Just a few short weeks ago, I was visiting the Oakville TRU and I almost fainted. They had it! I picked up the box to admire it and was stunned at its weight. The box was solid and it I just stared at the back for far too many minutes. I put it back on the shelf and said to it, "One day my friend, one day." Kept on waiting for the right moment to strike.
Let's jump to Thursday of this week. I'm at work, I visit the TRU website to see if the flyer for Friday is online yet. It is and I see those glorious words. 40 percent off all Mega Bloks Halo kits. I zoom in for the small print only to find there isn't any. Can this be happening? I try browsing their site, my heart sinks as the kit isn't where it should be. I think, it was only a couple of weeks ago, Oakville had one. Friday I'm there and I start doing the math on what 40 percent of 269 is. Boom, that's a savings that I can't ignore. I won't find it fore less than this and if they do have it on sale for more, they'll all be gone after this sale. I have to act fast.
I pop over to the Megabloks site to read about this dream purchase. I see a link for find it in stores and I see that it's pointing me to a TRU Canada link. So I click on it and what do you know, it's there. They've hidden this beauty from regular surfing. I try searching for it on the site and the only way to find this thing is to come from the Megabloks site. That has since even been removed. I dance, a little. People can't find this thing even if they wanted it.
So Friday rolls around, I even leave work 10 minutes early to get a jump on the traffic as the threat of snow is in the air and the weathernetwork's website. I'm flying down the 403 at an unusual pace for the time of day only to hit a snow wall if it were and traffic comes to a crawl. The snow just gets a bit thicker and traffic slows even more. I keep looking at the clock. Come on! It'll be gone before I get there. I calm myself down by saying, the other toy nerds are also in this snow and they're fighting traffic as well. It takes almost 2 hours to get there, at least it felt like 2 hours, but 1.5 hours at least. I know it was late. I run in as best I can in the whole 3 cm's of snow that has fallen that has caused this traffic chaos. I get to where I found the kit a few short weeks ago and the whole display is gone. I'm CRUSHED. I walk back to where they have the rest of the Mega Bloks kits, I can't find it. I walk calmly to the front of the store and I pull it up on my phone and ask the great employee if they have this in the store. She says they've got 2 "according" to the computer. I know this computer scam, I fell for it at a Walmart a few months ago with a Lego Death Star. So I'm not feeling good. She tries calling Burlington, they're busy. I tell her I'll be back and I go back to look for this "2". I can't see them. I find what appears to be 17 year old working there, I don't have hopes he'll know what I'm talking about. I ask him, he says, "ya I'll show you. " I'm back up there in my mind, but then he starts walking back to where I've looked and I start thinking, no no no. I've been there. Unless there is a secret trap door young sir, it ain't there. He looks on the shelves. He starts to look at the shelves that they store stuff on above the regular shelves. I've already looked there and it ain't there either I think to myself. I explain to him, "Dude, this box is massive, it's 2800 pieces and is like 4 times the size of this box" as I point to another kit. He grabs another guy working and asks about the kit. He tells me, "It's gone, we had one a few weeks ago and it's gone. Besides, if it was here, I would have bought it before I started my shift as it's an awesome kit." He smiles. Ahhh, another collector, we talk about how great the kit is. He tells me he's been looking in the back all week. Nothing. He forgets he's helping someone else. I say well, I'll see if somewhere else might have one in that dreaded computer. I go back to the front, I tell the person working the counter, nope one of your guys confirmed it, it's gone. She looks it up on the computer and the guy comes to the counter, she tells him that is says 2. He explains that if it says 2 or under, it's not here. He goes off. So we search the screen for 3's and 4's. Boom! Found one. Crap, Quebec. Keep going, another one! BC. Damn, even further. I make the nervous joke that driving to Quebec or BC will really wipe out the sale savings. I can feel this dream piece falling through my hands. Then, she yells, Hamilton has four just as the guy comes running back across the store yelling HAMILTON HAS FOUR!! Again, I've been crushed by this computer system thing before, she calls for me. She's now all excited and is loving the hunt. They tell her that they've got one! I look at my phone and it's almost 7 at this point. I left work at 4! I know what the traffic was like before I got in to the store and I can't imagine it has gotten any better. I think, this traffic and heading up the mountain. I don't have time to get there. I look at my fellow collector and he smiles. He says, you better get there tonight or tomorrow because I'll go on Sunday and get it if it's still there. I laugh, good luck with that because by Sunday it'll be at my house and smile. I think, it's 7 and it's crazy out, what are the chances that it sells in the next 2 hours. I think, it's low. I can't make it. I talk myself back off the ledge and head home.
