hellpop Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 Got some of these from Luke the other day, and I'm pretty happy with them. I think there's some really clever design elements that really push the basic Minimate form. I remain hopeful that these are going to do well when they FINALLY turn up at Toys R Us. I think that success there is really the only way we'll get to see more Battle Beasts, as they seem to be a complete non-starter on the specialty market. I mean, has ANYONE seen these at a comic book store? Has anyone bought them from anyone besides Luke? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delta chameleon Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 Got some of these from Luke the other day, and I'm pretty happy with them. I think there's some really clever design elements that really push the basic Minimate form. I remain hopeful that these are going to do well when they FINALLY turn up at Toys R Us. I think that success there is really the only way we'll get to see more Battle Beasts, as they seem to be a complete non-starter on the specialty market. I mean, has ANYONE seen these at a comic book store? Has anyone bought them from anyone besides Luke? Unforunately not. I went to 6 different comic book stores all around my area, and couldn't find the LCS wave anywhere, and ended up ordering them from Luke. I am happy to support Luke's shop, but I was hoping to find them in a local comic shop so that I could show my support there, encouraging the shop to order more/the next waves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sky_dive Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 Yeah, but they were ridiculously overpriced. Not to say I didn't buy they, but I also snagged two comic art cells at half price, because I bought them. Got some of these from Luke the other day, and I'm pretty happy with them. I think there's some really clever design elements that really push the basic Minimate form. I remain hopeful that these are going to do well when they FINALLY turn up at Toys R Us. I think that success there is really the only way we'll get to see more Battle Beasts, as they seem to be a complete non-starter on the specialty market. I mean, has ANYONE seen these at a comic book store? Has anyone bought them from anyone besides Luke? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Paco Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 Still no Battle Beast Minimates in Bloomington/Normal, IL TRU. They didn't get any minimates on this truck. I am tired of seeing the ones that are starting to collect dust (Halo, MvC and Amazing Spider-Man movie). I wish they would get the Battle Beast and fresh shipment of the Walking Dead so I can get a Lori Grimes. I will share again next week when I update on the possible continued non-arrivial of the Battle Beasts in Blo/No, IL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridureyu Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 (edited) Hiya! I'm the dude who wrote the negative review, and who also founded the site that ended up becoming Little Rubber Guys (waaaaaay back in the late '90s. jkaris is doing a better job than I ever did). Please don't take this as defensive, I'm actually REALLY JAZZED that people noticed it! Seriously, I saw this site as a referrer in the traffic from Nerditis (please keep visiting there!), and then noticed the mentions of Little Rubber Guys, and it's kind of amazing. So I just thought I'd bring a few things up: -Honestly, I don't spend much time in the Beastformers section of LRG, so I can't speak for them, but I've had a lot of really good friends from years from that forum. There are a few asshats, but by and large we're really good guys. -I'm normally not a very negative guy. You can find some of my reviews on MWCToys, and there's a new one on Action Figure Fury, and I have a tendency to GUSH. -I'm really grateful for Zach's input, especially on some of the corrections he gave me as per DST's Battle Beast's' license. And even when there are things that are bad (like the quality control), he's not responsible for it. -Yeah, I owned the original Battle Beasts, and yeah, I would have appreciated had the new ones resembled them more (so you noticed it, eh?), but BB's aren't exactly a huyge part of my personal toy collection. I had known that these new ones weren't cyborgs for a long while, and I'm fine with that. It's just a little thing that seems odd when you add it to the other ways this differs from the original license. It's like... something like this is going to rely a LOT on nostalgia to make sales, but it doesn't actually prey on that nostalgia? -I don't hate Minimates as a concept. I don't own MANY Minimates, but I really like the ones I do have. Especially the Universal Mummy with his casket. See the end of my comment here. -It was really the quality control that killed the new BBs for me. Take Fenruk, for example - he's absolutely my favorite of the new Battle Beasts. I love spiders, and I think he's a great-looking design. But mine can't stand under his own power. He droops, wilts, then collapses and faceplants. If this is a one-time or really rare problem, that's fine. But if it's a common problem... well, that's bad. Adult collectors can't pose him on a shelf. Kids can't play with him. Yeah, there's the superglue trick for strengthening joints, but "fixing your own toys" shouldn't be a common requirement. Fenruk's face plant was really the last straw for me as I was figuring out how to write the review. -I didn't come into this negatively. I was really excited for the new Battle Beasts, and I didn't even really mind the inclusion of humans until after everything else piled upk like the quality control issues. I still think that maybe the humans should have been saved for Wave 2. They look odd in contrast,m since the other figures are stylized to not look like MiniMates, whereas they are. -I'm probably going to pick up the moose and bat if I see them at Toys R Us. And post a followup. If they have better quality control, there will be many happy comments. I'm likely to even grab the spider repaint because it has a chance of not being broken! -THANK YOU GUYS for your input and opinions. I'm glad to see that some people agree, some people disagree, but more importantly, people are capable of explaining why they agree or disagree. Understand, I want the new line to improve and succeed. If they can fix the quality control, then it could be really great. But if they don't, it's like MOTUC's constant forearm-swapping, or NECA Predators Series 1 and the "Quick-snapping knees" action feature. -8-year-old me would have been upset that the toys are broken right out of the box. Other than THAT, they're fun. -Believe it or not, I'm not a huge collector of the new Japanese Beast Saga figures. In fact, I don't have any. -And, uh... yeah, I am a work-at-home freelance writer/editor. But it looks like I'll get to be adjunct college faculty soon, too! -I dunno how closely I'll watch the thread of the forum. As I said, I don't have MANY MiniMates, though I enjoy (most) of the ones I do. Oh yeah, and I really love that Universal Mummy. The one with the sarcophagus. See? Edited February 7, 2013 by Ridureyu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youbastards Posted February 7, 2013 Share Posted February 7, 2013 Welcome to the Multiverse! Your review comes at a time