Classics Exclusives: 50% Worth Owning?

Exclusive Classics 2.0 Figures in Japanese Style Boxes released only by HasbroToyShop.com around Xmas? Yes, sir, you have my attention.

But on closer inspection, imagine my letdown when I realized that two of the four figures (Optimus Prime and Megs) are re-releases of what are possibly the worst two molds in the entire line, namely the figures that were released in the ill-fated two-pack that most of us ended up throwing out due to their terrible posing, and inability to stay in one piece. Not to mention that the paint job on prime is barely new. (Megs looks better, but I won't be deceived....that crazy waist spring still lies in wait...)

Still for the Classics completists amongst us, I suppose this might still be tempting.

Personally I will be opting to only add the Dragstrip and Overkill models since I like the Mirage and Grimlock molds and feel the redecos represent the G1 characters quite well.

Pricing on these is $16 on HTS.com, which with taxes and shipping works out to just under $20USD. With currency exchange and fees to use a US card to get em for us, it will work out to $26 or so. Send your orders our way asap....the good ones will likely sell out as most HTS exclusives tend to do.

p.s. These don't ship until December....

WOW!....Customs Gaining Momentum

A few months ago I paid just over $400 for this little beauty:


It's a Jin Saotome custom using TFA Lugnut and some smart customization to make a G1 Powerglide update that puts the Classics 2.0 Powerglide to shame (IMHO).

And on that day I went into that auction certain that the most I would pay for it was $150. And yet, I more than doubled my final bid when the chips were down. And it was also the day I realized that custom toys have turned the corner past collectibles, and into the art world.

Case in point...the incredible $3,150 sale by frenzy.rumble this week of his custom Menasor gestalt set on EBay!


I mean sure, this is an amazing one of a kind piece, but how far can the limit be pushed?

2 questions to the audience, so show of hands:

1) What is the most you would pay for a custom?

2) Who are the top 3 custom toy artists working today?

Go to it...

HasbroToyShop.com To Ship To Canada This Fall?

Word on the street is that HasbroToyShop.com may finally open its doors to Canadians later this fall. Having dealt with their US version several times this year, I thought I would provide some analysis of the pros and cons that we are likely to face once this finally launches:

1) For most new items, HTS has everything we could possibly need, though they do tend to sell out for hotter items, sometimes during the preorder phase, which then means watching out daily for the reemergence of the product at some later date (usually within 2 weeks.) HOWEVER, the vast majority of items, even if pre-ordered will ship weeks or even months (!) after the initial street date in the US. Items like TFA Ultra Magnus will be in our hands from street teams long before HTS will bother shipping them...this seems to be a function of their commitments to their retailers, but it means fans hyper to get the latest in a timely way will have to sit on their hands for a while.

2) In an ideal world we would be getting US pricing but shipping from Cdn distribution centers. This is almost certainly NOT going to be the case. As such we will be facing US to Canada shipping prices + full Cdn taxes since HTS will always mark the full value of the items on the package as per the law. This will tend to bring pricing on most items back up towards the Cdn pricing except under special circumstances (see next point.)

3) About once a quarter HTS will have a solid sale worth paying attention to, typically represented by either free shipping (I have a feeling this may not end up being applicable in Canada), or 10-20% off, and very rarely, both a discount AND free shipping. For the very patient this can be a good way to make a larger order worthwhile, though again, with new items you are looking at a potentially long wait.

4) In reality, the best use for HTS for Cdn fans will be direct access to San Diego Comicon Exclusives when they come online each summer for a brief period of time. Being able to order directly from them on these items once a year will be better for all of us, vs. the current system of using ebay, msg boards or the co-op to get decent to bad pricing in order to get a piece of the rare figure action.




Expect further analysis when the system goes live (if it goes live!) later this fall.

Take care,

James

I Freakin Love TFA Activators

Wow,

I have to say, when they first announced the activators line, I was totally "meh" about it. It seemed like a cash grab to slip another line between the kiddie Bumper Battlers and the normal deluxe figures.


