1. With the impending Haslab announcement of a Mos Eisely Cantina coming up quickly, now would be the perfect opportunity to release new (or at very least, "refreshed") versions of Luke, Han, Ben and Chewie. Those four are kind of essential for this particular playset environment. All are well over due for versions that are more inline with current TVC quality. Is this even a remote possibility? And if yes, do you think they would just be regular retail releases or will they perhaps be some sort of retail exclusive?
--Byron

I would be extremely surprised to not see new or returning versions of all four during the playset's launch window. Since Hasbro and stores are poor at getting stuff in front of fans, collectors will going to be looking to eBay and Amazon and BBTS and Entertainment Earth - and will probably go with a cost-effective option, assuming new versions get made.

I get the feeling that Han may not be as popular as he once was, but we haven't had an all-new version of him in years and the Cantina demands that figures be able to sit. Most of Hasbro's The Vintage Collection offerings don't sit as well as the 1990s Power of the Force guys, thanks to things getting in the way of the hips. A new Luke and Chewie would probably be things they can keep cycling back over and over too, because a new crop of kids sees those movies every year. As of right now I'd probably be sticking my 1999 CommTech Han Solo in there unless something better comes along.

I'd love to see an Obi-Wan Kenobi but am slightly less hopeful - at least we have a few pretty decent ones to use, including a cheap one from The Last Jedi Force Link line.

I assume someone over there is also wanting to do "modern" modern versions of the classics, over time, and hopefully we'll get them before our hands cramp and our eyesight completely goes away.

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

 

2. So if I just want the Tonnika Sisters, which makes more sense — buying the cantina and then reselling it (without figures), or trying to find someone reselling the figures?
--Greg

My hunch is each individual figure will sell for around $50 a pop, or more, depending on how this shakes out. That seems to be the going rate from figures from the last couple of HasLabs, although these may be more desirable due to their being actually genuinely new.

So the question is "how much work do I want to do?" If you buy a $400 (or $500) playset, you can probably part it out. There are 100 glasses to sell, dozens of chairs and stools, you could probably sell the "expansion" for $100 and the other figure(s) for $50 or so as well - minus eBay fees or whatever other nonsense that can annoy you.

I guarantee you that if it gets made, someone will sell you just the twins - and the least you'll probably shell out is $100. I assume someone would pay $300-$400 for a figure-free Cantina, but who knows how many will get made - and who will buy them? Fans, or flippers? I assume dealers will buy up a ton of these to ensure the stretch goals are met, and if they sit on them for a while you're not getting cheap beehive girls. In your shoes I'd probably buy it now, and sell off what I don't want either immediately or wait it out if I think the market is going to be short. 17,000 Cantinas is a lot, and if they hit that last stretch goal I assume there may be more Cantinas than actual customers at that price point.

In your shoes, I'd buy the whole set. If the run is short and the twins cost a lot more, I assume you'd rather do the legwork of selling off parts than paying more for figures you could've pre-ordered today. The prices on Legacy-era stuff is shooting up too, so clearly, there's still interest in the obscure.

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

This week on The Acolyte: a straw poll says you probably don't care, but even if you don't let me remind you that the Star Wars: The Retro Collection The Acolyte 3 3/4-Inch Action Figure 6-Pack went up for pre-order. I don't know that I'm going to feel much for the show once it ends, but the costumes are nice and the cast is affable... which means the retro figures look good. There are factions that absolutely adore the show, but the usual people I ping to ask how they like a thing are largely still not bothering to watch it. But there are other things to watch.

The HasLab Cantina plods along, not yet funded at a hair under 5,000 as I write this. One question I saw posted on social media had to do with if the playset could hold any new Cantina patrons, let alone the existing crop. My rough count says that Hasbro (and Kenner) will have released somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 aliens (plus Wuher, Obi-Wan, Luke, Han, and Chewie) if this playset comes to pass. It has over 100 glasses, so everybody could be double-fisting the sauce and you still have too many accessories. It appears there are about 13 figures in the alcoves, another 19 on little stools, and more standing somewhere. Wuher can go behind the bar, Garindan and Wioslea will hang out outside, and Hasbro has shown us you can fit the band in a standard alcove, even if it is a little tight. That's a good start and because of the various sets (including the Holiday Special Cantina) there's certainly some wiggle room in how these things should look.

On Friday, Hasbro put up a video showing all 7 band members crammed in an alcove, so they can fit and that probably means all your aliens are belong to the bar. It might get a little cramped in spots, but it's not like all of your figures were necessarily in Star Wars, especially the various Snivvians and other Holiday Special goons. Hopefully they basically fit - but there are going to be a lot who can't sit in there, for some reason or another, and we'll find out more about them later.

Confidential to Hasbro: consider throwing out the "goal" part and just include the three bonus figures. Or just the wolfman, we've got Greedos and Nabrun Leidses. There are lots of old Cantina aliens that, while not super poseable, can stand and are cheap enough to fill out your stools and hold your drinks right now. And if it doesn't fund, don't forget, you can get a pop-up cardboard one for about $20. And it's certainly better than nothing.

--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.

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