Today toy manufacturer Hasbro unveiled a bold new crowdsourcing platform. Called HasLab, its goal is to gauge customer demand for so-called “dream products,” which it will only produce and ship once a certain pre-order threshold is met. The first project is a recreation of Jabba the Hut’s sail barge from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, which runs $499 and is expected to ship in Feb. 2019.
The Vintage Collection Jabba’s Sail Barge, also known as The Khetanna, is a more than four foot-long prestige piece for Star Wars toy collectors. If the project goes forward, it will be fully compatible with the 3.75-inch Kenner-style Star Wars toys, first produced in 1978. Signed on to the project is Mark Boudreaux, principal designer at Hasbro and a 40-year veteran of the Star Wars toy line. Fans will need to pre-order 5,000 units for the campaign to succeed.
HasLab is explicitly a pre-order system and not a crowdfunding campaign. While the product itself is still under development, the manufacture and delivery of the toy is backed by Hasbro, a leader in the industry. In that way it’s more like the P500 system used by GMT Games, which only produces certain boutique tabletop games once at least 500 pre-orders have been received.
Jabba’s sail barge will be 49.35 inches long and stand more than 17 inches high. It will include exterior weapons, cloth sails, louvered windows and a scale Jabba The Hut figure. According to Hasbro, the minimum feature list includes the following:
A. Take control in the two-person cockpit, complete with a full instrument layout and navigation system
B. Hold enemies captive in the prisoner’s cell with a sliding door, floor drains, wall-chained ankle shackles, and Hammerhead skeleton shackled to the cell
C. Head to the galley to cook up the “fresh” catch of the day using built in grill top and sink
D. Prepare for battle in the armory, equipped with a weapons repair bench and storage racks
E. Kick back in Jabba’s Lounge, finished with ornate details including wall mounted trophy heads
F. Integrated deck gratings help to illuminate interior compartments
G. Capture and hold prisoners easily with a prison cell drop door on the forward deck
H. A hidden “smugglers” compartment located in the armory floor. Two rotating cannons with 6 rail-mounted locations provides defense against enemies from every angle
J. Explore the dunes of the planet Tatooine and beyond with 2 soft-cloth, fabric sails
K. Operational shutters in Jabba’s Lounge help to minimize distractions and protect from glares of the blazing twin suns of Tatooine
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The project will be set into motion once 5,000 pre-orders have been received. Participants will be charged only if that threshold is met, and then only after the campaign is over on April 3. Hasbro itself is unclear if the product will ever make it to store shelves, or even be available for purchase online. Basically, if you want one you need to sign up and hope the effort meets its goal.
The HasLab process is an entirely new endeavor for Hasbro. Polygon has reached out for more details.
