new Indy Answer from Hasbro

Questions for April 25th, 2008

Q: Do you have inside info on if there will be a midnight madness sale for Indiana Jones toys on 5/1?

A:There are no plans as far as we know for a 5/1 Midnight Madness-type event for IJ. If you hear of anything, let us know!


Q: I have a question for hasbro regarding the new Indiana Jones line. I was rather impressed with the 3-d cardboard backdrops that were used for 2 starwars scenes a few years ago(jabba's palace and cantina)and i was hoping that these could be redone in an indy format? I think there is much potential for a ravenwood bar with exclusive marion figure or the temple in the opening of raiders where the idol could be enshrined My thinking is one it would also touch the nostalgic hearts of my generation that got treated to a cloud city playset or a cantina adventure catalog exclusive. Many play enviroments with the cost of cardboard and ink.I can think of countless play enviroments or even as a premium of some sort.

A: That is a great suggestion, and one that in Star Wars we have been looking at as well (the recent Captain Rex mail-in has a bit of this thinking, although not full blown like a wide diorama). While we have no formal plans at the moment, it is something we are evaluating.


Q: Most (if not all) of the previewed Indy figures seem to have removable hats, which makes the hats seem just a little too large. Are there going to be any Indiana figures with hats sculpted onto the heads to avoid this problem?

A: Actually only one of the basic figures has a removable hat (the KotCS Indy); the rest are adhered to the head.

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Hasbro's STAR WARS INDIANA JONES Q&A: The Answers!
Posted by Curto on May 9, 2008 at 08:30 PM CST:
As you may have notice, we're HUGE Indiana Jones fans here at Cool Toy Review, and we've been builidng that audience more and more with each week as we get closer to the debut of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. We've just opened a brand-new Indiana Jones section of our forums, where collectors can talk about all the merchandise, both old and new. But we're not done yet!

As part of Hasbro's bi-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 our inaugural edition, because we've got the answers for you.




Cool Toy Review: Do you plan to complete the vintage line of Indiana Jones figures? Meaning, can we hope for modern versions of Toht, German Mechanic, Marion in dress, Indy in German uniform, and Belloq in white suit?

Hasbro: As the IJ line continues on, we defintely have plans for versions of all of those iconic supporting characters in the line. At least three of those are planned for early 2009.

Cool Toy Review: With all the attention on recent releases of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles DVDs, will there be any characters from this TV series in action figure form?

Hasbro: Not specifically. We have been looking at Young Indy ourselves (and reading the comics too for additional inspiration), but with all the movie figures we have been focusing on we just haven't fit them in yet.

Cool Toy Review: At Toy Fair, it was hinted at the possibility of another playset...the Well of the Souls...which sounds like a great idea, BTW... Would you consider making is as a series of smaller playset environments like the current deluxe line so that they can be placed together to create the larger scene?

Hasbro: The current Deluxe scenes can be put together to connect, and we are exploring some additional concepts for more in this vein. However, these are defintely very tough to develop (both from a manpower and tooling standpoint), so whether we do more willd epend in large part on how these perform. We're hopeful though that we have found a great way to really capture some of that scenic excitement of Indy with these (and future) sets.

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Questions for May 9th, 2008

Q: Though probably not the most 'exciting' concept for an action figure around, will we see a 'Professor Indy' any time soon?

A: We haven't gotten to this most iconic version yet, mainly because we are still debating which action feature to include: chalkboard writing action, hidden artifact reveal, or "student befuddlement" facial expression change. When we figure that out, we'll slot him in. In all seriousness, we have several more great Indys planned for next year, but haven't been able to get Prof. IJ in the line just yet.


Q: What are the chances of you releasing a Dietrich figure in the next wave of Raiders of the Lost Ark figures? For those of you that dont know the name, he was the German Crnl that melted with Toht and Belloq when the Ark was opened.

A: Dietrich is in the plans for early 2009.


Q: Now that you've got that fantastic horse mold, is there any chance of seeing it used for packs from the closing scene in Last Crusade or in the Star Wars line for Ewok/Marauder mounts (c'mon, who wouldn't want Chukha-Trok with a horse?) or in GI Joe (there was that one cartoon where the Joes were riding horses through the deserts of Kentucky to catch Cobra's bullet train)?

