SouthFLGuy

I saw these today at my local TRU but passed on them. I don't think these will be that hard to find, they are showing up in the toysrus system with heavier order numbers than any of the other minimates out now. The case pack out is even on them too which is a plus. 3 of each set.

They are showing as pending to the warehouse in this region, maybe on the truck at the end of the week.

The older Marvel Minimates SKU is clearanced to 4.98. It's the SKU number (don't have the number on me) that was for all the waves up until the 8th wave (fantastic four).

Of course all the store near me has left is about 8 Ironman/Crimson Dynamo sets and 1 Lady Loki/Thor set

They look so plain, but also look real appealing to me.

I haven't gotten a ship notice yet...

So, how is TRU's site with refunds for cancelled orders? Store credit only, I assume?

it should be back to your card, if it even billed on canceled orders. If it's paypal I don't know how they do that. If you try to return them in store though, then it's store credit only.

I called the toysrus near me here in wisconsin, and they said they have them in stock, but are not allowed to sell them or put them out till the 16th.? Never heard of this policy at toysrus before---maybe its a new thing.

Thats pretty common here in Australia, TRU (and target) are doing at the moment for the Transformers 3 stuff so as not to spoil the movie. In a toy store I worked at many moons ago there were penalties in place if you sold items before the "street date" which was for the phantom menace toys. It was a huge fine but i doubt TRU would do that.

I remember a friend of mine finding an endcap full of the Transformers Animated toys, which were brand new at the time. He took a couple up to the register, but they'd apparently been put out by mistake, so they wouldn't sell 'em to him. He was not happy.

Street dates are pretty common in most other industries; honestly, I think one of the BIG things missing from the toy collecting game is not having any idea when to expect things to be in stores. I suppose that would just give the scalpers the edge, though....

That sounds like someone who worked at the store saw that they were captain america, and tossed them with the Hasbro captain america toys. Those ones are street dates, the minimates are not.

I hope I don't jinx myself, but when I ordered 2 packs of the Thor movie mates, they were in a box. No padding or those filled air things in there, but in a box at least.

Wow, this is the fastest that I've gotten a shipping confirmation from toysrus. Just got my sets confirmed shipped.

I got an order placed in no problem and got the order confirmation with status of "items located in stock". I used their SOS order and got the free shipping. but this was earlier today.

Also while I was at TRU they were showing that the Captain America movie mates, Halo wave 2 and this wave are in the warehouse and pending to some stores in the region.

I just gutted my collection, but I needed Blink, Nemesis and Omega Red badly.

Dani Moonstar and Magma

Maybe we'll get that powered up Thor, Heimdall and the remaining warriors 3 in a SDCC 4 pack?

If you want to preorder these and avoid shipping fees, go to your local TRU. I was there yesterday and had them place an order for a set using their "Store Ordering System". That's where they order them from the website at the store level and it will give free shipping on most items with no minimum spending price. I bought a pack each of the TRU Thor exclusives using this method. You pay for it on their computer and put your email in and get your email confirmation like you normally would. Just ordering it online but at their store and not paying any shipping.

Out of curiosity, how is it determined what stores get these? Do the individual store managers decide whether to order and how many cases, or does some kind of TRU regional warehouse overlord just pick store numbers out of a hat?

I guess my real question is: is there any way we can influence the process, whether by bugging the manager or buying up old stock, or is it completely arbitrary and entirely out of our control?

It's all done at the warehouse level, store level has no influence. It also comes down to what "level" store it is. A higher level store is more likely to get them. It's stupid system, since the smaller location near me sells them out a lot better than the higher volume stores.

I used to influence the process before wave 8 by if one wave was over stocked, buying them up and returning them to another location. Wave 8 went to a new SKU and I bought them up when wave 9 was hitting stores, but nothing ever came to the TRU closest to me. I had my friend there even set up a "GFS" order since it surprisingly allowed that (it's a process that's used to order large ticket items for customers, but it accepted the minimate sku), but that didn't work and after a month and a half it canceled out of the system. It's frustrating when the store has none or less than 5. The warehouse still had tons of units, but there was no way the store level could order them. I lucked out since they checked the stores in the area for me and a store 40 minutes south had a case in their backroom, I called and verified and they held them.

Anyone's store have them stocked yet?

