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Post by DoctorKent on Apr 19, 2004 9:59:10 GMT -5
Entertainment Earth has updated info!!!!!!!
May 04 - Cyro Katana VS Preda Crawler (guess that answers that) (2 pack asst). Heavy packed 3 to one Hemo Golblin/Moon Stalker packs.
May 04 - Asst 3 Quick Slinger Neo Sapien, Shield Breaker Neo Sapien, Storm Wing Meta Beast, Tomb Wraith Unnatural. Shock Berzerker and Dune Stinger continue on.
May 04 - CRYPT CURSE Unnatural (12.99). Sky Grinder continues.
July 04 - Xevoz Transporter with IRON SPECTRE Unnatural ($35.00)
So now we know! EE sometimes has the wrong dates, or we could be in for a GI JOE type situation where two waves come out almost on top of each other.
DoctorKent
EXXCITEMENT!!!!!
Sorry, wanted to update - there are no pics as yet, but we know what most of this stuff looks like.
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Post by ShaneReinecke on Apr 19, 2004 10:44:36 GMT -5
Thanks for the update there Doc, been keepin' my eyes on EE as usual, but hadn't been there yet this week. Wow, as much as part of me is excited to see the new stuff showing up so quickly, the other part is starting to re-think this whole 2 of each figure thing (I guess that the dates may be off like you said), but if they are going to keep pushing new product out at this pace, this line could get out of hand quite quickly (both size wise and cost wise). It makes me a bit nervous to see how fast they are planning to push out literally everything that they showed off at Toyfair before we are even half way through the year. I just would hate to see them deluge the market with too much new product all at once, and burn out the line (by burning out the parents and collectors) before it really even gets started, maybe that's just my pocketbook talking though  . I also have to say that I am thoroughly disappointed (although I knew that this was the case, no pun intended), to see the Iron Spectre packaged with that stupid travel case/playing board. It is an excellent looking figure, but at that price buying one Iron Spectre is going to be a pain, and two will be rather cost prohibitive. It would be really nice to see them release this figure as a basic booster in addition to the pack-in (although I don't see that happening as it would kill the sales on the case, IMHO). Anyway, thanks again for the heads up.... -Shane P.S. Oh, and I've already updated my Xevoz collectors excel spreadsheet (very detailed), so if anyone wants a copy or has a place to post it publicly, I'll be happy to share it with ya'. |
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Post by DoctorKent on Apr 19, 2004 12:11:31 GMT -5
Most times, Toy Fair is only to show stuff coming out before Christmas, but these assortments should be available for at least three months. It shouldn't be as much of a rush to get them all as it is with heavy collector based lines like Star Wars. Save your money now, people! The waves, they are a-comin'! DoctorKent It makes me a bit nervous to see how fast they are planning to push out literally everything that they showed off at Toyfair before we are even half way through the year. I just would hate to see them deluge the market with too much new product all at once, and burn out the line (by burning out the parents and collectors) before it really even gets started, maybe that's just my pocketbook talking though . |
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Post by Boglin on Apr 19, 2004 12:24:54 GMT -5
Entertainment Earth has updated info!!!!!!! Awesome!  I got your Instant Message when I woke up Doc, & came straight here, thanks for the update Doc.  Okay, now let's see what we got here... May 04 - Cyro Katana VS Preda Crawler (guess that answers that) (2 pack asst). Heavy packed 3 to one Hemo Golblin/Moon Stalker packs. It has a name now? Awesome! That's alot better then the "quadra legged robot" description I'd been using in the save files for it... May 04 - Asst 3 Quick Slinger Neo Sapien, Shield Breaker Neo Sapien, Storm Wing Meta Beast, Tomb Wraith Unnatural. Shock Berzerker and Dune Stinger continue on. Awesome!  Actually, you know what guys? This Wave 3 listing prooves to me that the Tomb Wraith is most likely this Xevoz we were shown at Toy Fair: 69.93.35.18/photo/1/showphoto.php?photo=11644&password=&sort=1&cat=1173&page=2I mean, they had the Storm Wing, Quick Slinger & Shield Breaker all lined up together w/ an un-named Grim Skull look-alike that has poseable translucent orange/red bone wings & new accessories & now we hear that 3 of those are due out in May along with this "Tomb Wraith"? It has to be that figure, if not, then cool we get another brand-new Xevoz! May 04 - CRYPT CURSE Unnatural (12.99). Sky Grinder continues. "Crypt Curse"? Hmmm...wonder when we'll see pictures of this new Xevoz? If it's due out next month sometime, then they're bound to reveal it before then. Maybe in the next issue of ToyFare?  