399 replies to this topic

[Kevin Mayle]

I'm thinking of maybe buying them all.

I can probably sell you most of them.

Thanks. I will keep you in mind. If I decide to go through with this I'll PM you. I'll be interested in loose, unpackaged figures.

[THEGODBEAST]

Ok, so I've basically sworn off buying any new Star Wars stuff. However, that's only true "from a certain point of view."

On Sundays Mom and Dad can be a little tired, so we tried popping in a DVD to buy us a little quiet time. All the cartoons (Monsters Inc., Nemo, etc.) bought us about 30 minutes. So a few weeks ago I thought, "Let's try Star Wars!"

I may have permanently scarred my kid. He sat motionless for the full 2 hours, glued to the screen with his mouth wide open. This is not an exaggeration, it is a literal retelling.

The 2 or 3 Galactic Heroes he had suddenly became his favorite toys, and he even took SW stickers and treated those as action figures. So I decided to let him have some more New Hope figures (he hasn't seen the other movies yet). Now he's got a nice little collection that he loves to play with.

So why do I share all of this? Because it has forced me to look at Hasbro's 2009 panel through a new lens. The collector in me is simply not interested or inspired by any of the stuff. However the parent is pretty happy. I can look at all of that stuff and think, "That's a pretty cool toy. I think the little guy would like that."

For me the standout is the Galactic Heroes Snowspeeder. Once my little guy sees ESB, I can see this being his favorite vehicle. It also makes me wonder, "Are they going to make a Galactic Heroes AT-AT?"

Now you have truly come over to my "darkside."

I wrote off SW in 2003 when I moved to where I am now. I sold off EVERYTHING that wasn't vintage. Then my sons slowly started loving SW more and more. Especially the CLone Wars animated series and then this new animated series. So it begun...thanks to Chad and Chris, my kids got a nice tote of figures, playset and vehicles to play out their SW with.

So now you and your son can join my little club!

TGB

[Scumdogg]

Man, i am going to raise my kids to hate Star Wars until they're old enough to buy their own toys.

[Jestermon]

So what are the chances we see Durge and Ventress turned into figures?

What about the new "commando" Clone Troopers?

I think we'll get them, but it could turn out very strange. It will be "realistic" figures based on cartoons.

I dunno I could use an articulated Dark Trooper.

Also, it would be noce if Hasbro dupicated the Kenner Beast Bags, very near and dear to the boards, very Trash Bag Bunch, I loved my Kaduus, I have a thing about mounts with no riders, I could do with a Taun Taun, Wampa, Ronto, Krayyt Dragon, THe big gungan thing in the movie with the shield generator on its back, random other animals since there are alot of them as background characters and such.

[Universal Ruler Supreme]

Well great! Another important Fan Choice poll slips by my radar this year. I was able to vote in the last fan's choice poll years back, but somehow completely missed out on this one. Fortunately there wasn't that many interesting characters in the list... Which was odd, so I didn't really miss anything. Is this the best list multiple site feedback full of hardcore fans could offer? So many great EU characters to choose from, and this is it? Of course I don't know how many you were allowed to choose, since I missed it and all. But only 3 characters jumped out at me, whereas the last time I recall having a hard time deciding. I would have chose Bastilla, Jaxxon, and Plaegias for sure though.

Anywho... For shiznits and giggys, here was the final list. I hope my choices get top picks. Most of the choices are just so lame.

• Admiral Pellaeon
• Bariss Offee
• Balista Shan
• Ben Quadrinaros
• Bom Vimdin
• Cane Adiss
• Clegg Lars
• Cordé
• Darth Caedus
• Darth Plagueis
• Darth Sidious (Senate Duel)
• Dash Rendar
• Dormé
• Dr. Evazan
• Grand Moff Tarkin (A NEW HOPE)
• Guri (SOTE: Evolutions)
• Jaxxon
• Jocasta Nu
• Joruus C'Baoth
• Kister and Wald (2-Pack)
• Queen Apailana
• Queen Jamillia
• Rebel Fleet Trooper
• Sgt. Doallyn
• Sim Aloo
• Taym Dren-Garen
• Tey How
• Toryn Farr
• Tzizvvt
• Weequay Skiff Master

