint certainly allows for it, and at Comic-Con they made it known that they feel this is the best way to pack out smaller vehicles. (I can see that. I'd rather have 2 bikes with pilots for $20 than 1 for $13-$15.) I don't know how many mini-rigs we'll see, but we're certainly going to see more in the way of movie vehicles and probably cartoon vehicles too. Here's hoping for some of the Rebel speeders from Marvel's Star Wars #55 and any of those vehicles we saw on the Droids show.
Currently, the plan calls for one of the Rebel transportation units from Yavin IV in the original Star Wars and a lot of Speeder Bikes. Beyond that, nobody's quite sure yet. Market forces tell us that Hasbro can package a Clone Trooper with pretty much anything and see decent sales, so I'd be surprised if Hasbro doesn't crank out new, small clone vehicles as time goes on.
FIN
What the heck happened to Star Wars? Did everybody have plans this weekend? Was the non-marketing machine too weak? Was it the typically slow August box office? By now, you've no doubt heard that not only did The Clone Wars not do too well this weekend, it came in at #3. Apparently more secrecy, very little hype, and no billboards aren't a good way to market a movie that the critics decided was worse than The Phantom Menace, which is something I have a hard time agreeing with. With a $15 million take, that means you can probably estimate that between 1.5 and 3 million people paid for admission to the film. (I'm part of the problem, someone gave me a free ticket to see it last Tuesday.)
The previous three prequels had massive hype surrounding their trailers, giant conventions surrounding their launches, and a pretty decent marketing campaign-- nothing huge, but something. This time around, it seems the only thing we got was another inane midnight toy launch. (Have you guessed I'm sick of those?) It really is amazing what a difference a decade makes. Ten years ago this month, we were all just starting to see leaked, unpainted test shots of Darth Maul. About seven years ago, some people leaked several storyboards for Attack of the Clones to some FTP site and I went through them like a crazy person. For Revenge of the Sith, even though we knew of the climax since 1983's Return of the Jedi novelization, we still looked for tidbits and hints before the film's release. I think that the leaked trailer from Poland was the only non-sanctioned leaked information we saw from this project, and that was greeted by nearly deafening silence.
The reaction to The Clone Wars, minus the midnight stuff, seems to be about on par with the 1985 cartoons and the first Ewok flick. Some of the hardcore are interested but ultimately it seems nobody really cares. I wonder what this means to Hasbro, given almost all their licensed movie toys have flicks which do $100 million or more at the box office, and I'll be amazed-- like, I'm almost willing to make a bet-level of amazed-- if this movie can pass $30 million at the domestic box office. I'm even seeing a lot of fans on the forums say stuff like "eh, I'll wait for the DVD." Wha? I'll wait for the DVD? This is the same fanbase that gave the Star Wars: Special Edition $100 million back in January 1997. This is the fanbase that made huge deals about seeing movies at the theaters and what an important even it is to go see it with your fellow fans. This is the same fanbase that, for reasons I didn't get then and still don't get now, camped out in front of movie theaters for crying out loud. I've often said Star Wars fans are somewhat unpredictable, and I have to say in a way it's good to be reminded of that from time to time.
Got questions? I bet you do. Email me with "Q&A" somewhere in the subject line and hopefully I'll get to yours in the next column!
Posted byAdam16bit at 12:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: QandA
Free The Clone Wars Backpack at Toys "R" Us
Sunday, August 17, 2008
If you spend $30 on Star Wars toys this week, the fine folks at Toys "R" Us will give you a free The Clone Wars backpack. Not a bad deal! Check your local store for availability.
Posted byAdam16bit at 6:19 PM 0 comments
Labels: Deals, Toys "R" Us
Star Wars Wal-Mart DVD Deal
If you're one of the two people out there who don't yet have them, many Wal-Mart stores have all six theatrical Star Wars films on widescreen DVD for $13 even, each. As Episodes I and II were out of print for a little while, this might be an ideal time to complete your collection.
Posted byAdam16bit at 6:18 PM 0 comments
The Clone Wars Box Office
If the Force is with anyone this weekend, it's certainly lacking with The Clone Wars. Maybe because the DVD is already expected in the Fall, but the CG-animated picture came in third this weekend with a somewhat pathetic estimated gross of $15 million. Click through to read all about it at Box Office Mojo.
Posted byAdam16bit at 6:18 PM 0 comments
Labels: The Clone Wars (TV)
Review: Star Wars The Clone Wars (Theatrical Pilot)
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Episode: Pilot/Feature
Airdate: August 15, 2008
While my reaction to this film is positive-- as it generally is with any new form of Star Wars fiction, as my expectations are pretty low-- other people I know and read are all over the place. If the reports are true, this film is a $10 million afterthought built on the inertia provided by the as-of-yet unaired television show. As such, the movie isn't so much a movie but the pilot for the 2008-2010 Star Wars marketing engine, a way to put out a reminder that Star Wars is indeed very much alive and available at a toy store and on a TV screen near you.
It's a little unfair to compare this to the 2003-2005 Clone Wars series because the creative limitations imposed on the show turned out to be a creative boon like no other. Reduced to 3 minutes, Star Wars is always good. Don't believe me? Think back to 1998, when you first saw the Episode I teaser. Pretty awesome, wasn't it? Cartoon Network's series was jam-packed full of goodness simply because there was no other option. In three minutes, you don't have time for a lot of dialogue and you certainly aren't going to squander it on words like "trade route negotiations" or a character introduction that lasts longer than 14 seconds. Oh, and in 2003? A lot of people hated the show. It's amazing what time can do.
