ToysRus Series 5 pics. Swordsman and more!!

[Nessex]

Well - in response to TM2 about the hunt, i didn't actually respond to the mates themselves.

As for the standard releases, i'm just gonna buy them from Lukes Toy Store. They'll work out cheaper for me that way & i'd rather help Luke move the stock than help Toys R Us sell more spider-man merchandise.

I think Swordsman looks awesome! I now that i have a Thunderbolts set coming my way - it makes Swordsman a much sweeter plumb!

The Silver Surfer looks good - but i think the original figure was bretty close to perfect. Here's hoping this version comes with something bit extra. I like the idea someone mentioned about a 'Cosmic' board or some energy effects!

As for OML & OMH . . . i'll get them, but it will only be my rabid sense of collector-mania that will make me seek them out.

I'll be 'hunting' Swordsman . . . and i'll get OMH&OML if the opportunity pops up.

[BannersID]

am I the only one who saw the title of Swordsman and thought it was the classic version? and was let down it was the new version?

sure the silver surfer looks good, but the rest I can wait for in my LCS

yeah I felt the same way. this wave of exclusives is almost certainly a pass for me 'cept for that surfer fig which I'm hoping I can just trade for when the time comes

[jcastick]

Looks like another TRU Marvel series that will come and go and never show up at any of the ones around here.........

Only pack of Ghostbusters series 2 with Battlestar Galactica, Wolverine movie and terminator sets clogging the shelves.........very disappointing in this area.

[Colonel America]

Yeah, given that we've had the other T-Bolts, I expected this one, but would also much prefer the classic version.

I don't know much anything about the classic Swordsman, but I hope DST makes him too so that we fill out more rosters. IIRC, he was a member of the Lethal Legion and the Avengers. Emissaries of Evil, too. I love the teams of z-list villains. Let's get an Emissaries 4-pack with Swordsman, Eel, Porcupine, and Cobalt Man. That would rock!

[boyd]

am I the only one who saw the title of Swordsman and thought it was the classic version? and was let down it was the new version?

No, you weren't. But I'm OK with it now.

[NorthRaider]

Eh, another TRU wave with weird ratios and exclusives I'll only ever see in my dreams. (To international collectorhood and pathetic student budget: thanks a lot.) I'm with drgn as far as fixing the case ratios are concerned... I'm actually starting to wonder if the whole "The big-names sell so they should be 4 per case" was just one bizarre fallacy/myth all of us - collectors, DST, whathaveyou - have been following for just too damn long.

Sad thing is I actually want that Surfer/Swordsman pack. OML I'm lukewarm to, everything else I can get at our LCS thank heavens (perhaps the one place I can still regularly rely on for my Minimate fix).

@ TM2 Dinobot: I have nothing against your views on the "Hunt" at all, and I do see your point as far as turning to eBay and/or the kindness of Multiversers for the packs you can't find yourself are concerned. However I just find it a little tricky having to fully stick up for a position like yours when I'm part of that "overseas Minimate collector" percentage that has hardly even seen a TRU exclusive Minimate, let alone a reliable place where you can regularly get them.

Edited October 27, 2009 by NorthRaider

[Nekoi]

You know, I honestly have to wonder when companies will start realizing Hulk doesn't sell. Not in Minimates, Not in MLs, not with anything. He just peg warms.

Hulk doesn't sell too great in Minimates or Marvel Legends because most of them just lack in quality. Marvel Select on the other hand? I work at a toy store and we've done 3 massive orders of this one figure in the past just because he sells so quickly. It's an awesome figure.

Right now, I'm just happy we're seeing Swordsman at all. Come on, Songbird!!

[pawcanada]

While I am happy to see Swordsman getting added, and do like the look of the new Silver Surfer mate. However, I know this set will be a REAL pain to get. I ended up spending about $40 to get Moonstone and Bullseye (can't remember how much shipping and handling was). Salt was added to the wound when I searched on ebay.co.uk about two weeks later and saw a set for about half the price I paid!

