JediDefender.com Forums
Community => Other Toy Lines => Middle Earth => Topic started by: Nicklab on December 17, 2011, 07:12 PM
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News is out about a couple of toy licensees for The Hobbit. LEGO has signed on, and should do a pretty nice job with this. A LEGO Smaug would be pretty awesome!
And then there's the figure line. Check out this news from ToyNewsI (http://toynewsi.com/news.php?catid=16&itemid=17767). A company called Bridge Direct has got the action figure license for The Hobbit. Their credentials are less than impressive (http://www.toplessrobot.com/2011/10/well_forget_about_decent_hobbit_toys.php).
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Yeah, I'd heard about Bridge Direct getting the Hobbit license. I was less than thrilled about it. I was hoping for Hasbro, even though that was a huge long shot. I'm still hoping they do it in 3.75" format, though.
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3.75" format would probably get my attention at the very least...
Though... Lego's man. Lego. I may not have my attention drawn away from that.
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I'm hoping that they'll consider the history of the Toy Biz LOTR line and work in that scale. The Hobbits are already so small that a 3.75" scale would make them REALLY small. And seeing how a good number of the other major characters in The Hobbit are Dwarves, they won't be much bigger. Working in that 6" figure scale (or was it 8"?) would at least give this new line some continuity. And I think Bridge Direct will absolutely want some of that customer base that went in on the Toy Biz LOTR line.
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I'd be very surprised to see an 8" line. Since this will start over with the Hobbit I'm betting if they don't go 3.75" then they'll do 6" which seems to be the new 8" line in this economy. Bigger and the retail cost could get out of hand, but we'll see. I really don't think they're going to take the previous Toy Biz line into account. If I were starting over, I wouldn't. I'd go with the scale that best sells the line and with the economy today, I don't know if 8" is it.
I do agree that 3.75" is small, but if they normalized on a straight 4" height for average humans they could do it. Plus we all know that size lends itself well to playsets and vehicles, meaning horses and whatnot. Plus, based on that scale they could do an awesome dragon and eventually Ents and trolls and what have you.
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6 inch does seem to be the way. Thundercats, for example, started their larger scale line in the 8 inch format then after a year (or less) they are already pretty much abandoning that format and going 6 inch. Bandais "reasoning":
The move from 8” to 6” was not one that we took lightly. While very successful, the ThunderCats 8" figure line will not be continued in its current form. However we do plan to release the 8” scale in a limited edition capacity in support of those who have been with the line since the first release.
But I would love (my wife would hate) a 4 inch line ;D
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A 3.75" line, if done even decent would suck me in... if successful they could expand into making figures from the trilogy too. The thought makes me happy and sick all at the same time.
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That about sums me up on it too... 3.75" scale would get my attention. Anything else won't, though if they go with the LOTR figure's scale, maybe it'll actually inject a little value into those P'sOS.
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The biggest potential downside to this is that, IMO, nobody does realistic action figures in the 3.75" scale better than Hasbro (or 6" actually). Mattel does okay with the stylized figures based on cartoons and comics and the JAKKS Pacific Pirates of the Caribbean figures weren't terrible although I never bought any so I can't speak to quality of the plastic.
Pretty much every other action figure line had drawbacks, at best, or just plain sucked.
- The Zizzle Pirates of the Caribbean figs actually looked nice, but lacked a lot of articulation and while they seem to hold up, they don't feel as sturdy as a Star Wars figure.
- McFarlane's attempt at real action figures, for Prince of Persia, was a disaster, those things were terrible about breaking coming out of the package.
- Playmates gave us Star Trek...
- Spin Master did an okay job on Tron but only one or two of the figures really stretched beyond a basic buck with a helmet (and Kevin Flynn was not that well done) so it's hard to judge how they would do on a larger line of figures with human (okay, Hobbit and Dwarf) likenesses
- Bandai? For cartoon based properties, fine, but humans in realistic style? Do they have a track record beyond Power Rangers?
Based on that, I have to keep my expectations low until I see some samples which, hopefully, will be at Toy Fair. As of right now, I'm thinking if I spend any money on LOTR and Hobbit toys it will be Lego and only Lego. And if the sets that have leaked look as good as the promo pictures, I'm going to be really happy with them.
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I'd say the military lines were outstanding and would've been nice, but never got too heavily involved in licensed stuff... Though, Merit's new video game figure lines are good, they just aren't wildly popular I think. There's potential there with them.
You never know... Some companies I think have potential, but others, it's like they just don't know what to do with the scale. The blueprint's there for them, but they don't really follow it.
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You know what, Jesse, I completely forgot about the military figures out there right now. Don't know why. But the stuff sold at Target isn't bad and the older 21st stuff was okay. The PTE figures have kind of terrible heads, but the bodies actually make decent toys. Same for those $1 figures that Walmart sells. They don't necessarily look that great, but they're good toys.
I should also say that in that 6"-8" scale JAKKS Pacific, and now Mattel, have done well with the WWE stuff. But, when it comes to licensed toys, until someone else knocks one out of the park, I'll stand by my statement that Hasbro is really the best in the game at that 3.75" scale.
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Merrit (Forces of Valor) at Target does some pretty impressive sculpting I think... Their gear assortment is nice, but they did Crysis and Assassin's Creed (all in the same general area at Target), and it's good stuff. I could see Hobbit figures like those AC figures...
21st's restructuring still, and dead in the water. BBI's still around but not doing much. Merrit is the only one right now doing anything, but they're working in the scale at least.
I think Playmates could do something... Ultimately nobody's done anything like Hasbro has though, in terms of scale/scope, and ultimately quality too. If they really wanted something successful, they'd push them on it I think. They could handle the property fairly well I think, even if it's relatively short-term ala Indiana Jones.
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A little disappointing on the toy line news, although I guess we haven't seen anything yet. Hopefully they'll churn out some decent figures. I never got heavily into the LOTR line(s), although I always wanted to. Sure, there were some duds, but overall it seemed like a pretty solid line, particularly in the earlier/movie years. I know things got a little more repeat heavy towards the end, but it seemed like a nice collection overall. At the time (and also with this upcoming Hobbit line), I'd be interested in a nicely done 3 3/4 scale line of toys. The main reason I didn't get more into the LOTR stuff (besides budget) was I simply didn't have the room for a lot of it alongside Star Wars, Marvel, etc. The 6" stuff does allow for better sculpts/articulation many times though, and I could see why fans might want things to "fit in" with the LOTR line. I still have my 10 or so LOTR figures displayed proudly, and think they hold up pretty well for the most part. LEGO might get my attention as well, as I've been drifting over there more and more lately - at least to check things out.
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Wouldn't everyone just **** their pants if they made some awesome, hyper detailed toy line with great paint aps, insane sculpts, and articulation as good as the best Hasbro has ever done, and accessories/features (working sheaths, etc.) that would make you weep openly? :)
It'd just be funny if this company went nuts on this and delivered something so impressive it floored people.
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I would stop buying Star Wars and own the entire line. It's not that I want this company to fail or to not put out good toys, it's just that thinking about the other companies and their track record, odds are that this line won't match up to Hasbro's standards.
But, I look forward to being proven wrong.
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If they were Hasbro-esque, I would be in for sure.
The Toybiz line was just not the right scale for me.
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IMO...even looking at Hasbro's stuff beyond Joe and SW (MU, the Marvel Movie lines, Indy) there is a quality drop off...is "Toy Biz" even around anymore or did the Marvel sale phase them out?
I'd love to see quality 3-3/4" toys but I'm not holding my breath.
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The Toybiz line was just not the right scale for me.
Exactly... They did some cool stuff, especially as their line evolved and they realized the figures needed articulation, but at the end of the day they were too big to army build, they were too big to display EVERY character you'd want, they were too big for things like horses, worgs, trolls, and other "things" to be really practical.
I completely do not expect anything positive with this line, but maybe with my sights set so low, I'll be impressed more easily? :)
I agree too, there's a quality drop off, but how many companies are even doing true action figure lines, like we were (or are) used to even? LOTR/The Hobbit are a franchise that really could get the Star Wars treatment... There's a lot there. Maybe not AS deep as Star Wars, but deeper than say Indiana Jones. There's so much potential, but not many people out there who can handle the load, meet the quality demands to really do it justice, etc.
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IMO...even looking at Hasbro's stuff beyond Joe and SW (MU, the Marvel Movie lines, Indy) there is a quality drop off...
I agree to that to a certain extent, but my main issue is with some of their choices on articulation, especially in the hips, and paint apps, either of which could be corrected. But when compared to some other toy lines, we still see very well done head sculpts and accessories and other than one Indiana Jones figure, I don't think I've had a Hasbro action figure break just coming out of the package. I'm sure it happens, but it's not like it's SOP for Hasbro whereas I have had that happen with figures from other companies.
is "Toy Biz" even around anymore or did the Marvel sale phase them out?
ToyBiz became Marvel Toys then got wrapped up into Marvel Entertainment which is now owned by Disney. So? Idunno? Not really, I guess. The last line of toys they did was the Legendary Comic Book Heroes line. But that tanked after one or one and a half waves. Which was unfortunate because a couple of the figures slated for waves 2 and 3 would have been cool. And the build-a-figure Pitt from wave 1 is an incredible toy.
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I wasn't so much a fan of 8" scale figures when the LOTR line came out. But I was really impressed with the level of detail, articulation and accessories that could be done at that scale. I mean, we got ARROWS.
And with so many characters from LOTR returning in The Hobbit that had already been done in the Toy Biz line, the 8" scale would mesh well with what had come before. Although it would make a Smaug toy somewhat prohibitive.
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Nick not to pick nits but the Toy Biz stuff was 6" not 8" ;)
But I agree...they really really kicked it up a notch starting with TTT...I remember that the FOTR figures were good but not great likenesses...some of the ROTK and Trilogy figures are almost lifelike in their likeness
(http://www.figurerealm.com/Galleries/lordoftheringstrilogy/GandalfGreyStaff-FOTR-Front.jpg)
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I thought the Fellowship figures were pretty dismal, actually. Poor articulation, pre-posed, lacked accessories... By line's end they were cranking out stuff that just floored you though, ultimately. That last Boromir for instance, Faramir, Gondorian Warrior, the last couple Aragorn/Strider figures... They did some doozies. The scale's just so meh though, when horses/mounts are important, big characters like Trolls and Balrogs, or dragons...
Lego has such a home run on their hands. Can you imagine working there, on this line, right now? You've got a license to print money.
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Nick not to pick nits but the Toy Biz stuff was 6" not 8" ;)
But I agree...they really really kicked it up a notch starting with TTT...I remember that the FOTR figures were good but not great likenesses...some of the ROTK and Trilogy figures are almost lifelike in their likeness
(http://www.figurerealm.com/Galleries/lordoftheringstrilogy/GandalfGreyStaff-FOTR-Front.jpg)
I honestly wasn't sure if it was 6" or 8" scale. But I agree: the quality really picked up when they went to the more slimmed down basic figure packaging. On the packaging front alone, the original crescent shaped packages were HUGE and ate up a ton of peg space at retail. And when you do compare some of those original FOTR figures to the later trilogy figures the difference in likenesses was like night and day. But there were some absolutely great figures in the line overall.
For instance: the Trolls! Without going into movie spoiler territory (for a book that's been out for half a century ;D ) , we know there are going to be some Trolls in the movie. Toy Biz made some pretty awesome trolls in the form of the cave troll and the battle troll. And they managed to do so in that 6" figure scale. Now a 3.75" scale would make the trolls considerably easier to do, but they wouldn't be anywhere near as impressive.
(http://www.puzzlezoo.com/assets/photos/LTRF90040f.jpg)
(http://www.puzzlezoo.com/assets/photos/LTRR34075f.jpg)
And on a similar note, could they manage to do horses as well in this scale, too?
(http://www.figurerealm.com/Galleries/lordoftheringsreturnoftheking/Toybiz-AragornBrego.jpg)
We know how long it's taken Hasbro to get on board with ball jointed hips so that we could get a Sandtrooper that could ride a Dewback without looking perpetually bowlegged. Imagine a 3.75" scale Hobbit or Dwarf and the challenges those would pose to ball jointed hips so that they could ride horses as we've seen them do in the trailer from the other day.
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I'm thinking that a 3.75 line could be fine if the right kind of team was assembled to do it right... the technology is there to make exceptional figures in the 3.75 scale, we see if in Star Wars, some military figures like Jesse said, and I think the POP figures are actually about the very best figures I've ever seen made... no issues with figures popping apart from the ones that I bought. The film just didn't have a popular enough following for that toy line to take off.
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Well, that's the challenge, isn't it? A license like both Hobbit films will have a run of about 2 years at retail, give or take. Hasbro's Star Wars & Marvel teams have licenses that will last far longer. And the same goes for most military figures. Those lines have a much longer lifespan and can support an in-house modeling/sculpting/engineering team. The Hobbit films don't have that going for them.
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That's a really good point - it would be great if they released the LOTR trilogy in 3D or something in theaters again... maybe that could mean a 5 or 6 year run for a new line of figures... fun to dream at least...
You know what would also be great, some sort of cartoon that covered events in between the Hobbit and the trilogy... man, I'd be all over that if it was done with an adult audience in mind.
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So, was there anything shown of the Hobbit toy line at Toy Fair? I'm guessing no, since I would think we would have seen something online, but I was hoping for a glimpse at what might be produced (aside from the LEGOs, which look amazing).
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Apparently The Bridge had action figures at TF but no photos were allowed. I haven't found any cell phone sneak photos yet...or long lense, paparazzi style photos from the next ailse over or whatever.
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Unimax is picking up licenses... They do Forces of Valor, and their figure quality is pretty high on things like Assassin's Creed and others. Still think this would be a much more interesting line in 3.75" scale, especially since "armies" are such a large part of the works overall.
I think that's a big reason Lego's got what I think is an instant hit on their hands with the Tolkien license... It's just such a perfect fit for them. I drool with anticipation at picking those sets up.
