1. Adam, what is up with that TVC x wing revealed at SDCC? Are they actively trying to make customers pay more than ever before for something that looks like it's deliberately trying to be more primitive looking than other previous x wing releases?
--Derek

I am not privy to Hasbro's factory negotiations. The 1998 Power FX X-Wing Mold has been the Ship of Theseus in this line, starting at $50 and being retooled, tweaked, and upgraded every few releases over the past 28 years. I should really compare the two to see if any original parts are still being used. The price on that mold has bounced around, with some of the Toys R Us versions being as low as $30 and I think Target's were as low as $40 before Hasbro really went hog wild on "collector pricing" ships around 2016, and then it started to be $90 or $100. The 2013 Biggs Darklighter version was $60 and fans were complaining about that price back then.

But what about inflation?
$50 from 1995 is $109.56. (Power FX, main line, non-removable figures.)
$60 from 2013 is $86.10. (Biggs, Toys R Us, no figures.)
$110 from 2019. (Red 5, Fan channel now - currently still being rerun, has no figures.)
$105 from 2021 is $129.41. (Antoc Merrick figure included, Target.)

Most likely Hasbro and its factory are basing pricing on its last new version. The Kenner version seemingly has little or no new tooling, but you get two figures instead of one, and it's probably a low-run exclusive. Is it a spectacular deal? No. But if it sells, does Hasbro care? Given that Hasbro is charging more and has no middle man - or at least, whatever fees that Pulse likely has to incur are probably lower than Target/Amazon/etc. - they're probably going to do really well with this one. And, they're unlikely to sell a ton of it.

Is there a good reason for Hasbro to make this specific X-Wing? If you've been watching The Black Series and The Vintage Collection figures, they squeeze each mold for every penny. There hasn't been a new X-Wing in roughly five years, so they're probably realizing there's a market for it with the 50th coming up and people like Jazwares making money on their Kenner-flavor Micro Galaxy Squadron vehicles... and Hasbro is missing out. Given the tooling is paid for several times over, odds are this is going to be a big win for Hasbro's bottom line even if we choose not to buy it.

But here's the thing... I totally pre-ordered one at full price. I could never find the Jazwares one, and this is more my speed.

I want this sort of thing, my Kenner and Retro figures can fit in it. It might not sell, but it's weird, and I like weird. Hasbro will likely keep making premium priced collectible toys until the market pushes back and says "we're done, thanks." Which is probably going to happen as Generation X ages out for good. My Antoc Merrick X-Wing is still not removed from the box. This Kenner one will be open as soon as it arrives.

With any of this stuff - especially after all the time that has passed - we're all in a situation to say "I've got enough X-Wings, thanks but no thanks" or "Oh crud I love that and need it." I'd probably nudge people away from anything they don't want, because factory pricing, and tariffs, and uncertainty in transportation costs because of oil, we're probably at least a couple of years away from pricing to normalize. If you can wait for a sale, that might be the right move. I won't, I want this.

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2. I was literally shocked by the INT-4 SDCC reveal. And, I was pleasantly surprised by a modernized take. Do you think Hasbro might take swipe at few more modernized mini-rigs? Oddly my vote would be for a newer MTV-7.
--Dan

The question (and much of the below answer) were written before the price kerfuffle. The context was "I can't believe Hasbro made a new mini-rig, hooray!" The old Mini-Rigs were $6.99-$8.99 (or so I am reading), which was 2-3 times the price of the figures of their time. If you want lower-priced goods, I recommend you join my Retro Kenner cult and demand simpler toys made for children without all the fancy paint deco or other bells and whistles. The figure-less 1980s Kenner INT-4 would probably cost you $27 or so today thanks to licensing, raw materials, freight, and also even more licensing fees. Is $80 a bargain? No, but this thing has a lot of deco hits, and the original had zero.

The old Mini-Rigs from The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi are pretty great. The Power of the Force ones are pretty cruddy. As it would make certain people very angry, I would be greatly amused to see a new MTV-7. My personal favorite as a kid was the bubble-topped MLC-3. An enclosed seating area, clicking cannons, and rolling wheels made for a pretty fun toy. Remaking it to be an expensive collector's item might deplete it of its charm. I assume we'd swap the wheels for rubber tread, and Hasbro rubber tread has had a habit of decaying on some of its other toy lines. I'd really rather they just do up a new run of the original toy, throw in a pack-in figure, and call it a day.

