Was the movie the biggest thing to happen to TFs since Beast Wars?

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Originally Posted by dirge

I've noticed that many of the stores I've visited seem to have slowish sales of Animated. The Activators are flying off shelves, and deluxes are doing okay outside of Grace Brothers and their stupid $40 price tag. Activators _should_ do well - the smaller toys always sell too fast for Hasbro (who import too many boxed TFs every single time, and not enough of the cheaper stuff which parents _will_ buy on impulse). I've noticed those silly bumper battler things (the Cyberslammer-esque things, I think that's what they're called) aren't moving - which doesn't surprise me since they're not good value for toys aimed at 2 year olds.

At any rate, I would have thought Hasbro would want to embrace new found fans with a more realistic line to follow up the film. Yeah, we get Universe/Classics, but I mean as the main line (wich cartoon).

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From what I have seen, Animated is either severely understocked with just a peg and a tiny under shelf corner (the same with Universe) while the rest is dominated by shelf warming movie toys which are largely repaints or junk like Slammers and merchandise.

Animated may seem to be moving fast because there there are so few been stocked, the same goes for Universe.

The only place where I have seen a decent amount of Animated and Universe is Target but they are all boxed toys and many of the Universe toys are the crap repaints like Blaster. A few Universe deluxes but that's all.

It seems that both Animated and Universe will suffer thanks to the stupidity of Hasbro's toy distribution when it comes to the movie repaints and merchandise. Stores will refuse to restock on newer stuff until the walls of movie toys moves and that will not happen in a hurry.

i went into a K marche today

no Universe deluxes at all, last 2 weeks ago i saw 1 Sunstreaker

all they had was the Universe cement mixer

So here it goes, the BIG things in order :

1. Machine Wars- The ultimate battle between the surviving transformers after Cybetron was blown up.

2. Animorphs- Visser 3 gains access via a spacial rift, transformers technology, the yerks upgrade their evil technology with the fate of planet Earth hanging in the battle!

3. Star Wars transformers- After the cybernet space cube falls into a black hole the Jedi and Sith use its knowledge to upgrade their technology with the fate of planet Naboo hanging in the battle!



:D

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Originally Posted by roller

So here it goes, the BIG things in order :

1. Machine Wars- The ultimate battle between the surviving transformers after Cybetron was blown up.

2. Animorphs- Visser 3 gains access via a spacial rift, transformers technology, the yerks upgrade their evil technology with the fate of planet Earth hanging in the battle!

3. Star Wars transformers- After the cybernet space cube falls into a black hole the Jedi and Sith use its knowledge to upgrade their technology with the fate of planet Naboo hanging in the battle!



:D

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How could you leave out Action Masters??? :D

:rolleyes: the Actionmasters upgraded into the Generation 2 forms, DER!!!


:D;)

I think a big part of the reality that all of us need to realise is that the movie hype is gone. It will stuck with some but not all. And that's the nature of all these blockbusters. Anyone remember the massive releases of Spider-Man toys when the first movie hit? The toys flew off the shelves? Not happenning any more. Same goes for Iron Man which was released this year. It had its spike for about 3 months. Now, they're not moving if at all.

Fact is, the business reality of many franchises is its seasonal. We should be glad that unlike X-Men, Spider-Man, Iron Man and Batman, our franchise continues to exist in non peak times. I don't think its all Hasbros fault but I do think that the longevity of the line was last years Christmas. And we should be very happy b/c I don;t think TF figures ever moved that fast that it was hell to get a BB08, a toy in virtually every wave yet still so elusive. The movie's success lasted longer than it should have.

It'll be interesting though to see if the 2nd movie has the same legs on the shelves. Since I start working full time next year, I won't be as lucky anymore to be going hunting everyday so part of me wonders how many hells i might have to endure to get new figures. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by STL

Since I start working full time next year, I won't be as lucky anymore to be going hunting everyday so part of me wonders how many hells i might have to endure to get new figures. :rolleyes:

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you'll be alright..look at us working in the city???
moreover, we've still got jay and these new uni guys to help out and spot stuff, right ??? :D

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Originally Posted by iceburn

moreover, we've still got jay and these new uni guys to help out and spot stuff, right ??? :D

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I dunno, that just doesn't sound right... :D

there's always late night shopping thurs and fri nights, and even some mon-tues-wed nights at certain places.. places stay open past 9-5 :D

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Originally Posted by STL

Anyone remember the massive releases of Spider-Man toys when the first movie hit? The toys flew off the shelves? Not happenning any more.

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Hey at least a few months of high sales is better than anything the Hulk movie merchandise managed! :p

Hasbro stuffed up with the movie, it was far far far more popular than they anticipated, and then they over-reacted too late.

If they learn from their mistakes with the next movie it'll be worth the momentous 18 months of stuff ups that we have been put through in the long run. However I doubt it.

And I agree with Dirge, Animated was probably not the best line to follow the movies/fill the gap between movies.

It's possible that Hasbro were expecting the movie to flop and thus wanted to distance their next line of toys from the movie, another mistake, but hindsight is always a wonderous thing!

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Originally Posted by i_amtrunks

It's possible that Hasbro were expecting the movie to flop and thus wanted to distance their next line of toys from the movie, another mistake, but hindsight is always a wonderous thing!

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You have to wonder what the executives in Hasbro are smoking. I mean how could a movie with giant fighting robots flop!?

I agree BW was like a heart transplant for TF's, a whole new lease on life.

But the TF movie made TF's Pop Culture. The amount of faction symbols on cars has increased, everyone exposed to the media knows who Bumblebee is, car magazines can't wait for the 'Bumblebee' Camaro to roll off the assembly lines, TF T-shirts everywhere, Mobile phone games and Mobile phone TF covers, and so on. Its 'ok' to like Transformers now, not that it ever mattered to us, but for the franchise I thinks thats really cool.