On July 3rd, we sent our fourteenth batch of questions to Hasbro to once again take part in their
Star Wars Question and Answer sessions. Today, we've got the answers to those three questions!
1. It was sort of an after-thought when we asked about the Ugnaught variant in a previous session, so we'll ask this time. We're assuming that what you said about the Ugnaught variant (saving him for a "seventh" figure in a future wave) also applies to the Hoth Rebel Trooper variant (saving him for a future wave). Correct? And can you shed any light onto exactly which wave that will be?
** Actually, the alternate rebel *is* shipping with the final wave of the blue/white Legacy/Droid Factory wave. He is tough to find though, since not all of the figures in this wave are the clean-shaven version. Even though we want to re-release him, we have not slotted him into a future wave of the new red/white packaging. The reason is that the Droid Factory waves are very complex to balance out, and once they are set in motion it's very difficult to move things arounnd. We will make this pledge: if we cannot get him into a future wave of red/white, we will look to release him on some other way to make sure that everyone gets a chance to get (and troop build) this great Rebel.
2. My boys love the Galactic Heroes line and they really love the ships and beasts that have been added over the past year. One thing that we're missing in the line though to truly give them that Kenner-esque Star Wars experience is carry cases. They need a Star Warsy way to lug those GH figures to Grandma's house! Here's an idea - drag that vintage Hoth Rebel Transport out of the mothballs! It's a carry case; it's a ship; it's perfect for the little guys!
** Great comment. We have not been looking at carrying cases in a while simply because they are not as productive as other SKUs, and can carry a stiff luggage tarrif that can drive the price up. In the highly competitive boys' aisle, an expensive, slow-moving item can be a real liability. However, we are looking at some different ways to do carrying cases, and our first priority is 3-3/4" fgures. If we can figure that one out, we'll look at Galactic Heroes as well. Thanks for the suggestion.
3. Since fan polls and wishlists are all the rage these days, we thought we'd pass along our Han's Hideout "Top Five" list for your consideration:
1) Super-Articulated Bespin Han Solo
2) Bollux/Blue Max (Han Solo at Star's End)
3) Jolli (Marvel Comics)
4) Crimson Jack (Marvel Comics)
5) Bom Vimdin
Having seen our list, should we be super-excited for 2010, sort of excited, or bracing ourselves for disappointment?
** It's interesting that you have chosen, aside from the on-screen Han and Bom Vindin, three figures that commemorate the very earliest EU storytelling and are remembered fondly by long-time fans. In the scheme of what's happening today, however, these are a little obscure and probably not high on most fans' wish lists, but we'll see when the next Fans' Choice Vote nominations conclude in August (be sure and get your top 30 votes in!). From your list, at least one of those will be out in 2010 (you can probably guess which) and one more is almost a certain "lock" for 2011. As fo the rest, well, we hope that the comic packs have a long and fruitful life and we can get to one or more of them. As for our personal choice, it would be very cool to see Bollux/Blue Max some day.