Fidget toys were not a term that existed in the old days, but that might be a good term for mini-rigs. What made them fun were clicking parts, levers, switches, and a few small action features that kept me coming back to play with them more than most of the movie ships. Hasbro's new versions will have gorgeous interiors, updated deco (with battle damage), and generally look better than anything on my shelf. But they don't click or buzz or clank, and I have that as a general across-the-board complaint for collector Star Wars. If Hasbro adds something interactive or strange, I'd be thrilled to pay whatever they ask for a fun toy. When I grab something off the shelf to mess with, it's usually a Solo or Rebels ship if it isn't an old Kenner Mini-Rig. Maybe there are fun surprises in the new INT-4, but I don't know if they can make an ISP-6 or AST-5 that will blow my mind like the old ones. I'm sure they'll look gorgeous and better fit the movie aesthetics, but what I want the most are goofy toys for goofier kids.

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FIN

Last week I got a lot of comments orbiting the idea of "Is it time to quit?" which I'd say has the same answer as "should I stick around?" Do what you want, boss.

All action figure lines should end. It's good to be left wanting more as being perpetually unsatisfied probably isn't good for us. The Vintage Collection had a break in 2013, returned in 2018, and hasn't stopped since. I would love to see Hasbro try an alternative packaging format with big, weird, and new accessories. (And then return to Vintage a couple of years later.) Looking back at the cheap and surprisingly fun 30th Anniversary Collection, we saw coins. We got R2-D2 with fire effects. We got a Kybuck with Yoda, a giant drum, Cantina bar sections, weather vanes, and oversized monsters like Hermi Olde. While not every figure had today's articulation, every figure felt like an experience. I never want to see ultra-articulated figures go away forever, but I wouldn't mind seeing Hasbro slide the joint quotient down for some characters. R2-D2 doesn't warrant the $19.99 right now in The Vintage Collection, but if you can throw in new features and gear at that price? Let's talk. Can NFC-powered lights work at $19.99? Let's see that. Give me something I can play with beyond swappable droid parts.

Back in the 1980s, most lines ended every few years. Star Wars lasted from 1978-1985, and that was a wild success. Transformers rebranded with new logos and gimmicks every couple of years. G.I. Joe would expand with new teams before ending its 1982 run in 1994. Masters of the Universe ran from 1982-1987, crashed, and tried to return in space - which didn't really work. Most other 1980s toy lines came and went, with historically short runs for Secret Wars, Super Powers, and the like. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a juggernaut, but even it would have packaging refreshes and occasional periods of rest or rebranding. And so many other lines - Bucky O'Hare, Dino-Riders, Street Sharks, M.A.S.K., Battle Beasts, and their ilk - just went away (minus a few nods or current, new collector runs.) 

There's no shame in having a collection that's "merely" 100-200 figures.   Hasbro's Kenner's Marvel Legends line a few years ago capped out without even hitting 100, and I found it to be almost good enough. (I'd have liked Deadpool and some more Mutants. Otherwise, it's good.)

I've been writing about toys since 1995. Since then I've had fans tell me they're quitting (some do, some don't.) People have been slinging bile at Hasbro and Kenner, some deserved (lack of ability to obtain product is bad), and some not (the factory sometimes makes changes not requested by the designers.) Nothing's perfect, as we regularly see. That's one reason I keep encouraging fans to embrace the imperfections, and why I find The Retro Collection so satisfying. If Garindan is a little off-model? Not a problem, as long as he functions as well as an old Kenner toy. No figure will ever be perfect, but Medicom is happy to sell you a $115 Bossk if you don't find Hasbro's $20-$28 release to meet your needs.

It's possible that Star Wars toys may continue on this planet longer than any of us collecting it. There is no reward in having a complete set. No one will buy a complete collection at full market value. It's never going to be "just one year" anymore - they're going to make new movies, with new formats, and bring back similar (but different) items forever. You can embrace it. You can leave. You can pick and choose. But there's so much variety that we'll never see a line that makes all collectors happy all of the time. What I want is not what you want. What you want may not be what sells.

If Star Wars ended as a 3 3/4-inch figure format, that would be unfortunate. But also, it's been 31 years, and I wouldn't mind spending time opening all the figures I still have in my backlog, organizing things, and still having years' worth of stuff to write for all of you. Sure, I've skipped a few items I might regret later. (Rise of the Resistance vehicle from Disney, also the figure-scale Starspeeder 3000.) But sometimes skipping a wave you don't need or a theme you don't want (cough cough 6-inch The Black Series Holiday Figures) can save you hundreds of dollars in some years. And that's fine. Other collectors will only collect holiday figures and that's fine too.

I skipped the D23 droid this year. I might regret it. I might not notice it's gone, I haven't really touched the others I bought previously despite thinking they look cool. At some point you have to ask yourself if it's making you happy, and if it's not? We can't change the product, but we can change how we engage with the product.

--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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