Bye-Atus! (an end of a hiatus): Ultimate Haul Update & Stuffs

       It has been exactly 1 month and a week since I made my last post, and how glad am I to finally be back! Work has really been draining my energy lately, since I sit in front of a computer, photoshopping all day til the late afternoon. Though I might be on a hiatus with my posts, it didn't affect my toy hunting at all. In fact it has been a very fruitful month for me with regards to my plastic hauls. 

     But before we get to that, just to answer my previous post, I didn't get to attend Toy Kingdom's Toy Expo VIP Night since it was Wednesday and I have work. According to  my fellow MUllectors there wasn't really anything Marvel Universe related on the said event. The lone related news I heard was that the Avengers Black Widow was said to be available on the pegs but was snagged by collectors right away. Also, if I'm not mistaken, Return of the Marvel Legends Wave 2 was made available through a distribution system on the the 3rd day I believe. I didn't bother going, since I heard the event primarily targeted kids, and the stuffs made available are similar to regular Toy Kingdom outlets only with a bigger venue.

So here are the new recruits to my growing collection: 

• AIM Soldier
  Got this figure from a group buy in PTK which was handled by songoku. Got it a very fair price just below SRP. I was really glad to have gotten this, since it completed my AIM army-of-two. I thought I was gonna have hard time finding another piece, and that I may have to settle for an overpriced one. Luckily, I didn't have to. Big thanks to songoku for the heads up.
  
  
• Hydra Soldiers (Comic Variant)
  I've been seeing these two figures on the rotating pegs of Raddj with its price going up and down. From Php 250 to  Php 300 and back to Php 250 again in just 3 days. Didn't think twice when I saw the price back at  Php 250, and immediately got hold of the two remaining figures. It was also that day that I met meng-got of PTK, who was there at time I bought the two figs. He even asked me where I saw it, and told me that I'm lucky to have beaten him to it. Hehe.. :P
  
  
• Superhero Showdown Berserker Wolverine
  Got this the same day I got the Hydra Soldiers in Greenhills from robin33 of PTK. When I saw this figure once in Greenhills, I immediately like the details on this figure, especially the rage in Wolvie's face. So once I saw the same item, in robin33's FS thread, I immediately placed dibs on it for only Php 200 and it was worth it
  
  
• Cosmic Spear Loki
  I was looking for this figure for a friend, however I wasn't lucky enough to find one. However when he told me that I don't have to get him one since he already found the said figure. Days after that,  that's the time I found one in Toys-R-Us Galleria. I was quite hesitant to pick him up since I wasn't really sure at that time if I was gonna build an Avengers Movie lineup. However, with just a blink of an eye, I found myself on the cashier with the item on my hand.
  
  
• King Laufey
  It was only last week that I realized that I'm lacking 2 non-duplicating character figures from the Thor Movie Line. It was King Laufey and Heimdall. I've been seeing Heimdall on the pegs of some retail stores, and I always pass on it, since I think paying Php 350 for an atrocious figure isn't worth it. As for King Laufey, I was having a hard time finding one at a reasonable price. I've been seeing Php 500 - Php 1000 online and on some hobby shops, and I almost bit that bait at 500.
  
  A trip to Shoppesville, lead me to a store (forgot the name) which has a variety of loose MUs at a bit hefty price. I was surprised to see King Laufey with a Php 300 tag displayed with 2 Frost Giants which were sold for Php 400 each. Seriously, Frost Giant has more value over King Laufey??? I was pretty sure the seller didn't know who he was and that he's a different character from the 2 Frost Giants and it was confirmed when he told me that it was cheaper since he was lacking an ice blast accessory, which he doesn't really come with anyway. So I immediately pay him, before he realizes his mistake.
  
  
• Sword Spike Thor
  I was contemplating on whether to get the marked-down priced Thor from the Thor Movie Line or the retail priced Thor from the Avengers Movie Line which seems to be taller and bulkier. Though a post by blindnezz of PTK in his FS thread answered my question. Php 150 for an MOC Sword Spike Thor was a sign for me to get this version, and that I did. Upon receiving the figure, I immediately resculpted and repainted his hair and face, and tried to copy his look on the Avengers movie.
  
  
• Black Spider-man
  I wasn't really planning on getting this figure for my collection since I don't want to be bombarded with Spider-man, but when I saw the price tag on this loose figure, I didn't bat an eyelash and took him home with me. It was sold for only Php 100 in Raddj!
  
