1. what are the chances Hasbro will re-release the former SDCC vintage collection carded Salacious Crumb (VC66) and Mouse Droid (VC67) that remains a gap in many collectors' carded collections because they couldn't get that giant Death Star packaged SDCC exclusive? Does anyone on the current team even remember those were done on tiny cards? Perhaps they could package both on a single normal card (Vc 66/VC67) as a way to placate people how have the originals...
--bearytrek

Exactly the same smaller mini-size packaging? I'd say never. No chance. Something similar? Very unlikely.

Hasbro does not care about your having every package variant - these figures are available through other means, and honestly we could stand for a better Salacious Crumb mold by now. These two were sold on smaller-size cardbacks that I assume will never resurface short of another convention exclusive or HasLab bonus. It's incredibly unlikely that these two carded figures with those numbers would be sold again.

If you just want the figures? You can get them. The Mouse Droid was originally sold in 1998 as an accessory for the Freeze Frame Power of the Force (POTF2) Death Star Droid - a Fan Club exclusive in the USA. You can find it on Amazon for just over $20 and you get a swell chrome robot in there. It goes for about the same on eBay. Salacious Crumb was previously sold as a C-3PO accessory and goes for a good deal more - over $58 these days - but if you just want the figure, you can probably get it on eBay for less. Carded samples on eBay are closer to $30 before shipping.

Hasbro, if you're reading - and who knows if you are anymore - might I suggest putting these guys out on full-size 6x9-inch cardbacks? It's a "just different enough to make you mad" option - the original smaller cardbacks would remain collectible, fans who skipped them can get the bigger ones, and anyone who has the originals will probably want the new ones so they can all be the same uniform size. On Return, not Revenge, cardbacks. Win win all around!

I skipped this set at SDCC because I had no interest in paying for logo variants - I'd rather have the money. If they reissued them, unless the figures are altered, I've got no reason to buy them again - but the interest is there, and it might be worth doing for Hasbro's bottom line if the tooling is still available and in good working order. If you personally want one, dear reader, I suggest actively lobbying Hasbro at conventions and social media. (Because I'm not going to put energy in packaging variants.)

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2. Max rebo band is still on everyone’s [The Vintage Collection] wish list. Think there is a chance [of a new one]?
--Michael

Given we've got the Cantina Band in two scales (still waiting on Retro) I think it's possible - the question is, which version of the band? And if not during the 40th anniversary of Return of the Jedi, when?

Max Rebo has up to three flavors - there's the Kenner-style (diaper), the prop style (puppet where the "hands" are feet), and The Book of Boba Fett budget-cut version. And when it comes to his organ, Kenner and Hasbro have yet to make it with the big gramophone speaker on the side of it.

Droopy McCool is Droopy McCool - not much variation there.

Sy Snootles - as part of a band - also have a few variations. The 1983 and 1997 flavors have distinctive looks and potentially different accessories. As a fan I'd prefer something that looks closer to the 1983 toys - maybe with the speaker on Max' organ - but there are those who insist things should be up-to-date, which also adds the specter of the special edition singers, drummers, and whatever it is Rappertunie does.

The reason I think it's unlikely is if it doesn't get announced this year, it misses the anniversary and the Jabba's Palace playset we're getting later on. As a kid, the Max Rebo Band was one of my absolute favorite things, and I'd even be happy with a The Retro Collection reissue. Return of the Jedi hasn't got a lot of love as far as aliens go in the last decade, but the one big advantage Max Rebo has is a big accessory (upcharge) and two more figures (multi-pack, higher price point.) A reissue of the old Kenner one would be at least $40 and a new 3-pack would probably be $50-$60. It would be a sensible thing for Hasbro to make, provided the interest is there.

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FIN

What's new?

If you have a mall with an FYE, go there - two locations near me had a number of toys for 75% off or more, including Vintage, Retro, and even ReAction figures. I had a good haul, so I'd recommend checking them if you haven't lately. Ross and Ollie's stores are getting retro Kenner-style Marvel guys for $3.99 and $4.99 respectively, so I'd also recommend checking them out if you like that sort of thing. I've found that virtually any 3 3/4-inch action figure is worth five bucks or less. (But not Final Faction. Sorry, Final Faction fanatics.)

The Mandalorian ended its third season with big-movie action and ideas on a small-screen budget, to varying degrees of success. There are limits of what you can do without unlimited money, but there were some nice costumes and a few cool sets - but toys? I'm not seeing any new toys yet. From where I sit, that's been one of the bigger misfires of the Disney+ era. Not only do toys miss the TV shows, but things can be two years late. I assume it's all in the name of keeping spoilers a secret, but I ask you - is it worth it? I think I'd happily trade "Mando gets a new ship" as an on-screen reveal away if it meant having the toy in my hands now, or even a year and a half ago. Granted I'm not the spoilerphobe type - a lot of us saw toys before the movies came out and "here is a cool alien toy" in no way diminished my enjoyment of The Phantom Menace or any of the flicks. Hopefully whoever is dictating access to assets and product line plans gets their ducks in a row because 1.5-2 years is too old to be new and too new to be nostalgia fodder.

I put up Adam's Star Wars Newsletter #14 this week - the all-text revival of my 1990s email blast has a list of some new action figure announcements and Celebration reveals, so you don't have to watch hours of video to get your news. You're welcome.

I got the retro Indiana Jones figure, and... I don't like it. The head looks nothing like the original figure, all the details are soft, and it doesn't interact well with the accessories - especially not the absolutely massive whip handle. Hasbro made a "collectible" - something that looks adequate in admittedly very nice packaging - rather than a remake of the toy, which is what I think most of us expected. The Star Wars line has had soft details for a while that we've begrudgingly accepted, but Indy looks like they gave his head to a new sculptor that didn't try very hard (or can't take notes.) I'm not saying "don't buy it," because you're probably going to buy it, I'm just saying be aware that it's not particularly good enough given the hype and anticipation for this kind of product. If it were a bootleg, it'd be a C+ bootleg. As a licensed product... I'd say give your money to someone else. It would be nice if Hasbro hired someone with an eye for detail like Stan Solo or Gary Weaver or everybody that worked on the Super Planet of the Apes/Universal Monsters ReAction Figures.

--Adam Pawlus

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