RGB DVD Set Release Date Pushed Back & Firehouse Box First Look Thoughts

TimeLife just wrote in to inform me, and in turn inform you, that the release date for The Real Ghostbusters: Complete Collection DVD box set has been pushed back. The original release date was either November 15th or 20th, depending on whether you believed TimeLife.com or the press release. The new release date is November 25th. The credit or debit card you used to pre-order this set will be charged the week of November 25th when they package your collection to ship. To make it up to the fans who have been waiting so long, every order made prior to November 15th is being UPGRADED to free FedEx Express shipping. That means that if you haven't pre-ordered yet, you can get a free upgrade to FedEx Express shipping if you place your pre-order by THIS SATURDAY! Keep in mind, you still have to pay for standard shipping. It's just that you'll get a free upgrade to Express shipping. If you use the AFPUMPKIN coupon code, you'll save $27 (that's 15%) off the item price and pay only $5 for the standard shipping. So that's $27 off & $5 shipping (using AFPUMPKIN code), upgraded to FedEx Express at no additional cost, if you pre-order by THIS SATURDAY November 15th!

[UPDATED - 11/12/2008]
I just got a response back from Noel Carr at TimeLife which, I hope, will clarify some of the confusion going around about the free FedEx Express shipping upgrade offer.

1. Is the free FedEx Express shipping going to be applied manually when the orders are billed?

-Yes

2. Just to be clear, if people use either of these coupon codes with their orders by this Saturday, they can still get the free Express shipping, right?

-Yes

3. And just to be even clearer, even though the AFPUMPKIN coupon gives a $5 flat shipping rate, it would still be billed as FREE FedEx Express shipping for all orders made by the 15th, right?

-You still have to pay the $5 for standard shipping, but the upgrade to FedEx Express will be free.

So, in short, you still have to pay for standard shipping, but that'll be upgraded to FedEx Express shipping at no additional cost. Standard shipping is normally $17.99, and the upgrade to Express is normally $6.50. With that in mind, I think I can safely say that AFPUMPKIN is the best deal around. That would make the standard shipping $5.00, and the Express upgrade is free if you pre-order by this Saturday! That's a savings of $19.45 on the shipping alone - plus the AFPUMPKIN codes gives you $27 off the item price (that's 15% off). Which means you'll save a whopping $46.45 off the regular price of the set and Express shipping (assuming I didn't screw up the calculations).

Jeff Peisch from TimeLife told me that "normally shipping a DVD set takes 7-10 days, so if we shipped on Nov. 15 the package would arrive on about Nov. 25. We're now going to ship on Nov. 25 with packages arriving in a day or two." So the free upgrade in shipping means that you'll get your package about the same time, if not a bit sooner, then you were originally going to get it if the November 15th release date had stuck.

Chances are you'll probably get it the day before or the day after Thanksgiving. If you're having lots of family over to your place, with lots of little kids (brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews), that would be a great time to get them hooked on The Real Ghostbusters. Just make sure they keep their grubby little mitts off the DVDs and accessories.


I received an advanced copy of the firehouse box today (just the box itself, not the DVDs or anything else), and it looks great - though mighty small compared to the large mock-ups I've been privy to over the past month. I'm a little disappointed that the two lenticular panels are inside the box, shown through cut-outs on the side, instead of being glued on top. Maybe it was done that way because the panels might be prone to fall off from usage if glued to the outside - and probably to save money, too. In looking at the white brick sides, I can't help but think how cool it would be if those white bricks glowed in the dark. I wish I would have thought of that when I was consulting on the design as it might have been a good suggestion.

[UPDATE - 11/11/2008]
Chad over at Ghostbusters.net just posted a video to YouTube which shows the different sides of the box, but more importantly, shows off in full motion the lenticular panels. Go check it out!