A: You can bet that this great horse will be reused in upcoming IJ sets. Interesting thought on the use of the tool as a possible equus companion to Chuhka-Trok if we ever do any sets tied to the live action Ewoks show. Thanks for the idea.

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Posted by Curto on May 23, 2008 at 05:00 PM CST:
It's finally here! Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull hit theaters this week, and it's a fun-filled thrill-ride adventure of a movie! But the fun doesn't stop there!

As part of Hasbro's bi-weekly Star Wars Q&A session over at Rebelscum, we've been allowed to pass on 3 of your burniHasbro's INDIANA JONES Q&A: The Answersng Indiana Jones questions! So check out the latest scoop we've got for you this session.

Cool Toy Review: I would very much like to know what unique challenges (if any) were presented when developing the Indiana Jones line as opposed to Star Wars.

Your sculpting and tooling techniques have evolved considerably since 1995 and you've managed to come up with some innovative ways to incorporate incredible articulation and action features while keeping the figure or vehicle as aesthetically pleasing as possible.

Has moving from a fantasy-based line like Star Wars, with all of it's fantastic aliens, creatures and technology to a more earth-bound line like Indiana Jones been an easier or more difficult transition for your team?

Hasbro: Actually there were three big challenges on the Indiana Jones line: the timing, the need to harness the essence of IJ quickly into a line that captured both kids and collectors, and the selection of a new factory to produce our 3-3/4" figures.

The first challenge was due to the sheer surprise and relative lateness of the announcement that George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Harrison Ford were teaming up again to produce IJ IV...and the fact it was on a fast track at that! We learned January of 2007 and met with Lucasfilm soon after. As soon as we had a deal we were off an running, but it left less than a year from start to finish for the
first waves, which caused many people a lot of late nights to get us there.

Second, IJ is not as easy on the surface to plan out, because the theme of adventure permeates everything and we needed to add special twists like the relics and "Ticket to Adventure", so it took us a while to really get the full lineup of figures, role play, and other signature items.

Finally, because we have kept our principal Star Wars figure factory pretty much in full production across the board, we elected to go with a new factory and there were some learning issues that we needed to work through, especially when it came time to hitting our exacting standards for detail in all areas of scultping and deco. They have really come on fast though and we love what we are seeing...and hope you do too!


Cool Toy Review: Some of the concepts in the Indy line are great! The Deluxe line with mini playsets or double packs and the dios in the vehicle packaging are cool, and well worth the wait to see a return. Will we see some more concepts in between IJ and SW, such as Deluxe Packs and Comic Packs (Indy and Sasquatch from Star Wars Tales, anyone?) in the Indiana Jones line or Deluxe Packs in the Star Wars line?

Hasbro: We like that Star Wars Tales story ourselves..it would certainly be an interesting one to do. We are looking at IJ comic packs, since there are some great stories that have been produced by Dark Horse and some interesting recurring characters in the Marvel issues that are worth a look.

However, we are not certain when we will get those in. As far as deluxe assortments in Star Wars - you won't see an exact analog at that price point, but there are some surprises in store for Deluxe-like
elements here and there in the Battle Packs.


Cool Toy Review: While the new toys are great, and it's awesome to finally get modern versions of Indy toys, some of the figures' paint apps are poor in quality (mostly on figures' faces). Can we hope to see these paint apps corrected for the currently released (and upcoming) figures? It would be greatly appreciated! And speaking of paint apps, will the horse be corrected with a mostly-white paint app?

Hasbro: We have been working with our principal Star Wars factories for years now and the process is well-honed; for IJ, it was a fast development cycle and a new factory, and overall we are pleased with the results and are fine-tuning the process as we go along.

We have had some issues with consistency of paint deco on some figures, but we hope that we have worked through those issues and what you'll be seeing meets your standards. As for the horse, that is the color that we have been directed to hit so we don't see that changing.

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And speaking of paint apps, will the horse be corrected with a mostly-white paint app?

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TNI: Will we get a Toht figure in the 3 3/4" line, and what are the chances of getting a veriant with a burned off face?

Hasbro: There will be a Toht coming in 2009. You will just have to wait and see whether he has a very cool bonus head in pack..we wouldn't want to ruin any potential surprise. ; )


TNI: Indiana Jones tends to have a lot of religious and political references (i.e., a lot of characters based on members from the Nazi party). For a toy line geared to kids and collectors alike, how difficult has it been to deal with these issues and yet stay true to what these movies are about. I believe it's been said there is not much chance of seeing a Hitler figure in this line yet we have Nazi soldiers. Where do you draw the line, and how do you draw the line for what's appropriate and what's not for a toy line like this?

