Collectable Minifigures (Sold Out?)

[Handar]

Attention all Canadians! This is not a drill! The Collectable Minifigures are now avaliable at your local Wal-Mart!

It's true! I found 5 cases of them in one of my two Walmarts, and I happen to know two other people in the nation who found them in their marts. It would be safe to assume that they are in most, at least the ones with the have decent Lego stock. Check them out! Price was 2.86 Canadian.

Robin Hood,

Thanks very much for the heads up! Because of your post, I took a trip to my local (Canadian) Wal-mart today, and sure enough there were boxes of minifigures left out. I'd say there were a good dozen boxes, all opened and stacked one on top of each other.

I was able to identify the robot by feel (as others have said, it has a giant head), and thanks to a list of printed out bar codes I was able to find three cavemen and three forestmen for myself relatively quickly, leaving ten of the dozen boxes untouched.

[Blueandwhite]

Well, I finally managed to score some of these figs. I've completed the original set of 16 along with a few extras. Six cheerleaders, eight forestmen, four nurses, and four cavemen have rounded out my series one purchase. I might pick up a few more cheerleaders and forestmen, but right now I'm good.

Interestingly enough, the figs in Canadian Walmarts seem to be left completely unsupervised. In one of the Walmarts I visited the figures were thrown around with about a dozen or more bags ripped open and left empty. It seems that some folks have taken it upon themselves to simply open the bag and see what's inside. After doing so I suppose they've decided to just take what they want instead of making an actual purchase. This sort of thing really bothers me. There were several figures simply dumped out of their bags and left in the box (including the nurse) which irritated me greatly. These figs will ultimately either be stolen or left on the shelf. I sort of wondered how fast the vultures would start at these things. Apparently, Canadian Walmarts are far too trusting.

[pijani]

Apparently, Canadian Walmarts are far too trusting.

...I wonder if that is a good or a bad thing...

[KarenJ]

I'm sure this has been already posted in this thread, but I couldn't find it. Here is a link to the US barcode decoder.
http://www.1000steine.com/brickset/misc ... s1-usa.jpg

I love being surprised, but I'm going to cheat on two because I really want a cheerleader and a clown.

(By the way, props to the awesome Lego Store Workers. I forgot to use my V.I.P. card when buying the minifigs so I went back to see if I could get my 16 points, and he gave me 25! I was able to redeem $5 later that day so that was very nice. Thanks!)

Yes they are really nice people there. In November, the cashier forgot to put my free PAB box in the bag, when I got home and realized it, called them up, and the cashier gave me two PAB boxes for my troubles. Nice people.

[pijani]

I know this is not some important news, but: I've got my hands on 3 bags (cheerleader, robot and wrestler) in Serbia!!!
jeeeeeeeeej!

[Robin Hood]

Interestingly enough, the figs in Canadian Walmarts seem to be left completely unsupervised. In one of the Walmarts I visited the figures were thrown around with about a dozen or more bags ripped open and left empty. It seems that some folks have taken it upon themselves to simply open the bag and see what's inside. After doing so I suppose they've decided to just take what they want instead of making an actual purchase. This sort of thing really bothers me. There were several figures simply dumped out of their bags and left in the box (including the nurse) which irritated me greatly. These figs will ultimately either be stolen or left on the shelf. I sort of wondered how fast the vultures would start at these things. Apparently, Canadian Walmarts are far too trusting.

I saw one opened one at my Walmart. It's not really surprising when you think on it, both that they are opened, and that they are unsupervised.

People will be (insert naughty word).

I would assume that Walmart being Walmart, there is generally a certain lack of professional knowledge on Lego and it's products. More than likely the people who ordered it, the people who stocked the shelves with it, and the people who wander around the isles doing "stuff" didn't actually have any real clue what it was, or the probable response to it. Considering that Canadian Walmarts didn't even stock Lego for a year or two there, they probably aren't too up-to-date on Lego, much less aware of the volitile reactions to the minifigs.

I guess Canadian Walmarts aren't so much too trusting, as unaware that they are selling gold off the shelf.

Dan

[wobnam]

Well, they can't stand watch, can they?

I see opened boxes all the time, both lego and other toys. I can understand if a young kid does something like that, but sometimes it's clearly done by an adult.

It's probably more likely to happen to a product like this, simply because you can't tell what's inside the bag and some people just don't care what they have to do to get what they want.

