Launched in 2005 through Wal-Mart, this line of toys features replicas in metal of Star Wars vehicles and characters. The early success of this line resulted in a much expanded release across other retailers the following year, including attempts to branch out into other properties such as Transformers, Marvel and most recently Indiana Jones. Unfortunately, none of these other properties have seen the success that the Star Wars line has, and so each had been discontinued after a few waves. In March of 2009, following significant quantities of repaints and price increases, Hasbro announced through their Q&A with Sir Steve's Guide that the Titanium Series would go on "hiatus" at the end of 2009. While this move wasn't unexpected, it is very disappointing for those of us who feel that Action Figures are not the be all and end all of Star Wars toys.
This line has had several sub-lines, none of which was as successful as the standard 3" vehicle line. 5" Ultra vehicles provided a much higher level of detail than the smaller scale, but the higher price point made it more difficult for the Ultra vehicles to sell because they weren't an impulse buy like the smaller vehicles. Another sub-line that failed was called Forged Figures. These were all metal versions of Hasbro's standard 3.75" figures, produced in 2 styles: a standard colored version and a silver "Limited Edition" version. This line was designed to draw in fans of standard action figures as well as fans of the Titanium series, but the higher cost associated with these meant that they also weren't an impulse buy on the level of either action figures or Titanium series 3" vehicles.
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