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Hasbro answers more Cantina queries!
Posted by: Bill Cable 04.04.07 12:01am
A few weeks ago Hasbro proved themselves game to our unique probes... answering our unorthodox questions with flair and gusto! Since they were nice enough to replay, we felt it was our responsibility to give them another shot at some humorous Qs and As.
But we don't want to hog all the fun! Perhaps you have your own questions... questions that perhaps you submitted to other web sites who were afraid to forward them along... well, you can see we have no such scruples! Send them to us and we'll make Hasbro answer! Mail your Cantina-style questions to hasbro@creaturecantina.com.
Now for the questions...
Hasbro Q&A with CreatureCantina.com, volume 27
It wouldn't be an anniversary update without some...
Posted by: Bill Cable 04.04.07 12:01am
Who wants some Cable Original art? I mean... that's why this site exists in the first place... sos I can hock my art! So it behooves me to have something new up here when all these thousands of extra visitors are looking! So what I did was hold off posting this an extra week even though my patron received the art about eight days ago. Usually I try to post everything immediately... but see, I was strategizing!
So... the story behind this drawing... it was purchased last year at DragonCon. I brought along my binder of art. One of the Vintage guys flipped through it. And he gave me cash money on the spot to reserve the character. See... I was smart to bring that binder!
But there were some difficulties when I was contemplating putting this character to paper. See... when I think of Luke in Hoth gear, I think of one particular image. And that's the image I wanted to draw. But when I proposed the idea to my patron, he was like, "I don't want a drawing of Luke when he's all punked out like a bitch... I want something where he's kicking ass." I'm paraphrasing. So I struggled with it... couldn't come up with much good... and at my wit's end I asked permission again to do my original idea. To that, he replied that he'd trust to vision of the artist. SCORE! So I was able to draw it like I wanted. And when the guy got it, he was very impressed.
And you'll be impressed, too! Perhaps even impressed enough to buy your own Cable Original, maybe? One can only hope. Presenting Luke Hoth:
The Exploitive Impulse
Posted by: Tresob Yr 04.04.07 12:01am
What happens when Tresob has too much time on his hands after finishing Final Fantasy XII? He puts together a Flash documentary! Check out this fantastic Flash movie by clicking the thumbnail below.
Reflections on SIX YEARS
Posted by: Bill Cable 04.04.07 12:01am
I'd like to say that it's hard to believe I've been working at this thing for six years. But I can't. Because it feels like I've been doing it for at least ten. Week after week... investing all those hours. It's taken a toll, and I feel it. I mean, I probably could have cured cancer by now if I'd been spending this time doing research instead of drawing those 314 or so The Cantina comic strips. Man... talk about a life wasted!
So why do I bother? Well, I just have this really deep, heartfelt love for the Star Wars Saga, and want to spread that feeling to as many other fans as I possibly... BWAAAA-HAAA-HAAAA... I almost got through that without busting out laughing! No, I'm in it for the same exact reason all these other Star Wars webmasters run their sites... I'm in it for the money! I'm not going to lie about it. Every couple months one of those Google checks comes in and I'm like CHA-CHING... that's another Vintage C-3PO!
OK, OK... I'm exaggerating. I really am in it for the love. I had you guys going there for a minute, didn't I? I could make TONS more money a thousand different ways for about one tenth the effort I put into this site. The financial benefits are just a nice bonus... one that helps me with my collecting. And help me it has! The art I've sold here has funded a very large chunk of my collection. In the past year, I completed an amazing, long-term collecting goal. I finished my set of 96 Vintage MOC figures. Check it out:
Note the ROTJ Vader on the top SW row... that was my last hold-out. I actually just received its replacement this week...
It's not perfect... it's not even really up to my mediocre standards... but it was available and I've been itching to complete the set for months, so I bought it. As a result, I have this extra ROTJ Vader that I don't need. So that got me thinking, "Wouldn't it be nice to use this to give back to the fans who have given me so much, and made my collection possible?" Yes, it would be nice. So we have... A CONTEST!
To thank all of you out there who have supported CreatureCantina.com and my collecting habit for these six years, I'm going to give away this very nice ROTJ77 Darth Vader.
Unfortunately only one of you out there will actually reap any real benefit from my thankfulness...
