They want $40 for the crappy burnt-out building. That set looks way better, so it wouldn't surprise me if were at least $50-60.
New PTE base playset (The Naked Hanger)
- Thread starter Slaymaker
- Start date
I don't think that is accurate...I believe someone one FB proved those are not USD...was like $37.50 of something like that.
Isn't M&C selling it as a store shippment (6-8 or whatever quantity a store would receive.) not individually.
I know that the site says that - but pretty sure on one of the FB groups I am in someone was only charged $37 something for it. Unfortunately - no clue how I could find that info again
They are selling stuff individually. I just placed an order for the Sci-fi stuff and only had to order 1 of each of them.
FYI shipping for almost every item was about $35.
You can get a 15% discount on the first order if you share their Facebook fanclub and post a 5 star review.
The order I placed was for the price listed on the website so I don't think that this item's price would not be accurate. Not sure of the details of the other person's transaction so I don't know if they got a volume discount or something but for most of us buying one individually will probably be about $70 each. I'm waiting to see if they show up at Big Lots still though before ordering one from China.
I've been wanting one of these beasts for a while now, still listed at $80.00 on their website, not including shipping. Which kinda bothers me. I worked at Big Lots for almost 10 years, and every year we'd keep getting the same stuff year after year, only difference was each year the prices went up on the exact same sets.
Now I see the very same PTE sets I bought in store for $40, now going for $130.00 or more on Ebay.
Big Lots corporate used to own KB Toys, and then decided to close them all. And ever since then their toy selection has been shit. Then they got this new CEO with his "Jennifer" shit, and Big Lots has been going down and down.
We lost our plumbing, hardware, sporting goods, and tools, because this asshat decided they'd make more money strictly marketing just to women. In one stroke he removed 50% of our customer base. We went from 6 aisles of toys, to now just two, including girls toys and infants.
Even my Manager, who was female, hated that they were "feminizing" the chain, because we were cutting out 50% of our sales base.
So out went all the male merchandise..... for artificial plants, home decor, and decorator pillows.
They cut our hours due to low sales, so I was forced to quit. I went from 40 hours a week or more, literally down to 12 or even less.
So if you're wondering why no more PTE at Big Lots, now ya know why..sadly.
Now I see the very same PTE sets I bought in store for $40, now going for $130.00 or more on Ebay.
Big Lots corporate used to own KB Toys, and then decided to close them all. And ever since then their toy selection has been shit. Then they got this new CEO with his "Jennifer" shit, and Big Lots has been going down and down.
We lost our plumbing, hardware, sporting goods, and tools, because this asshat decided they'd make more money strictly marketing just to women. In one stroke he removed 50% of our customer base. We went from 6 aisles of toys, to now just two, including girls toys and infants.
Even my Manager, who was female, hated that they were "feminizing" the chain, because we were cutting out 50% of our sales base.
So out went all the male merchandise..... for artificial plants, home decor, and decorator pillows.
They cut our hours due to low sales, so I was forced to quit. I went from 40 hours a week or more, literally down to 12 or even less.
So if you're wondering why no more PTE at Big Lots, now ya know why..sadly.
I've been wanting one of these beasts for a while now, still listed at $80.00 on their website, not including shipping. Which kinda bothers me. I worked at Big Lots for almost 10 years, and every year we'd keep getting the same stuff year after year, only difference was each year the prices went up on the exact same sets.
Now I see the very same PTE sets I bought in store for $40, now going for $130.00 or more on Ebay.
Big Lots corporate used to own KB Toys, and then decided to close them all. And ever since then their toy selection has been shit. Then they got this new CEO with his "Jennifer" shit, and Big Lots has been going down and down.
We lost our plumbing, hardware, sporting goods, and tools, because this asshat decided they'd make more money strictly marketing just to women. In one stroke he removed 50% of our customer base. We went from 6 aisles of toys, to now just two, including girls toys and infants.
Even my Manager, who was female, hated that they were "feminizing" the chain, because we were cutting out 50% of our sales base.
So out went all the male merchandise..... for artificial plants, home decor, and decorator pillows.
They cut our hours due to low sales, so I was forced to quit. I went from 40 hours a week or more, literally down to 12 or even less.
So if you're wondering why no more PTE at Big Lots, now ya know why..sadly.