July 04 - Xevoz Transporter with IRON SPECTRE Unnatural ($35.00) $35 bucks! Well...there goes having multiples of this guy...  I mean, even if I wanted to drop like 70 bucks for 2 of them, what would I do with the 2nd case? If it's an actual Xevoz carrying case, then I just might need 2 of them. I'll have to see what my budget allows for, but I hope that this particular Unnatural is very rare & powerful in their world so not seeing more then 1 at a time isn't an uncommon thing. So now we know! EE sometimes has the wrong dates, or we could be in for a GI JOE type situation where two waves come out almost on top of each other. DoctorKent EXXCITEMENT!!!!! Okay, so is it "May 2004" or "May 4th"? Either or makes sense as it's still in the month of May, so we'd be seeing them sooner or later. Sorry, wanted to update - there are no pics as yet, but we know what most of this stuff looks like. Yeah, with the Exceptions of this deluxe "Crypt Curse" figure. No clue what it could be, hopefully something cool, but with Xevoz that is often the case anyways. ;D Thanks for the update there Doc, been keepin' my eyes on EE as usual, but hadn't been there yet this week. Wow, as much as part of me is excited to see the new stuff showing up so quickly, the other part is starting to re-think this whole 2 of each figure thing (I guess that the dates may be off like you said), but if they are going to keep pushing new product out at this pace, this line could get out of hand quite quickly (both size wise and cost wise). True, true, but how often does new product arrive at local stores at precisely the same date they said it would be released? The Doc had once mentioned in our conversations (at least I'm pretty sure it was him...), that if action figure release dates were more like DVD release dates, then things would be alot different. Movies have street dates, dates that they are supposed to be sold on, action figures have no such restrictions & come out whenever. At BlockBuster video, where I used to work, they'd get movies that were due out the next week, the previous week so they could have time to prepare them. Toylines don't do this, & I've very rarely walked into a store & saw toys on the shelf when they were due there. Take my TRU for example. They got Xevoz instock for the first time sometime around the 20th of December. They didn't get the Shadow Blade vs. Bone Cutter 2-pack until sometime in..::thinks::...hmm...Late Feb, Early March maybe? My point being this: if new figures are "scheduled" to be out in May of 04', then when you actually walk into your local store & see them, might not be until early June. Every store is very different & erratic with their shipments, even the TRU employees don't know what they get on their trucks half the time & they work there! It makes me a bit nervous to see how fast they are planning to push out literally everything that they showed off at Toyfair before we are even half way through the year. I just would hate to see them deluge the market with too much new product all at once, and burn out the line (by burning out the parents and collectors) before it really even gets started, maybe that's just my pocketbook talking though . True, true, but I guess we might have seen this coming anyways? I mean, the things shown at Toy Fair looked pretty near the final production stage. Plus, Xevoz are unique in that they don't use alot of paint for them- every part that is differently colored is most often cast in a completely different color of plastic. Take the Alpha Ranger as an example. His body & 2 of his heads are cast in dark blue plastic, while the rest is in dark green with some painted silver. The figures shown at Toy Fair could have been 1 step ready to rock & roll. I know Xevoz is something unique, so maybe that extends to prototype construction-finale product time? I also have to say that I am thoroughly disappointed (although I knew that this was the case, no pun intended), to see the Iron Spectre packaged with that stupid travel case/playing board. It is an excellent looking figure, but at that price buying one Iron Spectre is going to be a pain, and two will be rather cost prohibitive. It would be really nice to see them release this figure as a basic booster in addition to the pack-in (although I don't see that happening as it would kill the sales on the case, IMHO). Anyway, thanks again for the heads up.... -Shane I agree with you 100% here Shane. Actually, if they make a Deluxe sized version & just re-color it or do something to make it not identical to the case version (so not as to risk looseing case sales), that might work. Like maybe another TRU Value Zone exclusive? P.S. Oh, and I've already updated my Xevoz collectors excel spreadsheet (very detailed), so if anyone wants a copy or has a place to post it publicly, I'll be happy to share it with ya'. Oooo..that might be useful, a good checklist always helps out. I'd be glad to have a copy of it. -Boglin |