So I'm toyed with spending a small fortune to ensure I get this from day one, or holding back and seeing if I could find it cheaper but run the risk of never getting it. I can understand why they want to make that set rarer than the others in the wave, but in my opinion it makes it a real pain for the collectors, especally for one who isn't interested in the Wolverine/Hawkeye set!

Edited October 27, 2009 by Caracal

[Leroy]

AWWWW man, whist I'm happy to see new mates I really wish they'd do maybe a shared exclusive with some like BBTS or open up a "matty collector" style website for us international Fans as we get shafted. I'm still hunting feverishly for Angel/warpath and the SW/MM pack

[TENIME_art]

If they'd ever put the smurfing things on their website, we wouldn't be having these problems. I'm willing to bet its that damn single pack that's making it impossible though. If you have someone order three of a set that has three per case, then you're only cracking open a single case. But having someone order three of Bullseye & Moonstone would result in three open cases, meaning nine of Spidey & Venom to get rid of. DST and TRU need to come up with a better way of doing this. The BSG and GB sets are more balanced, why can't they do the same with the Marvel sets?

They should experiment with getting different case ratios for the web site versus the retail stores, similar to how AFX and BBTS (and soon hopefully LTS!) get the "god cases" with more variants while normal comic shops get one variant per case. They would probably find that more adult collectors would buy the exclusives on the web site, and these modified cases would sell in a balanced way that wouldn't result in the problem that drgnrbrn described above.

I support the initiative to get LTS all exclusive Minimates - and cases of them.

Know what? I'm sorry you're having problems. But people have mentioned this before. People have discussed this to death. And personally I'm sick of the

bitching

! ('scuse my french) Either hunt it down at TRU or pony up the cash at ebay. Those are your options. Because this TRU "dilemma" isn't going away. If anything the fact that we've got 5 waves proves that the system works. Let me repeat that. We have FIVE WAVES. At RETAIL. If they suddenly declared that there's a new super awesome wave that you can get but only if you've never heard of them before, cool. That means more people like minimates, better sales for the product, and a stronger line over all. And it's the internet, you can find anything here. We'd be fine.

Now, a few context clues. I'm not yelling. I'm not angry. I'm do not dislike you even in the slightest, nor has my opinion for your dropped. This wasn't even entirely directed at you either. I'm just sick and tired of everyone making out like hard to find MMs is a bad thing. The fact that they're out there at all makes me very very happy. On top of which, they call it "Toy Hunting" for a reason.

I despise the "hunt". I loathe the "chase". You know what I like? Satisfaction. You know what I don't like? Never getting it.

I'm sick and tired of people who love and can afford to waste gas, time and money trying to make out like those are acceptable sacrifices, and anyone who dislikes and/or is unable to blow such precious commodities on anything, let alone toys, is a "whiner".

I do not dislike, nor am I angry at you, but I am sure as sh** f***ing pissed off about this "some people get them, while others never do" bullcrap.

That's not a "good thing."

[Modefan]

I've said this before - I think this is TRU way of getting more traffic in their stores with hopes than on the many visits you make to try to find the 1 per case pack - You will pick up something else whether it be a game, figure or bottle of soda either way it's profit they wouldn't have made if you hadn't felt the need to go look for the item

[Cappy]

I despise the "hunt". I loathe the "chase". You know what I like? Satisfaction. You know what I don't like? Never getting it.

What he said, but perhaps more politely.

For those who profess to love the hunt, I would submit that what they are really enjoying is the completion of the hunt, when the goal is achieved and satisfaction sets in. For those of us who have TRUs around, but the stores haven't even ordered new 'mates since Wolvie Wave 2, the satisfaction rather sours when paying triple rates on eBay.

And I still wonder how many marketing "truths" are really just because that's the way they've done it before.

[drgnrbrn316]

I'll admit looking for that "great white whale" can be fun, if its something like an out of production item like a Wave 1 Elektra, or something of great rarity, like a Gold or Silver Spidey. But when its something that's supposed to be readily available, then the "hunt" can shove it, because the thing is supposed to be sitting on a peg at TRU and that just isn't the case. Plopping down 3 times the retail price, plus shipping, just so I can acquire what, for all intents and purposes, should be available for $8 at a major retail chain is ridiculous. That they go out of their way to carry everything but the one item I collect most adds insult to injury.

