WAVE 3 & 4 in Philly? Don't hold your breath

[Foolkiller]

After going to the Franklin Mills TRU and looking for the Retro Action Superheroes nearly everyday for the past 2 months, I talked to the receiving manager who was very cooperative. He didn't know what the figures were so he took me into the stockroom office and searched on the computer, showed me all of what new product was coming in and Ghostbusters was the only thing listed for the next month.
He looked for RA, WGSH, DC Heroes, any combination of possible names for the line of these tough to find *******s and we got nowhere. SO, then he looked on the main TRU website and saw their offering of the Wave 2 full case and said, "$189. That's weird" and punched in the inventory code in his store computer and then said, "I've never seen this before, a non-existant category for ordering. Guess they don't wanna sell too many of these".
He then looked to see if there were any other non-category toys and the ONLY other in the whole boys section was a small plush Pokemon thing.
He said that it appears to him that aside from Mattell not pushing the product, he couldn't order them on his own even if he wanted to because the wave 3 and 4 are NON EXISTANT in the inventory system.
It's where Mattell decides they want to send them, as in it's a "regional product". He noted that the $189 price offering for the full case was interesting in that it showed up on a master list as being $189 PER ITEM, despite it being a FULL assortment, and he said that could be why the TRU regional distro HQ passed on them..
Alot of info, but alot of unanswered questions to boot, but somewhere someone messed up royally. Well, I've gotten sick of the damn scavenger hunt trying to find these figures, and probably shouldn't bother looking at any more Philly area TRU for 'em

[Chris]

Thx for investigating. I couldn't find them in Philly or Granite Run and just got them off the internet.

[Foolkiller]

I got a comic shop to order them, it'll save me gas money from driving around all over the erea on a fruitless search.
Cottman Ave TRU has Sinestro & Luthor, Gremlin and Kanamit, and all the Venture Brothers. Do they VB sell anywhere? What a bust
Aramingo Ave TRU has the same few Sinestros & Luthors they've had since last Summer. (same goes for Oxford Valley Mall TRU)
I haven't gone to the Oregon Ave TRU for a while, they never have anything and it's really ghetto down there.
I grabbed some extras of Wave 2 for $10 each at Marshall's at Franklin Mills at X-Mas time, and they haven't gotten any more since.
.. and there's your Philly area scouting report

[Chris]

I haven't gone to the Oregon Ave TRU for a while, they never have anything and it's really ghetto down there.

That's too funny. I walked down there and thought I was going to get mugged about 5 times. I did find the Monarch figure.

[MegoMike]

Toys R Us in suburban Philadelphia got Wave 3. Got mine at Montgomeryville & King Of Prussia stores last week. I was surprised to find them because the Montgomeryville store never received any of Wave 2.

[geoffdude]

After going to the Franklin Mills TRU and looking for the Retro Action Superheroes nearly everyday for the past 2 months, I talked to the receiving manager who was very cooperative. He didn't know what the figures were so he took me into the stockroom office and searched on the computer, showed me all of what new product was coming in and Ghostbusters was the only thing listed for the next month.
He looked for RA, WGSH, DC Heroes, any combination of possible names for the line of these tough to find *******s and we got nowhere. SO, then he looked on the main TRU website and saw their offering of the Wave 2 full case and said, "$189. That's weird" and punched in the inventory code in his store computer and then said, "I've never seen this before, a non-existant category for ordering. Guess they don't wanna sell too many of these".
He then looked to see if there were any other non-category toys and the ONLY other in the whole boys section was a small plush Pokemon thing.
He said that it appears to him that aside from Mattell not pushing the product, he couldn't order them on his own even if he wanted to because the wave 3 and 4 are NON EXISTANT in the inventory system.
It's where Mattell decides they want to send them, as in it's a "regional product". He noted that the $189 price offering for the full case was interesting in that it showed up on a master list as being $189 PER ITEM, despite it being a FULL assortment, and he said that could be why the TRU regional distro HQ passed on them..
Alot of info, but alot of unanswered questions to boot, but somewhere someone messed up royally. Well, I've gotten sick of the damn scavenger hunt trying to find these figures, and probably shouldn't bother looking at any more Philly area TRU for 'em

This is a very COMMON situation with Mattel product, and how they provide ordering, and re-order, information to stores. The assortment info, new product availability, change all the time. Mattel delays shipping cases, changes assortments, ships incorrect case assortments and mixes, and then leaves the stores to suffer the consequences of their toy line mismanagement.

