DARTH VADER said:
Pretty good reason they never made a vintage Ronto. It didn't exist until the 1997 Special Edition.
While in retrospect, and compared to today's Hasbro standard of 28365 figures per year, it's confusing why certain figures didn't get made for ANH (Tarkin, Sandtrooper, Owen, Beru, etc.), it actually makes sense. Kenner took a huge gamble on a film that almost never got made - and one that was expected to come and go into obscurity quickly. NO ONE knew the impact and longevity the film would have. We should be very lucky we got those first 12 figures at all, as even the scale was a risk (boys figures up to then were mostly 12" like GI Joe and Action Man, or 8"like the MEGO lines).
For the second wave, after the unexpected massive success, they tried to make a second wave as quickly as possible. The choices they made were very specific. Needed a pilot for the X-Wing Fighter, and they were putting out two major playsets (Land of the Jawas and Creature Cantina). The four aliens filled in the Cantina, and the three droids were for the LotJ playset. It takes about a year from initial concept to retail, so with 1978 proving the first 12 were huge, 1979 was for the second wave.
By the time they realized the line would continue, ESB was on the way, so production shifted to figures for the new movie, as opposed to what would have been a three year old movie at that point. They would not revisit ANH with new figures until POTF in 1985, and with sales falling and no new movies in sight, the line ended before they could get to those on everyone's wish lists. The original run of 92-100 figures, depending on what you include, was FAR more ambitious than any movie line before it, so while in hindsight they missed a ton of figures, for that era, the line was groundbreaking.
More figures WERE planned, but the line's cancellation means many would never be known, although of course we all know there were plans for some, like Yarna, Luke in medical frigate robes, and some new Emperor figure. I'm sure that given time, we would have seen a Han Stormtrooper as well. However, technology would have prevented a removable helmet Vader, and I imagine Oola and Slave Leia wouldn't have been made due to conservative mindsets back then.
Ian
