The Future of Star Wars Collecting?

[Jeff]

Assuming this Hasbro rep is accurate

He's Sam Smith, the new product design manager for the Star Wars stuff so he's well aware of what they have planned for TFF.  I guess he could be lying/misleading the collector base for some dumb reason but it's unlikely.

I said this in another thread but Jayson (Yakface.com) has dug up a TON of stuff coming this Fall (check out the Yakface product list).  He's dug up a TON of product numbers/UPCs for upcoming 3.75" TVC, 6" Black Series, and 5" Galaxy of Adventures and basically nothing to indicate a 3.75" 5POA.

There is still a possibility we could get 3.75" 5POA in another way (2-packs or box sets or something) but all signs point to no basic carded figure line for 5POA for TROS which, like Rob said, is pretty disappointing after all these years.

Unless TVC has been so successful that they're just planning on a huge TVC roll out for Episode 9, this actually does seem a little bit like the beginning of the end.

Again (#brokenrecord) check the Yakface list - TFF will bring a few waves of mostly Ep9/Mando figures with some other stuff sprinkled in (mainly OT repacks to help bring down the development cost of all those new figures)


630509862191/224046549  VC??? “London” (E9)
630509862153/337149421  VC??? “Cairo Axer” (E9)
630509862207/377288150  VC??? “Berlin Leader” (E9)
630509862160/511782577  VC??? “Sith Rocket Trooper” (E9)
630509871544/685958077  VC???  Poe Dameron (X-Wing Pilot)
630509862177/961059080  VC??? Luke Skywalker (E4)
630509842421/378783282  VC??? Luke Skywalker (Yavin)
630509873401/687352658  VC??? Sith Trooper (E9)
630509873418/477018710  VC??? Shadow Trooper
630509873425/807464476  VC??? Princess Leia Ceremony
630509873395/552271124  VC??? Jawa
VC???  The Mandalorian
VC???  Clone Trooper
VC???  Clone Trooper
VC???  Droid
VC???  Yoda

[CorranHorn]

So then yeah he could be misdirecting or there indeed has been squat. I’ve done my best to keep up with Jayson’s excellent research and was pretty sure he hasn’t found anything for notable 3.75”’ support of TROS other than a couple of TVC figures. So it is looking bad here and as Rob
Mentioned disappointing to not have sufficient Ep9 figures to add to the sequel display

[Darby]

All of Jayson's great reporting has helped prepare for this, but it's still pretty disappointing. This does feel like the end, at least in large measure. It's unfortunate for a lot of reasons, but SW is about to enter this lull period as far as movies that would have presented Hasbro an opportunity to catch up in the 3.75 format on a lot of stuff. That simply won't happen now. Solo may not have been all that as box office champ but the line was gangbusters and it seemed 5POA was trending upwards. I really enjoyed the Solo line and the 3.75 SW line has been my hobby since 1978, so this sucks. All good things, I suppose.

[Rob]

Again (#brokenrecord) check the Yakface list - TFF will bring a few waves of mostly Ep9/Mando figures with some other stuff sprinkled in (mainly OT repacks to help bring down the development cost of all those new figures)


630509862191/224046549  VC??? “London” (E9)
630509862153/337149421  VC??? “Cairo Axer” (E9)
630509862207/377288150  VC??? “Berlin Leader” (E9)
630509862160/511782577  VC??? “Sith Rocket Trooper” (E9)
630509871544/685958077  VC???  Poe Dameron (X-Wing Pilot)
630509862177/961059080  VC??? Luke Skywalker (E4)
630509842421/378783282  VC??? Luke Skywalker (Yavin)
630509873401/687352658  VC??? Sith Trooper (E9)
630509873418/477018710  VC??? Shadow Trooper
630509873425/807464476  VC??? Princess Leia Ceremony
630509873395/552271124  VC??? Jawa
VC???  The Mandalorian
VC???  Clone Trooper
VC???  Clone Trooper
VC???  Droid
VC???  Yoda

Yeah, I'd seen the list... I suppose there's no chance they're holding back with a big surprise?

[Brian]

As others have said, with Jayson's great reporting I guess I kind of felt the "tremor in the force" here. I was really hoping they would at least hang on through Rise of Skywalker, because it does seem weird to have a consistent line of figures for two thirds of a trilogy. Also, although I know kids aren't necessarily into Star Wars figures like previous generations, as someone with a daughter who had pretty complete runs from Force Awakens and the Last Jedi, it's kind of a bummer she won't really get to "complete the set". Admittedly she is less interested in toys now, but I'm sure there are other kids all over who are still young enough to be.

Outside of that, I guess I get it to some extent. I think, at least in the Marvel side of things, those 5/6" $10 figures gather way more interest than any 3 3/4" stuff they ever had. Plus, it just seems like Star Wars collecting or interest - particularly outside of the collecting community - is really in the gutter right now. I know I haven't seen anything move at our stores, for a long time. Anyways, overall a real bummer, hopefully TVC can continue on for awhile longer. I could see that line going "fan channel" or something eventually too.

