Your 7/26 Experience/Haul

[Brian]

So how did the big release day go for everyone?  Did you find/spend more, or less than you thought.  Personally, I hit TRU first, and got there about five after 12.  I wasn't in a big hurry, but when I got there things were mostly picked over already.  The big ships were all gone, and most of the figures were as well.  Personally, unless they restocked, I don't know that TRU got a ton of stuff in for their "big event".  There was probably 20 or so people there, and I think one guy might have bought all the big vehicles they had, judging by his cart.  I ended up picking up 2 Evolution Packs, 2 basic figures (Legacy Wave 2), and 3 of the new GH packs.  I never saw the Holo Grievous exclusive, so I didn't get one.

Next, I hit WM.  Surprisingly, for the first time in a long time, our store was really nicely organized with this stuff.  They weren't busy at all.  I saw a few other collectors there, but we were all able to take our time and look through everything they had.  I picked up Legacy Wave 1, More of Legacy Wave 2 (they didn't have a few), a Battle Pack, and...the Falcon.

The next morning, I hit Target to check out what they had.  I was hoping to find the other two Evolutions packs, but although they had a ton on an endcap, they were all pretty much Padme and the Fett repack set.  I grabbed the exclusive Commander Fox figure (I like the deco), and a "1st Day of Issue" Han Solo for my carded Han collection, and that was it.

Overall, here's what I picked up over the weekend:

TLC Wave 1 (all 8 figures)
TLC Wave 2 (5 figures - never saw Padme, SaeSee, or the Tessek)
TLC Battle Pack - Hoth Recon (Han/Chewie/etc.)
TLC Evolutions - Rebel Pilots 1, Padme (Didn't see the other two)
TLC Millennium Falcon
Galactic Heroes (3 out of 4 packs, passed on Jar Jar for now)
TCW Wave 1 Anakin Skywalker (picked up Obi-Wan on an early find a week or so ago)
Target Exclusive TCW Commander Fox

There was a lot more I wanted to grab (AT-TE, V-19, etc.), but I had to draw the line somewhere as the spending was high enough the way it was.

[Darth_Anton]

I actually missed 7/26 completely. I was at SDCC and couldn't get to a MM. Didn't shop at all for SW toys on 7/26.

[Rob]

I just went the next morning and managed to pick it all up at Wal-Mart no problem. 

[jedi_master_sal]

I had a huge haul at MM. Went out again Sat. afternoon, picked up another thing I wanted. Went out again on Sunday got the rest of the figs I wanted and another battlepack. So all told the only thing I didn't manage to get this weekend was the Rebel Pilots II evolutions set.

I budgeted for $875. I spent $710+ at MM. By the end of the weekend with the other purchases I spent a grand total of $855 and change. So I came in just under my budget. Had I found the evolutions set I'd have been within a dollar or two of my budget. Not bad planning at all.

I have been saving since Feb or March for this though, so I was well prepared.

I had a great time at MM. I got to my local TRU at 6pm. I was the first one in and next to the last to leave. Several of the TRU employees thanked me personally for coming out and buying. I was the single largest buyer of the night. I wasn't set out to do that, I just knew what I wanted and bought it all. I was a tad tense at a door flyer that read only 12 per item. I wanted 31 figures (some of them duplicates). Thankfully I had my fiancee with me and if need be, she could have bought 12 for me bringing my total to 24. As it was I found 25 of the 31 I wanted and the cashiers didn't enforce the rule. There were many more kids in line this time than any of the previous MMs. Out of the 60 or so people in line, I'd say kids accounted for about 20 percent of that. Not bad considering it was MIDNIGHT after all.

Once I got in the store, I went straight to the ships, while my fiancee started into the figures. I finished quickly with the ships and went on to figures as well. I had her stop and just watch the two carts of stuff we had, while I searched the figures. While I was doing that she started sorting through the figures making sure I didn't get any extras I didn't already account for. AND, she picked out the best paint jobs/sculpts of the extras. The only flub of the night was that I did somehow manage to buy an extra Chewie. I'll just take him back though.

