[Exodus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by warmachine6

aren't they made by diamond toys ?

Diamond definitely has a good variety in making figures I mean they made the Watcher!!! Hasbro hasn't made him yet...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riddick

Hey thanks guys.

Here are a few more pics of my collection. I've been trying to put more and more up from storage. Filled up one of the spare bed rooms and now I'm Slowly taking the movie room over as well. Just glad I have a girlfriend that loves collecting too. She has an entire spare bedroom filled up with Barbies and Funko stuff.

Untitled by allen lamb, on Flickr

Untitled by allen lamb, on Flickr

Untitled by allen lamb, on Flickr

Untitled by allen lamb, on Flickr

Untitled by allen lamb, on Flickr

27907095301_e458c5d1a1_o by allen lamb, on Flickr

27840166612_d0c3a0f445_o by allen lamb, on Flickr
rq (2) by allen lamb, on Flickr

rq (1) by allen lamb, on Flickr




Untitled by allen lamb, on Flickr

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riddick

27512640454_34fc97bc4c_o by allen lamb, on Flickr

20160706_090112 by allen lamb, on Flickr

20160706_085819 by allen lamb, on Flickr

20160706_085806 by allen lamb, on Flickr

20160706_085738 by allen lamb, on Flickr

20160706_085722 by allen lamb, on Flickr

20160706_085504 by allen lamb, on Flickr

20160706_090932 by allen lamb, on Flickr

Untitled by allen lamb, on Flickr

Wow very nice display and collection there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkToyLord

didn't you order yours from that other place...and then cancel it order from BBTS??

I did but ended up dropping it from BBTS in favor of the free shipping from EE, although did anyone else get their top cards bent by the case? Mine was like that when I opened them obviously it's not EE's fault more so on Hasbro's I guess...but man the figures are sure as nice!

[donmeca2020]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trivial Psychic

Wall of text coming...you've been warned.

@Donmeca2020: I can tell you for a fact that everything that Phantom and Gizmo are saying is the truth, and despite it being a focused toy vendor, that the stocking practices aren't all that different at TRU. I worked at TRU in their warehouse and receiving department around the time of the Hasbro takeover of all things Marvel, and everything that they said in terms of receiving cases for standard stock is spot on.

The focus at TRU has changed greatly over the years. Every year, less and less emphasis is placed on the action figure department (commonly known to employees as "boys section") while other departments have expanded rapidly. TRU's main business focus these past few years has been in their electronic/video game sales, Lego and Nerf products (which never used to have their own aisles the way that they do today) and their own Imaginarium and educational toy line. Their "Animal Alley" plush department was scaled back to make room for their FAO line of plush. Where Barbie used to rule the girl's section, she has been scaled back to make room for Disney, MLP and Monster High. And as more and more action figure lines started to disappear from the market altogether (G.I.Joe, DCUC, and even TMNT and Transformers all disappeared from the shelves for a while at one time,) TRU started scaling back their ordering to reflect this change in the marketplace. To make things even more woeful for toy collectors, many TRUs started building Babies R' Us stores within the the TRUs to save that brand from bankruptcy (both of my local TRUs have been converted into BRU hybrids) which in turn ends up chopping the store in half, eschewing dolls, action figures and bikes in favor of diapers, strollers, and baby furniture.

Action figures such as Marvel Legends are now considered to be "licensed product" as opposed to being action figures and as such, are ordered in a complimentary fashion with all the other licensed product, which is why you see your Marvel Legends stocked just two pegs up from your foam Hulk Hands, Black Panther dress up sets, and blind bag Marvel stuffs and Funko Pops. Unless there was a specific promotion for a movie, or end cap display, everything is set by a plan-a-gram given down to us at the corporate level that we are expected to follow, and we never received in more than one or two cases at a time of any specific action figure. Skus are often bunched together (like Phantom said Cap America Legends or Spidey Legends,) and are ordered automatically when a case count is scanned, and only if the said item is available from the local warehouse. In other words, if a store receives in an 8 figure case, no new ones would be ordered by the automated system unless those 8 figures were sold, and if that local distribution center is out of cases by the time you sell your first 8 figures, well...tough luck, you won't be getting any for a while. The ability and power for an employee to order more has been mostly stripped from them in favor of this system due to employees being heavy handed in the past.

