I Found 2 Retro Action Figures in TJ Maxx

[drogge]

Batman

I went to TJ Maxx and picked up a Batman for my grandson. In seconds he had the sticker pulled off, the cowl removed, and used the boots as finger puppets. I glued the sticker back on and got him dressed again. It was great - memories. I made a deal with him, if he takes better care of Bats, I will buy him another figure for Batman to fight. We will see... One a side note I could not believe Bats was only 10 dollars. The TRU right next door is selling Lex and Sinestro at 19.99 and thier shipment of Wave 2 has sold out - how strange?

[sauce]

My TJM's stock every morning and 3 out of 4 had Retro Figures. I'll have to add a few Marshall's into the mix and maybe I'll have a whole mess of 'em to offer here. It's a fun hunt and thrill!

[cricketts99]

Have Sinestro or Lex been found at TJ Maxx?

[jacoblb]

Have Sinestro or Lex been found at TJ Maxx?

I don't think anyone has stated they've seen wave 1 figures at discount outlets like TJ Maxx, Marshalls, etc., except Superman thus far. Superman ought to be the exception however as he's been intentionally bundled in cases of Wave 2.

Several others including myself are under the impression that Mattel routed these figures to discount houses due how the bodies were assembled. I suspect Mattel has resolved and settled the matter of improper body stringing (and whatever else) and I doubt we'll see future retro-action waves in stores likes this. But that's strictly my assumption.

[HarlockFan]

I don't think they are going to cancel the line either. Besides a few peg warmers the line is selling fairly well in Atlanta. I haven't been able to find a Two Face and Black Manta for my collection. Heck it took me a while to find a Superman without a crack "S". So far I am enjoying what this line has to offer and look forward to the future.

[geoffdude]

I doubt they were sent there because of the body problems.

Mattel would have needed to use the newer bodies on Wave 2 figures for that "assumption" to make any practical sense. And, some of Wave 2 was delivered to TRU already.

*I'm not aware that Mattel updated any Wave 2 figures with the new body type.. maybe they did.

More than likely though, TRU and Diamond cut their order numbers back a LOT, due to many Wave 1 figs still being available.

Regards,

Geoff

I don't think anyone has stated they've seen wave 1 figures at discount outlets like TJ Maxx, Marshalls, etc., except Superman thus far. Superman ought to be the exception however as he's been intentionally bundled in cases of Wave 2.

Several others including myself are under the impression that Mattel routed these figures to discount houses due how the bodies were assembled. I suspect Mattel has resolved and settled the matter of improper body stringing (and whatever else) and I doubt we'll see future retro-action waves in stores likes this. But that's strictly my assumption.

[toyman]

I think just the opposite of the above statement,Doc said that they were going to have all waves on the shelf together at the stores at some point.I think the figures at TJ MAXX and other stores like them are the ones that the body fix was too late to correct.I think there will be more wave 1 and 2 made with the fix to go along with wave 3 and future waves.

[Astronut]

Doc said that they were going to have all waves on the shelf together at the stores at some point.

Hmm, I remember reading that, yes... How long ago did he say that, and does that statement still hold true I wonder? Does anyone know?

If they really all end up on pegs — multiple assortments at a time... and (hopefully) at a price point of $15 or less — it will truly, TRULY be a dream come true for me.

[geoffdude]

People are going to tar and feather me on this belief too.. but I don't think you'll see that anytime soon, if ever. Not so long as these are assortment based cases.

Regards,

Geoff

I think just the opposite of the above statement,Doc said that they were going to have all waves on the shelf together at the stores at some point.I think the figures at TJ MAXX and other stores like them are the ones that the body fix was too late to correct.I think there will be more wave 1 and 2 made with the fix to go along with wave 3 and future waves.

[Astronut]

Tar and feather. lol !!

1) Well, I don't know what the standard is these days for toy assortments and plan-o-grams etc at big retail chains but I can only hope it's like back in the day... when Mego and other companies kept "adding in" new assortments alongside the previous ones.

2) Bottom line is, are they selling? Why aren't we seeing Waves 1 & 2 alongside each other? It's the biggest toy buying season of the year — and they have a very shaky presence at TRU... You have to wonder what is up. Seriously.

3) I'd love to see the production and sell-through numbers for these. Then we could better gauge what the future holds.

[MIB41]

I understand where your coming from geoffdude, but I don't agree. Wave 2 was being manufactured when Wave 1 was hitting shelves. It didn't take long for the company to get feedback on the body problems. Combine that with direct feedback from Paul and EMCE and it was pretty clear the company had a major defect that would imperil their product line. In a scenario like this a recall would not be prudent since safety was not the issue. Halting production was a likely alternative. Two additional reasons would appear probable as to why reissuing Wave 2 would not make practical sense: 1) They had a manufacturing schedule to keep pace with in order to start the next line. 2) falling behind schedule to create fixes in an existing line already perceived to be flawed would do little to spur sales since no one would know which figure had the fixes and which one did not. The nest was already fowled. Why go back to it? The best solution would be to get healthy word of mouth with the next line. And that's exactly what happened. Positive word of mouth is now circulating and people can start buying again with confidence. Moving Wave 2 out of the way was the best thing they could have done. In retrospect, it was actually a very smart move.