As far as the new film is concerned, the format really does dictate the plot, and word has it that the movie was 3 or 4 episodes of the show rejiggered to make a 95-minute movie. That can screw things up when the directors intended for the story to be told in 22-minute chunks with commercial breaks, and the resulting picture does very much feel like a series which has been edited for the big screen. Asking someone to sit between Ahsoka and Anakin bickering this frequently for the full length of the movie may be a bit much, but on a half-hour series it's something you have to bring back to remind people of their relationship from week to week. So, like so many things, a little more editing would have changed the feel of the film quite a bit. For example, Padme wasn't introduced until about the final 30 minutes. On television, this would make sense-- having her appear to say "hi!" for a scene early on wouldn't make a whole lot of sense when her action would appear two episodes later. The directors would have been well-served to edit her in earlier on, bringing her into the story so her abrupt appearance at the end would have at least been a little less jarring. Even in Attack of the Clones, George Lucas was smart enough to at least refer to Count Dooku a few times prior to his introduction at the end of the film.
While the plot has seen much abuse, I have a hard time bagging on it. Not because I'm simple, but because I've digested a lot of the Star Wars stories beyond the movies. I've read the entire Marvel and Dark Horse Comics run. I've seen every episode of Droids and Ewoks and even the holiday special. I've even read a few novels and played a few games. I'm not saying this to brag, but to bring home the point: most of this stuff is OK at best. On top of that, this new movie takes place between two movies, more specifically, between the first and second halves of Episode 21 of the orignial Clone Wars series, which means the entire CG opus has to take place in a 9-month time frame in which most major characters cannot be killed or altered in any significant way. It's not like Obi-Wan is going to fall to the dark side, or Anakin is going to hook up with some other girl.
Much like the prequels, The Clone Wars is for a more limited audience. The movie's story brings little new to the table, but it's fun to watch and there's a few neat things to see if you're a Star Wars fan. The movie isn't going to advance animation as an art form and is unlikely to be anyone's favorite Star Wars film, but I certainly enjoyed it more than Episode I and its brisk pacing made for a fun night at the movies. I'm sure I'll be watching the weekly series alone when it airs, but I also watched all of Transformers Animated and can appreciate a decent, if silly at times, cartoon like The Clone Wars.
INTRODUCTIONS
New characters include Ahsoka Tano, Ziro the Hutt, Rotta the Hutt, a bunch of unnamed dead bounty hunters, Clones Rex and Fox, General Loathsom (no really), a few new droids, and surprisingly little else. Most new Star Wars movies have many more new characters, in part (I assume) to sell a few more toys.
HIGH POINTS
- The star cruiser Twighlight that Anakin, Ahsoka, and Rotta used to go back to Tatooine was a great little boxy design, the likes of which I would prefer to see more of.
- The voice acting was largely great, especially Matt Manter's Anakin Skywalker.
- R2-KT, a pink redecorated R2-D2, had her first appearance. The character has some significance to fans, but I'll let you research that on your own.
QUESTIONABLE POINTS
- Ziro the Hutt seems to simultaneously be the camp/cult hit from the film and the next Jar Jar Binks. I have just as many people asking when they can buy a talking one as I do people demanding his head on a platter.
- Obi-Wan and General Loathsom's negotiations of surrender could have come out of an argument between Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, and Buggs Bunny. Granted, with the Warner characters, it may have been funnier.
LOW POINTS
- C-3PO's line of something to the effect of "This is not my kind of neighborhood!", meant as a gay joke or not, was surprising.
- R2-D2's beeps and whistles seem to be entirely taken from the existing films. Since that's his speech, making a few new sound effects (or perhaps going into the archives for unused stuff) would have made sense.
- The Battle Droid army's wacky one-liners grew tiring as they were a little close together. Much of Star Wars' humor pre-1999 is subtle, this is not.
MERCHANDISING POINTS
- The Clone Troopers having increasingly specialized hair, scars, armor, and other features must be a dream come true for Hasbro, the action figure manufacturer. It's going to be incredibly cheap to make dozens if not hundreds of "new" figures from the movie and subsequent series.
- Surprisingly few new vehicles were introduced, and the toy line focuses largely on existing items trotted back out for this new movie.
- Despite being a Wave 1 action figure, General Grievous does not appear in this movie.
- Like a TV show, few new characters seem to be introduced here compared to any given prequel or sequel.
Posted byAdam16bit at 10:16 AM 0 comments
Labels: The Clone Wars (TV), TV Reviews
Q&A: Guns, Fromms, AT-TEs
Monday, August 11, 2008
It's time for Q&A! You wanted to know how the Clone Wars line turned out. You wanted to know what kind of guns you aren't seeing in Saga Legends. And you wanted to know a lot of other stuff-- and I decided I wanted to talk about the Droids animated series, too. (I love old cartoons.) Surely you'll want to read all about it! Read on!
1. I just bought the new SAGA Legends Plo Koon. I love the way Hasbro has answered collector's requests to provide extra Clone Weapons! My CLONE GEAR locker included a Repeater Pistol, DC-15 Blaster, DC-17 Blaster Rifle, EMP Launcher & Droid Blaster(Battlefront II Multipack), and a Blaster Rifle(ROTS Jet Pack Trooper Deluxe Figure). I remember reading in a Hasbro Q & A that weapons from Battlefront II were going to be packed in with SAGA LEGENDS. Do you know what other Battlefront II specific blasters are supposed to be included? I would love to get an extra Chaingun or Merr-Sonn PLX Rocket Launcher. Are all CLONE GEAR Lockers going to have the same assortment of weapons with every figure or will different ones be packed randomly?
