Originally posted by BingoBongo275+Dec 24 2005, 06:03 AM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(BingoBongo275 @ Dec 24 2005, 06:03 AM)</div>
@Dec 23 2005, 10:07 PM
MR has sent out an update.
There has been a lot of concern regarding the new Limited Edition/Collectors Edition strategy. Here are some key things to know regarding why we have a new Limited Edition/Collectors Edition strategy: - When the Limited Edition version of an item sells out, then it will be gone for good. [snapback]1142559[/snapback]
They forgot to add
"However we retain the right to bring out another version of the same product in a slightly different material and call it the "EE", or an "XE" or a "30th Anniv" or whatever we may decide, now or in the future"
I'm sorry to go on about this. But if you bring out a Limited Edition of something of 500 units, then its ethically wrong IMO to re release what is effectively the same product a year later when those 500 have gone.
Cheers
Jez
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I think people are jumping to conclusions that might not turn out to be correct. For the 2005 Star Wars line, MR made edition sizes that were too big and not disclosed. In turn, several of the sabers have been available for much less than the MSRP because the demand while greater than for previous sabers wasn't as much as they may have anticipated. I know that I put off buying the ones I bought until they were on sale. In the past, I had waited until items were close to selling out, but this year you couldn't tell when that would be.
For the 2006 line, they are going back to more limited edition sizes for the LE replicas. Since they expect demand to be greater and realize that some people want good replicas for costuming, they are introducing the CE line. Personally, I am unwilling to wear an LE or SE saber with a costume, so I am looking forward to this line. Of course, the sabers I want have already been released, so it is yet to be determined if MR is going to create CE sabers of products released in 2005 or before. So far, they have announced just four of their six LE editions will also be CE. I imagine that the Fett helmet might be so much that a CE will still not be affordable.
I do think that MR has erred in regards to the Elite Edition and Luke ANH saber. Their first EE was for the Luke ROTJ saber which was one of the first LE that they made and had long been sold out, so that made sense. The third EE was the Obi-Wan TPM which is very similar to the OWK AOTC that had also long sold out and hadn't initially been sold with a display case. Now as to why they put out a Luke ANH EE when they were planning to make a Luke ANH SE and LE, I don't understand. From the comments here, it is certainly a bad marketing decision. I'm not really sure why they are even doing another Luke SE. I haven't bought the Vader ESB SE because I already have the Vader ANH SE. I would have much rather had a Liam Neeson Qui-Gonn signature edition. Perhaps, the new Luke will be Mark Hamill and Hayden Christensen. But back to the ANH Luke. You had to think that this was at least a possibilty. Prior to 2005, they had already done OWK, Vader and Luke from 2 movies, so the possibility was certainly out there that they would expand to do an LE for more of the movies for these characters and they are. With the 2006 announcement, we are loooking at 3 Luke's, 4 Vader's, 3 Obi-Wan's, 2 Anakin's, and 2 Yoda's. I'm sure there are people out there who want a 2nd Mace or Dooku and a 4th Obi-Wan LE is a possibilty, but given how slowly the EE sold, it might not happen.
The questions that have not been answered about the CE line are 1) will they make versions for previously sold-out lines (Luke ROTJ, Mace, Obi-Wan ANH) or just future ones? and 2) will they make a CE without having made a LE (or EE)? The answer to the second question will be based on a lot of things, notably pre-production cost, quality of the CE line, and demand for particular characters. The first question is more important, and so far, the answer is no. They will have a Luke and Vader lightsaber and Boba Fett blaster. They could make other Han and Leia blasters in the future, but I wouldn't count on it. Despite what others have said, they have not re-released a new edition of a previously limited saber. Since they have said that there isn't really a way to even make a Mace Windu EE, it seems unlikely that they will be making 30th Anniversary Limited editions and the like of previous limited editions with negligible differences. There have been two instances when they have done something close. The Luke ROTJ EE sold out in 20 minutes and now the original Luke ROTJ LE is still about twice MSRP as is the EE. The ANH EE sold out in 10 minutes, but is still worth about MSRP, so you shouldn't buy he LE with hope that it will appreciate in value, but this way, more people will be able to at least have a high-quality replica.