There are other things that can cause issues to this ordering system, such as if a person has to manually enter an item because it's not scanning, or if a person returns a damaged item. This causes hiccups in the inventory in that items end up being shown that they are still in stock, and unless they are promptly received in and/or written off by management (which most of the time, they are not,) this also causes issues in new cases of figures getting replenished.



You can beg to differ all you like, but the truth of the matter is that "the back" isn't an endless void where bountiful product exists. And while you will have your off moments where there is extra stock, 9 times out of 10, truthfully, there isn't. Any TRU/Walmart/Target stock clerk will tell you that open cases of toys in the back are a F***ING NIGHTMARE come inventory time, and open case items is one of the quickest and easiest ways to put your store in the red and can ultimately cost you your job. It can also be a nightmare to find one box of stuff stored on a shelf in the back when it's been stuck on a shelf among a bunch of other items that might not make sense, like toilet paper, duct tape, diapers and boxes of rubber flip flops.

I should also mention that some stores have policies that state that even if there is something in the back, employees are NOT to go to the warehouse and retrieve them should someone ask, and are to only place them on the shelf should proper shelf space allow it. My Targets all have signs like this on their toy departments, in particular the action figure section, because of the "collectible nature" of them, and that it "ensures everyone will have a fair chance" to get said items.

Also, not being judgemental, but if you want to try that five or ten spot thing though...lemme know how that works out. I'd be almost willing to bet that the employee would gladly take your money, crack a smile and still tell you there's nothing in the back without checking. Giving someone cash to do something in the manner that you put it is not being gratuitous for them helping you, it's you attempting to display power over them by buying them off, which makes you come off as being a jerk. Better to just ask them nicely. More bees with honey my friend. =)

I NEVER said i didn't believe what Phantom posted.... as far as Gizmo just popping up claiming whatever it is he knows, i still don't believe it.... How is that trying to display power? more like trying to give them an incentive to actually go back and look for something that will take about a whole 5 minutes or less AND someone will end up buying the items not stealing them. OBVISOUSLY i wouldn't just hand them money until a box came out with them. Let's be honest for a moment with each other here. the majority of stores here in south florida, NONE of the workers in these stores whom are just aimlessly walking around are actually doing something. more like just trying to hide out and kill time. at least to what i've seen displayed in many stores i've walked into... maybe in the sticks where alot of you guys are from, you might have "HARD WORKING PEOPLE" with that type of work ethic, however here in south florida not at all.....

And by the way Trivial, I WILL try that out, and see if anything good comes to fruitation, you will be one of the first people i send the pictures to on here

[Augustus_Cole]

someone who paints told me...once you start..you'll always want to "fix/adjust" new figures..
it's funny because it's damn true..I look at certain figures that are coming out and my first thought is how I'm going to change\custom it up a bit..even small touch ups..(says the newb)..

@Riddick..that's a sweet ass setup ya got there homey...

[TheBlueMarvel]

@Dark

Who are you thinking to improve? Wonder Man?

[Veronica Mars]

No Namor for me. My local scalper beat me to the punch. I got to Walgreens, no Namors on the shelf, so I asked the cashier if someone could check in the back, since the website said they had some in stock. I told her the product name and she said there was a guy who was in about an hour ago, bought them all and asked her to call the other nearby stores to see if they had any.

[Aggroninja]

The Walgreen's website has Namor up for order now, not just store pick-up.

I jumped on it since none of the Walgreen's near me ever even got the yellow Daredevil.

[TheBlueMarvel]

Thanks to Robb...that was a real service, dude...I ordered my Namor. No more fruitless trips for me, with the added bonus of paying less than the going secondary-rate of 30 bones...

