Author Topic: Walmart Black Series 3.75" Wave 9 (TLJ Wave 1)  (Read 43058 times)

Offline McMetal

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Re: Walmart Black Series 3.75" Wave 9 (TLJ Wave 1)
« Reply #45 on: September 11, 2017, 03:23 PM »
Yeah, they just seem to be throwing them out there regardless of what older stuff is on the pegs. I've also seen a few extras on the tops of the shelves too.

I was able to pick up a full set of 4 of these today, no issues ringing up so they must have fixed the computer glitch or whatever.
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: Walmart Black Series 3.75" Wave 9 (TLJ Wave 1)
« Reply #46 on: September 12, 2017, 02:08 AM »
Over the weekend, I have a long drive home from the boy's football games, so I decided to hit some Wally's along the way...  One on the western side of Pittsburgh had 3 Roses, nothing else.  This smacked of someone gobbling stuff up to resell to me, but maybe I'm jaded.  Either way, I grabbed 2 Roses thinking I'd help a local out if he needed it and one for myself.  No issue checking out, though I did nab a Rey and put her on top of the pile so she got scanned first in a hope that it was late and the checkout lady wouldn't give a poo and just push them through however she had to.

OK so my night was alright...  I'd hit a store nearer the school and it hadn't had anything but this one near the city did, hooray.

On the way home I hit one near my gf's place and rounded the corner...  They had Cassian Andor and the Scarrif Trooper.  One each, but for the first time I've heard out here in the East, they had figures from this wave!

Now, is this a thing that we'll see more of?  I dunno.  But I was a happy man even to find one.  Someone had gotten the rest and left a Death Trooper too, which I also bought, but yeah.  Cool beans, this made my night.

But I decided to press my luck and drag my gf with me to the store beyond her town...  not far, and I was pushing for no whammy's.  I round the corner and I see old Luke, Rose, and after some digging a Praetorean Guard. 

Again, many more Roses than the others.  No Executioners, and 1x each in damaged boxes Luke/Guard which once again smacked of someone perhaps there to resell stuff.

I hate crying scalper but I have noticed an uptick in the telltale signs of douchebags creeping into the hobby more.  Especially with the 3.75" TBS line, and things like the Probot, basic old Luke, etc.

So I had a pretty solid night as toy runs go, and then my buddy Jim nabs me the Executioner and our other buddy the rest of the wave...  I have an extra Rose now, and I'm ok with that.

Some thoughts on the figures...

-Praetorian Guard...  He's probably my favorite due to the army buildability of him, and he's a solid figure overall.  Sculpt, articulation, range of motion of said articulation, paint aps (such as they are), and so on and so forth.  He's pretty simple in a way, but he's a good figure all around.

-Executioner...  Don't have him in hand yet, but he's basically a new deco and a new weapon on an old figure.  It's a figure I like, and it's not as army buildable as the original trooper is (I'm assuming they don't have 100 executioners running around in TLJ), but I'm guessing he's just an old figure with a new deco.  Ok, nothing amazing to go nuts over. 

-Rose...  Shockingly love her.  She's very poseable, very easily holds her weapon with 2 hands, one hand, lots of cool poses...  I like the aurabesh text on her jumpsuit.  She has customizability with the genericness of the costume.  She's a pretty cool figure and just very well done.  Is she important?  Does she do a ton?  Does she deserve this many figures immediately?  No clue, but the figure, as it is, is great.  Kind of a shame she's the Finn/Old Leia/Jyn/Lando of this particular wave...  She deserves better.  Her initial basic 5POA 3.75" figure should've been a different costume ala her 6" exclusive or something.

-Luke...  Here's the one that I'm torn on.  I didn't look for a 5POA Luke because I didn't see the necessity in it with a 3.75" SA figure.  Like Rose, I knew what I wanted, and it was articulation...  and I got it!  However, Hasbro (in its infinite confusing mixed message stuff they do) decided they'd super articulate his lower body while putting stiff plastic robes over it.   ::)

The sculpt is great.  The deco is great.  Having Old Luke there to stand and stare angrily, I love that...  BUT WTF!?  No way this figure should've had plastic robes.  Cloth cloth cloth!  That's the point of this line!  The ability to pose these figures, and I'd like to think Luke could still whip some ass if he wished.

