DH's 2012 Christmas buying guide *update for 2014 post 176* (1 Viewer)

[CletiusMaximus]

I can't find the Kaos Skylander trap anywhere. $5.99 but going for $90-300 on Ebay. Of course, this is what my boys want. #### you Skylanders! It is fun playing with my boys and the excitement they get when we can trap another villian.

I did get them Disney 2.0 and some figures.

$65 on Amazon - if this is it.

The singles of the Kaos trap have only been sold on launch day of Trap Team so far. The only time I've seen them lately is packaged with the 'Dark' edition of the game. Even than, we only seem to get the Wii version.

Say what you want about their business practices, but Skylanders has been blowing Infinity out of the water. It's almost like they're banking on the 'Pokemon' mentality of kids (gotta catch them all!) and the thrill of the hunt for the bored stay at home moms.

Reason 1A why I'm trying to avoid this.

Is the game just running around and shooting stuff? Is there anything creative attached to it (or even puzzle solving)?

Avoid if possible. I've weened my son off it completely I think. He's now talking about lending it to his buddies who still play. I don't do much video gaming, but this one was as simple and boring as it gets. Some of the voices and characters are funny, I can see the appeal for young kids. Agree these guys are geniuses.

 

[El Floppo]

Thanks guys, re: Skylnader.

7yo has been asking- I said I would look into it, but didn't like what I knew early. There will be no Skylander in Floppoland (unless wife and her family have already bought him this ####).

 

[Peak]

My son's bday is at the very end of November. He got Skylanders Trap Team and then used bday money on a couple of new guys and a new controller for the WiiU so his little brother could play with him. Now I'm looking at the Infinity 2.0 Marvel Super Heroes edition for my youngest son so he can play that one. It never fails. I tell the wife to look only at one game, and each year she ends up getting both. (Although, I did have some fun trapping a few villians when the kids went to bed).

 

[SlaX]

Good luck. Rubble, Rocky, and Zuma are rare. You'll never find a Skye.

Rubble on the double. Now down to 3.

I'm actually seen all of them lately. If I find another Skye I will do my good deed for the year and hook you up.

That'd be awesome. I'm still missing the other three listed above. All I see are the marked up resellers on Amazon.

 

[VA703]

any good gift ideas for fathers?

pants cologne etc

need ideas

 

[Al Czervik]

Saw a commercial for this the other day; Hot Wheels Street Hawk Remote Control Flying Car. Looks like the perfect gift to get your kid so you can play with it.

 

[Ignoramus]

any good gift ideas for fathers?

pants cologne etc

need ideas

Pep Boys has the Traxxas Slash 1/10 Scale Pro 2WD Short Course Electric Racing Truck for $175 after code PROMO30http://www.pepboys.com/product/details/772196/00128/tools/hobby/rc_cars_trucks

 

[VA703]

any good gift ideas for fathers?

pants cologne etc

need ideas

Pep Boys has the Traxxas Slash 1/10 Scale Pro 2WD Short Course Electric Racing Truck for $175 after code PROMO30http://www.pepboys.com/product/details/772196/00128/tools/hobby/rc_cars_trucks

damn that thing looks fun I might get that fo rmyself

 

[Ignoramus]

any good gift ideas for fathers?

pants cologne etc

need ideas

Pep Boys has the Traxxas Slash 1/10 Scale Pro 2WD Short Course Electric Racing Truck for $175 after code PROMO30http://www.pepboys.com/product/details/772196/00128/tools/hobby/rc_cars_trucks

damn that thing looks fun I might get that fo rmyself

Yeah, and the 4WD model is on sale for $300.

 

[Hawks64]

any good gift ideas for fathers?

pants cologne etc

need ideas

Pep Boys has the Traxxas Slash 1/10 Scale Pro 2WD Short Course Electric Racing Truck for $175 after code PROMO30http://www.pepboys.com/product/details/772196/00128/tools/hobby/rc_cars_trucks

damn that thing looks fun I might get that fo rmyself

Yeah, and the 4WD model is on sale for $300.

FYI The Slash has no real clearance so you can't really go off road with it much. Pavement only. Also whatever area you think you need to run it in, double it....maybe even triple it with how fast it can go.

ETA that 4WD is going to be insanely fast, you will need a track or an open area for sure.

 

[El Floppo]

any good gift ideas for fathers?

pants cologne etc

need ideas

socks

 

[VA703]

any good gift ideas for fathers?

pants cologne etc

need ideas

socks

PERFECT!

 

[Ignoramus]

any good gift ideas for fathers?

pants cologne etc

need ideas

Pep Boys has the Traxxas Slash 1/10 Scale Pro 2WD Short Course Electric Racing Truck for $175 after code PROMO30http://www.pepboys.com/product/details/772196/00128/tools/hobby/rc_cars_trucks

damn that thing looks fun I might get that fo rmyself

Yeah, and the 4WD model is on sale for $300.

FYI The Slash has no real clearance so you can't really go off road with it much. Pavement only. Also whatever area you think you need to run it in, double it....maybe even triple it with how fast it can go.ETA that 4WD is going to be insanely fast, you will need a track or an open area for sure.

Cool. Probably would go with the 4WD then.They say it has a "training mode" that limits the speed to 50% of normal (and will extend the battery as well).

