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Post by Squishee Slinger on Apr 21, 2004 1:30:24 GMT -5
[glow=aqua,2,300]I'm sure they won't sell through them by Thursday if they send the same amounts they did in the first wave. It's taken quite a while for our town to whittle the stock down to 7 on the shelves. I know I'll probably drop in to my TRU again tomorrow just because I'm to excited about the prospect of getting new toys to wait.
~SS~[/glow]
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Post by DVD on Apr 21, 2004 8:02:12 GMT -5
I'm guessing that since no one has mentioned it, the new figures come with the same catalog as the Wave 1 figures? It'd be nice if they had the new figures in there(and some Wave 3 stuff).
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Rukifellth
Quick Slinger
FRANKEN'PUNKER IS GOD
Posts: 189
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Post by Rukifellth on Apr 21, 2004 10:31:31 GMT -5
I'm guessing that since no one has mentioned it, the new figures come with the same catalog as the Wave 1 figures? It'd be nice if they had the new figures in there(and some Wave 3 stuff). [glow=black,2,300]Actually, both Dune Stinger's and Shock Berserker's catalogs include bios for the Wave 2 sets, as well as a new custom figure on the cover. (Not sure if Moon Stalker-Hemo Goblin has any different info.) Nothing for Wave 3, though.
-R-[/glow]
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Post by DoctorKent on Apr 21, 2004 11:58:53 GMT -5
The Moon Stalker Catalog is the same as the one from Bone Cutter pack.
DoctorKent
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Post by Squishee Slinger on Apr 21, 2004 14:49:47 GMT -5
[glow=aqua,2,300]I find that somewhat dissappointing. I remember the good old days of Kenner Star Wars waves had new upcoming product cardbacks, special incentive offers, and the boxed toys had new product catalogs of existing and upcoming items. Geeze, I miss those days of my youth.
~SS~[/glow]
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Post by DoctorKent on Apr 21, 2004 14:52:05 GMT -5
We're getting catalogs, at least. With the 2 packs being released so close together, I can see why they wouldn't print a whole new one for just one two pack. DoctorKent [glow=aqua,2,300] I find that somewhat dissappointing. I remember the good old days of Kenner Star Wars waves had new upcoming product cardbacks, special incentive offers, and the boxed toys had new product catalogs of existing and upcoming items. Geeze, I miss those days of my youth.
~SS~[/glow]
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Post by Squishee Slinger on Apr 21, 2004 15:07:18 GMT -5
[glow=aqua,2,300]I can't. I think most toy companies are just to lazy and wrapped up in their internal workings to market their stuff as effectively as they have in the past. Heck, most don't even bother to update their websites for product until it's already been released.
One two pack has been out for several months. With all the new stuff that is debuting in the next couple of months why not take a grand leap in promoting them with a nice but short insert in this one. Most kid or parental toy buyers probably don't spend time looking online at action figure sites to keep updated on new product so it would be well worth their time to show the upcoming stuff in the latest release. I think it's a wasted opportunity to showcase some really cool stuff to the kids who buy this line over the next few months.
~SS~[/glow]
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Post by CJK Toy Bay on Apr 21, 2004 15:44:48 GMT -5
You both have very valid points...from a time stand point I think we didn't get a new catalog because Hasbro was more concerned about getting the 2-pack out on the shelves. It was however a missed opportunity as far as advertising goes. Seeing pics of figures that are "Coming soon" definetly builds some anticipation and excitement. Perfect example actually is all of us going crazy over the Toy Fair pics when they hit
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Post by DoctorKent on Apr 22, 2004 9:02:31 GMT -5
That would all really depend on when these figures are actually from. This is something that has been debated in some of the Gi Joe forums I've been a part of. The toy package should be date stamped somewhere, right? So we know when these were made, if we can figure out the codes. If the actual production of Wave 2 stuff was at some time in the past, but only showing up now, then they might not need a new catalog if so spread apart. Also, Coming Soon is okay, as long as it is identified as such. How many parents/kids have you seen in toy aisles, looking in vain for a figure that was from three waves ago, or not yet even released? But most companies seem to have gotten away from this...they know that any one that deeply into it will be checking the net anyway. DoctorKent [glow=aqua,2,300] I can't. I think most toy companies are just to lazy and wrapped up in their internal workings to market their stuff as effectively as they have in the past. Heck, most don't even bother to update their websites for product until it's already been released.