So I actually love-hate this figure...  I'd add too, that his cloth cape needs some tweaking to make it lay right and look correct on this figure, but they've done the "skirt" piece in cloth so well before, especially with Jedi, and this one they just really **** the bed with the plastic robes.  You can literally get a 5POA Luke with plastic robes that you can't pose dynamically, for less money, then you can pay more and get a Luke you can pose dynamically so long as he's standing there kind of plainly.  But either way, whatever, it's a cool figure to (finally) have.  I like it.  I just am left scratching my head.

Scarrif Troopers...  I had one already I got online for a fair price factoring in the shipping, and knew I loved it.  It's a figure that is up there with my all time favorites, right beside the Death Trooper actually.  And Cassian...  And Jyn...  Can you guess I enjoyed Rogue One?
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Offline McMetal

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Re: Walmart Black Series 3.75" Wave 9 (TLJ Wave 1)
« Reply #47 on: September 12, 2017, 09:09 AM »
You stay up late, dude!  ;D

It's my understanding that there actually are squads of Executioners, maybe not hundreds, but definitely more than one. So that one is probably ok to army build.

It seems the Praetorian Guards though, unlike the ERG's, are actually individualized, both in armor and weapons, so that one might be more of a stretch to buy multiples. But don't let that stop you! You can always customize...
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Offline Diddly

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Re: Walmart Black Series 3.75" Wave 9 (TLJ Wave 1)
« Reply #48 on: September 12, 2017, 02:03 PM »
Jesse, I too have been thinking about scalpers. The original guy who let me have his extras only had Luke, Stormie and EPG in his hands, I found the Roses later. And the fact that Rose is the only other figure I've seen on the pegs at multiple stores is fishy too. The first new toys to hit WM in a while and a non-repack is sitting? ::)
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: Walmart Black Series 3.75" Wave 9 (TLJ Wave 1)
« Reply #49 on: September 12, 2017, 08:56 PM »
Sometimes I think the scalper thing is overblown, especially by some other sites pushing for a headline, but to me the 90s were a time of woe for that crap.  These days, a single guy can clean out a store for sure.  That said, when Rose is the only one left, and I can't speak for all collectors but when a wave hits I get the figures from said wave and not skip one as some kinda gamble, yeah I dunno.  That's not quite right in my mind.

Then finding the guard and Luke, but only 1 each of those and with quite noticeably damaged boxes...  everything else gone, but Rose?  Hmmm yeah. Smacking of lameness.

I think there is some uptick.  I think the limited nature of exclusives is driving it...  Walmart stuff has certainly been hit and miss, and so IF I see it, I see it there.  Never see the same stuff as much at Target or TRU.

Noticed it on FF2 though, that guys were clearly looking for the exclusive 6" stuff and buying specific 5POA figures that were rumored "rare" like Luke or whatever.  Rey wasn't too easy to find either, but I noticed at the start like the Chewbacca variant porg was driving some goofy questions too like "which is more rare" and stuff.  ::)  Probots were going too and just happened to be the lesser packed one?  Shocking.  ::)  Meanwhile Rathtars galore haha.

Oh yeah, I do stay up too late sometimes haha.  I had an emergency repair for someone's car last night so I was out in the garage till after 1 here.  Then I had some news to post (Q&A with Hasbro that we piggybacked with www.ImperialHolocron.com needed posted).  Nothing ever goes smooth on a car repair in the northeast, haha.

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Offline Matt_Fury

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Re: Walmart Black Series 3.75" Wave 9 (TLJ Wave 1)
« Reply #50 on: September 12, 2017, 10:51 PM »
Hit a local Walmart today and found a bunch of Roses and a Praetorian Guard.  Love the Guard, like the Rose, and I'm hoping to find a couple of Lukes and Executioners soon!
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Offline Darby

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Re: Walmart Black Series 3.75" Wave 9 (TLJ Wave 1)
« Reply #51 on: September 13, 2017, 12:30 AM »
Sometimes I think the scalper thing is overblown, especially by some other sites pushing for a headline, but to me the 90s were a time of woe for that crap.  These days, a single guy can clean out a store for sure.  That said, when Rose is the only one left, and I can't speak for all collectors but when a wave hits I get the figures from said wave and not skip one as some kinda gamble, yeah I dunno.  That's not quite right in my mind.

