Are TRU exclusive Minimates a good thing?

[TM2 Dinobot]

I know really and truly it's a mixed bag. This topic of TRU exclusive minimates is a heated discussion, with very vocal people on both sides. And I know there are other aspects to the subject, so it's not black and white. But I just want to get a feel of what people think in a poll, because I want to know over all what everyone thinks.

Are TRU exclusive Minimates a good thing?

Edited August 11, 2010 by TM2 Dinobot

[fwoosheyman]

Yes, they are good thing because they give the line more exposure to the general public and more attention/sales. Also, it shows TRU supports minimates and has faith in them being good sellers. Without TRU support the amount/variety of minimates per year would decrease.

Are they a pain in the butt to find? Yes.

But relative to other exclusives (DC Universe Walmart waves, etc) they aren't that bad.

[drgnrbrn316]

Exclusive Minimates are a good thing, they just need to work on making them more readily available. I have an easier time tracking down the SDCC exclusives than I do the TRU ones sometimes.

[vbpanizzi]

Absolutely they are a good thing. Because of them I own an updated Bullseye, Hulkbuster, Updated Silver Surfer, Swordsman, Mohawk Storm, World War Hulk, and Betsy. Yeah it is a little frustrating to have to chase them but at least they have been made.

[Nessex]

Look, i've voted YES.

Despite being in a country that doesn't actually have the TRUX's, i've still managed to get my hands on some of them thanks to the generosity of the peeps on this board amd eBay.

Some of the exclusives are real standouts for me. I love Bullseye, Moonstone, Warpath (don't hate me), Union Jack, WonderMan, Stretch Attack Reed, Black Widow, Betsy Braddock etc. . . and they are some of my favourite minimates that i own. Possibly because of some of the characters obscurity/relevance; possibly because they WERE so hard to attain.

Regardless of the reason i love the ones i do have; If the choice is TRU exculsives or missing out on these characters - then i'm TRU all the way.

[Ninja Mate]

personally I love exclusives. Gives me a tingly feeling because I know there is something special about it....

.......except for TRU exclusive Minimates.

for me, TRU minimate exclusives are generally just as much of a peg warmer as any other minimate pack out there (dont get me wrong there are exceptions IE: hulkbuster, etc.). I just feel that if its an Exclusive it needs to be a limited number. I think sometimes (myself included) forget that "TRU exclusive" really only means - Sold at TRU and no where else. doesnt really mean a whole heck of a lot about numbers. sure there are shortpacks, doesnt by any means signify the rarity, imo. for example. I live by 2 different TRU's. 1 TRU restocked the HB IM packs 3 seperate times. I was fortunate to be there to find them on 2 occasions. Needless to say I bought 1 pack each time. ( the first time there was only 1 pack and the second time there was 2 packs. At the second tru they only got 1 shipment (so far) of HB IM packs. again, I stopped by there 1 day after they got the shipment and the pegs were fully stocked with 2 packs of the HM IM. There is also something to be said about the charactor. I dont care how "exclusive" it is, if the charactor isnt well received its a peg warmer <caugh>Jim Rhodes-IM2<caugh>.

Now thats just for the HB IM. I always see other packs with the TRU Exclusive warming pegs. as an example I went to TRU last night, they had no less then 4 each of the newest IM2 exclusives that had been hanging there for about a week and a half.

I also collect mighty muggs. aside from the Punisher/Jigsaw muggs, every other TRU exclusive muggs sat on the shelf (now they are only sold exclusively at TRU so it doesnt make much of a difference now anyway).

But for the sake of argueing I do believe TRU exclusive are important but at the same time, I feel that they need to have some kind of more important meaning to get slapped with the shiny round sticker. otherwise they are no better then any other "non-exclusive" sold there.

in regards to exclusive, I was very mad that the SDCC exclusives were sold online in large numbers. I was hoping for them to be "rare" so I can personally be part of a special club of owners. but instead everyone and there brother gets a chance to purchase one so there is essentially nothing exclusive about it.

I wish they would make more minimates in limited production runs...IE numbered. The you have yourself and exclusive.

