Bandai release schedule

Well, without hype for the TV series - there is no successful Disney Plus service. Keeping the mystery helped out in that department. Keeping such a plot element secret was a good calculated risk. I assume they were unsure if that would be seen by the public as another desperate MacGuffin to grab viewers and appeal to kids before the series premiered if Baby Yoda toy march leaked. Given the fandom menace after the Last Jedi, telegraphing that the show was dumping kid-centric elements in there could have caused some pre-premiere backlash. I almost think the success of this show is akin to how the original 1977 Star Wars was. There was no toy merch Xmas 1977. We had an empty cardboard box with stickers and a mail-away card for figures to come in 1978.
 
I'm honestly not worried about Bandai willingly walking away from the Star Wars license. While there is an argument to be made about current merch sales (but really none of us have any actual numbers to cite, just anecdotal evidence), Star Wars is still the number five most profitable franchise in the world: List of highest-grossing media franchises - Wikipedia It's merch sales since 1977 is $42 billion with a B. In the eight years since buying Lucasfilm, Disney has recouped it's investment just in box office (which is only a fraction of total retail sales). Even if the numbers have softened in the last two or three years, any competent businessperson would still look at it as a cash cow. The cow might currently have a little trouble giving milk, but all that means is that the farmers will be looking for new teets to yank. If Bandai does nothing else except produce 1 or 2 OT kits a year over the next few years until new film content arrives, they'll still make money. More importantly, businesspeople are always looking at growth potential. A hit TV series or a hit movie can turn things around fast and Bandai leaders aren't going to want to miss out when those new teets start gushing. Having the license means access to the American market and a major American entertainment conglomerate, which for an international company is still valuable (even if the company's main bread and butter ramains Japan and Asia).
 
But let's not forget the Galaxy's Edge parks were a significant investment. That liability has many years left to pay off and become profitable.

I certainly hope that Bandai doesn't drop the license. I don't think there is any company that would take it and output the same quality and attention to detail that they have.

TazMan2000
 
I'm still hoping for a 1/48 scale line of fighters. It's just a fool's hope, but it's a hope.

At least I have the 1/48 X-wing. I guess I can splurge for a 1/48 Thai Fighter ;) from Fine Molds. Actually the twin pack TIEs from AMT are close to 1/48.

Edit: The price on the Fine Molds 1/48 TIE has gone nuts!

Glad I grabbed one while they were still relatively low! That and the 1/72 Boba Fett Slave I. I'll get around to that one someday...

SB
 
I just want more figures. As an action figure collector and modeller I'm in LOVE with that line. They need to cash in on the possibilities of Mandalorian and ROS figures. We could get Din Djrarin, IG-11, Sith Trooper, more clone variants, 4 LOM, pretty much any armored and or droid character would work. My greatest wish is a Mandalorian with variants for the episode 1 armor and the beskar inside one kit. I'd buy tons of those.
 
But let's not forget the Galaxy's Edge parks were a significant investment. That liability has many years left to pay off and become profitable.

Disney isn't going anywhere anytime soon and they now own Star Wars in perpetuity. They're in it for the long haul. If Mandalorian continues to be successful, and with new shows gearing up, they'll just increasingly tie Galaxy's Edge into their content audiences enjoy. It's completely different situation than, say, the Trek Experience in Las Vegas. Trek and Vegas always seemed like an odd match. With Star Wars, however, families are going to continue going to Disney parks regardless of whether Star Wars is the draw or not.
 
I just want more figures. As an action figure collector and modeller I'm in LOVE with that line. They need to cash in on the possibilities of Mandalorian and ROS figures. We could get Din Djrarin, IG-11, Sith Trooper, more clone variants, 4 LOM, pretty much any armored and or droid character would work. My greatest wish is a Mandalorian with variants for the episode 1 armor and the beskar inside one kit. I'd buy tons of those.
I agree, lots of great possibilities.

If I were Bandai marketing, I'd release 2 seperate Mando kits. One with his early red armor and Disintegration rifle and a second with the chrome Baskar and jetpack.
 
Disney isn't going anywhere anytime soon and they now own Star Wars in perpetuity. They're in it for the long haul. If Mandalorian continues to be successful, and with new shows gearing up, they'll just increasingly tie Galaxy's Edge into their content audiences enjoy. It's completely different situation than, say, the Trek Experience in Las Vegas. Trek and Vegas always seemed like an odd match. With Star Wars, however, families are going to continue going to Disney parks regardless of whether Star Wars is the draw or not.

No doubt. Owning the SW franchise was a license to print money, but Disney was expecting packed parks when Galaxy's Edge opened up. For a time time they were, but attendance has dropped. My point was that even though SW continuously makes Disney money, it still will be a few years before they can recover the money to create those sections. Locally, I've never seen so many Disney commercials (except on Disneyland's 50th Anniversary) on TV promoting the parks and featuring GE. There are even radio ads, which I've never heard before. With new movies being planned out, SW will stand toe to toe with Mickey Mouse in what draws people to the parks.