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I saw that BBTS put up some preorders for the Hobbit figure stuff. No pics (or names even), but it looks like they have both 3 3/4" and 6" assortments. Not much info outside of that so far though, I think I saw some were due around October, which seems about right I guess.
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Uh oh... 3.75" stuff. :-X
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(http://i.qkme.me/35zuqt.jpg)
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Uh oh... 3.75" stuff. :-X
Yeah. If they do 3.75" figures for The Hobbit and LOTR ... and they look halfway decent at all ... I'm screwed.
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Kind of where my mind is too... I'm just, wow. I may just have to keep my composure on these, but man... And then you're in, and then they don't do them all that you want and the line ends... ugh. I'm already overthinking this stuff, haha.
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I see BBTS updated their info a bit (still no pics of course), and added in some character names. Here's what I see for each scale:
3.75 Scale
Bilbo Baggins
Gandalf
Thorin Oakenshield
Legolas
Grinnah
Figure 2 Pack - Bilbo and Gollum
Figure 2 Pack - Legolas and Tauriel
Figure 2 Pack - Fili and Kili
Figure 2 Pack - Balin and Dwalin
Collector Pack - Bilbo, Thorin, Dwalin, Kili, Fili
Beast Pack - Fimbul Orc with Warg
Beast Pack - Goblin King with Thorin
Deluxe Battle Pack - Gandalf and Bolg
Goblin King Battle Playset
6" Scale
Bilbo Baggins
Gandalf
Thorin Oakenshield
Legolas
Tauriel
Deluxe Collector Figure - Azog
Although I definitely don't need more to collect, I'm really hoping this line is well done.
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I've been hearing that The Bridge Direct has apparently hired a number of former Toy Biz staffers. And the news of the 6" scale figures is definitely cause to be a little more optimistic about this line.
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I am intrigued to see the 3 3/4 scale. If it looks good i hope we get all the movies done in that scale.
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I would be in serious trouble if I started the 3.75" stuff, but I'm glad to see some 6" figures. I just can't imagine that scale lasting more than a couple of series.
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can't wait to see these but we are probably going to have to wait until SDCC at the earliest, right?
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I am intrigued to see the 3 3/4 scale. If it looks good i hope we get all the movies done in that scale.
Agreed!
And Hasbro needs the competition, in my opinion, to step up their game.
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BBTS has some preorders listed (http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=2370&company=1340), and there's quite a bit there. There are 3.75" single packed figures and 2-packs. Plus there are also about half a dozen 6" scale figures listed, too.
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And Hasbro needs the competition, in my opinion, to step up their game.
Agreed - cause Mattel with their DC 3.75" junk certainly isn't providing any sort of legitimate competition to the Hasbro Marvel/Star Wars/GI Joe 3.75" stuff...
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We need pictures!
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I can't believe it's the middle of June and we haven't seen ANY photos of these figures. You'd think that these figures would be out by the middle of November, at the latest, and that's only 5 months from now. It's really hard to build buzz and put in pre-orders this far in advance for product you've never seen.
Did they offer up any protos for buyers at Toy Fair? Have, at least, stores that are going to be carrying the line seen it yet?
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Obviously they are waiting for SDCC...I was whole hog in on LOTR after initial reluctance. I sold it all 3 years ago. My boys are really into The Hobbit and LOTR now, they'll probably want more than I do. I did buy all of the Lego sets already :P
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Want a collection for your boys? :)
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Ugh...maybe :P
I got them a set of Avengers and they have been playing with them all over the house. The SW stuff is more or less all put away...they are super duper into Lego though and have been begging me to open the LOTR sets
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Well if you want the old LOTR figs, or at least a decent sized set of them, I'd probably let it go at a decent price just to free up space. I just don't have the room or sanity for a wide variety of toy lines. It'd be kinda nice to know kids were enjoying them too. Cave troll included!
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looks like we will definitely be seeing this line at SDCC since there is going to be an exclusive Bilbo figure for sale there - I would think others from the line would be shown off too: follow the link to check out Bilbo
http://www.toyark.com/news/san-diego-comic-con-58/toys-r-us-san-diego-comic-con-2012-exclusives-round-up-6001/
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Blah. You can't tell anything about it from that pic. Didn't Toy Biz do at least two versions of transparent Bilbo back in the day? The Bridge is off to a stellar start... ::)
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No, it was a twilight (transparent) version of Frodo. And that was actually one of the hottest figures in that Toy Biz line. However they never did Bilbo that way.
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Oh, sorry, you're right, Frodo. Still, it's just the same territory being covered again because, really, a clear figure is a clear figure. Plus this is the 6" fig, where's the look at the 3.75" stuff?
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Toy Biz did a clear Bilbo in a TRU exclusive set with clear versions of Frodo and Gollum. I'll see if I can find a pic. I got it for like four bucks at my local TRU, so I know it's real.
Edit: here we are-
(http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f49/scififan81/rings.jpg)
Even though I have this one, I'll probably try to get the new one.
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http://thefwoosh.com/2012/07/the-hobbit-an-unexpected-journey-action-figures-coming-this-fall-from-the-bridge-direct
The Fwoosh has a cuple pics up,not sure if they're the 6 inchers or the 3.75 ones, but they look unexpectedly nice. If the 3.75 ones look this good, then count me in for the lot of em.
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I believe those are 3.75", and if they are I'm right with you on that GtGM... Those look really good. Far better than I anticipated.
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Damn. Those look fantastic, and looks like a winner for the 3.75 scale fans!
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yeah,if those are 3.75 inch then they look great - and count me all in!
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Oh Snap, must...resist...new...line.
I gotta see the rest. If the bad guys look this good, resistance is probably futile.
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I think the Bilbo, at least, is a 6" figure because if you compare it to the 6" clear SDCC exclusive, it looks pretty identical.
(http://www-images.theonering.org/torwp/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Hobbit_SDCC_bilbo_TheBridgeDirect1.jpg)
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Not sure on scale either, but either way, they look pretty nice. Like efranks mentioned, the clear exclusive is supposed to be 6", and the regular version looks pretty similar, so maybe they are 6" versions. They do look good though. I hope they have a pretty big lineup shown at SDCC, I would guess that they would seeing as these should hit in a few more months. I originally thought I'd stay away from these as much as possible, but now seeing these pics, I'm interested. I didn't get in on the LOTR stuff on the "ground floor" and ended up with about a dozen figures from the various lines and always wished I had gotten in sooner (and had the room). I may just bite the bullet and start in with these, but not sure what scale yet until we see more pics. 3 3/4" (if they look this nice), likely in for quite a few, 6" (due to space limitations) maybe just a few. Definitely looking forward to learning more at SDCC.
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Good observation Efranks - they do look almost exactly the same. The only thing I am not seeing on the clear Bilbo is ankle articulation, which is odd - especially since we know that the clear one is 6 inches. Strange if the smaller version has ankles and the bigger one does not...
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I'm kind of hoping for the 3.75 ones and the 6" ones to be nearly identical in quality. That way it's win win for everyone. I also hope that these are successful enough to maybe get a LOTR trilogy wave or two out there. I'd love me some Star Wars scaled Fellowship.
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I think you might be right - the way they have worded the character descriptions to me makes them sound like they are intending them to be identical. I just dont think that is a good decision on their part to have both scales competing against themselves if this is true - especially if the 3.75 in figures are just scaled down versions of the 6 in. Not enough differences or variety
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My thought is that the 3.75 line, if similar in quality, will be much more popular than the bigger figures.
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ToyNewsI.com has some pics up of the Hobbit line (both scales):
http://toynewsi.com/news.php?catid=316&itemid=18925 (http://toynewsi.com/news.php?catid=316&itemid=18925)
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Stuff looks nice...hopefully the finished product isn't Mattelesque
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Got a few pics of the 3.75" figs... ugh, I think I'm in, if the prices are ok.
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So, after getting a better look at this line at SDCC, who's in and who's out? I'm starting to think that I'm in for at least some of this stuff. I thought it looked decent in the pics I've seen, and overall may have been one of more impressive "reveals" of the con as far as toys go that I'm interested in. SW and MU both had little in the way of news or new stuff shown, and Legends doesn't have a lot on the way until next year. Other than that, I don't buy much else (besides LEGO). Hopefully they won't be priced terrible, and the finished product still looks good. I'm likely in for the 3 3/4" stuff (at least some), and maybe some of the 6" stuff too.
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I thought the figures were $8-$10 each, and the 2pks about $15... if that's the case, I'm in for some of these. Mostly, as a customizer. I see some really cool potential here.
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Think I'm out again...these seemed way cooler when I thought I was looking at awesome 4" sculpts which then turned out to be 6" sculpts. Plus, just stupid human types? I want goblins, orcs, dragons, and crazy stuff like that.
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Think I'm out again...these seemed way cooler when I thought I was looking at awesome 4" sculpts which then turned out to be 6" sculpts. Plus, just stupid human types? I want goblins, orcs, dragons, and crazy stuff like that.
I am pretty sure I read somewhere that Peter Jackson has them holding that stuff back, which makes sense - seems like other toy lines (Hasbro Marvel) does this with their villains.
I am pretty sure I am in.
here are some decent links with info:
http://www.actionfigurepics.com/2012/07/sdcc-2012-the-bridge-direct-the-hobbit#more-15785
http://thefwoosh.com/2012/07/sdcc-2012-the-bridge-direct-hobbit
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Thanks for the links. I'm actually kind of jazzed about the line. The figures look pretty good, and there's potential for a lot of neat stuff if they sell well. Reading the reports (and seeing the pics), it looks like a big focus on 3 3/4" with two packs, multi packs, etc. I remember there being a lot of listings at BBTS at one time, but I don't know if they are up anymore. Looking at the pics, are the two pack/multi pack versions of the figures the same as the single packed ones? They look pretty similar for the most part, and would probably be cheaper to pick them up that way if they are the same. Anyways, I'm looking forward to seeing what else we're going to get....and I'm ready to break out the Hobbit and start re-reading it again.
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I have to admit I'm more curious in the other races as well... humans, elves, orcs/goblings, etc. Though seeing the Dwarves makes me geeked at what the other characters could turn out to be like.
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I see Gentle Giant has the SDCC Exclusive (6") Invisible Bilbo figure for sale on their site for $25. I was tempted to order one, but the shipping looked to be about another $12 so I held back for now. I don't know if I necessarily need it or not, but I guess I'm just getting excited for Hobbit toys.
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I read this at AFI, detailing how the Hobbit line goes up for preorder today (Sept 1). They only list ToysRUs.com, Amazon, and EE as retailers, so I'm not sure if it is some sort of exclusive...or if these just happen to be the only retailers they listed:
http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/main/official-presales-for-the-hobbit-toy-collection-start-tomorrow (http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/main/official-presales-for-the-hobbit-toy-collection-start-tomorrow)
I checked Amazon, and they are indeed up for order, with a release date of Oct 1. What I see listed so far are the Wave 1 6" figures (Gandalf, Bilbo, and Thorin Oakenshield), and some 3 3/4" product (Balin/Dwalin 2 pack, Bilbo/Gollum 2 Pack, Fili/Kili 2 Pack, and a 5 pack with Dwalin, Bilbo, Fili, Kili and Thorin).
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http://www.toysrus.com/search/index.jsp?sr=1&f=Taxonomy%2FTRUS%2F2254197&kw=the+hobbit&origkw=the+hobbit&kwCatId=&view=all
TRU just put up the pre-orders and they have a 3.75 Legolas and Grinnah listed! no pic but a release date of 10/1
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Amazon has some up as well...not many 3-3/4" yet
http://www.amazon.com/The-Bridge-Direct-Hobbit-Collector/dp/B0086489LE/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1347026246&sr=1-1
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I see a ton of pics and listings up at TRU now...they must be in the process of updating...
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I saw in that press release that Amazon, TRU, and EE are taking preorders for this line for the month of September, with "release" on Oct 1. Does that mean this line isn't coming to retail (other than TRU)? I just don't recall there being a big deal about announcing online preorders for a line before (and ones that are retail specific at that, I don't think places like BBTS are preselling these).
Anyways, who's in on this line (and at what scale?) I'm likely to get some, although I haven't decided the scale yet. 6" might look a bit better, but 3 3/4" would be more display friendly. With the last LOTR line(s), I ended up with about a dozen or so figures although I was tempted to get more. I might go the same route this time too, and just get the Dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf and call it good. We'll see I guess, I'm re-reading the book right now and getting more excited for this stuff.
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I think I am "all in" for 3.75
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http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-HOBBIT-6-inch-SET-of-5-IN-HAND-ready-to-Ship-Bilbo-Baggins-Gandalf-the-Grey-/230851714836?pt=US_Action_Figures&hash=item35bfd59f14&nma=true&si=ljvqqYrByh2YeoFoG77Jd5wJZDA%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
pictures of Legolas and Tauriel - supposedly 6 inch
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Legolas, Tauriel and Fimbul the Hunter & Warg pics: http://www.tolkiendrim.com/tauriel-fimbul-revele/
yep - this line has my money.....
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I've really been getting pumped for The Hobbit with both re-reading the book and the new trailer, and I think I'm definitely in on this line as well. I'm having troubles deciding which scale to go with. The smaller stuff would be display friendly, and I'm sure a much more extensive line, but I sort of like the 6" stuff to go with my LOTR figures. I was about ready to preorder some of this from Amazon or something, is there any word if these will be in retail stores (I assume at least TRU)?
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Well, according to TRU.com this line will be out 1 week from today.
For giggles I went to tru.com and put one of everything in my cart to see what I am looking at cost wise.
all in 3 3/4 inch scale
4 two packs:
Legolas/Tauriel - this is now listed on tru.com btw
Dwalin/Balin
Kili/Fili
Bilbo/Gollum
Singles:
Gandalf
Thorin
For some reason these last 2 are not offered anywhere in a 2 pack it seems.
While the 5 pack really is a decent deal, it lacks Gollum and Balin. While I am sure Gollum will be released in some other means, at this point I don't know if it would be safe to say the same thing about Balin.
