BrickHat

$21.99 in the US. Kind of expensive, I think, compared to previous books. Then again, inflation is a thing, and who knows if the book will actually be bigger. All I know is I will be patiently waiting for a discount.

Yay for another non-Batman DC fig! Sad that the state of affairs is such that this is something to celebrate, but I will happily take it. He looks great!

For anybody that looked at the leaked pictures (which I can't find anywhere), do the figures look like those in the mock-up made by Hoth Bricks? https://brickset.com/article/67917/second-christmas-gwp-cancelled

Great to hear! Thanks for the heads up.

Very interesting to see these images. Thanks. It is odd to see glitter in all of these transparent colors. Do glitter pieces actually exist in all of these colors in Lego? Also, can't wait to see the satin minifigs!

Oooooooh can't wait to see these!

All this talk about blind bags reminds me of this talk on CMFs from Hillel Cooperman. 10 years later, many of these frustrations still ring true...

Really glad I haven't shelled out for an overpriced Rex fig. So this would be included in a cheap battle pack? Perfect!

I am sure those people would much rather buy a custom chrome 3PO with updated printing, though. Surely, it must be collectors driving up the value. I can't say I have a better explanation for the price difference, though. Yes, 3PO is chrome in-universe, but Vader is one of the most iconic movie villains ever. What is even crazier is that the original Cloud City Boba Fett has far surpassed 3PO by now. I would expect there to be more than 10,000 of him. However, Boba Fett is extremely popular, and several of those figs are likely worn from playwear by now. Still, it is crazy how much he has surpassed the original Jango, which one would imagine would have a similar value. Suffice it to say, the market sometimes behaves in unexpected ways, which can make it hard to prioritize appropriately for collectors.

If Lego was so adamant about making it a lottery, they wouldn't allow their own employees to feel out bags in Lego stores, as many do. Still, it is a fair point that minifig pieces can get damaged by getting felt up. Blind bags or boxes are both somewhat objectionable to me. I wish Lego would at least give people the option of buying full sets of minifigs. Then, we could all either buy full sets and trade the rest, or try our luck with blind boxes/bags. It would be a fair middle ground in my mind, since I know some have argued that the blind bags are what allow the CMF team to take risks with minifigs that aren't sure hits.

This is just the way it used to be... They fixed something that wasn't broken.

I think you hit the nail right on the head, and this is what is very perplexing to me. Surely, the Ecto-1 could have sold better with the inclusion of minifigs, which a comparatively negligible increase in price and cost of development, I would think. I do agree with you that the most likely way we'll get a satisfactory minifig selection in the future will be minifig-scale models. The Hill Valley courthouse, train, minifig-scale DeLorean, and maybe even the cafe would be solid sets. So unless we get a small wave of minifig-scale sets for these movies, I don't think we will have the minifig selection of our dreams.

I'd just say, be careful about using your bargaining position. eBay, PayPal, credit cards, and banks tend to give buyers more leniency to protect buyers, with the unfortunate repercussion that some buyers do abuse these channels. Any of these can reverse the charge, not just eBay. Even if eBay's Money Back Guarantee does not apply, you could still get hit with an item not as described claim on PayPal. If I were you, I'd just try to resolve things as amicably as possible, and offer the partial refund or the full return. In the case of a return, the buyer might want to make you pay for shipping, and might make an item not as described claim that could force you to do it, which might make this option less appealing to you.

If the buyer is a long-time user, and has been polite, I'd give them the benefit of the doubt. If you feel uneasy sending the piece, you can offer a partial refund for the value of the piece based on the Bricklink average. If the buyer agrees and you subsequently provide the refund, I doubt they'd be able to get a full refund through eBay. Regarding a full return, I have heard horror stories, but I do know some sellers take a video of the unpacking of what they got back to cover themselves. Not sure if that helps.

I see what you did there...