Transformer Prime mainline toys released in Australia

[Paulbot]

The first Transformers Prime toys have been found at retail in Australia. Fatbot found Powerisers (the new name for Voyager class) Megatron and Optimus Prime this morning at a Toys R Us store in NSW.

The toys sold for $50 each, a standard price at TRU for that size class. No savings from the exchange range have been passed on but they are likely to be cheaper at the other chain stores like Kmart and Big W.

Although so new on the shelf that they originally not scanning, both Fatbot and Goktimus Prime were able to purchase figures today.

These are the main line toys (sometimes referred to by the label Robots in Disguise) not the First Editions.

Figures should start appearing at other stores soon.

Here's Fatbot's original sighting post:


TF Prime voyager Meg's and prime at toys r us parramatta. No price on the shelf and they aren't scanning



Edit $50 each

http://i370.photobucket.com/albums/oo146/fatbot/photo-2.jpg

Update 17 Feb

Deluxe figures have also been found at Toys R Us stores. They are selling at the regular TRU Deluxe price of $29.99.

Went into Parra TRU this afternoon and they had the deluxes for 29.99 each and the voyagers for $49.99. Grabbed a Soundwave and Wheeljack 9_9

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7190/6890226779_f91e051beb.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7201/6890226863_81f858fe7e.jpg

[Doubledealer]

Wheeeeeljack, Wheeeeeeljack, Wheeeeeeljack. Come on guys, maybe if we chant his name enough he'll be the next to appear. :D

[ispayks]

$50 :eek:? Bloody TRU Parramatta charged me $59.99 each. It was scanning as Zoggs Float Suit. Also I got the last Prime Megs but around 10 Optimus left. I'll take them back on Sunday after the fair and demand for a discount for the inconvenience/pricing stuff up:mad:.

[verboten82]

rule of thumb, never get stuff from tru even when they have the sale, its way more than kmart or big w... lets all boycott tru!

[GoktimusPrime]

$50 :eek:? Bloody TRU Parramatta charged me $59.99 each. It was scanning as Zoggs Float Suit. Also I got the last Prime Megs but around 10 Optimus left. I'll take them back on Sunday after the fair and demand for a discount for the inconvenience/pricing stuff up:mad:.
Go back there and get a $9.99 refund. When I bought mine it wouldn't scan, so the girl serving me went and looked up the item code on the computer, then punched it in and charged me $50. Sounds like the person who served you might have punched in the wrong code?

If you want, I can bring my receipt along on Sunday if you wanna show them the code from it. But the code is definitely in their computer system. At least it was when I made my purchase at 12:17.

[i_amtrunks]

If you want, I can bring my receipt along on Sunday if you wanna show them the code from it. But the code is definitely in their computer system. At least it was when I made my purchase at 12:17.

Did you cut teaching some classes today to get some new figures? :p

Should be interesting to see if sales can rely purely on brand power since there is so far no Prime on free to air television...

[GoktimusPrime]

crankcase76 also got charged $59.99! :eek:

Umm... looking at my receipt, I think this is the code for the toy; it says:

TRANSFORMERS PRIME 226726 - is that the product code/number for the toy? If so then maybe try quoting this number to them when going back and asking for a partial refund?


Did you cut teaching some classes today to get some new figures? :p
Had a free period followed by lunch (and I didn't have PG duty ;)). Made it back by lunch time anyway.


Should be interesting to see if sales can rely purely on brand power since there is so far no Prime on free to air television...
Some kids at school have already watched TF Prime online. (I showed Megatron to one of my students who got all excited and started telling his friend about what Megatron does in the show :D) - so I guess broadband internet might offer TF Prime one advantage that Beast Machines didn't have. Hopefully they won't show it at such a stupid time slot like Saturday 2PM. :rolleyes: (and I can't believe it was never re-run at a different time slot... *sigh*)

[Hursticon]

Some kids at school have already watched TF Prime online. (I showed Megatron to one of my students who got all excited and started telling his friend about what Megatron does in the show :D) - so I guess broadband internet might offer TF Prime one advantage that Beast Machines didn't have. Hopefully they won't show it at such a stupid time slot like Saturday 2PM. :rolleyes: (and I can't believe it was never re-run at a different time slot... *sigh*)