The area one is starting to put out there Christmas decorations, and I presume the holiday season stock of toys is soon to follow. Are you telling me not to expect a large toy presence in general, or PTE in particular?
Thanks for posting this, I appreciate the insight. I remember when the one around here was MacFrugal's.
That is lame. I haven't been by a Big Lots in some years now, but I can see them doing that for sure.
Probably both sadly. Big Lots is just a shell of what they used to be. We were the go to place for PTE, in both scales. We had a whole aisle of just PTE, I would tell you to maybe expect just a few shelves.
Oh, I've seen it. I'd go to BL every Fall to see if PTE sent over any new product. Currently the toys are relegated to a 20' or 30' section of the back wall. I remember the multiple aisles, and the expanded selection during the holidays. I was hoping it was just a temporary change. Looks like it's not.
I kind of don't care now that LEGO has become my main thing. BL never carries that shit.
I kind of don't care now that LEGO has become my main thing. BL never carries that shit.
We got a couple of Big Lots here. The local one isn't that big so if I want something that usually means a trip with the wife out to PA, where I risk coming home with furniture.
If I see it I will usually get it if its something I want, but I am no longer going out of my way for this stuff.
If I see it I will usually get it if its something I want, but I am no longer going out of my way for this stuff.
It's kind of funny, and sad, that we now can look back fondly on Big Lot shelves of the past as we did once at Toys R Us shelves of the 80s.
I guess Walmart shelves of the 00's fall into the same category, Target in 07-09 with GI JOE..
Hell I'm going to start taking pictures anytime there is cool stuff on the shelf because at this rate that shit is always ending.
I don't even go to the stores anymore, there's no toys worth buying for sale there , I just send the wife now, pretty sad, although I save tons of money now I miss the days of making the rounds with the wife n kids, we used to hit them all couple days a week, now it's all internet shopping for toys, even the toy shows are lame now, SUCKS.
If only I would've known....
Just got out of the Army, was running my own graphic arts business on Music Row, and just for the Hell of it, took a part time night job at TRU for the benefits.....
It was no big deal, stuff was all over the place, with no sign of the drought that was coming. Good reasonable prices, just aisles and aisles of stuff.
The NES had just came out, but it certainly wasn't a threat, Hell, it was just another toy, so to speak...
*Sighs*...Nostalgia goggles are a bitch. Especially when ya realise that you're not just being a grumpy old fart; it really was better back then for real.
And that there is still cool stuff being made like Mythic Legions, Boss fight. Re-Ment, Reaction and so forth, but that you can't really find them in stores.
When makers have to resort to Kick starters and all this nonsense to get their product out there (And y'all damn well know there's a market for it !),
That the Toy companies are failing at what they are supposed to be doing.
I was in the aisle the other day with a Father and his young daughter, and they were going through the new Star Wars figures we have, and she plainly said:
And that made me so sad for the franchise. So now we're facing this:
Toys ‘R’ Us bankruptcy fears hit Mattel and Hasbro as holiday shopping season approaches | fox8.com
So which leads me to; why do people have to go online to get the toys they want. Why aren't they IN the stores ?.
If I want some of these cool figures and playsets people are making, I don't want to have to opt in on some damned Kickstarter....Why can't I just drive down the street and buy the darn things ?.
And if you know your business directly relies on having toys with "hit" tie in movies, how about actually having a vested interest in making sure the movies are actually.....
"Good" ?.
Erm, Hasbro ?....Hasbro ?.....HASBRO !!!.
They are so focused with marketing and demographics, that they can't see the trees because all that damned forest is in the way.
So as I said, I'd kill for that PTE Quonset hut. Big Lots sells the PTE line. Can I buy it at their stores or on their own website ?.
Nope.
But I can buy it from the home maker company website in HONG KONG, for $80 plus shipping. That's convienent for customers ?.
I'm just baffled how these guys can not know their own business.
As a Old time Toy geek and video gamer; my own personal observation is that video games did not destroy the toy market. The video game companies just were more than happy to fill the void that the toy companies created themselves.
Just got out of the Army, was running my own graphic arts business on Music Row, and just for the Hell of it, took a part time night job at TRU for the benefits.....
It was no big deal, stuff was all over the place, with no sign of the drought that was coming. Good reasonable prices, just aisles and aisles of stuff.
The NES had just came out, but it certainly wasn't a threat, Hell, it was just another toy, so to speak...