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Post by ShaneReinecke on Apr 19, 2004 14:18:39 GMT -5
I'm well aware of the average release to retail downtime, I've been playing this game for many years now, more than I'd like to admit at times , but even if we're talking an actual June shelf time (please keep in mind that I never said that it would be in stores at that exact release date **see below**, sorry pet peeve of mine, I don't like it when anyone puts words in my mouth), that's still only half way through the '04 year. In theory that could mean twice as much product as we've been privy to through the toyfair pics. It could also mean that things will just slow down a bit regarding new releases for the remainder of '04, but I highly doubt that, with Hasbro at the wheel. I'd have to imagine that we would see at least one or two more waves before the end of 04' at this rate. That's where my concern comes in, I mean yeah people are eating this stuff up (and why wouldn't they it is poised to be "the greatest toy line ever"), but it just seems like they are really preparing to push a ton of product out the door in no time flat (are parents and collectors interests and incomes going to be able to keep up? Only time will tell.) Also, keep in mind that the Xevoz distro. has been exceptional to say the least. Most items seem to be making it from overseas to store shelves across the continental U.S. in approximately a months time (give or take a couple of weeks). Based on past experiences, EE usually uses the date that new product will be available for order from their site (as estimated based on the info provided by the manufacturer), and (barring any unusual circumstances) Hasbro is usually about as accurate as it gets in predicting their release dates. Last but not least (on this subject at least), the Wave 1 basics were slated to be available at the beginning of December, and the Shadow Blade/Bonecutter 2 pack was not slated to be released until approx the middle of February. As a side note: I was actually the first person to post on-line (at RTM, the Asylum, and the Xevoz Yahoo BBS, before this place opened) about the 2 pack when it first came out, and I live in South Central Michigan (we're not often at the top of the distro list around here). So, in my book that means that everything has been relatively "on time" or "ahead of schedule" the whole way. Heck, I picked up a couple of the new Hemo-goblin/Moonstalker 2 packs just yesterday, and that thing isn't even available through EE yet. (This could get long winded, so if anyone isn't in the mood, consider yourself forewarned, but I'll try to keep it focused and as brief as possible) Now, as far as production goes, Xevoz (like Stikfas) has some corners that they can cut to get from Concept through Design/testing and finally to Manufacturing. For starters, most toy prototypes (once they are past the conceptualization and initial design phase) first need to be sculpted, then need to have their articulation designed, then need to be painted, then they go back through a process of reverse engineering and testing to see how feasible the final product is to pull off from a production standpoint. Xevoz, due to their unique nature, don't need to go through a seperate articulation phase as it is automatically built in while the parts are being designed (if it's like Stikfas it's all done as solid CG 3d models right from square one). Also as you stated the paint apps are relatively minimal, and/or very simplistic, so that phase of design is more minimal than normal. However, there are some pieces with quite a bit of paint applied, like the Moonstalkers cape is actually molded in black (same sprue as the black chain and trap I would assume) and then coated in blue paint. For the sake of speeding this up (and the fact that this phase probably doesn't change much with regard to xevoz), we'll just skip over the whole product testing phase (this phase covers marketability, quality control, safety regulation, etc., etc.) and then there's packaging and literature design (this covers everything from the bubble that the pieces are held in to the package art and the stickers). Once a toy makes it