MCM London Comic Con Reveals

 Hasbro Pulse's 10/27 Fan Stream did little for Star Wars, but a lot for GI Joe and Transformers fans. With the MCM London Comic Con happening in Great Britain, Hasbro had some massive reveals for both the Black Series and Vintage Collection  along with something I thought I'd NEVER see from Hasbro! I will not cover every reveal, just the ones I found interesting. And by having a full week to go over things, I can settle down and think clearly about what I liked! The only photos I have are for the VC reveals, not the Black Series or pipeline reveals.

VINTAGE COLLECTION

-A couple repacks: Cassian Andor (no image) from Rogue One gets a photo real update, as does Finn from Episode 7, but he finally makes it into the VC. Honestly, I plan on getting both in the near future. I collect mains on cards, and Finn is definitely a main, but I have 4 already, and got them for $5 a piece. Cassian badly needed photo real (so does Jyn Erso). The good news is these won't be at retail but Fan Channel sites only (Hasbro Pulse, Entertainment Earth, Big Bad Toy Store, etc).

-Count Dooku!! Finally! I love the card image, and the figure looks impressive! He has a swappable Force Lightning hand, as well as a lit lightsaber and unlit hilt. This is definitely a must have for any Prequel or Clone Wars VC display!

-Phase I Clonetrooper. For me, this is my final troop build for the VC. I have a squad, plus tons of ARC Troopers/Named Clones to lead them. I have a favorable view of the Phase II Clonetrooper, but this will be on the AOTC card, with the image from the final part of that movie. I might get one to keep carded since I do like this image!


BLACK SERIES

-Anakin and Padme from TPM will come in 2024, as The Phantom Menace celebrates it's 25th anniversary! I'm happy for those that want them, but personally, I want this in the VC. But I was more excited for what I never thought Hasbro would offer in the Age of Disney....

-Heir To The Empire 4 pack!! Now actually from the novel The Last Command, but Hasbro will offer Luke Skywalker, Mara Jade, Luuke Skywalker and Jedi Master Joruus C'baoth!! I never in my wildest dreams thought Clone Luke (spelled Luuke in the original Thrawn Trilogy as clones had vowel issues while speaking, but also to let readers know the character was a clone) and C'baoth would EVER get figures! Now while I would have liked a VC version of this, as a Legends fan I'm getting this! Hopefully it's successful and leads to more Legends characters in 2024! We're already getting Starkiller in the Black Series, maybe Jaina Solo gets repacked sometime next year? Yakface has hinted that this isn't the only Legends characters slated for 2024, as more may be coming!


VC PIPELINE REVEALS

Star Wars Rebels gets some VC love! To go with Thrawn there will be Season 1 looks for Kanan Jarrus and Zeb! For me, this is Kanan's definitive look, even though he's blinded by Maul as shown in the HasLab Ghost which will have that version packed in. Zeb's first season look is one I felt was too bright, but if you missed out on the HasLab, this is a good consolation prize.

Ezra Bridger is also coming to the VC, but they showed a hologram version. The Black Series showed the same, but when that figure was released it wasn't holographic at all. I hope that's the case for the VC version, which if it is will be a slight repaint of the Ezra that's coming with The Ghost. And now, with Ezra, Hasbro will have the entire Ghost Crew in the VC, as they do for the Black Series!




FINAL THOUGHTS

These would have been nice for the fan stream, but these reveals made up for it, on the Star Wars end. While I understand repacks for both lines are needed to keep costs down, newly tooled figures like Count Dooku for the VC, and TPM Padme for the Black Series will no doubt sell well. These are things I hope Hasbro is able to keep doing consistently: look at one of the best selling action figures on Amazon this year, the VC ROTJ Darth Vader. While technically a repack with a new headsculpt and hand-less accessory, it utilized the Dark Times Vader buck. Smart repack. Dumb repack was Endor Leia, and I could argue Finn since that's a figure from 2015, and one you can find for under $10 on eBay. Hasbro is really hoping the Kenner card will inflate sales, which it will short term.

Hasbro has admitted toy sales are way down across the board. Collectors are being smart with their money in these uncertain economic times. But, Collectors will pay for newly tooled fan favorite figures: whether it's GI Joe, Transformers or Star Wars. There's your money in the bank, Hasbro! Stick to that plan: more newly tooled fan-favorites and mains!


Images from Entertainment Earth. Thanks for reading! Please share this link on your social media accounts so I can get more readers!