TazMan2000
 
I'm patient- still have a number of Bandai kits still unbuilt. There are still quite a few subjects from the OT and the PT that will be welcome and hopefully we will still see some nice designs from new Star Wars Universe projects.

Does anyone know if there is an aftermarket retrofit kit to alter their ISD to the new class ship in the newest film- I like that BFG slung underneath!
 
Does anyone know if there is an aftermarket retrofit kit to alter their ISD to the new class ship in the newest film- I like that BFG slung underneath!

308 Bits at Shapeways has some Devastator updates to the Bandai SDII, you would need that first I would think considering TROS used the Rogue One model reference and just added the underbelly gun and enlarging the ship to 1-1/4 the original size. He hasn't modeled or printed the underbelly gun for that kit yet. Not sure if anyone has.
 
Just wanted to chime in and say that I am very close to someone that works with licensing and Disney, they have had a lot of people walk away from purchasing the Star Wars license due to how much it cost and the ROI (Return on Investment) has not been good in the last few years. It's actually shocking but mis-management of a brand and not understanding vendors nor the supply and demand has created the Disney Star Wars issue. They have been scrambling to get people to create product now with the exception of a few vendors.
 
Just wanted to chime in and say that I am very close to someone that works with licensing and Disney, they have had a lot of people walk away from purchasing the Star Wars license due to how much it cost and the ROI (Return on Investment) has not been good in the last few years. It's actually shocking but mis-management of a brand and not understanding vendors nor the supply and demand has created the Disney Star Wars issue. They have been scrambling to get people to create product now with the exception of a few vendors.

I hardly see any Star Wars merchandise on store shelves so it is pretty obvious that people aren't buying anymore and as a result, manufacturers cannot justify the expense.

Also, isn't the whole regional licensing stuff antiquated in today's marketplace where you can order online from just about any country at will?
 
Just wanted to chime in and say that I am very close to someone that works with licensing and Disney, they have had a lot of people walk away from purchasing the Star Wars license due to how much it cost and the ROI (Return on Investment) has not been good in the last few years. It's actually shocking but mis-management of a brand and not understanding vendors nor the supply and demand has created the Disney Star Wars issue. They have been scrambling to get people to create product now with the exception of a few vendors.

You would think that the license would go down in price considering a lot of companies are walking away. Perhaps in a way, that is a good thing. You don't want every Tom, Dick and Harry having a SW license. Look what has been happening with Anovos and other companies. You would want a company that would be true to your product and release something that you would approve of and a quality that would be acceptable.

However, if nobody wants a license, Disney makes zero dollars from that venture. With everyone and their dog ripping them off and selling merchandise without a license, you would think that the license would be a bit more lucrative for the licensee.

TazMan2000
 
I'm honestly not worried about Bandai willingly walking away from the Star Wars license. While there is an argument to be made about current merch sales (but really none of us have any actual numbers to cite, just anecdotal evidence), Star Wars is still the number five most profitable franchise in the world: List of highest-grossing media franchises - Wikipedia It's merch sales since 1977 is $42 billion with a B. In the eight years since buying Lucasfilm, Disney has recouped it's investment just in box office (which is only a fraction of total retail sales). Even if the numbers have softened in the last two or three years, any competent businessperson would still look at it as a cash cow. The cow might currently have a little trouble giving milk, but all that means is that the farmers will be looking for new teets to yank. If Bandai does nothing else except produce 1 or 2 OT kits a year over the next few years until new film content arrives, they'll still make money. More importantly, businesspeople are always looking at growth potential. A hit TV series or a hit movie can turn things around fast and Bandai leaders aren't going to want to miss out when those new teets start gushing. Having the license means access to the American market and a major American entertainment conglomerate, which for an international company is still valuable (even if the company's main bread and butter ramains Japan and Asia).

I am sorry but your math does not add up. You are supporting your argument on the premise that the studio recoups 100% of box office returns. That is not the case as it varies considerably from territory to territory. You are also not accounting for the movies production costs and marketing which tends to be roughly the same as the production costs. Lastly Kathleen's tenure of Lucasfilms has been a dismal one. Not only has she mismanaged the property by repetitive and costly errors but also tanked the licensing and merchandising of the business (try calling Hasbro and ask how they feel about it). Disney has also invested 2B for the two Galaxy Edge parks and tourists numbers are not near where they should be. To sum it up, If Disney did recover their investment as you claim, everybody would be happy in the house of mouse. However, as we all know that is not the case. I am not saying that they wont be able to recover their investment but that it will take longer than most expect. I am just glad that I still can enjoy Bandai SW kits. At least I consider myself lucky on that front no matter how long it lasts.
 
Just wanted to chime in and say that I am very close to someone that works with licensing and Disney, they have had a lot of people walk away from purchasing the Star Wars license due to how much it cost and the ROI (Return on Investment) has not been good in the last few years. It's actually shocking but mis-management of a brand and not understanding vendors nor the supply and demand has created the Disney Star Wars issue. They have been scrambling to get people to create product now with the exception of a few vendors.