*Sighs*...Nostalgia goggles are a bitch. Especially when ya realise that you're not just being a grumpy old fart; it really was better back then for real.
And that there is still cool stuff being made like Mythic Legions, Boss fight. Re-Ment, Reaction and so forth, but that you can't really find them in stores.
When makers have to resort to Kick starters and all this nonsense to get their product out there (And y'all damn well know there's a market for it !),
That the Toy companies are failing at what they are supposed to be doing.
I was in the aisle the other day with a Father and his young daughter, and they were going through the new Star Wars figures we have, and she plainly said:
And that made me so sad for the franchise. So now we're facing this:
Toys ‘R’ Us bankruptcy fears hit Mattel and Hasbro as holiday shopping season approaches | fox8.com
So which leads me to; why do people have to go online to get the toys they want. Why aren't they IN the stores ?.
If I want some of these cool figures and playsets people are making, I don't want to have to opt in on some damned Kickstarter....Why can't I just drive down the street and buy the darn things ?.
And if you know your business directly relies on having toys with "hit" tie in movies, how about actually having a vested interest in making sure the movies are actually.....
"Good" ?.
Erm, Hasbro ?....Hasbro ?.....HASBRO !!!.They are so focused with marketing and demographics, that they can't see the trees because all that damned forest is in the way.
So as I said, I'd kill for that PTE Quonset hut. Big Lots sells the PTE line. Can I buy it at their stores or on their own website ?.
Nope.
But I can buy it from the home maker company website in HONG KONG, for $80 plus shipping. That's convienent for customers ?.
I'm just baffled how these guys can not know their own business.
As a Old time Toy geek and video gamer; my own personal observation is that video games did not destroy the toy market. The video game companies just were more than happy to fill the void that the toy companies created themselves.
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I mean Lego for the most part weathers the storm. I heard they were even downsizing lately though.
But my kids still like Legos.
I don't know how/why the big retailers always seem to fuck up toys.
But my kids still like Legos.
I don't know how/why the big retailers always seem to fuck up toys.
Money talks! Lego walks! Or something.
Pretty impressed how they've maintained their popularity over the years.
They did miss out in not creating Minecraft before Minecraft was a thing. The Lego games are cute and fun, but they could have been quadbajillioners.
Pretty impressed how they've maintained their popularity over the years.
They did miss out in not creating Minecraft before Minecraft was a thing. The Lego games are cute and fun, but they could have been quadbajillioners.
Disney is going to be the death of Lego. The prices just are not sustainable on the SW line and you feel so stupid when your new $50 set took an hour to build, came with 3 figures and fits in your palm. Now Mega is gaining popularity and raising prices to match Lego. Lepin is my last hope, but yet to pull the trigger. Nacho swears by them.
I couldn't agree more.
The Lego sets we have just sit there. That MSRP is killing them. Like you said before, who the Hell wants to pay $80.00 for one X-Wing ?. The market is there, everytime we mark them down they get snatched up like wildfire.
The Monster Fighter line was my poisin, got all of them except the Zombie bride and Groom Target exclusive, as we don't have a Target close, and now that little set is like selling for $200.00 on Ebay, and the big ass Haunted House. Lego is selling it for $400.00. Aliexpress... $78.00 with free shipping.:
https://www.aliexpress.com/cheap/cheap-lego-haunted-house.html
And the reviews are pretty much great.
The exact same set. Yeah, I know it's not going to be as "perfect" as Lego, but at that kind of discount ?
But alas I digress, I don't want to derail the thread. Obviously the PTE series is popular. I mean really popular. Just take a gander on the PTE prices on Ebay. I can't grasp why someone either at Big Lots or M&C aren't noticing this ?. That Quonset hut set is AMAZING !!!. Their jets and the Warthog are in extremely high demand.
So where the Hell are they ??.
Especially with Christmas right around the corner... Big Lots and M&C like making money don't they ?.Certainly their respective buyers have to see that the line sells out ever year ? Well, not the last few years because all they did was carry the same stock they had before, minus the big playsets.
If Big Lots did have the Quonset hut, they'd retail it for about $40/$50. Big damn difference from $80.00 plus shipping all the way from Hong Kong.