Many people think I just have it in for Mattel, but this company is the absolute worst at getting product to stores to sell. For this reason alone I very rarely can fault ANY store/company that has to work hand-in-hand with Mattel, and especially in an exclusive product situation.

Regards,

Geoff

[Chris]

The TRU at the King of Prussia Mall had: Flash, Capt. Cold & Cheetah. I just saw them about an hour ago.

[Foolkiller]

That's great that KOP TRU has them, I know a couple of people that spotted em outside of the city. KOP is a bit of a ride, plus turnpike tolls, though it would give me an excuse to finally hit up the new Gino's for a burger.
Anyhoo, the comic shop I go to will have Wave 3 for me on Wednesday for $20 each.
Speaking of Mattell, my 3 year old niece is on a Disney Princess kick and I never have trouble finding any of those dolls for her. Of course, Barbie is their bread and butter, but I think if they gave half a rat's butt about their other products as they do for Barbie, the Dc Retro line would be a huge success.
When my niece visits, I give her a Retro Acton Batman to play with that I opened, ("sticker" fell right off natutally). I'll tell you what, for a 3 year old child's enjoyment the lousy bodies are an A+! I hate them but she just loves twisting the figure around and making it flop back and forth. And she's gotten quite good and taking the cowl off and putting it back on. Proud uncle indeed!

[Chris]

That's a great story. Also, I think you made a wise choice by getting them through the comic shop. It saves a lot of running around.

[Foolkiller]

But I'm being deprived of the thrill of seeing them on the pegs in an actual toy store. I want the "oooooh" factor and I ain't getting it. I know it's not to be like going to Kiddie City back in the day and looking at a full aisle of Megos from floor to ceiling but still, give me something Mattell!
I'm praying that Wal Mart and/or Target gets a hold of this line, that could make it last for many years. When I was a kid I got Megos at Kiddie City, Play Town, Two Guys, Woolworth's, Woolco, Kiddie Toy Center (mom and pop shop), Thrift Drugs, Rite Aid -all within 2 miles from home. Not to mention anywhere and everywhere else (J M Fields, Kleins, Grants, Gimbels, Pomeroys, Lit Brothers, Kaybee etc).
I know there's way less stores around now, but being held hostage to the company's whim of selective distro, or lack of, just isn't right

[Chris]

You make a good point the TRU at KOP had the closest thing to an isle of Megos that you could find: Twilight Zone, Venture Bros. and Retro Heroes.

[LOU]

But I'm being deprived of the thrill of seeing them on the pegs in an actual toy store. I want the "oooooh" factor and I ain't getting it. I know it's not to be like going to Kiddie City back in the day and looking at a full aisle of Megos from floor to ceiling but still, give me something Mattell!
I'm praying that Wal Mart and/or Target gets a hold of this line, that could make it last for many years. When I was a kid I got Megos at Kiddie City, Play Town, Two Guys, Woolworth's, Woolco, Kiddie Toy Center (mom and pop shop), Thrift Drugs, Rite Aid -all within 2 miles from home. Not to mention anywhere and everywhere else (J M Fields, Kleins, Grants, Gimbels, Pomeroys, Lit Brothers, Kaybee etc).
I know there's way less stores around now, but being held hostage to the company's whim of selective distro, or lack of, just isn't right

Amen. You are a man after my own heart. You can appreciate this short story about the Retro Heroes and the THRILL of finding them in the store...which is leaps and bounds more fun than the anti-climactic brown package at your doorstep. Back in the late 70's there was a department store called Bradlees where I would get Megos. It was in the same plaza where my Mom used to do her grocery shopping so we frequented the stores in that plaza quite a bit...incidentally there was also a Child World in that plaza where I got loads of Megos from...but I digress...
Anyway, that exact Bradlees location is now a T.J. Maxx in 2011. The location where this TJM had their toy department over the Holiday season was the EXACT same area that Bradlees had theirs back in the Mego days. Well, while searching out Wave 2 there in December, I happened to walk in and see a stock girl in the toy department. I showed her a pic of Retro Batman on my phone and asked her if she'd seen it. She said "Yeah, they're over here, I just opened them." She shows me a slit open case with the figures still seated inside. Out popped 3 Batman, 2 Aquaman, 2 Manta, and 1 Two-Face.
I tell you this story, obviously, because you can appreciate the thrill I had finding and buying Retros on the same exact ground I stood staring at Megos back in the day! I would say I was no less than 10 feet from where the Megos were displayed in the 70's.

