Hot Toys - TMS050 - The Bad Batch - Clone Force 99: Hunter

[freeze320]

love how this thread quickly escalated to blatant enabling well i guess that’s what this whole forum is, but we’re on another level in here. i’m gonna be justifying an order for echo before i know it.

also, this blogger photo cracks me up. looks like hunter is slipping echo a baggie saying “here, smoke some of this. it’ll help with your ptsd”

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[RandomHero]

But you should buy Echo. He is absolutely gorgeous. Hes much nicer irl than he is in these pix.

I'm going to be really mad at you when I spend my $170 in rewards points on Echo and not the cracked helmet Vader I want.

 

[RandomHero]

Pick up your Clone Force 99 starter pack today!

Staaaahhhhhpppppp tempting me!!!

 

[MyenShi]

I'm going to be really mad at you when I spend my $170 in rewards points on Echo and not the cracked helmet Vader I want.

OWK Vader doesn’t come out till at least Q4 2023/Q1 2024.

That’s plenty of time to buy even more figures to accrue new reward points.

 

[Ramatuelle]

Great analysis. I particularly love the part when you described Yoda as "superficially sympathetic to everybody", it perfectly and practically sums up his character as the most superior species, top echelons in the SW universes but yet so far removed to naked realities of the mortal world. Dude pretended to care, but he's actually don't give a flying *** about anything. That's the reason why Jedi Order was on the blink of extinction by the Sith.

Few Jedi are genuinely care and sympathetic to their Clones are Anakin, Ahsoka and Plo Koon.

I think Kit Fisto really cared, too. Fisto is awesome, he is what a Jedi should be.

I dont think Yoda's lack of understanding is malicious. I think he literally CANT understand. He lacks human reference-points. And he's just so ancient. Yoda trying to understand why something would upset regular humans is like a billionaire trying to understand the struggles of two people, both making minimum wage and with three "oops!" children: they've never lived that, so they can't. They've never had to worry about a hospital bill, or a grocery bill. They just dont get how it is for those who do have to worry.

Hey, the clones should just be content with their lot, right? They live 30 years? Eh. All of us would seem to live thirty years, compared to a being with a thousand-year lifespan. Im not impressed with Yoda's real-world thinking skills. Here's the guy who sends a young man in the first bloom of youth off to an idyllic planet with the woman he's had a serious crush on for literally half his life, and Yoda and the whole Jedi Council thinks that.... nothing's gonna happen. Nope. Those two will sit on their hands and think of other things! For the Republic!

Sure, Jan. You dont know one single thing about humans and what motivates them. Not. One. Thing.

 

[Ramatuelle]

I'm going to be really mad at you when I spend my $170 in rewards points on Echo and not the cracked helmet Vader I want.

Im gonna be mad when I drop $180 in rewards on Jesse, but these are the struggles we face.

I think I am going to payment-plan Hunter, next coupon I get.

 

[SOU7567]

I'm going to be really mad at you when I spend my $170 in rewards points on Echo and not the cracked helmet Vader I want.

Why not both? You have plenty of time between Hunter who will be in collectors' hands by this weekend and Vader, who may not even be in-stock yet at this time next year.

This might not be my favorite look for Echo, but the character has been around since S1 of TCW and has a lot of history tied to him. Do it.

 

[Chainedstream]

Why not both? You have plenty of time between Hunter who will be in collectors' hands by this weekend and Vader, who may not even be in-stock yet at this time next year.

This might not be my favorite look for Echo, but the character has been around since S1 of TCW and has a lot of history tied to him. Do it.

Then again, SS might cut-off the preorders for Vader like tomorrow. Can't play the game of products going in-stock, especially not with popular and interesting characters as Darth Vader. I would say secure Vader as soon as you can!

 

[Chainedstream]

OWK Vader doesn’t come out till at least Q4 2023/Q1 2024.

That’s plenty of time to buy even more figures to accrue new reward points.

You say that, but SS is eager to cut-off orders long before they hit in-stock status these days. I wouldn't play their game if it's about a character I would really want to get. When Vader's sold out, it may very well end up like the RO release or worse.