And the Sci Fi Line they have is pretty damned cool also, I'd love to get some. They would be perfect for my Toy Theaters. Buying them on Ebay would be outright robbery. So I refuse, and everyone loses. And I know I'm not the only one that feels that way. So how is that a good thing for business ?.
Except for some of the stuff Lanard is making, PTE pretty much has the market right now for action figure playsets in the small scale. Where is the new products ?, Hell, as I said, I can't even buy the products now they do have.....
Big Lots needs to fire their toy buyers.I'd email their corporate, but I know as well as y'all do is all I'd get back if anything is a form letter.:
Arrrghh ! Heh.
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The Disney tax is ridiculous, but that's only for starters. Jesus Tap-dancing Christ, is there anything more repetitive than a Star Wars toy line?
It just leaked that Mega has a bevy of new, LEGO-style themes coming, including Vikings and Space (both overpriced TrU exclusives), City and Kingdom (read: Castle).
Problem with Lepin is the only place you can buy those (admittedly fucking cool) sets is Aliexpress.
Heh, no joke. I was watching a Retroblasting video on youtube the other day, where he showed on screen that between Kenner and Hasbro, that they've made over 78 different versions of just Darth Vader alone..
Fortunately, most of the time, they don't take more than 7-10 days to arrive. I've been pleasantly surprised at the speed of the aliexpress lepin sellers. And given that I rarely have a lepin emergency, that's typically fast enough.
I'm so incredibly stoked about Mega kicking lego's ass with all the "beyond" concepts. I can't wait for the City line (and the Space one) that will nicely complement all the lepin and CoD stuff I've amassed. My brick-springfield (the Cobra one, not the Simpsons one) will become a reality! Civilians, I'm going to have civilians!
As much flack as I give mattel for their unforgivably shitty toys, the best move they ever made was acquiring Mega. It's a shame hasbro didn't think of it first. My only fear is that they'll mattel-ize it somehow. But so far, I feel like Mega 2.0 is on the right track. The beyond stuff shows some balls.
Deslock, I feel your pain. I too have been itching for the PTE Quonset hut, and I too refuse to pay upwards of 100 bucks each for them. I keep thinking that eventually BL will wake up, or they'll trickle over here via someone else. But it's a shame that toys exist but buyers can't buy them. Seems self defeating if your business exists to sell toys.
Much like TRU exclusives... that they never stock, except you know, that one five-minute window on their completely un-navigable website... while you were sleeping. They can't even get the search function to work properly. And they wonder why bankruptcy was their best option. Unless they can somehow pay the bills by monetizing the disappointment of kids and adult collectors who leave their store empty-handed, I don't see this restructuring being anything more than a speed bump on the way to Out-of-Business-town.
Is this still available anywhere ? If so can someone put up a link please I don't care how much it costs, I need that since I have a large order coming from MTF in 2018
M&C Toy Centre Ltd.
You can also follow them here :
https://www.facebook.com/worldpeacekeeperstoys/
Good luck !. Cool set, But I'm a poor ass and can't afford $107.31 for that.
I wish there were a way we could set up a way for us to buy a few cases of them for all of us here, and get a discount.That's the pain in the ass with dealing with foreign companies. If it were here in the states I sure as hell would do it. But I sure ain't paying for a call to Hong Kong...lol !.
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I don't get it. Everything we've said on this thread, people are yelling at them about it on Facebook. Just take a look for yourself, only takes a minute. So they can't say they don't know. Like I said before, they are in business to make money right ?.
Since Hasbro killed G.I. Joe, and 21st. went under...All we're left retail with is the stuff Lanard, and whomever makes the Sentinel1 products for TRU.
Since Hasbro killed G.I. Joe, and 21st. went under...All we're left retail with is the stuff Lanard, and whomever makes the Sentinel1 products for TRU.
I think you guys are forgetting that these Chinese companies are making these toys for Chinese children and their new found wealth. It’s why they make Chinese military vehicles and why Hollywood now focuses movies like Transformers on them. It’s the 80’s over there for them. We are just an afterthought since our kids can’t be bothered to pull their noses away from their screen long enough to nod yes to a toy you’ve picked out for them in the aisle at Target.
I don't get it. Everything we've said on this thread, people are yelling at them about it on Facebook. Just take a look for yourself, only takes a minute. So they can't say they don't know. Like I said before, they are in business to make money right ?.
