The best advice has been said...  Throw out nothing.

Or if you do be selective and have good reasoning to do so.   Like it's just too damn big to keep for instance.

I keep everything from computer cases to drink stirrers and more...  Model kits are pricier and pricier these days, so buying cheap kits isn't as easy...  And buying from HLJ isn't always fun due to international shipping.

Keep your eyes open at toy shows for model kits cheap...  Or flea markets or whatnot.

Old Star Wars kits have as useful parts as old battleships...  One's no better than the other generally.  I just sold the Dagobah Encounter kit I had to Ryan actually and it's almost a full playset unto itself.  Little work and it's a fantastic set.

Just so you guys know, there's an assload of 21st's figures out there...  I'll break down some of it off the top of my head...

-1st series WW2 Europe Infantry (non-removable helmets, though the heads can be used for customs if you're creative.  Helmets come off but leave a gap/holes in the heads and they're misshapen.  Some just need a little hair sculpting).

-2nd Series Vietnam...  On the Nam figures, the Cong and NVA troops don't have removable headgear.  The U.S. troops do have removable headgear.  The Nam series isn't as easy to come by though, and some figures are flat out a pain to find.  A Navy SEAL has a bandana, there's a number of others.

-3rd Series U.S. and German Paratroops...  There's probably the most and best headsculpts in this series.  A number of grimacing faces, but there's some fantastic neutral headsculpts for both sides.  There's like 6 or 7 figures of both nationalities.

-4th Series Battle of the Bulge/Ardennes...  Fewer headsculpts, but all are neutral.

-Sub-Series Pilots...  They packaged pilots from the planes individually.  The leather flight caps aren't removable though.

-Sub-Series Patton...  General George Patton in 3 flavors with his pit bull terrier.  Same head on all 3 figures.

-5th Series US Marines (Pacific Theater, repainted 3 times but no new heads)....  Lots of headsculpts.  Some more neutral than others.  Some very neutral, some really exagerated.  Lots of variety.

-6th Series Japanese Infantry...  Again a mix of neutral, semi-neutral, and flat out exagerrated headsculpts.  All Asian of course, which is positive for variety.

-7th Series Battle of the Bulge (Series 2)...  They just started shipping.  These are probably what you got BrentS as they're including interchangeable heads, torsoes...  They're probably the best ever.  I haven't picked them up yet and I so desperately want these figures in droves.   They have a U.S. Rifleman in trenchcoat, awesome.

Anyway, that's 21st's line-up...  That also doesn't include NEW pilots like the Jet Fighter pilot, and some of the others.  There's German and US drivers for different vehicles too...  And that doesn't even get into what BBI puts out.  From BBI SWAT (older though) onto BBI's foray into World War 2 figures.  There's a lot of headsculpts available between these two companies.

Oh and I forgot Sahara figures too which I see more...  Good civilian bodies/robes there.

There's more coming too...  They're far from done.

Quote from: Jesse James on March 22, 2006, 01:51 AM

Now, if someone with a half an oz. of intellect at the corporate HQ actually sat on his/her fat ass and looked at the facts, obviously dropping price a $1 or more would be a big help...  It's the same at other stores too.  One Target near me has $6.99 figures, and they're sitting...  One has $5.89 figures and they're moving fast with few pegwarmers (a couple, not many)...

It's true that part of TRU's problem is the price tag on their stuff.  But the bigger problem in my area is that TRU hardly ever has anything on the pegs and shelves.  If you're not going to properly stock the hottest action figure line, what the hell do you think will sell? 

No doubt Dressel...

I can't find squat at any Wal-Mart near me.  Even the lone Bib that sat at the one is gone and has been for a month.

Target is getting things in sporatically (no huge finds around here though) and the lower priced stores are moving them...  The higher priced store has backed up with Hoth figures....  All Targets near me have a number of Hoth Vaders though, which goes to show that Vader isn't the boner figure Hasbro SHOULD be pushing on repack lists IMO.

TRU has been getting stuff, but they get one big ass cluster of figures, then nothing.  Right now, theyr'e getting nothing new that I've seen.  They had gotten Geo wave in and things at a number of TRU's, but once the sale ended they'd moved through what they had for the most part...  Now they have (at most local TRU's) Carkoon wave pegwarmers that ain't going anywhere for $6.99 and I'd say maybe 2 Pittsburgh TRU's that I can think of have some Hoth Wave remnants (Veers, Rieekan, etc.) for $6.99.  

Would I buy Veers for $4.99?  Sure...  But for a figure I'm gonna butcher I refuse to shell out $7.  It's dumb out there in the stores right now.  

I dunno, it's smaller than stormtrooper helmets so I'm ok with it right now...  It's a snug fit on the actors from what I'd seen of "real" ones off the extras...  So I'm pretty content with that figure myself.

Paul, more awesome photos man.  Thanks for sharing.  You can't imagine my envy right now, haha.

The Han is great too because I agree, it's like 3 figures in one...  w/out the holster he's Carkoon Solo (as he should've been).  W/out the coat he's Endor Bunker Han (as he should've been).  Obviously w/the jacket he's the perfect Endor Landing Solo.

I'm all about buying multiple Solo figures at this point.  I'm gonna go broke as hell buying this series.

I'm not TOO concerned about pegwarming yet.  Finding the Scouts and Sandpeople I want I am concerned about.  For Han and the gang, this is one wave...  While ANH VOTC Han sat, I blame that in part because that was a staggered series of waves for each film...  Every store ordered assloads of ANH wave and they backed up the other waves.  It was silly.  Han was just a victim (as god knows we all are) of retail ignorance.

It lives!



Seriously though, the Lava figures were weird.  They definitely sat...  Some ShadowTroopers sat around here too (or so I have heard, I didn't see them out in my local area but others did get Shadows on clearance at a couple Targets out here).  I think Grievous, if produced heavily, may actually sit... 

I think the Lava figs caught people off guard...  I got mine on sale thankfully.  The ShadowTrooper I actually liked.  I'd love an army of him actually, but alas that ain't gonna happen.

I could see Grievous gathering some dust...  I don't think it'll end anything.  I think Target has it set in their heads that they can do this, and thus they will.  I'm going to get mine early (safe than sorry), but hang onto the receipt and see if I catch these backing up around the stores.  If that's teh case, back he goes and clearance time.

Jon hooked me up with a great box of goodies the other day.  I forgot to post this sooner, so my apologies to him.

Very fair price, fast shipping (too fast!), and as always a great guy to trade with here on the boards.  Thanks Jon, just put it on my tab of "I O U's".

I, personally, only go for figures.  I tend to do my necessities shopping at the stores actually close to my place to show support for them.  Plus they're cleaner anyway than any WM I've been in.

The WM near my girl's place she shops at all the time...  Blah.  I go for figures though, that's all I try to get there...  Well, video games too, but to me I only buy games when they're cheap anyway.   Whoever has it for $20 or less i buy it.