 Fanschoice09.JPG   107.09K   13 downloads

Also, it really wasn't till recently within the last year maybe, that I started buying newer Star Wars figs. As there really wasn't anything fresh or new coming out for a while after the 3rd film...or before it for that matter. But Hasbro has been constantly releasing great looking new figures lately, that are even tempting at the more modern prices. I've been good at only sticking to what I really like so far. But I fell short this weekend, and bought a set of BAD figs. However the next Legacy wave is nothing but tops, and most of the next comic pack waves look great as well. Hasbro's sculpting is getting better for sure, and their articulation properties are at least trying to further evolve. You will notice the occasional figure that tries a new point here and there. I feel they will eventually work out all the bugs in that department, but even if they don't, I'm really like where they are at right now.

I havn't been this excited for new SW figs in a while. Just check out some of my favorites hitting within the next months.

2 Packs I look forward to!

 EU1.jpg   128.38K   8 downloads  EU3.jpg   114.79K   7 downloads

And the Next Legacy Wave is all Hits With NO Misses!

 EU2.jpg   110.65K   10 downloads

[Tortle]

At this point, Hasbro is really scraping the bottom of the barrel which is understandable because it's already made almost every interesting character from the movies. I think there are some strong choices in there for characters in need of updating, like Grand Moff Tarkin and Dr. Evazan. And there are a couple of good characters for diorama fodder like Bom Vimdin and Weequay Skiff Master. Cane Adiss doesn't look familiar, but he'd probably work in a Jabba's Palace diorama.

Everything else is a wash for me. I'm not a fan of the EU properties, and the other movie characters are too boring (Clegg Lars), too obscure (Tzizvvt), or too "What the hell were they thinking?" (Jocasta Nu)

That said, Star Wars figures are technically the best they've ever been. The sculpting is awesome and the articulation is more than we deserve. But I had been collecting Star Wars for so long, and I already have so many versions of the core characters that I care about, that I just can't get too excited about it anymore.

[Universal Ruler Supreme]

I'm not sure I can fully agree with you on the weak spot. Sure they aren't going to be as durable as 77' Chewbacca, but I havn't broken a single modern Star Wars fig yet, and if anyone has occasionally peeked at my reviews for such figures, you would see I occasional put some test on them. In fact most new figs have removable heads, hands, and sometimes other parts that pop apart easily. Great for customization, and fun pictures. My recent Yuuzhan Vong alien was one. His shoulder swivels could pop out, though I wouldn't go popping these plastic parts out all the time, the fact remains that there is some durability available. And it's almost impossible to have loose joints on these figures it would seem. So far the only complaint I have found with some figures I have purchased is that it's common for Hasbro to either throw useless accessories in with them, or accessories that the figures should be able to use can't even be held. Which is just terrible.

Now onto the Fan Choice. I find it interesting that folks are still so keen about these obscure characters being made. So many negative tier characters (ones that can't even get a second or 3rd tier rating) end up being peg warmers anyway. I'm still seeing tons of these diorama background characters from last year and early this year on pegs in my area. However some that are a bit off the wall like Jocasta Nu, you mentioned Veers, may actually be slightly interesting. She may even be made in the Animated style, since she was featured in the show. But she was also one of the Jedi Masters to be specifically killed by Anakin I believe.

So lets debate. What if they make all of these guys? Who would sell, and who would be peg warmers? Here's what I personally think.

Admiral Pellaeon - PegWarmer
Bariss Offee - Slow Sell
Balista Shan - Scalper Alert
Ben Quadrinaros - Slow Sell
Bom Vimdin - Slow Sell
Cane Adiss - Slow Sell
Clegg Lars - PegWarmer
Cordé - PegWarmer
Darth Caedus - Sell Out
Darth Plagueis - Sell Out
Darth Sidious (Senate Duel) - Slow Sell
Dash Rendar - Sell Out
Dormé - Peg Warmer
Dr. Evazan - Sell Out
Grand Moff Tarkin (A NEW HOPE) - Slow Sell
Guri (SOTE: Evolutions) - Sell Out
Jaxxon - Sell Out
Jocasta Nu - Slow Sell
Joruus C'Baoth - Sell Out
Kister and Wald (2-Pack) - Sell Out
Queen Apailana - Peg Warmer
Queen Jamillia - Peg Warmer
Rebel Fleet Trooper - Sell Out
Sgt. Doallyn - Sell Out
Sim Aloo - Slow Sell
Taym Dren-Garen - Slow Sell
Tey How - Peg Warmer
Toryn Farr - Slow Sell
Tzizvvt - Slow Sell
Weequay Skiff Master - Slow Sell

Edited by Universal Ruler Supreme, 07 December 2009 - 12:20 PM.

