Transformers

[iFett]

I don't know if this is "news" or not, but I was at Target today and noticed they had the Revenge of the Fallen Robot Heroes out on the pegs.

These somehow fell through the cracks of the "street date"  Lots of folks are finding these at Targets from what I hear.  I've not seen them yet, but I'm not going there again with the movie versions.

[iFett]

ROTF toys  Be prepared to be amazed or disappointed.  Some are FAB thingies so they're the dumbed down version for the kiddies.

Me likes this guy(s) the bestest      

[Greedo The Green Menace]

The preview figures are supposedly being put out by various Wal Marts across Canada for anyone who is interested. I picked up Soundwave tonight, cool little guy, though I'm kind of hoping he gets the voyager treatment at some point as he's very short.

[Brian]

Is there a checklist of what will be coming out for the Revenge of the Fallen movie stuff at the end of this month?  I see that sites like HTS have a Prime, Bumblebee and Soundwave up for preorder, but that's it (maybe those are the preview figures, I have absolutely no idea).  I was just curious if we knew what will be out there on release day.  I know Hasbro has often been releasing checklists with their past few release dates (ROTS, Spidey 3, Indy, etc.), but maybe that is still on the way in the next couple weeks.

[iFett]

I haven't really been keeping up, but here's a Walmart list - not that I'm answering your question though.  I'm not sure what's coming out when, but only Bumblebee and Soundwave are the preview figs - which means they should be out now, not for the general release, but who cares I guess.

Material Number 839710000
TRA MV2 DELUXE FIGURE ASST RM59.90
TRA MV2 DELUXE SOUNDWAVE FIG
TRA MV2 DELUXE BUMBLEBEE FIG

Material Number 839710001
TRA MV2 DELUXE FIG ASST WV 1 09 RM59.90
TRA MV2 DELUXE SIDEWAYS
TRA MV2 DELUXE SIDESWIPE
TRA MV2 DELUXE BULL DOZER
TRA MV2 DELUXE BREAKWAY

Material Number 839710002
TRA MV2 DELUXE FIG ASST WV 2 09 RM59.90
TRA MV2 GREEN ECO CAR 1
TRA MV2 DELUXE DESERT BRAWL
TRA MV2 DELUXE RC TRUCK BOT
TRA MV2 DELUXE CHROMIA T
RA MV2 DELUXE SMOKE SCREEN

Material Number 839720000
TRA MV2 VOYAGER ASST WV 1 09 RM 119.90
TRA MV2 VOYAGER STARSCREAM
TRA MV2 VOYAGER OPTIMUS PRIME
TRA MV2 DEMOLISHOR T
RA MV2 VOYAGER IRONHIDE

Material Number 839720002
TRA MV2 VOYAGER ASST WV2 09 RM119.90
TRA MV2 VOYAGER OPTIMUS PRIME
TRA MV2 VOYAGER ALIEN FORM
TRA MV2 VOYAGER IRONHIDE
TRA MV2 DESERT TRACKER RATCHET

Material Number 839730000
TRA MV2 LEADER ASST WV 1 09 RM219.90
TRA MV2 LEADER OPTIMUS PRIME
TRA MV2 LEADER MEGATRON

Material Number 839740000
TRA MV2 SCOUT ASST WV 1 09 RM39.90
TRA MV2 SCOUT ROLLBAR
TRA MV2 SCOUT DEAD END
TRA MV2 SCOUT KNOCK OUT
TRA MV2 SCOUT DIRT BOSS

Material Number 839740001
TRA MV2 SCOUT ASST WV 2 09 RM39.90
TRA MV2 SCOUT ROLLBAR
TRA MV2 SCOUT DEAD END
TRA MV2 SCOUT KNOCK OUT
TRA MV2 SCOUT DIRT BOSS
TRA MV2 SCOUT DEPTH CHARGE
TRA MV2 SCOUT RANSACK

Material Number 839750000
TRA MV2 FST ACTIN BATTLERS ASST WV 1 09 RM54.90
TRA MV2 CANNON BLAST MEGATRON
TRA MV2 ELECTRO WHIP JOLT
TRA MV2 DOUBLE BLADE OPTIMUS PRIME
TRA MV2 PULSE BLAST BUMBLEBEE

Material Number 839750001
TRA MV2 FST ACTIN BATTLERS ASST WV 2 09 RM54.90
TRA MV2 FST ACTN BTTLRS PHTON MSLE JTFR
TRA MV2 FST ACTIN DVSTATN BLST LONG HAUL
TRA MV2 FAST ACTION BATTLERS BEAM BLAST
TRA MV2 FST ACTN BTLRS MGNA MSSLE SDWAY

Material Number 839760000
TRA MV2 GRAVITY BOTS ASST WV 1 09 RM49.90
TRA MV2 GRAVITY BOTS BUMBLEBEE
TRA MV2 GRAVITY BOTS OPTIMUS PRIME
TRA MV2 GRAVITY BOTS STARSCREAM