Hasbro: The figures we have produced are German army figures, which do not necessarily mean that they are Nazis. We will not produce Nazi figures and have removed all political party affiliations and insignia from the uniforms. We can also confirm that there is zero chance of there ever being a Hitler figure in the line - we just would not go there.


TNI: We asked this question awhile back in one of the SW Q&A's but were wondering if there has been any more thought about it. Any chance of seeing some type of Harrison Ford collector pack featuring a Han Solo and Indiana Jones?

Hasbro: We have thought about that, but don't have any plans right now.

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metalinvader said:

Toht will come with an interchangeable melting head!!!

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ChromiumBlue37 said:

Cool Toy Review: Is there a chance that we will get the boulder trap from the Chachapoyan temple scene in ROTLA? That would make an awesome playset, or perhaps a "build a playset" series. It's an iconic Indy action scene!

Hasbro: It's just too big to deliver as a playset. We did look at it, and had some cool ideas on how to deliver it, but decided to hold off on it.

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3. Most folks are gobbling up the German Truck, Troop Car, and Russian Jungle Cutter from the Indy vehicles line. What can we expect to see from the vehicle line as the summer goes by? Will we have to wait long for something new to join the line or should we settle into expecting just those three for the summer?

** That will be it for the vehicles until later in the Fall. It's still too early to tell when the next one will be available, but we should have more info at Toy Fair.

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Questions for June 6th, 2008

Q: You have indicated a reluctance to create figures from the "Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" show and movies. Would you consider characters from other IJ media, such as video games or novels? For example, Sophia Hapgood?


A: While Young Indy is a not IJ in our sights, primarily because the figures would have a very tenuous connection to the "core" IJ we all know and love, we are considering other relevant media. Sophia Hapgood is one of our favorite "IJ EU" characters that we would definitely like to produce if/when we get to the comic packs.



Q: Will the indy figure included in the Temple of Doom wave have the missing sleeve and ripped shirt as seen on the rope bridge?


A: Yes he will. We will have the full wave of Temple of Doom figures at Comic Con for everyone to ogle in person (or experience vicariously online as we release our presentation to the sites in attendance).



Q: Was there any particular reason why Toht was left out of the first Raiders of the Lost Ark wave? It seems like you covered most of the vintage figures for new sculpts, but I'm left scratching my head why much lesser characters like Monkey Man and Cairo Thug were created before Toht?


A: Don't scratch too hard. We actually were "saving" Toht for a possible Vintage IJ wave when we made the initial selects for the Raiders wave, so we locked him off. When we decided to put aside the idea of Vintage IJ, he was a natural for the next Raiders wave we planned (early 2009). We're not sure he would have been the right choice though for our first limited Raiders wave - on the surface, the Cairo figures are more natural opponents for IJ to fight with than Toht and a better choice for kid interest.

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ActionFigs.com: This question comes up quite a bit, so here goes. With the Indiana Jones line, will you be making another deluxe German Motorcycle, one that comes with a sidecar and perhaps Henry Jones sr.? Good way to reuse a few molds and get something new and desired into collectors hands, and it looks like the motorcycle we currently have was designed to accommodate a sidecar.

Hasbro: We do have plans for a sidecar version in 2009, but Henry Jones will be coming on a basic figure card later this year so we wouldn't include him with the motorcycle.

ActionFigs.com: From the Indy line, any plans for more Marion Ravenwood figures such as Marion in white dress, Marion from the bar scene, and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Marion? It'd be a good chance to work on the character's likeness, which the current figure doesn't capture all that well.

Hasbro: We do have plans for another Marion figure - white dress. Like Toht, she was originally to be one of our Vintage wave figures, but when we scrapped the idea both she and Toht became great figures for our first Spring '09 wave. As for other Marions down the road? Quite possibly depending on how the line does long term, but it is our intent to spread the character focus around for 2009 to broadly cover as many characters as we can.

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Deckard said:

Good to hear about the Vintage line. Looks like we'll get a White Dress Marion and Toht for sure, I heard them say they were trying to do a Deitrech too, and hopefully a white suit Belloq!

Someone should ask about the Bi-Plane from Last Crusade.

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