1. Has there been any info on new Mission Fleet? I enjoy the line but seeing as we've only gotten a few releases here and there, sometimes it seems like it could be dropped behind the scenes. I know the N1 is supposed to be coming, but do we know about anything else?
--B127_ANIMATES

Other than Ahsoka's ship, I haven't heard a whole heck of a lot - the line seems to be teetering a bit with some older sets dirt cheap on Amazon and at Burlington Coat Factory. Some sets did indeed get dropped - barring a surprise, it's always possible something could resurface - but the line isn't exactly growing and expanding with other items like Young Jedi Adventures potentially capturing those dollars. It remains to be seen how that shakes out - I don't have a ton of visibility in the toddler stuff.

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2. I saw that the Halycon star cruiser hotel Experience has not one but two action figures exclusively sold at the hotel. With the star cruiser having its last voyage in September, what are the odds of those figures being on sale to the general public?
--David

I've love to know myself - I was unable to get either. I wouldn't be shocked to see some dumped in a closeout venue somewhere, as Disney has been known to operate the occasional overflow of theme park merchandise near their bases of operations. It could also get destroyed - it remains to be seen. I can hope, but also, after a few decades, I admit to being a little less enthusiastic about overpaying for underproduced figures. (If someone doesn't want my money, they don't get it.)

What all are you seeing out there, readers?

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FIN

The The Ghost on HasLab completely funded with all stretch goals - and close to half of it was in the last day and change. Things could change, but 21,768 seem to have sold for a Fall 2024 release. That's pretty good for a ship that barely appeared in Ahsoka as of the funding ending. This was powered by nostalgia/greed/speculation, and clearly, people wanted it. The 4-year-old who watched Rebels is now 14, but the 11-year-old is now 21... so yeah, that kid audience probably had no scratch to pony up for this one. I assume it's just dealers and older fans/completists throwing down at this point, as we're 5-10 years too soon for the kids to have those jobs to pay for one of their very own. Maybe Jazwares will deliver something smaller.

Over on Disney+, Ahsoka continues very gradually with pretty flat deliveries and somewhat slow pacing... that somehow is amazingly much better on a second run-through. I hope it's building to something, but Star Wars is famous for relying on quick cuts - sometimes just to preserve the illusion and not show just how cheap the rubber aliens are - which they don't have to do here. The zippy editing in 1977 made a revolutionary movie where you didn't have enough time to look at anything to lose the magic or get bored, which is not something they're doing in Ahsoka just yet. Nor are they introducing new characters. At this point I have to wonder if this was another case where we will someday find out this was indeed a movie that got diced up for the small screen, like Obi-Wan Kenobi. I also have complaints about some action figure choices given what happened this week, but that's life.

The important thing is Hasbro's Kenner's Ahsoka line is coming and for whatever reason I'm still enamored with these goofy things. Kenner figures fit in the Razor Crest and Sail Barge, so I'm hoping there's ample leg room in The Ghost for the Kenner Hera (or Hasbro cartoon Hera) that will undoubtedly take up residence in there. And of course we now have to ask the big questions, like "so when do we get the next one?"

On Friday, Hasbro launched a HasLab for Marvel Legends HasLab Giant-Man. It's a 24-inch super-posable man with alternate face plates, which puts it on part with Hasbro's extra-large Transformers at retail. $200 seems a little low for a crowdfunded item and it hit roughly 33% backed on the first day. But what about Star Wars?

The Barge kicked off in 2018 and delivered in 2019. The Razor Crest went up in 2020 and shipped in 2022. The Ghost went up in 2023 and will probably ship in 2024. At this rate, the best we can probably hope for is another The Vintage Collection HasLab in 2025 or 2026 - or later. Why? Hasbro seems to want to push The Black Series once in a while, and I don't know if they gave up on that yet after a 0 for 3 success rate. The Rancor and Reva's FX Lightsaber took the 2021 and 2022 slots, respectively, and I would wager another "adult fan" item is likely to be the next item up for grabs. Given the multiple delays on upcoming media I hesitate to speculate on what it could be. The 25th anniversary of The Phantom Menace is next year, but I don't think there's any "dream item" left to do from that film. I suppose the Radiant VII cruiser could be made, but I don't think I'd throw down real money for one. It's the 40th anniversary of The Ewok Adventure, and while I would shell out all the money for a Gorax with Kaink or Chukha-Trok in any scale (especially retro!) I don't think it's going to happen unless Ewoks somehow wind up on Skeleton Crew. It's also possible there will be something super-cool on that new show, but since it's about a bunch of kids there is zero chance adult collectors with fat wallets are going to throw down money on it.

In 2025 we're also looking at the 20th anniversary of Revenge of the Sith, a movie I still like. I don't know that I'm itching for toys based on it at high price points. The Invisible Hand could be interesting, but not $500 worth of interesting. The smaller ships in the film mostly already exists as toys, except for one - the Tantive IV, and I'd be cranky if we got it in prequel blue and not classic red colors.

Maybe Hasbro will skip next year - or come up with a real surprise. Other upcoming anniversaries are Star Wars turning 50 and Attack of the Clones turning 25 in 2027, and The Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour turns 40 in 2025. If anyone wants to make Vlix, for example, getting those gears turning would be a good idea. I don't doubt some suits are pushing really hard for a 10th anniversary campaign for The Force Awakens, and I would say that other than a handful of aliens and droids (or Retro guys), I'm good for that one. The toy line we got was mostly a satisfying experience minus a lack of the "Rebel Vest Leia" in 3 3/4-inches.

I have to hope someone at Hasbro is drawing up Cantina and Death Star concepts for 2027, while I assume absolutely nobody is working on the Twilight from The Clone Wars. But I wouldn't put it past them to try a The Black Series AT-ST as it likely fits the size and price parameters for a crowdfunded item, but I personally feel that The Black Series spent 10 years of goodwill before getting to a line that's increasingly repetitive with obscure game exclusives and repaints that make the notion that you should "collect them all" a goal no longer worth reaching. It would be an impressive piece, though, and the 45th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back is coming up. That's the one where we crumble to dust.

Before the next Star Wars item, I half-expect something for Ghostbusters (there's a new movie next year) and Transformers (celebrating its 40th in 2024.) They may also try another game or even a new license. If I were the HasLab team, I'd be nudging Hasbro proper to let me make more prop replica toys based on new licenses since they do such a good job at pretty decent prices. The prop replica high-end collector market tends to be incredibly expensive, with a lot of delays, and while some companies really deliver nice things (hi Jordan and Jim and everybody at Factory Entertainment) some companies put out inferior product or things get delayed for years. Hasbro more or less hits their deadlines and the reaction to the Proton Pack has been good - and I've liked their mass release helmets and FX items just fine. It would be incredible to see what they could do with a video game license like a Metroid Samus Aran helmet, or maybe a decent life-size R2-D2, or maybe some sort of a bigger Soundwave toy that turns into a working boombox or something. There's a market for nonsense, at least for a little while longer.

--Adam Pawlus

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