Since Hasbro killed G.I. Joe, and 21st. went under...All we're left retail with is the stuff Lanard, and whomever makes the Sentinel1 products for TRU.
I wonder if they offered the Quonset to BL's buyers, and BL simply said "no thanks"?
This is a pretty salient point.
I get pcs's point, but it's not like China is suddenly not interested in American dollars. China's growth is fueled by exports (primarily to us), not chinese dirt farmers who suddenly have two nickels to rub together. If every other chinese company can't wait to sell us plastic crap, why is this company so disinterested? That's the baffling part.
I'm seeing it more and more Nacho, especially with transforming toys. Companies like Jin Bao are packaging their high quality KOs under branded packaging that is obviously marketed towards Chinese. The effort they go thru to improve the initial design is far from trying to collect a quick buck and they specifically said they upsize the molds because the Chinese buyers prefer bigger robots. Lepin is another example. It certainly feels like the market has grown large enough over there to stop focusing on the Americans and let those of us who want them go out of our way to get them.
Toys have flatlined here. The last holy grail of plastic dealers has added another nail in the coffin and is only a year or two away from being a memory like all the rest. Kids beyond the age of 6 could care less and the nerds are getting old enough to finally walk away. If you think I'm insane, then go try to get investors to open up your own chain of toy stores and see what their reaction is. It only makes sense for the Chinese companies to cater to the market with the most interest and money.
I just made myself sad thinking about these realities.
Toys have flatlined here. The last holy grail of plastic dealers has added another nail in the coffin and is only a year or two away from being a memory like all the rest. Kids beyond the age of 6 could care less and the nerds are getting old enough to finally walk away. If you think I'm insane, then go try to get investors to open up your own chain of toy stores and see what their reaction is. It only makes sense for the Chinese companies to cater to the market with the most interest and money.
I just made myself sad thinking about these realities.
I don't think TOYS in general are going away, at least until we get our tablet/iphone implanted in our brains. However, MILITARY toys certainly are. Kids get in trouble for bringing GI JOE guns to school now.
We're in like a bizzaro world where ECO Force GI JOES were the most popular way to go, eventually being so successful they phased themselves out of existence. Not being needed in this timeline anymore because all violence is a distance memory.
Ironically I think the rise of "high quality" toy lines, like Sideshow and the random kickstarters have actually hurt things, as the big companies know they don't need to put out quality stuff because the niche markets are already accounted for. Now they can just offer stuff for the lowest common denominator (Marvel, Star Wars, movie tie-ins) and move on every couple of months to something else.
The 'cheap' GI JOE collector certainly didn't help things, always waiting for things to go on clearance before picking things up, but some ridiculous pricing schemes didn't help either, nor did some of the VERY sub-par shit they pumped out. ROC "Dragonfly", "Night Raven" *shudder*
As for PTE.. who knows, I would think there would be a US reseller, even on Amazon or something that could offer them at a decent price, but again, cheap ass collectors (myself included) are still demanding 2007 prices.
We're in like a bizzaro world where ECO Force GI JOES were the most popular way to go, eventually being so successful they phased themselves out of existence. Not being needed in this timeline anymore because all violence is a distance memory.
Ironically I think the rise of "high quality" toy lines, like Sideshow and the random kickstarters have actually hurt things, as the big companies know they don't need to put out quality stuff because the niche markets are already accounted for. Now they can just offer stuff for the lowest common denominator (Marvel, Star Wars, movie tie-ins) and move on every couple of months to something else.
The 'cheap' GI JOE collector certainly didn't help things, always waiting for things to go on clearance before picking things up, but some ridiculous pricing schemes didn't help either, nor did some of the VERY sub-par shit they pumped out. ROC "Dragonfly", "Night Raven" *shudder*
As for PTE.. who knows, I would think there would be a US reseller, even on Amazon or something that could offer them at a decent price, but again, cheap ass collectors (myself included) are still demanding 2007 prices.
What's the last toy you saw in a grade schooler's hands at the store that didn't contain the words Nerf, Lego, Nintendo, Playstation or Xbox in it? All my stupid nephews have requested Android or Apple gift cards for presents since they were in 3rd grade. Makes birthdays and Christmas suck. You are correct toys in general are not going away, I just think the word TOY has a different definition with our kids.
I think the toy aisles are there for adults to buy crap for kids that are not their own these days.