Transformers

[iFett]

Thanks for the info DP!!  I'll have to try out your instructions to see what I come up with.  I can't beleive how Hasbro leaves out so many steps or has them in the wrong order on their instruction sheets....No wonder he's a level 4.  Oh, and I love notes on the very last instructions that says to reverse the order to convert back...yeah, that's a lot easier said than done on quite a few Transfomers.

Looks like the Bumblebee Evolution 2pack is available at Target.com  Website says that it's not available in stores, but I can't imagine this being an online only exclusive...but who knows?

Anybody seen Ultimate BB yet??  I saw 2 at Target earlier in the week and he looks pretty cool, but I'm just not sure if he's $80 worth of cool.

[JediJman]

  He's actually the first TF that I threw back in the box and said **** you

LMAO!  That's a hilarious visual.  believe me, I've been there a few times over the past few years withsome of my alts and binaltechs.  The only way they could make the instructions worse is to do them in crayon, which I'm sure is on the horizon.

[Ben]

My Encore Convoy and Soundwave reissues are on their way from BBTS. It'll be keen to have a Prime with long stacks, finally. 

[Ben]

transformers movie Starscream voyager custom repaint

Man, if only Hasbro and Takara could paint their stuff this nice for mass production.

[iFett]

Looks pretty and all, but $200 is a bit too much for a custom.  I can understand the length of time it takes to put into these things, but the $20 Hasbro version is just fine with me.  It does kinda suck that they couldn't spend a little extra time here and there with a few more paint apps, but no big deal.  I have a buddy that has been working on a Magnus repaint of the DVD Prime and it's taken him quite awhile and he's still not finished.  I'm in no hurry, as I know it takes a steady hand and a good dose of patience to do these customs.

[iFett]

Most of my local Targets have finally started to restock the 6" Titaniums so I'm pleased beyond punch even though I only need WW Magnus, Sunstorm, BW Cheetor to finish off that collection.  I'm glad that at least one retailer is responding to the total lack of (transformable) movie product that can be found nowhere...   woo-hoo...and stuff 

[Ben]

I received my Encore Soundwave and Convoy today. Man, these boxes are beautiful. It's going to be hard to bring myself to open them.

Of course, what good is a Transformer if you don't transform it? 

Still a total lack of movie product around here too, except the Robot Replicas. I almost bought that Bumblebee since I have yet to find the 08 Camaro BB. There are a few Voyagers here and there, but Megatron certainly isn't among them, which sucks since he and the new BB are the last movie-featured TFs I have to buy, and I can't pay money for Leader Megatron and not feel ripped off.

[DoctorPadawan]

Don't know if any of the rest of you guys have seen this or not, but one of my two local Wal-Marts stocked their pegs full of Cybertron and Classics earlier this morning.  It looked like it was case-fresh stock, too, and not rerouted or closeout stock from other stores and/or retailers.  They put out about three cases worth of Classics Wave 3 (Cliffjumper and Ramjet, with Grimlock, Mirage, and Rodimus mixed in), a case of Classics Jetfire, and a lot of Cybertron Voyagers and Deluxes that I couldn't care less about.  As I looked around the net, it looked like some stores were also getting 20th Anniversary Primes and the Prime/Dodge Ram wave of Alternators, but mine didn't.

The two sore points with me on this are:

1-This stuff is still at their full, original prices. 

2-The pegs are now full at Wal-Mart, meaning that there is literally no room for the new Movie stuff when Hasbro finally gets their act together and ships it to the stores. 

But hey, I'm sure Target and TRU will take my money.  Way to go, Wal-Mart.  I didn't realize that Kay Bee wasn't the dumping ground for closeout crap anymore.   

I did find one each of the Movie Robot Heroes at another Wal-Mart that wasn't afflicted by the Cybertron virus v2.0 this afternoon, though.  Ratchet's a little iffy and cheap feeling and (my biggest disappointment) Frenzy's so thin that his legs were warped in the package, but the rest of them are pretty cool.  I'm hoping that an Ironhide vs. Brawl or Starscream pack comes out eventually, just to make the lineup complete.

[iFett]

I hit my local TRU last night and they were overflowing with Voyager Primes & Megs....Litteraly - they were everywhere.