So I am completely with you on the idea that finding them on the pegs is half the fun. I did have to resort to getting Wonder Woman and Cheetah from a comic shop for $27 a piece but they're well worth it and I don't have to worry about the figure having defects or it being misplaced somehow in the bubble (I collect them MOC.) You just can't beat holding them in your hands before you buy them and I must say, I really can't complain about Mattel's distribution here because I basically found the entire line, sans WW and Cheetah, in an actual store. I guess a comic shop is kind of the same thing.

[geoffdude]

But I'm being deprived of the thrill of seeing them on the pegs in an actual toy store. I want the "oooooh" factor and I ain't getting it. I know it's not to be like going to Kiddie City back in the day and looking at a full aisle of Megos from floor to ceiling but still, give me something Mattell!
I'm praying that Wal Mart and/or Target gets a hold of this line, that could make it last for many years. When I was a kid I got Megos at Kiddie City, Play Town, Two Guys, Woolworth's, Woolco, Kiddie Toy Center (mom and pop shop), Thrift Drugs, Rite Aid -all within 2 miles from home. Not to mention anywhere and everywhere else (J M Fields, Kleins, Grants, Gimbels, Pomeroys, Lit Brothers, Kaybee etc).
I know there's way less stores around now, but being held hostage to the company's whim of selective distro, or lack of, just isn't right

I guess I kinda get this (but honestly not really)... I have always loved finding toys in stores, but back in the 60s/70s it was just "part" of the experience to getting my MEGOS.

I enjoyed "finding" and "buying" them, not seeing them so much. They were available at Sears, the Treasury, K-Mart, Gemco, Toy City, TRU, and many other places. They are only found at TRU and some comic stores this time around. This means less to me, and just getting them for a good price is the goal today. Since most of these stores have long gone out of business, getting figs online is the primary choice.

The year is 2011, not 1974. It's not 40 years ago... circumstances and the retail environment have changed. I personally buy 85% of my collectible items online. I still go to stores (It is fun after all) but the chance any brick and mortar store has what I need these days is pretty much zero.

Basically, online is now, and the future, this trying to relive ones past via smelling the product at stores just isn't going to happen that much anymore.

If you want it, buy it online while you have the chance, else it may be gone before you can think twice about it.

Regards,

Geoff

[Foolkiller]

Lou: WOW getting a new Mego at the same place where you originally got your old one must be an amazing feeling! Of the 2 spots where I got most of mine in the 70's, one is now a Target and the other is a dollar store - I'll hold out hope for both someday!
The reason I think so many of us flipped out when this line was announced was the nostalgia of being a 6 year old, walking into a toy store and seeing the new series of superheroes for the 1st time. Calling these guys "Retro", Mattel knows who their target buying audience is.
No matter how many years it's been I can still feel the "whoosh" of walking through the door at Kiddie City and having the smell of polyurethane hit me in the face and see my 6 year old self running up the Mego aisle to see what new stuff was out. When I was in high school and the Pin Pin Fantastic Four figures were everywhere and I saw them on the pegs I felt like a little kid, despite being a long haired stoner at the time.
Megos aren't just toys, they're a feeling

[Audiorij]

I like buying them in a store more than ordering online, its cheaper for one, but also just seeing them in the isle does bring back the memories. I have waited and bought all of the retro heroes in the store except Green Arrow of course, and Martian Manhunter because I got it fairly cheap on ebay.

But, I did as a kid order some megos from Heroes World that advertised in Comic Books, I bought the Lizard and Iron Man that way I remember for sure. They came while we were on vacation, when I got home there were the two coffin sized brown boxes waiting for me. So, I don't mind both.