.02

[bilbofett]

it's a hit and miss situation. I've gotten all the exclusives, but not everyone has access to them(our overseas friends). there are some really nice mates that not eveyone can get.

[BannersID]

Having TRU carry mates is a good thing its exposure LCS can't hope to match. if it means some extra leg work to get a character I want so be it, I really don't mind if it benefits the line as a whole and the backing of a nationwide chain is a benefit.

[buttheadsmate]

I applaud Ninja Mate for going against the tide of opinion. TRU Exclusives are a good thing & I do not accept that they are rare NOW. Big ol' caps on that last word because the genuine 'one-packed variants' appear to be rare although Angel/Warpaths must have been produced in far higher numbers than ebay suggests.

[MiniFiend UK]

I think the TRU waves are a good thing. Yes they are a pain to obtain but they are adding energy to the whole minimate line. I don't believe without the success (and TRU see it as that I think) of the Marvel exclusives and also Ghostbusters lines that AA/DST would have been able to go forward with the M.A.X and Pirate stuff.

[pawcanada]

I actually made a similar article about this for a site I'm working on.

As a UK based collector I've had to rely on eBay and other collectors to help me. Some like Ghostbusters I've been able to get at a half decent price but others like Bullseye/Moonstone and Union Jack (single and loose) I ended up in bidding wars that ended up with me spending $20 each minimate, not including shipping and handling. Sufficed to say my wallet shudders whenever a TRU exclusive I want is announced.

TRU exclusives have allowed for some great mates that I like having in my collection, like Union Jack and the Silver Surfer update, and it's clear they'd never have been released without it. On the other hand, the hoops I've had to jump through and the money I've had to splash out at times have pretty much burned me. I try to hold off spending such high amounts of money and where possibly rely on the people here, but I'm also prone to think "That seems like a good price, buy it now!" out of the fear of never getting it, then Sod's law, I see it for a fraction of the price say three weeks later...

So I can't really vote either way. While a larger portion of me wants to say Yes, the problems I've had etc. make me say No. I'm really hoping if TRU 8 is purely TRU exclusive I won't have any problems getting it.

[MINI_MYTE]

I think TRU exclusives are a good thing. I mean how boring would it be if these exclusive were readily available everywhere? I live in Canada and other than CBS exclusives, I have to get my american TRU exclusives through other channels (i.e: forum members or ebay). And to be totally honest, I find it quite thrilling (as a collector) to have to obtain these elusive gems the hard way. My american counterparts have come through for me most of the time, but there's been the odd occaision they had trouble finding anything for themselves let alone me. But with perseverence and not blowing a fortune, I'm proud to say I have all current TRU exclusives that have been offered up since TRU started carrying them. Potential good news is that TRU Canada will start carrying MM exclusives starting with Marvel wave 8. Can't wait to start hunting the stores for these on my own. In summary, there's nothing wrong with a good hunt to keep the collecting bug alive and exciting.

[Danny]

There are actually two questions implicitly being asked here.

Are TRU Minimates a good thing for the brand as a whole - Yes, absolutely. TRU is a huge chain of stores and their support helps bring mass market retail exposure to Minimates in a way that the specialty market can't.

Are TRU Minimates a good thing for me personally -Being in the UK makes things very difficult but I actually find I want more of the TRU exclusives than the actual LCS waves these days because of the more varied character selection. I'm lucky I have had a US forum member adopt me I'd say Yes to this one too.

[Turtle]

In summary, there's nothing wrong with a good hunt to keep the collecting bug alive and exciting.

I normally don't go for the whole thrill of the hunt thing, with TRU exclusives I do now, mostly because I know that I will eventually be able to get them. When exclusives were 1 per case, that was bad. I think the mix is probably better than we give it credit for. At this point it's not so much the pain of getting them as it is the pain of WAITING to get them. And with rumors that TRU Canada will start carrying these, that will only make it easier for everyone to get theirs sooner.

In the FF thread, there was some discussion about the get-you-in-the-store scam. Minimates are the only toys I collect, so I don't really have to worry about picking up something for myself... but I love to get stuff for my kid. Everytime I go to TRU now, I go to the baby toy section and normally get something for him. I imagine that is what TRU is trying to accomplish, not necessarily tricking discerning collectors into buying something they don't want.