through the design phase and subsequently goes through the whole testing and revising phase, and is finally seen and approved by all of the powers that be, final steel molds can be made and production can begin. Once in production, the basic Xevoz (Stikfas) design also saves on assembly time and costs (which can be staggering even using asian "sweatshop" wages), by not having any assembly costs at all, except for things like the launchers, which is why we see such a steep increase in costs (with so few additional pieces) on the "deluxe with launcher" sets. So, this pretty much summates the design phase of the average toy, again some things have been left out or dramatically simplified for the sake of this conversation. Also keep in mind that a number of these phases have some amount of overlap in order to keep developement times to a minimum. As a last note, I'm assuming that you're the same Boglin from the figures.com forums? If so, cool to see you make your way over here (been watching that looonnggg thread on F.com since it started). It looks as thought the core Xevomaniac community is forming (people finding their way here from every toy corner on the net) quite nicely now that GG has put this place up for us all to hang out at. |
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Post by Squishee Slinger on Apr 19, 2004 15:03:01 GMT -5
[glow=aqua,2,300]Man, looks like the Xevoz floodgates are about to be opened upon us. I can't wait and it looks like I made a good decision to hold off on some borderline toy purchases to say for these toys instead. I can't wait! I hope I get a series 2 fix this week!
~SS~[/glow]
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Post by the sliFt on Apr 19, 2004 15:19:40 GMT -5
i'm really hoping that wave 2 hits [my] TRU by this weekend. i'll probably be able to con my bro into driving me up there, so they better have some of them waiting for me ;D
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Post by ChrisL on Apr 19, 2004 15:55:03 GMT -5
Here are some things to consider...
1) While Hasbro is probably paying some type of royalties or license fees to the stikfas people, I think we can all agree it's nothing compared to what they are paying for Batman, GIJoe, Transforms, and Starwars. They jumped onto Stikfas at the ground floor and were probably very careful to get the deal they wanted...compared to the others they now have. So it's cheaper in that sense.
2) They are much cheaper to make then the other lines. Primarily in the paint apps department and the assembly departments. Again...for Hasbro, a cheaper line.
3) Hasbro didn't show a full year's stuff for any line this year. In the past they usually did...atleast up until the Christmas season, and last year, they held their own "toyfair" were they showed off all the different lines and their assortments for the year. This year they showed off very little for each line. Admittedly, I thought they gave Xevoz the green light for most of the year's stuff because they didn't have as much competition in this line (an excuse they used last year to not show at TF and then hold their own a month later), but after seeing EE list a few days ago and the May releases on pretty much everything, it looks like Xevoz was show off the same way as the rest of Hasbro's lines this year....just few a few months down the road.
4) As far as oversaturation...I really don't think this is the case. If you count the number of individual Star Wars, GI Joe, JLA, and Transformers that have been released in each line thus far, I thing Xevoz is right on course. And again, it's most likely Hasbro's cheapest line to produce.
What I think we're seeing, which is the nature of almost every industry now and the leaders leading them, is exceptional execution on Hasbro's part. From concept, to cost, to distribution. If EE dates are correct, Hasbro has really nailed this toyline. I like and collect other lines, but this one...so far...is really starting to be the best one I have ever collected.
5) $35 for the travel case huh? Well to start with EE is always high on their costs. I'd suspect this will be no more the $30 at major retail, and wouldn't be surprised to see this at TRU for $25...or atleast part of some gimic that will be $30 and a free xevoz figure. And if it's not, just hang in there...Hasbro will test this price point, and I think we'll all be able to pick this one up for under $20 in the end and never see that price point again. Of course this is assumming that the travel case is all that we've seen thus far...I get the feeling it has something more to it, atleast for $30.
Just some food for thought. Personally, I say bring on the May assortments...I can't wait!!