It's got some wear, but it is pretty decent. It's all-original. No reseal. And it's free. And here's how you enter... E-mail contest@creaturecantina.com with your name, location, and the URL of any of our good sponsors at the top of the page (just to make sure you're paying attention). Easy enough? Probably not. Let's make it easier. Here's something you can copy and paste directly into your E-mail message:
Official Entry ballot:
Name:
Location (city, state, country):
Sponsor URL:
E-mail that to contest@creaturecantina.com. You just might win! Somebody has to!
So thank you readers for sticking by us for six years. And a special thanks goes out to my staffers from the last three tenths of a score years. I certainly could not have done this without you guys! You're amazing!
Ah... that's the ticket!!!!
Posted by: Bill Cable 04.11.07 12:01am
By George, I think I've got it! Last week I began an effort to improve my experience in drawing my Cantina comic. It had gotten stale. Unfortunately, last week's experiment failed miserably. I tried scanning my pencils, and the results were awful. So this week I tried something different. Instead of all pencils, I used no pencils! And that worked a lot better. It forces me to think a lot harder about what I want before committing to paper. But it still preserves much of the dynamic nature of free-hand pencils. At the very least it's something different for me to play with. So enjoy the new normal in this week's "The Cantina" Comic Strip
The Greatest Sith... That Never Lived
Posted by: Darth Danno 04.11.07 12:01am
CreatureCantina.com is proud to present the next chapter of Darth Danno's epic short story "The Greatest Sith... That Never Lived."
CHAPTER XV: THE SEEDS OF SUSPICION
The new guy
Posted by: Tresob Yr 04.11.07 12:01am
I got me one of them fancy purple Galactic Marines in my Easter basket this weekend. It was almost like they were released in holiday colors. Anyway, countless collectors have had their Commander Bacara figures sitting all alone on the shelf...quietly waiting for some troops to boss around, while all the other commanders had waves of repacks, repaints, battlepacks, and kitbashes fall under their authority. So, I figure it's about time that the Bacster got to throw his weight around.
Much love!
Posted by: Bill Cable 04.11.07 12:01am
We celebrated our sixth anniversary last week, and thanks to a ton of publicity from other web site we had lots of visitors! I'd like to thank all the news sites that promoted our celebration and made it a big success. We've had over 200 entries for the Darth Vader contest... which brings me to one of my mistakes. I forgot that I already sold that figure and don't own it any more, so I'm gonna just have to back out of the promotion...
Just kidding...
What I really want to say is that I neglected to set a deadline for the contest when I posted last week. So I'm going to do it now. The deadline to enter is Monday, April 16th at 11pm EDT. One nice thing about my mistake is that it gives all the regular readers here a extra chance to enter. Most of those guys who came last week won't be back... but you guys who come week-in and week-out ought to get special treatment. So be sure you enter! Details are in the "Reflections" story below.
Rough times
Posted by: Bill Cable 04.18.07 12:01am
I had a bad few days to start this week, which adversely affected yet inspired the content of this week's "The Cantina" Comic Strip
Order 95 Exclusive two-packs hitting shelves this summer
Posted by: Tresob Yr 04.18.07 12:01am
Due to the unprecedented popularity of Order 95 and incessant demands from its fans, Hasbro will be releasing a series of O95 Commemorative Two Packs as Target exclusives this summer. And if you don't believe it, then feast your eyes on this remarkably and obviously not-digitally enhanced advertisement which Creature Cantina operatives managed to smuggle out of the Imperial HQ.
In other news, RebelSoldier finally calls it a wrap! Check out the conclusion of his impossibly long photonovel here!
The Greatest Sith... That Never Lived
Posted by: Darth Danno 04.18.07 12:01am
CreatureCantina.com is proud to present the next chapter of Darth Danno's epic short story "The Greatest Sith... That Never Lived."
CHAPTER XVI: THE BEGINNING OF THE END (Part I)
Who won VADER??!!
Posted by: Bill Cable 04.18.07 12:01am
The entry deadline has passed, so I guess it's time to pick a winner. We received just over 300 entries to the contest. A portion of them were spam, but the vast majority were legitimate entries. Thanks to everyone who entered.
So how did I pick a winner? Print out all the entries and pull the winner out of a hat? Too much work! All I did was punch the total number of entries into a random number generator and let it pick the winner. It's a perfect plan.
