On November 13th, we sent our twentieth 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. Following up on a question from a previous round of Q&A - we asked you about the future of the second Imperial Scanning Crewman and you said he's in the EU Wave... but that's the case where the second Bespin Guard is, so we think you may have confused your variants. Is the second Scanning Crewman displaced at the moment or will he definitely make the basic figure line in 2010, even if it takes a card change before we see him?
** We were trying to get the second Imperial Scanning Crew Member into the EU wave, but we can confirm now that this will *not* happen since all production has been wrapped up for the red/white Legacy lineup and the factory was not able to get the Crewman in. At this point, he will not be produced in the Legacy line. He remains an important variant to bring out and we will be looking for ways to get him into the line, but at this point it will likely not be before 2011. He *will* eventually make it out, but we just need time to slot him in.
2. Again, a follow up from previous - no Bespin Han in 2010, eh? I have to tell you, that's a huge bummer to a big Han fan like myself. With the 30th Anniversary of ESB, I thought he'd be a lock for 2010. Now you have to tell me which Han we're getting in 2010 so I can regain confidence that my main man is going to be treated all right in 2010! If you can't tell us which Han it is, can you at least tell us the source he's from?
** Bespin Han has been pushed out to 2011, to make room for a *new* Han that we have not produced before. We can't tell you exactly which one just yet, but it is from a brief scene and features a new jacket. We were excited to be able to deliver some newness for next year with the 30th Anniversary of EpV on tap.
3. Well, we're heading into the home stretch for 2009. By the time we get answers to these questions, we could very well have the final 2009 wave (Willrow!) in our hands. Looking back at the past year, with the Legacy drop-off issues you've had to deal with, where there any big surprises? Any item that sold more than you were expecting? Any item that didn't sell as well as you'd hoped? What were the team's favorite items for 2009?
** 2009 was without a doubt one of the most challenging years we have had to deal with. The year is not over yet but some of the surprises have been the lower than anticipated interest in many of the new exclusives. We thought that this year was a high watermark in terms of the number of significant new exclusives we were able to deliver, but it simply may also be that there are too many choices. The exclusives were also some of the team's favorites, with the Geonosis Arena 2-packs bringing many new characters, along with the Wal-Mart power trio of the AT-ST, Dewback, and Octuptarra Droid. The latter in particular is a simply astonishing piece that many fans seem to have missed, and should be one of the centerpieces of any modern droid army. On the bright side, we were pleased with the strong reception to the Deluxe Figure/Vehicle packs, showing that there is a real need for individual craft in a dedicated assortment.