Material Number 839070000
TRA MV2 BUMBLEBEE HELMET ROLE PL WV 1 09 RM189.90
TRA MV2 ROLE PLY BMBLEBEE VOICE MIXER

Material Number 897620000
TRA MV2 OPTIMUS PRIME HLMT RLE PLY ASST RM 189.90
TRA MV2 ROLE PLAY OPTIMUS PRIME

Material Number 898430000
TRA MV2 ROBOT REPLICAS ASST WV 1 09 RM 54.90
TRA MV2 ROBOT REPLICAS OPTIMUS PRIME
TRA MV2 ROBOT REPLICAS STARSCREAM
TRA MV2 ROBOT REPLICA IRONHIDE
TRA MV2 ROBOT AUTOBOT RATCHET

Material Number 898430001
TRA MV2 ROBOT REPLICAS ASST W2 09 RM 54.90
TRA MV2 ROBOT REPLICAS MEGATRON
TRA MV2 ROBOT REPLICA BUMBLEBEE
TRA MV2 ROBOT REPLICA JETFIRE
TRA MV2 ROBOT REPLICA AUTOBOT SKIDS

Material Number 922430000
TRA MV2 ULTIMATE BUMBLE BEE ASST RM 429.90
TRA MV2 ULTIMATE BMBLEBEE BTTLE CHARGED


...and for Target.

087-06-0111 TF MV2 Deluxe Figures
087-06-0115 TF MV2 Scout Figures
087-06-0119 Transformers MV2 Optimus Prime Helm
087-06-0120 TF MV2 Voyager
087-06-0122 TF MV2 Leader
087-06-0125 TF MV2 Gravity Bots
087-06-0127 Transbattler MV2 FAB
087-06-0128 TF MV2 Robot Replicas
087-06-0131 TF MV2 Robot Hero Scene
087-06-0139 Tran Weapon MV2 Robot Weapons
087-06-0141 Trans Helmet MV2 Helmet Roleplay
087-06-0146 TF MV2 Combiners
087-06-0162 TF MV2 Ultimate Bumblebee
087-06-0163 TF MV2 Power bots
087-06-0164 TF MV2 Mega Power bots
087-06-0171 TF MV2 Legends
087-06-0294 TRA Combiner TF MV2

[Greedo The Green Menace]

Here's the wave 1 case breakdowns as reported on Seibertron.com

Deluxe Class Wave 1:

1 Rampage
1 Breakaway
2 Sideways
2 Bumblebee*
2 Sideswipe

Movie Leader Class Wave 1:
1x Optimus Prime
1x Megatron

Movie Voyager class Wave 1:
from left to right
1x Repaint Voyager Optimus
1x Demolisher
1x Ironhide
1x Starscream

Optimus Voice Changer Roleplay asst
is exaclty as it reads
2x Optimus voice changer

Robot Replicas Wave 1
from left to right
2x Optimus Prime
2x Starscream
2x Ironhide
2x Ratchet

[iFett]

Oh...new listing from Canada TRU computers....

TRANSFORMERS UNVRS G1 COMMEMORATIVE SRS
($49.99, SKU: 847585, UPC: 653569444213)

Sept/09

[Ben]

That better be a really big reissue, and not just a jet or car. $50 is a lot of scratch, regardless of Canadian or American dollars.

[iFett]

Someone on one of the Transformers boards might be on to something....Blaster with his 4 tapes.  $49.99 is the same price as Comicon Soundwave that comes out in July...Kinda makes sense to me, but if they're going to run with another reboot at TRU they need to bring down the prices or something because everything with the exception of Prime seemed to just not move. 

The previous Soundwave was under the Classics Collection banner so I'm not grouping him with the commemorative series.  That guy sold like hotcakes in my neck of the woods.

[Ben]

I remember the TRU Soundwave being $30-35, with Laserbeak and Ravage, so Blaster being $50 with four cassettes might not be so far off. Blaster is a lot bigger than Soundwave too. And yeah, Soundwave sold like crazy.

I'll probably pass on this, since I spent $50 in 2006 for the TFC Blaster (which only came with Steeljaw). It's great to see Hasbro doing reissues, though. And I'm glad they aren't all Autobot cars from 84/85.

Looking forward to this Friday and the ROTF previews being released. I'm only planning on buying Soundwave from the entire range, and I'm willing to bet I get shut down at the register at whatever store I actually find them at. I remember going all over hell when the preview toys for the first movie came out, and almost having them ripped from my hands at TRU when I did find them.

[DoctorPadawan]

Let the stupidity of street dates for toys commence again...

One of my local WMs put out two pegs worth of the ROTF Robot Replicas (2 each of Prime, Ratchet, Ironhide, and Starscream) today, priced at 12.88 each.  Since I really wanted Ironhide and Starscream, I took them to the register only to be met with the dreaded "DO NOT SELL" ding noise of the scanner.  A "manager" came over and said, "These have been recalled or something, we can't sell them to you."  When I replied that they were on the shelves, clearly priced, and in abundance, she said, "I don't know what to tell you" and walked away.

