They're in stores, saw them at Walmart yesterday. And whether you count them or not, they are Classified figures and they do count towards the figures that have been revealed/released, so June was the last time anything was announced that wasn't an exclusive.
I think if anything big is coming up, we won’t see it until well into next year for the 40th anniversary of ARAH and with Warden just returning to the brand this year, we may not see what he had input on until next year. I’m not expecting a grand scale lineup, but at least something. At least with him onboard, Gijoe isn’t new to him as it was with the previous manager.
I don’t buy it. The fans that scream and yell and declare they are out aren’t generally rational, they are emotional, which means you can’t count on them to actually not buy the figures when they are available. The emotional compulsion to do so is too great because it’s the same emotional compulsion that drives their desire to lash out when they can’t find the toys. I’ve seen exactly what you have seen in the last few months — plenty of the Flint, Zartan, repaint and movie waves hitting Target, Walmart and Walgreens, and the only figures that haven’t sold through in that time are the repaints. Even the 6 Zartans I saw at Walgreens are now gone. there is no tangible backlash to the line causing figures to not sell. They are being stocked now because more inventory is making it to the floors, and that inventory is moving.
Yeah....thing is... Major Bludd was already in and out of Target stores by the time they revealed him officially for the most part. Barbeque and Breaker, again are exclusives...Target exclusives. Snake Eyes with Timber...still waiting on my pre-order from months ago so that seems to be a bit sporadic of a release. H.A. Roadblock...Amazon exclusive that sold out faster than light. Five figures from a movie that pretty much bombed and probably killed any chance of G.I.Joe being in theaters ever again since it was so far removed from G.I.Joe it might as well been a generic ninja movie. Re-releases of the previous Cobra Island...good for those that care, but a lot of people had already moved on. If they want to push G.I.Joe, they're gonna have to come out swinging now more than ever. They have to hint if they're waiting for the 40th Anniversary of ARAH next year, that there'll be some big things coming. Obviously, I don't expect any vehicles bigger than motorcycles outside of HasLab, but I could see maybe a Classified Serpentor with Air Chariot set...Snake Armor that allows you to put figures inside of like the vintage toy...Zartan's swamp skier. I want this line to succeed, but I'm not gonna at least question the longevity of the toyline.
You being dismissive of the announced figures doesn't mean they weren't announced. A lot of product was announced during the month of June, even if it's stuff you don't count or care about.
At this point, if they just release Covergirl, Shipwreck, General Hawk, Stalker, Spirit, Tomax, Xamot, and Cobra Storm Shadow I'll be happy. Though, I wouldn't mind it if they manage to squeeze out Tunnel Rat, Dusty, Torch, Buzzer, and Ripper, but the ones I listed above are the most important for me.
Despite the movie bombing, the figures don’t stay very long in stores. Since the discussion is about the toys, that’s the only thing that is relevant.
It’s not unrealistic to wonder if the line isn’t doing well. Legit every store around me has had the same figures shelfwarming for months now. Never a good sign for any toy line. By comparison. I’ve seen goo jitzu toys fly off the shelves constantly. That’s the sleeper hit toyline right now IMO and the one that will likely have the highest collectible value in 10-20 years.
I feel like I'm beating a dead horse at this point and that since it's been talked about in many threads on this site ad nauseam it should be common knowledge... but I'll throw this out there again... whatever a toyline is doing in your area doesn't pertain to what it's doing in other areas. Anecdotal evidence is just that. Especially since myself and others are seeing plenty of figures get stocked and then move within 24-48 hrs. But I have to remember that the fans on this site tend to go full-on Chicken Little sometimes.
That MOTU Origins 2 pack that absolutely broke the collective reasoning (if they ever had one) of the online MOTU vocal fandom when they weren’t able to find it on it’s very first ship to Target that now could be its very own toy section at Target — that is the definition of pegwarming. That is not what Classified is experiencing.
Welp. We had a good run, didn't we fellas? Hate to watch the IP come to an end but we all saw it coming.
But then what else do we really have? 10-k reports? Quarterly reports? Half the members here probably wouldn’t understand most of it. reps always speak sunshine and rainbows even when the ship is sinking, that’s their job. I’m not saying I believe it’s doing bad one way or the other. but if a product isn’t selling then it isn’t selling. I don’t live in the swamps or northern Alaska. Id say my area is a fairly typical litmus test of sales around the country. I said “it’s not unreasonable to wonder” that means exactly that. I can’t be more clear. We’ll have to wait and see. My guess is, this line is similar to motu origins right now, in that it’s selling very well online and barely selling in stores. Which is fine. It’s a new market for sales as brick and mortar eventually turns the corner towards a slow death.
Aaaand... you just gave another example of why anecdotal evidence is only anecdotal. I don't think I've seen too many restocks of that line that doesn't sell stupidly fast. Except for that exclusive Keldor/Cronis two-pack now that it's hit saturation. So, yeah, your litmus test isn't very good when others in heavy traffic areas are experiencing different things. There are also places experiencing the same thing as you. Here's the kicker: we will never know. Unless the line gets canceled or one of the guys with insider info can shed a light on it. But if you want to play "the sky is falling" go right ahead.
Both of them come in separately and have separate pegs from the regular Origins figures also. So it's not really a wonder that they tend to hang around, but it's probably the best answer right now for keeping those two "evergreen" for people coming into the line late.
I literally wrote “it’s not unreasonable to wonder” (second time I’ve reiterated this) and you think I’m saying the sky is falling?........ok dude Anyways. Yes, origins heman and skeletor are clogging, (clearly) and stores are not ordering more units because of this. None of that is new, just using it as an example. Some targets around me never ordered further waves (so they’ve said) because of this. Take that for what you will. Maybe they lied, maybe they don’t care, maybe my friend just made it up. I don’t know, don’t care really either, I just order online. so now we’ve argued in circles because I have an example about the sales of my local store. Got it.
You have an example about the sales of your local store that you are trying to present as factually representative of most stores, that's why they were arguing against your perspective.