One cool thing about this is that I used gift cards for me whole purchase. I've got a local grocery chain that gives you "Fuel Perks" when you buy anything through them-food, toiletries, gift cards, etc. When you buy $50 worth of stuff you get 10 cents off per gallon on gas when you redeem your points. However I had it even better as a store by her brother was having DOUBLE fuel perks. Since I had been planning on this, and we were going up to her brother's for the 4th of July, I bought the first $500 there instantly gaining $2 off per gallon. (I didn't want to get it all right away in case I couldn't find everything at TRU.) So anyway, fast forward to MM. I needed about another $250 in gift cards, so she went up to the grocery store (just a block away) and got that much more in cards, saving another 50cents per gallon. We've got an 18 gallon tank, so my toy purchases alone that night using those gift cards saves us $45 the next time we use the points. We already had 54 cents off per gallon, so we're up to $3.14 off per gallon, on our way to getting a free tank!  Even with WMs lower prices there's NO WAY they would have saved me $45 more. In fact the only thing I paid more for at TRU than I would have WM was the Falcon at $10 more, so it's still a net savings of $35!

I love it when a plan comes together!
-Sal

[JACKOFTRADZE]

I spent around $800 total, the only things I did not find at MM were the Battle Packs, Evo Rebel Pilots V2 and the Imperial Pilots(I just ordered them on HTS along the Disturbance in the Force and Cobra Commander). The bulk of my find was TRU MM I picked up the OTC Battle Packs and Scuba Clones at Wal-Mart the next morning. I am only missing the Evo Rebels and Evo Imperials.

FYI - It's a cheap plug but I have plenty of Droid parts for trade. i am looking for some parts and will update tonight.......

[CHEWIE]

Here's a basic rundown of what I scored altogether so far... I have seen everthing now in stores, but passed on a few things that don't interest me, such as most of the animated stuff... I also grabbed a few extras for customs/army building...

Vehicles
- Falcon x 1
- AT-TE x 1
- Homing Spider Droid x 1
- V-19 Torrent x 1
- B-Wing x 1

Animated
- Obi Wan x 1 (going to use it for a custom)
- R2-D2 x 1 (might leave as is, or end up using it for a custom too)
- Grievous x 1 (was hoping it could be used for a custom, but this figure let me down)

Legacy
- Luke Skywalker x 2
- Han Solo x 1
- Chewbaca x 1
- Ak Rev x 2
- Yarna x 1
- Bane Malar x 4
- Ewok x 1
- Vader 2-piece helmet x 1
- Vader Force Unleashed x 1
- Scuba Trooper x 3
- Mon Calamari x 5
- Quarren x 4
- Lancer Droid x 3
- Lancer Obi Wan x 1
- Saesee Tiin x 1
- Clone Heavy Gunner x 2
- Snowbunny Padme x 2

Evolutions
- Padme x 2
- Imperial Pilots x 2
- Rebel Pilots (Twi'lek) x 2
- Rebel Pilots (Sullustan) x 1

Battle Packs
- Hoth Probe Droid Patrol x 1

[Dan]

1 Falcon, 1 hoth patrol pack.

[Jayson]

I resisted temptation - I bought nothing. 

[David]

Clone Scuba Trooper x5
Mon Calamari Warrior x2
Quarren Soldier x1
Padme Amidala x1
IG Lancer Droid x1
3D Clone Trooper x1
3D Captain Rex (1st Day of Issue) x1
3D Yoda (1st Day of Issue) x1
Holographic General Grievous Give-away x2
Some Pocketmodels Give-away x2
Fett Legacy x1
AT-TE x1
Yarna D'al Gargan x1
Bane Malar x1
Ak-Rev x1

[CorranHorn]

I had quite a Midnight Madness and Saturday.

I got together with the local collectors club, the Chicago Trade Federation, and we hit a TRU for midnight madness at a TRU in Chicago's southwest burbs. One of our guys was there at 5pm first in line, I got there at 8pm and by the end there were 15 of us! Jimmy Mac from the Forcecast showed up as well and did his part of the MM broadcast from the front of the line with us. Once we got in it became chaos with everyone behind us shoving their way thru including some idiot who clipped my knee in an attempt to get a B-Wing. Though I got some stuff and had a great time with the club members, the typical actions of people in large groups put a slight damper on the evening.

