Ok, folks I just finished up with the Hangout and want to write up the answers while I still have em in my noggin:
Ok, lets get to our questions for the Star Wars Brand Team (I am also including reference images):
1. Wal-Mart Exclusive Black Series Wave:
We see there is a new Wal-Mart Black Series super articulated wave and we like it! On that note a couple of questions:
How are the figures (outside of the new characters from upcoming films) selected for the retailer exclusive lines like the Wal-Mart Articulated Black Series 3.75" Waves?
For those carry forward figures (like from the vintage line) we work with our retailers, but we also get input from fan sites (like us) and from con goers. They made a point to point out that they know we are not always happy with the answers they give us, especially about articulation, and the number of figures currently available as far as waves, but they are looking to expand that in the future. They said to make sure we let them know what we want and to keep after them (of course I let them know that wasn't going to be a problem)
Is it Hasbro or Wal-Mart, the Design Team, etc. who figures out what figures to put in those lines?
Once again they pointed out that they really look to the fan base and are looking to expand that focus to really include fan sites (like ours) to keep the pegs filled with those articulated figures we want. They said they are definitely look at sites like the Shipyards to see what figures we would like to see again and also reiterated they know some of those figures had some distribution issues when they were released as a part of the vintage line so we can look for some of those to be re-released. They also mentioned that perhaps the vintage line characters we have had and loved, that see a spot in Rogue One, could also be re-released as part of the Wal-Mart Waves. I was left feeling pretty good about that question.
And perhaps would they be open to a Fans Choice type Poll in regards to figures we might like to see in that line too? (Similar to what they are doing at SDCC with the 6" Fans Choice Poll).
They said YES! for the 3.75" Line
They also reiterated we are going to do this again in the 6" Scale for this coming SDCC.
2. Can you please make a 6” Scale Dewback for our Sandtroopers? Take a look at this custom creation (by the renowned Ron Hembling) and tell me you fine folks making a Dewback in your 6” Line wouldn’t sell like hotcakes!
They are looking for some of the final numbers in regards to sales of some of the deluxe packs like the Hoth Han and Taun Taun and Luke and Wampa, but they did acknowledge that this beasty was definitely "on their radar" and toward the top of their list when they do release new 6" Deluxe packs. They also stated that they would probably release these in a set of two so I promptly threw in a 6" Scale Bantha to which we all laughed, but they didn't make it sound like it was out of the realm of possibilities!
I am kicking myself I didn't throw in the Probe Droid real quick, but trust me I will be asking when we do a follow up session!
3. Speaking of the 6” Lines, how satisfied were you regarding the sales of the 6” Scale The Force Awakens TIE Fighter? Were you satisfied enough that you will consider creating another larger size vehicle in this scale? Any ideas you folks are batting back and forth about the next potential offering? And we would be glad to help out to break any ties!
They did say they were satisfied with sales of the 6" Scale TIE to offer another vehicle in this scale! While they didn't hint as to which one that might be (hinted at perhaps some notice in the spring of next year) they did reiterate that the TIE was a bit easier for them to bite on as based on its shape the amount of material was not quite as much as a flatter vehicle with regular angles. They also talked about box size being a concern too. Still, it was great to hear we can definitely expect to get at least one more vehicle in this scale.
4. Having watched the design team video on the new Rogue One Stormtrooper Helmet all we can say is wow! And Wow one more time! We feel you folks really hit the ball out of the park with this one and wondered if you might bring one of these with you to the hangout and show it off a bit more? I would love to see a bit more of the inside and see how this will fit on my regular size noggin.
I am hoping they release the video later, but they showed one being taken out of the box and put together. It comes in 3 pieces. You first adjust the head webbing and then pop it together. Folks, hands down this is one of the coolest offerings I have seen in regards to role play almost ever. What we didn't see in the video was that there is a hidden mic that actually swivels to let us with larger noses put it on and then move it close to our mouth as we get it settled. This is true one to one scale and almost an exact replica of the official helmet used in the movie!
They gave us a close up of the lenses and plastic and this thing shines like the sun! Folks who have pre-ordered this are really gonna be happy.
Do you have plans to offer more Imperial Style helmets, both Original Trilogy, Prequel (clones!), and now the new movies (TFA and Stand Alones like Rogue One) going forward?
While they wouldn't discuss which era they were going to focus on next they did tell us that an announcement on the next one would be coming in just a few weeks (it sounded like by the time of Force Friday).
And we know you can’t sure anything that hasn’t been already shared regarding the new films and Rogue One, but will we see new variations in the Classic Stormtrooper that folks can army build?
They shut that question down pretty quick which I thought that perhaps they might.
5. New Rogue One Imperial Walker (AT-ACT)
It was great to see you were producing a version of the new AT-ACT we will be seeing in the films and all the bells and whistles seem fantastic. I am however, still reeling in awe of the last larger scale AT-AT you made in the the 3.75” Line in regards to the Legacy Line AT-AT (which included a vintage boxed version).
Is there any chance you will be giving that same treatment, down the road, to the new AT-ACT we will be seeing in Rogue One?
They started off with a "not at this time" quote that we are used to hearing for some time. I will be honest, I got into how cool the Legacy version was even at that size and by the time the talk was over they definitely didn't rule it out for the future. They even discussed that "some of the tooling" was already there and could easily overlap with the AT-ACT Design. I called that a win!
Some of the other tidbits I got from the Q and A Sessions with the other Sites:
A TFA Luke Skywalker is coming
They really seemed open to the idea of a new Death Star Playset. They didn't nail down a scale or a time frame, but they sure did talk about it at length to let you know this one is up there in regards to their thoughts on upcoming products. It was heavily talked about how to do it in 3.75" Scale. Nothing was planned at this point, but they know we want it.
They really did take a bit of the wind out of my sails (but not much) when they talked about the regular figure lines pretty much staying at the 5 POA point.
They also got out the U-Wing and showed us the wing movement feature (really cool) and the nerf firing feature. It seemed to shoot really far. I also didn't think, for once, it (the nerf firing feature) really detracted from the looks of the vehicle. A questions was asked about the smaller cockpit for just one figure and when they got it out to show it seemed pretty big.
There is going to be a Celebration Exclusive. Just nothing was hinted about in regards to what it might be.
I have more notes, but wanted to get this online as quick as I could as I am most excited. When I get word that video or audio is allowed I will try to get you the entire talk. They also talked about doing this again so be sure to keep your questions coming folks.