So anyway, the before tax total is $79.94, not too terrible.
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ooo just found more new stuff!!
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/rorschachsrants/news/?a=67690
looks like maybe I won't be picking up Thorin and Gandalf on single cards after all....
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awesome scale picture:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v442/HypnoHustler/007_zpsebbb9cc3.jpg)
more great loose pics: http://www.joecustoms.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10&p=406968
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I saw these put out at the Times Square TRU on Wednesday. They looked nice, though I don't delve into them.
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I saw all of the figures (basic, 2 packs, multi-packs and etc) at TRU this weekend. Nice figures overall but nothing I'll be getting. That huge monster/goblin is cool though.
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DrSyn over the website I linked above posted BBTS's initial listing before they were pulled down, so basically these are the only things we have not seen from the 4 inch line yet so far:
3.75” Goblin King Playset ($44.99)
and according to a list he saw on toyark:
Beast Pack Series 1: Stone Troll and Nori
damn I am excited for this line!
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That's the Goblin King, Jayson. He's a prick.
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and he has balls for his chin...
Anway, TRU.com is offering 20% off of your total order plus free shipping if you buy $150 worth of toys now through 10/9/12. If TRU.com had everything posted on their site that is supposed to be coming out when the line drops I would probably take them up on this offer along with a couple of other things to hit the $150 mark.
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Yesterday I ordered from TRU.com the following along with other stuff from other lines and spent enough $$$ to get 20% off my entire order:
Thorin/Goblin King
Gandalf/Bolg
Fimbul/Worg
Legolas/Tauriel
so the the toys actually seen and confirmed as coming, the only other things I will need to pick up then are:
Kili/Fili
Bilbo/Golum
Dwalin/Balin
Grinnah
and then for the record, other than that there is still the possibility of the Rumored Goblin playset and the Stone Troll/Nori pack I noted on the previous page.
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well, I guess today is launch day! check out the awesome pics that TRU has updated heir site with for this line. The figures look awesome imo
http://www.toysrus.com/search/index.jsp?sr=1&f=Taxonomy%2FTRUS%2F2254197&kw=the+hobbit&origkw=the+hobbit&kwCatId=&view=all
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And ... order placed. Dammit.
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I ended up ordering some as well....so weak. Although, the 6" stuff was pretty much gone already when I went over there. I noticed that Amazon seems to be sold through as well. Are these only coming to retail via TRU? I haven't heard anything about other retailers. Looks like it could make a pretty nice line overall with the larger "deluxe" type figures, two packs, etc.
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long story made short, I called TRU.com and got them to give me a code for a discount for the last 3 two packs I needed. I just explained how some for the stuff was instock yesterday and were eligible for the discount and these items weren't. It took a long time to get the code and the lady I was talking to sounded like the cleaning lady on Family Guy, but hey I got the code.
The code ended up being for $10 off - so slightly more than 20% off the $45 worth of merchandise I purchased today. Also these 3 items were eligible for Shoprunner and I have that (got for 1 year free trial about a year ago and they just extended my "trial" through the holiday season!).
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I thought goblins were smaller than Orcs.
Why are the dwarf/hobbit two packs cheaper than the Gandalf/Bolg one? HEIGHT DISCRIMINATION!
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This seems to be a debate coming up elsewhere too... I too thought all Goblins were basically smaller Orcs and even less fond of daylight. But I also don't recall them specifically detailing Goblin heights in the books either.
Orcs/Goblins/etc. all seem to have a lot of cultural diversity... I suppose there's a chance some Goblins aren't small.
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I picked up the 3.75 in Gandalf figure. Also got the Grinnah the Goblin figure too. Got them at TRU, they only had the single pack figs. No 2 packs or any 6 inch.
Also had Bilbo, Thorin and Legolas. Passed on all those because I want the 2 packs.
9.99 is alot, but these are some solid figures. Very happy with them.
Jim
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look at Freddy Krue.... errr I mean Yazneg!
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AtodAIHCZuU/UGrOAiuwEvI/AAAAAAAAOmo/NS8ufnXlclQ/s765/Action+Figures+-+Toys+%28125%29.jpg)
I wonder if he will be in some sort of two pack? maybe with Ginnah since so far Grinnah is the only figure not in a two pack...? hmmmmmm still looks awesome....
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Spotted these at a TRU near work today. AWESOME. All ball joints, except for the ankles, which are unarticulated. Great looking sculpts. It took a lot for me to pass on these and I'm not even a huge LOTR fan! Seriously considering buying some of these once they hit Target and WM, if only to support the company because these blow everything Mattel has made this year out of the water, and almost all of Hasbro's stuff too.
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Something Hasbro's bitched about is deco costs, and man, these all are REALLY good looking in that department, not to mention articulated. Ankle joints are the one joint I feel is disposable anyway so I think that's alright (as long as the foot is sculpted flat, not bent at the ankles or anything).
That deco is pretty ornate when you look at it closely though.
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Something Hasbro's bitched about is deco costs, and man, these all are REALLY good looking in that department, not to mention articulated. Ankle joints are the one joint I feel is disposable anyway so I think that's alright (as long as the foot is sculpted flat, not bent at the ankles or anything).
That deco is pretty ornate when you look at it closely though.
Completely agree, and also we should mention all the unique tooling involved - which is something else Hasbro always ties into the overall cost of SW figures being high. I am not saying these figures are cheap, but when you buy them via the two packs they are - and that is not including sales that are bound to happen!
I got all of this line except for Grinnah at 20% off or more. I think the 3 two packs arriving at my doorstep today ended up being like $11.50 each or something because of the discount. NICE!
I seriously hope this line gives Hasbro some sort of dose of competition and forces Hasbro's hand to stop with all the corners they are cutting (most noticeably in the CW line).
Anyway................. So excited to be getting all of these at my house tonight and tomorrow!
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Ok, they are here and I love them! I seriously think anyone that collects action figures should buy into this line! I took some quick pics so hopefully you can see all the details these figures. have. I took a picture of Gollum's crotch to show that all figures have that swivel/ball joint or whatever you call it articulation; however, some figures, like Kili and Balin have their clothes in the way so you cannot utilize the articulation at the hips unless you do some cutting modifications. I may do the mod for Kili because he has the overcoat to hide the cut, but I don't think I will for Balin because it would ruin his look imo (I took a side pic of him so you see what I mean.
link to my quick album - http://imageshack.us/g/1/9792822/
I put the MU figure in there because he was nearby so I used him to show scale
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Yeah these are REALLY nice... Like, nice to the point that if there wasn't SW I'd be considering going all in on these, and praying for a LOTR line as well... Actually if the latter happens it'll be hard for me NOT to buy into these. :-\ LOTR is the only movie franchise besides SW that has me hooked in completely.
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Yeah these are REALLY nice... Like, nice to the point that if there wasn't SW I'd be considering going all in on these, and praying for a LOTR line as well... Actually if the latter happens it'll be hard for me NOT to buy into these. :-\ LOTR is the only movie franchise besides SW that has me hooked in completely.
Indiana Jones?!?
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Whoops, how soon I forget. :)
OK, it's one of only THREE that have me hooked completely...
Now... if a WW2 movie or movies, or mini-series on HBO, had a line of figures... but that ain't happenin'.
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Yeah these are REALLY nice... Like, nice to the point that if there wasn't SW I'd be considering going all in on these, and praying for a LOTR line as well... Actually if the latter happens it'll be hard for me NOT to buy into these. :-\ LOTR is the only movie franchise besides SW that has me hooked in completely.
This is the way I feel also. If there is ever a 3 3/4 LotR line, as long as it isn't stupidly expensive and the articulation is decent, I will at least get the main characters and then see where it goes from there.
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link to my new album I took tonight with new figures: http://imageshack.us/g/1/9794771/
Couple of notes:
The Goblin King is solid - pretty heavy for a figure. He has a little peg on his crown and a tiny hole for it to go into on his head. For being the blob he is he has pretty decent range of motion. I took a couple of pics of him to show this off. The first pic he is standing straight up, notice how his belly goes from pink up to white. In the next pic if you make him hunch forward he can go so far as to make the white section of his belly disappear. This helps him sit well as you can see in the third pic of him.
Finbul - he is pretty darn cool looking. Even looks like a cool generic Goblin with the cape off as you can see in the pics.
The Worg - Wow! pretty sweet. I wasn't sure he had an articulated jaw based on the early pics but I was thinking he did, and he did not disappoint! His tail also has articulation.
Bolg and Gandalf - they look awesome as well but I didn't open them yet because I wan to wait until I see them in stores to see if I can find a Bolg with paint matching the one on the back of the card. The one we get has basically a blood soaked beard making it look just like red hair. The one on the back of the card is a much lighter hair color with "some" blood added to the beard and also blood going around his mouth. I may just have to fix this myself though.
The I threw in some pics of the goblins with Thor because I can see how some people would like to mix the lines here. And then finally a pic with Wolverine from the X-Men line to show off scale.
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awesome pics shmashwitdaclub
makes me even more mad that my TRU doesn't have this stuff in stock yet.
I really do hope that we could get an amazing LOTR 3 3/4 set.
The way I see this playing out
They do the hobbit movies, then they release the LOTR trilogy in 3D. ( which will help us get a toy line)
I am calling it right now lol. FIRST
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If you are planning on going "all in" like I did - I would recommend just ordering everything from the 4 inch line from TRU .com everything is in stock plus you will get free shipping and will be close to spending the $150 to get 20% off your entire order. I think everything 4 inch they have online add up to $128, so if there is something else you are looking at you should be golden on getting the 20% off.
I forgot to mention yesterday I stopped at my TRU and they had some of this line out. Looks like a case of single carded figures, a case of Fimbul/Worg, and a case of the 5 packs. I was lucky enough to grab Grinnah as he was the only figure I needed to complete having 1 of everything from the initial release.
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Grabbed some of these from my local TRU yesterday... I'm hooked.
(http://www.yakfaceforums.com/Chewie/100512hobbit1.jpg)
(http://www.yakfaceforums.com/Chewie/100512hobbit2.jpg)
(http://www.yakfaceforums.com/Chewie/100512hobbit3.jpg)
(http://www.yakfaceforums.com/Chewie/100512hobbit4.jpg)
(http://www.yakfaceforums.com/Chewie/100512hobbit5.jpg)
Going back for more this weekend. This is what I'm buying for the rest of the year.
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you know what another thing this toy line had done that hasbro has not been able to do? Universal neck posts - I swear all of the ones I have opened are swappable except for Gollum. Sure Bilbo's head looks funny on anyone else's body other than his own, but it works. Some of the dwarf heads on Legolas' boddy looked pretty darn good. Balin especially because he doesn't have long hair - sometimes during the swaps the hair doesn't quite come all the way down to the shoulders.
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I tiook some pics wih the new Shao Kahn arena set and Hobbit figures:
http://imageshack.us/g/1/9797606/
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I picked up a Grinnah over the weekend ... and just received my order from TRU.com at work.
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I saw some of the new figures at TRU this week. The 6" scale Thorin actually looks decent, and could easily fit in with the previously offered LOTR figures from ToyBiz.
But the 3.75" scale figures? That's another story entirely. The characters that are more to scale, like the Elves and Orcs look okay. Legolas looked fine. The orc with the Warg looks alright. And the Goblin looks okay (even if I haven't seen a production still of the character). But these figures start losing it with the Dwarves. The Dwarves are kind of marginal in terms of details, deco and sculpt.
And then there's Bilbo! OMG!!! If you can't get the main character in the film series to look right as a figure in the 3.75" scale, you should seriously consider NOT offering a 3.75" scale figure line. And let's be honest: that 3.75" scale Bilbo figure looks like a mess! Hobbits just seem a bit too small to work at this scale. The paint apps look way too glossy, and I think it's going to hurt the appeal of the figure. And since Bilbo's the central character, it could hurt the line as a whole.
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Stopped at TRU today checking for Hobbit stuff (as well as SW/Marvel, but mainly for this), and still no signs of the line at our store. Maybe I'm totally missing where it is stocked, but I checked all the regular areas and haven't seen it yet. Hopefully soon. I do have some stuff coming from TRU.com this week though.
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at my local TRU they have only a couple items from the line - the 5 packs, one case of 3.75 single carded figures, a case or two of Fimbul with Worg, and I think just the axe for the role play weapons. They have all of this stuff down what I consider "the NECA/Jazwares" aisle.
As for Bilbo as Nick is pointing out - I think he looks fine. He is very clean, or glossy as you say, but who knows how many versions they are thinking about doing this year? Perhaps he looks this way to emphasize the representation of him for how he looks at the beginning of the movie? All in all though, I still don't think he is a bad figure.
And I have to completely disagree with you on the details, deco and sculpts for the dwarves. Other than Kili's eyes and Fili's hair I think they are incredible in all area previously mentioned. Dwalin especially is sooooooo awesome!
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omg
im Gay For Tolkien stuff
and had NO idea ths i was coming!!!!!
"....WHY DIDNT YOU TELL ME?!"
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omg
im Gay For Tolkien stuff
and had NO idea ths i was coming!!!!!
"....WHY DIDNT YOU TELL ME?!"
lol - have fun with this - I love the line :)
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looks like this is the scene Yazneg will be in, click for spoiler:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fbtbnet/8072018326/in/set-72157631733290661/
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Ugh, I finally saw these today in person. You guys are right, these are VERY hard to resist. They all looked very well done and we just had a new TRU open today with a huge selection. I managed to walk out without picking any up but I kept going back to look at them and it was not easy to pass.
Seems like a potentially long wait between waves if they have to wait for each movie to get released. If they could have just released Smaug now, or soon, that probably would have been too much for me to resist.
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The Bilbo figure is the weak link, like Nicklab said, but I don't think that figure is going to make or break this line. Most people are going to be more interested in the goblins, orcs, warriors, etc.
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Is this stuff TRU exclusive or will it be availible at more decent retailers soon?