Nope. and I asked at customer service with the number and the employee said that according to the system the items are only currently available online and that the store doesn't have any on the way.

Ah legendary Toysrus Customer service right there. Last time I checked these along with the sony, halo wave 2, captain america and xmen 1st class minimates are all showing as on order to the warehouse. The big question is when they get to the warehouse and when/which stores they will ship to. The store I go to never got wave 9, even with me wiping out their wave 8 stock. They only went to a handful of stores in the area.

I was going to post about some of these tonight too. I didn't notice it saying "best of marvel movie" wave, but wouldn't surprise me. All I saw was best of Marvel, but I didn't look past the CSIS screen any further.

They finally starting showing as "on order" to the warehouse down here. Probably another 4 or so weeks for this region.

It's still going to be a while here in FL. I checked this week and they finally showed on order to the warehouse. That usually means at least a month out if not longer.

The stuff coming out this summer is pretty awesome looking. I dig the Return to the Forrest and Battle of Hogwarts sets. On the fence about Diagon Alley (more space issues than the cost). I'd probably grab the Knight Bus too.

http://www.brickshow.com/2011-lego-harry-potter-sets

I hope more than these 4 come out this year, maybe some more sets for X-mas and the dvd/bluray release.

Looks like Sif/Fandrall and Civ Thor/"Heimdall" are back "in stock" on toysrus.com though they're obviously not entirely reliable when it comes to stock being in stock but I'm ordering some anyway. Anyway good luck people who order em!

If they are instock on the website and labeled "Sold in Stores", you can go to any TRU and they can use a new thing called the "Store Ordering System" where you can order it through the website and have it shipped to your house, with free shipping on toys (not on electronics or large items). And that's for any amount, not the normal "free shipping with $75 to $100 purchase"

I'm assuming if the employees will even look the item up for you.

Had that happen a few times at my local TRU where they would just tell me that if it isn't on the shelf, they don't have it and wouldn't both looking the item up.

I'm hoping the TRU's around the San Jose, CA area do a better job than here with minimates cause that's where I'm moving soon....

This isn't even to do with if they have them in stock in the store. If you get an employee who doesn't know how to do it find a manager. I did it today. The Thor tru exclusive packs are showing in stock on the TRU website. I had them set up the store ordering system, added both to the cart on the computer there and I completed the order like I would do at home. Except that by ordering it there I paid no shipping, just the normal sales tax. I come home and have the order confirmation in my email inbox.

Looks like Sif/Fandrall and Civ Thor/"Heimdall" are back "in stock" on toysrus.com though they're obviously not entirely reliable when it comes to stock being in stock but I'm ordering some anyway. Anyway good luck people who order em!

If they are instock on the website and labeled "Sold in Stores", you can go to any TRU and they can use a new thing called the "Store Ordering System" where you can order it through the website and have it shipped to your house, with free shipping on toys (not on electronics or large items). And that's for any amount, not the normal "free shipping with $75 to $100 purchase"

Last time I went in and checked the TRU wave 10 sku wasn't even showing on order to the warehouse down here in the south east yet. This happened a bit late last year with some minimate sets. They showed up online but didn't hit stores here for another month and a half.

I stopped by my closest TRU and had them look up the wave 10 sku and its not showing on order to their warehouse yet, so that usually means it will be a while here for them.

^Or TRU can get what they were getting in the beginning and have different mix ups of characters in the 2 packs and not the exact same packouts as the direct market.

eeek I'm glad i passed on that army builder case since I am soo broke right now.

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What’s going on with the Halo minimates. This line is amazing, easily some of the best stuff yet. Though it seems it may be in trouble already. Every TRU I’ve been to has the line as discontinued, and the announcement of the prophets set being cancelled, seems to be a dark cloud over the future of the line. Please give me good news, or at least a Carter and Emile two pack before it ends.

DSTChuck: I have no idea why your TRU would tell you the line is canceled we have purchase orders in hand from TRU and showed all the way up to series 4 at Toy Fair this month. "

For Halo Minimates TRU is using different SKUS on each wave, so the first wave is done shipping and no new stock will be received since it is discontinued. The second wave is active and the warehouse will get it. They're even doing that for the warthogs, since the printout my friend gave me of Diamond Select Toys in their computer showed Warthog Version 2 sku.

Marvel is doing the same thing too, wave 10 has it's own item number in their system.