And then I got my hands on Wave 1, and I haven't been able to stop playing with them since!

I love the way each of these intricate little guys are 50% instant self-transformation via single touch button activation, and then 50% puzzle as you maneuver them back into place. Just as I always seem to do with old mini-cons at my desk while on the phone with clients, these activators are total finger candy while my mind is on auto-pilot.

Can't recommend them enough...

p.s. I have three sets of wave 1 left at $24, which is about $10cdn less than they go for up here.

Heh...Can I Assume We Will All Be Getting A Set?

Yeah, some of you may remember I called the audible on these months back...with Hasbro doing them for every other major line, it was only a matter of time until GI JOE and Transformers got the treatment.

Feel free to signal anytime between now and the fall release date if you want a full set of these.

Masterpiece Megatron Back in Stock for $93!!!

Straight forward...I have 4 Masterpiece Megatron MISB heading to the co-op for $93 each....beats best online prices by about $10-$25.

Hands up if you want em....last two times they were claimed within 48hrs.

Hot GTC Pre-Order

Hey guys,

I'm happy to announce a pretty hot pre-order to the co-op today.

We will be getting in an order of the ultra-rare Alternators Hot Rodimus and BT-21 Binaltech (Alternators) Pink Arcee.

Both items regularly go for $60+ (including shipping) on ebay, etc, but co-op pricing will be $54 for either item, or $105 for both!!!

PLEASE NOTE: THIS WILL BE A PRE-ORDER ONLY ITEM WITH NO SPARES ORDERED SO PLEASE SEND ME YOUR REQUESTS ASAP AND BE PREPARED TO PREPAY FOR YOUR SET VIA PAYPAL@ADVOCA.COM AS USUAL FOR OUR PRE-ORDER ITEMS.

Happy to be bringing the best prices to the table as always...

James

Clone Wars Hitting Shelves Early

People waiting for the midnight clone wars events might want to do a pre-emptive check of their local stores....reports are flooding in from all over of Clone Wars items being put out early, especially light saber sets, clone voice helmets and the infamous BMF (Big Millenium Falcon), with Walmart leading the way on that last item at $188cdn, and about $144 usd.

Happy hunting!

p.s. Found a great deal recently on some Movie Premium Leaders that I am passing on to the co-op....just $40 for Optimus Prime or Megatron or $75 (!!!) for both. Compare that to the $60+tax/gas for each, or about $150, and you can see that if you want these definitive movie line figs, the time is now.




James

Dark Knight Nails It

Wow...just wow...midnight showing of the Dark Knight revealed a classic tale of three men: the one who beats his dark side, the one who struggles, and the one that doesn't even in try. Ledger deserves the potential Oscar...incredible in every scene.

If any of you feel a sudden Batman fetish brewing, send your lists for wanted items...before they first wave disappears completely...

James

July 17th Massive Toy Haul

Hey all,

Between our toy hunters and our recent journey through several US states on the way to a wedding, our next haul due back July 20th is looking to be pretty exciting.

Here is what you can expect to have in hand shortly. Remember to holler loud if you haven't already made requests or prepaid for these items...email to jchillcott@hotmail.com or responding to this post will do. (Paypal pre-payments can be made to paypal@advoca.com once your order availability has been confirmed back.)

Check it out:

Transformers

Marvel Transformers! (Spidey/IronMan/Hulk) - $20 (set of 3 for $57)
Classics 2.0 Robot Heroes! (Cheetor/Blackarachnia, Blitzwing/Hound, Megatron/RatTrap) - $8 or set of 3 for $23
Classics 2.0 Legends! (Red Alert/Onslaught/Starscream) $8 each or set of 3 for $21
Classics 2.0 (Wave 1: Tankor/Sunstreaker/Prowl)- $14each or $40 for set of three
TFA Leader Bulkhead - $48!
TFA Voyager Lugnut/Grimlock - $28
TFA Activators (Starscream/Bulkhead/Bumblebee...these are so cool!)- $10
TFA Bumblebee (for anyone still in need who couldn't use the TRU BOGOF) - $12
Titanium War Within Optimus Prime/Megatron TRU 2 PK (very nice!) - $33
Damaged Box (perfect misb toy) 25th Anniversary Masterpiece Prime - $50!!!
Best Buy Movie Voyager Megatron (rare!) - $45
Movie Premium Blackout - $28
Movie Premium Deluxe Barricade/Bumblebee - $15