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I finally saw a little bit of this at our TRU this weekend, just the single carded figures (2 pegs), and sort of hidden in the middle of all the NECA/etc. stuff aisle. I had already gotten an order from TRU.com, but ended up picking up Grinnah, which I think is the only "normal sized" figure I didn't already have. Has there been any word if there will be further waves prior to the next movie, or are they really spreading this out? I don't recall seeing pics of anything further.
Also, to echo what many have said, this is just a really nice line overall. I could see where some would say Bilbo is the weak link, but the majority of the figures are pretty nicely done. Plus, I think it is just fun to have Tolkien figures in this scale (really hoping Bridge Direct gets the license for LOTR). I still haven't completely decided if I'm "all in" or not, but it is getting tempting - and really I'm only missing a few things at this point, so we'll see.
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I have wondering about a 2nd wave for a while now and I have been looking for evidence just about daily...
I did find this earlier this morning, which to me implies wave 2 is coming sooner rather than later
http://www.tolkiendrim.com/nouveau-visuel-du-personnage-de-yazneg/"]http://www.tolkiendrim.com/nouveau-visuel-...nage-de-yazneg
I wish whoever took the pick to a picture of the back of the card.
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hmmmm.... I did some more searching and it seems like this is a 6 inch figure...
http://www.toysrus.co.uk/Toys-R-Us/Toys/Action-Figures-and-Playsets/The-Hobbit-6-Deluxe-Collector-Figure-Yazneg(0098648)?searchPosition=1
oddly enough, according to UK TRU, he costs 14.99L whereas others from the 6 in line cost only 9.99L
that and the card is different, this one doesn't have a "J hook" whereas the rest of the line iirc does.
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anyone found these in Wal Mart or target yet?
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No word of this line coming to these stores yet. Some are speculating perhaps closer to release
Update. I just checked The Bridge Direct's website and according to it this line will be released at all major retail outlets
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I apologize - since I don't really follow this line, I missed some press stuff that came into my SPAM box a while ago.
Apparently, Bridge Direct had some sort of "pre-sale" window for three exclusive sellers - Amazon, TRU, and EE. They were allowed to sell early bird orders exclusively through September and then the toy line would be offered out to other retailers starting October 1st. On the list of other retailers in the press release are "Kmart, Walmart, Barnes & Noble, and other smaller shops", but I don't see any reference to Target at all in the press info.
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here is their list of places to buy from: http://www.thebridgedirect.com/buy.php
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Makes me wonder if TRU's got the price inflated slightly and they'll be cheaper at Wal-Mart?
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Makes me wonder if TRU's got the price inflated slightly and they'll be cheaper at Wal-Mart?
could be; however, some of amazon's prices are higher than TRU - none of them are lower. But we all know TRU isn't know for having the cheapest toys.
It looks like some of the prices on amazon appear to be lower right now, but that is because they are actually being sold by other sellers and you have to pay higher in shipping
anyway, I emailed The Bridge Direct today just to ask them if there would ab additional waves of figures for this first movie. I am not expecting a response with a list of characters or anything, but it would be cool if they could say yeah or no, we do/do not have more products coming down pipe.
I will let you know when/if I hear back
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I ordered most of the 3.75 wave from TRU.com.
I am loving this line, amazing stuff
The Gandalf in the 2 pack is slightly different than the single carded one
the 2 pack is battle-damaged, brown on the coat, slightly beat up right side of his face.
I really truly hope they get a LOTR license.
Don't get me wrong, some of those Toy Biz figures are amazing, but the 3.75 size are always my fave
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This stuff isn't moving too fast at either TRU in my area - I was wondering if that was because it's placed in an oddball area and not in a high traffic spot... so last week, I put 5-6 figures in the Star Wars section... a few days later, about 75% of the Hobbit merchandise had sold (except for the Goblin King sets). Not sure if that made some people aware this stuff was out, and they started looking for the figures and found them in the next aisle and bought some... could be just a coincidence though.
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I know most here are more interested in the 3 3/4" stuff (which I love too), but I did open up a couple of the 6" figures (Gandalf and Bilbo), and have to say that they are pretty nicely done. They seem to fit in pretty well with the earlier Toy Biz stuff from LOTR, and look like larger (and more detailed) versions of the 3 3/4" figures. Pretty nice.
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So, I emailed The Bridge Direct and asked them a question about whether or not there will be more than one wave of product for this movie. They responded to my question, but they tacked this on to the end of it:
The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and contains confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, re-transmission, dissemination or other use of, or taking of any action in reliance upon, this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you received this in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer.
Am I supposed to taker this as a generic warning, or that I should not publicly post their response? I am figuring just the generic business footer warning.
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Are you honestly worried they'll ask you not to post? :) You can always whisper in my ear. I won't tell. ;D
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well, basically it is going to be a very long wait until we see another wave summer
see what I did there? ;)
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I saw some more of the line at TRU tonight. And perhaps my initial sighting of the basic carded Bilbo was an anomoly, or I saw a bad batch of figures. Because the individually carded Bilbo figures from the 3.75" scale line looked much better, and far less glossy than what I had previously seen.
I also saw a 5 pack that features Bilbo, Thorin, Kili, Fili & Dwalin. That looked okay. I also saw the deluxe Warg & Orc, as well as some 2-packs. But I have to say, I'm a little surprised that there are a couple of different price points for the 2-packs. Prices for 2-packs with Biblo and Gollum were less expensive than the set that features Gandalf and the albino Orc. It comes across a little odd. Why not find a middle ground in terms of the price point, and just offer a single line of figure 2-packs?
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see what I did there? ;)
Gah! That's one hell of a wait! :-\
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Anyone else Army Built Grinnah the Goblin into a squad or army of goblins?
Looks liek you can get a lil variety going with those straps he has thrown over his shoulder
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That is a heck of a wait. I'm still interested to see how this line does. With the LOTR figures (at least initially) it seemed like that line was doing pretty well, hitting with both kids and collectors at the time. It just seems like a little bit more of a different landscape than even 10 years ago or so, as far as toy buying goes. I really like the line, and if it is that big of a gap until the next new stuff shows up, I guess I'm relatively caught up on things. I still need to pick up the larger "deluxe" 2 packs, and I think that's it. A shame we won't be able to get all of the dwarves for a bit though.
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They must be planning a multipack down the line that's going to feature Bilbo, Gandalf and all of the dwarves. But I think that Bridge Direct wants to get several other individual figures and multipacks out there before they make that particular offering.
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Yeah, I could see something like that too. I guess I'm a little surprised there is that much of a break between waves, but it is almost like the vintage days of Star Wars as far as release numbers. 10-20 figures a year, not too bad to keep up with. The only thing is, I don't recall from the book that there are many "costume" changes for the main characters...so maybe that is why we aren't seeing all of them at once, and then just have the same figures re-released for each of the next two films.
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I can't think that smaller, measured releases would be a bad thing for this movie. We've all seen what can happen when you go overboard on releases, not have the toy line take off and the whole thing collapses. The last 4 or 5 years has had a huge string of toy lines follow that model. If BD can keep interest, sell through well and then wait until things heat up for the next movie, they could potentially get a 4 year run out of their line of toys.
E...
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Makes sense efranks.
But maybe (hopefully) the person responding to my email is wrong? BBTS also had these up on their site when they put everything up super early and was forced to take them down:
3.75” Goblin King Playset ($44.99) - unles this is just the Goblin King set and the price was lowered
and according to a list he saw on toyark:
Beast Pack Series 1: Stone Troll and Nori - and this makes perfect sense to come out for the first movie - heck they should do three of these types of packs!
But also going off of what Nicklab said earlier, it is pretty odd that they have so many different price points throughout this line - one would think we would see some sort of assortment to them at some point...
here is their email address if anyone else wants to shoot them an email and see if they can get any responses: contact@thebridgedirect.com
My question was general - I figured it would be a good starting to point. It was full of me a$$ kissing and just asking when we might see more product beyond the first initial wave of everything out now.
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The shelf placement alone seems to be marginal at the stores where I saw them. Not a whole lot of shelf space to begin with. Perhaps 2 feet, tops, and it's mid aisle. There's no endcap presence, or banners. And with the movie less than 2 months out, I would expect a more concerted promotional push.
With BD being relatively new to the boys toys world, I think they might have some challenges facing them. But these are looking serious. They may have some old ToyBiz people on board, but it doesn't look like they're making much headway in merchandising with Toys R Us.
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3 3/4 invisible Baggins coming? http://lotraddict.blogspot.com/2012/10/3-34-invisible-bilbo-baggins-seen-in.html
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The Bridge Direct posted on Facebook that wave 2 is indeed due out summer 2013 >:(
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That is... wow... :( Guess they're being cautious. Or their abilities are limited compared to a Hasbro, obviously, and they're not able to crank out a lot steadily.
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I did not collect during the Toy Biz LOTR era. I had a question about the Treebeard figure from that line and how it might compare scale-wise to this line. I see on ebay there were 2 versions of him, a 7 inch and a 15 inch.
Which version would be more accurate to this line? Can anyone post pics of either Treebeards with figures from this line on him? I guess preferably putting a Bilbo figure on him might be the best for a comparison.
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I did not collect during the Toy Biz LOTR era. I had a question about the Treebeard figure from that line and how it might compare scale-wise to this line. I see on ebay there were 2 versions of him, a 7 inch and a 15 inch.
Which version would be more accurate to this line? Can anyone post pics of either Treebeards with figures from this line on him? I guess preferably putting a Bilbo figure on him might be the best for a comparison.
I'm guessing the 15-inch might be better, since the ents appeared to be huge in the movies. Unfortunately I don't have either figure so I can't really help you out.
Anyway, I picked up my first two figures from the line: Gandalf and Grinnah. Great figures all around, though a bit expensive. The crappy part though, is that I'm hooked. I plan to pick up the rest of the line over the next few weeks, and hopefully catch some sales along the way. Hopefully the line doesn't get scrapped before all 13 dwarves get made.
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I just went to TRU.com and they still have most of this line in stock.
If you get:
Fimbul/Worg
Gandalf/Bolg
Bilbo/Gollum
Thorin/Goblin King
Kili/Fili
Single Carded Gandalf - to return later with your original purchases receipt
you would be at $107.94 putting you close to $125. If you spend $125 you get 20% off the entire order plus free shipping. The only figures you would need to track down would be Dwalin/Balin and Legolas/Tauriel - both of these are not available at this time. Legolas is available right now if you don't care about Tauriel.
also, I still have a real hard time believing we wont see a wave 2 until summer, but I guess they would have no reason to lie now, would they? Just seems so odd with figures like Yazneg and Invisble Bilbo popping up.
Perhaps even The Bridge Direct was caught off guard when Jackson made the change from 2 movies to three? Maybe The Bridge Direct intended to release more, sooner, but were caught off guard and now are having to "stretch" things out?
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Thanks for the heads-up shmash. My local store had Dwalin/Balin and Legolas/Tauriel, so I could get them in-store... online for the rest wouldn't be bad, since a Star Wars Speeder Bike gets me to the $125 limit.
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can anyone help me out that has more knowledge about the Toy Biz line? i.e. Are there any other figures/beasts that are in scale with this new, The Hobbit, line?
I am going to post this in the LOTR line thread in case anyone that just looks over there can help.
So far I am thinking:
15 inch treebeard
shelob
fellowship cave troll? other big trolls?
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Are you talking about being in-scale with the 3.75" or the 6" scale?
If 6" scale, they're all pretty much in line with the new 6" scale obviously. 3.75" I'd say only Treebeard is (the big one) since he was a little underscaled for 6". Shelob's probably a fair bit too big, and the Cave Troll and Battle Troll are both far too big to be in-scale with 3.75". They're accurate for 6" scale.
There's not much you can crossover accurately....
There's the Sauron figure might be a little more accurate to 3.75" scale figures, but he's probably still too small.
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yeah, I meant the 4 inch line.
I will look into that Sauron
Thanks Jesse
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On the LOTR wiki it says Sauron was 9 feet tall. The LOTR Sauron was either 10 inches or 11 inches tall based on what I am finding. Wouldn't that make him pretty out of scale with 4 inch figures?
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I don't have him to recall how big a figure he was, but 10 or 11 inches puts him pretty in-scale with the 6" line.
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any idea if this company plans on doing all 13 of the Dwarves?
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Do any images exist of Sauron without his helmet? WTF is he supposed to be? I mean, in corporeal form...
I read all that junk about him and Morgoth in the Silmarillion, but it has been years and I can't even remember anymore.
I can't wait to see how freaking huge Smaug is gonna be!
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any idea if this company plans on doing all 13 of the Dwarves?
nothing definite at this point, though I would imagine that we will over the course of the trilogy. The Bridge Direct really is spreading things out though - we won't be seeing wave 2 until "summer 2013".
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You know, I dont even know if I buy that. I mean I know they said it, but do the even realize what a huge phenomenon this film is going to be for some people? If they do wait until summer for a second wave, they will be leaving a lot of money and possible moved product on the table. In Fact, I bet they could round out all the dwarves, mains from the hobbit BY summer without much issue, and then mix LOTR people into waves throughout the time until the next film drops. I know I woul dbuy it all.
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Saw a big display of these in the middle of the aisle at K-Mart today. That's the first I've heard them being found anywhere other than TRU, which seems kinda late to the party for all the other retailers.
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Yeah, I'm sort of wondering if the other retailers are going to get these or not. Not any word from WM or Target that I've seen, and you would think they'd want them out there with the movie a couple weeks out now. I haven't been in our TRU for a week or two now, but every time I've been there it has still just been two pegs of the basic, 3 3/4" figures in the middle of the NECA/etc. action figure aisles, nothing else. I'd expect they would have at least an endcap display soon with the movie release.
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I found a 5-pack of Bilbo, Thorin, Fili, Kili, and Dwalin at Barnes & Noble today, so if you guys are looking, you might try there.
I'm pretty surprised at the lack of retailers carrying these. I'm personally not interested in the 4" line, but the 6" line, well, I'd like to see them.
