1261 replies to this topic

[fkro6784]

i'm not being a dick, but why is it you think they would rerelease the line around november? i have seen/heard nothing anywhere that they'd even entertain that thought. just curious why you think they would rerelease the entire first few series later in the year.

I can't speak for James's info and where the November date would come from, but when I contacted JAKKS back in May they responded with this:

"Wave 1 has not been fully released yet, look for the rest of the line in stores by August!"

To me that made it sound like we'd still be seeing the already-released ones at some point (I sure hope so because I still need those S1 exclusives!).

[James]

Because the stores they say are going to get them like K-Mart and Target, haven't gotten them yet. Combined with the very limited distribution of what has been released. That's why earlier in the thread we were all discussing this being a limited test release.

It makes no sense from a business standpoint to create waves of figures, not distribute them, and then go on to the next wave of figures. That's investing money to make molds, and then not making money from it. Why would a company do that?

Fall leading up to the Holidays is the biggest toy time so I imagine they're planning to redistribute the figures in some form or another then. That's probably when they'll start showing up in Target and K-Mart. And if they don't redistribute these waves of figures, then the line will probably be cancelled because it will just be a big money sink that doesn't make sense to the company.

[PlasticSoul]

Because the stores they say are going to get them like K-Mart and Target, haven't gotten them yet. Combined with the very limited distribution of what has been released. That's why earlier in the thread we were all discussing this being a limited test release.

It makes no sense from a business standpoint to create waves of figures, not distribute them, and then go on to the next wave of figures. That's investing money to make molds, and then not making money from it. Why would a company do that?

Fall leading up to the Holidays is the biggest toy time so I imagine they're planning to redistribute the figures in some form or another then. That's probably when they'll start showing up in Target and K-Mart. And if they don't redistribute these waves of figures, then the line will probably be cancelled because it will just be a big money sink that doesn't make sense to the company.

A big money sink that doesn't make sense and gets cancelled...?

Are you just making this stuff up?

No one knows how much they have made or spent on anything. You don't have any idea how much it costs them to make figures or how much profit they make from them. This isn't some tiny company with all their eggs in one basket, it's jakks. They are huge. The jakks consumer rep told me a couple weeks ago that the line has been a great success so far and sells out quickly everywhere they are released. Did you ever stop to think maybe they aren't releasing them in massive quantities to SAVE money and test the viability in the market? It's pretty funny that you seem to think you know better then they do about how to release a toy line and how much it costs them and how much they make or lose off of it.

[jason76basin]

A big money sink that doesn't make sense and gets cancelled...?

Are you just making this stuff up?

No one knows how much they have made or spent on anything. You don't have any idea how much it costs them to make figures or how much profit they make from them. This isn't some tiny company with all their eggs in one basket, it's jakks. They are huge. The jakks consumer rep told me a couple weeks ago that the line has been a great success so far and sells out quickly everywhere they are released. Did you ever stop to think maybe they aren't releasing them in massive quantities to SAVE money and test the viability in the market? It's pretty funny that you seem to think you know better then they do about how to release a toy line and how much it costs them and how much they make or lose off of it.

i'm with plasticsoul on this

[James]

The jakks consumer rep told me a couple weeks ago that the line has been a great success so far and sells out quickly everywhere they are released. Did you ever stop to think maybe they aren't releasing them in massive quantities to SAVE money and test the viability in the market?

I don't know what you're trying to argue about here. I have said I think it's a limited test release to be redistributed later, we are in agreement.

The Jakks consumer rep will always tell you that Jakks products are doing well, that's what a consumer rep does. I'm glad though, they said the SLUG Zombies sold out quickly in all the 35 stores across the nation they were distributed to. As for the TRU near me that had them, the SLUG Zombies there pegwarmed hard for months and the only reason they're not still there is I eventually went and bought all of them for people on this forum.

SLUG Zombies is a cool idea. But I've been collecting toys for, oh, I'd say it's been about two decades now, and during that time I've seen a lot of cool ideas fail. I remember a few years ago Jakks had a line of collectible marbles called "Marbs" that I thought was pretty neat, unfortunately it ended up a spectacular failure and I think even now you can still find some pegwarming at TRU in the discount section.