PS: I got Dune Stinger and Beserker today. Beserker is the tallest one to date. He's a good inch taller then the rest...most of them. I recommend waiting for TRU to pick up Dune Stinger. He's very bulky...pieces blocking other pieces range of motion, and out of the 4 I got, 2 of them seem to have loose ball joints. With the heavy torso, this often leads to problems. Overall, both are nice, but lack the fluid range of motion that I took for granted on most of the other ones.
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Post by Grayfox on Apr 19, 2004 20:36:16 GMT -5
I hope Crypt Curse is the egyptian guy! As for everything else, well it's pretty cool to have comfirmation on the names.
I'm not too happy about that travel case thing though. Sure I'll buy it to get the figure, but I certainely wouldn't buy that case by itself!
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Post by Boglin on Apr 19, 2004 22:00:18 GMT -5
I'm well aware of the average release to retail downtime, I've been playing this game for many years now, more than I'd like to admit at times , but even if we're talking an actual June shelf time (please keep in mind that I never said that it would be in stores at that exact release date **see below**, sorry pet peeve of mine, I don't like it when anyone puts words in my mouth), that's still only half way through the '04 year. In theory that could mean twice as much product as we've been privy to through the toyfair pics. It could also mean that things will just slow down a bit regarding new releases for the remainder of '04, but I highly doubt that, with Hasbro at the wheel. I'd have to imagine that we would see at least one or two more waves before the end of 04' at this rate. That's where my concern comes in, I mean yeah people are eating this stuff up (and why wouldn't they it is poised to be "the greatest toy line ever"), but it just seems like they are really preparing to push a ton of product out the door in no time flat (are parents and collectors interests and incomes going to be able to keep up? Only time will tell.) Also, keep in mind that the Xevoz distro. has been exceptional to say the least. Most items seem to be making it from overseas to store shelves across the continental U.S. in approximately a months time (give or take a couple of weeks). Based on past experiences, EE usually uses the date that new product will be available for order from their site (as estimated based on the info provided by the manufacturer), and (barring any unusual circumstances) Hasbro is usually about as accurate as it gets in predicting their release dates. Last but not least (on this subject at least), the Wave 1 basics were slated to be available at the beginning of December, and the Shadow Blade/Bonecutter 2 pack was not slated to be released until approx the middle of February. As a side note: I was actually the first person to post on-line (at RTM, the Asylum, and the Xevoz Yahoo BBS, before this place opened) about the 2 pack when it first came out, and I live in South Central Michigan (we're not often at the top of the distro list around here). So, in my book that means that everything has been relatively "on time" or "ahead of schedule" the whole way. Heck, I picked up a couple of the new Hemo-goblin/Moonstalker 2 packs just yesterday, and that thing isn't even available through EE yet. (This could get long winded, so if anyone isn't in the mood, consider yourself forewarned, but I'll try to keep it focused and as brief as possible) Now, as far as production goes, Xevoz (like Stikfas) has some corners that they can cut to get from Concept through Design/testing and finally to Manufacturing. For starters, most toy prototypes (once they are past the conceptualization and initial design phase) first need to be sculpted, then need to have their articulation designed, then need to be painted, then they go back through a process of reverse engineering and testing to see how feasible the final product is to pull off from a production standpoint. Xevoz, due to their unique nature, don't need to go through a seperate articulation phase as it is automatically built in while the parts are being designed (if it's like Stikfas it's all done as solid CG 3d models right from square one). Also as you stated the paint apps are relatively minimal, and/or very simplistic, so that phase of design is more minimal than normal. However, there are some pieces with quite a bit of paint applied, like the Moonstalkers cape is actually molded in black (same sprue as the black chain and trap I would assume) and then coated in blue paint. For the sake of speeding this up (and the fact that this phase probably doesn't change much with regard to xevoz), we'll just skip over the whole product testing phase (this phase covers marketability, quality control, safety regulation, etc., etc.) and then there's packaging and literature design (this covers