This isn't comparative to them selling out of the things. In that circumstance, they're out, so of course you have to resort to other tactics and you may pay more. No, this is different. We've been assured repeatedly that there is a shit ton of the things floating around out there, and TRU is simply not making them available to all of us.

If they didn't carry any on their website or any in my local store, then I'd accept fate and just eBay the damn things, but since they do carry everything else, it frustrates the hell out of me. And I'm not in this boat alone.

[SouthFLGuy]

the hunt is only fun if its a short hunt. I don't have trouble with minimates *knocks on wood*, but I was searching for 2 and a half weeks at walmart almost every night for DCUC wave 10. I was just so sick of walmart and about to give up, but luckily found them and haven't been back there save for 2 times since I found them 2 weeks ago.

[Lobsterman]

Just my two cents:

the "hunt" is obnoxious, yes, but it's undeniably bringing us new characters we probably wouldn't get otherwise. I think it's a little sour grapes for some to say they'd rather sacrifice the new characters altogether than have to hunt for (or, regrettably, pay more on eBay for) these sets. "If I can't have them, nobody should" is not an endearing attitude.

[TENIME_art]

Just my two cents:

the "hunt" is obnoxious, yes, but it's undeniably bringing us new characters we probably wouldn't get otherwise. I think it's a little sour grapes for some to say they'd rather sacrifice the new characters altogether than have to hunt for (or, regrettably, pay more on eBay for) these sets. "If I can't have them, nobody should" is not an endearing attitude.

How is "the hunt" "bringing us new characters"? I fail to see the logic behind that.

Also, when did anyone say "if I can't have them, nobody should"?

I specifically said that "everyone who wants them should have them, and not be denied".

That's what I said.

[cdubya]

Yeah, given that we've had the other T-Bolts, I expected this one, but would also much prefer the classic version.

Me too. Although I knew their intention was to fill-out the T-Bolts (which is fine), I must admit that I got a bit excited when I saw this thread title thinking that perhaps a classic version had sneaked into the mix. I'm not too excited about this series, though I will like adding an updated Surfer to my collection. The rest I'll probably pass on as I'll be getting the ones I am interested in through the LCS releases. I was really hoping that we might see some Hydra army-builders (or Skrulls) in this next wave of TRU offerings (as we had with the A.I.M. agents), but noooooo...too bad.

[Osama_Ben_Lander]

I actually don't like the look of the new Silver Surfer. He looks less pensive and more angry. In my opinion, they nailed him in the original figure 20 some waves ago. (although it would be nice if this new one would be able to actually stick to his board.) Swordsman looks pretty awesome, and the Captain Marvel/ Blackbolt were the two figures that I was really waiting for in wave 31. All in all, it looks to be a good set.

[TENIME_art]

What excites me about Swordsman (no, I'm not "always negative"), is the hope that we'll get an Andreas Strucker head underneath. Fenris custom, here I come!!

[TM2 Dinobot]

Just my two cents:

the "hunt" is obnoxious, yes, but it's undeniably bringing us new characters we probably wouldn't get otherwise. I think it's a little sour grapes for some to say they'd rather sacrifice the new characters altogether than have to hunt for (or, regrettably, pay more on eBay for) these sets. "If I can't have them, nobody should" is not an endearing attitude.

How is "the hunt" "bringing us new characters"? I fail to see the logic behind that.

Also, when did anyone say "if I can't have them, nobody should"?

I specifically said that "everyone who wants them should have them, and not be denied".

That's what I said.

I disagree. Not everyone that wants one can have a Gold and Silver Spidey. Nor the exclusives. There's some stuff you'd have to fight to get. Like a JLU Hal Jordan. Yes, the argument could be made that those are exclusives, but I honestly don't see a diffrence. The production run on them is NOT big enough for everyone to have one. So even if we had all of them sitting in a pile in front of us, there wouldn't be enough to pass out to everyone that wants one, us and customers included. Math is funny like that.