And the winner is entry #146: Stephen ...
in an E-mail with the subject: Full of health? Then don't click!
Let's see if his entry had a valid name and address...
(no joke... that was the first entry the random number generator picked)
OK... second try. And the winner is entry #221:
Mark Grimshaw of Des Moines, Iowa!
Congratulations, Mark! Send me an E-mail with your mailing address and I'll get this figure right out to you.
Handyman
Posted by: Tresob Yr 04.18.07 12:01am
When Hasbro decided to make a Bespin Luke with removable-hand, I think most of us gave a morbid chuckle. Then they decided to make a Darth Vader with removable helmet and removable hand, and most of us probably thought that was a nice nod to movie-accuracy. A removable limb on a character that is dismembered in the movies is fair game. But recently, figures are coming with removable limbs without the feature being necessarily advantageous to the collector...
Vote STAR WARS!!
Posted by: Bill Cable 04.18.07 12:01am
Editor's note: This is a paid advertisement
The gauntlet has been laid down. By now many of you have heard of the USPS 'vote for your favorite stamp' campaign. It's gotten serious. The most voted for stamp in history was the Elvis stamp, and to vote for that one you actually had to buy a stamp and mail a postcard to cast your vote... For the Star Wars stamp you only need to click on a couple of links.
Elvis received 1.2 million votes. Personally, I like and admire 'the king', but today the time has come to replace him with The Emperor. (Emperor used only for dramatic effect. Everybody knows it's the Millennium Falcon that's going to run away with this stamp competition.)Editor's note: The smart choice is 3PO
I'm serious enough about getting out the vote that I've created a domain to lead the charge.
http://www.StarWarsVote.com
Editor's note: Vote 3PO
Please sign up for a daily reminder to vote for your favorite stamp. I was voting in a hit-and-miss fashion. Now I receive a link in my inbox each day. It makes it much easier to remember to vote, and I don't have to chase down 'favorites' in my browser every morning to cast my vote.
It was a sad, sad day when Titanic overtook us at the box office. Let's try to keep a little dignity at the post office. Be a good American. Vote for C-3PO Star Wars daily.
-Todd Carlton
SNOOVA! What a WOOKIEE!
Posted by: Bill Cable 04.18.07 12:01am
Here's my latest Cable Original... Chewbacca in Snoova disguise. Ah... those Chewie focus collectors... they'll pay for anything even remotely close to the image of their beloved hairball. To differentiate Chewie as Snoova from the authentic Snoova, I tried to capture him in a contemplative moment... lamenting the loss of a good friend. Nobody would mistake that for Snoova. Snoova I'd just draw tearin' sh*t up.
On an art note, this will be the last "Cable Original" I'll be posting in a while. Two reasons. First, C4 is coming up, and I have tons of prep work to do. Second, the next "drawing" is actually four drawings... those four Republic Commando guys all together. So that's gonna take a while. So savor this one, because you never know how long it'll be until the next:
Too much work
Posted by: Bill Cable 04.25.07 12:01am
I'm just too stinkin' busy to write an intro for this week's "The Cantina" Comic Strip
Shiny round things
Posted by: Tresob Yr 04.25.07 12:01am
Good Idea: Getting the Thirtieth Anniversary Collection finally on the shelves some time during the actual Thirtieth Anniversary year.
Bad Idea: Reminding aging collectors precisely how old they are.
Good Idea: No longer packing figures with useless and repetitive hologram figurines.
Bad Idea: Packing figures with even more useless "Collectible Coins."
Are they taunting us by having us exchange real money for fake Star Wars currency?
TeeKay-421 in it for the long haul
Posted by: Bill Cable 04.25.07 12:01am
Here's one for our legions of Belgian fans...
This year, TeeKay-421 celebrates it's tenth anniversary! To celebrate this special birthday (a lot has happened in the past 10 years) we organized a special event on April 14 in Cinedream near Antwerp in Belgium. After a reception and the presentation of the history of our fanclub, the visitors could attend free screenings of 'A New Hope', 'The Empire Strikes Back' and 'Revenge of the Sith' on a large screen. Everyone could also buy merchandise, participate in a lottery, play games on a large television and enjoy the warm weather with a cool drink or tasty snack. After the event, TeeKay had it's yearly club diner in the evening.
