NYCC 2018: Hasbro’s Star Wars Reveals, From Prequels To Resistance

Hasbro’s Star Wars team is out in full effect NYCC weekend, with lots of exciting new product reveals, including a new iteration of The Black Series, the debut of the first Star Wars Resistance toys, and more.

New York Comic Con is being bookended by Hasbro Star Wars this year. A fan press event this morning kicked off the Con, showing off some cool new toys across multiple scales and drawing from lots of corners of the Star Wars galaxy, and Sunday will see the return of a Hasbro Star Wars panel to the convention, which promises even more new reveals. In the meantime, we also got a first look at the packaging of the 6″ Archive Collection on Friday, as well.

But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves– for now, as of today, we saw three new Archive figures, two new Black Series releases, and an introduction to the Resistance toy line, all slated for release in 2019. Starting off with the second wave of Archive figures, we’ve got Episode III Anakin Skywalker (whose previous release is notoriously the hardest to find and most valuable Black Series figure), a Biker Scout, and Yoda… who marks the first time Hasbro’s real scan face paint technology has been applied to a puppet (truly a milestone!). This trio will be released Fall 2019.

Also slated for the Fall is the next Walgreens exclusive, General Obi-Wan Kenobi in his (Genndy Tartakovsky) Clone Wars armor. This guy looks great, with a soft goods cape that wraps around his chest armor, and an excellent use of the real scan paint work that really makes the Ewan McGregor portrait pop.

NOT an exclusive is General Grievous, the first “XL” Black Series release which will be released at mass retail. The Gamorrean Guard and Moloch performed well enough that Hasbro decided to elevate this 29.99 “deluxe” price point beyond a store exclusive, and Grievous will be the debut figure. He’s insanely intricate and gorgeously designed, with four articulated arms that can connect into two, and a soft goods cape with sewn pockets to hold his lightsaber trophies. I think this figure looks better than this guy did in Episode III… like, a LOT better.

We also got to see a working production model of The Vintage Collection Sail Barge, and it is very impressive. Seeing this thing in person– from the intricate detailing of its every corner, to the sheer mass and bulk of the piece– left me very impressed. There will be more Barge updates throughout the weekend, as well.  No new figures were revealed for The Vintage Collection, but the card art for Wave 4 was shown for the first time, ever. That would include Klaatu, Scarif Stormtrooper, Yak Face, and Leia in Boussh disguise (complete with separate bubble for her removable helmet, just like the original Kenner toy).

The last major new item on display was the Star Wars: Resistance series, a set of 3.75″ 5 point-of-articulation action figures based on the new Disney XD animated series. Like the Rebels figures before them, the design of these figures matches their animated appearances, and– seeing as they’re mostly pilots– virtually every figure sports a removable helmet. I’m still not sold on the overall look of Resistance, but Hasbro’s figures definitely match what we’ve seen of the character designs. The Resistance figures will come in assortments of single carded figures as well as two-packs, including an animated version of my two best friends, Poe Dameron and BB-8. While only figures were shown at NYCC, it’s hard to imagine a line without vehicles, considering everybody on the show is a pilot.

Here’s some random notes from the Hasbro Star Wars press event:

• Sadly, Hasbro had no information at this time on how US fans can get their hands on the European exclusive Hoth two-pack featuring Leia and Han.
• The Resistance will be its own unique collection, with all new packaging and no Force Link technology included. Hasbro was keeping quiet about the future of the Force Link/ 5 POA toy line…
• Dryden Vos’ color-changing face action feature came about when the design team discovered a cool ink that changed colors in different temperatures, and it seemed like the perfect element to sneak into their Vos figure.
• Like Rebels, if Resistance characters were to be released in The Black Series, they’d be rendered in a real-world style.

And as I said earlier, there will be multiple MORE touchpoints during NYCC from the Hasbro Star Wars crew. The team’s live stream revealed the Archive Collection packaging, as well as a new Han in Stormtrooper armor and Elite Clone Trooper, both part of the Vintage Collection. The Hasbro Star Wars panel happens on Sunday, so check back often for the latest developments, all this weekend!