Terminator ReAction Series Clearance at Walmart
Well this makes me kinda sad. Funko’s ReAction Figure series (Amazon.com search*) is on clearance at my local Walmart. At the moment it’s only the Terminator line on clearance, but I suspect the product mix is different from store to store so get out there and look around! You may find a deal on some of the ReAction Figure toys you’ve wanted.
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It’s a bit of a shame, but not all that shocking. Funko has launched a HUGE number of licenses within a very short time in a relatively untested format — so it’s not so surprising that some aren’t panning out. I don’t think ReAction has the mainstream appeal that the Pop format offers.
With their Pops, Funko seemed to play it a bit safer at first — mainstream appeal licenses, like DC and Marvel — and I think that’s what helped it become as popular as it has. Then it opened the door to do more obscure fun stuff.
@Wolf – I suspect it’s more a placement problem than anything else. How many toy collectors visit the trading card aisle?
I suspect these would sell much better if the line could get into checkout aisles. That would be awesome placement!
Placement probably does play a role — we don’t really have a Wal-Mart equivalent in Australia (thought we do have Kmart and Target). When I visited Hawaii last year we spent quite a bit of time in the Wal-Mart near Ala Moana, and I was almost a little baffled to see all the trading cards and Funko merch that was actually right near one of the checkouts!
It was great but also incredibly awkward placement — you couldn’t really look at the product to browse, you needed to be in the line on your way out. Had mixed feelings about it.
One of the problems that I’ve noticed is that the Funko and NECA products at Wal-Mart stores are often placed at the front of the stores in awkward places. At one of my local Wal-Mart stores the NECA and Funko figures are placed in this teeny, tiny aisle between the backs of two separate register aisles. You have to almost slide down to look at them. Funko and NECA really need to negotiate some better shelf space for their product. otherwise why bother? I can imagine that maybe Wal-Mart is concerned about putting these back in the regular action figure aisle, but maybe they’d be better in the book and magazine department?
@barbecue17 – Items placed in that aisle are usually governed/controlled by a group outside of Walmart. I know there are two big companies that handle that work, but at the moment I can only remember the name of one of them: http://www.excellmktg.com/
Trading cards, small toys, games, and other stuff in that aisle are sold through the external group. Walmart rarely works directly with the producers of items in that aisle.
Target has them on endcaps. But I’d like to think that it boils down to a few things in execution for this particular license.
1. Terminator bots have no accessories. Yes, you can get some metalicized, but the perception is a $10 fig should have something.
2. The Kyle Reece and Arnie figs were quite off the mark on likenesses. Granted, they may not have had the rights to use them for sculpts (looks like Ahnuld is on the card at least) but the characters aren’t really that recognizable.
Then again, this is all speculation since the real reason could just be that the T2 figs are on their way: http://www.theterminatorfans.com/funko-terminator-2-judgment-day-reaction-figures/
@Jay – It could also be an isolated event. Have we heard of anyone finding these on clearance at other stores?
And yeah, lack of weapons probably impacts the perceived value. Guns would be great!
The Walmart I shop at, only has 1 Dallas & 4 Rocketeers. They never got Terminator, but those figures are put in the Collectible Card aisle at the front of the store
I first saw the ReAction figures at Barnes & Noble in their ever-expanding toy/collectible section. They had several licenses…Terminator, BTTF, Crow, Kurt Russel, etc…and while I thought they were fun/cool, they were expensive for what looked like pretty low-end figures.
As mentioned by others, the molds didn’t look that great for anything human and they otherwise didn’t come with much. They just look bad and very cheap. But I would have bought Doc Brown if he hadn’t been $11. Hearing that places might be clearancing them off is welcomed news to me. Nostalgia is powerful and can command a hefty price tag, but there are limits.