For many carded collectors the first wave of The Black Series has become quite a challenge. The internet has not been shy about sharing the fact that these figures have been literally falling off the pegs. Pictures of department store self-fixes have ranged from tape and staples to yes even
shrink wrap. This is a problem of the bubbles containing the figures not adhering permanently enough to survive a few days of manhandling on the pegs. Whether it’s the incorrect heat-sealing of this wave or the lack of enough glue which is causing them to not adhere to the black-printed cardback, Hasbro has acknowledged the issue and has assured collectors that Wave 2 will not see more of the same.
But where does that leave the carded collector? As some and not the entire first wave will be carried forward to the second wave case assortments, this makes it difficult to guarantee all of your first wave figures will last the test of time. In the pursuit for the light brown hair “running change” of #3 Anakin Skywalker, From 4-LOM to Zuckuss now believes that those looking for carded samples that will hold up over time may have to be aware of the figure’s production dates.
When The Black Series first hit, we were lucky enough to have received them quite early and the issue of bubble detachment was not an issue. This is supported by the fact that when opened, quite a bit of the cardback was removed as the bubble was torn away. But with the more recently produced TBS figures, such as the lighter-haired Anakin, when the bubble was removed in the exact same way it took very little of the cardback with it.
So what date stamps should carded collectors be looking for? The first shipments we received of The Black Series mostly contained the date stamp of “31401” which would indicate 140th day of 2013. This date appears to come equipped with enough glue to hold the bubble on to the cardback indefinitely. Whereas our lighter haired Anakin bears the date stamp of “31751” and so unless you are an opener, you’ll want to avoid.
We are glad Hasbro has unofficially addressed this problem via many New York Comic-Con reports and hope you carded collectors are able to find a set that will last to put in your collections.
