Have you ever had that one piece of a figure line you wanted so bad, but never got?  I think of that as the Holy Grail of the collection.  Most long term readers know I play a miniatures game called HeroClix.  Its basically Chess with super-heroes.  And if you want to play with 4 knights and no bishops, we expect that.   You can run a team of Avengers or Justice League or X-Men or confound your opponent by running an Atlantis team with Aquaman AND Namor on it.  Perfectly legal.

Back to my Holy Grail.  WizKids, the makers of HeroClix, put out several new sets a year.  Every once in a while they add a new piece which just grabs you in a way I cannot describe.  But because these pieces are almost always blind boxed, you can never be certain what you are buying.  Unless you go to the secondary market.  In 2012, they added vehicles.  For 2 times the cost of a normal booster, you could get a Super Booster.  Previously, there had been some over-sized Marvel characters such as the Mole Monster and Master Mold.  This time, they were DC vehicles.  The Batmobile.  The Batjet.  The Invisible Jet, a police car, a generic tank, The Haunted Tank, and Blue Beetle’s Bug Ship.  25$ for 1 piece felt like a lot of money.  Especially when you did not know which one you were getting.  The set released in November.  I waited.  I remember buying one for myself for Christmas.  On Christmas morning I opened … The Batjet.  Now the Batjet is really cool.  Except when you buy yourself another blind box for 25$ for Easter and get a 2nd one.

Bug In Box

Over time, I bought or traded for the others.  I still to this day do not have the generic tank, but I don’t care.  My goal was the beetle ship.  Its cost on the secondary market went up immediately due to its superior value in play over the others.  It also weighed more, so if you were lucky enough to have it come into the store you frequented and could lift before buying, you knew if you were getting it.  Last time I checked, it had been hovering at about 40$.

Bug Front View

Fast forward.  I logged into eBay not long ago and there was a coupon for 5$ off any purchase above a certain amount.  I did a search and found a bug of 29.99 or best offer.  I offered a bit less and they took it.  I added a few other items and it qualified for free shipping.  A week later and it was mine.  I opened it to check on its condition, but then wrapped it and put it under our Christmas tree.  On Christmas morning, I opened it and it was finally mine.

Bug Angled View

It has been a long journey getting this piece for a price I was willing to pay, but it is finally here.  I have not played it yet, but I will, and soon.

Justice League International