That actually don't look too bad.
On the subject of parts storage, no real pic as it doesn't add much but if you plug the silver double-gun into Kakuryu's back barrels down, then plug the head/chestplate thing into THAT, it gives good storage for both, the two hands can hold the rifle and axe without looking totally encumbered now, AND it helps it sit on the Triceratops I gave it more stably.
Thanks HasbroPulse. You managed to get one more in before the years end.
I really appreciate this increasing trend from Hasbro -- while sure, it smacks faintly of "let's save a bit on producing stuff for the line", this practice of more frequent package refreshes has been helpful.
Sometimes it's odd choices like Earthrise Arcee, but sometimes it's stuff that makes more sense like tailenders from Siege being slotted into early Earthrise (and more in-demand stuff like Earthrise Op showing up in Kingdom). And now there's a whole bunch of former exclusives, some that were particularly infuriatingly poorly-distributed like Galaxy Shuttle here. They pad out the line AND people get another shot at these. It's win win.
Here's hoping it also lets more people get things like Selects Hound, which they might redo in another deco anyway.
Sometimes it's odd choices like Earthrise Arcee, but sometimes it's stuff that makes more sense like tailenders from Siege being slotted into early Earthrise (and more in-demand stuff like Earthrise Op showing up in Kingdom). And now there's a whole bunch of former exclusives, some that were particularly infuriatingly poorly-distributed like Galaxy Shuttle here. They pad out the line AND people get another shot at these. It's win win.
Here's hoping it also lets more people get things like Selects Hound, which they might redo in another deco anyway.
I've mentioned before, but I fully expect a Toy Deco Hound to get released at some point. Hasbro can't resist doing Toy Decos.
There's gonna be some late AotP wave they just have to fill out product for and they'll toss it in that.
That'll be great for the four people who manage to find that wave.
Nah I’m sure the very scrupulous and honorable merchants on eBay are sure to benefit as well.
Not as if Hasbro doesn't have all this up for preorder months in advance.
Age of the Primes started preorders several weeks ago, with product not expected until between March and May. Star Optimus Prime's release date has varied from August to November, depending on source.
Distribution has been crap for years. My local area regularly skips waves, and doesn't carry many price points. Legacy Evolution wave 3 seemed to completely skip mass retail.
I have NO more sympathy for those that roll the dice on finding stuff at retail. Hasbro is doing a solid job in getting stuff to online venues, if somebody skips ordering to roll that dice? That's on them.
Distribution in canada, especially quebec has always sucked: that's basically why I switched to sourcing online. Sure, it's a rare and wonderful treat when I find something in the store: but if I want collect, I use amazon.
Honestly, while you're not really wrong, this kind of statement really pisses me off, for lack of a better phrase. I work at a brick and mortar retail establishment (auto parts, not toys sadly); I shop brick and mortar to support people like me, who are just trying to make a living and support themselves and/or their families. Distribution may be screwed, but the solution isn't "just shop online".
And, truthfully, while I do put in preorders at Pulse and BBTS for Selects and "must haves" (which are getting fewer and fewer all the time), I can count on one hand the number of waves that either me or my wife have never seen in any stores (including those "must haves").
It's not that I don't understand the frustration behind the statement as a collector, just that shopping at retail is not something that I believe should be dismissed so callously.
I still buy what I can at brick and mortar. Be it places like Target and Walmart, or hobby/comic book stores. ofc sometimes I get stuff online. Sometimes I have to, but I always try to get what I can in the wild.
If nothing else hitting up a few big box stores is a good way to kill an afternoon when nothing else is happening.
If nothing else hitting up a few big box stores is a good way to kill an afternoon when nothing else is happening.
we absolutely should not be trying to further encourage the death of brick and mortar retail, even (unfortunately) giant companies like walmart and target, in favor of online shopping
There was a time I could pick up any Transformer in my collection and remember exactly what store I got it from and what else I did during that shopping trip.
It doesn't feel the same when the answer is just "eBay."
It doesn't feel the same when the answer is just "eBay."
And that's just it; everyone's situation is different. Maybe online is the only option for some, and if so, I don't blame anyone for using it. But I feel like, as a general rule, it should be one option to complement brick and mortar, not a replacement.
