Hasbro Pulse reveals new Star Wars action figures on Fan First Friday

During their Hasbro Pulse Fan First Friday livestream event on Facebook today, Hasbro Star Wars brand executives Patrick Schneider (Sr. Global Brand Development Manager) and Eric Franer (Associate Product Designer) revealed a ton of new products while also answering some (surprisingly good) questions.

Let’s take a look, shall we?

The Vintage Collection

As good as the reveals were overall, the 3.75″ scale Vintage Collection only got one new figure, which was a major disappointment.

Luke Skywalker in Stormtrooper disguise

This figure was originally part of a SDCC Comic-Con exclusive 3-pack. Nice to see this release get the single-carded treatment for collectors who wanted one, but it’s definitely not on my shopping list.

The Black Series

Unlike the Vintage Collection, the 6″ scale Black Series got a ton of love. Some of the figures we already knew about and hadn’t seen while others were a bit of a surprise.

Deluxe Luke Skywalker & Yoda (Jedi Training)

We’ve known this figure was coming for a while, but the addition of a properly scaled Yoda (and Luke’s backpack to carry him) makes this figure even more of a must-buy. Also, Luke’s articulation/weight was specifically designed to achieve the famous pose in the bottom photo without needing to use a stand!

The figure is available for pre-order now!

Han Solo in Carbonite (Amazon Exclusive)

FINALLY! We’ve been waiting for this one since it was packed with the 2013 SDCC-exclusive Bob Fett figure. It also comes with stand, which makes the $14.99 price tag a bit more palatable.

It’s sold at the moment, but should be back up for preorder soon.

Kamino Clone Trooper

This will make fine addition to my collection when it goes up for pre-order at the end of this month.

Carbonized Darth Vader (Amazon Exclusive)

Um, yay? I’m sure it’ll sell since it’s Darth Vader and based on his look from Empire Strikes Back. But for folks like me who already have a bunch of his figures, I’m not sure this adds enough value to pick up another one–and I’m one of those dorks who actually likes the carbonized gimmick!

Perhaps my dream of them doing this with Phasma or C-3PO will come true one day. Until then, this item is available for preorder now.

4-LOM & Zuckuss Set (Amazon Exclusive)

I didn’t pick up either of these figures when they were single releases, but for some reason being able to get them together makes me feel more likely to buy them…which is good since they are available for pre-order now.

Stormtrooper (Mandalorian/Rogue One)

As as one of those weird people who loves clones and doesn’t dig stromtroopers, the updated sculpt and enhanced articulation on this figure might be enough to make me pull the trigger when it goes up for preorder at the end of the month.

Other Reveals

Patrick and Eric also revealed a couple other Stars Wars-themed items:

Star Wars: The Mandalorian The Child Edition Monopoly Game

Meh.

Available for pre-order now if you want a Star Wars-themed way to slowly destroy your family over five hours.

Prototype Boba Fett Helmet

Never thought I would have wanted this, but now I kind of do. It’s available for pre-order now.

Questions & Answers

Here is a general summary of the answers Patrick and Eric gave to a few of the most pertinent questions fans tossed their way. Also, hats off to them for not shying away from the challenging ones.

Q: There’s a lot of demand for 3.75″ figures within the Star Wars collectors community. Will we see more figures in this scale from the prequel movies or animated Clone Wars series?

A: After the expected “we love these characters” spiel, Patrick did go on to say that he expected many more figures from the Clone Wars to end up in both the Vintage Collection in Black Series lines. He wasn’t nearly as optimistic about prequel era figures in the Vintage Collection, but didn’t rule it out. Unfortunately, he made no mention of a potential continuation of the animated-style Clone Wars toy line, so that ship has likely sailed :(

Q: Is there any chance we could see the return of comic 2-packs? These were always great platforms for some of the best Star Wars figures released in the past.

A: Eric said it’s definitely something they’d be interested in doing at some point…which is usually just a nice way of saying “no plans at this time.”

Q: Is there merit in doing smaller HasLab projects, like a single Black Series or Vintage Collection figure (particularly for characters that wouldn’t be considered for “mass market)?

A: Eric appeared open to this, but seemed to indicate that HasLab would generally be considered for larger scale dream projects like Jabba’s Sail Barge.

Q: Have you considered creating an Archive Line for previously released figures in the 3.75″ like we have for the 6″ scale?

A: Patrick explained that they do have this in the form of two repack waves a year for the Vintage Collection that are sold through fan channel toy retailers. He also said they are aware that these waves have started popping up/clogging the pegs brick-and-mortar stores (which should not be happening) and were working to correct the issue.

Q: Will we ever see dioramas for the 6″ scale figures, like Yoda’s hut or Darth Vader’s meditation chamber?

A: Eric indicated that 6″ scale items like Emperor Palpatine’s throne were a good fit, but larger environments aren’t something they’re planning to make at the moment.

Patrick and Eric also revealed that a fan poll would be released May 15 on Hasbro Pulse to determine the next wave of figures in the Black Series Archive Collection.