Transformers Angry Birds

My son collects these.

He has both the Bumblebee and the Optimus track sets and a few of the single characters. Truth be told these are REALLY hard to get here in HK.

The 5 pack energon set came out here and sold out within 2 days (I know this for a fact as I saw it on the shelves in Toys R Us, made a note of it so "Santa" could go back and get it and then when I did go back in, all their stores had sold out of all their stock and it has never restocked).

The Jenga Games never made it onto shelves here but my son was REALLY hoping for the OP one. I've never seen the vehicle packs here either.

The single packs have just been re-released here in very limited supply last week. I got a couple the other day - Optimus, Soundwave (HK$69 each) that were on my sons list.
He loves these sets - especially the Optimus race track and he uses the characters in-game as well. My only gripe is his Grimlock bird came missing a screw and so one of the arms always falls off (seems to be a thing with Grimlocks and arms I am discovering - his FoC Grimlock is ALWAYS loosing its dino arms too!).

The only toys available over here in New Zealand is the Bumblebee Race Track thing.. Toyworld only.

No other toys are coming at this stage. What a shame.

Maybe seeing the Star Wars ones shelfwarming for ages had stores not wanting to sit on another lot.
Or maybe it's just that game merchandise just doesn't sell, because it is a different mentality than a cartoon or movie that has toys... in that people just play the game to fill time or a bit of fun, but don't have enough attachment to the concept to want to buy too many "souvenirs" of it, if at all.
I see a LOT of Minecraft merchandise in stores, but don't see much of it moving. They look fascinating and surreal in person, but not interesting enough to want to spend money on it as a non-player of the game... and unless you spend an obsessively unhealthy amount of time on the game to become a fan, I don't imagine too many people would buy much of the merchandise.

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Originally Posted by griffin

I don't imagine too many people would buy much of the merchandise.

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You really need to come in for year one or two news sessions! :D

Mine craft sells, even the lego sets have flown from the shelves, but up unlike the other lego lines, they were restocked within a few days!

Star Wars Angry Birds, Angry Birds Go and Stella are still shelf warming here in HK. The Transformers Angry Birds are the only ones that seem to have flown off the shelf and sell out. However, Transformers is more popular than Star Wars here, so I think HK is the right market for these gimmicky app playable toy lines. By combining my sons favourite app with his favourite toy line it became a guaranteed spend for us.

As for Minecraft, it sells like crazy here, VERY hard to find on the shelves because it sells as soon as it stocks and is the "in trend" amongst school kids from ages 6 up. Even the fake Minecraft stuff sells insanely well - probably because the real stuff sells out so quick. Having said that, there seems to be a larger range of merchandise for Minecraft in Oz (at least the last time we were in Sydney) than there is here. Minecraft LEGO is almost impossible to get here, and when you do see the odd set it is 3 times the price of the same thing in the US/OZ - a real role reversal from most other stuff.

It's interesting how different markets seem to drive different demands in terms of what sells and what doesn't. Certainly gives an interesting perspective of how hard it must be for global companies like Hasbro to make decisions on what to run with and where because what shelf warms in one place sells like hot cakes elsewhere...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by griffin

Maybe seeing the Star Wars ones shelfwarming for ages had stores not wanting to sit on another lot.
Or maybe it's just that game merchandise just doesn't sell, because it is a different mentality than a cartoon or movie that has toys... in that people just play the game to fill time or a bit of fun, but don't have enough attachment to the concept to want to buy too many "souvenirs" of it, if at all.
I see a LOT of Minecraft merchandise in stores, but don't see much of it moving. They look fascinating and surreal in person, but not interesting enough to want to spend money on it as a non-player of the game... and unless you spend an obsessively unhealthy amount of time on the game to become a fan, I don't imagine too many people would buy much of the merchandise.

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Well, I guess it is quick restocking then. I just often see a lot of items in stores, but never any empty pegs or shelves... so probably just at the stores at the wrong times.

Might also be an area thing, maybe they sell the figures and paper doll/figures well down here, but up near you pokemon cards are all the rage. Usually things are popular for a term (10weeks) tops, but Minecragt has been raging as the number one "news" topic for years one and two for nearly three years, with only the occasional lego or skylanders or monster high or Star Wars toys in between.

Hmmm... talk about timing.

I almost posted my query about the global lack of Angry Birds toys on TFW, and lucky I didn't as wave two was just found at US Retail.

Here I was thinking that the removal of wave 2 listings from some online stores meant that the line had been wrapped up after a weak release of wave 1 figures... but apparently not.

The wave 2 packs that were found, with new packaging saying "Deceptihog's Revenge"...

Telepod Racer Packs - - Wave 2
Grey Slam Grimlock Bird - (redeco dino-car)
Dark Megatron Pig - (redeco Bludgeon tank)
Thundercracker Pig - (redeco Starscream)

Battle Packs - - Wave 2
Autobird Jazz Bird Vs Deceptihog Brawl Pig - (remould Soundwave) & (redeco Bludgeon)

Not surprisingly with the market flooded of spin-off Angry Birds games trying to cash in on the success of the original, the brand hasn't been doing to well in the last year, according to the Brand's owner Rovio.

New update coming to the game (already out on Android, just waiting for ios) features new playable character Stella as Arcee and Blackarachnia! Finally! Arcee has only been in the promos since day one. :p She turns into a little motorbike it seems.