View Full Version : Rebel pilots.

11-22-2002, 03:06 PM
The rebel pilots have been suffering an identity crisis at the hands of you Hasbro. Pilots have been issued the wrong ships and the wrong flight suit colors and the wrong helmets.

X-wing pilots you got right. But a new Biggs with removable helmet and Mak Case the black X-wing pilot would be great. Not enough ethnic representation in the toys is there? Plenty in the movies but where's the positive role models for ethnic kids in the toys?

Y-wing pilots are the ones that wear the helmet and flight suit that you gave to your rebel pilots cinema scene Arvel Crynyd figure (Arvel Crynyd is apparently the A-wing pilot who flew into the super star destroyer bridge at the battle of Endor). The flight suit should be grey though. A re-issue of this figure with legs that allow him to stand un-aided and a grey flight suit would be prime.

B-wing pilots have the same outfit as Ten Nunb but the flight suit is red, we need a human B-wing pilot soon. to redress the balance you understand. :D

A-wing pilots have similar helmets to Y-wing pilots but open at the chin and without an anti-glare visor. The figure you packed with the A-wing for POTF2 was okay but a little weedy and he had a pin head and his helmet was a bit wrong and more like a B-wing pilots. A new A-wing pilot with a removable helmet would be brilliant. And the color of the flight suit should be a darker, more greyish green, army green. In fact an A-wing pilot that was actually the real Arvel Crynyd, who is shown three times in ROTJ, would be fab. A figure of the guy who took out the super star destroyer - how cool would that be?!!! :)

I will attempt to dig up the relevent pictures as proof positive. It's a simple matter, but one that should be addressed seeing as the rebels are so poorly represented and the imperials have got all the fire power and troops in Hasbro toys. The right pilots for the right ships is all I'm asking.

I'm trying not to sound like a condescending nerd here but I know I'm failing so I'll shut up and go hunt the pictures out. :happy:

Rogue II
11-22-2002, 05:42 PM
I think that is a reasonable request. Army Builders, especially pilots, are almost never pegwarmers. Jek Porkins and POTJ Luke X-Wing seemed to sell very well.

11-22-2002, 05:44 PM
Okay, these examples aren't the best quality but i wanted to keep the pics in one post rather than spread a whole thread for them. Top left is Arvel Crynyd A-wing pilot extraordinaire, bottom right is Mak Case X-wing pilot. Top right is Y-wing pilot Hsu, note his grey flight suit and helmet similar to your Arvel Crynyd figure's.
Bottom left is a group of Y-wing pilots in the rebel briefing room. Again the grey flight suits and all in one helmets with tan boot protectors. Same as the A-wing pilots sat next to them wearing green.
Finally there's the four human B-wing pilots in the red flight suits. Note that there's also a black B-wing pilot so there's two chances to get a black rebel pilot out. ;)

Do you see what I mean now? It's be so easy to get the pilots right. Or nearer the mark. A resculpted A-wing pilot to give us the real Arvel Crynyd, A brand new B-wing pilot in human shape. A slight tweak of the old Arvel Crynyd figure to give us a Y-wing pilot in a grey flight suit. Black rebel pilots. Not too much to ask for I hope. There's probably more chance of us getting these than there is a Yarna D'al Gargan figure eh?

And one last request that all pilots come with removable helmets. It's a ton more fun that way. Cheers. :)

11-22-2002, 10:19 PM
I don't have to justify myself to anyone. I'm simply saying there aren't enough ethnic skintones in toys okay? Kids don't have to have a figure with the same skin color as their own but years of cognitive research in children from birth to teens shows that children get off on seeing positive role models of their own skin color represented in toy form, something to aspire to. But that's sidestepping the whole point of this thread and I won't be drawn on it further. if you have a discussion about rebel pilot figures then please contribute. If not, then what's the point of interrupting the flow.

Back to the subject at hand, I've begun customising my Arvel Crynyd figure so that I can post a better pic and allow you to visualise how he might look if colored correctly. I should have the pics tomorrow night once the paint has dried enough to move him. So far he looks a ton better but he'd look even better than that if his body was actually molded in grey plastic instead. Obviously being a cinema scene figure he has pose problems as he was designed to be stood and twist tied down on the scene base, not free standing. Some simple reposing on his legs would sort that out. A four pack of these guys with different helmets would be really cool. Same with the A-wing and B-wing pilots. The Imperials get these four packs of troopers but the poor old rebels get nada. I know there are items rumored for next year which maty yeild some sort of rebel pilot re-issue or new issue but all the same these pilots I mention are worthy of a carded release of their own don't you think?

11-23-2002, 08:10 PM
Okay, here's the customised Arvel Crynyd figure, painted up the way he should really be. The boot protectors could do with being a little lighter but he's pretty much as close as i can get to the movie costume. This is just a quick slap of paint though. I'll neaten him up later. i just wanted to get something to illustrate my thread.

Apparently the character name is really Telsij as far as I can tell. I'm not sure if that's his surname or first name but there you go.

So, a re-issue of him carded as a proper Y-wing pilot would be pretty cool IMHO. :)

11-23-2002, 08:17 PM
Very nice custom paintjob, Jargo. I want one, send it to me. :D I definatly agree that we need more Rebel Pilot figures, off all colors. But Hasbro shouldn't forget that we need Officers as well, to order them about. Both the Empire, and more importantly the Rebellion is under represented in that department. Atleast the Empire has a few Officers in it's ranks. :)


Jar Jar Binks

11-23-2002, 08:35 PM
True, very true. I think the superiors and officers should get their own thread though. I suppose in a way the Naboo pilots are rebels. We could add a request for a naboo pilot that isn't Ric Olie that has the red overcoat with lovely collars. Nice soft rubbery vinyl would do the trick so it bends properly if you put him into the N1 fighter. And his lower tunic should also be soft rubber. But that's something I'll come back to at another time. :)

I was just looking at my A-wing pilots and my vintage B-wing pilot. Strange that the vintage B-wing pilot has an A-wing pilots helmet. The A-wing pilot himself has something that appears to be a half assed attempt at a helmet and isn't really correct for any pilot. Now, there are two types of A-wing pilot helmet. I will show you. This pic shows the real Arvel Crynyd wearing a visorless helmet which it appears most A-wing pilots wear. Then there is a second similar helmet with a visor over the front. The visor is on a sliding bar so it can be raised. There were A-wing pilots in the rebel briefing room carrying this second type of helmet. Both are cool and if you made a new A-wing pilot it would be extremely cool if he had this second type of helmet as an accessory as well as his normal helmet. As I've said, all helmets should be removable because it's more fun that way. But having both helmets means instant customisation if you buy more than one. Save all the hassle of packaging up a head variant version and just pack the one figure with two different helmets. You could do the same with a generic X-wing pilot I suppose. and the Y-wing pilot.

11-25-2002, 12:33 AM
We would like more pilots Hasbro. We'll buy them if you make them!

11-26-2002, 08:06 AM
Okay, here's an easy one to do. There's a Mon Calamari B-wing pilot so That would swel the pilots numbers if you made him. He's obviously fatter than the human pilots so you couldn't re-use body parts but he looks cool. He has the same helmet as the Mon Calamari officer but he has a sort of canvas collar round his neck and shoulders. The sleeves are shorter but other than that he's just a regular B-wing pilot. Since Admiral Ackbar is supposed to have designed the B-wing it makes sense to have a Mon Calamari pilot for it. I can't get a good enough picture to illustrate this character but in shots of the rebel briefing room he's stood with the Ishi Tibs. This pic is the best I can muster I'm afraid.