everything from the bubble that the pieces are held in to the package art and the stickers). Once a toy makes it through the design phase and subsequently goes through the whole testing and revising phase, and is finally seen and approved by all of the powers that be, final steel molds can be made and production can begin. Once in production, the basic Xevoz (Stikfas) design also saves on assembly time and costs (which can be staggering even using asian "sweatshop" wages), by not having any assembly costs at all, except for things like the launchers, which is why we see such a steep increase in costs (with so few additional pieces) on the "deluxe with launcher" sets. So, this pretty much summates the design phase of the average toy, again some things have been left out or dramatically simplified for the sake of this conversation. Also keep in mind that a number of these phases have some amount of overlap in order to keep developement times to a minimum. ::blinks eyes a few times:: That's a good point, and well made too. Forgive me for not replying to thee above in more detail, but 1) It's A LOT of text & 2) You sorta hit the nail on the head & thus I don't haven anything to dispute with you, heh. ;D It does make sense about the corner-cutting since Xevoz figures are un-assembled when you buy them & articulation joints are factored in during prototype construction. As a last note, I'm assuming that you're the same Boglin from the figures.com forums? Yep, the one & only. ;D If so, cool to see you make your way over here (been watching that looonnggg thread on F.com since it started). Thanks duder, I forget when I started it, I think after the Toy Fair & I saw all the new Xevoz & was like like " " for a good few days. I try my best to keep it going & alot of people seem to have gotten into Xevoz that were not interested before. It looks as thought the core Xevomaniac community is forming (people finding their way here from every toy corner on the net) quite nicely now that GG has put this place up for us all to hang out at. Yeah, very true it seems. You have the good Doctor Kent for getting me here, & he's done a bang-up job of getting people into Xevoz to these boards. ;D |
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Post by Boglin on Apr 19, 2004 22:18:30 GMT -5
i'm really hoping that wave 2 hits [my] TRU by this weekend. i'll probably be able to con my bro into driving me up there, so they better have some of them waiting for me ;D Yeah, same here, or at least tomarrow. Next time I go to TRU & they don't have the Wave 2 Xevoz figures I'll just hang onto my money & save it for when they are there to be bought. Here are some things to consider... 1) While Hasbro is probably paying some type of royalties or license fees to the stikfas people, I think we can all agree it's nothing compared to what they are paying for Batman, GIJoe, Transforms, and Starwars. They jumped onto Stikfas at the ground floor and were probably very careful to get the deal they wanted...compared to the others they now have. So it's cheaper in that sense. Well, technically they're only paying for Star Wars & possibly Stikfas, as they own the rights to G.I. Joe, Transformers (both properties were made in-house years ago) & they lost the rights to make BatMan figures to Mattel sometime last year. 2) They are much cheaper to make then the other lines. Primarily in the paint apps department and the assembly departments. Again...for Hasbro, a cheaper line. True, as Shane mentioned above, they don't have to really assemble anything as all the parts that are made are only one or so pieces, plus the lack of paint might keep the price down also. 3) Hasbro didn't show a full year's stuff for any line this year. In the past they usually did...atleast up until the Christmas season, and last year, they held their own "toyfair" were they showed off all the different lines and their assortments for the year. This year they showed off very little for each line. Admittedly, I thought they gave Xevoz the green light for most of the year's stuff because they didn't have as much competition in this line (an excuse they used last year to not show at TF and then hold their own a month later), but after seeing EE list a few days ago and the May releases on pretty much everything, it looks like Xevoz was show off the same way as the rest of Hasbro's lines this year....just few a few months down the road. Hmmm...maybe this year's Toy Fair was just showing the products coming out in the Spring & early Summer & not the Fall or Winter? 