[Tortle]

I'd agree with a lot of what you're saying, but there are a few key differences:

Admiral Pellaeon - Peg Warmer.

Bariss Offee - Slow Sell. Borderline peg warmer, though.

Balista Shan - Slow Sell. I think this one will sit on the shelf for a while. A lot of what makes an EU figure sell is less the character (because only a small subset of the collecting community is familiar with the character), and more how cool the character looks. Balista just looks like a regular human shmoe Jedi. I just don't think she's cool enough to appeal to those who are unfamiliar with the character. Remember also she's been in one of these polls before, but didn't get enough votes to get made. That casts a lot of doubt in my eye on her "sellability".

Ben Quadrinaros - Slow Sell.

Bom Vimdin - Slow Sell. But he's useful for Cantina dioramas, so he'll eventually sell pretty well.

Cane Adiss - Sell Out. Especially if the figure is large, like Hermi Odle or Ephant Mon. If he's normal sized, he'll be a slow sell.

Clegg Lars - Peg Warmer. Totally.

Cordé - Peg Warmer.

Darth Caedus - Slow Sell. Again, he's just a normal looking shmoe Sith to non-EU fans like me.

Darth Plagueis - Sell Out. He's cool looking and he has a bit more inherent interest for non-EU fans because of his mention in Ep. III.

Darth Sidious (Senate Duel) - Slow Sell. Borderline peg warmer.

Dash Rendar - Slow Sell. Again, he's just a normal human shmoe.

Dormé - Peg Warmer.

Dr. Evazan - Slow Sell. He's a must for Cantina Dioramas, but many collectors probably won't care all that much.

Grand Moff Tarkin (A NEW HOPE) - Sell Out. Collectors of Imperial Officers will go nuts for a new GMT. And he's such a prominent character in the OT that many others will pick him up too.

Guri (SOTE: Evolutions) - Slow Sell. Depending on the costume, she might be a sell out, though.

Jaxxon - Sell Out. A weird stand-out alien that's been around long enough to appeal to many fans.

Jocasta Nu - Peg Warmer. I can't imagine this figure selling well. If they do make her, they better seriously shortpack her.

Joruus C'Baoth - Peg Warmer. The dude looks like Merlin.

Kister and Wald (2-Pack) - Slow Sell. Not many fans have come to grips with Ep. I yet. The Rodian is cool though and will drive the sales.

Queen Apailana - Slow Sell. If the costume is rendered well, that is. If not, she'll be a peg warmer.

Queen Jamillia - Peg Warmer.

Rebel Fleet Trooper - Sell Out. Especially if it's this specific guy. He'll be useful for army building and he's recognizable to everyone.

Sgt. Doallyn - Slow Sell. Jabba's Palace diorama collectors will feel the need to get him, but he's not very visible in the movie so many other collectors will skip.

Sim Aloo - Slow Sell. Only because he'd be useful for Imperial dioramas.

Taym Dren-Garen - Slow Sell. See Sgt. Doallyn.

Tey How - Peg Warmer. Nemoidians never seem to sell well.

Toryn Farr - Slow Sell. She's distinctive enough in ESB to get some interest.

Tzizvvt - Slow Sell. See Bom Vimdin.

Weequay Skiff Master - Slow Sell. But Weequay is a pretty distinctive character and useful for a number of dioramas so he'll probably sell well.

[Universal Ruler Supreme]

You make some good arguments, but many of the EU characters tend to sell pretty quickly, unless they are just completely hideous when transferred to Plastic. I also feel your underselling some of them, as there is quite a large comic and EU fan base out there.

