Author Topic: "Midnight Madness" Have You Gone/Will You Go?  (Read 10028 times)

Offline CHEWIE

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Re: "Midnight Madness" Have You Gone/Will You Go?
« Reply #15 on: January 24, 2005, 04:05 PM »
I'm not passing on much... I'd rather pay an extra buck or two and have the figures I want rather than wait several months.

 :P


Offline JesseVader08

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Re: "Midnight Madness" Have You Gone/Will You Go?
« Reply #16 on: January 24, 2005, 05:46 PM »
I'm not passing on much... I'd rather pay an extra buck or two and have the figures I want rather than wait several months.

 :P



Hah, yeah, as much as I hate to say it, I agree!  I'm at the point where, if I see it, I'll buy it.  (There goes the monthly budget out the window). 

I don't think there will be a MM here, since I can't see Zellers (a Canuckian chain) getting involved in this.  But I think it could be a lot of fun, with the right group of collectors - no elbows, eh?   :)

Offline CloneF13Y35

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Re: "Midnight Madness" Have You Gone/Will You Go?
« Reply #17 on: January 27, 2005, 03:59 PM »
I didn't go to any of the midnight madness sales, not sure if my city even did that except at the 24 hour walmart. But I might go this year.
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Offline MR.ROBOTO

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What is midnight madness?
« Reply #18 on: February 22, 2005, 12:11 AM »
Is that when you can get the first line of ROTS figure at walmart at 12:01 AM april 2nd?
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Offline JesseVader08

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Re: What is midnight madness?
« Reply #19 on: February 22, 2005, 12:40 AM »
As far as I understand it, that's pretty much right.  It sounds like some other retailers may get involved as well, perhaps Target and TRU.  Am I right guys?

Offline Jesse James

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Re: What is midnight madness?
« Reply #20 on: February 22, 2005, 01:04 AM »
Yeah...

Episode 1 had it first, and it was TRU actually who did a Midnight Madness thing...  They made a big production out of it, and there were huge lines at TRU stores.  In some sense it was a madhouse and hectic.  I went to the Monroeville, PA store out of curiosity (I knew this stuff wouldn't be hard to get) and there were TONS of people.

For AOTC I don't recall TRU doing anything actually, but Wal-Mart stores people were pretty much heading to since they were open all night.  My WM was open so I tore up that way and there was maybe 12 people total...  I walked out with 3 TIE Bombers since they were the only things I wanted after seeing that horrible unveiling.

It was funny how there was all of like 12 of us, and yet there was all the E2 product and they REFUSED to take that plastic off the aisle (covering all the toys) till 12:01 a.m. exactly.  :)  I had to pee and just wanted to get the hell home with my TIE Bombers.

And that was the day... 

This time around, nobody's said concretely what they're doing for E3.  WM's are almost all open 24 hours I think, so there's one stop to go to if you want...  Target I don't think is doing anything at midnight...  TRU I dunno.  I doubt it since they didn't last time.  It makes me believe they see it as too costly to keep the store open just for the geek crowd, but to me that line had to have proved profitable for the TRU I was at, I dunno.

People went nuts in 99 too, and I remember kids getting trampled and scalpers pushing people out of the way for Darth Maul figures...  it was pathetic. 
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Offline cCc2021

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Re: "Midnight Madness" Have You Gone/Will You Go?
« Reply #21 on: February 22, 2005, 11:19 AM »
I went to MM for Episode I, but I wasnt collecting when Episode II came out. I dont think TRU had a Midnight Madness for it anyways. Episode I MM was fun, and luckily there were no major scalpers or people trampling other people to get anything. It was quite peaceful. I've heard some pretty rough stories from other people though... :-\

Opps, almost forgot the mention I will be going this year, but probably to Walmart since I am needing to save as much money as possible.
« Last Edit: February 22, 2005, 11:21 AM by cCc2021 »

Offline knashdx

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Re: "Midnight Madness" Have You Gone/Will You Go?
« Reply #22 on: February 22, 2005, 11:53 AM »
EP1 - I was flying back from Denver, so my GF at the time, my wife now, went for me and waited for me at TRU to get my stuff.