I get home and tell my wife the heart-breaking story. I tell her it's in Hamilton and she asks what time they open. I checked the TRU website and I see 8 AM. Looks like you're getting up early tomorrow she says. She can see the excitement in my eyes for this thing. I don't get a great sleep on the Friday night as I'm nervous.
The alarm goes off at just after 7:00 and I'm up and out of the house quickly. I have to have this thing. I get on the QEW and after just one stop, law enforcement gets on the highway and he's heading my way. Damnit! The roads are perfectly clean and I'm in a hurry, of course a cop has to get on the highway. I'm going along, doing the math in my head, I have to be at the base of the mountain at this time, I need to be at the ramp by this time. I fly up there, I get in the lot and I see a car already in the lot. I think to myself, sorry son. The line doesn't start in your car, it starts at the door. I get out and brave the winter winds that have come out of nowhere. I look at the sign and I'm crushed again. Special hours are now in effect because of the season and they closed at midnight last night. That's actually 5 hours that someone could have grabbed this, not the 2 that I was thinking. Oh geez. Another guy joins me in line quickly after I stand outside the door. I start to feel him out, what's he here for I wonder. He lives around the corner turns out. I think, well if he's after what I'm after, he would have gotten it yesterday when the sale started if he lives so close. A women joins the line and starts saying, I hope they have Black Ops 2. I didn't realize the game was so hard to find I think to myself. Ok, so far I'm the only one in line for this thing. The doors finally open and I'm hauling across the floor. I get to the construction bricks section. Lego, Kre-O, Mechano where are the Mega Bloks?!?!? I see the Halo stuff, I stop and turn my head and there it was glowing on the shelf. I finally found it. Quickly grab it and continue around the store with a nice calm walk to see what else was there. Finally had it in my hands and after all this story, it was truly worth it.
So, it's home and here is what she looks like. As you can, the box is massive and if the Oakville TRU would have had it, I would have found it. I should thank the great people at the Oakville TRU as they were very, very helpful in this search.
So after sleeping for a bit when I got home and having some breakfast, I finally cracked it open. The packaging quality of this product is amazing. For those that have played board games at my place, you can see that the box is almost as wide as the table.
So I pulled out the instruction novel and I read that throughout the day. I'm pleased to learn that the build is in four sections and I can see that there are four boxes inside this beast.
So I think, that's great, box per section. This isn't my first Halo Mega Bloks project and I was stunned on my first project that they just throw all the parts in many bags but they have no order. You need a few pieces from this bag and a few pieces from this bag. Those that have purchased Lego kits, you know that the kits come in numbered bags, so you have to look through far less bags for those little pieces when you need them. Sure, that makes the build take a bit longer, but it can be a bit frustrating at times. So, I've looked through the book and I'm ready to start, happy that they've changed things for this kit as it is almost 2900 pieces. So I take the four boxes out and I open the first one and I'm stunned.
As you can see, each box comes with a great insert telling you exactly what's in each box. What has become quite clear to me very quickly is that yes, I'll have to dig through each box and each bag to find the pieces I need at each stage. Well, that's going to make this thing a challenge and a half that's for sure.
So, let's set up the station and get a building. This is a couple steps into the build but I've got everything I need, my Lego Brick Separators and a pair of scissors.
So the above picture is after 3 pages! and about 150 bricks! Ya. This is going to take a long, long time.
The boxes aren't so neat now. :)
Here we are after 4 pages and about 230 bricks built. Only another 2600 to go!
At this point, I had to pack it in for today as my back was getting a bit sore. But I'll be back at it again tomorrow. See you then with more pictures and hopefully it starts to look like a space ship by then.
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