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Found a big display of these at K-Mart like Jesse mentioned (thanks for the heads up!), so that was nice. Grabbed the 6" versions of Bilbo, Thorin, and Tauriel, and I have to admit, the 4" line looked great. Gandalf and Gollum were like little works of art, so I'll probably go back and grab some of those now. ::)
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Finally saw all 5 of the 6" scale figures myself. These look like they'll mesh nicely with the Toy Biz LOTR line. Although Gandalf looks a good bit different from the FOTR versions we saw.
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I was going to grab Gandalf and Legolas, but I have so many of them from Toy Biz I didn't want any more. Though I'll probably grab them anyway.
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Saw a rack of singles at WM. Way in the back, not even action figure aisle, hanging off the sideo f the endcap. $7.88 though. Cheapest anywhere and nullifies any 2-pack value ultimately really.
The rack of figures is only 2 wide and maybe 4 deep? No 2-packs or anything else anywhere. Price is right... would like to see what the Warg and other bigger sets cost at WM now though. WOuld their 2-packs be cheaper? I could rejoice at holding out and maybe pick up one or two for the desk of shame.
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desk of shame?
Still the 2 packs are the best routes to go imo. If you don't go the 2 pack route you miss out on Ballin (or is it Dwallin?) and Tauriel.
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The Goblin King is Freaking HUGE! I picked up that set off of TRU...truly amazing
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desk of shame?
Yeah, a catch-all of random nerd figures/toys/trinkets. Gets a Movie Heroes light-up saber Vader, a Sauron LOTR figure, some little PVC Domo's.
Desk of shame.
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ah, I took shame as "bad toys"
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Nah, quite the opposite actually. Toys I'd normally not collect the whole line per se, but had to have just one or two from a line because they're cool.
I do have all the mini PVC Domo's though. I was hitting the bubble gum machine like I was 6 again.
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Saw some of these at Barnes and Noble last night...couldn't tell if the prices were better or worse than TRU.
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Free Shipping When You Order $50+ of In-Stock The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings items @ Entertainment Earth (http://www.entertainmentearth.com/hitlist.asp?spotlight=2694&id=HA-807301583).
Reports are that it includes the LEGO stuff too. And there are also coupon codes you can try to stack on there too...
2012EE5 - $5 off order of $50 or more.
2012EE10 - $10 off order of $90 or more
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excellent deal on these at TRU this week - BOGO 50% off
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I'm still sort of surprised at the toy roll out (or lack of) for these. I haven't seen anything at WM or Target for these (or read of it elsewhere), and although our TRU slightly expanded their section (though not by much) it still is stuck in the middle of the NECA-type stuff in the back of the store (even on movie release weekend). I mean, I don't expect that it is exactly an Avengers-style product push, but it really does seem subdued. Our local TRU has two pegs for the basic figures (which as of Friday was all Bilbo and one Thorin), one peg for the two packs (which was all the Gandalf one), and a couple of the Goblin King packs. That's about it. I did pick up the Goblin king pack, but when I got it home my wife said that wasn't coming in our house, so it may be going back :). Now with this buy one, get one 50% sale it might be better to return it and rebuy it with something else anyways.
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At WM, they moved these to the area nearer the main aisle where the action figures are. The aisle where SW is now all the way in the back. Hobbit figures are at the front and seem like they're selling ok.
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I want more figures from these movies nowwwwww! and from LOTR.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/A-X5ZK8CEAAg8xE.jpg:large)
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I won't break. Won't. Can't.
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Hmmm. So why did they make Bolg and not Azog? I'm not getting that.
Plus, neither Legolas nor Tauriel made it into the first movie. I realize they want to get some familiar faces in the lineup, but that's kind of odd.
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Like the Lego sets, I am sure the shift to 3 movies put some of these characters into the 2nd Movie. The White Orc should probably have gotten made though...and the rest of the Dwarves. I still can't get over how big the Goblin King is
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Yeah that was what I figured too... There's the mirkwood set in the Lego line and it's not in the film either, so I figure it's just the film shift. Too bad the white orc didn't get a figure though. He's pretty badass.
Agree on the rest of the dwarves too... You have to get the main party out first. I thought that was a flaw with the original LOTR figures. They kicked off and didn't get the fellowship out the door right away.
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I was suprised Azog was still alive in the movie actually, but it wasnt bad. he is a cool design
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Our TRU has sold through this stuff pretty well since the movie release, at least for what little they have on hand. The basic figures are all Bilbos at our store, then they have some of the deluxe two packs with Gandalf/Bolg. They have sold out of the Goblin King packs, as well as the role play Sting sword. Oh, and they also had a couple of the five packs last time I was there.
I really wish we could see a line of these for Lord of the Rings (specifically the 3 3/4" stuff). The figures really are well done, and I'd love to at least be able to pick up the Fellowship in this scale. Hopefully Bridge Direct gets that license eventually too, although I haven't heard anything about it.
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So, who are some of the notable characters that were in the movie but not produced?
DWARVES
Nori, Dori, Ori, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Oin, Gloin, and the Dwarf King from the prologue
ELVES
Thranduil (on his Elk?), Galadriel, Elrond, Thranduil's troops
ORCS
Azog, basic carded Orc
WIZARDS / SORCERORS
Saruman, Radagast, Angmar, Necromancer
I also think the Eagles and the three Trolls would be good additions as well.
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I think you nailed it.
It really is odd that they didn't make Azog but they did make the other big guy that isn't even in this movie.
I mean, they made Grinnah and he was in the movie for like 30 seconds. They made a 6 inch Yazneg exclusively to Australia and he barely was in the movie too.
Why no Azog?
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The bizarre selections must have been caused by the series being stretched into a trilogy and the toys being developed too far in advance. Bolg, Legolas, and Tauriel weren't even in Part 1 and Fimbul (like Grinnah) barely appeared. Hopefully Bridge Direct makes up for that by including a few exclusively Part 1 characters (Prologue Dwarves would be great, as would the trolls) in future waves. Does anyone know if Bridge Direct will be showing off Hobbit Part 2 figures at NYTF next month, or if they showed off Part 1 figures at NYTF last year?
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Bridge Direct may have showed some things off at Toy Fair last year, but I don't think we saw any photos of the first Hobbit offerings until SDCC at least. Maybe they'll be showing off the supposed second wave of The Hobbit pt 1's line?
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I would think that they would/should be showing stuff off at Toy Fair. "Strike while the iron is hot," for the movie anyways, if you will. With the next wave having a "summer" release (they should probably try and get this out earlier), I would hope they would want to be showing off something at Toy Fair.
You know, what? I am going to go and email them and ask if they will be at Toy Fair and if they will have some of the next wave to show off. They were pretty responsive the last time I emailed them.
<insert time me writing an email>
my email:
Hello, I want to start off and say thank you for the awesome Hobbit line your company has created - I love these toys! With that said I just wanted to see if I could possibly ask you if there is any info you can share on the future of this line. The last collectors heard was that the next wave/series will have a "summer" release, is this still the plan? Also, will you be at Toy Fair in one month and will there be any/all of these figures from the "summer" wave to show off then?
Finally, any update to whether or not you will start giving the figures peg holes on the bottoms of their feet?
Thanks again and keep up the great work!
maybe I will send them follow up questions if they send me a decent response.
if any of you would like to contact them to ask other questions (perhaps about why certain characters were/were not released), here is where to go to contact them: http://www.thebridgedirect.com/contact.php
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Does anyone know if Bridge Direct will be showing off Hobbit Part 2 figures at NYTF next month, or if they showed off Part 1 figures at NYTF last year?
Yes, but no photos were allowed -
Apparently The Bridge had action figures at TF but no photos were allowed.
Since one of the movies has now been released, I can see them allowing some photography of things based on #1, but would not be surprised if there is still a "no photography" rule for toys from movie #2 or 3.
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Since one of the movies has now been released, I can see them allowing some photography of things based on #1, but would not be surprised if there is still a "no photography" rule for toys from movie #2 or 3.
The photo regulations would definitely be odd, since at least 3 of the figures currently in the line were not featured in the first film. I guess we have to wait until Toy Fair!
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Need a delux Radaghast with bunny sled
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Well, The Bridge Direct never got back with me on my email through their page so I found my first email I sent them a long time ago (when we found out about wave 2 getting a "summer" release) - and I emailed that email back with my new set of questions.
my email to them again was:
Hello, I want to start off and say thank you for the awesome Hobbit line your company has created - I love these toys! With that said I just wanted to see if I could possibly ask you if there is any info you can share on the future of this line. The last collectors heard was that the next wave/series will have a "summer" release, is this still the plan? Also, will you be at Toy Fair in one month and will there be any/all of these figures from the "summer" wave to show off then?
Finally, any update to whether or not you will start giving the figures peg holes on the bottoms of their feet?
Thanks again and keep up the great work!
within minutes they responded:
Hi Justin,
Thank you for contacting us here at the Bridge. we appreciate your support of the line.we will release more information about upcoming product in the next month or so. Also, please stay tuned to our Facebook page for more details!
Thank you,
Customer Service
So, they didn't really address anything, other than it sounds like we will find out stuff in a month, but kinda odd that they didnt even say if they would be at Toy Fair. I am guessing they will be though given the time frame.
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Still never seen any of these outside of TRU...weird.
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I've seen them at a couple other places, like Barnes & Noble and Vintage Stock.
After seeing the movie this weekend finally, there's quite a bit more from the film that I've love to see them make.
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I was genuinely surprised to see these turn up at a WalMart store a few days ago. But so far I've refrained from getting into this line.
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They're showing up at Wal-Mart too now? That's great news. I'm glad to see them pick up the line... maybe this summer when there's supposedly new product out (wave 2, etc.) we'll see a larger footprint for this line... it's a pretty nice line so far, just not as much variety as I'd like to see... but maybe that's a good thing - too much at once for a launch can kill a line (ahem... Hasbro...).
I hope this summer, we see more characters like Sauramon, Elrond, Galadriel, the obese dward, the white Orc, and those awesome mountain trolls... also, a new tooling for Bilbo, maybe he can come as a deluxe with a horse or something.
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...also would like to see the brown wizard and his rabbit sled... the Necromancer would be cool too.
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They've been showing up at Wal-Mart since right before the movie. Seems not all stores are getting them but many in my area have been carrying them since maybe a half month or so before the movie's release.
I've seen them everywhere pretty much but Target. K-Mart had them not long after TRU, WM then was the last to put them out. Even Sears put them out when K-Mart did. Better prices than TRU as well. Good if you only wanted one or two figures and didn't want to cave on a whole new line.
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Thanks Jesse - guess I'll need to keep my eyes open. I haven't seen them at those retailers yet, and I hit quite a few Wal-Marts on a frequent basis. Maybe when they do their resets soon they'll make a spot for them.
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These are already on clearance at my WalMart.
They initially had them in the LEGO section.
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I've only seen a lone Legolas at WM, and it was hanging on one of those plastic endcap hangers where they have those license plates with names on them. It was weird.
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Mine put them out in these pre-pack things, on the side of endcaps, and then they got moved to action figures like across from Iron Man stuff. Not a lot at any given store, and they didn't have anything beyond single figure sets IIRC.
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It must be a regional thing then, because I have scoured every Walmart around here from top to bottom and there is no sign of these things. None.
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2nd
did see alimited assortment at a Ka mart once.
But looks like TRU locked thsi stuff up here.
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6 inch? Azog!
(https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/735055_589853771041251_762750023_n.jpg)
go to their facebook page and see posts by others for a bigger image
TBD:
We are focusing on The Hobbit line now while the movies are active, but do have rights to LOTR, may have a little something in our back pocket for the future ;)
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F*** Yes!
http://idlehands1.blogspot.co.nz/2013/01/toy-fair-2013-bride-directs-hobbit.html?m=1
I will be back to talk about what I am seeing here later.... ;D
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Azog and Warg = 3 3/4 - I think.... It looks like this one has no ankles so that is why I am suspecting as much. I just don't recall Azog having an arm when he rode the Worg. Maybe he rode a Worg at the beginning of the movie before he lost his arm.
The pic with Azog, Radagast and Bolg should all be 6 inch figures. I say this because Bolg has ankles whereas the 3 3/4 inch version did not.
All the dwarves should be 3 3/4 as well. No ankles plus Grinnah is behind them (I am pretty sure there has not been a 6 inch Grinnah). Dwarves look awesome - lovin Bombur!
Oh, and of course there is the mention of PLAYSETS!!!!!! Awesome!!!!!! But really, I think early on, Thorin/Goblin King was considered, or described as, a "playset".
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Still need Gloin to round out the 3 3/4" dwarves.
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Nice to see that there is some more stuff on the way (eventually) for this line. I really enjoyed the first batch of things, and don't even mind the slower pace of releases as long as things keep going along. I'm going to have to check out those new pics, but it sounds good. Also liking that little quote on the previous page here about them possibly doing Lord of the Rings stuff down the road. That's what I'd like to see, and I think I would be all in on those if/when it happens. Although, I've pretty much been all in on the Hobbit stuff thus far as well.
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Wow, that's a great line-up for series 2! The only thing missing is a generic Orc Soldier, and as Neal said, Gloin. Hopefully retailers keep giving this line support because I would be devastated if these new figures don't get released.
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Gloin's absence is a little weird. IIRC, someone mentioned that the Bridge Direct also has the license for LOTR, correct? So perhaps they would do a Gloin / Gimli 2-pack?
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I think Bridge Direct has an incredible opportunity with this line, with Star Wars basically looking dead for the immediate future. They could potentially snap up all the bored and disillusioned Star Wars collectors for themselves if they play things right. I'm salivating at the thought of a LOTR trilogy line done in the 3.75" scale. Just imagine the possibilities, the army building potential itself is excellent and I'd love to see this teeny little company no one ever heard of before suddenly rise up the ranks in collectors eyes. I look forward to future announcements.