Star Wars

New Comic Packs (Lando/Stormtrooper, Giant Wookie/Kassyhk Trooper, Dooku/Anakin) - $15
Droid Factory Sets - $70!
Battle Packs (Betrayal on Bespin/Battle on Mygeeto/Droid Factory Capture) - $20

GI Joe

New 25th Joe Vehicles!!! (Vamp w/ Double Clutch, Hiss Tank w/ Hiss Commander, Ram Cycle vs. Cobra Flight Pod, Armadillo vs. Serpentor Chariot) - $23
GI Joe 25th 12" Figure Bazooka! - $22
Commanding Officer TRU Sets (Crimson Guard/Cobra/GI Joe) - $21


Batman Stuff (in honour of the movie)

TRU Exclusive 2up 12" Batman Figure (Soooo nice...) - $40
Batman/Scarecrow Deluxe Evidence Figures - $15
Batman TRU Exclusive Ultimate Collection 5 Figure Pk (wow, loving it) - $40

Whew!...crazy list...hollar when you decide what you want....I'll be back in town briefly Sunday night, and then back for a while on the 24th.

James

Clone Wars Report

Hey all,

Have recently been lucky enough to get my hands on several Clone Wars toys before street date and thought I would share my first person perspective with the commmunity.

1) BMF (Big MotherF'in Falcon)

Had two of these well before I should have...and trust me, you want to be in line for this thing if you are serious about the Falcon. It's tricked out, its huge, the package has handles and big stores are only getting 3-5 in at a time with limited waves (its just too big to have many on aisle at once). Make this a chase people...you can always resell it later, cause everyone needs to get one.



2) Clone Wars 3.75 Wave 1

Wow. Just wow. I am not even that big of a 3.75 figure fan, and I wasn't expecting much from this line, but seriously, this is a whole new level of cool for SW figs. Packaging looks fantastic. The figures are incredibly detailed and feature firing weapons and tons of unique features figure to figure. To make the hype around the midnight sales that much crazier, the figs for that first wave of cases (likely to be devoured within 24hrs or less everywhere) are marked (but not all) with special stickers that say something like (1st Day Wave)...so yeah, these will be ebay bait for sure, since subsequent waves will not have the stickers...think of it as a new take on the gold coin stuff.

The 50% Ripoff - Why We Exist

Why do we need a toy co-op?

Simple. Just like many consumer goods from the US market, toys and collectibles are often marked up 35-60% in Canadian and European markets vs. the USA in store prices at big box retailers like Walmart, ToysRUs and Target.

By using hunting teams within big box retail chains, online sale monitoring and group orders from wholesalers and overseas agents, the Global Toy Co-operative aims to bridge the price gap and get us all the toys we want, and prices that won't break the bank.

The system is simple. We hunt down great deals, with a special focus on in-store exclusives and rare items that aren't easy to find or were never released at all on home ground. We offer these deals to our members, and give priority to members that send pre-payment, and then to those who sent want lists. We can't guarantee orders at all times, we will refund anything you haven't received within 6 weeks of your order upon request.

We don't operate at a profit, reinvesting all funds generated into the co-op for additional buys and system upgrades (more on the grand plan for our future web site soon).

For now, our primary focus will be on Transformers, Star Wars, and GI Joe, but we will try to accommodate any requests, and will expand focus later this year.

Join the co-op. It's free. It's the best deal on toys most of the time. We'll send you emails about upcoming orders and availability of hot toys, and/or post notes to this blog so you can RSS or bookmark to keep up to date.

Looking forward to some great times!

James (FaustX)