4) As far as oversaturation...I really don't think this is the case. If you count the number of individual Star Wars, GI Joe, JLA, and Transformers that have been released in each line thus far, I thing Xevoz is right on course. And again, it's most likely Hasbro's cheapest line to produce. True, & like G.I. Joe & Transformers, Xevoz was a property developed in-house, so they don't have to pay a 2nd party for the rights for the figures, which is good as it lets the people at Hasbro have more control over their own products. What I think we're seeing, which is the nature of almost every industry now and the leaders leading them, is exceptional execution on Hasbro's part. From concept, to cost, to distribution. If EE dates are correct, Hasbro has really nailed this toyline. I like and collect other lines, but this one...so far...is really starting to be the best one I have ever collected. It is a very good toyline in my opinion. I like the story, the toys, the sculpts, everything. It allows us to be a little more creative as we can customize most of the figures into what we like, plus every figure is a "generic" guy, so they are pretty much anti-scalper toys which is something I really like about it (take THAT scalpers! ). 5) $35 for the travel case huh? Well to start with EE is always high on their costs. I'd suspect this will be no more the $30 at major retail, and wouldn't be surprised to see this at TRU for $25...or atleast part of some gimic that will be $30 and a free xevoz figure. And if it's not, just hang in there...Hasbro will test this price point, and I think we'll all be able to pick this one up for under $20 in the end and never see that price point again. Of course this is assumming that the travel case is all that we've seen thus far...I get the feeling it has something more to it, atleast for $30. Well, Xevoz figures are pretty big, & if the case is designed to hold them while they're assembled, then it'll be a pretty big case. I'll most likely buy it for the figure & the case, but won't go for a 2nd one anytime soon. Just some food for thought. Personally, I say bring on the May assortments...I can't wait!! Me either, I'm very interested in all the figures making up Wave 3, expecially the Quick Slinger & Storm Wing. figures (the Cryo Katana & Preda Crawler 2-pack is also a big want for me). PS: I got Dune Stinger and Beserker today. Beserker is the tallest one to date. He's a good inch taller then the rest...most of them. I recommend waiting for TRU to pick up Dune Stinger. He's very bulky...pieces blocking other pieces range of motion, and out of the 4 I got, 2 of them seem to have loose ball joints. With the heavy torso, this often leads to problems. Overall, both are nice, but lack the fluid range of motion that I took for granted on most of the other ones. Coolness, thanks for the short review ofthe figures. I've found that by taking a small square off of those "how to assemble the socket joints" black & white pieces of paper inclosed with the figure, & putting it in the socket improoves the joint a lot. I have a Sledge Trooper whose Power Booster arm piece is almost "floppy" at the elbow. I hope Crypt Curse is the egyptian guy! As for everything else, well it's pretty cool to have comfirmation on the names. Me too, and it seems totally plausable too, as we've seen the Egyptian head on xevoz.com. I'm not too happy about that travel case thing though. Sure I'll buy it to get the figure, but I certainely wouldn't buy that case by itself! Anyone know exactly how this big honkin' case actually works? I remember seeing something to put Battle Helix's in to make it spin or something? -Boglin |
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Post by ChrisL on Apr 20, 2004 8:56:24 GMT -5
I had assumed there were some money angles involved for G I Joe and Transformers. For Transformers, I thought Takara was the original produces and they had to pay in some sense for that reason, and then secondly, you constantly hear about not being able to use this name or that name in both lines because the characters and names were developed by someone else who was battling Hasbro for the copyright. I assumed it was a toybiz/marvel relationship with these lines, and somewhere on paper, someone was getting paid for these by Hasbro to use names and likenesses. I'm not trying to argue the point here, just explain why I thought Hasbro was paying extra on these lines. |
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Post by Boglin on Apr 20, 2004 10:42:11 GMT -5
I had assumed there were some money angles involved for G I Joe and Transformers. For Transformers, I thought Takara was the original produces and they had to pay in some sense for that reason, and then secondly, you constantly hear about not being able to use this name or that name in both lines because the characters and names were developed by someone else who was battling Hasbro for the copyright. I assumed it was a toybiz/marvel relationship with these lines, and somewhere on paper, someone was getting paid for these by Hasbro to use names and likenesses. I'm not trying to argue the point here, just explain why I thought Hasbro was paying extra on these lines. Well, the original Transformers toyline is made up of a few different toylines made by