[Forestboy]

Just to let everyone know, Brickset came out with the ultimate barcode reader.

~FB~

[albero78]

Hi all,
I've bought seven bags and, thanks to the barcode list and just my eyes (no barcode reader) I managed to buy 7 different minifigs. I haven't found yet the clown and the forestman: too bad.
I must say, in any case, that there definetely is a quality issue concerning this figs: the printing on the figs is really ok but the quality of the plastic and also the way in which the legs and the arms move show that the quality of this figs is not the usual one.
Something that has been noticed by Eurobricks member concerning the new Kingdoms battle packs.

What do you think?

[Bluesecrets]

Hi all,
I've bought seven bags and, thanks to the barcode list and just my eyes (no barcode reader) I managed to buy 7 different minifigs. I haven't found yet the clown and the forestman: too bad.
I must say, in any case, that there definetely is a quality issue concerning this figs: the printing on the figs is really ok but the quality of the plastic and also the way in which the legs and the arms move show that the quality of this figs is not the usual one.
Something that has been noticed by Eurobricks member concerning the new Kingdoms battle packs.

What do you think?

This is being discussed not only in this thread already but the thread about the new kingdom sets already too. But congrats on your figs.

[Ye Olde Republic]

My second case went like so:
For those of you who are keeping track, my full case had these quantities in it:
Indian x3
Cheerleader x3
Caveman x4
Clown x3
Zombie x3
Skater x3
Robot x4
Crash test dummy x5
Magician x4
Luchador x3
Nurse x3
Ninja x5
Spaceman x4
Forestman x4
Diver x5
Cowboy x4

This one was identical to the first case I bought so I'm starting to sense a trend. I'll have a better read when I tear into case #3. But it does seem like some of the figs have been produced in higher numbers than others. There isn't any 'short packing' going on because the trend is that there are three full sets plus a few extras.

[Count Blacktron]

Interesting, that is exactly the distribution I got from a full, sealed case. Sadly, while 5 divers may be a great assortment of accessories, I'd have rather had 5 zombies.

[Lord Insanity]

Looks like U.S. S@H is sold out of Series One. I haven't seen any in any store I have visited including the local Lego store. The Lego Company pathetically under estimated the demand for these. Unless retail chains are slowly distributing a lot more of these then we have been led to believe (which I doubt), I fully expect the more popular figs to rival the price of Chrome C-3PO in the aftermarket real quick. I hate collectibles. I really hope they make some of these figs (with different colors/prints so the "collectors" are happy ) in much larger numbers. Seriously I would want 6 cheerleaders just to go with my soccer stadium. What is the point of only one of a figure like that? Apparently these figs should have been produced in at least 100 times the numbers they actually were. The market is clearly there. I really hope Lego is adjusting the numbers for subsequent series accordingly.

[Forestboy]

Looks like U.S. S@H is sold out of Series One. I haven't seen any in any store I have visited including the local Lego store. The Lego Company pathetically under estimated the demand for these. Unless retail chains are slowly distributing a lot more of these then we have been led to believe (which I doubt), I fully expect the more popular figs to rival the price of Chrome C-3PO in the aftermarket real quick.

Now I wouldn't say that the collectible minifigs would go as far as $100 or even $120 per fig. If they were priced at $120, the person you'd buy it from would make 6000% more on them than the original price ($2 USD).

At the most, I'd say they'd be $10 at the most when series 1 is discontinued. Disappointing to hear they're going so quickly, but somewhere on FBTB, they said series 2 would be available in larger quantities than series 1, so that's nice.

~FB~

[Lord Insanity]

At the most, I'd say they'd be $10 at the most when series 1 is discontinued.

If there are not large quantities of these still coming down the retail distribution chain (like Wal-Mart and Target in the U.S. might actually get several boxes per store), you can bet $10 will be how much the diver goes for. Seriously if the stock of these is already basically gone from retail some figs will break $100 per fig easily. At this point I hope I will actually see these in a store near me, but I am not counting on it. I think you are being quite optimistic if you think the prices on something that at this point appears to have been severely limited quantities will not skyrocket to ridiculous levels.

After not finding these I took a chance and ordered a box from Entertainment Earth. They have subsequently changed the status of the item to "Pre-Sold Out". At this point it seems my only chance of getting these is hoping I got my order in before the cut off of how ever many they are getting. I am a builder, I want these for MOCs. I will not pay secondary market prices for a "collectable" ever.