On June 7th, Hasbro unveiled the worst kept secret in the toy industry with the launch campaign for the latest Haslab. The Cantina has long been at the top of collector’s wish lists for some time and the dream could soon become a reality – if you choose to back.
I’m sure if you’re reading this then you’ll know all the ins and outs of the campaign but before we get into the whys or why nots of backing, let’s recap the basics.
• There are two choices of purchase. The base offering is £399.99 and the deluxe offering is £499.99. If you back either of these then you get the exclusive figure offerings of Wuher and the Tonnika Sisters.
• There are three stretch goals. 11,000 backers will unlock Greedo. 14,000 backers unlocks Nabrun Leids and finally, 17,000 backers will unlock Arleil Schous.
• The campaign window closes at 04:59am BST on July 9th 2024.
• The Cantina needs 8,000 backers to become successful and go into production.
For full disclosure, I’m writing as someone who backed The Razor Crest a few weeks into the campaign and backed the Ghost in the first 24 hours. At the time of writing, I have not backed the Cantina yet.
Part I: Why you should back the Cantina
• The figures offered in the initial offering, Wuher and the Tonnika Sisters, have been stipulated to only be available in this Haslab. If you’re a completist, you’ll need these.
• Hasbro have launched the #ReturntoTatootine campaign, too. This meaning that, if they’re true to their word, we can expect a lot of figures to populate this wretched hive of scum and villainy.
• There have been a lot of 3.75” action figures related to the Cantina released over the years. So, if you have these already, then when the Cantina arrives (around October 2025) you’ll be good to go.
• This has the potential to become a centrepiece of collections with quite endless display options. So, if you’ve been after this for a while and perhaps the Power of the Force 2 cardboard version doesn’t quite do it for you, then now is the time.
• Haslabs are always cheaper when they’re Haslabs. If this is something that you really want, the advice from many would be to get it now. I’ve seen Haslabs go for triple their initial cost on the secondary market.
Part II: Why you should leave the Haslab
• Let’s start with the obvious. The cost. £400/500 for a playset is a lot of cash. Haslabs work on charging you, if successful, once the campaign ends. This money needs to be in your account or available on your credit card in just a few short weeks. Let’s be blunt about this. If you can’t afford it -don’t do it. Collecting should always be fun and within your means.
• Celebration Japan is less than a year away. I’m going. Brought the tickets last month. The whole trip needs planning. Flights need booking and hotels need reserving. Spending money needs saving. Let’s say you’re going to Japan but are also on the fence about the Haslab. Will this £400 now come out of your Celebration budget. Do you want an experience or the toy?
• This is a much shorter campaign window. The whole thing is 31 days. That’s not a lot of time to move funds or even find funds if you have other things in life going on. This is also the second Haslab in less than a year and we haven’t received the Ghost yet.
• This thing is going to be huge. Do you have the space?
• Ask yourself this…do you really want it? It’s really easy to get caught up in the excitement of Haslabs. There’s nothing worse in collecting than not trusting your guy and getting carried away with it all and finding that that thing you brought isn’t actually what you wanted. Go into your collection room and try and picture it. Is The Vintage Collection your focus? Is this your dream item? Ask yourself all these and take your time. They’ll be a lot of people of social media telling you to do it NOW! NOW! NOW! But we need to be sensible about this. This isn’t a new figure for a few quid. We’re talking about a lot of money.
Catch 22
There’s a thing that can happen with Haslabs and could likely be happening with this one. If you’re waiting to see if the Haslab smashes its goal and then unlocks all the tiers before you click buy – then you might be doing the same thing as many, many others. Now, if this is happening, it’ll never reach its goals until the final minutes – if at all.
We’ve seen failed Haslabs before. Could this one be another? I suspect it’ll pass its 8,000 needed for production but I’m unsure about all the tier unlocks.
Final thoughts…
As for myself, I need to listen to my own advice. I’m unsure. Celebration Japan is creeping on the horizon and with the way time is flying lately, it’ll be here before we know it. I’ve also encountered another obstacle. For a few pennies more then the cost of the Haslab, one could buy an original Kenner Cantina playset in not-too-bad condition. Now, this has thrown up a real conundrum.
Hopefully this has helped a little. Perhaps after the campaign ends I’ll do a follow up piece of whether I backed it or not. I do want the Cantina but I also want to have the best time at Celebration.
So, listen to your heart but whilst you’re doing that, I’d also be looking at your wallet.
