[neatogecko]

So I've done my share of bitching and moaning about Mattel and their 3.75 - 4" lines. But yesterday at Walmart I realized something very important. While the articulation on the Green Lantern and Young Justice 4" lines is nothing short of stupid, Mattel absolutely has Hasbro beat on distribution.

Compare for example distribution on the three big movie toy lines this summer:

Thor - Wave 2 is just now showing up here and there! There are a number of characters that are virtually impossible to find at retail and often quite expensive on line. With the deluxe packs good luck finding anything past wave 1.

Cap - Better than Thor, but I have yet to see any single pack Hydra goons at retail. And while not impossible to find, Red Skull and Crossbones have been challenging for some people to get a hold of. What I mainly see at stores is still a lot of wave 1 and 2 peg warmers.

Green Lantern - I have seen four full waves of single packs, store exclusives, vehicles, etc. in large quantities at retail. There has yet to be a character released that I couldn't find at retail. And new product continues to flow! I just found the new four pack with Salaak at Walmart yesterday. There also tends to be multiple ways to get most characters (single pack, four pack, two pack, etc.) Now look at the Young Justice line. It's only been out at retail for about a month and they have already released two or three waves! Good grief.

So for quality of figures there is no doubt that Hasbro is king of the 3.75 to 4" world. But in terms of distribution and availability at retail...sorry Hasbro, Mattel clearly wins the prize.

Discuss.