Other TeeKay events in 2007 included a charity for 'Make A Wish' where our people surprised Bart, a young and courageous fan from Belgium.
The Greatest Sith... That Never Lived
Posted by: Darth Danno 04.25.07 12:01am
CreatureCantina.com is proud to present the next chapter of Darth Danno's epic short story "The Greatest Sith... That Never Lived."
CHAPTER XVI: THE BEGINNING OF THE END (Part II)
Hasbro Q&A: A week late and a question short
Posted by: Bill Cable 04.25.07 12:01am
I got these answers on 4-13, but completely forgot to post them last week. I guess it was that whole "so sick I couldn't get out of bed" thing... made me lose my focus. But better late than never!
I knew if we tried hard enough we'd put together a question that Hasbro would refuse to answer. It only took three sessions. I'm going to include the question despite the fact that they ignored it because the question is just THAT DAMNED FUNNY...
Now for the questions...
Hasbro Q&A with CreatureCantina.com, volume 28
A reason for everything
Posted by: Bill Cable 05.02.07 12:01am
Have the CC.com updates seemed a bit paltry lately? Find out why in this week's "The Cantina" Comic Strip
The Greatest Sith... That Never Lived
Posted by: Darth Danno 05.02.07 12:01am
CreatureCantina.com is proud to present the next chapter of Darth Danno's epic short story "The Greatest Sith... That Never Lived."
CHAPTER XVII: A THIRD SITH?
I'm gonna put a down payment on a new car!
Posted by: Bill Cable 05.02.07 12:01am
So I recently learned of a web site that give you an approximate value of your domain name. Apparently RebelScum.com is worth just north of $100K. We work hard here at CC.com, so I wanted to see if all that work translated into some value. And it does! Check it out:
Now that's foldin' money, baby! Looking at the results for my site and some others, I've discovered the best way to create value in a site is to set up forums. That way you have users logging in constantly to participate, which really drives up traffic. So if I ever really want to sell this site, I'm going to reactivate the forums first.
But that's speculation for another time. For now... anybody out there with 4 Large that wants to buy this place... I'm all ears!
Another face in the crowd
Posted by: Tresob Yr 05.02.07 12:01am
The 70s and 80s were simpler times. Kids didn't always understand what was happening in the movies we watched. Heck, in my days as little Tresob, I used to get caught up in epic debates in the backyard as to whether stormtroopers were humans in armor or just robots. I don't remember which side I argued on, but I'm sure I had good arguments. After all...doesn't the uniform in some ways strip the man of his humanity? In any event, such deep philosophical questions will never arise for kids today...not since the advent of the removable helmet. Of course, this can lead to a new set of identity complexes...
A new face...
Posted by: Bill Cable 05.09.07 12:01am
Yep... the face is the focus of this week's "The Cantina" Comic Strip
The Greatest Sith... That Never Lived
Posted by: Darth Danno 05.09.07 12:01am
CreatureCantina.com is proud to present the next chapter of Darth Danno's epic short story "The Greatest Sith... That Never Lived."
CHAPTER XVIII: IT ALL BOILS OVER
Carded
Posted by: Tresob Yr 05.09.07 12:01am
Star Wars might be celebrating its 30th Anniversary Collection, but, I tell ya, the figures just keep looking younger and younger.
CC.com invades C4!!!
Posted by: Bill Cable 05.09.07 12:01am
If you didn't get the hint from last week's comic strip, I'm working hard getting ready for Celebration IV. I actually have three different responsibilities to fulfill at the convention. I'm going as a reporter from CreatureCantina.com, dedicated to providing the highest quality news coverage of the event. I'm going as a representative of PSWCS, and will be working a couple shifts at our fan club booth. We're still figuring out the schedule for that... hopefully I'll have the times for you next week. And finally, I'm going as an expert collector, contributing to two of the Collecting Panels.
The first one I'm on is the "Character Collectibles" panel, which we'll present on Saturday, May 26th at 11am. In that panel I'll be showing off a lot of my C-3PO collection, and comparing it to always inferior R2-D2 character collections. I'll also be presenting the "Star Wars Collecting Clubs" panel, which will run Sunday at 1pm. For that one, I'm actually the "chair"... or "moderator"... or something. I don't remember the title. That's the one I proposed to Gus, and the one I created the PowerPoint for. That one's going to be a hoot! You should attend! Bring kazoos! We'll do the Imperial March together. It'll be special.