A good example. Darth Revan getting 1st runner up/2nd place in the last poll. Main Villain/Hero from a video game that may or may not be cannon. Personally I think there were some pretty solid entrants that last time around as well. Bastilla is from the same game as Revan, so I can't see how she wouldn't get a top spot. At least top 5 possibly. If Hasbro is smart they will keep alot of the EU characters to comic packs though. As these often times sell pretty well when a good figure isn't paired with repaints/retools of droids or old figures. It seems Hasbro has only recently been trying EU characters single packed.

Also here is the list from 2006. 5 choices were from the KOTOR games, and only Bastilla hasn't been made yet. If Hasbro would make more characters from these games in to figures you would be surprised at how well they sold I think. I still havn't seen a Revan or Malak in person.

Here’s the list for longevity:
Anakin Solo
Bastila Shan
Clone Commander
Commander Neyo
Corran Horn
Darth Malak
Darth Maul
Darth Nihilus
Darth Revan
Exar Kun
Hermi Odle
HK-47
Jacen Solo
Jaina Solo
Kir Kanos
Kyle Katarn (Jedi Knight)
Luke Skywalker (ROTJ)
Mara Jade Skywalker
Nom Anor
Padmé Amidala (CW cold gear)
Padmé Amidala (AOTC black dress)
Padmé Amidala (ROTS corpse)
Quinlan Vos
Willrow Hood (Ice Cream Maker Guy)
Yarna d'al Gargan

[phillinley]

For some reason today I slow rolled this thread, and it got me to thinking about a point Tortle made earlier on about some other company being able to put a new take on the line. Looking at my shelves and the past 15 years of collecting this line (and pretty much picking up all of it), I don't think there is any level of sculpting, articulation or eye candy that would make me collect a new line of figures from a different company. I don't think they could ever capture the level of completeness that the Hasbro/Kenner line has done. I've got the friggin Ice Cream Guy on my shelf, and a six breasted dancer! Some people might hate that stuff, but i love that level of completeness in my toy collections. I keep lamenting on my Simpsons action figure shelf and how I'd love to have some figures of characters from the last few seasons who gained prominence in the post Playmates era, and a lot of them have been made. But i just can't bring myself to buy them, because they'd pale in comparison to the size and uniformity of the Playmates line.

[Tortle]

I've come to kind of a similar conclusion. I got the Jabba's Palace Rancor over the weekend, and he came with a hyper-articulated Jedi Luke. It's kind of fun to pose Luke, but I can't imagine playing with him if I was a kid. While I might dig the hyper-articulation, it has also made Luke flimsy and unsubstantial. Star Wars figures are less toys now, and more articulated statues.

I can understand releasing a hyper-articulated figure every once in a while, but every figure is hyper-articulated now. The Ice Cream Man? Really? How about saving the money spent on hyper-articulating every figure and dropping the price?

When I have kids and they get to be Star Wars age, I'm going to buy the earlier figures on eBay for them. I'm thinking the OTC and before.

[Universal Ruler Supreme]

No, POTJ are pretty good toys. They are pretty much just better sculpted POTF2 figures. And were probably the end of an era of toys. There were probably a handful that begged to be broken right away though. I'd say the Episode I figs are playful as well. But I understand what you guys are saying, Especially about the clones. I have somehow managed to obtain 10 or more clone figures this year, and all of them are pretty shabby as toys and collectibles.

I guess my arguments for newer figures being cool playthings is due to my abrasive play I gave all my old Gi-Joes as a kid. I would literally spend hours with a screw driver and swap parts out. And when one guy broke, I'd give him an arm or leg from a lamo character I didn't like. They broke all the time, and I took them apart and swapped stuff tons. But you had to take them apart to really lose a body part. So I can see how loose fitting hands and heads could pose an issue with newer figures.

[Tortle]

Here are the top 5 characters from the ToyFare poll we were talking about previously:

1. Balista Shan
2. Jocasta Nu
3. Darth Caedus
4. Darth Plagueis
5. Jaxxon
http://www.rebelscum...r_Is_128310.asp

I can't believe Jocasta Nu scored the #2 spot. Why in the world would people vote for that figure? She's another Gargan waiting to happen in terms of pegwarmability.