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all hobbit toys are half off at Kmart. I got fimbul with worg for $10 and grinnah the goblin for $4
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What smash said... They're the same at my K-Mart. I got Dwalin/Balin, Legolas/Woman, Thorin, and I'll get more later... I plan to nab probably doubles of a lot for customizing and for the bits/pieces, and I want the Warg with the Orc because it just looks good.
I'll get Bilbo/Gollum just to have them too.
I can't wait for an extra half off sale on clearance because I am going to nab the AT-ST for $15.50... My store's stock should be there for a while. ;D
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http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/HobbitFigures-2013group_TheBridgeDirect.jpeg
Yes please!
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all the new stuff in both scales http://www.figures.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=2602
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Ran to my other K-Mart today to see if I could get the figures my store didn't have, and luckily I got the last Gandalf. Wanted 2, he's good fodder, but alas only got one. I also got the last 2 Goblins they had which my store didn't have at all.
Gonna get Fili/Kili and Bilbo/Gollum this week I think, and just round it all out.
Both stores have al ot of the warg/Orc set and I want it but am being sorta tight. I'll get it, but the last 2 2-packs will cost me.
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So still 50% off? I'll have to take a look.
The new stuff looks great. Hope we find it. When does this next wave come out?
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Damn, now I'm back to thinking hard about jumping in on this line, a good sale would be a nice entry point. Off to K-Mart I go...
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So still 50% off? I'll have to take a look.
The new stuff looks great. Hope we find it. When does this next wave come out?
no new word yet - so still just a "summer" release
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If the two K-marts near me carried these toys, they must've sold out entirely. I think they didn't even carry them.
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Every store supposedly got the same pre-pack display, but that's just what I was told. My KM I was at last night had them on an end-cap now because the display sold through fairly well.
The one nearer to me had a lot left in the display yet by comparison. The display at the further away store wasn't totally with toys, kinda over near automotive. Weird.
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Yeah, heard that after the fact, they weren't necessarily in the section where any human would look for them. I did look around a bit, though.
Oh, well, not rushing back to those stores.
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My store had only 2 Fili/Kili sets so I got one of those last night, and 3 Bilbo sets so I grabbed one... Bilbo does kinda suck. Good figure, bad sculpt.
Fili/Kili are so non-dwarf it's not even funny. You can't make a hot dwarf for the ladies but Jackson managed 2. Funny.
They're good figures though... I love all the working sheaths and stuff. If only their knives and throwing axes came out too. :(
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Found a bunch of stuff at KMart on sale today. I picked up a 2-pack of Legolas and Tauriel. Would have snagged a 4" Gandalf but they didn't have any.
There was a decent selection of singles and 2-packs and a few 6" figures, but I wasn't interested most of them. Kind of glad I didn't spend more money on these, I'm kind of disappointed in them. At least these two, the articulation in the legs is severly hindered and I don't think they work well with their accessories. The paint jobs, at least, were pretty clean. Maybe I'd have liked the 6" versions better, I'm just not into that scale.
E...
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My only gripe is they really do need softgoods on their figures for sure. Great leg articulation.
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Finished off my first wave collection at K-Mart this week. Worst thing is, nobody touched that display since I raided it in December. Lots of stuff still left, except for the goblin.
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I wish the Kmarts around here had these. I've checked all three stores and see no sign of them anywhere.
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K-Mart is running a 50% off Clearance toys sale, so if your store has the Hobbit figures you can get 3 3/4" for $2 per figure, 3 3/4" 2pks and 6" for $4, and Warg sets for $5. It's a shame they didn't carry the Goblin King or Gandalf with Bolg sets.
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I went today and grabbed 4 of the Warg sets and 1 Grinnah and 1 Gandalf.
I I returned my $4 Grinnah and my $10 Warg I purchased a couple weeks ago ;D
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Time to hit up the AT-ST's too. :P
I'm getting my Warg this week for sure.
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Went tonight, picked up all the 2-packs again, and Warg, and plan to take back my Thorin and all my 2-packs I had and return 'em. 50% back on all that is nothing to blow snot rockets at.
Picked up extra 2-packs of the dwarves... gonna debate a 2nd warg this week and a 2-pack of the elves. Fodder's solid all around so I wanted some extras.
Got an AT-ST too and pondering 2 more of those for customizing.
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Score a entire 6" Set for $4 each. They also had 3 3/4 Figures on sell as well, $2 for singles, $4 for Twin Packs, $5 for the Warg. Made like a bandit.
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Got last thorin for fodder tonight. ALL dwarves gone, only elves left. I'd say half the Wargs gone so got a 2nd. Still AT-ST's out the ying yang but probabl sold a good 10 or 15.
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I set up a quick "Bolg's War Party" display with the extra Wargs and Goblins I got:
(http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f328/mister_palpatine/100_3593_zps29b03f78.jpg)
As great as it was getting $5 Wargs and $2 Goblins, it's still a shame no REAL army builders got made in the line. I would have loved the Dwarf Warriors or generic Orc Soldiers.
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Seconded.
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Found a Kmart in my area that actually had some Hobbit stuff and scored quite a few items on the cheap. Mostly just goblins for my "army" that I really just let my son play with.
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Mostly just goblins for my "army" that I really just let my son play with.
I should have done this... I am going to go back today and see if there are any left.
thanks for the idea!
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and I came home with 6 more Grinnah figures - bringing my total up to 8. I also grabbed an extra set of Balin/Dwalin and Kili/Fili
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I finally found a store with Hobbit stuff. I got one of everything and some extra goblins. THey didn't have the Goblin King or the Gandalf/Blol 2-pack, of course. I was just gonna get a Warg and Frodo with Gollum and maybe the goblin. Then I did the math and realized I could get everything 3 3/4" scale item for under $30, so if I liked the line I would have almost everything. If I don't, well, I doubt I won't be able to get my money back on it at some point.
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Those didn't seem to go to K-Mart... Don't know why but no reports of them hitting there. Go figure.
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I just saw this update over at TNI, sounds like the next wave of Hobbit stuff is due to hit Oct 15:
http://toynewsi.com/news.php?catid=16&itemid=20297 (http://toynewsi.com/news.php?catid=16&itemid=20297)
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thanks for the heads up!!!
Thranduil and Beorn are news to me! At first I only saw Thranduil was in the Myrkwood pack and I was pissed - but then saw he is available as a single - awesome!
I am definitely down for these:
-Thorin Oakenshield Adventure Pack: Nori, Ori, Dori, Gloin and Thorin
- Bilbo Baggins Burglar Pack: Bifur, Bombur, Bofur, Oin and Exclusive 3.75" Invisible Bilbo
and these as individuals: Radagast, Thranduil, Azog, Beorn
cant wait to see what else is coming - yes I am expecting more! One thing they left off the list - Azog and the White Warg
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TNI has updated with images of the upcoming Hobbit figures:
http://toynewsi.com/news.php?catid=16&itemid=20297 (http://toynewsi.com/news.php?catid=16&itemid=20297)
They all look really nice, looking forward to getting the rest of the dwarves. I am a little surprised we're not getting any dwarves in the six inch line this time around, with only Thorin in the last round I'm guessing it is a little unlikely we'd be able to get the entire set by the time the movies are done (if they continue this release pattern). Happy to have them in 3 3/4" though, and really hope we get some LOTR figures in the future too.
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we should see the SDCC exclusive today
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they just posted about it on Facebook so check that out for full details. Basically it is a 7 inch Azog figure with interchangeable hands and weapons and one of the hands will be holding the head of King Thror
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I got the first wave of the 6" figures last year (in addition to the 3 3/4" stuff), and thought they were pretty well done. That being said, I don't have a lot of faith that they are going to get to all the dwarves in this scale, since we only got Thorin so far and it doesn't seem like they are making any of them this year. Unless they really go nuts with this scale for the last movie, I don't see it happening, so I may bail on the 6" scale from here on out. Happy to have Gandalf and Bilbo though (and the rest are well done too), but I should probably stick to one scale.
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Found some 3.75" wave 1 at Ross today.
$14.99 - Goblin King/Thorin Oakenshield
$7.99 - Bolg/Gandolf
$6.99 - Bilbo/Gollum, Legolas/Tauriel, Kili/Fili
$3.99 - singles of Legolas, Bilbo, Grinnah and can't remember who else.
$14.99 - (I think that was the price) Dwarf multi-pack
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very nice. I can't wait for the Ross to open close to me - no clue when it is actually opening though
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I'll have to check that out as I've passed on the Goblin King but want that set a lot... also bolg. TRU's stuff was just way too much for the most part, for me to commit.
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Screw it, i find these tomorrow at Ross, and I'm throwing down. A man can only hold out so long!
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Bummer, I was 0-3 at Ross today looking for Hobbit figures. Maybe they just haven't arrived yet? Hoping it is not just a regional thing. Around here only TRU sold that line.
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Has ANYONE else seen these at a Ross?
I've been hitting them up every day and not seeing anything around here. :(
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a bunch of stuff from wave 2 is now listed on EE with a June release date oddly enough - what happened to October?
here is the wave 2 case breakdown:
This wave 2 case of 12 individually packaged action figures includes (subject to change):
3x Gandalf the Grey
3x Azog
3x Thranduil
2x Beorn
1x Radagast the Brown
only 1 Radagast?
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Guess he was Beorn under a bad sign.
( ::) That was bad. )
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Has ANYONE else seen these at a Ross?
I've been hitting them up every day and not seeing anything around here. :(
The Ross stores in my area suck in terms of toys.
I have never seen a single Star Wars, Transformers, LEGO, Hobbit or GI JOE item at a Ross store.
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I've had pretty good luck with SW toys at ROSS, but totally struck out on this Hobbit thing. Would have been nice, we have 3 that are convenient to my work/home locations. But I've given up looking at this point.
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That initial batch came and left real quick and I haven't seen a refresh since. If you see the foam role play battle-axe hanging on the pegs then you can bet the figures made an appearance already.
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Just noticed that BBTS has the next lineup of Hobbit stuff up for preorder, with 5 packs, single packs, and some of the 6" figures. From what I can tell, it looks like this:
5 Packs
Mirkwood Pack - Legolas, Tauriel, Thandruil, Fili, and Kili
Bilbo Baggins Burglar Pack - Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Oin, Invisible Bilbo
Thorin's Adventure Pack - Thorin, Gloin, Nori, Dori, Ori
Single Packs
Gandalf
Radagast
Beorn
Azog
Thandruil
6" Collector Figures
Radagast
Legolas
Azog
I didn't see anything else listed, not sure if there are any more of the 2 packs, deluxe packs, etc. Or if we're getting a Smaug (I hope so).
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so I saw that Entertainmentearth sent this out to another collector:
Items are now a Toys R Us exclusive. All Smaug movie product had to be removed from the site. Just found out about it late Friday. Backorders will be cancelled.
So TRU will be carrying the line. Hopefully thy are not the only ones.....
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All Hobbit stuff marked down to a super cheap $1.99 at my local Kmart... I bought the three Orcs on the dog beast things they had left. Now my son and I have a great army... thought I did use a couple of the Orcs for customs.
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Same here. I got an elf 2-pack for fodder bits. May hit my other KM and see what they have when I'm out this week.
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Just as a heads up, I had some of the next wave(s) of figures (both the 5 packs and single figures) on preorder through BBTS, and they sent me an e-mail today saying they wouldn't be able to fulfill these orders because they were informed these had become exclusive to another etailer. Not sure who, or if there will be an "exclusive online window" like there was last time around, but I just thought I'd pass things along. I'd really like to finish out the 3 3/4" scale dwarfs, if nothing else. I wonder if they'll be "online only" or appear at TRU again. They never did hit Targets here, and only one of our Wal-Marts had only the single figures last time around.
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I guess I'm not surprised to see fewer places picking these up now. The first wave of figures ended up on mass clearance at Kmart, didn't move too well at TRU, and I never saw evidence of a Wal-Mart or Target carrying them in my area.
These aren't bad toys though, I rather like them and so does my son.
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I was practically begging for an excuse to jump into this line. But like Chewie, these NEVER made it to a reasonably priced Walmart or Target around here. Nor to either of our remaining K-Marts. I would have gone nuts on clearance Hobbit figs. Guess it wasn't meant to be.
Our TRU still has a buttload of these too, and based on their stubborn refusal to lower the price, they will be collecting dust for awhile. They've still got Pirates of the Carribean figures on the pegs for chrissakes!
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I'm surprised at who never saw these at km or wm. I saw these a LOT t Kmart and Walmart saw singles fairly often but never more than a couple rows of pegs. Sold through except Bilbo. Kmart didn't do so well but moved most 2 packs n singles via clearance.
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Rumors on the Bridge Direct Facebook page seem to say that TRU online will be the only one's carrying the Wave 2 stuff
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Kind of a bummer... Probably will phase me out of buying more. K-Mart's clearance was only reason I bought a full set of what they had. I was going to get the last couple things at TRU I needed and hope for the best with the next series but these are GROSSLY overpriced at TRU if even K-Mart undercut them by a large margin.
As an exclusive they're going to be horribly priced I'm afraid.
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Has anyone seen any SDCC confirmation of the TRU only deal?
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Bump...anyone know what is happening with these?
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I'd like to know as well... Curious where these are going. I had such dreams of LotR figs too. :(
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I didn't see any info about these either, aside from the whole lineup being on display at SDCC. I'd like to know as well. I still have hopes of completing the dwarf lineup, if they aren't too tough to get a hold of. I was really hoping we'd see a 3 3/4" line of Lord of the Rings figures as well, but that doesn't seem too likely at the moment. Guess I'll have to stick to LEGO ;).
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last I heard was October release and TRU exclusive for the whole line
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I was practically begging for an excuse to jump into this line. But like Chewie, these NEVER made it to a reasonably priced Walmart or Target around here. Nor to either of our remaining K-Marts. I would have gone nuts on clearance Hobbit figs. Guess it wasn't meant to be.
Our TRU still has a buttload of these too, and based on their stubborn refusal to lower the price, they will be collecting dust for awhile. They've still got Pirates of the Carribean figures on the pegs for chrissakes!
