Drop Kick Joe! (Damaged Cards and Bubbles)

[aka DaBigKahuna]

I found most of the new figures today at three local targets, unfortunately Drop Kick Joe got to them first.

I heard other complaints about damaged bubbles on the Aayla wave, and to date I have reserved my comments.

I must have come across thirty figures and bought four.  One opener for my son and three "decent" figures.

Looks like it's going to be a challenge finding MOMC figures in the new waves.

What have your findings been?  If you've found any of the new wave that is.


-Fish-

[JediMAC]

I totally hear ya' Matthew, and saw those exact same figures you're referring to last night.  Unfortunately, this has been a horrendous problem for the last several months on ALL the Saga stuff I've seen, and it's apparently getting even worse now.

All the Coll. 2 figures from the earlier Aayla/Barriss wave had all had multiple bubble dings along the top and bottom front edges of ALL the bubbles, some causing the whole bubble to get seriously dented in.  But I saw those same figures (and many more at other stores) last night, and the new Saga carded product is definitely all REALLY badly damaged - we're talking CRUSHED bubbles on nearly all of them.  Absolutely terrible.  The damage is getting close to the point where this may no longer just be a carded collector's problem, since these things are so smashed in that the actual action figures are close to being damaged themselves!  

I have no idea what the hell is going on with Hasbro's packaging and shipping process recently, but something HAS TO CHANGE, and soon.  This problem is really snowballing out of control from everything I've seen at the various stores in So Cal...  

[MisterPL]

I found reissued Leia, Han, and Maul at Kay-Bee last night in fine condition. Kicked 'em around the floor a bit to keep scalpers away and put them back.

Then I went to Sears and started poking airholes in the lawnmower boxes when the store associates weren't looking. Can't stand mint packaging. Must've been a bad childhood experience I've repressed.

Tonight I'm going cardbending at TRU. Just G.I. Joe and Transformers though. Not a lot of Star Wars stuph that hasn't already been broken in.

[obi_robz]

I have to buy online, but the upside is that all my 2003 figures have been mint. Perhaps it’s something to do with the solid cases the UK gets – maybe the cardboard is of higher quality or there’s more room inside the cases or something. Weird.

[Force Guy]

I found reissued Leia, Han, and Maul at Kay-Bee last night in fine condition. Kicked 'em around the floor a bit to keep scalpers away and put them back.

Then I went to Sears and started poking airholes in the lawnmower boxes when the store associates weren't looking. Can't stand mint packaging. Must've been a bad childhood experience I've repressed.

Tonight I'm going cardbending at TRU. Just G.I. Joe and Transformers though. Not a lot of Star Wars stuph that hasn't already been broken in.

Excellent work!  Mister PL must be a card angel.  

[Snively Bandar]

This is pretty much all I see around my area as well.  Obviously the figure's aren't fitting into the cases properly, and are just getting forced/smashed in their by Hasbro.  I'm not sure I've seen any figures in the past couple months without pretty significant bubble damage.  Really sucks for the carded collectors.

[Jagdohh_Fett]

Yeah, it does suck to be a carded collector in this instance.  

I recently found some new figures (hadn't seen many in months) but they all had bubbles that looked like someone took a bat to em. I don't understand how the shipping could suck this bad on so many.

I really hope this problem clears up soon because this is still like being in the drought by not finding new things you want (like a decent package for a figure).

[MetalJedi]

Hasbro is trying to tell the carded collectors something  

[Thomas Grey]

I'm not sure if this is nation wide, but I would say that 80% of the new figures that are starting to show up here in Colorado have cards that look like the box they were in was run over! I thought that maybe there was an epidemic of strapped for cash collectors that didn't want to leave anything good for the next guy. So they were mauling each card in frustration and in contempt of the guy who did show up with money to burn. This theory came to a halt as more and more showed up in just retched condition. I kid you not when I say they are bad! I have yet to run into newly pegged figures that are all pristine and perfect. I have had to settle for the most part on figures with bent corners, creases and bubble dents. No MOMC here! I have heard from another staff member that he is receiving less than satisfactory card conditions from websites that promise mint carded figures.

What is the deal?!! Is it just me? Or is this an epidemic that is concerning others as well? It's getting ridiculous and I'm about to start interrogating retail toy stockers about their treatment of boxes that say Hasbro Star Wars on them!

Tell me things will get better and there is hope!

[SiteC]

I think the only reason I have found the 2003 figures I did was because ALL were in horrible packages.  Either crushed, smashed, or dented bubbles, bent cards, bubbles peeling from cards, etc.

There are no MOMC Figures from the vader/Luke wave IMHO.  I've seen it put out 4 times at my walmart and each time, every figure had damaged packaging...

[JediMAC]

Thomas, we've had several threads, and numerous posts about this issue in the last month or two, so it's definitely not isolated to your area!  Check the "Drop Kick Joe" thread for a lot more responses on the matter...

Since the release of the Aayla/Barriss/Lama Su wave about 5 months ago on up through the new Saga carded waves recently hitting stores, I would say that about 85% of the figures that I've seen were not MOMC or even anywhere close to it, with most of the damage happening to the bubbles, and not the cards themselves oddly enough.  This is a packaging problem with Hasbro (one that dustrho recently discussed with Andy from Hasbro at the WW Chicago show and wrote about in his exclusive Q & A here last week).  These figures are coming straight out of perfect cases at the stores (I've seen it many times, as have others), with completely smashed up bubbles, so obviously something needs to be changed in regards to Hasbro's packaging methods.  It's not something the stores, or even the customers are doing for the most part.  This is Hasbro's screw up.

Definitely a frustrating issue for the MOMC collectors for sure!  I am constantly trying to upgrade some of my poorer condition cards, and through several months of looking, and numerous new figure sightings (and help with a nice Ephant Mon from David  ), I'm pretty much in good shape now, and happy with my figure's conditions...

So good luck MOMC'ers!  Keep hunting, and I'm sure eventually you'll find some decent stuff!  

[Jedirhino]

The same thing is recurring my area as well...frustrating to those who collect mint carded figures who don't open them...but okay to people who open them...I asked at my Walmart if they could discount the smashed ones and they said no because it cut into their profit, oh, well, worth a shot...I bought the figures anyway because I open all of them...more fun that way!!!