[Jesse James]

I'm not horribly disappointed because it's $ saved I guess.  I mean I can't say I was cartwheeling over the stuff we got for the previous films...  That we're still getting TVC even if limited is acceptable to me.  If they crank out some vehicles for it like the tank (maybe not that size even, just 3.75" based stuff is all I mean), that's cool, but at this point I'm fine with this.

I almost rather see a definitive cut to things so I can focus my energy elsewhere.  I'm fine with this right now.

RO, Solo, those films feel sorely incomplete as figures go...  I am not as into collecting figures for the new trilogy for some reason, even though I like the films fine.  It's kind of like how the PT is losing steam with me too, to where I don't have as much interest in it and getting anything new from it now.  I prefer the OT region of films and TV since Mandalorian seems to be set more the OT than the ST from what we've seen so far.

It is what it is there.  GOA looks cool enough for those who may like it, and the toon shorts have insane popularity on Youtube with a younger fanbase, so I can't fault Hasbro seeing $ there, and ever less with "us".  At least a bone is still being thrown, and the 5POA stuff to me was never more than customizing fodder at best.  Most I got on clearance except that last Solo wave which I was just happy to get in general (gives me stuff to work with for customizing).

Time marches on and stuff.  If there's more it'll just be gravy.  If it isn't, I'm not bothered with the little bit we did get.

[Pete_Fett]

If Hasbro had a wave (or two or three) of SA 3.75" figures "on deck" based on previously released media, I think that would have gone a long way to quell the unease with their presentation. For example, imagine if they basically said "Well, we have a pair of TVC waves for Triple Force Friday and a month later ready and those are going to support the launch of The Mandalorian and Episode 9, and unfortunately, we can't show them, BUT! Starting in 2020 will be these next three TVC Waves..." and it was waves that consisted of:

Wave 1
Han Solo (either a repack of the WM Black Series 3.75" figure or a SA version of his smuggler gear outfit from TFA)
Baze Malbus
General Hux
Dryden Vos

Wave 2
Finn (repack of the Black Series WM 3.75" figure)
Chirrut Imwe
Admiral Holdo
Tobias Beckett

Wave 3
Lor San Tekka or Maz Kanata
K2SO
Poe Dameron (repack of the Black Series WM 3.75" figure, or SA version of his TLJ outfit)
Q'ira (from later in Solo, not from the beginning)


For me at least, getting SA, TVC releases of the above characters would all be great and welcome additions to adding to those three movies' representation in the Vintage Collection.

They could have even tabled the discussion around the line as saying "we want to fill in the line with as many characters from the ST and Star Wars Story movies as well as continue to knock out updates from the original 92 as we enter this extended period between major movie releases and how long we are able to keep the line going depends on the support of the fans of the scale and packaging format..." (typical marketing speak)

And then if you let EE start taking pre-orders for cases of those waves? You can really see how well people are paying attention both at the show and how the message is getting out online; and what kind of interest there is in the format.

At least that would have shown some commitment in keeping the line going. And if you have EE set to take enough preorders to meet the minimum order quantity needed to justify production, you could stay engaged with the community to let them know whether or not a certain assortment is in jeopardy of not being made.

Showing nothing just feeds the doom and gloom trolls unfortunately...

[Jesse James]

I agree, showing nothing is feeding that section of collecting for sure.  And maybe they're right, but they're not taking things very well...

Then again they'd be the first to say they hate 5POA too, but they refuse to accept that you can't divert everything to TVC when TVC doesn't speak to a younger group that they're trying to capture those dollars...  That's a real catch 22 for Hasbro again. 

And add in this year's whole "Triple FF" thing and it all being new media, and Disney-controlled...  It sucks for Hasbro, really, I think. 

And I don't agree with a lot of what they do...  Again I think we could've been a lot better off at this point had Hasbro done a 3.75" line for the films that was superior to 5POA but wasn't the $13-$14 TVC price...  I think they could've done better by collectors and fans in general, and kept things more rooted in the 3.75" world without having to try this that and the other to "capture new fans" as it were.  I think GOA has a chance though, no matter what way they go, at doing just that.  I mean I don't care for what they showed, it's not for me really, but I think it's kinda neat for the people going gaga for that animation and stuff.  I'd have preferred them peppering in OT figures in that hypothetical mid-range line personally, but that's just me and I don't know what their options were really.

I don't believe "Everyone hates Disney and this will all fail" though, which is what the other end of things are saying...  I just don't see how 40+ y/o collectors can keep things afloat.  Just isn't logical.  One guy buying 100 stormtroopers is not a realistic thing these days.

I hope we get some cool stuff we haven't seen..  I am happy for what we do get that is cool stuff even if it's limited to a small number of things a year.  I won't pitch a conniption at all the stuff I'm not interested in that wasn't really aimed towards me.  I'll buy other stuff I like and want. 

[Nicklab]

The chicken little crowd can be a bit much.  What are we going to see?  I think Jayson's reporting has been a decent insight into those initial offerings.  But I think that there's going to be more that we're going to see with time. 

