Bandai release schedule

You'd think it would be obvious that small model figures that are not articulated would not be considered "action figures" and therefore not a violation of some other company's vendor contract, but these are business people and lawyers we're talking about. I suspect the toy company execs and lawyers blocking Bandai know damn well that Bandai's model figures aren't competition in any way, but their egos and territorial obsessions won't allow them to ever admit it.

These are the figures Hasbro is theoretically being protective of:

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Hasbro owns Galoob now, and thus the MicroMachines name. These figures are pretty much 1:72, so standing 1:72 figures with model kits could be seen as one licensee infringing on another's turf.

--Jonah
 
Hasbro owns Galoob now, and thus the MicroMachines name. These figures are pretty much 1:72, so standing 1:72 figures with model kits could be seen as one licensee infringing on another's turf.

--Jonah

I can see that. At the same time, you'd think reasonable people would say, "Our products are intended for different purposes and whatever overlap there may be is so minor and involves so few people that it isn't worth making a broo-ha-ha over." Would the people interested in the mIcromachine characters really say, "Naw! I'm not going to buy these pre-painted figures to play with because I'd rather buy a model of a vehicle to get the one unpainted standing figure inside." I mean, if Bandai wanted to be doinks about it they could just as easily argue that Micromachines is infringing on THEIR turf by selling characters at the same scale as their models. It's not like there isn't a long history (i.e. legal precedent) of models being sold with accompanying scale figures, both sitting and standing. In any event, Disney/Lucasfilm needs to step in and either revise the contracts or change them the next time they're up for renewal. They own the creative property and can decide how they wanted it exploited.
 
You'd think it would be obvious that small model figures that are not articulated would not be considered "action figures" and therefore not a violation of some other company's vendor contract, but these are business people and lawyers we're talking about. I suspect the toy company execs and lawyers blocking Bandai know damn well that Bandai's model figures aren't competition in any way, but their egos and territorial obsessions won't allow them to ever admit it.

You would think Fantasy Flight Games Imperial Assault is miniature game and not really a board game but Hasbro went after them for infringing on their Star Wars board game license

I’m sorry to say that due to an agreement that we have with Hasbro owning the rights to Star Wars board games in North America, that we can not sell Imperial Assault on our website.
 
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I don't really need the standing characters.....unless the do a republic gunship. Then I want clones and jedi hanging out in the back.

Big agree. That's really the only kit I can imagine that would be an issue. A gunship without at least three or four troopers in the hold seems just... naked.
 
Standing figures I couldn't care less about. But for something like the individual fighting craft--an X-Wing, A-Wing, B-Wing, any of the TIE variations, etc.--I'd like a three-dimensional pilot figure for the cockpit.
 
Big agree. That's really the only kit I can imagine that would be an issue. A gunship without at least three or four troopers in the hold seems just... naked.
I would love to do a diorama with a bunch of clones zip lining down to a planet surface. But using those ziplines as the stand for the gunship

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Maybe I'm in minority, but I'd really love a 1/72 or 1/144 scale Tydirium shuttle. More than a B-wing.

I'm in agreement with you on this (in 1:144, anyway).

There's already an excellent 1:144 B-Wing from F-Toys, which is easily available for around $10 on eBay (I have two). There's the Anigrand shuttle Tydirium resin kit, but it runs around $185 on eBay. Having a Bandai kit, which would probably be around $40 like the Falcon and Slave-1, would make it much more accessible - both financially, and for those who aren't skilled at building resin kits.
 
How much harder could a resin kit be? It's just a different type of plastic isn't it?
A LOT harder, typical challenges:
- no alignment pins or guides
- misaligned surfaces
- shrinkage in parts
- pits, voids to fill
- need to cut off casting blocks
- nuisance dust from cutting, sanding, grinding
- need to use Epoxy or cocrylonitrate (Super Glue) to join parts
- dissimilar materials to bond
- not all paints are compatible, priming usually a must
- weight of casted parts can create problems, may need reinforcement.
- "***** IT" and project is chucked into the garbage can may be overheard...


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How much harder could a resin kit be? It's just a different type of plastic isn't it?
Yes and no. Resin kits are a whole different beast. A lot, a lot, a lot of sanding and making parts fit that don't want to fit. Gap filler more sanding, rescribing panel lines, and did I mention more sanding.

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