And... I'm not supposed to say anything... but they're going to be giving out those exclusive medallions at both of those panels. I'm not supposed to say anything because I don't actually know that it's true... but it could be true! And wouldn't you feel stupid if you skipped these two panel and thus missed out on two of the medallions? You know you would.
So I'll see you guys at C4! If you see me, stop me and ask for a photo with the famed CreatureCantina.com SUCKS! sign. It'll be your favorite souvenir from C4!
The wonders of anatomy
Posted by: Bill Cable 05.16.07 12:01am
Thrill at the wonders made possible by the Tex Avery-esque physiology of the patrons of this week's "The Cantina" Comic Strip
NAACP sues pants off Hasbro
Posted by: Tresob Yr 05.16.07 12:01am
In a stunning legal action sure to set a landmark precedent in the toy industry, the NAACP filed a suit against Hasbro, Inc. for its refusal to recall Target Exclusive Order 66 Darth Vader. The figure in question uses all black plastic for the figure's head. Star Wars collectors will note that, with a few exceptions, Darth Vader is usually portrayed as a pasty-white bald man under the helmet.
The plaintiffs argue that the repack is racially insensitive. "It's not just that the head depicts a Sith Lord in grease paint," a representative of the NAACP said. "Just look at the hand sculpts, and the bendable knees. This figure was clearly meant to recreate the infamous ‘Jazz Singer.'" The Jazz Singer was a controversial blackface minstrel character portrayed by the white actor Al Jolson in the early twentieth century.
"We were merely trying to find a cheap way to repack a popular figure," Hasbro executives replied. "We couldn't afford to pay the Chinese factory workers another nickel per day to paint the head...so we cast the skull in black and glued the helmet in place. A child would have to pull really, really hard to take that helmet off."
But the NAACP doesn't seem to be buying it. "Hasbro has a long history of exploiting people of African descent," the Rev. Sal Shrapnel said in a statement issued yesterday. "From token black characters like Roadblock and Lando Calrissian, to other minstrel figures like Jar Jar Binks, and the infamous black face Djas Puhr. Hasbro has had this lawsuit a long time coming."
The Greatest Sith... That Never Lived
Posted by: Darth Danno 05.16.07 12:01am
CreatureCantina.com is proud to present the next chapter of Darth Danno's epic short story "The Greatest Sith... That Never Lived."
CHAPTER XIX: SURVEILLANCE, SUSPICION,and SABOTAGE (Part I)
Silly
Posted by: Tresob Yr 05.16.07 12:01am
George Lucas: writer, director, producer...critic.
I haven't seen Spider-man 3 yet, so I can't really comment on the accuracy of his assessment (I was too busy getting tickets to see Simon Pegg's Hot Fuzz...highly recommend it); but it seemed easy fodder for an action figure comic.
REAL NEWS! A C4 exclusive REVEALED!!
Posted by: Bill Cable 05.16.07 12:01am
As I said last week, I'll be representing PSWCS at Celebration IV next week... (Holy Crap... it's only a week away?? I'll never be ready in time!!). Well, what I didn't mention was that PSWCS will come bearing gifts! And I'm thrilled to be able to break the news here! Imagine that... there actually is a benefit to being the President of PSWCS and the Executive Editor of CreatureCantina.com!!
So what are we giving out? Well, you're gonna like it. It's a very cool, limited edition patch. Limited to 500 pieces, this officially licensed collectible will only be available at the PSWCS booth in the Fan Group area. Each member manning the booth will receive a stack of patches to distribute, so if you stop at the booth and they're gone, all you need to do is come back later and you might get lucky!
So now that you know about it, I'll be you'd like to see it!
The build up
Posted by: Bill Cable 05.23.07 12:01am
Does he have the nerve to do it? Find out in this week's "The Cantina" Comic Strip
The day a Sith was born
Posted by: Tresob Yr 05.23.07 12:01am
Because there's only one thing more traumatizing to a Star Wars fan than turning Sith...
The Greatest Sith... That Never Lived
Posted by: Darth Danno 05.23.07 12:01am
CreatureCantina.com is proud to present the next chapter of Darth Danno's epic short story "The Greatest Sith... That Never Lived."