Hah ha, very late arriving to the party but I broke down and loaded up on this stuff today. ;D
The combination of TRU's 50% Off all Hobbit merchandise + payday = toy throwdown.
Have been re-reading the thread from start to finish to see what else I may be missing, and there are definitely a few things. Gonna try the other TRU across town to try my luck this evening.
And one thing's for sure: I'm opening the crap out of these things!
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I was practically begging for an excuse to jump into this line. But like Chewie, these NEVER made it to a reasonably priced Walmart or Target around here. Nor to either of our remaining K-Marts. I would have gone nuts on clearance Hobbit figs. Guess it wasn't meant to be.
Our TRU still has a buttload of these too, and based on their stubborn refusal to lower the price, they will be collecting dust for awhile. They've still got Pirates of the Carribean figures on the pegs for chrissakes!
Hah ha, very late arriving to the party but I broke down and loaded up on this stuff today. ;D
The combination of TRU's 50% Off all Hobbit merchandise + payday = toy throwdown.
Have been re-reading the thread from start to finish to see what else I may be missing, and there are definitely a few things. Gonna try the other TRU across town to try my luck this evening.
And one thing's for sure: I'm opening the crap out of these things!
I noticed the sale at TRU today. I actually sold off my Hobbit figures a few weeks ago, but was extremely tempted to pick everything up again at the cheaper price point. The pricing is not quite as good as K-Mart, but the "exclusive" items like Goblin King and Bolg/Gandalf more than make up for that.
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It turns out I did pretty well, the only stuff I still need is:
SDCC Invisible Bilbo
Single carded Gandalf (if he is in fact different from the 2-pack release)
Balin
I think I will probably just end up buying all this stuff on eBay. (unless anyone has any cheap extras - PM me ;))
I opened up all the stuff last night, just as good as I expected. My only minor gripe would be that there's sometimes too many weapons for one character to hold, but too much is always better than not enough. And Gandalf's hat seems to fall off if I even look at it wrong. But overall I am super pleased with the line, hope the other stuff shown finds its way out.
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the two Gandalfs are different - some slight deco changes on the one from the two pack to make him look like he got beat a little in the fight
supposedly you can stretch Gandalf's hat by boiling it and pushing it down on his head
nothing can beat the kmart prices when they were banging them out the door - but amazon has some decent prices: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=node%3D2514571011&field-keywords=hobbit&rh=n%3A165793011%2Cn%3A165993011%2Cn%3A2514571011%2Ck%3Ahobbit
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Thanks, Smash. I picked up a single-carded Gandalf for $7 on ebay this weekend.
I also ended up returning the multipack I bought because I already had Bilbo and Thorin and I was going to have to buy another 2-pack just to get Balin. And it wasn't worth it to me to spend $15 for Kili and Fili when I can buy them both off eBay for less.
So now I need two 2-packs and Invisible Bilbo and I'm all caught up.
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Managed to find what I think is the last Goblin King in American TRU's for half off... Gf's kid loved it for the sheer size of the figure. Its closest rival in Star Wars I think is the last Jabba set which was pretty good too... But yeah, a Dejarik figure ala this? I'd buy. The articulation, the price, the detail... The Goblin King is one of the cooler toys put out in recent memory to me.
And with that I'm fully up on HObbit toys till the next figures hopefully still come out.
If LOTR were tackled in dribs and drabs, I'd be a giddy freak.
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Man, I'd love to see an announcement of Bridge Direct going into the LOTR franchise. It doesn't seem like the Hobbit stuff has flown off the shelves, so I'm not sure we'll see it happen, but I sure wish it would. I think I'm a couple figures (from deluxe sets) short of having all the Hobbit ones, but have the rest. Pretty nice line, and I'm going to do my best to pick up the new waves when they hit.
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I saw two Legolas figures at K-Mart $1.99 each, but 25%, so $1.50 each. I passed on them. Couldn't think of anything to do with them that I'd ever actually do since I don't customize and reselling and even trading gets so frustrating.
Their sole Star Wars vintage figure was not on clearance.
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I'm pretty much all in on this line as well... Ill get the new when it's out. LOTR would just floor me though.
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Got my Kili/Fili 2-pack in the mail today that I won off eBay. Also picked up the last Grinnah at TRU just to have a little extra goblin action in my display. Right nowI have everyone chilling on my spare vintage Ewok playset. The motif sort of fits somehow.
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Well, according to TBD the new wave hits tomorrow at TRU. I am kinda doubting it since there haven't been any leaks at all.
If you see anything let us know!
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Tomorrow is truck day at my local TRU, so I will keep my eyes open for new Hobbit toys. I doubt they will have anything though, since they are still PACKED with Unexpected Journey stuff. I'm pretty sure I was the only person who bought stuff during their 50% off sale last month.
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I am headed out to TRU at lunch today as well, fingers crossed.
Last week I picked up the Dwalin/Balin 2-pack off eBay, so the only thing I need now is the Invisible Bilbo SDCC exclusive.
Were there any new pics circulating out of NYCC?
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Nothing new at my TRU yesterday. I think they might have gotten a truck overnight so will try again today at lunch.
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Nothing in OC NY either.
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ughhhh the rumors on this line right now suck.... hard....
rumor mill is stating that the only things coming out are 4 figures in the 6 inch scale and the the one box set that TRU.com has up for sale right now that has 4 figures from wave 1 and only one new figure - that elf dude. Rumor is saying this is it if they dont sell well.
I find that hard to believe but I can also understand it now because wave 1 struggled so much and since this line is purely exclusive to only one retail outlet now (TRU)
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Sucks, but fine by me. Either don't do it or do do it, but time for them to **** or get off the pot basically. Seems like, to me anyway, they maybe DON'T want to do 3.75" anymore and are just going to can it but are trying to back out without backlash and hope everyone goes to 6" happily.
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Damn, I will be very bummed if the remainder of the dwarves aren't released. I feel lack of variety and too much redundancy killed the line the first time around; I can't see anything BUT the exact same outcome this time around. Hopefully more products will make it out, but if not, I think I only have $50 tied up in the line at this point. It will feel like a very incomplete collection, but a cheap incomplete collection.
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Kinda same here... Incomplete, but I got everything super cheap at K-Mart (TRU was gouging so I refused to buy), and then I got Azog and Goblin King at TRU on clearance... Good line, but lack of variety hurt. Needed a carded and somewhat customizable Orc warrior in the basic line IMO. Needed Bolg on his white warg. Needed all the dwarves, not just a few, done in 2-packs.
Goblin King I'd have waited for a 2nd wave as a centerpiece...
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Kinda same here... Incomplete, but I got everything super cheap at K-Mart (TRU was gouging so I refused to buy), and then I got Azog and Goblin King at TRU on clearance... Good line, but lack of variety hurt. Needed a carded and somewhat customizable Orc warrior in the basic line IMO. Needed Bolg on his white warg. Needed all the dwarves, not just a few, done in 2-packs.
Goblin King I'd have waited for a 2nd wave as a centerpiece...
A couple of army builders in the first wave would have been great, as well as a different Warg or two in the beast assortment. I think what we got would have been fine though if it there had been fewer formats. Single figures and beast packs would have been okay; no real need for the redundant 2-packs and 5-pack. Who knew a company could screw up a line worse than Hasbro?
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The 5-pack is up on TRU.com but my stores got nothing new this week. I find it hard to blame BD for the first wave not selling better. They were great figures and decent figure choices IMO. The thing that really hurt them was not having Target and Walmart behind them.
They gotta release the stuff they have already shown though. (Radaghast, etc)
And this line just seems silly without Smaug and the rest of the dwarves, not to mention beorn, the bard, etc.
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Wal-Mart carried the line... Not as heavily as TRU and K-Mart, but I found them at several WM stores. Mine still has about 8 or 10 Bilbo figures and I think a lone Legolas chilling.
I think 2-packs maybe were a stretch... All singles would've been fine, but if you were gonna do 2-packs I think you shouldn't have duplicated to single cards then, and had singles be like Gandalf, elves, the theoretical customizable Orc army builder, Goblin (would've been nice if he too was "customizable" to a degree to look different/variety), Thorin, and so forth... The other dwarves would've been kinda neat as the only 2-pack format figures then save for perhaps an Orc Paint/accessory variation 2-pack for a baddie 2-pack...
It would've helped.
Anyway though, my WM stores that did carry the line didn't have 2-packs iirc. Just singles. And no deluxe that I recall either, though the deluxe line was pretty much just the Orc/Warg.
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Did anybody else see the Bridge Direct Facebook page? I wonder if they calculated the nerd-rage from the fan boys when they got into the Action Figure business.
I don't know how to link it, but needles to say when they announced new product they got a lot of arm chair business experts telling the, to give up the license and that Lego is better....
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Did anybody else see the Bridge Direct Facebook page? I wonder if they calculated the nerd-rage from the fan boys when they got into the Action Figure business.
I don't know how to link it, but needles to say when they announced new product they got a lot of arm chair business experts telling the, to give up the license and that Lego is better....
Heh, every line has the arm-chair business nerds calling shots for the companies. Some posters on the Facebook page sure did go overboard. Honestly the fans shouldn't be surprised that only four new items are being released considering how much of series one is still sitting or went on clearance. However, I think the complaints about the company's poor communication and the exact products being released are justified. Obviously things shown at Toy Fair are subject to change depending on what retailers choose to purchase, but showing off items (4-inch Dwarves, Radagast, 6-inch Orcs) at Comic-Con with no plans to release seems like teasing in retrospect. There were also a couple of different press releases between Toy Fair and now featuring different products that weren't clarified until just a couple of days ago.
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I agree all lines have it, I just guess I got numb to it with Star Wars and Joe (and Joe is notorious for showing awesome stuff and it never hitting the shelves).
I just need them to release the rest of the Dwarves before they fold up the tent or burn the bridge as it were.
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If the rumors are true and all we're seeing is a few 6" figures and the Elf pack, that is really disappointing. I mean, I can understand that it wasn't exactly a "hot" line, and maybe sales weren't great, but I've picked up pretty much everything from the first round (I think I'm just missing the one Orc/Warg deluxe pack), and thought the figures were pretty nice. I was at least hoping to be able to finish off the dwarves. You would think they could at least offer those as online exclusives at Amazon, BBTS, or wherever. I hope they still see the light of day somewhere, I'd really like to finish those off.
On a side note, I'm sure this all but kills any possibility, but I was really hoping we'd eventually see a 3 3/4" LOTR line done in this style. I love the Toy Biz stuff, and have a dozen or so of those, but I'd probably dive all in on a 3 3/4" scaled line if Bridge Direct (or someone else) was able to do it. I thought the sculpts/articulation/deco on The Bridge Direct stuff was pretty good though, and was hoping we'd see more of it.
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So the one 3 3/4" item they release is one that forces you to buy 4 figures you already have to one new figure?
I THINK THAT SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT THEIR FLAWED BUSINESS MODEL.
Really, they should've had one scale. Even if that scale had been 6" and I'd never bought a damned thing, then at least the 6" fans might have gotten closer to getting all the characters they wanted.
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So the one 3 3/4" item they release is one that forces you to buy 4 figures you already have to one new figure?
I THINK THAT SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT THEIR FLAWED BUSINESS MODEL.
Really, they should've had one scale. Even if that scale had been 6" and I'd never bought a damned thing, then at least the 6" fans might have gotten closer to getting all the characters they wanted.
100% agree. Better not jump into a line at all than dip your toes in and back out after one freaking wave. The second movie isn't even out yet! You can't hinge your commitment to a line on just one wave. Maybe they should call the peeps over at super 7 and get some tips on how to run this thing with an alternative business model. I have to believe the interest is out there, you just have to be creative about engaging the consumer.
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My name is Justin Aquila, I was one of the people ranting on their facebook page for this poor showing :)
I am honestly starting to believe that best case scenario for fans to get the remaining figures they want might be (depending on if the tooling exists) China-bay - similar to what happened to the Indiana Jones Temple of Doom wave.
I hope the Chinese bootleggers profit from this if The Bridge Direct cannot do it themselves.
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My TRU had the six inch azog,radagast and legolas today. Also the five pack with thanduril.
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Yeah I saw them too. I thought the 6" looks great but I only collect 3 3/4 in this line. I am not buying the 5 pack for Thranduil. Worst case scenario I will get him from China-bay
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Saw the new stuff at our TRU today as well. Man, I really wish we were getting the rest of the dwarves in 3 3/4" scale. I was pretty much complete in that scale with this line, but I just can't bring myself to buy that entire pack just to get Thandruil. I saw one each of the 6" figures, and ended up grabbing Radagast the Brown.
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So how much is the 5 pack at TRU and who else comes with it besides Thranduil?
Our local store got a truck today and I was contemplating using that 20% off coupon to take the edge off buying this, but alas they had nothing new in stock.
Just as well probably, I've been able to get all the figures so far without doubling up at all yet, less hassle in the long run trying to dump the extras.
China-bay indeed.
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Legolas, Tauriel, Kili, and Fili
Legolas was easily available in two sets. But at least there's no Thorin.
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Thanks, a buddy of mine tipped me off that this set showed up at the TRU across town, so I made the long drive tonight and went ahead and picked it up. Today was the last day I could use that 20% off coupon, plus it is my birthday, so I figured what the hell. I can sell off the extras hopefully to defray the cost. Thranduil is a sweet figure no doubt. Hope it is not the last new one we get.
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I gave my entire collection to my son. He's got all the 3.75" figures from the first wave, adn 5- 6 each of the warg beast and goblin guy. He keeps asking about the pale orc. Sucks he's probably not going to be released.
As for the new TRU 5-pk, I can't believe they didn't release that with 5 new figures. As it stands, I can't justify $30 for one new figure and the rest repacks. Geeze.
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At some point, I figure BD will have to come clean and issue an official statement about this whole debacle. I guess we can only hope the next two movies are runaway hits and generate some interest in the toys. They just have to make the stuff they've shown available somehow, whether it be through subscription service, kickstarter, whatever.
