1. Now that we know the Haslab Republic Gunship was funded, but did not even break Tier 1 (10,000), do you consider this a success or failure of choice by Hasbro? Do you think Hasbro will "find" a few extra backers to get us over 10,000 to give everyone the 1st tier figure?
--Jeremiah

This question was sent before the end of the funding period.  As such, the tally is now known to be higher than 10,000.

If I were in Hasbro's shoes, I would see selling 10,000 $450 ships as a huge win. They were paid for in advance, so risk is limited, and there were certainly profits baked in to the offering. An upgrade of a toy prequel fans weren't asking for is a rough thing to sell, but it sold! The dollars came in! I don't think Hasbro would have set the tiers so low if it wasn't profitable for them to do so.

We got this question before Hasbro revealed that Coleman Trebor would be made. I initially wrote that Hasbro would make 10,000 or more units for QC reasons, and speculated that there would be more non-Pulse orders imported that it might happen... and it did! But I can't prove that, because that's how time and space work.  So, we now know for sure there will be more than 10,000.

I've been buying and writing about these toys for decades and I can tell you that it's kind of impossible to guess what Hasbro (or Disney, or Lucasfilm, or even other collectors) will take from a specific event. You can frame things so many ways - rumbles were that Marvel is cooling it on crowdfunds due to lack of interest. I would feel the same may be true here, I know I didn't back until the last minute because I wasn't sure if I wanted to bother or not. If this were just a normal Pulse exclusive, I'd probably have bought it the first day since it goes from a "do you want this to exist" to "this exists." I don't need another Gunship, but if a new Gunship is being made? OK, maybe I'll buy another one.

Much hay has been made about the future of prequel crowdfunds, and I can't say that there are many I'd even consider asking for. I always thought it was weird we never got a Bongo, but I'm not sure the audience would show up for that either. I'd buy a Sando Aqua Monster but I don't know if it's a realistic product at this scale. Heck, I assume it would be a man-sized costume. I wouldn't mind one of Padme's chrome space yachts but I also wouldn't miss them if they never got made. And I'd certainly grumble if they tooled another new ARC-170 Fighter.

If I were a suit in that company I'd probably start to ask what the appetite is for $400+ items in this environment as the original generation gets old and the younger generation seemed more interested in LEGO. It doesn't hurt to make an item with mass appeal, and the Gunship is kind of obscure if you're not already a collector or fan. The Barge was a little more visible (in part thanks to decades more of existing), and the Razor Crest and Ghost were stars of many episodes of their respective series... plus or minus a few.

I assume Hasbro might see this as "maybe fans don't want more prequel stuff," and I don't really know if that's true. There are things I wouldn't mind seeing, but also, we got a lot of ships from late 1998 through 2013 for the prequels and animated spin-offs. I'm satisfied, I don't need more clone cars.

Ad: Get New Star Wars Pre-Orders at Entertainment Earth! Get Free USA Shipping on Orders $79+

 

2. I was busy putting together the Cantina when I dawned on me; How the heck would anybody be able to make a reasonable facsimile of key Death Star locations (the often discussed next potential/hopeful/wishful Haslab) and not have it be its own end table?
--Dan

As much as you kid about an end table, there's precedent in the toy space. The Imaginext Supernova Battle Rover was a big block of a toy with wheels, seats, playset features, and dang near everything. I didn't get one - it's huge. And it is basically a coffee table of a playset. Such things are possible for those who dare.

After seeing the LEGO Death Star and the Cantina, it certainly makes me wonder if Hasbro should reconsider the scope of such a project. I've been a big booster of upsizing the MicroCollection 1982 items, and perhaps those could be augmented with additional rooms to build out a larger (dis)play space. A super-realistic interpretation of the movie sets will demand imagination on Hasbro's part, as it's a movie set of a space station. You're not going to have something that big, or complete, at any price - it's going to need some sort of massaging to work as a consumer product.