Takara in Japan during the 70's & early 80's if I'm not mistaken. Takara made a toyline in the late 70's early 80's called "Micro Change" that had small people come to earth with robots that were designed to turn into small objects. Toys like SoundWave, Blaster, the mini-cassette tapes, Perceptor, BumbleBee & most of the other small transformers in the same scale as BumbleBee, Reflector (the camera) & even Megatron. In the Micro-Change toyline, there were several transforming guns, including one that turned from a magnum into a robot! There was also a pair of binoculars that transformed into a robot I think. Takara had another toyline called "Diaclone" which features vehicles & things that transformed into robots with xockpits for small drivers. This is why if you ever look at the Original Optimus Prime's trailer it has little tiny seats all over it- there used to be small figures who would sit in there. The original Dinobots also had these seats built into them, as did the original 3 Insecticons & most of the other early Transformers toys. Shockwave (the transforming purple laser pistol) was I think a toy robot designed by Radio Shack that Hasbro bought the mold from or something- not 100% sure what the story with him is. Okay, getting back...TF names: Hasbro has to Trade Mark (™) their toy's names for use in the toylines, but they trade mark only lasts so many years until it expires & they have to renew it or something. This is why you sometimes see TF's called "Autobot So-and-So" instead of just "So-and-So". Say I make a toyline & get the trademark for the name "Blaster", if Hasbro had plans on re-making the original Blaster from the 80's, they'd have to either ask me permission to use the name (I think..) or make the toy with a different name all together. Those are the same reasons why for the new Masters of the Universe toyline the Rattlor figure is called "the General" & the Fisto figure is called "Battle-Fist". Mattle didn't get to ™ the names before someone else did. Has this helped any? -Boglin |
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Post by CJK Toy Bay on Apr 20, 2004 11:21:49 GMT -5
I don't know if my head will explode from the EE update or from the info in this thread  I'm not trying to take anything away from the convo but I'm just going to bounce back to the flooding the market with new Xevoz idea. I updated all of the case assortments on my site here: Case AssortmentsIf you look at the way things are being released it seems that they're doing a partial case assortment change, quickly followed by getting the rest of the old figs in the assortment replaced with new figs. So then I was trying to figure out how assortments could play out for the rest of the year. This is what I came up with based on EE release dates and a lot of speculation December- BB Wave 1 January- MM Wave 1 February- 2P Wave 1 March April- BB Wave 2, MM Wave 2, 2P Wave 2 May- BB Wave 3 June- 2P Wave 3 July- MM Wave 3 August- Transporter, 2P Wave 4 September- BB Wave 4 October- BB Wave 5, MM Wave 4, 2P Wave 5 November December It seems like that would make sense because all of the new stuff would be hitting stores right around the same time that everyone starts there Xmas shopping. My guess is that 15 to 20 more figs that we know nothing about will be on the shelves by the end of the year. ;D
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Post by ChrisL on Apr 20, 2004 12:51:44 GMT -5
I'd say thats a good guess...given the large amount of reuse alot of these parts can have and the repaints we have already seen.
I hadn't really given the "case infiltration" technique Hasbro appears to be using alot of thought until you mentioned it. It sounds like a very well thought out idea. The idea is good, and I really like it, but what I don't like...which is minor, is the fact that we don't have a clear cut wave number to assign to these. But that's really minor, just keep em coming!!
I'll tell you what I'd LOVE to see before the end of the year...a huge tub of loose parts for $20. I just saw this a week or two ago in the TRU weekend sales ad for Bionicle. It was just a large assortment of loose parts in a plastic container for $20. And that brings up another question, does another know if Bionicle parts work well with Xevoz?
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I got your Instant Message when I woke up Doc, & came straight here, thanks for the update Doc. 
Actually, you know what guys? This Wave 3 listing prooves to me that the Tomb Wraith is most likely this Xevoz we were shown at Toy Fair:
I mean, even if I wanted to drop like 70 bucks for 2 of them, what would I do with the 2nd case? If it's an actual Xevoz carrying case, then I just might need 2 of them. I'll have to see what my budget allows for, but I hope that this particular Unnatural is very rare & powerful in their world so not seeing more then 1 at a time isn't an uncommon thing.