EP2 - I waited for 4 hours at TRU to get my stuff. My wife and I split up the sections of stuff. I sent her after ships, playset and games, and I went after the 3 3/4" stuff. I ended up getting interviewed by a local TV station for having a cart load of stuff. Shocked the hell out a couple friends the following morning when they woke up to me on TV.

EP3 - Probably won't hit the Midnight release, but will hit Target in the morning.
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Offline Pete_Fett

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Re: "Midnight Madness" Have You Gone/Will You Go?
« Reply #23 on: February 22, 2005, 02:05 PM »
Went to both MM so far...

EP1 - Went with my wife and step-son. My wife was really supportive and my step-son had a blast. We weren't anywhere near the front of the line that formed outside the Toms River, NJ - TRU so when we got in, things like the 12" Maul were LONG gone. Was able to get everything else, even the Battledroid variants in duplicate w/o any problem.

EP2 - The TRUs in NJ that opened for MM were scaled back to almost none - my options were Freehold, NJ or Elizabeth, NJ - the second one is the one that can be seen from the NJ Turnpike off exit 13A. This time around, I went really early with my step-son and we started the line - we ended up being there for six hours before they re-opened for MM. We were the first ones in the door, even got a copy of Sansweet's SW Action Figure guide as a bonus. Didn't have any problem finding everything I needed. Even was able to get the figures in the Dooku wave and picked up all of the background variants.

For EP3, I'm skeptical that TRU is even going to do it in NJ this time around. Our WalMarts aren't open 24 hours so I may have no choice but to pick a store and be there on the morning of April 2nd. My current "plan" is to hit Toms River, NJ WalMart at 7 AM when it opens, grab as many figures as I can for $5.88 and then swing over to the Target  around the corner by 8 AM and pick up enough to grab myself a couple of the Red Chromed Vaders. After that if I haven't been able to grab everything that is supposed to be out on the 2nd, I'll grab some breakfast and wait for the Toms River TRU to open at 10AM and pick up what I still need there. Unless I hear that TRU is also going to be charging $5.99, I'm probably not even going to investigate what TRUs will be open at midnight.
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Offline DoctorPadawan

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Re: "Midnight Madness" Have You Gone/Will You Go?
« Reply #24 on: February 22, 2005, 04:51 PM »
I went out in 1999 with a friend to Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and TRU at midnight.  We went to WM first (since I'm kind of introverted and didn't want to deal with the mess at TRU, since that was where *everyone* else was going) and we were about fifth in line.  By the time midnight came around, there were about 40 people behind us, and it actually was run really well.  They had an entire aisle fully stocked, and they allowed 10 people at a time to go down the aisle and get what they wanted.  No worries about a particular figure running out either, as they had pallet upon pallet of figure cases ready to restock if something ran low.  I was able to get one of everything I wanted without any problems whatsoever. 

The one interesting thing that I remember about that night was the fact that neither WM nor TRU had gotten any of the 12" dolls or the Accessory packs, while K-Mart had gotten both.  Weird.

In 2002, I went to an out-of-the-way SWM and was only one of two people there.  Me and the other guy just stood around talking before they actually let us down the aisle.  I got everything I wanted, as did he, and we spent about 20 minutes digging through the pegs to find him a Luminara Unduli and myself a Royal Guard.  I managed to get 26 figures (finding out in the AM that Dooku had been released as well) and all the ships, plus the soundtrack.  The next day I walked into another WM and found a Dooku.  And all was right with the world. 

Strangely enough, K-Mart was once again the only retailer that had gotten the 12" dolls for a few weeks.  They were also the first retailer to get the Ultimate Jango Fett doll too, if I recall correctly.

This time around, I don't know what I'm going to do.  I keep hoping that there will be a definitive list of what is and isn't coming out on 04/02/2005, but as with last time, I don't think I'll really know until I get in there.  I'm going to be budgeting a bit this time around though, and I'm thinking that if I do go out at midnight, I'm just going to get the three Unleashed figures and the more "desirable" (as in, "I'm buying the ones that I foresee being irritating to find if I wait" like Vader or Clones) action figures, and worry about the ships, dolls, deluxe, etc. at a later date.  I have a feeling that I'm going to be really sick of that Vader head staring back at me within three months time.