Haul from MM:

BMF
Rebel Pilots Evolutions
Wave 1 TLC Figs: Han, Chewie, Malar
Wave 2 TLC Figs: Obi-Wan, Quarren, Mon Cal, Scuba Trooper, Lancer Droid, Quad-Cannon Trooper

Then the next morning I woke up to hit the local stores, the Wal-Mart by me did NOT put out anything the night before and after 3 more visits throughout the next 24 hours I found they still hadn't done so - lazy bums! Met some other collectors at the stores, including Jackoftradze, and we hit a few more Targets, another Wal-Mart, and TRU. Was a fun hunt, we were all calling each other giving the scoops on the stores and helping each other out at each stop. The end haul from this was:

Wave 1 TLC Figs: Luke (already lost the lightsaber hilt ), Vader, Ewok, Yarna, and Ak-Rev
Hoth Recon Battlepack

A hell of a lot of fun overall, though very tiring too

[Brian]

I was curious, did anyone else notice that it didn't seem that there was nearly as much stock for this launch as...for instance...the ROTS launch?  I'm not saying that the pegs and shelves are bare right now (they're not), but at our local TRU for the MM, it didn't seem like there was a whole lot there.  I got there about five after 12, and the vehicles were sold out, and the figures were close behind.  I went there the next day, and there was two CW R2-D2s on the pegs, and that was it (aside from LEGO, etc.).  Granted, I know that the CW movie isn't nearly as big of a deal as the release of ROTS, but it just seemed like there was a lot more stock leftover the next day(s) after the big release in 2005.  Last time I checked, TRU and WM were pretty well cleaned out of basic figures (still had some ships, etc.), and Target was a little better stocked (but still at the higher price as of Wednesday here).  Anyways, I was able to see all but the Tiin figure between the three stores over the past week or so - so I can't complain - but it didn't seem like the stores (TRU in particular) had enough stock.  Especially for TRU being the "place to be for MM" according to all the advertising.

[Morgbug]

I was curious, did anyone else notice that it didn't seem that there was nearly as much stock for this launch as...for instance...the ROTS launch? 

You mean when I went out to a couple of different retailers and found absolutely nothing except a TAC Wedge?  Like that? 

To be fair to TRU, yeah, they had stuff out but I don't go there on weekends generally because of their location and the psychopath drivers around there.  Other retailers though - goose egg. 

TRU did have less than any preceding movie and I'm guessing it won't last long either before they shuttle it back to the pegs/shelves and don't give a crap.  Certainly won't last as long as the Batman stuff I don't think. 

[jedi_master_sal]

I'll give the display until the end of August. Then the stuff goes to it's regular aisle.

[DoctorPadawan]

My 7/26 experience...

I woke up at around 6:30 AM that morning, did the whole shower/shave thing, got dressed and went to the local Wal-Mart number one first.  Apparently they did the unthinkable (for this WM, at least) and actually put stuff out at midnight the night before, so a lot of stuff was relatively picked over.  No sign of the Falcon, AT-TE, or the 20 dollar vehicles, and most of the Legacy CW wave was gone, but still a decent selection.  This WM was the only retailer of the day who actually had Battle Packs on the shelf, even though the only one left by the time I got there was the Hoth Recon Patrol set. 

Second stop was Target at opening and, just like every other day at Target and despite the huge blank spot for the stuff, they had done nothing.  Target here is just about the worst retailer I've ever dealt with, and they did nothing to break that string this time around.  Another collector and I asked a manager about what was going on and it was one of the employees from the food department who was finally sent back to the back to see if they had anything.  All he brought out was a bunch of the role play stuff (helmets, sabers, laptops), and two cases of animated figures, along with one case of Wave 1 Legacy.  No vehicles of any kind, no Battle Packs, no Evolutions, no Fox, nothing else.  A total wash-out, but as I said, given my experience with this Target store, it was no surprise to see them not stocking.

Third stop was TRU, who wound up getting the majority of my money.  Our store didn't do a midnight sale the night before (I don't think we get much traffic there), so we got to see the full display upon opening.  They were pretty much fully stocked, with the exception of Battle Packs and the second group of Evolutions sets, and there was some confusion over the non-appearance of the Holo Grievous figure (it was being held for the Sunday circular, it turns out, but the manager told us all to bring our receipts in the next day and we'd get them no questions asked).  Overall, TRU had the best set-up, both in terms of stock and in terms of easiness.  Two thumbs up for them.

Fourth stop was local Wal-Mart number two, who put out two cases of animated figures and a ****load of lightsabers on an endcap, and did absolutely nothing else.  As of Friday, they still hadn't done anything else, so I don't know what's going on there.

Target eventually stocked two endcaps on Wednesday morning this week (way to go with that five day lag Target!), and very little is moving.  I wonder why.   

So anyway, Toys R Us was the real winner overall in this whole launch date fiasco, which proves yet again why launch dates for toys are ridiculous and don't work: either stores put stuff out early, or they don't put  it out on the actual launch date at all.

[Darth_Anton]

I'll give the display until the end of August. Then the stuff goes to it's regular aisle.

That's a reasonable guess.