Now, as ridiculous as I find the very idea of a release date for toys, there was NOTHING about these that hadn't been seen before in terms of design or character (which, I'd always gathered, was the big deal about having street dates for movie-related toys in the first place).  Oh well, I guess I'll buy them at Target or TRU, since this is the first time WM's actually stocked ANYTHING in the toy aisle in ages, and even then they don't want to sell anything to me. 

That being said, three out of the four looked very nice and were significantly better than the first film's RR lineup.  Prime didn't seem terribly different in the package, but I'm reserving judgment on him until, you know, someone will actually sell him to me.

[DoctorPadawan]

Looking forward to this Friday and the ROTF previews being released.

What is it with Hasbro and their "Sneak Preview" toys lately?  Last year, they had the mailaway Captain Rex for the CW series, which didn't start hitting until just after the regular retail version had been released, and now we've got "Sneak Previews" of Soundwave and Bumblebee, and we're only two weeks away from the actual TF movie toys release date.  No stores that I went into today had any space allocated for Soundwave and BB, nor did they have any shoved out on any other unoccupied peg. 

Even if you dislike the movie toys/designs, one has to wonder what is the point of having "Sneak Preview" toys if they aren't going to be released BEFORE the rest of the line.  HASBRO LOGIC:  WE HAS IT! 

[Ben]

It's so stupid. I didn't find SW or BB anywhere, since clearly the retailers don't want to have to deal with irate customers that can't buy something even though it's on the floor, due to some embargo from the manufacturer. I bet the preview toys use the same SKU as the regular Deluxe line (like they did for the first movie) so the retailers will hold everything back until June just to avoid the hassle.

It will cost them sales, no doubt. I was very willing to give someone $13 for Soundwave, but nobody had the balls to sell it to me, since they're afraid that Hasbro would, well, I don't know exactly. It's not like Hasbro really has any pull here. If anything, I'd imagine that Hasbro would be at the mercy of the retailers, and if they want to sell something, they paid for it, so they have the right.

[P-Siddy]

It will cost them sales, no doubt. I was very willing to give someone $13 for Soundwave, but nobody had the balls to sell it to me, since they're afraid that Hasbro would, well, I don't know exactly. It's not like Hasbro really has any pull here. If anything, I'd imagine that Hasbro would be at the mercy of the retailers, and if they want to sell something, they paid for it, so they have the right.

I worked at a TRU around the time RotS came out and we had to separate the street dated RotS stuff from the others (to avoid leaking product). Stores are actually under Hasbro's pull here because if a store is found to have leaked stuff (and the SW stuff was held back due to LFL as well), a 'hefty' fine is levied on said store and possible 'rights' to carry future street-dated product could be pulled, plus having the ire of district managers and corporate on your back for losing that amount of cash for selling the stuff.

That being said, I believe if a store does have the merchandise on the shelves and pegs, they are obliged to sell it (isn't there even a law regarding this?). There are no signs posted saying 'look but you can't buy'. It's only until you get to the register that it stops you from buying it, so I think it's rather unfair to the customer to get excited, grab something to purchase only to be denied.

[DoctorPadawan]

As a follow-up to my last post, I went back to the aforementioned WM today and what do I find still on the pegs, along with the price tag ON the pegs?  ROTF Robot Replicas!  Apparently the Thursday manager's claim that she was going to pull the stuff into the back was a total lie, because they were still out, and get this:  there were only 2 Ratchets and 1 Ironhide left, meaning that the other 5 figures (2 Primes, 2 Starscreams, and 1 Ironhide) had likely been sold since Thursday.  So, I went ahead and took Ratchet and Ironhide to the register only to be denied AGAIN.  Needless to say, I'd had enough of this and I told the clerk the following when she said she couldn't sell them to me:

"That's interesting, because this same thing happened to me two days ago on Thursday, and the manager at that time said she was going to go pull them off the shelves completely and take down the price tag.  Now I come back in two days later and not only are the pegs with price tags on them still up, but 5 of the 8 figures are gone.  Why take 5 figures down and allegedly take them to the back, but leave 3 others along with the price tag?"

She asked if I'd like to speak to a manager, and I said, "Yes, I would like to speak to the manager."  The manager was called, and I repeated the above to her, and she said, "Well, maybe a night stock person found just those three in the back and put them back out accidentally."  I pointed out that it's very ironic that the figures that had been "pulled/sold" since Thursday were the two more popular characters, and asked again how something that could have been "recalled" and pulled on Thursday was back out in the exact same location, still with a price tag, and they *still* wouldn't agree to sell them to me.  The entire time I was saying this to her, I was smiling that "You must think I'm stupid" smile at her, which seems to work better than being rude or disrespectful, I have found. 

She still refused to sell them and I said, "Well, I guess you should go back there and pull them off the shelves, because I'm sure that this very situation might repeat itself at some point today, and you might have to tell a child that you can't sell them a toy, and that might not go over as well as your telling an adult collector the same thing." I've got a call in to the District Manager right now (which will, likely, do no good whatsoever), but I'm fully prepared to call Bentonville as well. 

NERD RAGE!  I'm fully cognizant of the fact that I'm completely overreacting, and I wish I were this passionate about things that, you know, actually mattered in the grand scheme of things.