1. Coma21
2. moodydoom
3. debparis
4. Iammordecai
5. Butcher Brand
6. dago
7. Damaged Bryan (maybe Fri def Sat and Sun)
8. Arin C. (Wed-Sat)

I'd suggest a separate thread for posting exclusives. Keep this one for attendee planning, and a new one for ragging on the shitty toys.

and done : )

for toy news and exclusives go here: http://skullbrain.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=43074

Would be cool if any old timers could chime in on this thread with valuable tips.

Will be my first con, so noobing it in a big way. I'm especially keen for any tips on waiting times, what time to arrive etc.
Like most here, i'm looking at mainly Kaiju, S7, Gargamel

1. Coma21
2. moodydoom
3. debparis
4. Iammordecai
5. Butcher Brand
6. dago
7. Damaged Bryan (maybe Fri def Sat and Sun)
8. Arin C. (Wed-Sat)
9. Nama Niku (Wed-Sun)

This will be my 5th year in a row (4 of those with preview night). Feel free to ask me any newbie questions.

My past experiences on Preview Night have been mixed for sure. I have seen years where peeps with exhibitor badges swept over the tables like a horde of hungry locust well before the doors even open to the public. Many of the 1/1 exclusives are long gone before the Con even starts. Other years, 1/1's sit there for days with no takers.

The Gargamel booth is pretty small, and just around the corner from Super 7. I have seen it many people deep with no organized line, or with hardly anyone standing there during the week. Many of the standard run exclusives will last through Thursday no problem, but some do sell out on Preview.

It all depends on the year however and what is hot.

How about the rest of the toys, do they get sold on the preview night too?

Still have not secured a pass for this year. Living here and not being there would suck.

For the most part, yes. Many smaller booths have exclusives for specific days, and some have everything for sale starting on day one.

Hasbro has their standard line, as does Mattel. The Hasbro line is always CRAZY.

I'm also attending preview night this year. I know that ticket collection for preview night is happening just a few hours before it opens. Any idea, more or less, how long it takes to get processed? I'm only coming into town Wednesday afternoon and wondering how realistic it will be to get processed before doors open at 6.

Also, and i know this is subjective, but i'm curious as to anyone's buying/budget strategies.
Obviously everyone has different budgets, but any tips? Do you guys try and stick to a daily budget or only go for a select few items that you were already aiming for before the con? Or is it just no rules, con fever until the Sunday morning regret kicks in?
I'm sure it's easy to get swept along the madness and make lots of impulse purchases and poor credit card decisions : )...

Make sure you're in the correct line. It sounds like stupid advice, the kind of common sense thing that shouldn't be brought up. But CCI is far from normal and most people's eyes glaze over because of the pure spectacle. You'd be amazed to see how many will arbitrarily pick a line, hoping that it will lead them to where they want to go. It wastes time and creates lost opportunities. If you don't see a sign next to a line, or a sign pointing to another sign that leads to the line in question, ask. Keep asking until you get a definite answer and not one that begins with "I think". This applies to everything from toys to panels.

Here's something else that usually causes confusion. Once you are inside the Convention Center and go up the escalator, there are two lines to get into the Exhibitor's floor. One line begins near the Sails (Freebie table) and the other one starts in near Hall H (make a left after Room 20). People will tell you otherwise. They are wrong. Ignore them. Pick a line, the one closest to where you have to go, and wait.

Other than that, have fun. Don't expect to get or see everything you want to. Try not to stress out and just go with it. (I've attended CCI for seventeen years and will most likely take a break this year. I'm almost sad about it but, eh...)

This is as much as I'm prepared to share.

1. Coma21
2. moodydoom
3. debparis
4. Iammordecai
5. Butcher Brand
6. dago
7. Damaged Bryan (maybe Fri def Sat and Sun)
8. Arin C. (Wed-Sat)
9. Nama Niku (Wed-Sun)
10. eckotyper (Wed-Sun)

1. Coma21
2. moodydoom
3. debparis
4. Iammordecai
5. Butcher Brand
6. dago
7. Damaged Bryan (maybe Fri def Sat and Sun)
8. Arin C. (Wed-Sat)
9. Nama Niku (Wed-Sun)
10. eckotyper (Wed-Sun)
11. lurker (Wed-Sat) MW sales on friday

Know where you'll be selling from Chad?

1. Coma21
2. moodydoom
3. debparis
4. Iammordecai
5. Butcher Brand
6. dago
7. Damaged Bryan (maybe Fri def Sat and Sun)
8. Arin C. (Wed-Sat)
9. Nama Niku (Wed-Sun)
10. eckotyper (Wed-Sun)
11. lurker (Wed-Sat) MW sales on friday
12. Danlord (Wed-Sun)

I'll be there all days

1. Coma21
2. moodydoom
3. debparis
4. Iammordecai
5. Butcher Brand
6. dago
7. Damaged Bryan (maybe Fri def Sat and Sun)
8. Arin C. (Wed-Sat)
9. Nama Niku (Wed-Sun)
10. eckotyper (Wed-Sun)
11. lurker (Wed-Sat) MW sales on friday
12. Danlord (Wed-Sun)
13. animator

27 days left people!!! I can’t be more excited about this event as it is my first time attending.
Any more tips we the first timers should know?

All I can say this year is sadface.

Times like this is wish I didn't live at the bottom of the planet, would love some help with scoring some Gargamel this year if anyone is feeling generous. I'm sure I'll make it out there one day.

1. Coma21
2. moodydoom
3. debparis
4. Iammordecai
5. Butcher Brand
6. dago
7. Damaged Bryan (maybe Fri def Sat and Sun)
8. Arin C. (Wed-Sat)
9. Nama Niku (Wed-Sun)
10. eckotyper (Wed-Sun)
11. lurker (Wed-Sat) MW sales on friday
12. Danlord (Wed-Sun)
13. animator
14. Winu

all day erry day

Bring water and snacks. You don't want to spend money on over-priced food when you're hoarding for toys and for heaven's sake please maintain a high standard regarding hygiene.

Bring a handkerchief and take those daily showers. Tired of people who stink.

showers are for suckers.

so they allow food/water in i'm assuming (packaged)?

they dont care if you bring food or drinks into the convention.

1. Coma21
2. moodydoom
3. debparis
4. Iammordecai
5. Butcher Brand
6. dago
7. Damaged Bryan (maybe Fri def Sat and Sun)
8. Arin C. (Wed-Sat)
9. Nama Niku (Wed-Sun)
10. eckotyper (Wed-Sun)
11. lurker (Wed-Sat) MW sales on friday
12. Danlord (Wed-Sun)
13. animator
14. Winu
15. kk andy

you don't like the stink of rotten taco bell in the morning nate?

come on....it's part of the allure of sdcc.

That was me posting, Maddie.

Nate has a more tolerant nose than I do, but I am basically armpit height due to my short stature, I am sure you can understand why the magic of SDCC has worn off for me since I get to see it full in the face.