Frank's Blog

Today, as well as yesterday, I picked up the Holographic Emperor Toys R Us exclusive star wars figure. There are two ways to get this limited edition figure, of which the first is to spend $30 at TRU and then it is given to you as a promotional product, and the second way is to order it from the Amazon/TRU site for $9.99. I was a bit sneaky and got mine the third way. Since all of my Star Wars toys are unopened, and I still have the receipts, I took a few items back and used the refund money to buy them again at another Toys R Us to get the figure free of charge.
http://www.frankgemignani.com/images/TRUholoemp.jpg

Since I didn't work until 3pm, I did a little run to see if I could find some doubles of the last wave of figures. The local Target had the wave before the last wave, which wasn't too exciting. However I did find Count Dooku's lightsaber at a Toys R Us. This lightsaber is the unique one with a gun shaped handle. I bought 3 of the sabers in the event some friends were interested. And if not, I would simply return them. I had never seen this particular lightsaber until today. Apparently with the holiday shopping season upon us, and the release of the Episode III DVD, Hasbro seems to be making a little push to get as much merchandise out as they can. This means that some items that had previously been difficult to find should start to make an appearance again.

http://www.frankgemignani.com/images/dookusaber.jpg

Earlier today I took the advice of a friend and went to two different Target stores in the Gilroy / Morgan Hill area. Upon reaching the MH Target, they had yet to put figures out. The sales lady told me in 15 minutes, 10:30am, they would restock the toys. Stupid me, I went to the store's Customer Service and asked them about a couple exclusive figures that they didn't have in the store. The nice lady checked the store stock in her computer, called other stores to confirm if they had te exclusvie figures and by the time she was done it was 10:40am. I'm not kidding when I say that I missed the last figures while I was at the Customer Service desk, because when I walked back to the toys I noticed a few new figures that were not there when I first arrived. These figures that I realized that they had just put out I later realized that are packaged in the same box that the new figures come in. How do I know this?

I quickly drove to the Gilroy Target and waited for them to put out their new stock of toys, and shortly after 11am a sales guy opened two boxes of new figures for me! I noted that some of the figures that appeared at the MH Target when I lost track of time by talking at Customer Service were in these boxes. This confirmed then that during the time I was at Customer Service, the employees at the MH Target restocked and guests quickly bought the new toys! Just water under the bridge, I quickly bought a complete set for a Santa Cruz collecter friend, Less, and was lucky to get doubles of the newer figures that another collector couple (Kris/Jose) had wanted, thus taking care of my friends needs.

http://www.frankgemignani.com/images/last5figures.jpg

What I haven't mentioned is that a collector local to the area had found an extra set of the last 5 figures and e-mailed me to see if I needed them. Later that evening I met my collector friend, Mike, at the Gilroy Wal-Mart and purchased the set from him! Now I have the last figures for my collection! Now all I need to do is fill in the holes, as I passed on apx. 10 common figures over the last 3-4 months of collecting. Should be no problem getting these figures - right?

Last night I found the last figure scheduled to be released in the line of Star Wars action figures. Though I couldn't locate the 4 that preceeded it. Still, I'm getting closer to finishing my collection! Only 4 more figures left! Well actually, since I began collecting only my favorites, and what a list of favorites it was, I need another 10 common figures to officially complete the entire figure collection, not including exclusives or variants that have yet to be released.

Today I was able to once again use the DPCI# trick, and when I was greeted by the Target employee with a "Hello, can I help you find something", it was all good. I provided her with the product no. for Plo Koon's Target Exclusive starfighter and after some time hunting in 3 backrooms she returned with a case of them!

Plo Koon's starfigher assembled by Frank!
http://www.frankgemignani.com/images/pkstarfighter.jpg

Most people will probably give you one of two answers when they answer your question, "What do you collect?" The first answer is usually, "I only collect what I want...what I like." The second answer is typically, "I'm want each, the whole assortment, collection, every figure in the line, etc..." I agree with the many who believe that there is no right or wrong way to collect, but if you look at this from a value standpoint the collector who wants one of everything is going to come out ahead. LMX... The collector, which only buys their favorites, may miss out on exclusive limited edition pieces as well as variants.