CHAPTER XIX: SURVEILLANCE, SUSPICION,and SABOTAGE (Part II)
Access your Clone Eyebrow Recognition Field Guide
Posted by: Tresob Yr 05.23.07 12:01am
Can you identify all nine Republic Clone eyebrow formations?
Click here for the solutions!
REALish NEWS! The back of a C4 give-away REVEALED!!
Posted by: Bill Cable 05.23.07 12:01am
Twenty four hours from now I'll be chillin' at the Wilshire Grand in LA. That's actually pretty scary, considering how much work I have left to do to be ready.
A couple days ago I sent out a press release on what PSWCS will be giving away at our booth. And it's been really effective! We've already had seven people join PSWCS since that press release went out. I sent out an image of the patch I revealed here last week, along with a photo of a custom carded figure we'll be raffling off. I figured to get the best press I should get that out to the big news sites before people start leaving for C4.
But I did save a little exclusive for the big CC... you've probably already seen the front of the custom carded Luke Skywalker I made... but have you seen the back? No you haven't!! Do you want to see the back? Of course you do! So here's a higher rez photo of the front, and a nice photo of the back.
So I know you're wondering - "Why did he use a 20-back cardback instead of a 12-back?" The easy answer - that's the first one I grabbed out of my tub of figures. But when I grabbed it I thought that I actually like the 20-back back better. It's more colorful. It's interesting. And by using it, I put together one of the uber-rare 12-back front/20-back back transition pieces. What could be cooler?
So be sure to stop by the PSWCS booth and enter the raffle to win this awesome figure. Maybe you'll win! Or maybe you'll get a patch. Or maybe you'll get to meet me. All these awesome possibilities...
Post-C4 comic strip
Posted by: Bill Cable 05.30.07 12:01am
Deadline's approachin', so here's this week's "The Cantina" Comic Strip
The Greatest Sith... That Never Lived
Posted by: Darth Danno 05.30.07 12:01am
CreatureCantina.com is proud to present the next chapter of Darth Danno's epic short story "The Greatest Sith... That Never Lived."
CHAPTER XX: THE SECRET REVEALED
Vintage Cantina: 30 Year Special
Posted by: Tresob Yr 05.30.07 12:01am
Feeling old, my fine collector? Well, a hearty guffaw at the wily antics of our indefatigable vintage action figurines is surely the best medication you can find outside your local apothecary!
Back from C4 - just barely
Posted by: Bill Cable 05.30.07 12:01am
So I caught the red eye at 10:30pm Monday, and arrived in Baltimore at 6am Tuesday. With the time difference I got about 3 hours of sleep. Maybe 3.5. Then I drove 90 minutes to Harrisburg, took a 1 hours nap after completing some chores, then came to work.
So even though I have some fantastic ideas to write about for C4, I simply don't have the clarity or mind to keyboard them in. I'll have a full write-up next Wednesday. I might even do a special update Wednesday night if time permits. To tide you over, here's proof that my primary objective at C4 for CC.com was completely successful...
Running through the hall was a blast! Every person I asked was in high spirits. I have a couple more photos on Lynda's camera, but she's asleep by now so they'll need to wait. But these should tide you over. Look out for more to come soon!
The comic
Posted by: Bill Cable 06.06.07 12:01am
Outta time to write an intro, so here's this week's "The Cantina" Comic Strip
The Greatest Sith... That Never Lived
Posted by: Darth Danno 06.06.07 12:01am
CreatureCantina.com is proud to present the next chapter of Darth Danno's epic short story "The Greatest Sith... That Never Lived."
CHAPTER XXI: EXPLANATIONS…AND REVELATIONS (Part I)
Coup(on) D'etat
Posted by: Tresob Yr 06.06.07 12:01am
Everyone seems to have an opinion on this Hasbro Coupon debacle. If you haven't being paying attention, here's the skinny.
Hasbro issued a "Friends and Family" coupon for 25% off and free shipping for the Hasbro Toy Shop (HTS). Everyone who got the coupon was told to forward it to all of their friends and family (one nasty rumor was started to say that it was only meant for Hasbro employees and their kin, but that doesn't seem to be the case). So people spread the coupon love. Eventually, the coupon code appeared on several high profile fan collecting sites during Celebration IV weekend and, when HTS put the C4 Exclusive McQuarrie Concept Luke Skywalker figure up for sale, these same sites reported that the coupon worked on the Luke figure. Many people, your faithful contributor included, swiftly placed their order for the figure and made use of the coupon. We then received confirmation e-mails saying that everything had worked fine...Luke was 25% off with free shipping, and would be sent out on June 11th.
