1. I'm a huge fan of the Micro Galaxy Squadron stuff from Jazwares. I was a huge Action Fleet fan when I was a kid, so that line kinda speaks to me. One thing I loved about Action Fleet/Micro Machines stuff was the actual playsets - the Death Star, Yavin, Hoth, etc.... I don't know the state of that line on a success level, or how much it's continuing, but do you think there's a market for branching out from just ships and speeders and doing something like a Yavin/Death Star? Or figures that aren't just pilots for ships?
--Connor

I have not discussed the line with Jazwares at all, so I don't know - but I assume - there may be a licensing requirement that may or may not exclude playsets, or more specifically, may allow figures only when bundled with vehicles. Licensing agreements these days are sometimes carved up by which stores sell an item (mass vs. specialty), LEGO famously couldn't sell figure packs as it infringed on Hasbro's figure license so they did small builds with 3-4 figures instead, and the grapevine told me Mattel's starships line was made to have a different percentage of die-cast metal in it compared to Hasbro's, despite being the same exact size and price. I assume there may be other limitation on Jazwares, but this is just a hunch - for all I know there's an interview I never saw where they said "maybe, wait and see!" or something.

I think there's interest, but the problem isn't the product, or necessarily the fans. The market has a lot of great Star Wars playsets in the much better-selling LEGO line, and there are so many Star Wars toys and collectibles now that someone could put out a monthly book covering the things I don't buy and I bet I would see a ton of things I didn't know even existed. It would be incredible to see Jazwares put out a Yavin IV hangar that could be decked out with dozens of tiny ships, but that's a small market. But if they could find a way to make a big (micro) Death Star since Hasbro never put one out? I'd shell out for that.

The tales of working with Disney as a licensee are the stuff of legends, and I can't speak to aspects of them, but I do wonder if these things sell enough units to be truly worth it or not sometimes or if companies just hold on to licenses to keep them out of someone else's hands. I see a lot of Starships on sale, but they also seem to be pretty fairly priced and sell well. You can potentially buy an X-Wing from Jazwares for less than Hasbro will sell an action figure for these days, and that has to be pretty compelling to parents. If it weren't for the blind box ships, I assume a new fan would just jump in the micro line and never give Hasbro a second look as there's an actual chance of completing Jazwares' line.

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2. Is that the only question this week?
--Nobody

That's it! I have nothing on deck for next week at this time either, which makes some degree of sense. It used to be that a movie would come out and we'd all speculate on what figures we'd be getting for the next few months or years, and now? The Bad Batch will end very soon, and 3 3/4-inch figure fans have exactly one of the title group in their collections. The Rise of Skywalker came and went without most of the core cast getting new figures - sure we got Rey and a Poe, but not the new Poe outfit, or Finn, or even Kylo Ren. Or the Emperor, or Lando. I could go on, but that's sort of what makes this a little less exciting from my perspective - The Force Awakens got the best toy and figure line out of the whole Disney era, although Rebels may be the winner in terms of new vehicles. I still can't get over how good some of those were for the asking price.

So I'll just say "keep scouring the shelves of second-hand and collectible shops" if you're looking for something to make your week more interesting - there's no shortage of $5 figures out there, if you're looking for a fun fix.

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FIN

Slow question week! Or, maybe I've been doing this too long. The hobby is doing about as well as ever, although onboarding new generations into action figures is tough - but that may change if people see the new solid pegs of Darth Vader figures and go "Hey, I want that!" and stick with it. I always felt as if figures in and of themselves weren't much of a hobby - putting them with vehicles, playsets, and other toys was what made them fun - but that's how the toy world works these days. The last (and arguably pretty decent) attempt to put figures and ships in kid hands was Young Jedi Adventures, now at a Ross near you at prices that run pretty low. I'm tempted to pick up a vehicle or playset to check for 3 3/4-inch compatibility, but also, I have zero interest in the High Republic era of stuff. Never say there aren't things to try out. Maybe they're not things you want, but they're out there.

I'd still nudge you all to try the Epic Hero Series figures, if only because they're a neat toy product that doesn't really care about older fans. Some are better than others, but they're making the rounds in more big box stores now and the price is decent. I hope they cram more interesting faces in there - preferably ones I do not already own in other formats - but if I were a new fan starting today, I'd probably just stick to that format as it's a new jumping-on point with at least one vehicle on the way.

And if it fails? Clearance Stormtrooper bonanza.

I'm hoping they roll out a couple of vehicles a year and hopefully more figures, only because if you can't build out something of a scene, it might not be a lot of fun. Hopefully someone over there is working on a TIE Fighter or an X-Wing, or even a Millennium Falcon or a Landspeeder. Honestly it would be an absolute dream to see them slowly work in as many of the original Kenner-era toys in this format as possible, plus or minus Madine or the Rancor Keeper, as I would assume dads (and granddads) and kids would find some way to justify purchasing them. And I guess between Jedi Luke, Darth Vader, and a Stormtrooper, we've got 3 down.

--Adam Pawlus

Got questions? Email me with Q&A in the subject line now! I'll answer your questions as soon as time (or facts) permit.

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