Scalpers (around here in Iowa) are definitely more of a factor than they have been in forever, but I agree, a lot of this feels overblown. When you pimp every day the 'outrageous' prices on eBay for X Y or Z, you start to see that it's not about some crazy auction but someone's traffic. If there were as many scalpers as there in the 90's, we wouldn't be talking about distribution. Ever.

Offline Jesse James

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Re: Walmart Black Series 3.75" Wave 9 (TLJ Wave 1)
« Reply #52 on: September 13, 2017, 01:54 AM »
Or sneaking in an affiliate link.  :-X
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Offline Matt_Fury

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Re: Walmart Black Series 3.75" Wave 9 (TLJ Wave 1)
« Reply #53 on: September 19, 2017, 10:17 PM »
I hit the mother lode today!  I was at one of the Walmarts near me and was able to pick up 2 Lukes, 2 Executioners, and a second Praetorian Guard.

The Executioners are easily the gems of this wave!  Love the ball and socket wrists!  I hope they are in the movie for more than 10 seconds!

The Luke is good, not great.  I agree with Jesse that I would prefer more soft goods on him.  I would also have liked him to come with his lightsaber....at least the hilt for his belt.  Also, one of mine has the feet reversed.  Anyone know how to swap these feet easily?  Remember, I don't really do any customization.
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: Walmart Black Series 3.75" Wave 9 (TLJ Wave 1)
« Reply #54 on: September 19, 2017, 10:55 PM »
Run his feet under hot tap water a good while n it'll soften his shins enough to remove the feet and swap them.  Usually I boil figures but since ur not into the customizing thing Matt just hold it under the hottest tap water so you soften the leg plastic enough.  The feet pegs are a hard plastic and won't soften.  The foot itself will tho cuz it's like the shin plastic.
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Offline Matt_Fury

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Re: Walmart Black Series 3.75" Wave 9 (TLJ Wave 1)
« Reply #55 on: September 19, 2017, 11:07 PM »
So basically, the ankle kind of looks like a U when looking at it straight on?
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: Walmart Black Series 3.75" Wave 9 (TLJ Wave 1)
« Reply #56 on: September 20, 2017, 02:16 AM »
Not really sure what you mean there but basically here is a popped apart foot of a figure, just so you see what you're dealing with (stolen via google).



The "pin" that the foot pivots on and which plugs into the shin/lower leg is rigid plastic and won't soften with the hot water.  The foot itself is molded around the pin.  That's actually where cost is with ball socket joints with Hasbro figures.  The molding process is more $ because of that but it can't fall apart.

It's not hard to pop figures apart though just make sure you leave it under the tap a while.  You'll just have to pop the feed off and then heat the shin up again (not even as much) and pop the foot's pin back in and voila. :)
« Last Edit: September 20, 2017, 02:17 AM by Jesse James »
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Offline Matt_Fury

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Re: Walmart Black Series 3.75" Wave 9 (TLJ Wave 1)
« Reply #57 on: September 20, 2017, 11:29 AM »
The picture helps out a lot!  Thanks Jesse!
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Offline Darth_Anton

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Re: Walmart Black Series 3.75" Wave 9 (TLJ Wave 1)
« Reply #58 on: September 20, 2017, 03:31 PM »
Again, stuck in WM nightmare land here in LA. Every WM within driving distance is just a disaster concerning anything black series, all clogged with older product. Found one Rose while on a job out of town, but that's it so far.
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: Walmart Black Series 3.75" Wave 9 (TLJ Wave 1)
« Reply #59 on: September 20, 2017, 05:35 PM »
I thot the same thing here but our stores have a ton of this wave but all in backstock.

No problem Matt!  Happy to help.  I got a DST that way I still haven't fixed.  I need to get on that. :(
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