When you come on to a forum like LRG or OctoberToys that is full of people who love minifigures, that can give you a false perception. Of course everyone in a minifigures forum loves the SLUG line and thinks $2 each is ok, but step out of this social bubble and look at the big picture. Ask yourself if moms are really going to be buying these for their kids all that much.

Edited by James, 22 June 2012 - 09:03 PM.

[jkaris]

When you come on to a forum like LRG or OctoberToys that is full of people who love minifigures, that can give you a false perception. Of course everyone in a minifigures forum loves the SLUG line and thinks $2 each is ok, but step out of this social bubble and look at the big picture. Ask yourself if moms are really going to be buying these for their kids all that much.

This is true.

In my own area, I have yet to see a pack on the shelf. My local TRU never got any. I had to pick them up on eBay. I am tempted to pick up wave 2 from E.E. but the cost on the 3 packs is way to much for me.

My main (only) gripe on this line is distribution. It reminds me of when the Ultimate Muscle figures hit the shelves. 1-4 were out in limited distribution. 5-8 came later and were even more scarce and 9-12? Forget it. I only got 9-12 at Big lots years later.

I know my son really liked his Zombie set, but I haven't seen him touch them since the day they came in, so I think that may be some indication of what kids think of the new line. Kewl but not kewl enough to take their attention away from other toys. Had we been in TRU and he had a choice between SLUG Zombies and a new GI Joe or Halo figure? No competition, he would have picked the Halo or Joe.

I am really hoping though that the big chains order a ton more and they sell well, so that this line doesn't become a niche and future waves get cancelled and stock sent to the dollar stores.

[James]

I hope so too, if only because I want to see what they'd so with the Aliens and Monsters series. The Zombie series is easy, because you can make a zombie parody out of anyone, but with aliens or monsters that would require more creativity.

The tiers of rarity, while I find that cool as a collector, is another reason moms aren't going to buy it. I know lines like MIMP had a collectible angle too, but with SLUG Zombies they make it impossible to get a full wave without having 8 doubles, so it's extremely targeting collectors. I doubt parents are going to be like "let's spend $16 more dollars to get the 4 chase figures"

There's an ineffable quality that the old lines like MUSCLE and MIMP have, I guess you could call it innocence, or maybe originality, though I don't think that's the exact word I'm looking for either. What I mean is with those old lines they weren't trying to do anything but make toys. With modern lines like SLUG and OMFG, they're purposefully trying to give their products that vintage ambiance, but by the very act of trying to capture that ambiance, they lose it and instead they are left with a garish pretentiousness.

OMFG works because it recognizes it's a collector product and keeps it on a small scale. But SLUG is trying to court both the collector and the kid market, and that's a difficult thing to pull off. If they can do it they'll be a huge success though, so we'll see.

[iwao]

I know lines like MIMP had a collectible angle too, but with SLUG Zombies they make it impossible to get a full wave without having 8 doubles, so it's extremely targeting collectors.

One improvement on wave 2 is the 3 pack exclusives are in two of the four packs. Mr. Jangles and Blazin' Basel are in the same pack and Flesh-Eatin' Phil and Buck Wilde are in the same pack. The other two packs have figures that are all in the 12 pack. What that also means is whenever these hit stores, good luck finding the two packs that have two exclusives each. I know I would buy extras of them if I ever saw them.

My minor gripe on wave 2 is that Flesh-Eatin' Phil is a 3 pack exclusive and is the one in that pack that they chose to stamp with the black numbering. On wave 1, you could have a set of 16 with only Decayin' Dom with the black numbers, and that was hidden on the bottom of the toxic waste barrel.

[bigburty]

My minor gripe on wave 2 is that Flesh-Eatin' Phil is a 3 pack exclusive and is the one in that pack that they chose to stamp with the black numbering. On wave 1, you could have a set of 16 with only Decayin' Dom with the black numbers, and that was hidden on the bottom of the toxic waste barrel.

