Well here is the general podcast outline for reference:
We have with us tonight renowned collector Paul Harrison from Jeditemplearchives.com who also has happened to co-autor a book with Steve Sansweet of Ranchoobiwan and Dan Curto who also needs no introduction. It is called the Ultimate Action Figure Collection and is probably one of the most gorgeous pictoral action figure databases I have seen and it lists action figures in alphabetical order by their character name. It covers more than 2,500 Star Wars® action figures produced over the last 35 years. I have on and absolutely think its essential when trying to figure out whether your old version is better than the newer one as far as buying new figs.
http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Ultimate-Action-Collection/dp/1452111308/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362536864&sr=8-1&keywords=the+ultimate+action+figure+guide5. Quick What’s the Deal Facebook announcement.
Podcast outline (this is just a rough outline of where we will go and please add your own section if you feel there is something we ought to be covering)
1. The last time we talked was on June 28th, 2012 and we were facing some horrible distribution problems. We just had a hasbro annoucement that they were going to release some of the more popular vintage figures that were almost impossible to find due to said problems. So, has it improved in your opinion?
2. One thing we saw unveiled at Toyfair, as far as SW was concerned, was a trend towards pretty decisively splitting the action figure line to either kids or collectors. Do you think collectors will embrace the 5 poa action figures and vice versa do you think kids will enjoy these enough to buy them in the quantities Hasbro probably needs? And to play devils advocate; will collectors embrace this new 6-inch Black line enough to continue its existence? I for one can say that the high def pictures Hasbro gave us of that R2 and Sandtrooper just looked fantastic, but from my site I am hearing a pretty much a proverbial no and they are pretty ticked Hasbro won’t give us that same detail in a 3 and ¾ format.
Are kids gonna enjoy these?
Are collectors gonna buy enough of these to even get interested?
I also found this article today:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/01/26/hasbro-revenue-falls-short-layoffs-planned/qfoojym4QrxHBaW8q6lDrM/story.html3. Lets talk The Clone Wars. Rumors notwithstanding of perhaps the end of the series even though we already know they have already done the voice work for a new season. Do you think it was wise to make the last wave of TCW only available to countries outside of the US? I am just left floundering seeing this show up even as close to Canada but we can’t get that here? I would love to hear everyone’s opinion as to why they would not release this in the US? This might also be a good time to talk about the news from Lucasclones about TCW, Detours, and a new animation coming down the road.
4. I had my first encounter with the new 12 inch figures last week and got to observe a back and forth between a father and what seemed to be around his 9 year old son. The father was trying to get his son to buy one, but the kid just absolutely refused because, “it won’t move right.” This kind of goes along with our previous question on the 5 poas Hasbro seems to be moving too for a cheaper, more parently friendly line, with these but is Hasbro wasting their time on a twelve inch line of this quality?
5. It seems like most of this so far is pretty much what we think Hasbro might be doing wrong. Maybe this would be the time to talk about what we think they are doing right?
6. Lets play this scenario out. You have been put in charge of Hasbro’s SW Brand Line. What would you do to reinvigorate it? How would you ensure that it makes it onto the pegs?
7. Lets talk current situation. What are you seeing on your pegs? What is your best brick and mortar store to find your Hasbro products? Lets also, if we have the time, talk about our favorite e-stores where we can find either deals or good in stock product?
8. I am thinking at this point our time will be drawing to a close, and I know Hasbro has told us that is on hiatus, but do you really think the vintage line is gone for the foreseeable future? I mean, if we can get vehicle offerings in vintage format (like that awesome Slave I, Tie Interceptor, and Biggs X-Wing) would we really be surprised to see a few figures show up now and then in vintage packaging? Like say the fan’s choice Mara Jade or even a General Krell we keep hearing rumors of?
9. I know its a bit early, but what do you folks think we will see on the pegs when Episode 7 is released? Are we gonna see a brand new line that continues to be geared towards kids or will we see a re-emergence of a more super-articulated better sculpted line that we had really come to love with the re-release of the vintage waves?
10. I also think it would be fun to talk about some SW Brand Licensees other than Hasbro. Most of our emphasis has been placed on Hasbro here as I know most of our listeners are primarily 3 and ¾ folks, but there are some just awesome companies making SW Products and I would love to hear what you thought about some of the other SW companies in terms of the quality for the price, customer service, etc. Are there any upcoming products you are excited about? I am thinking Gentle Giant, Sideshow, Kotobukiya here, but are there any other companies we ought not overlook (Jakks Pacific, etc.)?
11. I know we might all be upset over some Hasbro things, but lets end with how we feel about collecting in general. Are we all pretty upbeat about all the great SW items out there? I think this might be one year I have to pick and choose which items I want. I still think its a great time to be a SW Collector.
Do we save this till last? Do we dare talk about our reactions to the news that TCW is now over as we know with perhaps a few shows to be released later that may show a bit about Order 66 (we have that video clip on the front page of isy as I am sure most sites do now)? What do we think about SW Detours being shelved? And there is a new animation already in the works from a “timeline previously untouched in Star Wars films or television programming.” Just what do we think that means?
I know this one is gonna be hard to keep positive as Hasbro just seems to be running around in circles right now, but perhaps we can keep upbeat and try to come up with a few nuggets. And what is a realistic time frame to talk about this again? How long should we take to see if Hasbro’s 6 inch gamble with Black and their return to 5 poa’s with kids has worked or failed?