The other idea that because TJ Maxx and Marshalls has this line means the death knell is a misconception. TJ Maxx and Marshalls buy directly from over 10,000 vendors in 60 countries. 95% of their inventory is brand new items like you would buy in any store. They can sell for less because they do not advertise brand names. Only 5% of their inventory is irregular or flawed in production. And while they will carry overstock or closeout items, they also could have been on the receiving end of a very good deal to move this product directly for Mattel, so this defect would no longer be in TRU stores or their affiliates who sale the line exclusively. So there's lots of solid reasons to see why this is the likely scenario and why Wave 3 is just the start of better things to come.

[geoffdude]

I hear you, it's an interesting theory.. but with Mattel's history of lackluster response to anything, I still tend to subscribe to the too much stock and canceled/reduced orders scenario.

Both of our assertions are just speculation though, and Mattel will probably never let it be known what happened (why).. and who could blame them, as it makes perfect business sense not to.

* I'm interested in seeing what happens with Wave 3.. beyond e-tailers already getting them. (As I do want a set.)

Regards,

Geoff

I understand where your coming from geoffdude, but I don't agree. Wave 2 was being manufactured when Wave 1 was hitting shelves. It didn't take long for the company to get feedback on the body problems. Combine that with direct feedback from Paul and EMCE and it was pretty clear the company had a major defect that would imperil their product line. In a scenario like this a recall would not be prudent since safety was not the issue. Halting production was a likely alternative. Two additional reasons would appear probable as to why reissuing Wave 2 would not make practical sense: 1) They had a manufacturing schedule to keep pace with in order to start the next line. 2) falling behind schedule to create fixes in an existing line already perceived to be flawed would do little to spur sales since no one would know which figure had the fixes and which one did not. The nest was already fowled. Why go back to it? The best solution would be to get healthy word of mouth with the next line. And that's exactly what happened. Positive word of mouth is now circulating and people can start buying again with confidence. Moving Wave 2 out of the way was the best thing they could have done. In retrospect, it was actually a very smart move.

The other idea that because TJ Maxx and Marshalls has this line means the death knell is a misconception. TJ Maxx and Marshalls buy directly from over 10,000 vendors in 60 countries. 95% of their inventory is brand new items like you would buy in any store. They can sell for less because they do not advertise brand names. Only 5% of their inventory is irregular or flawed in production. And while they will carry overstock or closeout items, they also could have been on the receiving end of a very good deal to move this product directly for Mattel, so this defect would no longer be in TRU stores or their affiliates who sale the line exclusively. So there's lots of solid reasons to see why this is the likely scenario and why Wave 3 is just the start of better things to come.

[The Bat]

Well, seeing is believing. I just saw Superman, Batman, & Twoface at TJ Maxx(but of course not the only one I was looking for...Aquaman wasn't there).
They were $9.99, and from the condition of them I can kinda see why. Superman's Emblem was peeling off in big chunks,and looked awful. Batman's Emblem was also cracked. Twoface looked fine.

The thing I still can't understand is why WAVE 2 never showed up at my local Toys R' Us...but ends up at TJ Maxx for half price.

[sauce]

It's been fun to see cashiers react to seeing the figures at TJM and Marshall's. They are consistently surprised that something so cool is on their shelves and most suggested that these things must be collectible.

[argent007]

SAILDOG - Thanks for starting this thread! You did a good turn for everyone on the board.

And LOU - No question, I would have gone home with the whole case! But, then I would get home and wondered why I bought three of Batman.

Everybody else, here my update (again, thanks SAILDOG):

After I first saw this thread I stopped at the TJ Maxx in Madison, Wisconsin. No luck but I only tried once there so far. ("Never the same place twice" so I'll keep checking when I'm in the neighborhood...)

I was traveling for work today. I stopped at the TJ Maxx in Oshkosh and got lucky! They had two Aquaman figures. I picked them both up. (Stopped at another TJ Maxx in Fond du Lac and didn't see any there though.) It was great picking them up at $10 each!

I have two Green Arrows that I got from mattycollector the morning they were offered. Getting them in the mail was a real treat. And I grabbed one of each of the Wave 1 figures from TRU. I bought Two-Face at TRU as well, and I couldn't resist opening it up. I hadn't bought any of the other Wave 2 figures until today.

Most of my Megos are boxed up right now. But, I had a few out on a shelf and Two-Face looks great next to Kid Flash, Supergirl and Mr. Fantastic.

I'll keep hitting TJ Maxx for doubles of Wave 1 and for Black Manta and another Two-Face. I was on the fence about Batman and Aquaman because I have the orginals and think they look better than the Retro figures. But, if I find Batman (or another Supes) for $10, I'll definitely add them to the collection too. I'll grab Manta at some point at TRU if I don't see it at TJ Maxx too.

And Flash and Captain Cold when be in my greedy hands as soon as I see them!

Trying to track these down at TJ Maxx makes for some fun collecting. Happy hunting everyone!