Just out of curiosity...

is his "head tail" articulated, bendy wire, solid molded plastic...?

Not that it really matters but it might be a nice touch if it could be altered for displays and it looks like it has a seam line ....

It's not bendy and it seems more solid molded. It has a segments part where you can see that it's two pieces but that is not a movable joint. Least I don't think it is and I refuse to move it for fear of breaking the T'wilek wanna-be...

One of these days I really need to bite the bullet and stop buying figures from Matty. I've bought a couple of figures from overseas sellers and saved a bundle, as well as getting them faster.

The thing that made me wobble with sub figures was the fact that I wanted Flash, the Lanterns, Ralph and Phantom Stranger so bad, I signed up for two subs, just hoping they would definitely get made.

Yeah, I'm glad I'm getting them, but thinking I could have Saint Walker in hand now (though I do have the DC Collectibles one that can't stand by itself) brings me down a little.

Oh well, I can wait until Feb I suppose.

Congrats on the figure,

Jo

I get attacked for this online but... I can't buy the subscription... for a few reasons.

One is Digital River, they are just horrible from what I see with people. I use a special account for online activities which I keep just enough in the account to cover what needs to be covered. I don't feel like playing guess this and that with how many times Digital River charges a card, sure those charges drop off but in the meantime if I can't cover all of them in the account that's considered an overdraft. As a consumer I shouldn't even have to deal with a system like that, say what you want but it's wrong and therefore they simply don't get my business.

Second, I can't shell out money and commit to something which is a year off. It's one thing to order online and wait a week or so for something but as some have said already, I really do lack patience. I also want to be able to pick and choose and now with the possibility of figures being gone day of sale... well...


I have compared some of my figures with ones I have bought brand new. My Black Mask from China was better than the one I bought packaged, which is why that one's body went to my Red Skull custom. My She-Ra from China has better paint applications than the She-Ra I got my wife for her birthday which was brand new.

I'm just not a sub kind of guy.

I'm caught in the logic loop of "If I don't buy the sub the figures might not get made, but I hate the sub system and could stand to save a lot of money and frustration if I don't buy the sub but then I run the risk of the figures not getting made...." and so on.

In the end, its more important for me to get the figures made than it is to save a few bucks going through eBay.

I agree, DR is the WORST ebusiness solution out there and really needs to go. I won't ever stop saying it. I couldn't wait to get rid of my Blackberry simply because DR managed their app store (its a moot point now but man, I counted the days til that was over).

But in the end, at least we all get what we want in a way that we can stomach.

Thanks for sharing Van.

Always happen to share, bnjmnrlyr! The solution for my gripe would be simple... Matty needs to accept PayPal. Spending PayPal funds never bothers me and I don't consider it real money with the rest of my finances. I would be all over Day of Sale figures with payPal!

I agree on a lot of these points. Digital River is a total joke of a company & I have had nothing but hard times with them if a problem ever arose. I won't let me cell phone provider, internet provider. etc.... have a credit card on file because I don't want them just charging things when they feel like it. None the less a terrible, half @$$ed company like DR. I personally hate just buying things off Matty because I have to use a credit card & not paypal.

Isn't it funny how we look at paypal as not real money so we are more likely to squander it on things.....lol I do the same thing & I'm sure when I am selling something I am relying on that aspect of it.

As for buying things off the Chinese ebay sellers......

First of all, most if what I have ordered had free shipping. Really can't understand how they pull that off? My JLU Firefly was $3.99 free shipping. To ship a figure within the US in a bubble mailer cost me over 2 bucks. They are shipping it half way across the globe in a box. How are they making any money on that?

My JLU Toyman is painted much better than most of the toys that I bought from Matty or at Retail.

I never feel bad when I am getting things early & saving money Let's face it the economy sucks & I'm not making nearly as much as I was 5 years ago. Do you feel bad if gas is $3.75 a gallon at one station but down the street it is $3.25 so you go there & top it off? Hell no! I look at this the as the same thing

It's our money to do with what we want. IMO, we owe Mattel absolutely nothing. To a certain extent, the opposite is probably true.


I've bought from China sellers before. But I won't get caught up in the "well, Mattel has to have my sub/money to produce what I want"

They'll either make it, or they won't. I won't participate just for the hopes I get what I want.

This is where I'm at these days as well. Especially after Toy Guru basically said that there may not be any day of sale figures for 2013 figures. That comment caused me to pick up my first ever action figures from China.

I'm enjoying my Atrocitus, Uncle Sam, and Elasti-girl right now. I look forward to Saint Walker arriving some time next week. I'll still pick up a few more from Matty in 2012 like I already did for Jay and Mirror Master. But I'm not going to wait for day of sale anymore for 2013.

Mattel is abandoning day of sale customers, so as a result, I'm bailing on their business model of subscribers only.

I am of the same mindset. So right now they could change their online processor or they could accept PayPal and it still wouldn't do me any good if the Day of Sale stock vanishes before Day of Sale. I've been happy with what I have gotten out of China. In some cases like with Mirror Master they had better paint apps than the one I bought from a subscriber and not to mention other subscribers were buying the Metron without a chair out of China to replace some of the crappy paint apps the official released one had. What I've picked up so far in the last year from our overseas friends...

Jay Garrick
Atrocitus
Starman
Mirror Master x2
Rocket Red
Black Mask
Poison Ivy
John Constantine

Saint Walker

Nu52 Batman
Nu52 Superman
Red Robin
Nu 52 Batgirl

Rorschach

Not to mention my recently acquired JLU Toyman.

Hell I even picked up a complete She-Ra with all her accessories from a Chinese seller when I was on my MOTUC rampage last week. That was only because she was much cheaper than anyone else was selling her for.

I have also bought Matty released figures from other subscribers so I'm not entirely reliant on the Chinese
Metron
Mirror Master
Black Mask

If I can use more than one, I buy over seas and I also find one from someone who subscribed. Those dealers who order multiple subscriptions need to sell to someone! When I bought Black Mask MIB I used my one from China as a Red Skull custom. I plan on acquiring more Rocket Reds so I can paint various numbers on them.

I am happy to receive my JLU Toyman from a chinese seller for $6 shipped. I also received JLU Firefly which I am not too satisfied about for $3.49 shipped. It has nothing to do with the Chinese seller. Mattel as usual, made him way too small. Had I paid $40 for the 3 pack from mattel, I wopuld have been p*ssed to receive such a terrible figure. At $3.49, I cant be too mad.

I bought a Saint Walker from China, I will let you know how it turns out.

Why are you guys even buying *any* Lantern figures from Mattel? The DC Direct ones are a thousand times better, especially the ring color parts of the uniforms.

I like my Lanterns to have waist joints.