1/6 Hot Toys - TMS 023 - The Clone Wars: 501st Battalion Clone Trooper (DELUXE VERSION)

[Tee-Kay]

Now this 501st is out of the way and Coruscant Guard likely close behind, they will have the molds available for repaints. 212th is a strong possibility next and they could also be tempted to put the Elite Squad Trooper from The Bad Batch up for PO while the show is airing.

 

[fantasticfrog]

Maybe once these ship out from sideshow kenobi and the 212 will go up. Forget that, hot toys has zero logic.

 

[Jedha Patrol]

View attachment 529621

Pretty odd to see certain things delayed but others moved up.

Wonder what’s going on over there.


Agreed. It’s getting pretty exhausting dealing with so many people who think they know it all. Especially market speculators.

I miss just a few years ago when it felt more enthusiast oriented with fewer people just in it for the hype and profit/flipping.

I’m not sure if anyone has true inside knowledge, but some folks are definitely good at getting info out of others on the sly and greasing some wheels.

Others just seem to like guessing, like you said.

I do my best not to speculate. And honestly, I don't really give a crap about market prices on figures after I already own them.

 

[Hoody999]

This one is my favorite.
View attachment 529632

I can smell a dark side Anakin re-release. Especially considering secondary market prices.

 

[chrisstbh]

I can smell a dark side Anakin re-release. Especially considering secondary market prices.

It could happen, especially if they want to do a quick, easy and lazy con exclusive, but I never take these blogger photos as teasing anything since they don't really work for Hot Toys and just use what they have in hand to recreat cool scenes.

 

[potatoes212]

Wow, I was not expecting this release today. The blogger photos look outstanding--My Cody is feeling lonely without his brothers! Big win for multiple era helmets!!!!

 

[CrankbaitJon]

They probably have a production line just for clones. Kind of like Ironman. One gets released, another gets announced.

 

[CrankbaitJon]

I can smell a dark side Anakin re-release. Especially considering secondary market prices.

I hope not. There are already 3 Anakins with the same face.

They can actually do a Admiral Tarkin for con exclusive. Not much change from the original, niche market figure, high price for original. Fits their criteria for con exclusive

 

[darth dennis]

Maybe once these ship out from sideshow kenobi and the 212 will go up. Forget that, hot toys has zero logic.

Glad you caught yourself with that last part...

 

[MyenShi]

Now this 501st is out of the way and Coruscant Guard likely close behind, they will have the molds available for repaints. 212th is a strong possibility next and they could also be tempted to put the Elite Squad Trooper from The Bad Batch up for PO while the show is airing.

I’ve said for a while it’s surprising that they haven’t announced an Elite Squad Trooper yet. Easy repaint. Maybe that’ll be a convention exclusive. Would be nice to get Imperial Crosshair as well.

I can smell a dark side Anakin re-release. Especially considering secondary market prices.

The first one took a while to sell out. I don’t see a reissue coming, especially with another Anakin already on the way.

A few figures have been reissued as convention exclusives, but I don’t think there’s been a case where a convention exclusive item has been reissued.

They probably have a production line just for clones. Kind of like Ironman. One gets released, another gets announced.

Hot Toys is better at being a business than some people fully appreciate. It’s not easy for a straight collectibles company to stay afloat.

I think they’ve studied and discussed at length Sideshow’s time with Clones. And while I think they could stand to release them a little faster, I think I understand why they haven’t.

There was definitely collector fatigue with Sideshow’s Clones towards the end, even with some very good figures coming out. I was able to find some of those later Clones a while after retail, a few at discounted prices.

There’s certainly now a lot of pent up demand especially from Western collectors. More Clones are coming, but perhaps not as quickly as some might expect or want.

They’ve got a lot of figures to make and Marvel will be ramping up soon, which sell better in their domestic market.

 

[TurdFurgusonsHat]

Nice to see HT shipping out actual product

 

[chrisstbh]

Nice to see HT shipping out actual product

How dare they? At this rate I'll have no pre-orders left!!

 

[Mike86]

I think they’ve studied and discussed at length Sideshow’s time with Clones. And while I think they could stand to release them a little faster, I think I understand why they haven’t.

There was definitely collector fatigue with Sideshow’s Clones towards the end, even with some very good figures coming out. I was able to find some of those later Clones a while after retail, a few at discounted prices.

This makes sense to me. Hot Toys could easily flood us with Clone after Clone, but how many is too many, and how many people are really going to buy them all?

Makes sense to do the key characters like Cody and Rex. Throw in 501st and Coruscant Guards for some variety like they’ve done. Characters from The Bad Batch are unique so I can see why at least a couple of them are being made.

Beyond that though I think they’re better off carefully choosing which variants to release. Even if they are easy they don’t want to be sitting on them forever and ultimately losing money.

 

[Hoody999]

I hope not. There are already 3 Anakins with the same face.

They can actually do a Admiral Tarkin for con exclusive. Not much change from the original, niche market figure, high price for original. Fits their criteria for con exclusive

Oh Id be all over a new Tarkin. They could put in both rank badges to swap out like they did with Krennic.

Con exclusive for Bad Batch) would be perfect !

 

[Hoody999]

They probably have a production line just for clones. Kind of like Ironman. One gets released, another gets announced.

You're probably right there. They seem to have this new pad print painting for a lot of stuff. So armoured troops are perfect for that sort of process. Then just assemble and box up.

That proxess is a godsend. Gives us more detail on weathering etc. And they don't have to worry about timely hand painting etc.

 

[MyenShi]

This makes sense to me. Hot Toys could easily flood us with Clone after Clone, but how many is too many, and how many people are really going to buy them all?

Makes sense to do the key characters like Cody and Rex. Throw in 501st and Coruscant Guards for some variety like they’ve done. Characters from The Bad Batch are unique so I can see why at least a couple of them are being made.

Beyond that though I think they’re better off carefully choosing which variants to release. Even if they are easy they don’t want to be sitting on them forever and ultimately losing money.

Exactly. Those of us who were collecting when Sideshow was heavy into Clones can remember how over saturated it felt as the line went on.

I love troopers and Clones are awesome, and I understand the draw of seemingly easy money by doing repaints and slight retools. But even folks who were diehard collectors and fans needed a break.

It's important to sandwich trooper releases with other figures like characters, aliens, and droids.

 

[Rbeato]

Expect a Darkside Anakin reissue. Just sayin...

 

[fantasticfrog]

I started with ss with the very fist Jedi Luke (who always looked frightened, maybe he knew what Kathleen Kennedy was going to do to him). Anyway, the clone onslaught was horrible and almost made me quit 1:6. It was just easy repaint after repaint, with floppy bodies. The 212 and maybe a galactic marine is fine with me and then hot toys can get to real pt and ot characters we need like mace, padme, sidious, C3po, rotj scouts , rotj Vader, and the figure who must not be named who got frozen on bespin.

 

[dukefett]

Now this 501st is out of the way and Coruscant Guard likely close behind, they will have the molds available for repaints. 212th is a strong possibility next and they could also be tempted to put the Elite Squad Trooper from The Bad Batch up for PO while the show is airing.

Is it too much to ask to just get plain white AotC and RotS Phase 1 and 2 (or a deluxe pack) Clone Troopers? I really don't care for every single variant.

 

[ScoutingForToys]

Is it too much to ask to just get plain white AotC and RotS Phase 1 and 2 (or a deluxe pack) Clone Troopers? I really don't care for every single variant.

I've got the deluxe 501st on PO but I'd love a plain white AoTC phase 1 trooper.