--Jason
As of today, every single one includes the same assortment of weapons-- no changes. What you see is exactly what you're going to get in every pack. It's entirely possible they will refresh which weapons are included as molds wear out or as they need to increase sales somehow, but for now, that's it.
2. Any chance we will see a re-release of the plain white clone trooper animated with a long rifle?
I'm kind of shocked that it wasn't packed as an extra in the first place! I feel a little cheated since the figure had all three weapons when it was first pictured at Toy Fair. If there is anything you can do to convince them that this is a big mistake on the companies part, considering the image on the card is holding the longer rifle. The rifle is at very least the most recognizable gun that they carry. Maybe even a special offer to buy a pack of the animated version of this rifles online or something?
--Chad
It's possible-- the basic white Clone is a little dirty, so as the line goes forward (assuming the animated style sticks) it's likely we'll see exactly that in the long run. Hasbro frequently changes the product from early images and the packaging images, so really, there's not much you can do here. I wouldn't expect extras unless they eventually find their way into a refreshed weapons locker, or are packed with another clone figure in the future. Which, I'd say, is probably the most likely thing.
3. What are your impressions of the new figures? I have found the Clone Wars series to be somewhat disappointing excepting that awesome R2 and pretty much any of the clones. Grevious is well-named for grevious error. I can't keep mine standing for more than 5 minutes at a time. The Jedi figures are all better than I expected, but the cream of the crop for me are the "realistic" Clone Wars figures. Clone armor Obi-Wan is my favorite, but all of them are great. I personally feel that Hasbro hit it out of the park on that 2nd wave of Legacy. So, what are your general thoughts?
--Paul
I'd say you pretty much nailed it. Those "realistic" Clone Wars figure in The Legacy Collection are so good, it's almost like a point where they should just call the line quits and go out on a high note. (And looking at waves 3 and 4 this year... yeah.) They're all pretty excellent, and any faults I find in them are minor quibbles. The SCUBA Trooper turned out amazingly well, and Obi-Wan is wonderful. I don't think I could ask for much more out of that wave, except maybe knees on the Quarren and Mon Calamari figures.
The animated line is all over the place. Hasbro said they tried to merge the CG style with realistic proportions, and I think the end result looks pretty good. I'll write them all up in Figure of the Day soon (probably sooner than later), but here's the short version.
Clone Trooper: great sculpt, good design, longer than needed legs, but lots of fun.
Captain Rex: see above.
R2-D2: possibly one of the best figures Hasbro has ever made with the Star Wars license. By not owning it, you are part of the problem. Buy two, they're so good you'll want one to play with at school or work too.
General Grievous: Can't stand well, has no foot holes. Legs aren't positioned well. Great weapons, love the swappable arms.
Battle Droid: looks like it's wooden. Head's too small. Can't stand very well.
Yoda: good enough, I guess. More a statue than a toy, not groundbreaking, but cute enough. Should be a great seller.
Anakin Skywalker: Good sculpt, the knee joints are notably absent. Love the rappel line accessory and extras. The head sculpt is pretty great.
Obi-Wan Kenobi: see above, only more so. Why not just reuse the clone legs? The fact that it's an alternate head instead of a removable helmet is pretty slick. Not sure I like the head sculpt all that much.
Overall, for a new line, I give it a B. Which is good, really, as Grievous is actually pretty iffy. I wish Hasbro stuck with the realistic style just because the ones they just put out are so incredibly awesome and fun that I can't put them down. Hasbro says they have big plans for the line in this style, but it seems very slow out the gate and I gotta say I'd almost rather see 2-3 waves of "toon" figures per year with the lion's share of them being in realistic style in the Legacy line. There's really no reason they couldn't do an R2-D2 as good as this in the realistic style, and yet another armored Obi-Wan figure would probably sell well. Heck, I'm a little antsy that I don't have a "Season 3"-style realistic Anakin with his robes and armor yet. Right now I'm viewing the line in animated form as a great curiosity, like another Droids or Ewoks, as I don't think I can maintain the enthusiasm for it after several waves, or for that matter, years.
4. Do you think that Hasbro and, by extension, Lucasfilm, gets irritated that when they spend all this time & money putting together their booth & presentation for ComicCon 2008, they, not only not show us no more then 10% new product, but most of what was there was confirmed up to 2 months prior to the date via their Q & A's? Is it just a matter if time before they stop going to ComicCon 2008 and other conventions and just release all new products via their websites as they see fit? Hasbro must be a big enough company where Wal-Mart/Target/other vendors can go to THEM, vs. they have to showcase for the retailers?
--Jeremiah
Ultimately, I think whatever causes buzz and sales makes both Hasbro and Lucasfilm very happy. Comic-Con showed us a lot of new stuff, like scores of Battle Packs, lots of new figures (many of which would have been debuted had it not been for Celebration Japan), and of course, those giant $50 Battle Packs.