I was wondering why some of the figures I received the other day from series 1 had numbers on the back. What exactly is this all about then?

[ironmask]

They were institutionalized.

[jason76basin]

can we maybe have the people that have the wave 1 figures chime in to the ones that you can have them with AND without the numbers. so far in mine, i have discovered these to be found with AND without numbers......
GRAVE LINCOLN
CORRODING KID
BRAIN EATIN BRANDON

also does everybody's decayin dom have #'s on the bottom of the barrell? just tryin to make myself good notes.

[ironmask]

All of the wave one figures I have came from single packs, and they all have the numbers.

[iwao]

can we maybe have the people that have the wave 1 figures chime in to the ones that you can have them with AND without the numbers. so far in mine, i have discovered these to be found with AND without numbers......
GRAVE LINCOLN
CORRODING KID
BRAIN EATIN BRANDON

also does everybody's decayin dom have #'s on the bottom of the barrell? just tryin to make myself good notes.

Wave 1
Mystery Blind Packs - All 8 figures have numbers, and the numbers are larger than if you get that same figure numbered in a 3 pack or 12 pack.

3 packs - Brain Eatin' Brandon, Grave Lincoln, Decayin' Dom, and Corroding Kid are the numbered ones.

12 pack - Only Decayin' Dom is numbered.

Wave 2
3 packs - Stu B You, Flesh Eatin' Phil, Grim Trekker, and Cleopatra Commin' Atcha are numbered.

I don't have a 12 pack yet, so I don't know which one is numbered.

Edited by iwao, 23 June 2012 - 03:55 PM.

[jason76basin]

interesting. i don't suppose you have one of each of the same figure with the 2 diff types of sized numbering do you? since i found the 3packs and 12packs at my toys r us i didn't bother with the blind pack figures so i didn't know their numbering was a different size

[iwao]

I checked again and it's Corroding Kid, not Jon B Gone with numbers from a 3 pack.

I have Brain Eatin' Brandon and Corroding Kid with big numbers, smaller numbers, and no numbers. Trust me, it isn't interesting enough to see a pic of it. The font on the blind pack figures is about double the size of the 3 packs, and the numbers are also different.

I can't remember what monsterforge said he used to remove the numbers. I haven't tried it, but I'm sure it's easy to do.

[jason76basin]

lol i wouldn't want to remove the numbers. i like some with and some without just to have. i'm a nut like that

[fkro6784]

I don't have a 12 pack yet, so I don't know which one is numbered.

In my wave 2 twelve pack, the one numbered is Grim Trekker.

[jason76basin]

i guess it's a silly question, but has anybody seen/heard about kmart/target having these anywhere yet? this line is really starting to lose it's luster with me

[iwao]

Entertainment Earth SLUGs with a June delivery date have been pushed to July.

[jason76basin]

nice spotting that. at least i have hope for wave 2 still yet.

[PlasticSoul]

What sucks is the fact these come out so randomly we can't get ANY trading going at all. I've given up on getting a full set and decided to go after my personal favorites.

[jason76basin]

yeah and god forbid some idiot try to complete 3 full sets

[seekingxar]

Seems to me that no major retail outlet feels these will sell. I think they have a valid point with the price point being rather high for a specific consumer target. I know you can't compare Lego minifigs but those have a wide consumer target and very similar price. When you look at the 2 lines, why would Target or Walmart risk these taking up space and not selling. I think at best we will see these at Big Lots/99 Cent Store if there is any stock that Jakks has holding back, which I really doubt they do. I doubt we will ever see much of the future series, but that's just me. When these first came out I had hope but not anymore. The fact that TRU haven't even sold any of the 3 packs online is a very bad sign.

[jason76basin]

beats me, the entire line is killing me. its the only new toy i'm interested in, and i can't even buy the damn things lol

[grimmhurst]

I have the 12 pack and have had it for a while, but I have been looking hard for the 3 packs of wave 1 for the exclusive figures and can't get my hands on them. Anyone know where I can get them? Or if anyone is willing to sell the 4 exclusives let me know!