This pleases me greatly to hear this Goki; sure, whilst watching the episodes via the Internet may or may not be favourable, I agree that it is an avenue that wasn't afforded to Beast Machines and which really gives me hope that kids who's parents can't afford Pay-TV will still have an opportunity to watch this great show. ;):)

Really cool to hear some older kids getting excited and talking about it, especially Megatron - He's so cool in this show and stands just below that of BW Megatron in my eyes. :D
(BW Megatron being the best iteration IMO :cool:)

[griffin]

The $60 price could be for the 2-pack, as it is likely to be twice the Deluxe price here. I think when they did a search for a TFPrime product in the system, the 2-pack may have been the first they saw with "Transformers Prime" as its description.

[liegeprime]

$50 :eek:? Bloody TRU Parramatta charged me $59.99 each. It was scanning as Zoggs Float Suit. Also I got the last Prime Megs but around 10 Optimus left. I'll take them back on Sunday after the fair and demand for a discount for the inconvenience/pricing stuff up:mad:.

Hmmm looks like the fella serving you didnt do a good job in locating it thru the computer ... I had asked someone stacking the shelves (of Ben10) this am at TRU Parra as well, I mustve gotten earlier in than you coz I saw 2 Megs still there and bought 1 off... also found a vandalized TfPrime among the shelves - as in out of the box :mad::mad::mad:. The guy serving me actually remarked when he saw the price: "geez, fifty bucks for this thing?" I guess even he can't believe the price gouging we get here for "small" toys :rolleyes::rolleyes: - and he's supposed to work there. He actually thought they were "deluxe" size so he was looking for the code and found they were voyagers _ his facial expression tells it all - that's voyager, hmmm pretty small for voyager....

I got the pair but yeah - $50 each. I havent opened them yet coz Im thinking if Kmart or Big W comes with a much palatable pricing Ill be returning these 2 since I verified with them that the return policy is up to 3 months as long as youve got the receipt and is still sealed (resaleable I guess) condition.

[griffin]

I just had a look, and the pair (Op & Meg) shipped from BBTS comes to US$78 (about AU$74 right now)... and would arrive before most of us end up seeing them in a store near us.
Does Hasbro really think that their sales won't suffer if you can save 25% by importing the exact same product?
Stores here rarely discount that much, to make it worth waiting for a sale either.

[5FDP]

If / when I get these, I will be importing.

Imagine the PR gains if Hasbro decided to drop their RRP inline with the rest of the developed world citing the rising cost of living for families as their reason :rolleyes:

[ispayks]

Go back there and get a $9.99 refund. When I bought mine it wouldn't scan, so the girl serving me went and looked up the item code on the computer, then punched it in and charged me $50. Sounds like the person who served you might have punched in the wrong code?

If you want, I can bring my receipt along on Sunday if you wanna show them the code from it. But the code is definitely in their computer system. At least it was when I made my purchase at 12:17.

Thanks Goki! I might just return it as I have ordered them from BBTS. Its hard to see Megs on the shelf and not buy him.


Hmmm looks like the fella serving you didnt do a good job in locating it thru the computer ... I had asked someone stacking the shelves (of Ben10) this am at TRU Parra as well, I mustve gotten earlier in than you coz I saw 2 Megs still there and bought 1 off... also found a vandalized TfPrime among the shelves - as in out of the box :mad::mad::mad:. The guy serving me actually remarked when he saw the price: "geez, fifty bucks for this thing?" I guess even he can't believe the price gouging we get here for "small" toys :rolleyes::rolleyes: - and he's supposed to work there. He actually thought they were "deluxe" size so he was looking for the code and found they were voyagers _ his facial expression tells it all - that's voyager, hmmm pretty small for voyager....

I got the pair but yeah - $50 each. I havent opened them yet coz Im thinking if Kmart or Big W comes with a much palatable pricing Ill be returning these 2 since I verified with them that the return policy is up to 3 months as long as youve got the receipt and is still sealed (resaleable I guess) condition.

The cashier did tell me it was $50 from prior sales, but due TRU HQ updating their system regarding TF Prime, they were encoded as Zoggs suit.