Lucasfilm and Hasbro exploit all of their channels to capture interest in various places. For example, in New York Toy Fair, Hasbro wants the media to come by and get people talking about their stuff on the news and, of course, online. (It used to be a retailer show for them, today, not so much.) Comic-Con exists as a major public showcase, and most people who walk through Hasbro's booth in San Diego aren't the die-hard collectors that read Q&A columns like this one (and to a lesser extent, so says the traffic, Hasbro's.) 100,000 people buy tickets to the show, and that's nothing to sneeze at-- based on sales figures I've managed to finagle through various channels (thanks, Target!) I can tell you there aren't that many collectors buying the line. That booth, with G.I. Joe, Transformers, My Little Pony, Marvel, Indiana Jones, and everything else, is one of the biggest advertisements they have. People can walk up and see new toys they would never hear of otherwise, because very few buyers are actively interested in the goings-on of the fan community. Were it not for that show, a lot of people wouldn't know what to ask for when their birthdays roll around, and a lot of magazines wouldn't have anything to talk about that month. It's a very unique kind of specialty marketing.
Even if Hasbro revealed 100% of the line prior to Comic-Con, it's an important (and increasingly necessary) avenue of promotion and a way to distribute warm fuzzies via free posters and exclusive products. It serves a function, and that's to get fans excited and talking. If every collector was hardcore-- and if you read this column and the questions it gets, I can assure you, they're not-- this would be a different matter. There are maybe a few thousand fans who would fit the "hardcore" bill (as in, knowing what's coming out and keeping tabs on everything) at best-- so Comic-Con is a great way to make sure fans (and yes, even some retail buyers like myself) can see what's new. (This may surprise you, but a lot of business gets done on the Comic-Con show floor.)
As to how Hasbro actually showcases its wares to vendors... I'll save that for a chapter or two in the coffee table book that nobody wants me to write just yet.
5. I purchased an AT-TE at midnight madness. I waited a few days before I opened it. Tonight I opened it and to my dismay discovered that the legs are unable to support the weight of the body and simply pop off. I have yet to get the thing to even stand on all six legs. Once the first leg pops off, three or four more follow. It is completely useless. I spent half an hour trying to get all six legs on at the same time. I went on the web and found that there are numerous other complaints of exactly the same thing happening. Some people have said that they have contacted Hasbro customer service and been told that their product is defective. How many reports of this have you been hearing? For a 100 dollar toy to not even be able to stand and support its own weight goes beyond the pale. I am going to return the [freaking] thing and never buy another vehicle again.
--David
If you're actually going to return it and never buy another one again, why are you asking me? Your mind's already made up.
I get very few positive reports of any kind. People only write me to complain. Because of this I'd say it's hard to tell what the real defect rate is. Easily a few fans are upset, but in the grand scheme of things, that's not many. I've had some problems with the center legs coming off, but I have to say after the first week it hasn't happened again, and I can't even be sure why.
As to why these things break apart, you can thank your legislators. The toy industry is held to a number of standards, some of which are great for everybody (no lead paint) and others are just annoying (minimum projectile lengths, "the drop test.") What we're seeing here is most likely due to "the drop test," which I've just recently had the pleasure of praising after an earthquake. The idea of the "drop test" is that, when dropped, a toy has pieces pop off rather than shatter or break other parts of the toy. This prevents jagged pieces of plastic from coming into being, thus helping little Billy from experiencing shrapnel at too young an age. A few toys, notably the giant Transformers release Brave Maximus, were denied sales in the USA because of this test. I had a Unicron toy fly off a shelf a couple of weeks back, and when I came home, just a couple of bits fell off-- the toy itself was intact and not permanently damaged. If the AT-TE's legs were too securely fastened, it is possible (or so I'm told) it could tear off a chunk of the hull, which would be bad.
Of course, this isn't to say there isn't another mechanism for fastening the legs which would have been better, but I think you can thank the designers at ILM for giving us a fantastic design which probably wouldn't hold up too well during a real battle.
My advice to you would be to just return it, and hold off for one later on. If you thought it was good enough. (I'm still not convinced it was, it's neat enough, but it's not as much fun as the Royal Starship from 1999.) Hasbro sometimes tweaks the molds as the line goes on, so here's hoping it gets better.
FIN
Last week, some wonderful soul posted what appears to be the entire run of Droids to YouTube. While I'm not a big advocate of piracy, I'm a huge advocate of watching things I want to see. (And Lucasfilm, I've got money if you've got DVDs with the Fromms in them.) I haven't seen the Trigon episodes in years, and I stayed up late watching a couple of them with a big dumb grin on my face. I'm not sure what this says about me, but based on how much people seem to trash 1980s Star Wars television projects, these still seem about as good as I remember them. I should also point out I own a complete collection of the original Transformers season box sets, so maybe I'm not the pickiest person when it comes to reliving my childhood through television.
I will say, though, that it irks me these episodes aren't available on home video, and none of the episodes are available with the original music in the half-hour episode format. There's probably a decent audience out there, especially if an exclusive figure can be packaged with the discs. (Hey, I'd buy it.)
If you have the time, I suggest you check these out before they're all pulled and it's another 20 years before you can see them again. It isn't brilliant TV, but it is what it is-- Star Wars for kids who not 30 minutes earlier were probably watching episodes of The Snorks and The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo. If you can appreciate these old shows for what they are, rather than trash them for what they aren't, you may be in for a wonderful time. Especially the first four-- you'll see Boba Fett's protocol droid, a lightsaber, gangsters, Imperial Shuttles, and a bunch of other goodies.
Got questions? I bet you do. Email me with "Q&A" somewhere in the subject line and hopefully I'll get to yours in the next column!
