[behindthemask]

I think having comic con panels is good for the fans to know what every product is coming out and to make informed buying decisions to buy a few or them all. It gives companies who sell the product such as comic stores and 3rd party avenues a chance to set marketvalue not retail value. It gives scalpers a chance to calculate which is the rare 1 and what variants to look for.

It does take away from going to a store and looking at toys and looking for a particular figure rather then deciding which awesome toy to get. As kids we typically only were given 1 toy so we checked the back of the box and decided who had the most accessories, the best costume and was the coolest of them all from there we made our selection and felt proud and happy on the way home. We'd hang on to the backing and then figure out which 1 to get net or what Santa would bring. I love card backings they tell ya what's going on lol.

In all seriousness I do like knowing because distrution is shit around me and without it I'd be clueless what waves are what and what to keep an eye out for. Plus internet avenues for purchasing is almost hand it hand with toy collecting, because even if you are able to find 99% retail you will always be on the hunt for some oddball/variant item.

If Hasbro's toy section was the same at every store this wouldn't be an issue but it is so it's on us to know what's being made so we can find other avenues to find these items.