POST PAK 40 & NEW HALFTRACK FINDS AND DISCUSSION HERE!

Rowsdower · Post by **Rowsdower** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 3:48 pm

My bank account doesn't allow me to be that impatient.

Wings_&_Armor · Post by **Wings_&_Armor** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 5:09 pm

Outrageous! and 18.00 for shipping too!?!?!?

hworth18 · Post by **hworth18** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 6:25 pm

Wings_&_Armor wrote:Outrageous! and 18.00 for shipping too!?!?!?

Guess the "winner" will be getting "bent" twice...

I love this scheme and can't wait till it gets in my AO...

Rowsdower · Post by **Rowsdower** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 7:48 pm

Lol well said.

tko211 · Post by **tko211** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 11:00 pm

Gotta love those curve ball projects that come in under the Radar! I didn't ever even hear about those. Looks like fun.

Don't worry about e-bay. My friend called me today to say he say these in our area this weekend as well. Same WM as the Hanomags and Pak-40 finds!

MandaloreSC · Post by **MandaloreSC** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 1:47 am

This Ebay Seller sells his auctions worldwide - I think this might be the reason why the bids are so high. People from foreign contries have to use Online stores or Ebay to get their XD stuff. And often they are not up to date about new XD releases. Bad for them - but good for this ebay seller

Threetoughtrucks · Post by **Threetoughtrucks** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 9:10 am

MANDA......:

It seems the high bidder on this eBay prize is from or does alot of business in Germany.

It is too bad that some of us couldn't help you Euro guys out and buy the new stuff and send it to you.

It would be even better if 21C started up again, the direct selling to us all. I find some really good buys on the 21C "close out" site. I've bought 1/18 and 1/6 guys there and think they are great for stocking up on extras for use as crew members on guns and just sitting in vehicles.

TTT

MandaloreSC · Post by **MandaloreSC** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 10:49 am

Well, every german or european guy is able to get an account here in this forum or read the news on the 21st website. If some guys have enough money to bid $100 or more for a halftrack that will be in hundreds of stores all over the country in a few weeks - we can't help them. I'm a XD fan since 2000 and I had an account at the old Groundpounders site, and I know that here are some very nice and friendly people around. I've made a lot of deals in the past with US collectors from this site and I'm very glad this site does exist.

But of course it would be great if 21st would sell directly to costumers. They would make more money this way and it would be alot easier for foreign country fans - and for US Fans too.

graycap · Post by **graycap** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 12:40 pm

I live in the UK and it is very frustrating, but very useful, to know what 21st Century is putting out in both 1/18 and 1/32, especially as their releases seem to arrive like bolts from the blue! I have manged, over the years, to aquire some of the 1/18 figures and vehicles but it is difficult to build up a collection. Unfortunately none of the model store chains over here felt there was much mileage in 1/18. Therefore the only two UK outlets (of which I am aware) charge very high prices, reflecting the high import costs, for example, the 1/18 PzKw IV is currently selling at about £49.00 (and thats a sale price!). So sometimes ebay is the only option. The new 1/2 tracks and the the PAK 40 look superb (the later especially is crying out to be pulled by my one half-track) which would supply much needed support to my kampfgruppe of Tiger, Panth awith a mixed force of heer and paratroops!! However, adding them to ones collection is going to be very difficult. The situation is somewhat better with the 1/32 stuff as that does find its way across the Atlantic. The Opel Blitz and maultier look very nice - perhaps 21st Century will produice 1/32 versions of the US trucks they have done in 1/18th.

I await with interest to see what the next suprise from 21st Century is going to be!

Post by **aferguson** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 9:21 am

is there a way of searching online to see if a product is in a certain WM stores inventory if you know the SKU#? I want to search the Niagra Falls NY WM's to see if anything new is in. Don't want to have to keep phoning long distance.

warhawker · Post by **warhawker** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 9:47 am

aferguson wrote:

is there a way of searching online to see if a product is in a certain WM stores inventory if you know the SKU#?

I am WAY AHEAD of you on that thought! I tried to see if WM had a system in place to track and see if there was a way to see which store has what SKU# associated to each. They do have a system that reports back to their North American IT dept. that tracks every sales transactions on every item that happens at every store with 1-5 min. in real time on purchases and shopping demographic per WM site. Based on that data they are able to allocate shipment of REPLACEMENT items (items that are located in WM distribution centers around the country) to stock WM trucks with those items to the correct WM.
This system and the data that we would like to have is not accessible to the general public due to WM marketing strategy.
So the best bet is to make whatever current 21st stocked items be bought up so that the system will replace them with hopefully new 21st item in the warehouse!

Threetoughtrucks · Post by **Threetoughtrucks** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 10:56 am

Their system of distribution repleshment really sucks.

My former gold mine store for 21C toys in Perth Amboy, NJ, has reorganized their toy department for the holidays and our 21C toys have totally disapeared.....gone. The toy manager is also among the missing....he is never available to talk to customers. Even though it could mean shooting myself in the foot, I guess, I will have to talk to the store manager.

So given that fact, and the current distrinution system of replacing sold stock, I will NEVER see any of our toys reordered because they have none to sell.

