Toy Bender

Yeah, yeah it’s been awhile. Frankly though, you can get overwhelmed with nerd questions, but they’re back finally. This round is kind of ho-hum, but there’s some interesting stuff in here if you’re into Star Wars or Indiana Jones toys. If not, read it anyway!

Action-Figs starts off with an Indiana Jones question:

ActionFigs.com: Many collectors are noticing that the Indiana Jones line of figures seems to be sitting around at stores and not moving as well as hoped. A glut of product seems to be preventing new figures from coming in, and many fans are worried that the line may be cut short as a result, despite the fact that you’ve announced that you have plans for 2009. Also, with late July came the return of Star Wars which limits the peg space available for the Indy line. Are the results of how this line is selling having an affect on its future?

Hasbro: The results of how *any* line sells has an effect on its future, as retailers want to ensure that their retail space is as productive as it can possibly be. We certainly hope to get to new figures in 2009. Right now, we are working with retail to maximize the line around what will be one of the biggest DVD releases of the year, along with a strong holiday drive. We know that we have collector interest to some extent (although not nearly to the level of Star Wars) but how long we go will depend on the level of kid engagement and retailer support after the holidays. It’s something we’ll be watching closely.

You know what the biggest problem with the line is that has probably killed it? How about each store having eight million figures with most of them being the new movie that collectors didn’t give a crap about? I’ve seen one… ONE young Indiana Jones figure and I didn’t buy him because I thought I’d see more. Unless stores start clearancing the garbage, this line is dead.

Indiana Jones Collectors asked:

Indiana Jones Collectors: Marcus Brody is a pretty important character in the Indiana Jones lore, will we be seeing a 3.75 inch figure of him in 2009?

Hasbro: It’s unlikely that we’ll get to a Marcus Brody figure.

Yeah, because we absolutely need to have ten million Mutt action figures over a figure that’s important to collectors.

Now on to Star Wars! Jedi Defender asked:

Jedi Defender: Chewbacca - he’s everyone’s favorite wookiee (well, he’s my favorite wookiee anyway). He’s got it pretty good - a life filled with plenty of adventure, taking on Kessel Runs and such with his best pal Han Solo. Sounds like a good life, right? Wrong! He’s lonely! He misses his family! When, O when will Chewie finally have a 3.75” family to go home to? He needs his Malla!

Hasbro: The only other place that some of Chewie’s family appears outside the one TV appearance would be the run of Marvel issues with a fairly interesting Kashyyyk storyline. It’s possible that we could eventually get to this issue (although it is lower on our priority list).

I was hoping the answer would be never ever ever ever never.

Jedi Insider asks about big vehicles/playsets:

Jedi Insider: Alright guys, I think we’ve finally worn you down. There was a time when we were told large scale vehicles and playsets don’t typically sell well and leave a “footprint” on retail shelves. Fast forward and the BMF is already showing up around the web to an overwhelmingly positive reception, mouths are watering over the coming AT-TE, and you’ve even got a playset lined up for the Indiana Jones line.

Granted scenes and playsets are more integral to the Indiana Jones universe but if the Akator Temple playset performs well, would that increase the likelihood of seeing more large scale playsets over in the Star Wars brand?

That aside, are there any plans for further deluxe vehicles around the size of the AT-TE and BMF down the pipeline? Just tell me who to bribe to get an Imperial Star Destroyer in the works! This question comes from JI reader die fighting x.

Hasbro: Our stance hasn’t changed. The vehicles for this year (Millennium Falcon and AT-TE) are, of course, much more than simple vehicles, and we consider them having playset-like figure interaction, and are greatly aided by the fact they are heavily featured in the entertainment. We will not be pursuing traditional playsets for Star Wars unless there is a compelling scene that presents itself in either Clone Wars or the live action show. The only way we could have done a larger (non-Deluxe) playset for IJ was if we had a good starting place to save on tooling, and luckily we were able to do that.

Even if you had a big Star Destroyer, it still would be too small. I’d rather have some sort of Star Destroyer playset, maybe a bridge or something with a mediation room on the side, but that’s never going to happen.

Mouse Droid asks a similar question:

Mousedroid: With the Clone Wars having such a strong kid focus, and with the creation of such a Huge Millennium Falcon playset, (assume how well it sells thru)…What are the chances that we may see some larger playset created? These could be either battlefield style interlocking pieces depicting different planets depicted in the Clone Wars show or maybe larger ships such as Star Destroyers or even, to appease us ‘old timers’, playset sections of the Death Star. Having a whole new bunch of figures to play from such an dynamic show sure would warranty some playset development?

Hasbro: If the Millennium Falcon (and AT-TE) are a success, we will be looking at other possibilities for bigger/high-priced vehicles. However, traditional playsets are still low on our list due to the extraordinary nature of tooling, recent track record for playsets, and lower kid appeal. A lot too depends on whether there is an iconic playset opportunity in either animated Clone Wars or live action before we would even consider.

I guess the message here is to buy the BMF and the AT-TE in order to see bigger vehicles in the future. Hell, I want to buy both to maybe encourage them to make bigger G.I. Joe vehicles.

Toymania asked:

Toymania: You’ve previously mentioned that you are working on a Jabba the Hutt figure in the animated Clone Wars style. Given that we’ve been waiting for a really well sculpted ROTJ Jabba AND the fact that he’s so difficult to slot into the line due to his size, why not take this opportunity to just give us a ROTJ sculpt Jabba which the kids can incorporate into their play pattern as a CW Jabba? I doubt that the kids would complain that Jabba wasn’t in an animated style.

Hasbro: Jabba is in the Clone Wars line, so that is the styling he will get to be consistent with the rest of the animated Clone Wars figures. We still have plans for a new EpVI Jabba, and there’s a chance that he will come out in late 2009.

Sweet! I could use a new Jabba.

The Jawa asks a question that’s nerdy, yet doesn’t dive into hideously nerdy:

The Jawa: I’ve noticed that the new Homing Spider seems a bit “short”, that is the spherical pod seems to be resting a little too close to ground level when compared to the film version. In the clips that I’ve seen the distance from the underside of the pod (including the cannon) to the ground seems to be high enough that a Super Battle Droid could stand just under the pod. In the toy however, that distance is far less, maybe half the height of the SBD. Is there any way to adjust the height higher or will Hasbro tweak it so that the pod will be raised higher as it is connected to its legs?

Hasbro: We designed the biggest & best toy we could afford to hit our price point for this guy, and that meant balancing out the articulation, size, and tooling. There is no way to adjust the height. If we added to the height, something else would have had to give or we would not have been able to afford it at all. It’s one of our favorites, and hope that once you get it (this was submitted prior to 7/26) that you approve!

I think that all the droid vehicles (with the exception of the tank) aren’t worth purchasing based on the fact they are all ugly, but what do I know?