Transformer 4 Figures Launch May 12th with a bang!

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HotShot81
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Transformer 4 Figures Launch May 12th with a bang!

Post by HotShot81 »

I caught this on Facebook. I don't know how much it's on the up and up, but it could be good for us Canadian Bot shoppers.
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Notabot
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Post by Notabot »

I've actually already seen a couple stores with the one-step Grimlocks and OPs. The packaging looked similar to Prime boxes, so I got excited for a bit. Then I saw it was TF4, not Prime, and I got really excited. Then I saw the toys inside and felt no more excitement at all.
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Clay
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Post by Clay »

Yeah, I saw the one-step Grimlock about a week ago, and today the store had some dino-rider sparkler things and the nominally proper line consisting of the greatly simplified deluxe-sized toys. Haven't seen the Generations subset with the more detailed figures, but things are starting to trickle out.
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Ryan F
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Post by Ryan F »

Apparently in the UK, all the "proper" AOE toys (voyagers, deluxes, leaders etc) will be store exclusives??? Argos have the leaders, TRU have everything else.

Which is why, when you look on toy websites such as The Entertainer or Smyths, there's nothing but that one-step kiddie rubbish, spark chargers, flip changers and whatever else it's called.

Luckily I have an Argos nearby, but if I want a Deluxe Dinobot or Voyager Evasion Mode Prime I need to take a trip to my "local" TRU in Ipswich!!!??? And £15 for a deluxe!!!???

WTF Hasbro?
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Post by Denyer »

Down to the retailers, is the impression I get. Hasbro want the things to be everywhere whereas main figures being exclusives generally means other stores won't stock the stuff.
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Knightdramon
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Post by Knightdramon »

Still, shopping in Argos can be a gamble. Luckily, if they are limited to leaders, you have a 1 in 2 chance of getting the one you actually want.

Local TRU for me is about 30 minutes away by bus. Last time I was there [which was...last June. Jesus time flies by] they were very decently stocked.

Argos is like 4 minutes away by walking. But if I get the leaders [all signs point to yes], I'm getting both takara versions. They got it right from the get go.
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Skyquake87
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Post by Skyquake87 »

Doesn't surprise me the AoE stuff is exclusives in the UK - A lot of TF lines over the last four years from HFTD, Animated & Prime have all ended up remaindered. I'm guessing Transformers have been an easy pass for a lot of retailers over here.
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Post by numbat »

I feared that Generations (ie decent figures) would be TRU exclusives - even more awkward to have Leader's in Argos, and the rest in TRU... It's difficult for me to get to Argos and even harder to get to TRU.

Then, Argos make a huge deal in the lead-up to the release of the figures, with a countdown clock and videos on their website, then two days after launch they still don't have them instock anywhere in Scotland (dunno about the rest of the UK). Serious anti-climax!

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Clay
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Post by Clay »

Saw some of the movie generations figures for the first time today. My reaction was mostly one of apathy. I mean, they looked fine, but nothing really piqued my interest, even as puzzles. Still excited for the movie, but I'm thinking this time I may just enjoy the spectacle of it without worrying too much about physical representations.
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Post by Skyquake87 »

This is pretty much how I'm feeling. I'm also turned off by successive years of cost cutting. Whilst I didn't mind the downsizing on the DOTM toys, the lack of finishing and all that grey plastic I found a real turn off. Prime has appealed mainly on the engineering side of things, but the cheaper and cheaper construction glimpsed towards the end of the line (hello Beast Hunters Voyager Prime) is a real turn off.

This new movie line is also seeing a further price hike, with Deluxes now priced at £15 and a TRU exclusive at that (so those prices are unlikely to change) , so I can't honestly say I'll be wanting to pick anything up for that kind of money. I'll be interested to see how they turn out in various reviews, but I feel...well priced out!
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Post by Cliffjumper »

I think we're beginning to see Transformers gradually wind down - or at least change focus - from being a toyline into more of a general media property. Compared to ten years ago the toy sales are no longer God anymore to Hasbro.

I'd wager their cut of the DOTM box office was more than their profits from the associated toyline, and Prime was very media-driven rather than the "throw as many toys as you can into the thing" cartoon that you'd probably expect from a show made and broadcast in-house by a toy company; they'd have the comic rights back off IDW in a jiffy if the medium was worth the hassle.

Licensing this side of Bay is probably massive and toys are on the wane compared to mobile apps and the like. The toyline for AoE seems effectively nominal in the West; tag on Generations becoming more and more fan-orientated and we're seeing a change in commerical pattern here.
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Post by Warcry »

Clay wrote:Saw some of the movie generations figures for the first time today. My reaction was mostly one of apathy. I mean, they looked fine, but nothing really piqued my interest, even as puzzles. Still excited for the movie, but I'm thinking this time I may just enjoy the spectacle of it without worrying too much about physical representations.
I'm more-or-less in the same boat as you are. Scorn the Spinosaurus caught my eye (and is a pretty cool throwback to Beast Wars designs) when I walked by the huge display at TRU but I don't even remember what other figures I saw there because they all felt very samey to me.