Posted byAdam16bit at 12:11 AM 0 comments
Labels: QandA
First Impressions: Millennium Falcon 2008 (BMF)
Thursday, August 7, 2008
As of today, I got my hands on Hasbro's new $150-$200 Millennium Falcon and some time to assemble it. I must say, it's huge-- the front mandibles snap-on and a few bits and pieces fit into place. I'll do a full review later, but here are some quick notes on it:
PROS:
- The size and heft are impressive
- The scout ship/escape pod seems to be designed to fit tall and wide figures
- While small, the seats work well
- Loads of sound effects and lights
- Removable floorboards hide a great way to store weapons
- Opening doors reveal a storage bay or brig, you decide
CONS
- Is not so great that it couldn't be done even bigger and better
- Costs the same as 3 of the 1995 release
- Storage doors don't close snuggly
- Labels don't seem particularly sticky (may be unique to my sample)
- Does not seem to have gone above and beyond what could be done for 40-50% of the price
In short, it's the victim of its own hype-- but it's still something you're going to want. I'll post a heck of a lot more pictures, impressions, feature breakdowns, and a video as time permits over the coming week(s).
Posted byAdam16bit at 11:32 PM 0 comments
Labels: Hasbro, The Legacy Collection, Vehicles
Star Wars: Is there anything Hasbro won't do?
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Over the years, there have been quite a few figures produced by Kenner and Hasbro that didn't quite sell according to expectations. At the same time, a few figures were deemed too obscure or questionable to make, yet a lot of them have happened. One of the slower sellers of the 1990s was Malakili, the Rancor Keeper. Flash forward to August 2008, and Hasbro confirmed a new version of the formerly terrible selling figure was actually in the works for an upcoming assortment. Kenner also said that poor sales of Han Solo (Hoth) and Luke Skywalker (Dagobah) meant new versions were pretty much off the table, yet here we are, with two more Dagobah Lukes and probably close to a half dozen Hoth Hans.
We've also seen Hasbro relax their stance on non-movie and concept-based figures, large vehicles, and environments. Just like a man with focus hitting on the hot receptionist at work, fans have managed to wear Hasbro down. That's why we have Imperial Shuttles, Wuher, and, for some reason or another, BoShek. Just two or three years ago, Hasbro said they didn't want to make a figure of Yarna d'al' Gargan as the character amounted to little more than a space prostitute-- yet here we are, and we've all seen her in stores now. So, after nearly 13 years, what kind of things won't Hasbro do?
5. Klaatu (1983 Kenner costume)
While called Klaatu in 1983, the character now known as Wooof is one of very few figures which have not been made in the 1995-present figure line. (Others include the 1984 Imperial Dignitary Sim Aloo, the 1984 Ewok named Warok, the 1983 Ewok named Lumat, and the original deco of the Power Droid.) For one reason or another, Hasbro has been pretty dodgy about making this one, giving the standard "no plans at this time" response. I hate to be a conspiracy theorist, but at this point it seems the only reason to not remake the figure is to always make sure there's a few figures on the modern to-do list, or for spite. Could be either way, actually... but it's been so long that it seems unlikely we're going to get one in the short term.
4. Ackmena (Bea Arthur)
The 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special is a touchy subject. Some aspects of the CBS television program have wormed their way into the Expanded Universe, like Boba Fett's original design returning in 1985 for the Droids animated series, or Chewbacca's family appearing in the Wookiee Storybook and an issue of Marvel's Star Wars comic series. Other aspects were immediately chucked down the sewer, like all of the musical and comedy talent who appeared on the show. Bea Arthur played Ackmena, the night bartender at the Mos Eisley watering hole from the original film. She sang, she looked like she could kick some butt, but she was one of the goofier aspects of the show. Today, fans have started lobbying for an action figure of her, which Hasbro seems to be laughing off as something of a joke. As such, it could be some time if the company ever decides to do it, but as we've seen "never" generally means "not right now."
3. Owen and Beru Lars (corpses)
Despite dead bodies having some great costumes, Hasbro has been pretty good at maintaining that an inactive body doesn't make for a great figure. With three characters seeing release as Jedi Spirits (Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker) it seems that the term "dead" is relative-- these three are pretty lively for the recently departed. There have also been decapitated figures like a Tusken Raider and Jango Fett as well as the bisectable Darth Maul. The charred remains of Luke Skywalker's guardians have been requested by fans for years, but Hasbro keeps skipping out on them. With the recently released Attack on the Lars Homestead gift set, it seems increasingly unlikely that these will ever appear in plastic. Really, there was no better opportunity to do it.
2. Jar Jar Binks (Episode III costume or Super-Articulated Episode I costume)
Fun fact: Hasbro has not released a new Jar Jar Binks action figure since 2002. Even more surprising, no Jar Jar action figures of any kind have been made by Hasbro since 2002. Aside from a Galactic Heroes figure, the character is pretty much completely off the radar of merchandisers, although who knows if this will change with The Clone Wars. Aside from an oddly statue-ish figure, Hasbro hasn't bothered to make any action figures for this space klutz after Episode I's merchandising juggernaut ended. He hasn't even appeared in Battle Packs or exclusive sets. As such, it would almost seem like the perfect time to release a new one, but since 2002, Hasbro has only released a tiny handful of new products from the first prequel. A new sculpt of Jar Jar seems almost unthinkable, but as mentioned above, we're getting a new Rancor Keeper, so it has to be just a matter of time.