[boyd]

Danny said it best. Anything that helps Minimates flourish at a retail level is a good thing, and anything that's hard to find annoys me.

I used to enjoy the hunt for new toys, but that was back before kids when I had free time. Nowadays I'm much rather spend my time doing other things rather than driving around to multiple stores, and thankfully have friends and resources that can help me with my hunt. It's a hobby - not a competitive sport.

[DaveOMac]

It's good as long as TRU keeps stocking them and most importantly making them abundant on their website.

I think it's a mixed bag tohught with the shops.

At my TRU the Battlestar mates flopped, straight to clearance no one touched them. Marvel is mixed as they always under ordered and sold out fast, but I think they are doing better with the two packs. However Ghostbusters sells like crazy! They always get case after case in and they sell fast. Apparently Southwest Florida is a hot bed of Ghostbuster fans.

[battlecat]

Ninja Mate, you're talking about feeling exclusive, rather than buying exclusives. As you mention, "exclusive" doesn't actually mean rare or limited-run, it just means "sold at one place", so it seems like your real problem is with the definition of the word. I actually agree that many SDCC exclusives aren't exclusives anymore since they're sold directly to various online stores, but I'm very happy about that since I'm in the "everything for everyone that wants it" camp.

If you just want to feel exclusive then I'd recommend pooling all the money you're spending on too-available exclusives and buying a Gold or Silver Spidey -- I think that's the only truly rare, less than 1-2000 produced, Minimate you're going to find in what is a mass market toy line.

As for TRU, it's a pain but we've gotten so many cool mates out of the deal, possibly largely thanks to that mysterious TRU corporate Marvel fanboy. And they have been working (a bit) to make these more available, as we've seen a handful pop up on their website and no more 1-per-casers.

[lemonfreshviper22]

I too think they're a double edged sword. It's a good chance to get figures like Lockjaw or Klaw but at the same time they're a pain in the ass to find and it completely screws anyone that doesn't have a TRU near them. It'd be better if TRU.com wasn't such an awful site for shipping and availability but even then I don't know if they do mail internationally. I like the preorders because we never got the first wave of TRU mates locally (in fact I found them on a random daytrip to another city and had no clue they were coming out) and I never saw them stock the Secret Wars boxset despite a peg being put up for it in the recent reset. I like that the figures are getting more exposure to kids but as these get more popular I think they need to look at the case ratios better. Right now my TRU has a solid peg of slime blower Ray, 4 Venkmans and 2 each of Janosz and the Mayor. We've got about 15 each of Stiltman and Dynamo and I have no clue if them sticking around is going to affect the availability of the next wave; they may think from these that the brand isn't selling from the marvel side and reduce their orders, thereby making the FF wave a beast to find. I have hope that they'll clearance as we've NEVER gotten so much of a single wave before, not even close.

[storm 1:08]

This is a hard one to say yes to since I’m divided on the topic. However, I will be honest and say this. If the TRU Marvel Minimates in its current incarnation had been in TRU from the beginning, I probably wouldn’t be supporting the line much. I’d just get the few iconic and cool looking characters if they were easy to obtain. This is the first (and most likely only) toy line I follow religiously so the hunt would have been very off-putting if I was trying to break in. One reason I started “catching them all” was because they came out with pretty large gaps between groups of waves so I could catch up fairly easily. Also, I thought they wouldn’t last 5 years. Never have I thought about quitting until wave 3 of the current TRU series. This may sound negative, but I’ve grown to love these little suckers and the guys who make them. And yeah, the people here too.

So I guess yes, exclusives are good to the overall brand for reasons already mentioned by others. The game as it is now, however, is a different matter entirely. It's just hard to separate the two because they usually go hand in hand.

[buttheadsmate]

If you just want to feel exclusive then I'd recommend pooling all the money you're spending on too-available exclusives and buying a Gold or Silver Spidey -- I think that's the only truly rare, less than 1-2000 produced, Minimate you're going to find in what is a mass market toy line.

....Justin Hammer or Battle Damaged Hammer Drone would be a cheaper route ...500 of each.