They also put out a fresh stock of Dlx Classics and a bunch of Jetfires/Primes.  I'm not sure what's up with all of this Classics restock so late in the game, but it'll give a lot of people a second chance at a great line.  Oh and now they jacked the price of the Unleashed turnaround Prime thingy to $29.99.  What a joke.

[Brian]

I haven't checked our WM lately, but they've been sitting on a pile of the Classics Cliffjumpers (and a couple Mirages/Primes) for awhile now.  I wonder if this "restock" will happen everywhere, because I wouldn't mind picking up a Grimlock if I saw one.  I'll have to take a look around next time I'm out and about.

[DoctorPadawan]

Well, I finally (if "two weeks" can be considered "finally") caved and bought the Ultimate Bumblebee earlier this morning.  It's still a little early to give a full review (as I'm still figuring stuff out), but I can say that it is (as I told a friend in an email) a ******* awesome toy.  He's pretty impressive in both car and bot mode, and outside of him not having a second, non-cannon right arm (which would be impossible given the electronics and animatronics) and the big-ass battery pack, he's really pretty accurate to the film prop.  The voice isn't the one from the film, and some of the songs are corny and cheesy, but a toy that can aim it's cannon AND fire a missle on its own?  Again, ******* awesome. 

As for the price tag ($80.00 at Target and Wal-Mart, $90.00 at TRU; I got mine at WM), I don't know if it is really worth 80 bucks, but I don't really feel cheated, either.  He's definitely the coolest TF I have in my (albeit small) collection, and I don't regret buying him in the least.  If you've got the money to waste and/or indulge, I'd say to pick him up.

In related news, even though I haven't seen him yet personally, the G1 Movie Voyager Starscream is supposedly showing up in some areas.  An official "release date" (as in Target's "We Aren't Going To Do **** Until This Date, So Stop Bugging Us" reset dates) is August 26, but someone on TFW2005 posted the DPCI number for SS, which is 087-06-0006 in case anyone is interested.

[Ben]

Believe it or not, but Kohl's of all places is getting in the Concept BB/Arcee/Dreadwing cases. I can attest to this, as I saw a lone Dreadwing and an army of Bonecrushers and Swindles at my local location. No BBs. They're currently running a sale, where you buy 1 and get the other half off. Of course, Kohl's is charging $13 for their TFs and $10 for their Star Wars toys, so it's about the same as big-box retail if you buy two.

If anyone happens upon two BBs and wants to sell me the extra, I'll gladly pay the $13 price plus shipping. 

Oh, and keep your eyes on TRU. Today, they restocked their Voyagers and Deluxes. I didn't get BB there either, but I did get Final Battle Jazz. I considered Longarm and Arcee, but I'll leave them for another day.

[Neal]

I saw pretty much all of the new deluxe bots (including two Concept Bumblebees) at a local KB a few days ago ... so, if people aren't checking there yet, you may want to start.  Like Kohl's, deluxe figures are $12.99 at KB.

[iFett]

SkyLynx   

I hope not...Very poor choice for a reissue IMO.

[DoctorPadawan]

My local TRU put out a case of the Wave 3 Voyagers (Prime and Megs) today.  I'd already gotten Megatron at Wal-Mart the week before last, and hadn't planned on getting Prime, but this total dearth of TF Movie toys that are both transformable and interesting had me go ahead and pick it up.  I'm not terribly impressed, but then again, compared to the Leader Class Prime, the Voyager class would have to breakdance to impress me.

Still a complete lack of movie Deluxes around, though.  One Wal-Mart is still jam-packed with last week's Cybertron stock dump, and the other one has had completely empty pegs for the last four weeks running.  Target is empty as well, but I'm hoping they'll at least see fit to put out the G1 Jazz this weekend (when their precious endcap date takes place).  A good friend of mine (Hi Becky!) was able to run the DPCI and got me the G1 Starscream over the weekend, and it's very cool.  Is this the first TF with a lightpipe mouth in addition to the lightpipe eyes? 

But seriously, for the millionth time, what is taking Hasbro so long with this stuff?  They can't use their "regional experience" excuse this time, because it seems like everyone is not finding much, if anything.