Toy Bender

Due to the fact that I don’t collect Star Wars figures as much as I used to, I haven’t done many of these round ups. After going through all my figures to pick out ones to sell I’ve becoming interested in Star Wars figures again. Strange how that works. Anyway, I collected a few of my favorite questions from this last round of questions to Hasbro.

Over at Jedi Temple Archives someone is really picky about their orange colored figures:

Jedi Temple Archives: Would you consider a Battle Packs set that would include a take on the 212th Attack Battalion as seen in Revenge of the Sith? And if you did, would you be able to better match the orange color used on the armor so it is more authentic to the film? It almost seems like a no-brainer since the other Battle Packs that have focused on Order 66 have been such great sellers and disappeared quickly, like Betrayal On Felucia or Treachery On Saleucami for example. I am sure collectors and kids alike would love to see these Utapau troopers out again (especially since they have not made it into the Saga Legends line yet). And perhaps you can guarantee collector support if you recolor the orange or provide us with different battle damage applications.

Hasbro: That is a great suggestion for a Battle Pack, and one which we’ll consider for the future. Interesting comment on the orange coloration - we had not heard that one ourselves but will look into it. Thanks.

You know why they hadn’t heard it before? Because nobody with a life gives a shit.

Jedi Temple Archives asks another question:

Jedi Temple Archives: As awesome as the Sideshow 12” figure line is, I think it would be more than fair to say that they have unintentionally alienated the 12” figure market. A single 12” figure that has surpassed the $100 mark is an unattainable purchase for the collectors who could only spend $20 per figure. Is there any chance you are any closer to possibly considering bringing back the 12” line, however small and infrequent, so more 12” collectors from all incomes can get back into it? Rumors exist of a 12” Hammerhead mold being completed, Oola, and the Max Rebo Band, and a ROTS Aayla Secura and Obi-Wan Kenobi. We would love to see these figures finally realized in Hasbro 12” form. The line seemed too quickly abandoned before Sideshow took over, there was no official closer so to speak.

Hasbro: We do not have plans to return to the 12″ format any time soon. Actually, we did not abandon our 12″ line, as much as it tapered off from previous heights and the final shot for us was the 12″ EpIII lineup. The volumes had been trending down for us for years since the great run of 12″ Star Wars in the late ’90s. Since the 12″ figure collector market is much smaller than the 3-3/4″ market and the diminishing production volumes just did not make sense us to keep pursuing. Finally, since collectors have gotten much more sophisticated and exacting with regard to what they want, it made a ton of sense to have Sideshow work their magic with the format. Sideshow is bringing out figures of an astonishingly high quality, which are, in our opinion, worth every penny.

You know, while going through my meager assortment of 12″ Star Wars figures I came to the conclusion that I wish I’d gotten more of them and I was sad you couldn’t buy them for 20 bucks anymore. Sigh.

Mousedroid asks this question:

Mouse Droid: My son and I love the Clone Wars voice changer helmets. He has the Blue and I have the plain white. They are really great items with excellent electronics and very durable. Yet we have been thinking…as Boba Fett is a favorite character of his (ours)…is there a chance at a Boba Fett Voice changer helmet in the future? You could even make a Jango Fett plus an entire Mandalorian range in different color schemes.

Hasbro: We’re really glad you like them. A Mando helmet is a cool idea, but we would only consider it if there was some form of additional current entertainment support for a Mando-type helmet. Being relevant to kids is the only way to make an item like this viable (look how long we waited to do a Clone helmet!).

I couldn’t get past the image of some fat dude and his equally fat kid running around the house with Clone Trooper helmets crammed on their fatty heads.

Crom bless Sir Steve’s Guide for their usually annoying/picky questions:

Sir Steve’s Guide: The gauzy material used to make black capes and other soft goods is intolerable. The material is always cut too large, never hangs right, and is translucent. Darth Vader especially has a real miserable time of it, looking more like he’s wearing a black chiffon number than his menacing duds. And not one figure using it can avoid it flaring out, poor Garindan looks like he’s flying away. We’ve seen better materials used at this scale, even by you (the second Darth Maul figure comes to mind), so it’s past time to reassess new materials for these purposes. If nothing else, getting sharper and better-looking cape designs will sell more Vaders to collectors and kids who already have an army of them. So, what say you on this matter, why are you still using the gauzy black cloth, and are you willing to look into better materials and better sewing for them?

Hasbro: Thank you for you positive and insightful feedback. Fabric cloaks or capes at the 4″ scale have always presented difficulties. There are several issues that have to be balanced and they are not always within our direct control. Firstly, fabric is purchased by our vendors for the open market, unless they have some still on hand from other items. So, they have to buy what is available and making special orders from fabric manufacturers increases costs and delays the manufacturing schedule. Secondly, fabric that is less “sheer” has a higher thread count. That is why it is more opaque but this comes at a higher cost and thicker fabric also tends to not drape as well on the small figures. So, draping vs. opacity has to be evaluated. Finally, the largest cost to fabric pieces is due to the labor that is required to cut and sew the pieces. The hemming of edges greatly increases the cost, adds thickness, and tends to cause the fabric to hang poorly. We tend to use a polyester tricot material because it can be heat cut which keeps the edges from fraying and eliminates the need to sew hems. I for one do not envy the vendors who create these tiny pieces of Star Wars apparel and think they do an outstanding job. But, we are always striving to improve in every area.

Yeah, bad soft goods are annoying, but are they intolerable? I don’t think I could describe a toy’s clothing choice as intolerable.