Balista Shan and Darth Caedus are interesting selections. Are there enough EU fans to support them? The question might be moot if Hasbro short packs them.

Darth Plagueis and Jaxxon would sell pretty well, I think. Those are the only two that I would consider buying from this list, at least. But I'm guessing that only Balista Shan is guaranteed to get made since she was the winner.

[Universal Ruler Supreme]

BAA!! You beat me to it! Yeah I was quite pleased with the top 5. I think the fact that 4 of the 5 slots were filled with expanded universe characters show that there is plenty support and demand for them. Again I bring up the Comic packs, and how well they tend to sell. I think when the next BAD wave pops up you will see how popular EU figures are.

Although I can understand why some folks may want a Jocasta Nu, I too don't understand why so many would want one. I can only assume she will be part of the Clone Wars line. As for the rest, they will be on my radar for sure. I'll have to be quick, as I'm confident in Bastilla's Scalping potential.

I am very glad to see Plageuis win a slot for sure though! I'm quite excited to see how he turns out. Though I'm a bit put off, as he is supposed to be a Muun... You know those annoying Clan Banker species. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Muun
I'm hoping we get a Young Palpatine to go with him though.

Jaxxon! Finally, only took forever. Hopefully he will give the possibility of life to some of the other star hoppers. http://starwars.wiki...pers_of_Aduba-3

[Tortle]

WizardWorld.com posted the results with the percentage of the votes that each received:

1) Bastila Shan 10.6%
2) Jocasta Nu 10%
3) Darth Caedus 8%
4) Darth Plageuis 7.9%
5) Jaxxon 4%
6) Admiral Pellaeon 3.7%
7) Dash Rendar 3.7%
8 ) Guri 3.6%
9) Dorme 3.5%
10) Bariss Offee 3.5%
11) Weequay Skiff Master 3.5%
12) Tzizvvt 2.9%
13) Kittster and Wald 2.8%
14) Toryn Farr 2.6%
15) Cane Adiss 2.4%
16) Rebel Fleet Trooper 2.4%
17) Bom Rimdin 2.4%
18) Cliegg Lars 2.3%
19) Joruus C’Baoth 2.3%
20) Grand Moff Torkin 2.1%
21) Ben-Quadinaros 2.1%
22) Darth Sidious 1.9%
23) Queen Apailana 1.8%
24) Tey How 1.8%
25) Sim Aloo 1.7%
26) Sgt. Doallyn 1.5%
27) Taym Dren-Garen 1.3%
28) Dr. Evazan 1%
29) Corde 0.8%
30) Queen Jamilla 0.7%

http://fareplay.wiza...s-poll-spoiler/

I'm absolutely shocked by some of those results. Cliegg Lars did better than Grand Moff Tarkin? Dr. Evazan only got 1% of the votes? And Jocasta Nu was only .6% away from winning the poll entirely?!

I'm starting to wonder if this is really indicative of the Star Wars collecting community, or if only a small subset was aware of the poll.

[Universal Ruler Supreme]

Wow! I totally missed your post earlier. I can't believe some of these results either.

The first thing I noticed was this guys Post on that page.

Video game nerds! This is why we’ll never everyone from the movies released! This Bastilla Shan will just rot at the stores, I dont get why you dorks vote for useless figs and dont even buy them!
Comment by expanded universe hater! — January 14, 2010 #

I have yet to see an EU character warm pegs..unless it was a comic pack, however I've seen hoards of Gargans, Brainiacs, and Wiosleas on pegs over the past year or more.

Anyway, back on topic. Did they say how many people voted?

Cause I think we can all easily agree that Jocasta will be a major peg warmer for a long time. It seems to me that maybe this poll didn't get as many hits as the last one did. Maybe the lack of many interesting characters may be the issue.


Also, has anyone else noticed a jump in Comic Pack prices? I was in Wal-mart the other day, and they had jumped up from $12.88 each to $14.80 or something!

[Soupie]

New AT-AT Walker!

http://gizmodo.com/5...-pet-rebellions

[Nyarlathotep]

New AT-AT Walker!

http://gizmodo.com/5...-pet-rebellions

Must.. restrain... self...