Activision hired a PR company prior to E3 2011 to build excitement for Skylanders. The PR company mailed 1 of 3 figures to various gaming sites and news publications. The figures were either Spyro, Gill Grunt, or Trigger Happy. Each one had a sticker on the front that looked like this:
According to one of the journalists who received a figure and sold it on eBay, Activision probably made about 600 of these figures for distribution before and during E3.
If the number of copies is split evenly among the three versions there are only 200 of each figure.
Only the figures still in the original box are rare because the figures are identical to the standard Series 1 figures. Once the package is open they become indistinguishable from figures that sell for $4-5 each.
The purpose of the promotion was to open the figures and use them on the game at Activision's E3 booth. Because of this many of these were opened.
Nobody knows the exact number of sealed copies available for these rare figures, but it is probably close to 100-150.
Only two of these have come up for auction that I am aware of, both Trigger Happy. One closed at $62 last March and another sold for $503 with a Chrome Spyro from E3 2012.
Hopefully more of these E3 2011 Skylanders come-up for sale soon so we can know the actual value. My guess is they will be the most expensive Skylanders figures ever sold when they do sell again.
Thanks to DluA on DarkSpyro forums for much of this information on the 2011 E3 variants.
E3 2011 Model Number Image
19 comments :
I don't know about collecting this one since its only a sticker and its going to be easier to fake than most sealed ones. I'm out.
I don't get the whole skylander fab ,but it is a great idea that is making them a lot of money because you just can't buy the game you have to keep buy charaters. Rip off!!!
These would be very difficult to fake. There was never a single pack of Trigger Happy released for Skylanders Spyro's Adventure, so it's not a matter of just printing the sticker and slapping it onto an existing package. You'd have to fake the WHOLE package. Also, if you float the box over one of the portals, the game realizes there's a Skylander present, but fails to recognize it. You get the error message on the screen. My assumption is the programming wasn't complete on these early protos and they just did enough programming on them to make them show up on whatever portals/software they used at the trade show. Notice, there is no hang tag notch at the top like the consumer release Skylanders. The back of the package is also a completely blank white.
Regarding the portal error you received, I, too, got the same error with the 2 that I have. Other than your assumption about programming; my other thought was that the packaging is different, in that, it slopes forward when you place it on a flat surface. I think the error may be caused because the RFID is being read at an angle? I have had that issue with different figures before...
Here's more info I discussed if anyone is interested...
http://forum.darkspyro.net/spyro/viewposts.php?topic=77468&page=1
Sorry I was just trying to add info without bragging about what I have. WE all have different goals I guess :D
If I come across as bragging, I apologize, I am simply excited about finding these hard to find figures. No one likes a braggard anyway! May I ask where you found your TH? Was it at E3?
Nope. Ebay. You can see mine pictured above in the article.
Nice! You got a good deal then IMO. That was the right time to have bought these, compared to now, where going forward they're going to cost a pretty penny when they eventually resurface on eBay... Congrats!
"Only the figures still in the original box are rare because the figures are identical to the standard Series 1 figures. Once the package is open they become indistinguishable from figures that sell for $4-5 each."
I took the time to contact Metagamer who posted this video right after 2011 E3. In the video, it shows several examples of an E3 figure being placed on a portal, but appears differently than in SSA. Upon contacting him and asking him what his figure did when placed on a normal portal, his response was; "they are just the figures and do not register/work on the portal." As was commented above, the RFID chips in these were indeed specific to 2011 E3 and thus are prototype like in nature.
It's nice to be right :D
Nice job James!
I just came into a couple of Gill Grunt figures that are purportedly from the 2011 E3. Neither is sealed in packaging, but one is in a non-descript white cardboard box with the "Bring me to life" sticker affixed. The model numbers on the bottom of the Gill Grunts are identical to each other, and do not match other "production" Series 1 Gill Grunts that I own. If anyone has one(2011 E3 Gill Grunt) that is in the plastic bubble packaging with the cardboard backing, I'd like to compare model numbers.
@james - I've posted an image of the model number so you can compare.
Awesome. Thank you.
mine is L3113 what are yours
I have all 3 got 10 skylanders for 2 bucks these three came with lmao
I have two Trigger Happys and one Spyro
For sale? In the box?
My friend gave me his whole collection of about 250 skylanders and I don’t know if it’s worth looking at the serial numbers and I wouldn’t know where to start.
Post a Comment