1. Brea and Senni Tonnika (or the Tonnika Sisters)
In the original Star Wars, there are two girls with green spandex costumes and beehive hairdos. In the 1990s, Galoob Toys actually made one of them as a miniature figure in their Action Fleet line, but the figure was removed as the line progressed and Kenner (and later Hasbro) never made a full-size action figure. Having been told "the official story" from actual official sources numerous times, I will say that the stories aren't too consistent, but it seems the big deal is one of the actresses simply won't allow it to happen. It might be a financial block, or just a personal decision to not want a figure made, but apparently it has to do with a likeness rights issue. (An issue, I should add, that has been resolved for all subsequent films.) It's unfortunate, as these characters have actually been highly requested by fans for over a decade now and were frequently made as custom figures back when the line first started. Maybe some day things will work out, as having a figure made means you can sign it, meaning you can get free vacations to sci-fi conventions and fees to sign at said conventions. It's an opportunity in the making!
Based on Hasbro's various denials and about-faces on items, I'm going to say it's a safe bet one or more of these will be in collector hands by the year 2010. Any predictions for the collectors of tomorrow? Leave a comment!
Posted byAdam16bit at 10:40 PM 0 comments
Labels: Action Figures, Editorials, Hasbro
Q&A: Getting Your Clone Legacy On
Monday, August 4, 2008
Convention season is over, and the launch has come and gone. Tons of new items are hitting stores every day, so let's look in to those, shall we?
1. Now that Joker Squad has been reveald, can you tell us if Jes Gistang is a different sculpt from her squad-mates? From the photos it looks like her midsection is lengthened, but what about her, um, 'upper torso'? Any other differences? Thanks!!
--Soja Rinn
As far as I can tell, the arms and torso are the new body parts-- the legs seem to be the same, and, of course, the head is new. Any other differences are likely to be a surprise to me as much as you at this point.
2. The four astromechs that came in the Wal-Mart exclusive Build-A-Droid 2 packs all had background stories (at least a sentence) on their packaging. The four astromechs that were in the Legacy Collection Waves 1 and 2 don't come with backgrounds. Wookieepedia.com doesn't help either with entries like (for R7-Z0):
R7-Z0 was an R7-series astromech droid which was primarily colored white with a black dome and yellow trim.
Do you know the background stories for the four new astromechs?
--David
One of the problems with the droids is after a while, there really isn't a backstory beyond "this was a prop in a popular movie from George Lucas." Anything more than a sentence or two tends to be a stretch, but there are a few tidbits here to share.
R4-D6 is going to be the source of limited fan arguing for a while. According to a lot of sources, the bluish R4 droid is actually R4-I9-- and Hasbro/Lucas got the names wrong. Maybe. It's tough to tell, because official Lucas reference material often conflicts with other Lucas reference material, one of the more recent examples being R2-D1 and R2-D3 who were eventually renamed R2-M5 and R2-C4. So here, you don't have a backstory so much as you do a potential argument.
Meanwhile, R4-J1 really does have a backstory on Wookieepedia, although I haven't actually picked up the book which features him. If anyone wants to sell me your old worthless RPG books for my reference library to check such things, drop me a note.
Meanwhile, R7 droids have very little backstory as of yet. R7-T1 appeared (by name, at least) in a novel. So he was assigned to Luke, and sports quasi R2-D2ish coloring. As far as I can tell, there's no concrete official information on R7-T0.
3. Has Hasbro ever thought of doing an exclusive 4-pack (using some existing sculpts) to create a "denizens of..." series? This [snip] could have 4 random folk from Tatooine or Coruscant or Bespin or Nar Shadda. These would be nameless bystanders/creatures/locals that would fill out some of our diaramas. Maybe there could be a contest where you come up with a story for the individuals. As an avid collector (mostly of the original trilogy) I dream of looking up at my version of Mos Eisley and not knowing a few things about some of those background folk. A little mystery is nice.
--James
I'm told by numerous licensors that an important thing that Lucas' camp considers during the approvals of a product is the story. If you can't put a paragraph on the packaging explaining just who or what it is, they're disinclined to produce it. There are exceptions, as seen in the above question, but this element of story is pretty important. Otherwise, it'd just be any old toy, and not something uniquely Star Wars.
This is sort of why random people from Nar Shaddaa might be a tough sell. What you're asking for is random people from a random planet which many (I dare say most) fans wouldn't recognize as being Star Wars unless you told them. Diorama makers and army builders do buy a lot of figures, but not enough to warrant something this obscure just yet. With The Force Unleashed, Hasbro showed it could throw a bunch of figures at fans with little to no name recognition (and in the case of the apprentice, no name) and still see strong sales. Perhaps it's a compelling design, or the promise of the story to come-- but there were some great designs in there. Where was I?
I wouldn't mind seeing some pop in to sets here and there, as a boxed set, it might be a tough sell. The production size on Hasbro's products don't tend to be as small as, say, Sideshow's, and as such convincing fans to actually buy a box of nameless shlubs is something of a challenge. Obviously there's a decent amount of collectors who will buy anything and everything, but it's not a sizable enough market to justify a set. BoShek may be about as close as we're going to get for a while, but as you can see, Hasbro's focus changes as each tier of characters gets fully exploited. They're going to need new figure fodder some day soon, and this may be a future avenue for toy production. Although I have to say that as a fan, I get kinda depressed to think that my hobby is now being viewed solely as an avenue for someone to crank out new figures that I personally cannot identify or name. I'd like to be able to have some name recognition for these guys.
4. Now that the animated collection is out do you foresee this being a movie thing similar to the Indy stuff or do you see it becoming as large as the legacy or realistic collection is? For me I feel it has a long way to go and I can't wait to see how much of this animated stuff they will produce.
