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Hasbro's INDIANA JONES Q&A: The Answers!
Posted by Curto on October 17, 2008 at 05:00 PM CST:
As part of Hasbro's tri-weekly Star Wars Q&A session over at Rebelscum, we've been allowed to pass on 3 of your burning Indiana Jones questions! So check out the latest scoop we've got for you this session.
Cool Toy Review: At one of the premieres of ?Crystal Skull?, George Lucas stated - ?I have an idea to make Shia [LaBeouf] the lead character next time and have Harrison come back like Sean Connery did in the last movie. I can see it working out.? Does the prospect of another Indiana Jones movie play a role in deciding the future of Indiana Jones toys for Hasbro? While Hasbro?s contract for Indiana Jones toys did appear to only refer to four films, could a ?stripped back? line for the lean years between Crystal Skull and the next film satisfy a big company like Hasbro?s bottom line, or would this be a ?movie year only? line, rising and falling solely on movie/DVD launch support?
Hasbro: IJ is a property that closely follows the entertainment support. Given the intensely competitive nature of the boys' toy aisle, it can shine during a movie year but otherwise does not have the support to continue the line when there is no entertainment to keep consumers interested. If there is another film, we will be there with toys for it, including items that were planned for the 2009 line but have been placed on hold.
Cool Toy Review: I was wondering if, in deciding to continue the Indiana Jones line or not, Hasbro takes into account the truly staggering improvement in toy quality from the first assortments in May to the latest assortments? I came into this late ? I took one look at the Indy figures in May and kept walking. In all honesty, some of them looked like bootlegs. Then I saw the upcoming Indy figures shown at SDCC (Toht etc,) looked up images of the new ?Last Crusade? and ?Temple of Doom? assortments, and was hooked. These new figures surpass the best of the current Star Wars line (which I also collect,) in both attention to detail and accuracy of face sculpts (Kate Capshaw thanks you.) I have never seen a line improve so much ? going from, in my eyes, an F to an A+. Could this issue of radically improved quality ? so obvious to buyers standing in the retail aisle regardless of age, yet perhaps lost on the accounting department at Hasbro counting up pegwarmers ? factor into deciding the future of what has at the "eleventh hour" blossomed into a truly fantastic line? If I totally ignored the line in May, yet have bought up everything released within the last two months, could it be that I am the tip of the iceberg of disappointed fans who have suddenly seen the new releases and jumped onboard this line?
Hasbro: You are not the tip of the iceberg, but thanks for finally jumping into the water. A property like IJ, with a smaller (but passionate) fan base needs an entertainment backdrop to keep kids engaged in the property as well.
Cool Toy Review: What has been your assessment of the foray into 12? figures for the Indiana Jones line? I was surprised to see them when the line was announced given the handing of the Star Wars 12? line to Sideshow and a bit of movement away from the scale, but was impressed with the decent quality of the sculpts and accessories of these dolls for a very low $20 pricepoint, an easy ?yes? for parents. Hasbro?s 12? Star Wars figures may have been hit and miss, but a decent number were terrific quality - the 1998 Luke Jedi and Bib Fortuna 2 pack figures are in some respects superior to the Sideshow offerings ? along with being terrific value at a $20 pricepoint generally. This made me wonder what Hasbro?s opinion of the 12? scale is in general in today?s mass-market setting, and of the Indiana Jones product specifically. While local retail experience can be deceiving, these toys seemed to sell through in the end and remain pretty strong price wise on eBay. There were mis-steps ? i.e. German soldier and Mutt (a somewhat weak character Hasbro understandably assumed was the ?new Indy? and therefore produced in heavy numbers) ? but these appeared to be the exception. These 12? figures do seem to have value at retail when the character choice is right and the sculpt delivers ? any thoughts on both the scale and the future for Indiana Jones 12??
Hasbro: 12" is a scale back in a couple lines at Hasbro - most notably IJ and GI Joe, as it is a great play pattern for kids. It's likely that if there is another IJ movie that 12", in some form, will be back. However, we do not have plans to return to the format for Star Wars, instead enjoying the systematic exploration of that space that Sideshow is providing.
Got any burning Indiana Jones questions you need answered straight from the source? If so, post your questions in this thread in our forums, and with any luck, you'll get your answers next time! |
  
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