In 2006, two cases of Giant Man Series retail samples were inexpicably left on the pegs at a Wal-Mart in Emporia, Kansas. According to Toy Biz, only 20 total figures -- 2 complete sets of the 10 figures in the series -- exist, making them some of the rarest action figures ever available at retail stores. Reportedly, only one person has a complete set, and he's contributed photos and information for this blog post.
The Fwoosh message board was a hot bed of action figure news and rumors, particularly so for Toy Biz's Marvel Legends. In December 2005, word got out that someone had found the upcoming Wal-Mart exclusive Giant Man Series wave months early. It didn't take long before word broke that a couple of cases of pre-production retail samples had been accidentally left on the shelf for purchase.
Nearly 18 years later, photos of several of these figures along with additional information Jesse Falcon were shared with me by reader John Kiesling. This information was originally shared by Jesse Falcon on MarvelToys.net on February 10, 2006:
Ok I wanted to check with ou[r] HK office before I posted this because I saw the images of the W-M wave last night on line and the person who posted states that they were found in the states. Apparently there was a sales meeting where 1 pallet (or) 5 of what's referred to as a PQD were rushed to make this sales meeting and were not intended to be turned around to be sold at retail! I'm [n]ot sure why this was done but that very limited amount of product is now at retail in that one state and probably at that one store.
What's really frustrating is that this lines not in production yet and that product that was rushed together ONLY for that sales meeting and does not represent the final working product. The deco articulation and function and fit of the product is NOT finished.
You will all see the FINAL product and much more on Sunday.
Best,
Jesse Falcon
Kiesling also shared the following comments:
"They had a different clamshell or blister that was very noticeable at the bottom of the package as the stickers protruded past the edge of the wrong type of clamshell. They had a slightly different paint job on them. One of the figures was in the wrong place in the sealed package. On the back side of the card sealed in the clamshell was a hand written inventory or sample number."
You can view the entire album below as a slideshow:
