1. Why do new figures' limbs feel so rubbery compared to figures from the early 2000s?
--Derek

There are a few possible answers, but the very short one is this: hard things are brittle, brittle things snap.

Over time, the material in toys can break down a bit - some sort of oil leaks out and it's not uncommon for some plastics to become harder and more brittle as they age. Some figures may have been more rubbery than you remember.

Hasbro's sculpting has changed a lot. When I was a kid, figures were pretty thick, stiff things - but after the year 2000 we started seeing more figures with individually sculpted fingers, separated on the hand. An individual digit is fragile when cast in hard plastic. (Ask any 1980s G.I. Joe kid how their figures' thumbs made out, later 90s and 2000s releases were more flexible.) Given the level of articulation, which results in many tiny parts, Hasbro opted to soften up the plastic rather than have it break. When given the choice of rigidity and not shattering, Hasbro opted to make things softer. For longevity and safety reasons, I wager softer is largely better.

For those of you in hot climates, soft plastic with more joints often leads to figures sagging over time. (Before you say "no it doesn't", yes it does, it's not as hot where you live.) A figure might loosen up when heated, and it doesn't take much over months (or years) to gradually sag a tiny bit here and a tiny bit there before the balance is thrown off and someone flies off a shelf. I've heard it happen around here lately, more than once. 5-jointed figures rarely have this problem, but an abundance of knees and ankles can lead to issues. Your Epic Hero figures will likely never flop over.

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2. Did Hasbro state this Haslab is the only opportunity to purchase the Tonnika Sisters, or the only opportunity to purchase them on this particular card back?
--Paul

I haven't watched every last video on the subject in full, but people have relayed to me "yes it is" and "no it isn't." Also we never know for sure until they actually ship, after all, 000 and BT-1 haven't come out individually since their SDCC debut a few years ago, but Dr. Aphra has.  Hasbro has said they will do things that don't always come to pass.

I've seen some things look like it indicates "Wuher, Brea, and Senni are exclusive to this set, period" and also "these cardbacks are specific to this set" and I am not sure which is accurate yet. Historically we have not seen a lot of HasLab figures make the transition to a main line, but we also haven't seen a lot of Cantina figures in the last decade, either. Given Hasbro's current reuse of molds again and again, I would not be shocked to see them ran later - depending on the edition size. If Hasbro meets all the stretch goals there may not be enough additional customers to warrant additional production of the beehived barflys.

But Hasbro, if you're reading - consider add-on tiers right now with a bonus bagged set of figures. They can still be HasLab exclusives, and you'll get more money out of me.

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FIN

What's new?

Hasbro confirmed Momaw Nadon is coming to The Vintage Collection in a pipeline reveal. In my dreams, they'd make one that plays the hits - maybe it has a removable movie-accurate outfit with a blue onesie underneath for us Kenner fanatics. Maybe it could have both a Stormtrooper blaster and the big POTF2 gun. Maybe it could have a staff too - but these things would likely require a higher price point. Seeing what The Black Series Ithorians have been as deluxe figures, it's not unlikely. He's a big guy.

The Cantina HasLab continues along, with about a week to go. I assume it'll hit 8,000 before the weekend, and hopefully we'll see a surge of support at the last minute. Did you back it? I haven't yet, but I intend to do so if it hits 8,000. As of my writing this, it' 6,423 and while I previously said "I am confident it will fund," I neglected to factor in a four-day July 4 weekend where Hasbro is unlikely to do any marketing for it, and fans are going to be spending time with their friends and families. So I'd say it's a coin toss.

The Acolyte continues, and it would be safe to say it's about as good as a decent comic book. It's not for everybody, if you really know your stuff there are some nods, and yes, it's a little slow at times. This week's episode was heavy on action (and murder) which actually seemed to advance the plot a bit, but I'd say the show's real shortcomings are the fact that we spend a long time in the same places and that Jedi are kinda boring as people. Very few Jedi are going out for skull rings, fast cars, hot chicks, or money. They're far more likely to wag their finger at someone for not being mindful enough, which might be good for lightsaber sales but it's not exactly a rip-roaring good time. If you fell off, I would suggest hopping back on to check it out - you may not be inclined to buy figures, but at least you get to see a nifty lightsaber fight that, in a movie intercut with a space battle or some other conflict on a big screen, would have had you on the edge of your seat. Also I wonder if the show's direction will hurt some figure sales - I won't say too much more as you might want to see it rather than read it.

New pre-orders this week aren't bad, but I do have a hard time getting excited for "buy these troopers again." I don't feel army building is valuable without somewhere for the armies to go (a ship, a playset) but someone who has a big room dedicated to 6-inch stuff may enjoy the Tantive IV Stormtrooper vs. Rebel Trooper sets. The price is certainly a little nicer - I thought that might never happen again. Also "The Stranger" helmet is interesting and another rare instance of a prop coming before the figure. I assume it will run once, run short, and you'll all be angry you missed it in a few years when it's $500. (Possibly after hitting clearance, who knows - some companies are lowering runs.) Point is, it's a distinctive helmet and I don't think it's possible to make the "right" amount of it. As has been asked before, will Hasbro make too many? It's tough - if the demand on a figure is 34,000 and you make 34,400 and some wind up on a clearance rack that gets picked up in the toy news sphere, that could really hurt future sales of similar items despite being really, really close to the market need. Hopefully Hasbro will build short so that doesn't happen, and nobody goes "We need to stop making so many helmets."

--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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