Scott "Marblehead" is a disgruntled former Hasbro employee, an expert in all things Star Wars, and a finder of rare antiquities. If you would like your question answered by the master, Ask Scott Something! The Prevailing Wisdom Posted by: Marblehead 1-9-02 12:01am At Monday, 9 April 2001, you wrote: Scott, What the f*ck's up with Wuher showing up at Toys R Us??? I spent $12 a pop on these suckers when they were "Fan Club Exclusives," but now they're $1.97 at your local toy store??? This really screws up the value of my investment. Does Hasbro or the Fan Club even give two sh*ts about their fans and members? Pissed-Off in Palm Beach, FL. It may be late, oh about 9 months, the exact time needed for immaculate conception. What the hell is with this investment? Have you seen "Toy Story 2?" Toys, according to computer animators, are meant to be played with, not shelved and kept away in stuffy cardboard boxes. I may not say it often, but listen to the hardcore collectors, though other hardcore is just as well, look at the itty bitty numbers on the back of the card. I would have to imagine that the first series would, referring to other examples, yield a higher value than second generation cards. Now, if everyone's favorite juice jockey has the same card between the fan club exclusive and the store bought version, well, all I can say is....bottoms up! After years of heavy drinking, bright lights and late nights; I still don't need glasses....I drink right from the bottle. Scott At Saturday, 7 April 2001, you wrote: Dear Scott, I was wondering why the Star Wars figures cost so much. In my opinion, they are really overpriced for what you get. Is there a reason they are so expensive compared to other lines like the Simpsons and the McFarlane toy line? D. E. Pockets Dear deep, How cheap are you? Currently, granted this answer is 9 months from the inception of your question....see my previous message....Star Wars figures can be bought for 4 bucks or less. Overpriced for a month or three, but soonly they will be very affordable. Now, in all honestly, it has to do with the monetary agreement between Hasbro and good ole' George's yesmen. The original E1-E3 contract was outrageous, as many other articles have reported, I'll digress from that fact. It's a matter of negotiations and royalty agreements, in addition to the actual cost of the toy (R&D, tooling, packaging, molding, materials, shipping, advertising...). Not to mention the overhead of the company. Todd Toys, a much better, earlier name than McFarlane Toys, doesn't have the same overhead incorporated into their smaller organization as does Hasbro, a much larger incorporation. One way or another..... Scott At Thursday, 19 April 2001, you wrote: Scott, Why won't those idiots at Hasbro even CONSIDER making a new Death Star playset? They could either do one big set like the original or make separate connecting modules, but evidently this makes all too much sense. Greg Ottinger They must all be smoking dope, at least according to Mr. Hand. Actually, to produce a playset of that size in this day and age would be exceedingly expensive both to the creator and to the buyer. Collectors would be interested in buying a cool Star Wars item at almost any cost while the majority of the target audience, the young consumer and their parent (the ultimate buyer) consider both the product AND the price. A large playset in the scale of the 1977 Death Star Playset is not as achievable in the 21st century. Due to the fact mentioned previously (R&D, tooling, shipping, corporate overhead, etc.) it is not as beneficial to Hasbro to produce large scale playsets. The costs would greatly outweigh the benefits. A lot to things are considered....A LOT OF THINGS....but very few are ever extensively developed. Morgue R.I.P..... Scott