But then, after the coupon promotion reached its deadline, Hasbro sent another e-mail indicating that the coupon was never meant to be applied to the C4 figure. Their initial e-mail confirmation was in error. We would be charged the full price of the Luke figure and the cost of shipping unless we called Hasbro Toy Shop and canceled our order. If we did nothing, it would cost us more money.
There was a line in the original coupon e-mail that indicated that the savings did not apply to Celebration IV Exclusive action figures.
But we had all found the coupon code online sans fine print.
None of us read the rules.
Things turned ugly.
Customers called and e-mailed HTS and complained. Some went to the BBB.
Collectors lamented on forums.
Other collectors derided the collectors that lamented on forums.
The lamenting collectors complained about the collectors deriding them, and the deriding collectors derided more.
It was no longer just retailer against customer. It was collector against collector - a Star Wars forum geek civil war broke out.
The love and zeitgeist of Celebration IV had become tainted by a poorly programmed online retailer checkout feature.
In essence, we were fighting over who got to play with the toys.
In the midst of the chaos, HTS sent out another e-mail, saying that customers needed to call to confirm whether or not HTS was allowed to charge them more or allowed to cancel their order. But if we did not call, they would cancel the order anyway.
Now if we did nothing, it would cost us the figure.
So here we stand in the hollowed out crater of an online shopping disaster area.
Hasbro Toy Shop stands by its claim that rules are rules, and that it would be unfair to C4 attendees if non-attendees could buy the exclusive for eleven dollars without shipping. Disappointed customers sulk and stammer in confusion while forum jerks defend Hasbro like scabs crossing the union picket line...
And I tried to capture the moment the best way I knew...in a tryptych of plastic.
To live and die and go broke in L.A.
Posted by: Bill Cable 06.06.07 12:01am
OK... let me begin by stating that I had a fantastic time at Celebration IV. I don't want my article here to give you the impression that that wasn't the case. Despite a great trip, there were some shortcomings. And I want to concentrate on those first.
Click here to read my volatile rant!
Controversial new concept figure announced at C4
Posted by: Tresob Yr 06.06.07 12:01am
If you think releasing a prostitute with a sestet of mammary glands would raise eyebrows among parents, just wait until you see the backlash against what might well be the most controversial figure ever produced by Hasbro. During an exclusive presentation by representatives of the toy giant, Creature Cantina reporters were offered a glimpse at a McQuarrie Concept chase figure that has been named “Roddy McPhalc-hed.” Also known by collectors as the “Earthworm Jim Trooper,” among other more colorful names, this variation on the Rebel Commando represents an alien species that is a distant cousin to the Cereans, Ki-Adi-Mundi’s race of aliens with conical craniums. “Well, since he is based only a concept design that we found in a pile of rejected McQuarrie sketches, we’ve had to make up much of his backstory,” the Hasbro representative said, “But I think it’s safe to say that he’ll be very popular with the chick figs [sic] on any collector’s shelf.”
Style
Posted by: Tresob Yr 06.06.07 12:01am
I meant to finish this when you were still settling on a new look for the Cantina comic... It's not quite as germane at the moment, but here goes...
The great CC.com C4 write-up!
Posted by: Bill Cable 06.06.07 12:01am
My wife and I took a ton of photos at C4. I culled through them to get the best 85. Now 85 is A LOT of photos to go through and describe. I'm trying to think of the best way to do it. I could do it chronologically, narrating the whole event. But that could be a bit... dull. Or I could categorize them by theme. That could also get dull. And my ruminations over which process could get dull... very, very quickly. So I guess I'll just wing it. I'll try to get the substance of the con across with a mix of methods. And that's fitting... because this event was a true hodgepodge of situations.
Click here for our HUGE Celebration IV write-up!
The power of pun
Posted by: Bill Cable 06.13.07 12:01am
Sometimes a joke is best spoken rather than read. That's probably the case with this week's "The Cantina" Comic Strip...
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