The simple fact that there is a release date for toys blows my mind to this day.  I mean, I could see it if there was something they wanted to keep under wraps, but when you release Head Choppin' Jango Fett, Darth Tyranus/Count Dooku, and/or Chancellor/Emperor Palpatine/Sidious well over a month before the film, I see no point in an actual release date.  Everyone's already seen the toys, so stock them already.
« Last Edit: February 22, 2005, 04:53 PM by DoctorPadawan »

Offline Muftak

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Re: "Midnight Madness" Have You Gone/Will You Go?
« Reply #25 on: February 22, 2005, 05:49 PM »
It's weird, I will probably go to this one, but I can't say I'll be buying much. Guess it's just the StarWars geek in me needing to gawk at all the new stuff as soon as I can.

I was getting ready to go to bed in April of '99 when a news story came on about the "Midnight Madness" for TPM, including some shots of some of the toys. I had stopped collecting at that point, but seeing the Jabba Glob and Sith Speeder on TV made me change my plans and drive out to the nearest Wal*Mart that night. I got there just before midnight to find a nice-sized crowd waiting. I figured, "eh, I'd like a young Obi-Wan and maybe that JarJar character" and wound up buying almost all of the first 18 that night. I even hung around a while til they restocked so I could get a Maul. Then I didn't buy another toy until the CommTech ANH figures hit.

For AOTC I had been seeing the pictures for months of the stuff leaking and at Toy Fair, but I was mostly hoping Bespin Luke and Vader would be out. I bought a ton of figures that night, pretty much everybody except the Jedi figures or Battle Droids. I felt lucky to get a Yoda and a Dooku, not to mention Hangar Anakin. Still, I didn't pick up any deluxes or beasts or ships (were there ships? I don't even remember).

This time I'm looking to pick up maybe three or four figures out of the initial twenty, but it feels like old times going out at midnight to see the display all shiny and new. I'll go just for the fun of it.

Offline Darby

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Re: "Midnight Madness" Have You Gone/Will You Go?
« Reply #26 on: February 22, 2005, 11:00 PM »
EP1 I got back just in time from Denver and went to TRU.  It was a big deal.  Hundreds of people.  I bought about ten figures, since that was all I had cash for.

EP2 was WM, about fifty people, and that time I bought all the figures available, everybody but Dooku.  That was fun.

This time, unless TRU passes on MM again, I will go to WM.  I'm planning on about a dozen figures, a deluxe maybe, and maybe an AT RT.  Mostly I just want to have fun.

Offline MR.ROBOTO

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Re: "Midnight Madness" Have You Gone/Will You Go?
« Reply #27 on: February 22, 2005, 11:21 PM »
I am going to 3 locations-walmart,another walmart,and target.I hope to get one of each figure then many multibles of the new clone trooper.Does anyone know if the republic gunship will be avaible on april 2nd?
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Offline Nathan

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Re: "Midnight Madness" Have You Gone/Will You Go?
« Reply #28 on: February 27, 2005, 05:26 PM »
I don't remember if there were any MM sales here in Minnesota the last two times. Besides, for EpI I was just 13, and for EpII I was 16 but without a drivers license. My parents wouldn't have driven me even if there was a MM event.

But this time I'm 19 and I can drive myself if there is a MM. ;D 8)
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Offline CHEWIE

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Re: "Midnight Madness" Have You Gone/Will You Go?
« Reply #29 on: February 27, 2005, 06:11 PM »
Ah, I remember for the first midnight madness in '99, I had $50 cash to spend, and put about $75 on a credit card... man being broke in college then really sucked... but I graduated in December of '99, and was soon working and able to buy the stuff I wanted.

For '02, I went to two different Walmarts that night and spent about $400.00...

This year, all bets are off.  I'm sure I'll spend around $700.00 the first night.  Oh, crazy me!

 :P