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Star Wars Collectible News, Photos, and Reviews

Have The Dreadful Floodgates Opened? TVC Finally Arriving?

Posted by Paul | June 23, 2012 at 08:32 PM ET

Well, we have another happy story to share with you. JTA reader Anakin20 has scored a very nice collection of figures. Click through to read his story!

Anakin20 writes:

I have been collecting Star Wars toys for nearly 20 years now. I am a completist , so missing even one variation doesn't sit well with me. Like many older collectors I was pulled back into the new figure world with the vintage line. I also share the frustration of not being able to buy the new figures. I have resorted to planned visits at various retailers when their trucks arrive and only get figures if I'm there to open a brand new case. I may be a bit lucky at times since I found the deleted scene figures at Wal-Mart for a wonderful $4.00 on clearance. However, it has been completely dry of late without even a hint of something new on the shelves. I recently convinced a locate toy isle manager to order a box of vintage SW figures. I called everyday to be put on hold for hours at a time or to just hear bad news. The department manager was very good however at keeping me up to date, when I was able to get a hold of her, but the news was always that the case was in transit. The first 2012 VC figure I found since January was Luke Hoth, but it took a 2.5 hour trip to the St. Louis area to find it hanging all alone on a peg in TRU on 6-23. I got home from my long trip and decided to head out to Walmart and see if maybe just maybe the elusive case had show up. I went down the isle and could not believe what I saw. There in front of me were several full pegs of new VC figures. I immediately began to pull down every figure that I needed. I found 8 total: Wedge, Anakin, Kithaba, Dr. Cornelius, Aayla, 501st CT, Nor Anor, and Luke deleted scene variant. I just couldn't believe my luck. However, the curse of the VC line was about to throw me for a loop.

I got up to the register, arms filled with plastic treasure. There was nothing that could make this day go bad. I got to the cashier and watched the first figure pass over the scanner just fine for $8.96, but the second came up item not found. The cashier started to frantically pass the figures over the scanner bending and slamming the cards. Finally she tossed then aside to call a manager. I have never asked anyone to be careful with figures before. I guess it is like natural selection. That process which all toys go through with shipping, manufacture, stocking , and purchase to see in the end if they still end up mint. Perhaps they will fall into the elusive afa 85-100 range that is reserved for such few and lucky toys. The manager arrived and tried to scan a figure and got the same result. She then said that she was not authorized to ring me up, and that I may not be able to buy the figures. She said that it needed to go above her head to a higher up. This is when I intervened. I told her that I would call the CEO before I would put these back while they tried to figure out the problem. In a joking manner I explained that there was no way in [HECK] I was leaving this store without them and I would camp on the floor until the problem was solved. Another employee joined in and grabbed a figure to march to the toy isle and see if she could figure all this out. I was devastated to see Kithaba carted off to who knows where. She returned and tried to explain to the cashier how to make this work, by typing every figure in individually. This is when I had to ask her to please be more gentle with the figures. I also spoke up and explained to them both how to get this done easily with no fuss. I told her to scan the one figure that rang up correctly 8 total times, no big deal. The cashier actually told me that if we did it this way I could not return the figures later. Now that was funny. The manager had earlier said that she could not do it that way, and the young cashier didn't want to scan them that way. The other employee, an elderly lady said go ahead I will distract the manager and we can tell her that they were all typed in. Next I had all the figures in a bag and paid for. I was so relieved that the ordeal was over. On the way out the door my wife called me and asked me to get her a tomato, but there was no way I was going back inside. I had my loot and ran for the car. I then went across the street to Kroger.

Today I have won, and thankfully the figures were not damaged by the employee. It only took 3 months and one day of driving 130 miles. Tomorrow I will start it all over again to find the rest of the missing items. Who knows maybe I will find a variation or two.

Anakin20
Decatur, Illinois

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