when some of us have been vocal about QC issues we have had with the line, so please don't think we thought you were down on the Battle Beasts line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groundhog7s Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 Yes, welcome aboard! It's nice to hear where you're coming from with what you wrote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttheadsmate Posted February 8, 2013 Author Share Posted February 8, 2013 I really enjoyed the honesty Ridureyu ' Loving' the 2nd. least (most) articulated minimate ever made...the Sarcophagus .... is perhaps a tad ironic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridureyu Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 (edited) Well hey, it's great terrain for my Egyptian setup... which is a weird-ass combo of Indiana Jones and Alien vs. Predator accessories/stands. Also, here's a review of something non-MiniMate, but I touch on quality control a little bit (the QC for this stuff is good, but previous series' from NECA were pretty bad): http://www.actionfigurefury.com/reviews/toy-review-neca-predators-series-7/ QC is a big thing with me. I'm fine with some stuff arriving stuck, loose, broken, swapped, or whatever, as long as it's not common or "standard." The QC problems with the new Masters of the Universe line, for example, are Very Bad Things for that reason. 75% of Fearless photogs shipped with cracked lenses? Frostas forearms are always swapprd? Goddess's pelvis breaks? Those kinds of things just aren't good for business. Edited February 8, 2013 by Ridureyu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSTZach Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 I will continue to defend our QC team till the end, but I will not deny that the tiny and/or intricate products we make will always make their battle against mistakes an uphill one. It makes me sad when all of the amazing work our designers do is sabotaged by one poor fit or one missed correction. And I still maintain that I had no problem making my loose-kneed Fenruk stand up. His legs spread out, but he stood. Of course, I may have an unfair advantage; I used to pose Megos for a living. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridureyu Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 A fun little pastime is taking figures meant to be permanently stuck to a base, and then trying to stand them without it. Well, we'l get a better look at Fenruk when I grab the Toys R Us repaint... whenever I find it. I can always find a way to prop the original up, and then have Bilbo Baggins fight them off for a photo! And hey - I just learned about a hilarious QC issue that's probably just a one-off thing. Apparently, the 6" Hobbit orc reviewed on Poe Ghostal's blog has a visible and clear fingerprint in his face paint! But I will definitely admit this - compared to some Japanese capsule figures, where you are almost guaranteed to have missing or duplicated pieces (or both. Two left arms, yay?), the Beasts are a walk in the park. At least they HAVE their parts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninja Mate Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 I used to pose Megos for a living.lol.....yeah thats a pain. I have a few, and the lean against the walls of my display cabinets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elmeaux Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 I was able to get the spider critter to stand after a bit of trying. True story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobsterman Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 My Fenruk actually has no problems standing; his joints are pretty tight. Comparing the sets I bought at my LCS the day they came out and the sets I got from Luke, I noticed a weird discrepancy in quality in general. The paint apps and general fit of pieces is better across the board on the sets from Luke. I'm not sure how to explain it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridureyu Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 Maybe it's a running change at the factory level? It could be something that DST did not explicitly approve... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onyx_6 Posted February 8, 2013 Share Posted February 8, 2013 Maybe Luke is just better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobsterman Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 (edited) The thought had crossed my mind. Like, DST knows the discriminating Minimate buyers probably shop at Luke's, so they make sure to send the "gold star" cases to him. Not sayin', just sayin'. Edited February 9, 2013 by Lobsterman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttheadsmate Posted February 9, 2013 Author Share Posted February 9, 2013 If the 2-factory conspiracy hadn't been debunked I'd still say that their were 2 (or more) factories/workshops involved in the manufacture of Minimates . I'll also add that I get the vast majority of my TRU packs from TRU.com rather than real TRU stores & despite my reservations about how they are packed I have very few complaints (if any) about what arrives in the packages. I often spend weeks fretting about what I read on this forum about stuff missing & bad tampos,arms missing, blah de blah ....& then my stuff arrives ,generally A-OK . Trust me by the time I get my stuff I know what I'm supposed to be looking for yet I rarely find (insert problem of the day). Now I know you guys here & you're not telling porkies so maybe this 'Luke's are different' conspiracy theory might extend to TRU.com Minimates ? I don't usually spill about what i buy but I've got 4 cases of these coming to me from Luke & I've already queried him " WTF are they like" & his positive affirmation is good enough for me . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TENIME_art Posted February 11, 2013 Share Posted February 11, 2013 Visited 3 TRUs on Saturday. Nothin' (nor Marvel 15, either). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Paco Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 (edited) I will be callng the local TRU here in Bloomington, IL on Thursday to see if they got the Battle Beast Minimates in and any other new mates. That is the day of the week they get their trucks. I can only hope as I have a little cash I can use to get a few sets. I read somewhere that the prices are likely going to go up to $8.49, but I hope they remain less for a while yet. Edited February 12, 2013 by Captain Paco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rodst Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 TRU.com has them up!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youbastards Posted February 12, 2013 Share Posted February 12, 2013 Yes, but unable to add to cart for some reason... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rodst Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Yes, but unable to add to cart for some reason... that's weird, I got mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobsterman Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 Aaaand gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mystery Man Posted February 13, 2013 Share Posted February 13, 2013 It's still giving me the Vorin/Scorpis set as being in stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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