Not that it matters in my area either way since the 50th Anniversary product will not be making an appearance on shelves....

But POC Blowtorch was one of the biggest pegwarmers we'd had. There were still some lingering when Retaliation hit stores.
And from what I heard, it wasn't just here it lingered.
It was ridiculously boneheaded to repackage such a pegwarmer for straight rerelease.

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Thank you for that direct link, okb925. Saved me a bit of trouble.

I decided to just go ahead and order the Arctic Set today. I was still able to use my $5.00 discount, and while I had to pay shipping -- well, enough is enough already. That discount only had a couple of days left on it, and I figure the shipping is a trade-off for what I would've spent on bus fare between checking a couple of weeks ago and probably making one more pointless check tomorrow or Tuesday. At least this way I know I'll be getting the set.

ONE OF US. ONE OF US. ONE OF US. Welcome to the wonderful, stress-free world of online ordering. Yeah its nice to get that instant gratification of buying something in a store, but if its something you know you want, can wait a few more days, and don't want to experience the constant frustration of going "on a hunt" only to be disappointed, then the online markup is worth it.

I broke down and ordered 2 of each of the Baroness/Jaye and Snow Job/BAT sets from TRU after I remembered that I now have a TRU Rewards account (all those years of purchases whose points just flitted away nearly brought me to tears). So with the free shipping on orders over $49.99 and throwing in a replacement Kre-O Dragonfly (mine is missing a block and it bugs me) on sale I only paid extra in sales tax which is about what shipping would have been from BBTS. My order shipped and should be here Tuesday I believe. Maybe Thursday. I have a few things coming and I get confused which will be arriving when.

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Honestly, one of the reasons I don't like to order TOYS online, unless there's no alternative (i.e. Masters of the Universe), is because I tend to be very particular about the look and assembly of the toy. I have no problem ordering other items online such as books or DVD's, for example, but I get just a little nervous each month when the MattyCollector package shows up, hoping that whichever figure(s) have just arrived will have been assembled properly and won't have any significant paint problems. While there's certainly a picture of the item available on the Web Site, that's also not the specific toy that's going to be sent to me. I am, essentially, buying "sight unseen".

And I think about some of the gaffes that have happened over the years. Remember that one assortment of DC Universe Classics that was so horribly messed up? I saw a Nightwing whose knees were reversed. It took me months to find a Captain Atom that was assembled properly. Imagine if I'd ordered those online. Who knows what would've shown up? By keeping an eye on the stores, I was able to see what I was buying before I bought it.

And given the quality problems reported with G.I. Joe, I still sort of see this as a "last resort, enough already, want to use the discount while it's still valid" scenario. I'm not too concerned, since the Arctic B.A.T. is one of the few figures in this line that I haven't heard anything negative about. But I don't expect this is something I'm going to make a habit of.

Yeah, my lone 50th Anniversary order ended up having two left forearms... I much prefer being able to inspect the specific item myself, and if there's an issue I can return it to the store myself.

Maybe I'm just old school like that.

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Went to TRU in Victorville CA today. 8 2 packs of blowtorch/HEAT viper. Warming the pegs. I picked one up to help the cause.

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Indeed!

Very nice of you to do that, really.

But I'm starting to feel sorry for all those HEAT-Vipers out there...

Obviously this is not a local phenomenon.

I'm not feeling too sorry myself... HEAT-Viper's got a lot of flaws, preventing me from getting one (or many), even though with all of Raginspoon's upgrade kits I could be able to find uses for all those Blowtorches.

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I never loved HEAT Vipers and hadn't been planning on getting any. If, eventually, they are the only things on the shelves, and there in abundance, I will likely buckle and TRU/Hasbro will win.

I got 2 of the HEAT Viper/Blowtorch set because the HEAT Viper was one of my faves as a kid. But I was let down a bit by the execution of the 50th figure. No peg on the head for the targeting cable, loose rocket mounts on the ankles, sloppy paint. I'm glad I have them though and can fix most of the issues. But I don't feel the need to armybuild more than the 2 I have.

The only thing I hate about Blowtorch is that helmet/mask combo. Didn't work well with the 25th figure and doesn't work well now. Either all on or all off. Any other combo just looks odd.

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Saw these in CANADA!

I hit the Burlington TRU and they had everything but the social graces pack. Prices were high, so I passed, but the packaging and the figures themselves were pretty awesome.

- R

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mine are on there pretty good
in fact I didn't know they were removable
now I'm scared to remove them

I'm not fond of these two, but to me it's also the painted-on straps on the upper legs and the really dingy little holster harness standing in for the original's nice bulky straps that just make me not want it.
Wonder why they didn't try and use Kwinn's chest harness instead....

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I had to "pop" them loose to spin them around to the right position (with the rockets on the outside of the legs, not the inside) and once I did that they can be spun around pretty easily. I'm sure I could fit it with some superglue but that's not really the point.

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