Convention Exclusives

With San Diego Comic-Con coming up, my newsfeed is abuzz with convention-exclusive figure announcements.  Companies are slowly rolling-out previews in waves, with a new batch of exclusives announced every few days.  It really builds excitement for the exclusives and the convention.  SDCC is really a mecca for action figure collectors.  I've already started my google doc list of which figures I'll be picking up.

Convention exclusives are, by and large, becoming more popular and involved.  It seems like only a few years ago, each figure booth would have one or two exclusives each; the bigger companies having a few more.  Nowadays, it seems every place has long list of exclusives and even longer lines to get them.  Even the exclusives themselves are getting better.  Most are more than mere redecos now, featuring awesome, exclusive packaging, and new toolings or accessories.  Some are entirely unique figures.

From Toynami's Naruto Shipudden line.
This 2011 SDCC exclusive was the only way to get any version of Minato.

Toymakers use conventions as an opportunity to produce figures that otherwise wouldn't be financially worthwhile to market, ship and stock in stores.  They also drive con-goers to their booths and create unique, memorable souvenirs of fun convention experience.

Unlike online or retailer exclusives, convention exclusives are much harder to come by.  This is a bit of a problem now that they are becoming more unique.  Exclusives are becoming less of an interesting version of a regularly available figure and more a new figure, in-and-of themselves.  If you can't make the convention to grab that figure, it'll either be expensive (on the secondary market) or, if available online, sell out almost immediately.  This isn't so bad if the figure is a version your collection could easily skip, but if it is a unique character, you might really want it.  I recommend asking your local action figure store owner if he or she is going to convention to grab you one.

Waiting at your laptop online, or in a line at the con for an exclusive can be quite time-consuming.  If left unchecked, I could easily find myself spending the entire time queued up for once-in-a-lifetime figures.  It is a lot of fun to run around an collect these rare figures.  I am always tempted to buy a few extras to scalp online, but I'd rather leave them for a con-goer behind me in line to pick up.  He or she might be a scalper, but maybe they were really looking forward to that figure.

What figures are you excited about this convention season?  Have any horror stories of exclusives you just needed, but weren't able to get?  Leave a comment below.