  
• Assault Squad Nick Fury
  I immediately rushed to Kramer Toys in Greenhills once I saw ironmonger_13 of PTK's heads up post early in the morning. It was said that the loose Wave 4 Avengers figures (Nick Fury, Not-So-Uber-Poseable Iron Man, and Chitauris) were readily available at Kramer's for an affordable less than SRP price. Got there just in time of the opening, and got to see the said figures. The Poseable Iron Man was a quick pass for me. The Chitauris were tempting, but passed on it as well since these figures didn't have accessories on them. When I saw Nick Fury, I knew I had to get him, and that I did for Php 300. Even though I have one from the IM2 line, I'm not a big fan of the Joe body that they used, that's why I got hold of this. Yeah, this Fury might not be movie accurate, and uses a repainted Winter Soldier's body, but I think it works great for him. It was the only figure I got from the said Wave 4. The figures didn't come with any accessories whatsoever, so it's safe to assume that these might be factory leaks or overruns from China.
  
  
• Bleeding Edge Iron Man
  I've always found this figure to be exceptional, though I didn't find it essential for my collection since I've always considered Extremis Iron Man to be my default IM. Once I saw iancruz20 of PTK's FS thread, a loose Bleeding Edge Iron Man was up for Php 350, and I posted dibs on it right away since I believe 350 is a fair price for it.
  
  In of the threads in PTK I did see that iancruz20 was looking for someone who'll part with a Future Foundation Spiderman on the upcoming wave distribution. I immediately texted him, and asked him if he was interested for a trade since I wasn't really planning on keeping FF Spidey in my collection since I don't intend to complete a Future Foundation lineup. He agreed, and it was my FF Spidey for his Bleeding Edge IM + Cash. Everybody wins :D
  
  
• Gray Hulk
  I got this itemfrom duanede of PTK for less than SRP. Initially I had no plans of getting this version of Hulk, but seeing that I have Ultimate Thor, Hawkeye, Iron-Man and Cap, I had no choice but to get me one to complete the line up.
  
  
  
• Marvel Universe Wave 18 Missing Figures ( Beast, Kraven, & Regular Ultimate Spider-man)
  Marvel Universe Wave 19 ( Punisher, Kang, Scarlet Witch, She-Hulk & Future Foundation Spider-man)
  Finally new MUs! An announcement was made by Sir Eric (Thunderbreak of Cyb.ph) that new waves were set to be available through distribution last September 16, 2012 in Megamall. Here's the list of the items that were made available during the event:

1) Set of 3 

• 007 Ultimate Spider-man (regular version) 
• 008 Kraven the Hunter 
• 010 Astonishing Beast 

2) Set of 5

• 012 Scarlet Witch 
• 013 Punisher 
• 014 Future Foundation Spider-man 
• 015 Kang the Conqueror 
• 016 She-Hulk 

Singles:

• Colossus
• Juggernaut
• Beta Ray Bill
• Hulk

Marvel Universe 2-pack

• Mandarin & Iron Man (Silver Centurion)
• Hulk & First Appearance Wolverine
• 70's Falcon & Captain America
• Dr. Strange & Silver Surfer
• Thanos vs. Adam Warlock

I'm glad that Beast and Kraven made it here since they went missing from the previous distribution which raised an alarm of uncertainty among the collectors. I'm also happy with the assortment of figures they included in the set, making Beta Ray and Hulk available in singles since they were already part of last time's set.

Got there at Megamall early in the morning as I wait for the gates to open. I was constantly communicating with songoku and erkdmd during my stay outside the mall. Songoku gave me a tip, which I did follow and to my surprise it was effective. We respectively got the first two numbers in the line. He got #1 and I was glad to be #2. The line was filled instantly once the mall opened. It was quite a surprise that they released the items early compared to the usual 1pm release. In short, I got the items around 11pm, and went home right away since the weather wasn't so good that time. It was a no brainer that I had to get the 2 new waves plus a Mandarin & Iron Man 2pack since it's the only way to acquire a Mandarin figure within a reasonable price. I also got me a Juggernaut for a "shocking" trade that's about to transpire soon.

Coming home from the distribution, it was satisfying, however I received a text from nico247 that both MU waves were sold out and that some left home without anything. It was said that there were only around 65 sets that were made available. I was quite disappointed with what happened, I believe it's the only distribution that collectors left home with nothing. I have no idea why the stocks were so limited, since back then even guys with #100+ still gets to have a set. I do hope that there's a round 2 for this wave, so everyone could get a fair share at a fair price.

        It truly was a great month for me and my collection. I've just recently created a riser for my fourth shelf, since there's no room for new figures to fit in to. I do hope a long hiatus won't happen again. Expect to see more reviews and features in the coming weeks! Long live MU!