I just had a look, and the pair (Op & Meg) shipped from BBTS comes to US$78 (about AU$74 right now)... and would arrive before most of us end up seeing them in a store near us.
Does Hasbro really think that their sales won't suffer if you can save 25% by importing the exact same product?
Stores here rarely discount that much, to make it worth waiting for a sale either.

It works out alot cheaper for me because of POL. It worked out around AU$60 for both of them after shipping. Better than 2 AUS TRU RID voyagers for AU$120. If only I could wait.

Also this preorder (http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HAS21526&mode=retail) was put up on BBTS. Thats $24 cheaper than RK.

[Demonac]

Prices in this country will never go down if people keep buying toys at such ridiculous prices.
Stop. Buying. Toys (locally).

[Tallestblue]

$50? Wow. $50? I supposed I did just technically pay 60 bucks each for First Edition Optimus Prime and Bulkhead. But I am definitely using my staff discount for these guys when they arrive at Myer.

[GoktimusPrime]

When I went to buy Megatron, I scanned it at the self price check thing, and it said "Item not found." So I scanned a DOTM Voyager Optimus Prime and that said $50 (or $49.99... wateva, it's not like I get my 1c back :p). But I put DOTMVOP (heh) back on the shelf just in case the cashier offered me a lower price at the rego (like say if she punched in the code for a cheaper toy), and if it had scanned at above $50, I would have told her that it's a Voyager Class toy and that it should be $50, then run off to the TF aisle, grabbed DOTMVOP and brought it back to the register for her to scan and compare. I certainly wouldn't have paid above $50 for that toy.

[Accel]

its funny how Japanese collector lines which most people don't touch due to price are cheaper than Transformers here :P

[Jinto]

Really cool to hear some older kids getting excited and talking about it, especially Megatron - He's so cool in this show and stands just below that of BW Megatron in my eyes. :D
(BW Megatron being the best iteration IMO :cool:)
Ditto :D


its funny how Japanese collector lines which most people don't touch due to price are cheaper than Transformers here :P
I know, we're getting boned. I might take Demonac's advice and for the first time ever buy my entire collection of a series online.

[Paulbot]

I'm curious, since I wasn't here last year, when DOTM toys starting appearing locally and were selling at the same prices as Generations/Autobot Alliance toys, was there this much outrage/complaining?

It's not like it was unexpected that Prime toy prices would equal DOTM toy prices? I agree it doesn't need to be, and is cheaper to buy online, but it's not a surprise or anything new.

Is it partly just because the first sighting was at TRU and people are fixating on the price $$$ rather than then store where high prices everyday are common?

These figures will be at other stores soon (and it already sounds like TF:Prime Optimus Prime is a shelfwarmer :rolleyes:) so buying them at TRU means you pay some impatience tax.

[GoktimusPrime]

^agree. :)

$50 has been the price for a Voyager for quite some time now (even the TF1 Voyagers sold for $45-50 in many stores). There were some complaints last year about the size of the toys being smaller than before and thus it didn't feel like it was worth the money - which is understandable, but these "size classes" are really price points rather than any fixed determination of mass. Look at Beast Machines Megatron... size of a Deluxe but sold at the price point of a Mega.


so buying them at TRU means you pay some impatience tax.
Pretty much. But it can also save on time and fuel spent on hunting them down later given Hasbro AU's sometimes haphazard distribution patterns. Being more patient does have its rewards if you can get this toy for cheaper - no denying that, but getting it now means at least I have the damn thing now and I don't need to expend time and money (fuel) chasing it. Getting it online is another way to get it cheaper too, but the advantage of buying it from a store is that you already have the toy and you can play with it straight away. Also refunds/exchanges are less of a hassle compared with online shopping IMO.

There are pros and cons with buying the toy now at the full RRP vs buying it later at a discounted price vs buying it online. Also... these are the first new toys we've seen since November! So I think some of us have been feeling "thirsty" after this small "drought" and are willing to pay full RRP to quench this thirst.

But yeah... Optimus Prime looks like rubbish (there was one that someone else had already taken out of the box, so I had a look at it -- looks to be a whole new mould and not a redeco of FE Voyager OP and a rather unimpressive one at that (FE OP is way better)) and Megatron's fundamentally just an upsized version of the Deluxe figure, only with a Hasbro Greyriffic dull colour scheme (see my comments and photos on the review thread (http://otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=12876)). Neither of these toys are inspiring, but I think there's some excitement about seeing new toys for the first time in 3 (almost four?) months.