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I think the boring yellow packaging in the first line hurt the line. It's just so bland...
I also feel that they would have been better served to release the Pale Orc in the first wave, along with one of those mountain trolls. Perhaps one of the giant birds as well... and even a playset? Imagine the Baggins homestead... all of that would have really made the line more interesting.
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The line was very unimaginative. I don't know if that was resources, or lack of faith in the brand, or just a plain lack of understanding about the possibilities. Few properties are as slam dunk as this one (was) is. There may be some lack of interest to it at retail, but there is also a very substantial collector base. Splitting up the dwarves ultimately seems silly. Not having the Pale Orc early on does too. The one piece assortments (deluxe 2 pack - why isn't this just another two pack?; the Warg and rider) also indicated a lack of real retail planning.
Disappointing to say the least, as we're certainly locked out of LOTR figures in the 3.75 scale, unless the film explodes and there's a surge in demand.
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From Bridge Direct's Facebook page:
"We know many fans would like to see a wider range of characters offered for DOS, however this is the complete line for this film. We are huge fans of LOTR and Hobbit, and would like nothing more than to release figures of every character, but there are many factors that determine how many we can effectively produce. For example, retailers have specific dates when new product goes into stores. To meet those dates, our development process starts 18 months before figures are in stores. This provides time for sculpting, painting, revisions, studio approval, manufacturing time, shipping, etc. Therefore, if character appearance is not finalized that far in advance (particularly for digitally generated/animated characters), we cannot make them in time for retail launch. There is also the matter of minimum order quantities in manufacturing: we have to make 10s of thousands of pieces of each character! So if we include 10 characters in the 6" figure assortment, that's over 100k pieces of product, minimum. If our retailers can't commit to buying that many pieces, we have to cut down the number of characters in the assortment to make the order quantity viable. It was always our goal to offer the widest variety of characters possible in both scales, within the parameters of how much our retailers can sell. Based on sales of product from Unexpected Journey, we found that there was a larger market for the 6" figures and therefore have been able to offer more characters in that scale. We know the Tolkien fan base is passionate and appreciate their continued interest in our line. We also hope that the fans can appreciate our passion and commitment to quality, as well as the conditions that make it impossible to offer every character in every scale. Looking forward to the film and a successful sell-through of the figures at retail so we can offer more cool stuff for part 3!"
So they mismanaged the line and now retail has abanoned it. There won't be any part 3 toys at this rate.
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So they had 10,000 each of the four reissued characters in the 5-pack lying around?
s well as the conditions that make it impossible to offer every character in every scale.
Why is there more than one scale? Did they hire playmate's marketing person who pitched the Terminator Salvation and Star Trek lines?
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I think a lot of it was, "Let's see what sticks", and 6" stuck apparently.
Honestly, the price, the availability... I thought The Hobbit line wasn't exactly mismanaged... The quality was above what was expected. Would all 15 of the group been appreciated? Absolutely. The film got split to 3, and I'm sure that didn't help things much too, but really, what was out was great... but wasn't really supported either.
I admittedly bought mine on clearance... Not all at first, but after returns for price adjustments, yes. And I like the line. I just wasn't into committing to yet another toy line.
Sooooo from my perspective it is what it is... *shrugs* I liked what I got, and I'll be content with this as a short line. Wish I had all of the core group, but alas, it won't be happening. :-\
At least Lego got them all out, but it'll cost ya.
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Nice to at least see something from BD regarding the line's current/future state, but it really is too bad the way things have gone now. Like others have said, I thought the figures were all pretty well done, and I like the ones that I have. I can understand, and see, how things maybe didn't sell the best (although our local TRU has sold through everything now - from the first movie - with the exception of the Gandalf/Bolg 2 pack), but it sure would have been nice to see things continue strong (and even get a Smaug).
I would have been happy if we could have just gotten all of the dwarves in the 3 3/4" scale, especially since we've seen them all completed in conventions this year. At the very least it would be nice if they could throw those in a couple of multipacks and make them Amazon exclusives or something. Maybe we'll see more next year, but it doesn't seem super likely. I still think about how great a LOTR line in this style could have been.
Their statement makes it sound like the 6" line was more of a success for them, but we still only saw two new figures this time around (I think the Legolas is the same, or close). I'd even settle for getting the dwarves in that scale, but with only 2-3 a year, that isn't happening either. I've seen the new stuff at our TRU, and I'm pretty sure the 5 packs are all still sitting there last I checked. I don't know if the store has gotten more than one shipment of the 6" figures or not, but I did pick up the Radagast and noticed that Azog was gone the last time I was there as well. Legolas was still hanging about.
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Very surprised that Bridge Direct waited a full year to release an Azog figure. He's the main villain, after all. It's cool that he's finally on store shelves, but really only at TRU.
The offering of Bolg in the 3-3/4" line last year was equally puzzling. Although I finally spotted him in a flashback scene as the Dwarves were battling the Orcs at the gates of Moria.
The multipack with Legolas, Thranduil and the others looks interesting. But admittedly kind of cheap, too.
From a big picture standpoint, I think that Bridge Direct has been engaged in an uphill battle since they took on the license. Especially in light of this article that Darby posted elsewhere in the forum (http://www.toydirectory.com/monthly/article.asp?id=5446). Action figure lines in general are in a rough spot. The manufacturers are trying to stay profitable, and what we're seeing are figures that are cheaper to produce. And this line doesn't appear to have the level of interest of ToyBiz's Lord of the Rings lines.
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That article I think explains a lot of this lines issues. I said before that this line was mismanaged - in a lot of ways I still i think it was but a combo of the movies being split into three (leaving us with legolas, tauriel and bolg but not azog) along with soft interest at retail all led to its failure. I'd be curious to know how well the Lego stuff is doing.
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So, I stopped by my TRU yesterday and they had both versions of the 5 packs... on clearance for $10 each. I passed because I don't want to get sucked into the line and I also didn't scan them to see if the new set was clearance price but I might go back today to check.
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Reading around the webs I discovered some of the 4 inch scale figures are currently available in the UK:
Radagast:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FEDI5MI/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A162E15OAFIFV4
Azog:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DVEAFF2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A162E15OAFIFV4
Apparently Vivid, TBD's European counterpart, may be playing a different game with the line.
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I saw that too, and at first was convinced that these were just the 6" figures, because those just happen to be the EXACT same two new figures they released in that scale. But after digging around a little more, these do actually appear to be legit 3.75" figures.
That's so weird and frustrating I don't even know where to start. It's just like what they did with the 6" Yazneg.
They have to find a way to make these available to American collectors.
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Apologies to those of you collecting this line, but more and more I'm glad I was happy just picking up a 3.75" Gandalf from this line.
Gotta be super-frustrating hearing one thing from TBD and seeing stuff pop up OUS. :-\
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I'm kinda happy with the complete set from the first film myself... It is what it is. After its dismal sales, I honestly didn't expect to get more. :-\ The overseas stuff is just icing on the cake if it becomes affordable down the line or surfaces from Asian sellers, I figure.
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I stopped in at TRU today and noticed a full shelf of the 5 packs, and a full peg of the 6" stuff as well. I also noticed that the 3 3/4" had been restocked fully, with last year's product, so we'll see how that does.
I'm still holding out hope that we'll see the rest of that stuff shown at SDCC eventually, but you just never know. If not, I'm happy with what I have as well, just wish we could have finished out the dwarves. Honestly, if anything, I was hoping it would do well enough to justify a LOTR line in this scale :).
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I finally picked up Invisible Bilbo from a UK seller on eBay tonight, and for a great price, so that is a nice get. I'm on the verge of breaking down and ordering Azog and Radagast too...
I really hope the new movie does well and somehow resuscitates the line, but I'm not overly optimistic. It would be great if the rest of the stuff they showed off found its way out through Vivid, if nothing else.
I'm also curious how far, if at all, they got into designing/sculpting a Smaug, or if that was always off the table due to sheer size.
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I found a relatively cheap 3&3/4" Radagast from an overseas seller and bought it. He arrived today, another great effort and really bittersweet because it only reminds me of everything we are still missing. I still can't find an Azog but hopefully soon.
Still waiting on Invisible Bilbo to arrive too.
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Picked up a Fimbul/Warg 2-pack for $10 at TRU tonight...can't have too many Wargs. They are not advertising a 50% off sale but everything was half off, even the new stuff.
I also got a 6" Azog just for the hell of it because he is pretty cool and for $8 why not?
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Looking over the 6" Hobbit line, I've got to say that I'm a little disappointed. After all, the ONLY Dwarf they've produced is Thorin. REALLY?!?! The movies have really started to get you invested in the company of Dwarves, and you only make Thorin so far?
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I saw these for the first time at a Walmart today on some random endcap for $7.88 each...I was stunned. If they'd been any cheaper I might have picked up a few more goblins. Will definitely keep an eye out to see if they hit clearance.
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All Hobbit stuff is 50% off at TRU...I picked up the latest 5 pack for $15
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I finally tracked down a 3&3/4" Azog from an overseas seller, pricey but glad to be done with this line for the time being. Curious if we will see or hear anything at all at toy fair.
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I finally tracked down a 3&3/4" Azog from an overseas seller, pricey but glad to be done with this line for the time being. Curious if we will see or hear anything at all at toy fair.
I need 3 3/4 Radagast
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I got 4" Azog, Radagast, and Invisible Bilbo in the mail from the UK last week. Azog is a great looking figure, and it's a real shame it didn't get released with the white Warg as originally shown at Toy Fair last year.
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I got 4" Azog, Radagast, and Invisible Bilbo in the mail from the UK last week. Azog is a great looking figure, and it's a real shame it didn't get released with the white Warg as originally shown at Toy Fair last year.
Oh man, I just got my 4" Azog from the UK today, and I couldn't agree more! He is superb!
I'm still holding out hope that at least the rest of the dwarves get produced one day, even if only overseas. Beorn, the Bard, and Smaug would be icing on the cake, but highly unlikely it would seem.
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I got my Azog and Radagast recently too, very top notch stuff here, very impressed. It's a damn shame they don't seem to be doing well because they really are one of the nicer looking lines in this scale. I can just imagine what we might have been able to get if it had taken off, a LOTR spin off line would have been fantastic. Hopefully we get some halfway decent news from Toyfair about the fate of the dwarves, not terribly optimistic, but I will hope for the best.
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My head literally exploded today over the news about Beorn, The Bard, and Smaug! The fact that they showed off the dwarves again still gives me hope they will find a way to get them out.
My excitement for this line has been re-stoked!
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I read over at the fwoosh that TBD is trying to get the dwarves as a specialty shop exclusive. Maybe BBTS will pick them up or something. Fingers crossed.
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Was there a presence for this line at Toy Fair? I haven't seen any pics or news, but was hoping there was still potential for some new releases this year, in some form or another.
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Here you go Brian: http://news.toyark.com/2014/02/17/toy-fair-2014-bridge-direct-hobbit-118442
I think the Smaug box, Beorn, and Bard are the only new products. From what I read on other sites, Bridge Direct is trying to get Smaug and the remainder of the Dwarves out through "specialty" retail, which I guess means online and such. Hopefully some retailers are willing to carry the line.
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Local TRU has a bunch of stuff from this line half off on clearance, I think everything except the Goblin King. Anything worth picking up?
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I'd say all of it is worth picking up personally. I think it was a high quality line that did poorly for really no reason other than The Hobbit/LOTR doesn't (or didn't) appeal to kids as much as adults... I think the toy line's pretty outstanding though with few complaints.
I don't think much done differently would've saved it though, either. It is what it is.
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If these schmoes have the nerve to show their faces at SDCC, someone please ask us where the hell the rest of the dwarves, Beorn, the Bard, and $%^&* Smaug are.
Seriously, if Super 7 can find a way to get those playsets out, and that Kickstarter campaign for the Chthulu figures was such a runaway success, there is no way they can't find a way to get these into our hands.
>:(
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Does anyone know if Bridge Direct had a showing at SDCC at all? I just wonder what merchandise - if any - we'll get for the final movie. I'd like to at least finish out the dwarves as well - in either scale really.
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They were NOT at SDCC. From their facebook page:
Wish we could be at San Diego Comic-Con International this year, but make sure to checkout our friends at Weta Workshop and their booth for The Hobbit #3613 to get your Hobbit fix. Be sure to also keep posted for our upcoming announcement on our Smaug figure set to be launched later this fall!
Sounds like there will be at least the one "Smaug figure set", but no idea what that means for scale, size, figures, exclusivity, etc.
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I totally brainfarted on this line... Wish there was something about getting out the rest of the dwarves and maybe Bard in the 3.75" scale. :-\
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TRU has the 3.75" scale figures on an 85% or 90% off clearance. Something tells me that this line might be truly dead.
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Apparently they posted something on Facebook to the effect that they were regretful about not making it out to SDCC this year but to look out for some kind of announcement about the Smaug set later this year. ::)
There has been a lot of online venom spewed at TBD, and while I certainly understand it, I'm not ready to pile on just yet and declare the line totally dead. I guess I just hate the thought of what could have been...
The fact that they have Beorn, The Bard, and the rest of the Dwarves already sculpted makes me think these could still make it out some way, in some form one day.
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http://www.wbshop.com/product/the+hobbit-+the+battle+of+the+five+armies%26trade-+smaug%26trade-+large+scale+poseable+action+figure+hobbrfig20.do?sortby=bestSellers&AID=10280984&PID=6151966&ref=CJP
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Just saw this this morning as well, not sure whether to pick it up or not. It doesn't sound as if it is "in scale" with their figure line (they mention it coming with a surprise 1.5" figure), but then again, it would be kind of neat to have a Smaug in the collection room. Then again, there will be a LEGO one eventually too...
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Whoa, is this the Bridge Direct Smaug that was teased @ ToyFair? Or something totally different?
For 1&1/2" they might be able to squeeze in one of the shorter dwarfs maybe?
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Picked up about 8 Bilbos on clearance at Rose's today for $2 a pop. Looking forward to customizing a few more Hobbits...