You seem to forget that we collectors are not Hasbro's target audience when it comes to most of their products and never will be. Sure, they try to cater to us whenever it matches what they're already doing, or when it's cheap and easy to do. And there's always the convention exclusives.

But first and foremost, Hasbro wants kids to buy their toys. The problem is when a new line comes out, collectors, speculators and scalpers (i.e. not kids) tear through the first two waves like a swarm of locusts in a cornfield. By doing that, sales are temporarily boosted, causing the retailer to order more (possibly excessive amounts) before Hasbro has shifted to the next wave. Then, as things start to saturate, the newer waves take longer and longer to appear because retailers wait for all the stuff on the shelves to go first (or drop to a certain level).

Also, Hasbro doesn't control how much stock a retailer carries at any given store (or at all, really). They barely have a say in how the product is displayed on the shelves. If there's too many wave 1 toys on the pegs from a specific line, it's because the retailer overestimated the demand for them.

Add to that, the fact that most toy manufactures set their wave schedules during the manfucturing stage of the toy's development, not when they're shipping it to retailers. In other words, a line is set to hit retail on a given date with wave 1 and maybe wave 2. Wave 3 is scheduled to ship from the manufacturing plants, let's say, 3 weeks later and hit retail about six weeks after the line's debut. Same for wave 4 and so on.

It's also the reason the last wave of any toy line is usually the hardest to find at retail. By that point, retailers are buying less and toy companies are making less (possibly even cancelling the line outright).

Then there's the idea of movie tie-ins, like Indiana Jones and Green Lantern. The figures weren't that good and the movies didn't do that well in theaters. Couple that with retailers assuming they would do well and movie products would fly off the shevles. So they maybe they ordered a little too much at the beginning, and it doomed Indy's toy line and will likely do the same for GL.

So there are several factors that go into why retailers might have a glut of slow- or non-moving product on their pegs and shelves.

It's also why clearance sales were invented, which are soley driven by the retailers.

Nearly ever ebay seller with the mandarin wave is from Texas or Canada.
When I was in south Texas in 2008, I was surprised to find Cobra B.A.T.s at H.E.B. grocery. That is a cool store.

I didn't forget. I just know more 25 year olds and up who have/collect MU than kids. I know Hasbro doesn't cater to adult collectors but they should we are clearly the one's buying this stuff. I've often found that the big stores don't even care what wave/revision case they even order.

It's never gonna be like the 80's and 90's were an entire toy isle is dedicated to one toy with the exception of Star Wars. My TRU has a huge SW display right as you walk in and still has half and isle and freestanding displays so you can grab unpunched classic cards. Maybe i'm just jelous of Star War's panash.

While I 100 percent agree with most of your post, there's just one tiny quibble here: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull made $317 million dollars in the US and $786 million worldwide. It was the 3rd highest-grossing movie of 2008 (Behind The Dark Knight and Iron Man...the latter by the tiniest of margins).

Green Lantern your point is absolutely true...that movie bombed hard. But Indiana Jones did quite well despite the fanboy gripes. General audiences loved it. Just like they love the Michael Bay Transformers movies while fans complain endlessly about how he "ruined" Transformers.

But anyway, the main problem with the Indy toyline was that they were effectively a nostalgia line (Most of the figure waves were for 20+ year old movies). Kids had no nostalgic connection to Indy, and even the stuff from the new movie wasn't enough to hook them because quite frankly the characters of Indiana Jones look bland compared to other lines out there. (At least until the Temple of Doom wave hit in its' very limited numbers).

Speak for yourself......ill take one if your giving him away....

I think if a manager at a major retailer played their cards right and knew a thing or two about what is popular, this wouldn't be such a problem. Say a Target gets in a few cases of the same revision, and only some of them sell. Why not send a case back to the manufacturer and ask for a different case? I'm sure that is along the lines of what BBTS does, so why can't a retailer? Simple answer -they don't care. All of that overflow going back to the manufacturer would be universally beneficial because it allows for new stock to flow into major retailers, and gives companies like Hasbro cheap product to distribute to discount retailers.

There's no way you can know who's buying what, outside of your own experiences and circle of friends (or on a message board populated by toy collectors). Hasbro has been quoted to say that collectors generally make up a small percentage of overall sales for most toy lines (excluding Star Wars and such), whereas kids (or their parents) make up the bulk of sales. Sometimes these groups (collectors and kids/parents) intersect, but that subset is even smaller still.

You are correct that most retailers don't care about waves or case numbers, only that they got the product they ordered. If they want a case of MU, do they care whether it's the Thanos wave or the X-23/Darkhawk wave? Hell, no. But is that really surprising for big box stores, who deal in literally tens of thousands of products daily?

Yeah, the golden age of toy buying is long gone. Plus, Star Wars is an evergreen property (just ask George Lucas), so I think it would be unfair to compare any line's success or failure to it.

I stand (or sit) corrected. I knew it didn't tank, but I hadn't realized it did that well. I still say it's only the 3rd best Indy film, though. Why does Spielburg insist on putting aliens in everything he does these days?

