Answered Questions - May 9, 2008

[Darth Zirock]

1.) With the last of the 30th Anniversary Collection line seeing release soon and the new Clone Wars and Legacy Collections not due for release until July, what plans does Hasbro have to keep their "Star Wars" toys in the public's eye admidst the glitter of high-profile movie-based toy lines such as "Iron Man," "The Incredible Hulk," and "The Dark Knight"?

ANSWER: It's certainly an interesting time on Star Wars right now. On 7/26 we will be launching what is perhaps our most ambitious Star Wars lineup in history covering, for the very first time, both a new movie as well as the Legacy collection side-by-side (not to mention the biggest sets we have ever done in the new Millenium Falcon and AT-TE!). Knowing that a major changeover was coming, and rather than chancing poor distribution that would frustrate collectors, we decided to delay the new toys that would have been hitting in/from May and beyond (including basic figures, comic packs, and battle packs) and slotted them into the Fall, making the Spring a little lighter, but making Fall even richer. However, that does not mean that we suffer for lack of news and excitement. There are still several exciting exclusives coming in prior to 7/26, including the battle packs out at TRU right now (STAP Attack & Hoth), the TFU Rancor at Target (any time now) and the launch of the Droid Factory 2-packs and a new wave of exclusive comic packs at WM (both set for July 1st). We think that overall the wait for 7/26 - and the hunt for the new exclusives in the interim - will be more than worth the wait. The future for Star Wars is very, very bright!

2.) The Legacy Collection's upcoming "Return of the Jedi" Darth Vader figure with three-piece removable helmet seems like the Holy Grail of Vader figures for most collectors. This would really mean the only definitive Vader left to make is a film-accurate "Revenge of the Sith" Vader in armor, with the film-specific shoulder armor. Any chance of seeing him in The Legacy Collection, too?

ANSWER: There is a good chance at some point, but the trick with that figure is getting quality articulation while preserving the shoulder armor. Right now we have not solved this issue, but are looking at it since it is a great figure to anchor a future wave.

3.) Other toy lines in the past have gone off on tangents with "alternate universe" versions of characters, such as Vikings, Samurai, Pirates, and Ancient Egyptians. In your designers' giddiest flights of fantasy, what sort of "alternate reality" would the "Star Wars" characters best lend themselves to? (And, no, the "Infinities" versions don't count, since we're actually going to get some of those in the Comic Packs.)

ANSWER: Believe it or not, this really isn't an area where we have spent much time imagining, since we are all busy bringing the "real" Star Wars universe to life. However, being kitbash fans ourselves, we have seen the steam-punk versions of the Star Wars characters and tip our collective hats to the creative genius behind this interpretation, and others. Following this train of thought, we can't help but think that the Samurai genre, which provided much original inspiration for the Star Wars saga, is a natural "parallel" universe. We don't have plans to go there ourselves, but with the real creation of the Darth Vader-samurai armor, intriguing doors have opened.