Rants & Raves

You have to wonder what Hasbro’s defect is anymore. We’ll be charged with nitpicking here by the Hasbro sycophants and bootlickers, but we demand quality. And we’ll go public with our disdain regardless of the ramifications. How could they not correct and properly update Nien Nunb before announcing its re-release? Not only did they neglect to correct the figure’s height. (Nien Nunb is tall like the Sullustan B-wing pilots and not short like the action figure. Photographic evidence exists and proves this unequivocally.) But even worse, they didn’t bother to fix the figure’s upper lip with the darker brown color.  (more….)

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There has been an awakening to the reality of the horrible state of Star Wars (which has been this way for quite some time). Even Thomas, the man in perpetual denial about the state of the IP and merchandising, wrote two recent articles, finally admitting how dreadful things are. They were so accurate and sharp that readers thought they were mine. I digress. In one of those articles’ discussions, I mentioned that Star Wars is metaphorically Bernie Lomax from “Weekend At Bernie’s.” Then, for fun, I began Googling images of the film and became astounded when I found a still which allowed me to create the most flawless meme of the condition of the IP and hobby. This is the next “Distracted Boyfriend” meme, y’all. (more….)

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As we continue living through the unending hellish nightmare of Disney Star Wars, I do my best to look for whatever glimmer of hope, ray of light, or saving grace that will keep me engaged. Sadly, it doesn’t work nearly as much as it should or could. But the other day, I unintentionally channeled the Grinch in the scene where he cracked a maniacal smile, and his heart swelled. (more….)

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Do you know how bad that headline is? I can’t believe I am conceding that, but it’s true. And it’s all Hasbro’s fault. OK, that’s a bit much and hyperbolic. But they aren’t without blame. Take a walk with me down memory lane, and see if you agree with my assessment that the Hasbro Star Wars brand is walking in a minefield with no escape plan. The lack of respect for the 40th Anniversary of the most toyetic Star Wars film should be clanging in your ears and burning your eyes that things are in complete chaos and disarray in Rhode Island and that perhaps they’re the wrong gatekeepers for Star Wars action figures. (more….)

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Hasbro, please don’t be fooled by all the barking and clapping seals praising every meager new toy announcement you reveal. There is a huge swelling undercurrent of frustrated longtime Star Wars collectors that are growing increasingly aggravated by your lack of vision for Return Of The Jedi’s glorious 40th anniversary. We will riot if you don’t produce at least two items below. Please produce any two of the following: Jabba The Hutt playset (um, you already have all the parts for this), Sy Snootles And The Rebo Band (sorry – 9 out of 10 man-babies agree you’ve owed us this for years now), Ewok Village playset (we need something to enhance that awful Endor Bunker), an all-new Squid Head (Tessek) figure, or Imperial Dignitary (Sim Aloo). Please don’t make us angry. You wouldn’t like us when we’re angry.

It would have been better if Hasbro didn’t celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Return Of The Jedi at all. (more….)

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One thing that sticks in my craw is the incessant seal barking and clapping over Hasbro’s The Vintage Collection’s Death Star Gunner figure. You know, the one based on the character from Rogue One. SPOILER ALERT: It is TERRIBLE! But more egregious than that is the acceptance that it fills the shoes of the classic 1985 The Power Of The Force Imperial Gunner figure. Would you believe that (GASP!) many collectors find it an acceptable counterpart? I will outline why I find these people deplorable Star Wars collectors*. (more….)

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Here we go again! If one character in The Vintage Collection shows Hasbro’s complete disengagement from the people they expect to give them money for their toys and from a community that supports the line when we don’t want to, it’s Hammerhead (or Momaw Nadon for the proper people). (more….)

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It’s time for another man-baby exposition on finishing up The Ninety Six! Click through for more.

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Hasbro learns lessons by taking in additional feedback from its customer base by blocking them from giving additional feedback on their social media post. (more….)

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Yesterday at the Hasbro panel at SWC, they announced a few pipeline figures for The Vintage Collection. All three were solid reveals that we’ve been waiting for a while to have in the line. Hunter from the Bad Batch has already been made in The Black Series, and while most fans were excited for the figure, it’s eventual repaint into Delta Squad was not well received due to the stylized sculpt. We need to make sure that the upcoming TVC version doesn’t make this same mistake…

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Hasbro, in all honesty, what the frack is your defect? With the many things you do good, you set yourselves back with the horrible mistakes you make. It was inevitable that you’d somehow work in the phase I Clone Troopers into the army builder subline. That’s fine and rather excellent of you. But how are you so wholly disengaged that you didn’t even know where to begin with them? (more….)

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If I had written this article the day of the announcement, it might have looked pretty ugly, not that this post will be much better. But in all seriousness, what’s the deal with making The Vintage Collection Stormtrooper from A New Hope a Walmart exclusive? (more….)

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Long time The Vintage Collection collectors are about to rejoice! Are you tired of the flaccidly pathetic paper-thin cards brought on by the equally limp Disney Star Wars? You needn’t worry about this anymore. With the latest wave of repackaged figures, we’re thrilled to report that Hasbro upped the thickness of the figures’ cards, and they should hold up better in transit. Despite the good news, Amazon decided to ruin our sample by forcing it into a box too small. But that’s another story.