TTT

Morian Miner · Post by **Morian Miner** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 11:00 am

The problem is you are at the mercy of what the local distribution center has. When I was MIG hunting, two stores actually placed orders back to the distribution center to get more planes. What showed up is stukas and corsairs, because that is what was still at the distribution center.

Rowsdower · Post by **Rowsdower** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 12:26 pm

I agree that the distribution system is total crap. Other chains I shop at such as EB Games, Best Buy and Circuit City all allow you to check online if an item is in stock or not. But I guess the world's largest retailer can't be bothered with all that.

And good luck asking a question at WM. The workers with "How may I help you?" printed on the back of their vest will give you an attitude for "bothering" them or just brush you off on another worker. And thats if you can even find one. I think their vests should read "How may I avoid helping you?"

warhawker · Post by **warhawker** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 1:04 pm

One last fact about our main source for 21st products: WM plans to open some 245 new stores this year with more next year around the country. With that in mind, current statistics reflect that labour turnover rates are notoriously high in retail business as a fact. WM is mostly part-time and casual work staff. WM has its turnover rate of a massive 60% a year average compared to the industry norm of around 40%. With that in mind, at anyone time you walk into WM and start to talk with an employee, 60% of the time you are dealing with someone that is new to working at WM and does not know/care about what you are asking for, need help with or can deal with your request.
On TOP OF THAT, 70% of WM's senior managers were once hourly-paid workers so that 'mind-set' of just doing enough is carried on.
The reality of it is when you are dealing with a manager, that manager came from the remainding 40% hourly pool of employees that decided to stick it out and remand at one of the lowest paid postings in the industry.
What it comes down to is when you deal with WM management, dont expect to deal with the 'cream-of-crop' out there.

kevrut · Post by **kevrut** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 1:15 pm

10-4! Warhawker.

Rowsdower · Post by **Rowsdower** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 1:57 pm

Hit the nail on the head there Warhawker.

7thva_hunter · Post by **7thva_hunter** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 3:24 pm

I am going to wait it out. two on Ebay got to 100 someing and then I see one for 30 someing.

immeww2 · Post by **immeww2** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 4:12 pm

Got lucky today and found the pak-40, both German halftracks and the M-16 multiple carriage at the Hillcrest WM in Antioch, CA.

Post by **aferguson** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 4:37 pm

you make me sick...

argh.

Rowsdower · Post by **Rowsdower** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 5:08 pm

According to the guy selling the new armor and Pak-40 for large amounts on eBay...

"WELCOME!! REZZED COLLECTABLES IS AN ****AUTHORIZED DEALER****FOR 21ST CENTURY'S ULTIMATE SOLDIER LINE."

Sweet work if you can find it I guess. Quite a mark-up.

digger · Post by **digger** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 10:31 pm

That seller is full of it...he doesn't say when the item will ship - he is obviously counting on his pending delivery...he also has inflated shipping and yes, it is due to one international buyer that these 2 auctions reached $100..the moron below him would be at $38...

VMF115 · Post by **VMF115** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 1:24 am

They are here

But………………….

My WM had the pak-40, Stuka version and the M16 but I was to late some snot nosed kid with his father of with it…the father said that he was probably going to bust it any ways. They also made off with a dozen or so of the new-carded figures.
This was going to be my first purchase of 1/18 armor

Come on 21st, please I don’t want to be plastic purgatory and watch some kid get something that he is going to bust up.

I cant win and I am frustrated sorry TKO but sine we are a small majority I would think that 21st could hook us up with the newest items at a good price, instead of wasting gas on trips to WM. The money we spend on gas could be going to buy 21st stuff.

MandaloreSC · Post by **MandaloreSC** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 4:17 am

VMF115 wrote:They also made off with a dozen or so of the new-carded figures.

From which wave were these figures? BoB II, Japanese, Marines? It wasn't the new wave of figures, was it?

I understand your frustration. I collect the figures and armor - well if there would be any new armor. The halftracks and the PAK are the only "new" releases since - the Panzer IV? Collecting only armor can be frustrating, esspecially when you live in germany and have absolutely no chance to find anything XD in any store.

tmanthegreat · Post by **tmanthegreat** » Sat Oct 28, 2006 10:30 am

VMF115 wrote:My WM had the pak-40, Stuka version and the M16 but I was to late some snot nosed kid with his father of with it…the father said that he was probably going to bust it any ways. They also made off with a dozen or so of the new-carded figures.
This was going to be my first purchase of 1/18 armor

The same thing happened to me... Look a few pages back to that first ebay auction. They guy was selling from a small community near mine, and aparently picked up his products at a Wal Mart that I check regularly, according to what he told me. It has really got to suck, however, when you see a kid making out with everything. Are there any Wal Marts in neighboring communities around your area? You may want to check them. When I found the products, but they were at a store about 10mi south of my town. However, it does seem as if these new armor pieces will be getting to the small retailers within the next couple of weeks so there is a chance to still get them!

Small Scale Military Headquarters

POST PAK 40 & NEW HALFTRACK FINDS AND DISCUSSION HERE!

xd

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