[Veronica Mars]

Oh the one by me has a ton of Daredevils and Ant-Mans

[Boy Blunder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donmeca2020

I NEVER said i didn't believe what Phantom posted.... as far as Gizmo just popping up claiming whatever it is he knows, i still don't believe it.... How is that trying to display power? more like trying to give them an incentive to actually go back and look for something that will take about a whole 5 minutes or less AND someone will end up buying the items not stealing them. OBVISOUSLY i wouldn't just hand them money until a box came out with them. Let's be honest for a moment with each other here. the majority of stores here in south florida, NONE of the workers in these stores whom are just aimlessly walking around are actually doing something. more like just trying to hide out and kill time. at least to what i've seen displayed in many stores i've walked into... maybe in the sticks where alot of you guys are from, you might have "HARD WORKING PEOPLE" with that type of work ethic, however here in south florida not at all.....

And by the way Trivial, I WILL try that out, and see if anything good comes to fruitation, you will be one of the first people i send the pictures to on here

I don't think anyone's going to risk their freaking job to take your bribe, dude. Fairly certain that, even if they're as lazy as you believe them to be, an extra $5-$10 right then and there wouldn't be worth being caught in a situation that could get them fired. $10 is nothing compared to losing their entire regular income.

So howzabout you don't do that. Because odds are good that bribery could also get you barred from that store, if the management so chooses. And even if this is all hypothetical BS, you've still been given enough hard evidence to show why it's not likely to work.

I will say that I've had some fortune with Transformers hunting and asking if a store had items that weren't on the shelf, but that's mostly because A) my wife and I have befriended employees at a number of local stores, including managers, and have a good rapport; B) we're kind, courteous, polite, and try not to impose on employees too much; and c) we have UPC/DPCI information for the employees to check directly, and often check beforehand to see if the store's website claimed they had the items in stock, which helps immensely.

Ended up getting most of the first Transformers Prime releases from the back room because we follow these steps. And because they actually had these items in the back room, and didn't have any restrictions on when/if they could sell them.

[Captain Nash]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veronica Mars

No Namor for me. My local scalper beat me to the punch. I got to Walgreens, no Namors on the shelf, so I asked the cashier if someone could check in the back, since the website said they had some in stock. I told her the product name and she said there was a guy who was in about an hour ago, bought them all and asked her to call the other nearby stores to see if they had any.

Oh man that sucks.

I realize that most retail employees are not going to care or realize what's a collectible and what's not, all about the sale, but I don't see how when they asked to find out about any stock that wouldn't have struck me as a bit odd.

Of course, I doubt they can decline the request, but maybe walgreens should do a limit 2 of their exclusives. It's likely a bit easier to identify the figure than with with Walmart, Target et all that might have a huge amount of different reigures.

[TheBlueMarvel]

@Blunder
The Walmart toy aisle floor-manager offered to me that I call her on a regular basis (even daily) to see if the Civil War wave was in stock (she also confirmed that they put everything they receive out on the shelves). I've since nabbed the entire wave via the help of BBTS (Black Panther) and DarkToyLord - plug (Nuke). Additionally, the Manager at one of my local Walgreens took my name and number promising to set one aside for me. I ordered off of their website, but if Namor arrives, and they call me, I'll grab an extra to foster the budding relationship and honor their thoughtful gesture.

[Augustus_Cole]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBlueMarvel

@Dark

Who are you thinking to improve? Wonder Man?

WM needs more than paint..lol...he needs sculpt work..
the last one i was looking at was cable...i saw a few pics people have of him open..I immediately look at the "vest thing-a-ma-bobble" and think it needs a dark wash...get some dark colors in those grooves...i'm going to do it immediately when i get that fig.
Every time i look at my onslaught too...i'll get around to that one day..i damn sure have enough legs to practice on..

[Boy Blunder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBlueMarvel

@Blunder
The Walmart toy aisle floor-manager offered to me that I call her on a regular basis (even daily) to see if the Civil War wave was in stock (she also confirmed that they put everything they receive out on the shelves). I've since nabbed the entire wave via the help of BBTS (Black Panther) and DarkToyLord - plug (Nuke). Additionally, the Manager at one of my local Walgreens took my name and number promising to set one aside for me. I ordered off of their website, but if Namor arrives, and they call me, I'll grab an extra to foster the budding relationship and honor their thoughtful gesture.