Exclusives are pieces which are usually made in a limited number from the rest of the pieces in a line. Often these are available at a single retailer, and for a limited time. Limited = greater potenial value. One such peice was the Target Exclusive Lava Reflection Darth Vader. Only 50,000 were made, and each store only received a few dozen, of which sold quickly. Having missed this early season release, when it retailed for $12.99 at the time, I wound up purchasing mine from an on-line auction for $40.00. Upon selling out at Target after the initial release, this particular figure sold for well over $100 in on-line aucitons.

Variants are generally one of two things. A (1)planned repaint or reworking of a piece, or a (2)mistake made in the piece, occuring in production. An example of the first is figure no.34, the clone pilot. Refered to as a common "peg warmer" by collectors, store employees and scalpers. Stores often had dozens of this figure, as shoppers just didn't seem too interested in it. So what does Hasbo do? They issue a repaint of this figure that is almost entirely black. It looks good, people buy it, and then they go back and buy the original painting of the figure to have it along with the repaint/variant.

Informed of these "rule of buying" by other collectors, I have attained the following Exclusives and Variants thus far:

Exclusives

• Target Exclusive Lava Reflection Darth Vader
• Target Exclusive Clone Trooper
• Target Exclusive Lava Reflection Anakin
• Target Exclusive Lava Reflection Obi-Wan Kenobi
• Target Exclusive Plo Koon Starfighter
• Toys R Us Exclusive Holographic Yoda
• Exclusive multi-figure Battlepacks for TRU, Target and K-Mart
  

Variants

• Clone Trooper no.6 (have both white and reissue variant/red stipes)
• Royal Guard no.23 (have both blue and red)
• Clone Commander no.33 (have both red and green repaint)
• Clone Pilot figure no.34 (have black repaint)
• Palpatine figure no.35 (have blue lightsaber 'wrong color')
• Wookie Heavy Gunner figure no.68 (side of package displays no.64)
• Clone Trooper Evolution Pack (Mispelling of Republic as "Rebublic")
  

Here is a picture of the Palpatine figure with the wrong, blue lightsaber.
http://www.frankgemignani.com/images/palpatin35.jpg

My skills have improved, but I am not a Jedi yet!

My collecting skills have made me almost a Collector. Using the wisdom from my own lessons left throughout the Blog entries, I collected DPCI product numbers for different items and made a few phone calls to Target stores. Specifically I was looking for any of their exclusive items that are due out this month, possibly slated for the 15th or 16th. Oh, btw, I began doing this after reading multiple posts on-line this morning from east coast collectors stating that they used the DPCI#'s to look up items in Target stores and then had the staff sell the merchandise before its possible release date.

Upon calling this one Target the Operator gave me a listing of Targets that were local to me that had the Obi-Wan and Darth Vader (Anikin) Lava Reflection figures, and the Clone Attack Battle Pack. Surprised I was to learn that the Target down the street was listed as having bushells of them in stock. Not so surprised was I when I went in and they told me it must be a computer error. Slightly frustrated I returned home and called the Target just down the coast. Slightly excited I was when I spoke to the area leader for the Toy section who told me that he physically checked and had them in stock. I drove down the coast and purchased enough of the Lava Reflection figures for me and my friends who were also looking. The area leader at the Target couldn't find the Clone Attack Battle Pack, so I drove to another Target and asked the Employees if they could help me find the item. After giving them the DPCI# an Employee returned with 3 for me :-) Now I get to make this nice journal entry for you!
http://www.frankgemignani.com/images/targetanakinlava.jpg
http://www.frankgemignani.com/images/targetobiwanlava.jpg
http://www.frankgemignani.com/images/cloneattackcoruscantpk.jpg