So... Wave 1 Voyagers have been spotted. Where are the Wave 1 Deluxes and other smaller/cheaper size class toys?!? :confused:

[Accel]

I'm worried scalpers would have gotten to the RiD deluxes already.


poor shortpacked Soundy im glad I ordered you online

[UltraMagnus]

Please please please please stop buying at such a high price. it wont help you long term.

The dollar is 1.07 today and that means the true price (if compared to US) is $23.50 AUD. (thats retail price from TRU in US).
Paying $50 for a toy that should be half is a crime, but buying that toy is helping fuel that economy and practice.

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HAS21418&mode=retail thats for 2. Even with shipping of $31.24 its still much less than buying at retail.
If you are happy to wait and get all the deluxes at once

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=HAS21529&mode=retail ($89.99)
Shipping $42.74 = $132.73
or you can buy at Australian retail at $29.99 RRP and it costs = $179.94 (even if $24.99 = $149.94)

I am just trying to save you all money. You'll have more money for more toys if you buy online.

[UltraMagnus]

I just had a look, and the pair (Op & Meg) shipped from BBTS comes to US$78 (about AU$74 right now)... and would arrive before most of us end up seeing them in a store near us.
Does Hasbro really think that their sales won't suffer if you can save 25% by importing the exact same product?
Stores here rarely discount that much, to make it worth waiting for a sale either.

Griff - see my above rant.

Couldn't agree more. The price Australians are charged is terrible.

[Hursticon]

The price Australians are charged is terrible.

I couldn't agree with you more dude, the prices you've highlighted only reinforce that fact too. ;):cool:
I just wish that the online stores would sell figures individually like HLJ. :o

[Paulbot]

Updating first post. Deluxes now also on sale at standard TRU Deluxe price.

[Doubledealer]

This:


Prices in this country will never go down if people keep buying toys at such ridiculous prices.
Stop. Buying. Toys (locally).

+ this:


It's not like it was unexpected that Prime toy prices would equal DOTM toy prices? I agree it doesn't need to be, and is cheaper to buy online, but it's not a surprise or anything new.

= this (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=12742).

[morg176]

maybe this price issue should to taken to one of those shows like today tonight (etc). Imagine what would happen to christmas and standard profits it people knew what price these toys should be!

[AJ_Prime]

I've definitely moved to buying online now too, there are so many benefits, for example:

1. Save on fuel costs in driving around to various stores/shopping centres
2. It's much cheaper to buy online
3. I can obtain the figures I want several months before they appear here in Oz.
4. I don't have to worry about whether or not the figures will appear here.

I used to enjoy the thrill of the hunt during the Bayformers and Generations releases but lately it seems that many have not made it here.

So not only is Hasbro Australia missing out, but so are all the stores they are selling to. Well done Hasbro for shooting yourself in the foot. But seriously I must thank you for forcing me to discover a better way to obtain your products at a cheaper price.

[griffin]

...given Hasbro AU's sometimes haphazard distribution patterns.

Why is it Hasbro's fault when different store chains have different rates of distribution through their supply-chain networks, or different purchase periods to obtain new stock to begin with?
It's not like all 7 store chains (TRU, Myer, DJs, Kmart, BigW, Toyworld, Target) were ordering at the same time to have it in their stores at the same time... Hasbro doesn't ship to individual stores - they ship to a number of warehouses that then re-distributes to their stores. TRU may be an exception to that, with the amount of stock they get in from each toy company, but are you actually saying that if the entire chain of TRU was expecting stock, that Hasbro would be intentionally sending it to a handful of stores first and then make all the rest wait? Once the stock arrives at the Hasbro warehouse, it gets sent out to all the customers who have pre-ordered it, as soon as they can, or with their next delivery. If a store-chain wasn't yet interested, or didn't want the stock until later for a promotion or catalogue sale, it's not Hasbro's fault.
And if they did send stock out to a retailer's warehouse straight away, the retailer could well send it out to the stores straight away or months later... and if it isn't a big launching product that needs to be rushed to every store, the warehouse may just send it to stores on their next delivery that has space.
Working in a retail warehouse, we don't send everything we receive straight away to the stores. Some stuff can be for a promotion and sit collecting dust for months. Other stuff is only sent out to stores if that store's manager wants it (smaller stores don't stock everything). The supplier has no say in where their product goes once we get it in the warehouse.
And the same would go for Hasbro and their product. If the toys end up in stores eventually, Hasbro did their job.