[Ninja Mate]

If you just want to feel exclusive then I'd recommend pooling all the money you're spending on too-available exclusives and buying a Gold or Silver Spidey -- I think that's the only truly rare, less than 1-2000 produced, Minimate you're going to find in what is a mass market toy line.

....Justin Hammer or Battle Damaged Hammer Drone would be a cheaper route ...500 of each.

have both of those.

[TM2 Dinobot]

If you just want to feel exclusive then I'd recommend pooling all the money you're spending on too-available exclusives and buying a Gold or Silver Spidey -- I think that's the only truly rare, less than 1-2000 produced, Minimate you're going to find in what is a mass market toy line.

....Justin Hammer or Battle Damaged Hammer Drone would be a cheaper route ...500 of each.

Or Dead Six

I'm actually going to side with Ninja here. Yes, I know the proper definition of the word is "only available in one place" but the most common usage of the word is "Something that not everyone can have". And while I know we're not supposed to, as humans it is in our baser instincts to say "Haw haw! I have something that you can't! That makes me better than you!" [/Nelson]

I remember when Hellscream came out in universe. Up until then he'd been a BW II Japanese TRU exclusive. I and a lot of other people were upset because we had the Japanese one and didn't want it to be available in stores for half of what we paid. Some other fans essentially said "Serves you right for thinking you're better than us." Did we think we were better? No. I just didn't want the resale cost to go down. Thanks to Hasbro I can't get $5 out of a $40 figure. But it was two sides of the same coin. We may or may not have been lording our exclusivity over them, but they certainly thought we thought we were better than them, so for them it was as good as fact.

A similar thing happened with the 2007 Botcon Thrust/Dirge/Thundercracker set. People were paying $700+ for those 3 figures alone. Then Japan released them, and there was a big fight, because they were EXCLUSIVES!. Then Hasbro re-re-released them. Insane fanrage ensued.

I think we, here, now are a bit more mature than TF fans, if only for our size. I'm pretty sure no one is going "I'm better than you because I have X and you don't." Must I must admit a bit of glee every single time I walk into my TRU and am able to find exclusives, and some of yall aren't. Do I pick up spares to share? Yes. But a smile while doing it. Never let it be said I'm not honest. Though I also enjoy the thrill of the hunt, and even being 1 step behind Angel/Warpath for so many months (I still never got him) was frustrating but fun. I live in a country where I am a grown man, able to buy little toys if I want. Things could be a lot worse.

I think 4:4:2:2 is a lot better than it was, and a lot better than having them ALL be exclusives. If those 4:4 had army builders they'd clear out a lot faster. Although I just realized Ghostbusters are all exclusives and they do fine. but so are BSG and they peg warmed for a while.

Edited August 11, 2010 by TM2 Dinobot

[battlecat]

....Justin Hammer or Battle Damaged Hammer Drone would be a cheaper route ...500 of each.

You got me there, I'm not part of the exclusive Hammer club...

I'm actually going to side with Ninja here. Yes, I know the proper definition of the word is "only available in one place" but the most common usage of the word is "Something that not everyone can have".

Well I'd argue the most common usage of the word is by toy companies, who use it correctly. Also I'm not siding against , he's perfectly free to enjoy a feeling of having "something not everyone can have", as is anyone, I'm just saying he's looking for it in the wrong place. Just because some exclusives have been hard to find in the past, doesn't mean there's any inherent promise of hard-to-findness in the term.

[Ninja Mate]

I know the meaning of "exclusive". but as TM2 said its often misused/misunderstood. If its strictly a retail location based exclusivity, then why shortpack it???????????? Seems like the manufacturer is sending mixed messages on what an exclusive is. so its not purely me, wanting to have "something not everyone can have". they really should have exclusives just as readily available as any other pack, but call the shortpacks something else. limited editions?

[buttheadsmate]

When is a TRU Exclusive not a TRU Exclusive ????

When its name is either Punisher,Jigsaw,Hulk,Abomination......... or Web Armour Spider-Man.....sorry that one was an AFX 'exclusive' wasn't it

Try finding a TRU Wave 2 non-exclusive set on ebay .....any of them..........they are rarer than the exclusives from that Wave....

Edited August 11, 2010 by buttheadsmate