More options are always better and I really don’t want brick and mortar shopping to be phased out for a variety of reasons.
I'd prefer to shop at my local stores... if it were an acceptable option. I'd like to support my local stores, and I much prefer to actually see what I'm buying so I can ensure I get a good copy. I absolutely hate it when I receive a figure I've been looking forward to, and then discover it has something like botched face paint.
Sadly, I started transitioning to online ordering back during T30. It was just getting too difficult to track down all the figures I wanted, and I got sick of having to resort to eBay for the ones I couldn't find. I'm pretty sure I had switched to fully-online shopping by the time Covid hit. I've been working from home virtually full-time since then, so I don't make it out to stores often and have a much smaller pool of stores I can reach without going out of my way. So at this point, I can't see going back to in-store shopping, for much of anything outside food, really. It's just not worth it.
Sadly, I started transitioning to online ordering back during T30. It was just getting too difficult to track down all the figures I wanted, and I got sick of having to resort to eBay for the ones I couldn't find. I'm pretty sure I had switched to fully-online shopping by the time Covid hit. I've been working from home virtually full-time since then, so I don't make it out to stores often and have a much smaller pool of stores I can reach without going out of my way. So at this point, I can't see going back to in-store shopping, for much of anything outside food, really. It's just not worth it.
Yeah, there's still room for the traditional approach and the online approach. If only because for some contexts the former is the only really feasible option. Not even getting into the emotional side of things where it's satisfying to go out and see something you want in person -- for some situations, it's not as simple or easy or foolproof as it is for others. And definitely there's an economic component to it as well; brick-and-mortar retail brand presence is still a factor in brand longevity even now, and of course supporting non-superchain stores that also carry these is preferable (and those won't always have an online component). I've seen a few specialty stores fold (probably for the best locally given how competitive and costly those get to run), and more than a few LCSs that could have been aided by better support.
Of course I don't think Steevy was particularly unsympathetic to those concerns. I do know some people even locally who've clung to in-store purchases purely out of some romanticized notion of The Hunt, and then try to preach that to others. But then this is the sort of person whose whole personality is a fandom purity test, and I have no sympathy for them in general.
Still, these are better as options rather than vying to be the one correct or even best way to do things.
I'm similar to Exatron in this; even before Covid complicated things I was already tapping out of hunting for stuff in physical stores... And now that prices are stupid and transportation is more annoying than ever, I'm definitely happier not going back to that. I begrudgingly leave the house for work, I gladly leave the house to visit family and friends, and I purposively leave the house for groceries and such. But I'm too old to put up with traffic and people and distance to MAYBE find something I'm looking for, and/or talk myself into getting something, anything, just as a consolation if I don't find it.
Like, sure, I can definitely relate to CoffeeHorse's statement above. It really isn't the same, and I've always loved having a story behind getting each of the things I get, rather than "this was the nth order from __".
But while I fondly remember tracking a particular toy down across three stores and triumphantly spotting it in the end, now the very thought of "going to three stores" has me sighing heavily and wondering exactly how much I want this damn thing. Which is probably better in the long run.
Of course I don't think Steevy was particularly unsympathetic to those concerns. I do know some people even locally who've clung to in-store purchases purely out of some romanticized notion of The Hunt, and then try to preach that to others. But then this is the sort of person whose whole personality is a fandom purity test, and I have no sympathy for them in general.
Still, these are better as options rather than vying to be the one correct or even best way to do things.
I'm similar to Exatron in this; even before Covid complicated things I was already tapping out of hunting for stuff in physical stores... And now that prices are stupid and transportation is more annoying than ever, I'm definitely happier not going back to that. I begrudgingly leave the house for work, I gladly leave the house to visit family and friends, and I purposively leave the house for groceries and such. But I'm too old to put up with traffic and people and distance to MAYBE find something I'm looking for, and/or talk myself into getting something, anything, just as a consolation if I don't find it.
Like, sure, I can definitely relate to CoffeeHorse's statement above. It really isn't the same, and I've always loved having a story behind getting each of the things I get, rather than "this was the nth order from __".
But while I fondly remember tracking a particular toy down across three stores and triumphantly spotting it in the end, now the very thought of "going to three stores" has me sighing heavily and wondering exactly how much I want this damn thing. Which is probably better in the long run.