I can totally believe this.

People can argue as much as they like but TLJ created this situation. Mismanagement of the brand goes right to the top. Piss off your fans at your own peril.

With some luck The Mandalorian and upcoming shows will steady the ship. Kennedy will be eased out, and they'll get someone in who understands the fans and product, like Faverau, Filoni or Feige.

People will forget the Sequel Trilogy and start to get interested again. And we'll start getting some more good models.

I just hope companies like Bandai don't opt out before SW recuperates from this setback.

OT is the real cash cow. I just hope they still realise that and go with a 1/72 Tie Bomber or Slave 1 in a few years. Or even a 1/72 Razorcrest. That would be awesome.
 
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I know it's a truth widely accepted that the SW license fees are astronomical--so much so that people only have to mention it without supporting the notion. What I can't away from is the retail prices of Fine Molds and Bandai SW kits. You can compare kits straight across the board to kits of other subjects without the same licensing restrictions from lots of different companies--airplanes, etc. Based on quality, size, and parts count, the models cost about the same. (The $400 PG MF is an outlier, regardless of the electronics included.) The only way I can see an astronomical, or even steep, license fee making sense is if Fine Molds, for instance, was hoping to reach SW fans (at a cost) and hope they also buy FM's other subjects, like WW2 aircraft. And that just sounds silly. As far as the why, my brother-in-law has an MBA from Harvard and nearly 30 years in business and marketing. He tells me it's not inconceivable for a company in the position of LucasFilm (with FM) or Disney to first try to get "all they can"; however, when they "can't", they may decide the marketing of, in this case, model kits can help the overall brand, help complete the overall fan experience. And if either manufacturer was just taking losses (accounting for a high fee cost), well, neither would have gone on as long as they have. And if you still think the fees are that high, I still can't complain about the quality and the price and if it continues, so much the better.
Mike Todd
 
It doesn't help that Disney/LFL does so many exclusive licensing deals. I don't think I'll get too many arguments the EA deal has hurt Star Wars gaming. Hasbro (IMHO) has become very tired and stale, the toy license would be better with some fresh blood. Sideshow and Hot Toys are fantastic but way overpriced and could use competition.
 
Don't shoot me please
But if Fine Molds did 1/48 ships I would buy them over the Bandai 1/72 ships. Also like how Fine Molds you didn't have to worry about thinners/washes. Yes they may not of been 100% better on parts detail but I will take 1/48 or larger over 1/72 any day especially on kits like the A-wing , Tie fighters. If you ask me if they released 1/35 of these kits they would sell better. Just my thoughts nothing to back it up but there are a lot of modellers out there that love 1/35.

I'm going to get some hate but when I open up my 1/72 fighter kits I think is that it!!! Is that the size of it!!!! I have been building 1/35 most my life of larger so when I see these little fighters they just feel "toy like" rather than a proper model. I don't mean to put down 1/72 modellers I just feel the Bandai kits are a quick build in 1/72
 
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Not "hate" but I remember the beginning of FM SW. I thought--without seeing the the first 72nd scale x-wing kit--why do it so small. When I saw it, I realized they did amazing stuff with that scale. And, really, there is not much more when you look at the 48th scale X-wing from FM or Bandai (besides the moving wings). The point is, you actually don't lose much with the 72nd scale kits from FM or Bandai. And the MF is the piece that makes everything make sense. (Small Japanese homes or not, a "quarter scale" MF doesn't make sense for most of us.). Still, my holy grail kit is a 48th scale Y-wing, and I know there are enough like-minded people out there that we could start a club on this one point.
Mike Todd
 
I don't disagree with all of what you said, I just like bigger kits. The MF from Bandai is fine as it's a big kit but the smaller fighters need to be scaled up a little for me. I hate the whole the kits need to be small because of the whole Japan thing. If that's the case just do a licence for 1/72 or smaller and let another licence for 1/48 and larger, I know I am whinging like a little school kid.......but I am good at it :) .

Here in Australia the Bandai Gundam kits can be huge!!! I know it's always talked about the licence for different areas. I was happy and sad when I heard about Dragon doing the AT-AT and Snow Speeder I think in 1/35 but like usual Dragon style they disappoint. In saying that if you look at some of the Marvel figures they have done in 1/9, they could easily pump out some great figures. Not really worried about figures as Bandai seem to have 1/12 and 1/6 covered. In saying that I was happy when I thought Dragon might pump out 1/35 SW figure kits like their military sets, now that would of been nice!

Some people talk nonsense about other companies not being able to do justice to SW kits. If you don't think Tamiya could do a ballbuster Snow Speeder, AT-AT or AT-ST you are crazy. You only have to look at Tamiya's new 1/48 Tomcats and Spitfire to see that they could knock them out of the park.
 
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