I started collecting the Star Wars Unleashed a few years ago, after getting a whole bunch of them (sort of like a 'starter pack') from my bud Chindiana.
I managed to find and collect every single piece in the series right up to the latest releases, but one piece have always eluded me - the Darth Vader Unmasked.
Its not that nobody sells it. Yes its quite a rare piece but once in a while one pops up on eBay.
Problem is the price. For some reason its very much sought after and auctions often end at prices above US$70. Sometimes bidding go as high as US$120-150. And then ther's the shipping cost of US$15 to 20 to factor in. I don't mind paying a bit more but haveing to pay 3 to 4 times the RRP (Recommended Retail Price) is just ridiculous.
So for the last couple of years I've been diligently trawling eBay and every forum I'm active in, trying to find one for a reasonable price. No luck. People are either not interested in selling theirs, or want an arm and a leg for it.
In early December 2007 I found one on eBay from a seller in Australia. The starting price was reasonable (A$34.95), but experience taught me that things can escalate rapidly with multiple bidders entering high bids when the auction is about to end.
So I waited until a few hours before the auction was supposed to end before entering my bid. I think I entered a maximum bid of A$60, which is more then I want to pay but I know anything lower would be a waste of time.
As the end of the auction draw closer and closer, I watch with increasing tension and amazement when nobody else entered any bid. Can I be the only one to bid on this well sought after item? Surely I can't be that lucky this time!
Alas it was true, I was the only bidder, and I got the figure for the starting price of A$34.95.
Including shipping the total came to A$55.50, which works out to be around double the RRP when it was available in Malaysia. Pricey, but acceptable, for this illusive piece to complete my Unleashed collection.
The MIMB figure arrived today (Dec 31st 2007), just in time for me to put one more task behind me and start 2008 renewed.
(image courtesy of www.rebelscum.com)
I managed to find and collect every single piece in the series right up to the latest releases, but one piece have always eluded me - the Darth Vader Unmasked.
Its not that nobody sells it. Yes its quite a rare piece but once in a while one pops up on eBay.
Problem is the price. For some reason its very much sought after and auctions often end at prices above US$70. Sometimes bidding go as high as US$120-150. And then ther's the shipping cost of US$15 to 20 to factor in. I don't mind paying a bit more but haveing to pay 3 to 4 times the RRP (Recommended Retail Price) is just ridiculous.
So for the last couple of years I've been diligently trawling eBay and every forum I'm active in, trying to find one for a reasonable price. No luck. People are either not interested in selling theirs, or want an arm and a leg for it.
In early December 2007 I found one on eBay from a seller in Australia. The starting price was reasonable (A$34.95), but experience taught me that things can escalate rapidly with multiple bidders entering high bids when the auction is about to end.
So I waited until a few hours before the auction was supposed to end before entering my bid. I think I entered a maximum bid of A$60, which is more then I want to pay but I know anything lower would be a waste of time.
As the end of the auction draw closer and closer, I watch with increasing tension and amazement when nobody else entered any bid. Can I be the only one to bid on this well sought after item? Surely I can't be that lucky this time!
Alas it was true, I was the only bidder, and I got the figure for the starting price of A$34.95.
Including shipping the total came to A$55.50, which works out to be around double the RRP when it was available in Malaysia. Pricey, but acceptable, for this illusive piece to complete my Unleashed collection.
The MIMB figure arrived today (Dec 31st 2007), just in time for me to put one more task behind me and start 2008 renewed.
(image courtesy of www.rebelscum.com)
4 comments:
Wah! Good deal bro!
Yup! Guess my patience & resistance to the 'must-have-it-now' mindset paid off :)
Now I have to figure out how to display all 34 figures together…
Oh, you wanted that one? Saw a lot of them at Jusco a few months back and then they disappeared.
Display, I would go for custom with lighting underneath each shelf.....
Unless Jusco misplaced some boxes since 2002/2003 and just found them I doubt very much that's the one you saw.
I think the one you saw is either the version 2 Vader released in 2005 (aka 'falling down the stairs Vader), which comes in the new card back design, or the 2006 reissue of the version 1 (same as the one in this post but with non-removable helmet), in the tubular packaging.
Post a Comment