I think a fair bit of that is just down to the movie's lack of characterization for most of the Transformers. I already have great toys that represent Prime and Bee, the only two characters who really matter, and a handful of other really good movie toys that show off what that style of engineering can do. There's really not much to draw me into buying, say, Crosshairs when there are already a bunch of other movie-style cars out there and I know he's probably not going to get more than a handful of lines in the film itself. The only thing "new" about this line seems to be the Dinobots, and even then I don't know if I care to own more than the one I've already got.
Cliffjumper wrote:I think we're beginning to see Transformers gradually wind down - or at least change focus - from being a toyline into more of a general media property. Compared to ten years ago the toy sales are no longer God anymore to Hasbro.
You're absolutely right on this. In fact, I vaguely remember Hasbro themselves coming out and saying that a couple years back. And honestly, it makes perfect sense. The toy market is both shrinking and diversifying, with kids turning to other pursuits sooner and buying fewer toys than in the 80s at the same time as the adult market (spurred on by the movies and growth in Asia) gets bigger. There's always going to be toys but the fiction is more important than ever now, because Hasbro is now more interested in creating life-long fans who are going to be buying tickets to TF movies in their 20s and 30s even if they haven't picked up a toy in decades (or ever) than it is in selling toys to them for three years and then moving on to the next crop of kids.
Cliffjumper wrote:I'd wager their cut of the DOTM box office was more than their profits from the associated toyline
I don't think there's any doubt of that. In fact, I'd go farther -- I wouldn't be surprised if the money they made off of DOTM's box office (and DVD/Bluray sales) was more than they made off of every TF line between DOTM and AoE. It was a billion-dollar movie, after all.
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Post by another tf fan »

Cliffy's right as usual. The toys are simply less important overall.

I have the Masterpiece line to thrill me and any mainline toys that catch my eye are just bonus.

I can say I was around for the toys Zenith in 84-85 and its return to greatness somewhere between 2007 and 2010.

That's pretty good for a franchise based on the basest of concepts and demonstrates the engineering trumps other action figure toys.

As for AoE launch dates around here, Walmart refuses to get in the ring which seems odd and maybe they're just behind the trend by a few weeks.
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Post by Skyquake87 »

Well, Walmart's British arm Asda is on board.

Have to say, they've made these a very easy pass. Legends for £6, Some Commander Classed things for £9 and some rather piddly looking Deluxe toys for £12.

I'm guessing these are the kid -friendly ones?

Packaging isn't very interesting either, with just character art, name and pictoral instructions on the back.

wooo
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Post by Chytkachest »

Thank you for the*informative*posts.
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Post by Clay »

Went to a Toys R Us on Saturday and the Transformers display was considerable. They had a big cardboard Grimlock straddling the entrance and another behind the toy shelves. Lots of product was out, but curiously no Generations Deluxe movie figures (they had the voyagers and leaders, though).

It's definitely biased towards Autobots. I think the only Decepticon figures I saw were Construct-o-bots.
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Post by G1Optimusprime9 »

Thats cool Im not as excited as I could be because I am a big G1 fan but I will still most likely get the figures and watch the movie
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Post by numbat »

TRU in Scotland has had lots of Generations Deluxes in stock for the last couple of weeks (where I got Bumblebee and Crosshairs). Their arrivale was slightly delayed, but they're here now. No Voyagers yet though.

They also had a huge display with massive banners above the toys, but at least 2/3 of the products underneath were not movie-related. Mainly Fall of Cybertron Generations and Beast Hunters, with a small selection of TF4 Jousters, simple figures, and those Deluxes.

Other than Lockdown and Galvatron are there Decepticons in the movie? They're the only toys I can think of due out from the faction. And they're not until much later waves, are they?

New sale thread added with a range of Transformers including Masterpiece, Botcon, CHUG, RID, Movies etc.

Looking for MP-11T Thundercracker and MP-9 Rodimus v2 (Takara version with as few QC issues as possible).


Check out my new sale thread now!

Also items on eBay.
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Post by Notabot »

It looks like Walmart has knocked the AoE and Generations deluxes back down to $10. Yay!
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Clay
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Post by Clay »

Well, that figures. I just bought the spinosaurus guy Wednesday at full price. Still, I may investigate the triceratops fellow sooner than my one-dinobot-a-week pace that I've set for myself.
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