[/glow]
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Post by Squishee Slinger on Apr 22, 2004 10:36:52 GMT -5
[glow=aqua,2,300]They should handle it just like the old classic Kenner Star Wars catalogs I referenced. Major toy makers know what they are going to produce in most cases a year in advance. So just put their prototype picture or even computer generated mock ups (since many of these look just as good) in your catalog with upcoming product 6 months in advance in there. Have an overwrite that says Coming this Summer (or applicable quarter), refresh these inserts 2 to 3 times a year and voila. It's an easy fix. If Kenner can do it effectively 25 years ago it should be very easy to do today with the aid of computers, laser printers, and the like technology.
~SS~[/glow] [/glow]
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Post by DoctorKent on Apr 22, 2004 11:41:29 GMT -5
You said it yourself - 20 years ago, the toy companies were interested in an entire years catalog at once. Now we are in shipping waves, a trend instituted by Wal Mart, I think I read, which has changed the business into selling just waves at a time.
Personally, I prefer only a little information at a time. Coming from the Gi Joe and Transformers toylines, the actual purchase of a wave of figures is usually anticlimatic. We've been looking at pics of the figures for six months, known the names for nine months, known the overall theme for a year...it takes the speculative fun, as I've been seeing here, out of it.
DoctorKent
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Post by Squishee Slinger on Apr 22, 2004 11:55:21 GMT -5
[glow=aqua,2,300]Man, as someone who bought Star Wars figures since their debute in 1978 those toys have always come out in waves. Wal-Mart wasn't even a player in the toy market back then. I bought original Joes and Transformers too when they premiered through their deaths. All sold in waves. This is not some new concept Wal-Mart engineered.
The catalogs were never a full year in advance either. 4 to 6 months was more like it. although you may not like seeing product 2 to 6 months into the future most people do: both collectors and more importantly kids. I used to love getting those inserted catalogs out of the packages and dreaming about them way ahead of time in anticipation. It kept me as a kid dialed into the toylines and made me save my allowance to make sure I could grab a few of those toys when they debuted.
There's lots of fun speculation going on here on what we've seen. I don't think it's ruined any of that rather than enhanced it. No one I know of here has left these boards because it boring getting some insight to future waves. It's fueled lots of fun talk and discussion on many of these threads. What becomes annoying and boring to me is when some companies let you have no idea what's coming out at all. Then when you finally find out about them you are either dissappointed with their figure choices or it's harder than heck to track them down.
~SS~[/glow]
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Post by CJK Toy Bay on Apr 22, 2004 23:08:42 GMT -5
The toy package should be date stamped somewhere, right? So we know when these were made, if we can figure out the codes. If the actual production of Wave 2 stuff was at some time in the past, but only showing up now, then they might not need a new catalog if so spread apart. I don't know the meaning of the date stamps but I can tell you that the new 2-packs were made quite a while ago and have probably been sitting somewhere for a while. Reason being we know that they've changed the clear plastic insert to a solid color to make it show up better. The first wave of 2-packs had a white piece of paper behind the clear plastic. Then the package design was changed for the Vlaue Packs and the refresh of the master Modifiers came out with the new package designs. However the new 2-packs also have the paper behind the clear plastic. So unless this is the way they plan to continue making the 2-packs I'd have to say that they were made quite a while ago around the time of the Value Packs or maybe a bit later...
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Post by DVD on Apr 24, 2004 9:35:53 GMT -5
A couple posts up, someone mentioned that there was no "Coming Soon" stuff in the Wave 1 catalogs. This is true for most figures, but I scratched my head when I got the Grim Skull and Omega Guard packs. There, right in front of me, were 2 pages full of Coming Soon stuff. All of Wave 2 including the new custom combination of the Shock Berzerker and Hemo Goblin. Am I the only one that caught this? *edit* Man, I'm dumb. Forgot to post about what I came to post about. Anywho, Doctor Kent, what's the spear type thing that comes with the Moon Stalker? It looks almost like a type of Energy Crossbow to me.
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Post by Squishee Slinger on Apr 24, 2004 11:16:41 GMT -5
[glow=aqua,2,300]DVD - that's true but we were talking about how the new series two stuffs aren't showing any of the things coming out in May and June.
~SS~[/glow]
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