The key word in all of this, and the hobby as a whole?  TIME.  Time has always been a factor for Hasbro as they have spaced out figure offerings in order to keep collectors coming back time and again for those figures that will complete their collections.  That means spacing out TVC or SA figures from across the saga.  Some movies are regarded pretty well as complete.  Others have excellent representation, but still have some holes.  And the newer movies are only just beginning to be represented.  But how long will the 3.75" action figure system last?  The customer base for the original Kenner figures continues to age out.   Even people who were kids during the PT era are adults now.

There's also the matter of how Disney chooses to continue to merchandise Star Wars.  The past few years have felt somewhat like the onslaught of product that came out in 1999.  It was too much then, and in 2015 - 2016, it was too much then as well.  QUALITY needs to be a significant consideration if the Hasbro Star Wars line is to maintain a level of prestige and not become disposable crap.

[Matt_Fury]

In the Disney era of Star wars, patience is proving to be key.  We'll see stuff hit the shelves eventually, and I love your wishlist Pete!

Right now, I'm going to focus on our upcoming Galaxy's Edge trip in October (I'm not going to have much money after that trip!)  Other than that, just wait and see.

[Muftak]

I am trying to understand the direction here.

From the looks of it, TVC has some TROS figures on tap for this fall. Ditto the BS line. Both of these lines are directed towards the "adult collector" market.

The new "kid toys" line is Galaxy of Adventures. So far, the GOA cartoon shorts have been decidedly OT-heavy. They premiered 4 figures from that line, including two that could serve as TROS figures (Chewbacca and See-Threepio) and two that are definite OT figures.  Also, just due to scale, one has to believe any vehicle line for GOA toys will be pretty limited.

The million dollar question is: what kind of a presence will TROS have in the GOA line this fall? As far as I know there have been little to no rumors in that area. The bonus question then becomes: has Hasbro given up trying to market the sequel trilogy to kids?

It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

[Jeff]

The million dollar question is: what kind of a presence will TROS have in the GOA line this fall? As far as I know there have been little to no rumors in that area. The bonus question then becomes: has Hasbro given up trying to market the sequel trilogy to kids?

Again, (#brokenrecord), I refer to Jayson's Master UPC/SKU list.  There are plenty of Episode 9 figures coming to the 5" line - these are just the ones for which Jayson has found UPCs.  There are vehicles and other 2-packs and 3-packs coming as well.

Basic Figures:
630509831548/420673448  Kylo Ren
630509831555/320840163  Rey
630509867509/177322416  E9 “Rome”
630509867493/157577475  E9 “Olso” (Kylo Ren?)
630509867486/643667133  E9 “Dublin”
630509867455/519215148  E9 “Tokyo”
630509867448/983051880  E9 “Bruges Rocket” (Sith Rocket Trooper?)
630509867431/999486683  E9 “London” (Rey?)
630509868513/276731092  E9 Jedi Luke

E9 Droid 3 pack
630509867257/786356188

[Brian]

I was thinking about this a little more today, and although it is sad in a way, I think I am ok with it. TVC is really what I primarily collect Star Wars wise, and it appears that it is continuing for now. Looking back at the past couple years' releases, it looks like we could see roughly 12-25 figures per year if they continue on a similar schedule (and a mix of new/repacks). All this reminds me of one of my favorite eras of my collecting, Power of the Jedi. It had a similar number of releases/schedule, and although prices are higher now, it was a much more "manageable" collection for me back then.

Still not sure how long a line like this will have a place at retail, but we will see. I still think they sort of want, or would just be ok with, a lineup of "5 inch GOA is for kids, Black Series is for collectors". Either way, definitely a new era of Star Wars collecting. One thing I kind of like about that GOA line, for kids in particular, is they look like fun toys. Like, toy toys - the type a youngling can grab, bash together, go on adventures in the backyard, etc.

[Muftak]

Well, thanks Jeff for partially answering the million-dollar question.

It looks like 6 basic E9 GOA figures discovered so far, plus a droid 3-pack (I will assume one of those is a repacked Threepio) a two pack that looks like it has one unique figure, and a $20 vehicle (or vehicle assortment.)

It's just a really weird strategy, the GOA brand works great with the online cartoon shorts, but it immediately falls apart at launch with these figures being in an animated style to represent the live-action movie. I hope Disney is planning a bunch of E9 GOA shorts this fall to tie this all together.

In the end though, it looks like no E9 line will have the depth of even the E8 Force-Link line, much less the size of the E7 or Rogue One main lines. The Vintage figures look to be in line with the Black Series 3 3/4" offerings from the other Disney films, while the E9 6" BS figure numbers seem to have taken a hit so as to include more Mandalorian and video game characters.

The writing has been on the wall this year as far as what the toy line will look like moving past E9. Retail seems to have downgraded its status, and Star Wars has moved from an evergreen brand (like Barbie and Hot Wheels) to a niche collector's line (like He-Man or Transformers.) That's hard to swallow for us longtime fans.

[Nicklab]

I think a big part of the future of the hobby now lies with the creativity of collectors.  Just witness GTP toys being at SDCC, and becoming a licensee!  It's a tremendous step forward.

Between that and the efforts of people like Muftak and others, we're getting some great stuff that a licensee like Hasbro cannot develop.