On not such a positive note: I'm having a ton of trouble keeping my animated Grievous standing and ideas other then gluing him to the stand to keep him upright? I actually customized mine to have a peg in one of his feet even stuck to a stand he falls over, any tips would be greatly appreciated
--Chad
Television is (and for a while, was) the go-to place for licensed products. Having a weekly show on the TV is like a commercial that people make an appointment to watch-- if the sales are there, I expect animated and TV-based figures to be equal to or surpass movie product eventually. It may be impossible to reach the size of the "realistic" collection, especially given the amount of molds they have to work with-- unlike the movies, Hasbro is starting from scratch here. We'll be lucky to get 30-40 new molds a year, really.
Animated Grievous doesn't stand very easily-- basically, you're on your own here, with any luck Hasbro will retool the figure with foot holes or more stand-friendly designs.
5. Ref your Q&A comments from the last batch - I agree that the Sarlacc Pit playset is both a build up and a let down. It's nice to see the pit and the skiff, but yea they could have done something else with the figures. Especially since the new collection focuses on ROTJ. Maybe some new guards, at least 1 or 2 to pad the already-released figures.
On the other hand, it is a "playset" of sorts, like people have been begging for for years now. You get the elusive skiff, and the Sarlacc! The same with the Lars' set. You get the homestead playset (sort of) finally. IMHO it's better than nothing, since we've gotten nothing for so long.
Anyway, is this a new direction Hasbro is going to start going, are they testing the waters for an actual full-blown playset someday?
Also what is going to be the price of these things? The Lars set only comes with 3 figures, if I'm correct? The skiff set comes with 5 figures and a vehicle of sorts.
--VirdenBoy69
I don't know if "playset" is really a good term. It's an environment, and it's a set, but I'm not seeing a lot of "play" in there. The line as it stands this year seems have a certain air of experimentation within the 3 3/4-inch brand. Hasbro has developed Unleashed and Transformers to the point where they're happy, but Choppers and other lines went away-- so they have to find other products for collector and fan dollars. Some fans want a $8 figure, and others want big, $50 items. This year, we're getting over $600 worth of what I consider "high end" action figure items-- that is, vehicles and sets priced at $35 or more.
I don't necessarily see an item as "better than nothing." Nothing is OK. We've spent thousands of dollars collecting this stuff, I personally don't mind if they skip a few things here and there. I have little doubt they're testing the waters, but for what, I don't know. A $100-$200 Death Star seems like the grand finale of such a program, but that's going to depend greatly on the reception fans end up giving the high-dollar items this holiday season.
These two new environment packs are going to be about $50-$60 each-- and yeah, the Lars set only has 3 figures and a creature. It's really expensive unless there's something cool hidden under the house, which is entirely possible.
FIN
First up: Figure of the Day. Some said "hey, you missed Saturday and Sunday!" Actually, after nearly 3 years of doing this 7 days a week, I decided to scale back just because it's starting to kill me. This is sort of my after-job job (and doesn't pay well), so I figured a 28% reduction in workload would be a good thing. So for now, it's going to be 5 days a week, so you'll have something to read at work every day. I'm also going to focus on more new stuff, as that has been requested a lot. Why not? May as well make it easy to decide what's worth picking up, after all. So for now, I'll be cranking out 5 FOTDs, 1 Q&A, and who knows what else. Thanks for reading!
Oh, what else is new... oh! I found out that Lucasfilm quietly discontinued pretty much their entire TV catalog of Star Wars titles, and like an idiot, I didn't buy them all at launch. So the Ewok live action films? Out of print. Clone Wars? Gone. Ewoks & Droids are still out there, but are definitely harder to find. I attempted to order Clone Wars Volume 2 and the Ewok adventures from Kmart's web site over the weekend, and let me tell you, that's not a site set up to take your business. I'll keep you posted if anything actually shows up in the mail.
Got questions? I bet you do. Email me with "Q&A" somewhere in the subject line and hopefully I'll get to yours in the next column!
Posted byAdam16bit at 12:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: QandA
Wal-Mart Exclusive Clone Wars 501st Trooper Out Early
Sunday, August 3, 2008
If you can't get enough of the hunt, you may be in luck this weekend. Wal-Mart stores here in California are already selling their exclusive Clone Wars 501st Legion Clone Trooper. We found them mixed in on the pegs with other figures for under $7 a pop, a great price-- unlike another retailer who upcharges for exclusives who shall remain nameless. More pics and impressions to come!
For those keeping track, Hasbro gave a release date of August 15, 2008.
Posted byAdam16bit at 2:21 PM 0 comments
Labels: Action Figures, Broken Street Dates, Exclusives, Hasbro, The Clone Wars (TV), Wal-Mart
Weekend Sales Round-Up: Star Wars Discounts
With The Clone Wars and The Legacy Collection, a lot of stores are running a lot of deals. Here's what you should look out for.
GENERAL
Numerous stores are actually in something of a price war-- the basic figure line started off around $7.99 and a lot of stores are now charging $6.99 or less. Your mileage may vary, but this sort of thing happened during Revenge of the Sith quite a bit.
BEST BUY
No Star Wars deals this week, but a Starship Troopers "Trilogy" DVD set includes an action figure, which may interest all one of the readers of this blog.
ENTERTAINMENT EARTH
Summer blow out sale, just under 90 items on some level of clearance. Includes Republic Elite Forces for $65, Titanium Cylon, Luke, and Darth Maul for $11.55, and other stuff.