As far as the "hunt" goes, I don't mean to suggest that you should hunt for every toy, or not find it. hunting is over rated when you WANT something. It was just an expression.

And I have heard people say "if I can't have it you shouldn't either", so it's not unheard of. (there's a whole 'nother accusatory story that goes with that )

I assume I'm just easy going. And I really REALLY mean no offence by this. I've been where yall are. But I don't see what the big deal is. They're just toys. Yes you want them, but you can't find them. Go take a nap. Or better yet, write pissed off letters to DST and TRU. Maybe they'll change the case ratio. or maybe we'll stop getting them all together. Who knows.

I've said my piece. I'll shut up now. (and there was much rejoicing)

[minimadman]

Just my two cents:

the "hunt" is obnoxious, yes, but it's undeniably bringing us new characters we probably wouldn't get otherwise. I think it's a little sour grapes for some to say they'd rather sacrifice the new characters altogether than have to hunt for (or, regrettably, pay more on eBay for) these sets. "If I can't have them, nobody should" is not an endearing attitude.

How is "the hunt" "bringing us new characters"? I fail to see the logic behind that.

Also, when did anyone say "if I can't have them, nobody should"?

I specifically said that "everyone who wants them should have them, and not be denied".

That's what I said.

I disagree. Not everyone that wants one can have a Gold and Silver Spidey. Nor the exclusives. There's some stuff you'd have to fight to get. Like a JLU Hal Jordan. Yes, the argument could be made that those are exclusives, but I honestly don't see a diffrence. The production run on them is NOT big enough for everyone to have one. So even if we had all of them sitting in a pile in front of us, there wouldn't be enough to pass out to everyone that wants one, us and customers included. Math is funny like that.

As far as the "hunt" goes, I don't mean to suggest that you should hunt for every toy, or not find it. hunting is over rated when you WANT something. It was just an expression.

And I have heard people say "if I can't have it you shouldn't either", so it's not unheard of. (there's a whole 'nother accusatory story that goes with that )

I assume I'm just easy going. And I really REALLY mean no offence by this. I've been where yall are. But I don't see what the big deal is. They're just toys. Yes you want them, but you can't find them. Go take a nap. Or better yet, write pissed off letters to DST and TRU. Maybe they'll change the case ratio. or maybe we'll stop getting them all together. Who knows.

I've said my piece. I'll shut up now. (and there was much rejoicing)

You are comparing apples to Ferraris. Neither of your examples were EVER available at retail. I think what everyone is saying, and you can't seem to grasp, is that these are not movie studio exclusive Christmas gifts nor are they con exclusives these are a product that are exclusive to a major United States retailer. They should not be impossible for those who want them to obtain. Reworking the case ratios would fix most of the problems and why would someone ever stop selling something because people wanted them?

[mav-man]

Just my two cents:

the "hunt" is obnoxious, yes, but it's undeniably bringing us new characters we probably wouldn't get otherwise. I think it's a little sour grapes for some to say they'd rather sacrifice the new characters altogether than have to hunt for (or, regrettably, pay more on eBay for) these sets. "If I can't have them, nobody should" is not an endearing attitude.

How is "the hunt" "bringing us new characters"? I fail to see the logic behind that.

Also, when did anyone say "if I can't have them, nobody should"?

I specifically said that "everyone who wants them should have them, and not be denied".

That's what I said.

I disagree. Not everyone that wants one can have a Gold and Silver Spidey. Nor the exclusives. There's some stuff you'd have to fight to get. Like a JLU Hal Jordan. Yes, the argument could be made that those are exclusives, but I honestly don't see a diffrence. The production run on them is NOT big enough for everyone to have one. So even if we had all of them sitting in a pile in front of us, there wouldn't be enough to pass out to everyone that wants one, us and customers included. Math is funny like that.

As far as the "hunt" goes, I don't mean to suggest that you should hunt for every toy, or not find it. hunting is over rated when you WANT something. It was just an expression.

