Free OOM-9! Free OOM-9! Free OOM-9!
Today’s Hunter’s Holy Grail should be a choice for that "Greatest Hits" poll that everyone is kvetching about. The "Trophy Asst." OOM-9 is a total resculpt of the figure that actually made it to production and packaging level. It was dumped at the last minute when the Episode I line was tanking.
Now the people at Hasbro act like they’ve never heard of the figure, which puzzles those of us who have been around for the past decade collecting these modern lines.
The OOM-9 action figure that was actually released for the Episode I line featured the ‘chunky’ body and inaccurate headsculpt that also plagued the initial batch of Battle Droids. I was raising hosannahs to the sky when pictures first leaked of this ‘fixed’ version of the figure. I even had the chance to purchase the figure from the Asian grey market for a princely sum of $30, but I balked; thinking that the surplus figures would be dumped with all of the other offal of the Episode I line at liquidation by KB Toys or Big Lots. Yes, I kick myself regularly for it now.
So, Hasbro, can you folks send someone into the vaults to try to dig this bad boy up? You have the technology. You can rebuild him, etc. A Battle Pack with this OOM-9, the Trophy Asst. Obi-Wan Kenobi (aka Swamp Obi-Wan Kenobi), a corrected Battle Droid with STAP, and a few other bits and bobs would make a lot of collectors happy! Think about it.
Click here and here for more/bigger images of the Trophy Asst. OOM-9 action figure.
OK, so, clearing that out of the way, a lot of upset collectors have been voicing their opinions about the polling for the 2007 "Greatest Hits" Asst. figures. Folks, I hate to say it, but no voting system is going to be 100% secure. Here in America, our voting systems, the legendary "black box voting" has been proven to be hackable by middle-schoolers. That’s not to knock the guys doing it, it’s a lot of hard work, and I’m sure they took every reasonable precaution to try to prevent tampering with our community’s vote.
If you’re truly desperate for Hasbro to hear your voice, WRITE TO THEM. Send an old-fashioned postcard, and jot a politely worded request on it. It’s that simple.
Or create a blog, and make a lot of suggestions.
P.S. To whomever decided to heed my advice about putting together a Max Rebo Band boxed set, I thank you, and the collectors will thank you. (Please make sure to include Jabba’s Dancers, and at least give them knee articulation.)
October 24th, 2006 at 8:02 am
Amen! Do this figure and do it now!
I would really like to see a battlepack or an exclusive with the different marked battle droids. Red, green, blue…for each of the different functions they perform. I have always been dumbfounded as to why we never got pilot battle droids carded or a re-release of the security battle droid (Naboo battlepack notwithstanding.)
This would be a good choice to represent Episode I!
October 24th, 2006 at 8:26 am
I think I missed something somewhere….there will be a Max Rebo box set? When approximately? Where can I read more? Frankly (yeah yeah, this is the standard ol’school complaint) I’d rather NOT have any of Jabba’s dancers, even if they could "get down" on their knees. Why not make this the perfect opportunity to throw in a SE Gargan (with kick-action!), maybe a less yellow Oola, and some other party-down denizen we don’t yet have or need an update of? And while I’d LOVE it to be a classic version of Sy Snootles, I won’t hold my breath knowing it has a snow ball’s chance, so I’d settle for the updated 3 piece band and some extras. Again, I could do without any of the special ed musicians or add-ons. They just add a certain inauthenticity to the whole scene and inject cynicism into a universe that had relegated cynicism to the dust bin! Okay, I’m starting to rant about the classic OT vs. SE and that can only lead to the dark side…just to say I’d rather have other characters from that scene that span both versions, rather than the dancers. OOM-9 looks good too!
October 24th, 2006 at 8:44 am
Robert, apparently the Max Rebo Band figures were pulled from the poll at Hasbro‘s request because they’re ‘on hold’ for an exclusive set.
I hope it’s a few Battle Packs with a couple of newly kitbashed figures from Jabba’s Palace. I hope it’s not some big Diamond box thing like the Death Star Conference set.
If rumors are accurate, a newly sculpted Oola is coming next year as a basic figure. That should make her more accurate.
Gargan… (Drool!!!)
October 24th, 2006 at 10:52 am
OOM-9 would be cool. I would like to see a four pack or more of battle droids. Maybe its just me, but they seem harder to troop build than clones do. Maybe its because clones are a whole lot more cool than driods, but the clones need someone to fight besides Jedi’s. Max Rebo’s band thing sounds cool. I know its SE, but it would be cool to have the weequay drummer in a set like that. Thats cool that they are going to make a new Oola next year. I cant wait for that. The exclusive mail away one is too expensive for having no better articulation than what she does.
October 24th, 2006 at 1:57 pm
I think the Kris Kimball raises a good point. We collectors now have loads of very cool clones and repainted Starfighters, but very cool (or at least very boring) opponents for them to battle. The robot vehicles in particular are just lame. If Hasbro is reading this I hope that the TV and Animated series give us some better bad guys to buy–something we would want to do army building.
October 26th, 2006 at 7:23 pm
Just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to Galactic Blogger for the Hasbro freebie poster! I was out of town for a while and just got it. Thanks again.
October 30th, 2006 at 9:25 am
I want a free OOM-9!
Battle Droid figures are not really too exciting; it doesn’t matter how their painted. I also don’t think Hasbro has every really mastered a sculpt that captures their duck-walk posture from the films.