KMART
Nothing this week.
TARGET
"Gigantic savings on Star Wars." $16.99 for Galactic Heroes scenes, basic vehicles. $24.99 for the Clone Wars Ultimate Lightsaber. $49.99 for the LEGO Torrent Starfighter. $24.99 for the Clone Trooper Voice Changer. $16.99 for the electronic roleplay blasters. $19.99 Leapster 2 Clone Wars Math game.
TOYS "R" US
Nothing this week.
WAL-MART
Nothing this week.
Posted byAdam16bit at 9:38 AM 0 comments
Labels: Action Figures, Deals, Hasbro, Target, The Clone Wars (TV), The Legacy Collection
Star Wars Build-A-Droid Wave 2: R4-T1 & R7-J1
Saturday, August 2, 2008
A few weeks ago, I looked at the first Legacy collection build-a-droid figures, and how you could switch around all the parts and everything. The second wave is very much like the first, except these have been painted differently and come with different figures.
So far, here's the breakdown as to who comes with which parts. As I've noticed with wave 1, this may change-- Hasbro made it a point so that every case has enough to build 3 astromech droids (or, when the time comes, 2 protocol droids). This means that some figures may come with either of multiple pieces, in addition to multiple figures coming with the same piece. Confused yet? We'll work on a chart to explain it at some point soon.
Here's the current breakdown with the first shipment of these figures:
R4-J1 (the green one)
Dome & center leg: Clone SCUBA Trooper #BD10
Body: IG Lancer Droid #BD13
Left leg: Obi-Wan Kenobi #BD9
Right leg: Clone Trooper #BD16
Packaging real estate being at a premium, Hasbro opted to leave off any information as to who these droids are. The green R4-J1 is one I'm not quite familiar with, although Wookieepedia claims it is some sort of scavenger droid. I guess that works!
R7-T1 (the blue one)
Dome & center leg: Quarren Soldier #BD15
Body: Mon Calamari Warrior #BD14
Left leg: Padme Amidala #BD12
Right leg: Saesee Tiin #BD11
According to the Expanded Universe lore, R7-T1 was assigned to Luke Skywalker at some point after Return of the Jedi to replace his aging R2 unit. Luke was also given a new vehicle, and in the end he went back to R2-D2 and his X-wing. So what you have here is a toy which Luke got, played with, and got bored with.
As with before, each figure is designed with four "sockets" on the sides of his body, two on each side. The upper pair is for where the legs normall go, and the lower pair allow you to have some fun by adding additional limbs of your choosing. The sockets are designed to be fully swappable, so if you're an army builder and you end up with a sack of extra parts, you should be able to come up with something rather than just end up with a bag of busted machinery.
They're a lot of fun to mess with, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited for the whole wave (and especially R7-T1.) To assemble these droids, you'll need to pick up characters from the original Clone Wars series, which is like saying you'll have to eat all your dessert if you want your dessert. I can't say I see a problem with this.
Click here for more exciting images of what kind of parts-swapping you can do with these figures.
Posted byAdam16bit at 10:35 PM 1 comments
Labels: Action Figures, Hasbro, The Legacy Collection
New Star Wars Galactic Heroes Scenes Out Early
While Hasbro said they wouldn't be out until September at their panel, it appears their data was wrong-- things are coming out early! Fortunate fans can expect to see the following at retail right now (as we spotted them at a Target): Darth Vader's TIE Fighter, Escape from Mos Eisley, Obi-Wan Kenobi's Jedi Starfighter, and the Geonosis Arena. (No sign yet of the Skiff or Dagobah sets.) Happy hunting!
Posted byAdam16bit at 10:30 PM 0 comments
Labels: Galactic Heroes, Hasbro, The Clone Wars (TV), The Legacy Collection
Star Wars: The Legacy Collection's Saesee Tiin's Lack of a Cape
In the past week, fans have been gifted with a few dozen figures. Between build-a-droids and new sculpts, there's really something for everyone. I was particularly excited about the Clone Wars-themed Legacy Collection wave, based largely on the 2003-2005 animated series. Each figure has a lot of nice little touches, but a few things were left out. Notably missing is Saesee Tiin's cape.
If you want a cape, you've got a few options. For starters, you could make your own-- but if you're anything like me, you can't, because you're not very good at such things. So what I did was ape one from Mandalore, the ancient Mandalorian leader from the Tales of the Jedi comics and the recently rereleased Fett Legacy "Evolutions" pack. It just pops right off, and is close to a perfect fit. (It's a little long, actually.)
But there you go-- that's what Saesee Tiin would look like if Hasbro sprang the extra penny and included a cape with the figure. I rather like it, and while it's not a perfect match, it's better than what I had before. Which is nothing.
You might be asking "Adam, why didn't you just use a spare Obi-Wan Kenobi cape from the new clone armor release?" Good question. Due to how the cape attaches to the figure, it wouldn't work-- there are two loops which fit around little nubs on Obi-Wan's sculpted torso. The Mandalore cape is just a piece of elastic which fits around the neck. There aren't a lot of brown capes in this figure line, so I would say that, as of today, this is your best bet. I'd also say I fully expect a rerelease of Saesee Tiin in a Battle Pack in the next two years which will include an official, better cape... but I'm just not that patient.
Posted byAdam16bit at 10:16 PM 0 comments
Labels: Action Figures, Hasbro, Playtime, The Legacy Collection
