McFarlane Sportspicks

[Morgbug]

Bling, bling

They is for real.

Hmm, wonder how many Meijers I can hit in four days

[Nicklab]

Hey Morg, think of me, please!

[Morgbug]

Duly noted.  Same question as before, mint or not?  

I'd likely want to ship it out of Cincy directly, since bringing it back across the border would end up with me having to pay customs fees  Only drawback is a lack of packing material with me on the road.  I guess I could bubble wrap my clothes on the way down  A box could be an issue too, these things are annoying to pack.  Loose ok or no?

[Thomas Grey]

I saw and held, but passed on buying an Emmitt Smith in away jersey Cardinals figure today and a Duece McCallister in Saints away jersey. They had the home jersey figures freshly pegged too.

My question is: did I blow it here? I know the Emmit in Cowboys uni is a keeper, but thought it better ot pass for other things. Do I hit myself or can I breathe out and not be ostracized by the McFarlane collector?..

[Nicklab]

    Thomas,

The basic rule of thumb with Sports Picks is this:  If the figure does not match the image on the packaging, most likely it is a variant.  However, there's usually one figure out of a series that will be pictured in the wrong uniform on the package.

There have been several figures to have this happen.  The most recent is Gannon.  He's pictured in the white Raiders jersey on the package, however the standard version ships in Raider black.  The variant is actually a "Retro" version Gannon in a Kansas City Chiefs uniform.  A white jerseyed Raiders Gannon is now showing up in stores in an NFL 2-pack with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Derrick Brooks.

Other notable figures that have not matched their packaged image include Joe Thornton of the Boston Bruins, and Dominic Hasek of the Detroit Red Wings.

So, the next rule of thumb is this:  if you see multiples of a given  figure and they don't match the package, most likely it's a case of "scalper baiting", as many have come to call it.

The new figures that are termed as "Retro's", and don't have an image of the figure on the package are the ones to keep your eyes out for as well.  These will have the player's name and the team logo, and no image of the figure.

It's tough to keep up with everything that's going on with Sports Picks.  If you're really interested in collecting them, be sure to frequent the boards at http://www.spawn.com.

[Morgbug]

DON'T DO IT!!!!

Nick's correct about all things.  I think the only really good rule is collect who you like.  I got into it big time and got all the hockey guys, all their chase figures and started getting some football too.  Now I have piles of stuff to get rid of.  Oops.  

Get who you like in the jersey you like.  If you want to enter the world of sportspicks trading, pick up other variants for trade bait.  Otherwise just stay away.  

I'm not sure if Nick will agree, but I see the popularity dropping soon.  Overproduction (in one sense, under production in another), excess frustration from some collector's, too many scalpers (a wobbly thing to define at best) and too many repeat players seem to be affecting popularity.  Contrarily though, sales are still good.

Anyone got a purple Culpepper

[Scott]

Anyone got a purple Culpepper

Who loves you sweetheart

[Morgbug]

No, no.  I mean a spare one

Lord, I could probably get an Urlacher easier than that thing.  Hey, I haven't checked ebay today....

[Morgbug]

Who's your best buddy in the whole world Nick?









 

[Nicklab]

Well, let's wait for the UPS man to get here first  

[Morgbug]

Mmm, patience.  A wise choice.  

[Morgbug]

Oh my goodness

I want as many of these as is humanly possible.

[Nicklab]

Who's your best buddy in the whole world Nick?



 

YOU ARE!  YOU ARE!  Thanks, the package arrived in good condition.

[Nicklab]

Oh my goodness

I want as many of these as is humanly possible.

So, what did all you Winnipeggers start doing when the Jets left?  Become Oilers fans?

[Morgbug]

Oh my goodness

I want as many of these as is humanly possible.

So, what did all you Winnipeggers start doing when the Jets left?  Become Oilers fans?

Hell, no.  The Oilers forever knocked us out of the playoffs.  Always the better team, often by only an overtime goal in game 7.  I hate the Oilers.  I even hate Gretzky.  Probably why I argue that Orr was a better all around player.  

Truth be told, I gave up on hockey for probably about 4-5 years.  I refused to follow the Coyotes out of bitterness and really didn't latch on to any other team.  Another team I used to cheer for, the North Stars, is one Scott can probably tell you about and even relate to the bitterness, I suspect.  

I finally got back into hockey when I started doing hockey pools on the net.  That way you had to follow along and actually pay attention.  As it progressed, I eventually became an Ottawa Senators fan.  Couldn't cheer for the Habs (my wife's team) and steadfastly refused to cheer for the Maple Leafs (both CBC and TSN ram everything Toronto down our throats)  Never liked the Canucks and the Calgary/Edmontom teams were the mortal enemy.  

So many of the US teams don't belong where they are.  There just isn't the fan support, just deep owner pockets (yes = bitter) that we never had.  

I was always a huge Selanne fan.  After his first three years, his contract was up, same time as Tkachuk.  Tkachuk held out and refused to report to camp.  Selanne came to camp, played the exhibition games and practiced hard, all without a contract.  Says something about their differing motivations for the game of hockey (Selanne's current move to Avs notwithstanding - I think he wants a Cup).  Just an all out classy guy and one of the most exciting players I've ever seen live.  

Sportspick + favorite player + Jets uniform = must have.  

I'm lucky, my current fave is Marian Hossa from Ottawa and he was in NHL5.  He is the only non-goalie figure I have in my office at work.  26 or so goalies (I'll count Wednesday) and one skater.  Tough room.  Now if only they'd make Lalime.