 

[VA703]

picked this up

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BMD47HG/?tag=059b-20

 

[El Floppo]

picked this up

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BMD47HG/?tag=059b-20

yeah. socks, or that.

 

[JHuber77]

Update for this year? TIA

 

[The Noid]

2016 bump?

DH, you still got connections to the TRU's in the First State? My 4-yo's whole Xmas list is PJ Masks toys, which are TRU exclusives for awhile, and currently out-of-stock! Wondering when a good time is to check the Stanton store, before everyone is trying to grab these.

Finding a Catboy costume in her size for Halloween (without paying 3x retail online) was already Cabbage Patch-esque. 

 

[Jaysus]

2016 bump?

DH, you still got connections to the TRU's in the First State? My 4-yo's whole Xmas list is PJ Masks toys, which are TRU exclusives for awhile, and currently out-of-stock! Wondering when a good time is to check the Stanton store, before everyone is trying to grab these.

Finding a Catboy costume in her size for Halloween (without paying 3x retail online) was already Cabbage Patch-esque. 

I saw a bunch of them at the local store on Saturday.  (luckily my son didn't)

 

[The Noid]

I saw a bunch of them at the local store on Saturday.  (luckily my son didn't)

Checked my local store this morning and they had everything in stock EXCPET the Headquarters play set. Grabbed one of everything else and I guess now the Headquarters will be my white whale this season...

 

[The Noid]

Scored a PJ Masks and Headquarters last week and an Owlicorn Hatchimal this morning, which are the two things my 4 year-old is asking Santa for when she gets on his lap.

So, luckily, the rest of my Xmas shopping will be stress-free and not involve Black Friday lines!

 

[El Floppo]

Scored a PJ Masks and Headquarters last week and an Owlicorn Hatchimal this morning, which are the two things my 4 year-old is asking Santa for when she gets on his lap.

So, luckily, the rest of my Xmas shopping will be stress-free and not involve Black Friday lines!

the entire extended family is on hatchimal alert for our 5yo... couple weeks in, and still no luck (and MIL/BIL are non-employed, shoppers... like bloodhounds for this kind of thing).

 

[GoFishTN]

the entire extended family is on hatchimal alert for our 5yo... couple weeks in, and still no luck (and MIL/BIL are non-employed, shoppers... like bloodhounds for this kind of thing).

Apparently people are having success checking Target's stock on a site like brickseek early in the morning, then going and lining up before they open.

 

[El Floppo]

Apparently people are having success checking Target's stock on a site like brickseek early in the morning, then going and lining up before they open.

holy hell

 

[El Floppo]

any good gift ideas for fathers?

pants cologne etc

need ideas

really hoping for the pants cologne this year.

 

[Jaysus]

the entire extended family is on hatchimal alert for our 5yo... couple weeks in, and still no luck (and MIL/BIL are non-employed, shoppers... like bloodhounds for this kind of thing).

I have no idea what they are, but my 9yo wanted one.  Apparently my mother procured one last month.

 

[El Floppo]

I have no idea what they are, but my 9yo wanted one.  Apparently my mother procured one last month.

yeah- also no idea what they are... not even thanksgiving and I already wish I'd never heard the name.

 

[The Noid]

Apparently people are having success checking Target's stock on a site like brickseek early in the morning, then going and lining up before they open.

Target's been getting 2-6 per store every couple days and, yes, there's people going 2+ hours before they open to line up each day to see if they have them (brickseek is hit or miss.) But, of course, my daughter wanted the Owlicorn which happens to be a Toys R Us exclusive. So I never bothered with Target but someone I know, whose kid didn't care what kind, picked one up that way. I've also heard Walmart has not had any on the shelves for a couple weeks because they are holding them back for Black Friday.

TRU started their 8am opening hours for the holidays so I took a shot this morning on my way to work, since it's not too far out of my way. There's no inventory tracker for them and TRU even pulled the store availability check off their website for these. And they won't even give you info over the phone, if you call. 

Got there 7:30, no one else in line. By the time they opened at 8am, there were 10 of us in line and they announced they had 12 in stock and they would give us tickets in number order to go to the electronics desk and pick them out. Since I had #1, I got first pick so got 1 of the 2 Owlicorns they had.

I really lucked out 

P.S. These are basically Furby's in an egg. And I'm a veteran of the 1998 Furby craze, but back then it was for pure $. I speculated early on them (mostly bought them up at K.B. Toys) and re-sold about 25 and made about $1k.

 

[The Noid]

Bump for 2017? Things I've noticed as "hot" so far: 

Nintendo Switch (Mario Odyssey bundle)

SNES Classic

Fingerlings

LOL Big Surprise

 

[Redwes25]

We bought a few of those fingerlings things off of amazon (1 for each of our 3 kinds). Big surprise thing seems super annoying. 

 

[Binky The Doormat]

Fingerlings

LOL Big Surprise




 

Fingerlings - not sure the original price ...looks like a $5 toy ...now $75 on ebay.  nice.

The LOL thing looks to be one of the stupidest things I have ever seen - $70 and way higher on ebay apparently.  

 

[rascal]

There is no way in hell I'll be buying either of those.

And if my kids buy one I'm taking away their college fund because they would be too stupid to get admitted anyway.