 

[Joe Prince]

Why not 2 of every character? One with helmet on and one without standing behind

 

[SOU7567]

Then again, SS might cut-off the preorders for Vader like tomorrow. Can't play the game of products going in-stock, especially not with popular and interesting characters as Darth Vader. I would say secure Vader as soon as you can!

Would they really do that with Vader? We might not even see him in 2023 with how some of these delays have been.

I expect production numbers to be down, but most of these figures will end up going in-stock, especially the flagship characters of the franchise.

 

[RandomHero]

Actually it’s funny we’re on this topic about Vader. The deluxe edition is still ok but doesn’t look like there’s much time left on the standard.

 

[Brokenhandpuppet]

Caved and ordered hunter with my Christmas Bonus that showed up today. Thanks to everyone in this thread for enabling my purchase. Couldn't have done it without you

 

[SOU7567]

Caved and ordered hunter with my Christmas Bonus that showed up today. Thanks to everyone in this thread for enabling my purchase. Couldn't have done it without you

 

[Ramatuelle]

"Low stock remaining" means, in this case at least - that they're trying to goose you into an order. I do not put one iota of faith in that, sorry I dont. Smart money says they have not even determined their in-house edition size yet.

 

[RandomHero]

"Low stock remaining" means, in this case at least - that they're trying to goose you into an order. I do not put one iota of faith in that, sorry I dont. Smart money says they have not even determined their in-house edition size yet.

This is why I’ve stopped buying from Sideshow as much as possible. Shipping price extortion, rewards/promo code BS, shady business practices. They just annoy me. But, has stuff that Sideshow put on waitlist actually come back in stock? It seems like they’ve mostly held firm on everything so far, so I’m hesitant to grab Echo over Vader right now. But that doesn’t mean I can’t still be swayed…

 

[MyenShi]

You say that, but SS is eager to cut-off orders long before they hit in-stock status these days. I wouldn't play their game if it's about a character I would really want to get. When Vader's sold out, it may very well end up like the RO release or worse.

I was half kidding about that specifically as we were mostly just playing around pushing people to order Clones. (Although everyone should buy Hunter and Echo for real).

I do agree, I did say in the Clone thread to preorder just in case. Though I do also believe this is a FOMO ploy to get people to preorder instead of waiting it out and most of these will come into stock. Albeit in fewer numbers than now.

I really don’t like this tactic though. It’s very manipulative, trying to lock people in at Sideshow with their NRD, taking away the ability to use future promo codes, and attempting to eliminate the “wait for sales” mentality that’s come up in the last few years.

I’m getting to a point where I have so many figures that I’m going to be done trying to chase anything in the near future. If it forces me into a “I’ll get it if I can” approach on lower priority figures, then so be it. I’ll switch to a different focus.

 

[CrankbaitJon]

I think all of these low stock notices are actually true. The discounts you see this holiday season screams overstock. If you want to be a premium brand, you will want to avoid seeing your items on the BOGO 50%. They want to re-create the old model of preordering or pay extra$ later. I don't think it's a bad thing. I heard a lot of delays are from manufacturing higher than expected units that ends up shelf warming. I hope it speed up the turn around time on orders.

 

[MyenShi]

I think all of these low stock notices are actually true. The discounts you see this holiday season screams overstock. If you want to be a premium brand, you will want to avoid seeing your items on the BOGO 50%. They want to re-create the old model of preordering or pay extra$ later. I don't think it's a bad thing. I heard a lot of delays are from manufacturing higher than expected units that ends up shelf warming. I hope it speed up the turn around time on orders.

It’s likely they’re forcing the system back to the older model where figures were in stock for only a few months.

They don’t want to hang onto these for as long as the current crop of figures has been. A year+ is bad for business and takes up a ton of space they don’t have, and a lot of money in product.

The last thing they want to do is have to BOGO these figures but they are. And not just on some no name figures, but on some big characters as well. That’s a terrible look, like you said.

So I do expect these figures to be in stock at Sideshow upon release. But not for as long as they are now.

 

[MyenShi]

Also folks, you don’t have to worry about figures that have recently released or are releasing soon. They’re not likely to sell out quickly. Unless people start panic buying en masse, I suppose.

This started with figures solicited at the start of this year, around the time of TBOBF 1/4 Fett around February.