And I have heard people say "if I can't have it you shouldn't either", so it's not unheard of. (there's a whole 'nother accusatory story that goes with that )

I assume I'm just easy going. And I really REALLY mean no offence by this. I've been where yall are. But I don't see what the big deal is. They're just toys. Yes you want them, but you can't find them. Go take a nap. Or better yet, write pissed off letters to DST and TRU. Maybe they'll change the case ratio. or maybe we'll stop getting them all together. Who knows.

I've said my piece. I'll shut up now. (and there was much rejoicing)

You are comparing apples to Ferraris. Neither of your examples were EVER available at retail. I think what everyone is saying, and you can't seem to grasp, is that these are not movie studio exclusive Christmas gifts nor are they con exclusives these are a product that are exclusive to a major United States retailer. They should not be impossible for those who want them to obtain. Reworking the case ratios would fix most of the problems and why would someone ever stop selling something because people wanted them?

Exclusives means exclusive right? These figures happen to be TrU exclusives-so if you can't get to a TrU-try ebay-just like people who can't get to comic conventions, etc. have to do.

Really this sounds to me like what your bitching about is your own cheapness...they've been on ebay since they hit the stores---you just have to pay a little more just like the con exclusives if you want them right away, or just keep trying to find them by other means, on you own- its not impossible, I've gotten 2 sets of each of the exclusives by persistence, and cash!

[Rad]

You are comparing apples to Ferraris. Neither of your examples were EVER available at retail. I think what everyone is saying, and you can't seem to grasp, is that these are not movie studio exclusive Christmas gifts nor are they con exclusives these are a product that are exclusive to a major United States retailer. They should not be impossible for those who want them to obtain. Reworking the case ratios would fix most of the problems and why would someone ever stop selling something because people wanted them?

I completely agree with what Minimadman's saying. Exclusive to TRU is fine. Short packed? No, that's just wrong. The short pack concept works fine in the direct (LCS) market. And variant figures work fine in the retail market. EG: The way Marvel Legends used to work where you could get the iconic version of a character but if you were really lucky you might snag the ultra cool (canonical) variation.

The situation here is that DST are releasing new characters, ridiculously short packed, into only one retail chain. And that retail chain can't even get it's act together enough to get the toys onto the shelves at the same time nationwide. This leads to scalping and hoarding by people that can't possibly be fans. I was absolutely staggered to see the Angel and Warpath set on e-bay at nearly $30.00 plus shipping! I just can't see how DST can make money on this current business model. The loyal fanbase get their 'mates from their LCS or online. These shortpacked minimates are getting snapped up by the 'smurfs' I just referred to but the regular figures are left stinking up the pegs.

Piss off your fanbase enough DST and they'll desert you. Remember Playmates and the 1701 disaster.

[TBT!]

Exclusives means exclusive right? These figures happen to be TrU exclusives-so if you can't get to a TrU-try ebay-just like people who can't get to comic conventions, etc. have to do.

Really this sounds to me like what your bitching about is your own cheapness...they've been on ebay since they hit the stores---you just have to pay a little more just like the con exclusives if you want them right away, or just keep trying to find them by other means, on you own- its not impossible, I've gotten 2 sets of each of the exclusives by persistence, and cash!

Everyone needs to calm down as this is getting way more heated than it needs to!

I think the point several members are making ( or at least trying to) is that even with several TRU near by they cannot get these because of case distribution or how the cases are packed.

I dont think that anyone really feels "I cant have, so no one should" more "why is it so hard for me when others can do exactly the same as me and get the minimates".

A lot of members are struggling to find some of these sets even with frequent trips to the store and are venting/frustrated because TRU are definitely screwing the pooch of distribution on these.

*edit: posted at the same time as Rad, what he said also *

T.

[elhonez]

It is frustrating, and I get that. I definitely feel it, as there is no Toys R' Us to speak of at all in my neck of the woods. So I'm stuck trading and going secondary market, paying inflated prices.

...but only for those figures "exclusive" to TRU. I get the bulk of my 'mates cheap as sets of 8 from the likes of CSC and AFX.

Ultimately, I don't mind the pain of the hunt if it means I can get more obscure selections.

That said, I dig the new Surfer but it's a bit "meh." And I'm still holding out for a classic Swordsman.