I don't mind Hasbro-bashing for things they are responsible for, like the price-gouging here, or lack of consumer promotions, but blaming them for something that is out of their hands once they ship toys to retailers' warehouses... is a bit much. (and will just have them ignoring legitimate complaints if they think we impulsively blame them for everything)

[SMHFConvoy]

Why is it Hasbro's fault when different store chains have different rates of distribution through their supply-chain networks, or different purchase periods to obtain new stock to begin with?
It's not like all 7 store chains (TRU, Myer, DJs, Kmart, BigW, Toyworld, Target) were ordering at the same time to have it in their stores at the same time... Hasbro doesn't ship to individual stores - they ship to a number of warehouses that then re-distributes to their stores. TRU may be an exception to that, with the amount of stock they get in from each toy company, but are you actually saying that if the entire chain of TRU was expecting stock, that Hasbro would be intentionally sending it to a handful of stores first and then make all the rest wait? Once the stock arrives at the Hasbro warehouse, it gets sent out to all the customers who have pre-ordered it, as soon as they can, or with their next delivery. If a store-chain wasn't yet interested, or didn't want the stock until later for a promotion or catalogue sale, it's not Hasbro's fault.
And if they did send stock out to a retailer's warehouse straight away, the retailer could well send it out to the stores straight away or months later... and if it isn't a big launching product that needs to be rushed to every store, the warehouse may just send it to stores on their next delivery that has space.
Working in a retail warehouse, we don't send everything we receive straight away to the stores. Some stuff can be for a promotion and sit collecting dust for months. Other stuff is only sent out to stores if that store's manager wants it (smaller stores don't stock everything). The supplier has no say in where their product goes once we get it in the warehouse.
And the same would go for Hasbro and their product. If the toys end up in stores eventually, Hasbro did their job.

I don't mind Hasbro-bashing for things they are responsible for, like the price-gouging here, or lack of consumer promotions, but blaming them for something that is out of their hands once they ship toys to retailers' warehouses... is a bit much. (and will just have them ignoring legitimate complaints if they think we impulsively blame them for everything)

I work in retail too and you are bang on right. We're in a new year and big stores usually hold off until new season launch and that varies from company to company. Department stores will focus on fashion, homewares, whitegoods and electrical before toys.

[AJ_Prime]

Hasbro's sales reps have to take some responsibility though as to what products get sold and how much of each are sold and where. A store chain doesn't know what will sell and what won't, nor would they necessarily know to buy a product related to a tv show that is not out yet, let alone if that product exists.

They would be relying entirely on the information provided by the toy company's sales reps. That includes the estimated popularity of each toy, so if a Hasbro sales rep for example says that OP and BB are the main characters in a movie or tv show so they will therefore be the most popular amongst the kiddies who are our main target audience, then of course the stores will rely on that "intelligence" and buy 10 times more of that particular product than the rest of the line.

This is my understanding of the process of course, I don't actually have any experience in the mechanics of how these transactions take place but am happy for people to correct me if I'm wrong.

[Tallestblue]

Well, it's True. Retail is still recovering from Christmas. There's always talk of retail dying but I'd rather walk into a store and buy something and have it now.

That said I did just order the Series Two case of six PRime RID Revealers from BBTS, comes to about 143.99 plus shipping and that Breaks down to about $24 each.

[StInG286]

I was just at TRU in Cannington here in WA and there were like eight voyager Optimus Primes and one megatron. As for deluxes they had two Wheeljacks, eight Cliffjumpers and six Bumblebees.

Boy are they tiny

[tron07]

would it be worthwhile to wait for something like this from hasbro?

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/images/products/out/medium/TAK11418.jpg

[GoktimusPrime]

I wouldn't hold my breath. If you really want that toy, just get it from Japan. Besides, with the strength of the Aussie Dollar + expensive RRPs here, even with postage you're probably gonna spend the same amount of money.