This is exactly how I got my Namor, as I mentioned a couple pages back. The manager at that Walgreens also has a note to keep an eye open for a Black Series Ahsoka Tano figure (though apparently my wife grabbed one while she was on vacation visiting family), and we'll probably be keeping communication lines with her open for future items.

[LapuLapu]

Got one!! Walgreens got em. Things to watch out for his chest skin tone, left eyebrow paint and left elbow joint (some are warped to be hyper extend out all the way to the left).

[TheBlueMarvel]

@Dark
Word? I thought that Cable looked pretty nifty 'as is' (I've only the benefit of pics, unfortunately - missed BBTS' first shipment )...but as you and Kirathis have mentioned, it does seem as though almost all figs could be improved with a 'wash.' The one caveat I'd offer is try to get two Cable figs early, because he's a character that tends to shoot up in price on the secondary market.

...and yeah, Wonder Man needs greater attention. Although, I like the head sculpt on that fig.

[jwyss234]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boy Blunder

I don't think anyone's going to risk their freaking job to take your bribe, dude. Fairly certain that, even if they're as lazy as you believe them to be, an extra $5-$10 right then and there wouldn't be worth being caught in a situation that could get them fired. $10 is nothing compared to losing their entire regular income.

So howzabout you don't do that. Because odds are good that bribery could also get you barred from that store, if the management so chooses. And even if this is all hypothetical BS, you've still been given enough hard evidence to show why it's not likely to work.

I will say that I've had some fortune with Transformers hunting and asking if a store had items that weren't on the shelf, but that's mostly because A) my wife and I have befriended employees at a number of local stores, including managers, and have a good rapport; B) we're kind, courteous, polite, and try not to impose on employees too much; and c) we have UPC/DPCI information for the employees to check directly, and often check beforehand to see if the store's website claimed they had the items in stock, which helps immensely.

Ended up getting most of the first Transformers Prime releases from the back room because we follow these steps. And because they actually had these items in the back room, and didn't have any restrictions on when/if they could sell them.

Agreed, and with cameras all over the store it's just not smart for either person. I've had a few times when the employees were less than helpful (and a TRU manager who told me to check eBay) but employees will usually help if you have UPC/DPCI/ R#. I've even had one TRU employee tell me to never ask without the numbers since it's harder for employees to refuse helping you if you've done all of the work. But most of the time politeness gets the job done.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Nash

Oh man that sucks.

I realize that most retail employees are not going to care or realize what's a collectible and what's not, all about the sale, but I don't see how when they asked to find out about any stock that wouldn't have struck me as a bit odd.

Of course, I doubt they can decline the request, but maybe walgreens should do a limit 2 of their exclusives. It's likely a bit easier to identify the figure than with with Walmart, Target et all that might have a huge amount of different reigures.

When I went hunting for the yellow Daredevil, a Walgreens employee told me that Marvel Legends all share the same inventory number (Target does the same thing for ML waves). I ended up making the trip for nothing that day. Safer to call or order online.

[Captain Nash]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwyss234

Agreed, and with cameras all over the store it's just not smart for either person. I've had a few times when the employees were less than helpful (and a TRU manager who told me to check eBay) but employees will usually help if you have UPC/DPCI/ R#. I've even had one TRU employee tell me to never ask without the numbers since it's harder for employees to refuse helping you if you've done all of the work. But most of the time politeness gets the job done.



When I went hunting for the yellow Daredevil, a Walgreens employee told me that Marvel Legends all share the same inventory number (Target does the same thing for ML waves). I ended up making the trip for nothing that day. Safer to call or order online.

in that case, I hope that the obvious scalper that VM mentioned goes to all the other Walgreens and finds nothing but Black Ants....

[donmeca2020]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boy Blunder

I don't think anyone's going to risk their freaking job to take your bribe, dude. Fairly certain that, even if they're as lazy as you believe them to be, an extra $5-$10 right then and there wouldn't be worth being caught in a situation that could get them fired. $10 is nothing compared to losing their entire regular income.

So howzabout you don't do that. Because odds are good that bribery could also get you barred from that store, if the management so chooses. And even if this is all hypothetical BS, you've still been given enough hard evidence to show why it's not likely to work.

I will say that I've had some fortune with Transformers hunting and asking if a store had items that weren't on the shelf, but that's mostly because A) my wife and I have befriended employees at a number of local stores, including managers, and have a good rapport; B) we're kind, courteous, polite, and try not to impose on employees too much; and c) we have UPC/DPCI information for the employees to check directly, and often check beforehand to see if the store's website claimed they had the items in stock, which helps immensely.

Ended up getting most of the first Transformers Prime releases from the back room because we follow these steps. And because they actually had these items in the back room, and didn't have any restrictions on when/if they could sell them.

I'll be the judge of that.... As far as being barred from a store, do you realize how many Wal-marts,targets, and toys r us stores there are around ????? i mean really ???? you nor quite a few of you never lived in South Florida or actually been to the stores here. As i said, i'll put it to the test. either way i'll report back on here whether i snag something or not.

[warmachine6]

just saw Jay C`s review of the Winter soilder coming out and wow what a slap in the face ... the only 2 new things he has got are the head and and torso, and the or hands dont hold them weapons that well, he didn't do a head swap... but yeah major pass for me , might just get the falcon

[Augustus_Cole]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBlueMarvel

@Dark
Word? I thought that Cable looked pretty nifty 'as is' (I've only the benefit of pics, unfortunately - missed BBTS' first shipment )...but as you and Kirathis have mentioned, it does seem as though almost all figs could be improved with a 'wash.' The one caveat I'd offer is try to get two Cable figs early, because he's a character that tends to shoot up in price on the secondary market.

...and yeah, Wonder Man needs greater attention. Although, I like the head sculpt on that fig.

oh he does look good...but now my eye sees PLAIN VANILLA PAINT JOBS and wants to adjust them. His up top armor a wash..his boots (armor on them) a dry brush..

Given I may wreck the figure...ha..but it's an idea to try..

and yeah..Cable is one of my top 5 characters of all time.


PS..you should peep Captain America: Sam Wison #10..there a niiiiice lineup inside..
I spend a good portion of the weekend getting re-aquainted with the comic world..


..and i know i'm super late getting these...but i finally snagged these two..




*edit*..OHH...that was big.....(that's what she said)......
sorry..i didn't resize..

[Boy Blunder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by donmeca2020

I'll be the judge of that.... As far as being barred from a store, do you realize how many Wal-marts,targets, and toys r us stores there are around ????? i mean really ???? you nor quite a few of you never lived in South Florida or actually been to the stores here. As i said, i'll put it to the test. either way i'll report back on here whether i snag something or not.

Wow, dude. Just wow.

Maybe you should just switch to ordering online.

[donmeca2020]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boy Blunder

Wow, dude. Just wow.

Maybe you should just switch to ordering online.

why so IF i can almost find them locally now ?? Not to mention i already do buy online, however i don't want the entire wave and i refuse to buy from a scalper.

[Boy Blunder]

Yeesh, just stepping away from this one now. Keep on trucking, hombre.

So, how many of y'all have gotten your X-Waves yet?

EDIT: @DTL, Glad you were able to nab a Miguel finally! He's still one of my favorite figures - something about the deco on him is just perfect.

[TheBlueMarvel]

@Dark
lol I'm not suggesting that you are going to 'newb it up'....but it's always good to have a fall-back plan!

Welcome to club-Spiderman!!!

[Captain Nash]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boy Blunder

Yeesh, just stepping away from this one now. Keep on trucking, hombre.

So, how many of y'all have gotten your X-Waves yet?

EDIT: @DTL, Glad you were able to nab a Miguel finally! He's still one of my favorite figures - something about the deco on him is just perfect.

Mine is still "warehouse" status from BBTS. Has anyone who had a "processing/paid" email from them gotten a shipping notice yet? Even though mine has been paid now I am worried it's not actually in stock.
And I know I'll continue to worry until I get that shipping notice.