Right now I assume doing just the Detention Block and Trash Compactor would be comparable to the Cantina. In terms of size and probably price, a few cells and some gear plus a wad of trash would probably match what we're getting in the mail this month. Hasbro may be better served exploring alternate shapes and configurations, like we saw with the Cantina. A series of connectible rooms might allow for better display and access, and LEGO's quasi-doll house is also a pretty good idea. Hasbro could also make it in some sort of multi-sided tower - like a DETOLF - where you'd have to walk around it to access all the rooms and features. Will they do this? I have no idea.

If Hasbro decides to do a Death Stary they could do an "art piece," riffing on what LEGO did. If it's Death Star-flavored, but not necessarily an actual recreation of movie sets, you could still put figures in and around it. It might not be ideally configured for figure photography, but I never believed toys should be un-toy-ed in the name of fan social media posts. (Particularly if the item is no longer available for purchase.  You don't need fans promoting an item nobody can sell!)

At this point Hasbro probably should keep furniture in mind. Either the playset is furniture, or is designed to work well with some off-the-shelf solution at IKEA or a big box store - space is increasingly limited and very little seems designed specifically for these kinds of giant collectibles.

Maybe doing it as furniture is a good idea.  If you can stack a Millennium Falcon on top, would that be so bad?

Become a Patron!

Special thanks to our generous Patreon patrons, especially: JT, Jared, Bobb, Christopher, Daniel, Dan, Tim, Jayson, Matthew, Michael, Robert, Stephen, Todd DrReiCow, Eddie, Jeremy, Mario, and Todd! Thanks for helping us keep the servers on!

FIN

In theory Target was supposed to put a bunch of exclusives on Sunday, and Walmart put some items out over the weekend. Target's three rerun "exclusives" were nowhere to be seen in my neck of the woods, but those who got them by mail seem to indicate Bib Fortuna is pretty much the same, Bom Vimdin has slightly glossier eyes and a little more of an ink wash on him, and the Gamorrean Guard might have slightly less fluff on his loincloth - but it looks very very similar to me. I don't know that these are essential unless you actually missed them before, at best they're minor variants and should be treated as such. Sure, there are some minor packaging tweaks and yes, they aren't identical - but if you have a few thousand figures, "slightly different level of eye gloss" may not be enough to warrant $17. But if you need one for your Jabba's Palace or Cantina? Obviously, buy one, buy two, keep one carded, you've got options.

Crankiness aside, I'm happy Hasbro is doing this, and I think it's essential to do keep circulating worthwhile figures. It gives people a reason to keep checking back rather than just give up. I'd rather these be in the main line because I'll wager Target will be stuck with some at the end, but there's no reason to not keep recycling recognizable, in-demand characters and molds even if it means fewer new guys. If the market is there? Make 'em. People want it and I'd rather they sell more of the same guy than a barely-different trooper. I don't necessarily personally need more new figures if there's demand to be met for existing figures.

Hasbro Pulse's Cantina Adventure Set is in stock as of my writing this. It's been out of stock frequently - it comes and goes. I'd recommend it as it's a worthwhile item for what it is. If you wanted something else, this isn't that. But Kenner colored repaints and a cardboard diorama for a slight discount strikes me as a can't-miss proposal.

As the final preparations are made for holiday toy sales, here's my prediction. If you're a fan of retro Kenner or classic Trilogy, you will be bored. If you want to get stuff as a gift for someone who wants to start collecting in those spaces, it's not going to happen. Some good "general audience" product can be had in Marvel, Transformers, and G.I. Joe, along with some new weirdness. That's good! But Star Wars is shaping up for a pretty by-the-book season with older waves suddenly hitting Walmart pegs a couple of months late. If there's Epic stuff coming in the form of new kid exclusives, it's off my radar.

What matters: you've got good stuff coming from your pre-orders and new things continue to show up in stores. So have at it.

--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.

Social media? Sure. Bluesky | Fediverse | Mastodon | Tumblr | Instagram

I'm on Instagram! All Pictures from a GameBoy Camera.