Q&A: We Came, We Saw, We Cloned
Monday, August 18, 2008
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
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
