On the Hunt for Skylanders – A Launch Day Stock Report

Skylanders Imaginators has landed on Australian shores, and the annual confusing mess of product availability along with it. Retailer catalogues have advertised most of the Wave 1 figures and crystals, with store databases having indicated that Wave 2 would also show up alongside the game’s launch. I headed out to scour the shop floors today to see what I could find.

EB Games

Exclusives: Dark Edition Starter Pack

EB Games is home to the exclusive Dark Edition of Imaginators. This is the only way to get a Dark crystal at launch, with no word on a release date for its official release in Wave 3. Despite two extra crystals and an extra figure, it’s a far more expensive way of getting into the game than the discounted Starter Pack available at other retailers.

Both Wave 1 and 2 figures were in short supply for those who didn’t preorder, with only one or two spares of each figure. They also had all of the standard Wave 1 crystals as advertised in catalogues, and were also the only place throughout the day carrying the Triple Packs. If you’re keen to save some money on your crystals, this is a good way to go. No EB Games stores had any of the individual Wave 2 crystals in stock, but the Wave 2 tech crystal is in one of these triple packs.

Target

Exclusives: Crash Edition Starter Pack for PS4

Possible Exclusives: Combo Packs

Early in the morning, the local Target didn’t even have stock set up. However, a quick revisit later in the day showed the typical expansive selection Target have become known for with Skylanders. They had a much larger array of crystals available, featuring every single design from both Wave 1 and 2. Conspicously absent was the Crash Starter Pack for PS4. This may be because stock wasn’t on the floor yet, or perhaps there was no spares for those who didn’t preorder. Either way, it’s doubtful that this pack will be in healthy supply, so grab it while you can if you are interested.

Target was the only place offering the Combo Packs. For $20, you can score yourself a either Wolfgang or Mysticat and an Imaginator crystal of the corresponding element. There were also reports of some Target stores selling Crystal Triple Packs for the same price.

JB Hi-fi

Two JB Hi-fi visits were both equally disappointing. With only the standard Starter Pack and Adventure Pack available, no exclusive items, and no substantial discounts, you can safely leave a trip to JB out of your Skylanders hunt.

Big W

Exclusives: Legendary Tri-Tip

The winner for today, by a long margin, was Big W. Each Big W has a stand in each store with Starter Packs on the side, and a vast range of figures crystals to choose from. They had a huge amount of each crystal from both Wave 1 and 2, so this should be your destination if there are any missing from your collection. They also have the exclusive Legendary Skylanders again this year, beginning with Tri-Tip in a new red and gold colour scheme for you collectors out there.

One more thing worth noting – they also had stand alone Kaos figures on the shelves, which scanned through at $0.01 on the tills. If you pop one of those in your trolley along with a few other Skylanders, there is a good chance that you can slip one of these in and score yourself a freebie if you missed out on the preorder bonus!

So that is all the big hitters for the Skylanders Imaginators launch in Australia. Did you pick up the game today? What extras did you grab to go along with the game? Let us know! The official Skylanders Twitter page has also hinted that there may be some crystal related surprises around, so keep an eye peeled for a potential rare find!