Yeah, I was initially thrilled to hear that the toy line was going to cover all four films, as well as being 3.75" scale. I had always wanted a toy line for Indy like that, so nostalgia was working pretty hard on me to buy them. But then I saw the actual product. Ugh.

Probably last year sometime. xD

Hehe well then I doubt there are any left at Kohl's.
WOW! Never had that experience with my local Marshalls/TJ Maxx. Sure the one in a high traffic area rarely has anything left.
Marshalls/TJ Maxx also has B.A.T.s
I have quite a large B.A.T. army because of them.

It's only a matter of time until IM2 shows up there too.
Perhaps Big Lots may get some? They got the Star Trek figures from the last movie plus some 25th too.

In August , I wished that Tuesday Morning would start selling the Mandarin wave. Today, my wish came true. I called over 20 stores. About 12 of those stores each had 2 Iron Man figures . One problem was that some stores only had figures from older waves. Afte
r all of that , I only scored one Mandarin, one Ultimate Iron Man, and two comic Whiplash (still looking for #38 war machine).
If you have this store in your hometown call them and ask for Mandarin. Be sure to describe it well so you don't drive there for the cartoon Mandarin figure. It may help to give the item number ( 1105065 ) and the price ( $5.99 ). That item number is only for the Iron Man 2 single carded figures. The cartoon Armored Adventure series figures have a different number .

Wow, that is awesome man. You certainly put in the man hours, so congrats.

its about time they leave they have been clogging up shelf space

Myabe it's a FLorida thing- I've hot three Marshalls in the past month since someone reported finding a Ginat battles pack there for ten bucks. At each store it's the same- slim pickings and every store had like ten people wanting to check out with only one of four registers manned.
Man, I hate that! I see it at Target all the time as well.
I picked up two BATS from marshalls in Aventura for $4 a piece, got them home and had buyers remorse...but now I'm useing the flamethrower on a IM2 silver drone instead of it's hand- looks good and natural there.
Checked Big Lots too- the desperation there is far far worse than Marshalls. (but my Big Lots is in a seriously poor neighborhood, so there's that).
Picked up a cool 3.75" scale horse for $4 bucks from some gemeric Military heroes line...good horse for my Black KNight.
Tossed the fig though- it was bad. Bad enough that I wont even make a zombie out of him.
Big Lots is a customizers paradise though- tools, clamps, whatever- dirt cheap.

You know what I dont understand?!?
We have at least sx repaints of various Iron Man armors, right? Why no repaint of the Drones, Mandarin, Iron Monger or Titianium Man?
THOSE would have sold like crazy- Mandarin in black or red instead of green would be a collector's dream and if nothing else they could have easily released the grey Drone with the milliles on a single card or the beige Drone with the shoulder cannon.
I'm pretty damn sick of seeing those at Toys R Us- those bastards still STILL have that pack for $25.00!

I hate them more than I'd hate an army of cloned cyborg Hitlers!

My Toys R Us has those one sale for 19.99 this week.

Not enough cashiers seems to be a big problem every where. Stores are just trying to save money by not hiring. Plus when Walmart had cashiers do the bagging it really slowed everything down.

Actually if you are talking about Power Team Elite those figures are far better than the Corps crap Walmart sells. Power Team Elite Reviews Page Then there is Chap Mei or the crap dollar stores have.

I did post a pic on one of the Iron Man threads of a recolored drone. Of course it is probably one that will be in the revamped Iron Man line.

Explain please- What Iron Man line?!?

DONT TEASE A GUY THAT WAY!

http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/1/0/1...3446397_tp.jpghttp://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/1/0/1...3446432_tp.jpg

:confused:

Iron Man: The Armored Avenger - Toy Discussion at Toyark.com

Don't do this to me hasbro!!!

The movie came out months ago but the DVD just came out opening up a whole new audience. I know I picked up 4 Thor figures more than I would have because I got into it more watching it a couple of times with friends.

I expect we will see an influx of Captaina America stuff at Target when that dvd comes out.

Uhm...pretty sure the Armored Avenger 3.75" line was stillborn and is never going to hit retail at this point. It was supposed to come out early this year to replace IM2 on shelves, and instead simply...never materialized except at a few e-tailers.

If they were going to continue Iron Man they would've shipped at least one new 3.75" wave to retailers this year, but from the looks of things...they didn't except for a very, VERY few sightings.

Went back this weekend and found the others in the wave. Picked up the Ultimate IM and he's actually a great figure. Comic Backlash is ok at best. Left the two War Machines, just not enough interest.

how much were the War Machines?

I stumbled across Mandrain while at Ross. Snagged it at the price of $4.99 + tax. Definitely was surprised to even run across it. Now I hope to run across War Machine (Dark Reign one with Rhodey cyborg looking alternate head) to finish off my set of War Machines.

Damn you, why must you flaunt your $4.99 Mardarin in front of my face? Just kidding, I paid 8 times that. I suck.

Stillborn maybe, they were online at HTS.
I doubt any store ordered some since they must have tons of IM2 still. Therefore they wouldn't ship to any retailers.
I think some TRUs got some.