The modern Hasbro Star Wars brand has been in existence for over a quarter of a century, and it appears that Hasbro still cannot understand the need to release case assortments with even ratios of action figures. (more….)

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But they could have prevented it. A few additions would have made this a surefire hit, and collectors might not have balked at its price. But wow. That Jabba’s Palace Throne Room playset environment is something else, isn’t it? That said, you know from the comments that its price is staggering, and collectors are saying “no way.” Collectors are being forced into a “direct to market” scenario as it’s a Hasbro Pulse exclusive. And there were so many ample opportunities they could have incorporated to make this The Vintage Collection centerpiece shine above anything else released previously. Well, maybe save for The Khetanna. With just about 15 minutes of talking about this item with my good friend John McCartney, we came up with many ideas to guarantee this release some incredibly enormous success (and enthusiasm). (more….)

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To all the kindred in spirit The Vintage Collection collectors: It’s time to talk about $26.99 and $20.99 Star Wars action figures that should be $12.99 or $13.99 instead. One of my most-favorite commenters here at JTA, Sven RedBeard, either coined or stole the term “Boba Debt,” and I think it’s the PERFECT description to let Hasbro know that this insanity must stop. Adding an extra ‘hat’ does not warrant a $10-$12 increase. This line isn’t The Black Series 6-inch line, and it’s unacceptable. Hasbro needs to find ways to get back to basics (literally as in basic figures) and cease the overpricing, gouging, and abject disrespect they are showing to the longtime collectors of this line. Just because the action figure is Boba Fett doesn’t give Hasbro license to charge $20+ for it, only to release a $12.99 version after they’ve price gouged us. Something’s missing, and none of us should find this acceptable. And Hasbro, you need to right this travesty immediately.

This is not supposed be a rant where someone yells at clouds, but I have been wondering more and more lately if the toy collecting hobby has completely gone off the rails. These days people buy toys that cost $350, $400 or even much more, $500 and even $900. And they do it quite happily so. Why should a toy ever be $350 or even more? Why do companies even still pretend these things are toys, when they are in fact just memberberries for adults and no one else? Will the HasLab Rancor come in a box that says “Ages 4+”? Why do people part with so much money voluntarily and quite merrily even and never bother to ask if that is what toy collecting should really be? Click through to continue the discussion!

The new Hasbro CEO?

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Hasbro, we will give you proper congratulations for choosing the RAREST The Vintage Collection figure to re-release for us. But is there any way you could think outside of the box and go a step further? How much more would it have belabored you to include an alternate helmet of the 332nd Company (Ahsoka Tano’s Clone Trooper), so we can pair them with the glorious Ahsoka Tano (Mandalore) (VC202) figure you just released. Let us get this straight. We have The Black Series [Phase IV] version of this character and a 5-inch Galaxy Of Adventures version, but you can’t include a second helmet and give it to us in a 3.75-inch scale. You hurt us! We know “newness” to a figures counts as a new figure, but it would have been WORTH IT here. Oh, and please continue to pick candidates from JTA’s Top 25 Better Choices For The Repack Case Assortments poll.

I get that the recently revealed Genndy Tartakovsky Clone Wars action figures for The Vintage Collection are getting a mixed reception from collectors. Still, for me, this is some of the most exciting news in recent memory as a Star Wars collector, and that’s with me accepting they’re imperfect. (more….)

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OK, Hasbro. You need a reality check. The current exclusive program is an unmitigated disaster. And you should be held accountable for its ineffectiveness. Unless you’re dead under a rock somewhere, you must know how pre-orders for online exclusives are COMPLETE calamities, right? This nonsense has to stop. (more….)

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The announcement of the upcoming “in the pipeline” The Vintage Collection Lobot figure is a tremendous victory for TVC collectors. Click through to learn why this is so.

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It’s becoming increasingly more frustrating to find anything Star Wars-related merchandise at retail. And while we are constantly bombarded by the pompous defenders that retailer exclusives are a necessary evil for the Star Wars toy line, one has to wonder what the point of all this is when literally nothing is found. (more….)

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Hasbro did collectors of The Vintage Collection no favors with the announcement of the Death Star Droid. It STILL doesn’t reflect the modern counterpart of the on-screen character, because, well, it’s a modern counterpart to the Kenner figure only. (more….)

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Sigh. I shouldn’t have walked away from Hasbro Pulse’s Fan Fest online event saying “Why does Hasbro hate The Vintage Collection collecting community so much? Why are they completely disengaged from its needs?” But I did. And between the sorry repacks confirmed, to the desperately needed repacks they’re dangling over our heads, I understand why people are fleeing from this scale left and right. The straw that broke the camel’s back for me was the announcement of the re-released Han Solo (Endor) figure. Does Hasbro store any record-keeping of their releases? Do they go to discount outlets? Do they have any indication of what fans want? (more….)

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