Transformers Venting thread!

[griffin]

Now you know how we feel, with the Major Retailers here all preferring to stock those crappy Beast Hunters toys and clog the shelves with it, than invest in Generations, which hasn't been known to have long-term shelfwarming anywhere... even the FOC waves that did get released here (with Air Raid and Kickback, or VOY Soundwave, or the Legends data-discs), moved faster than the Beast Hunters stuff.

That review is not surprising.... and mine should arrive in about a week. (I wasn't excited enough to get it when it was released, so left it a month until MP Gen2 Lambor was released, just to save on shipping on that terrible looking toy - I didn't have to worry about it selling out either )

[DELTAprime]

It's funny how the collectors market is big enough for the Hasbro CEO to mention it in an earnings call and to call it out in the Toy Fair presentations. Yet Hasbro Australia and retailers are ignoring it meaning all the sales they could be bringing in are instead going to Hasbro US, Hasbro HK and Takara.

[Sky Shadow]

It's funny how the collectors market is big enough for the Hasbro CEO to mention it in an earnings call and to call it out in the Toy Fair presentations. Yet Hasbro Australia and retailers are ignoring it meaning all the sales they could be bringing in are instead going to Hasbro US, Hasbro HK and Takara.

The problem is the continued ignorance of the buyers from the retailers. One would have thought that by now they would have had the sense to employ adults who have a clue about toys - there are clearly no shortage of us. And yet their idea of throwing a bone to the "collector" market is occasionally purchasing expensive toys that we can get cheaper from overseas (e.g. Masterpiece Ghost or Year of the Horse Starscream) and then being shocked when we don't buy them at retail.

[Bidoofdude]

Now you know how we feel, with the Major Retailers here all preferring to stock those crappy Beast Hunters toys and clog the shelves with it, than invest in Generations, which hasn't been known to have long-term shelfwarming anywhere... even the FOC waves that did get released here (with Air Raid and Kickback, or VOY Soundwave, or the Legends data-discs), moved faster than the Beast Hunters stuff.

That review is not surprising.... and mine should arrive in about a week. (I wasn't excited enough to get it when it was released, so left it a month until MP Gen2 Lambor was released, just to save on shipping on that terrible looking toy - I didn't have to worry about it selling out either )

FOC toys flew off the shelves, I had trouble locating Wave 1 at first for a solid month or two, didn't even see Wave 2 and Wave 3 had some figures that were always bought up.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Now you know how we feel, with the Major Retailers here all preferring to stock those crappy Beast Hunters toys and clog the shelves with it, than invest in Generations, which hasn't been known to have long-term shelfwarming anywhere... even the FOC waves that did get released here (with Air Raid and Kickback, or VOY Soundwave, or the Legends data-discs), moved faster than the Beast Hunters stuff.

That review is not surprising.... and mine should arrive in about a week. (I wasn't excited enough to get it when it was released, so left it a month until MP Gen2 Lambor was released, just to save on shipping on that terrible looking toy - I didn't have to worry about it selling out either )

Oh, I'm aware of it...it was partially your essay that reminded me (haven't had much time for toy-shopping lately), but as far as mass-retail goes it's pretty much the same deal here, and I well remember the even-more-dismal Australian scene.
Coincidentally, Beast Hunters is released under the GO! label in Japan. Better colours, but that's about it.

I tried the Yamada Denki 2 cities over today - no Rhinox or Waspinators, but a handful of old FoC stock (Soundblaster isn't moving much for some reason), and...surprise, surprise, heaps of GO! crap including the Beast Hunters stuff.

Seriously, I teach at half the schools around my local Yamada Denki, and I know that for a fact that most of them weren't even born yet when Beast Wars came out, and that none of them are reading the latest IDW stuff...yet somehow Rhinox and Waspinator sell out in a day, while the current-media-supported stuff is still clogging the shelves?

[griffin]

Maybe Osaka is full of closet Transformers fans.

When I was there in November, it was indeed wall-to-wall blue packaging (GO!) at the Retailers (ToysRUs & KidsLand). It was actually easier to buy one-off items and exclusives (in those photos).
At least you got some Generations toys... even if it is a challenge to find them.

[GoktimusPrime]

...or could be scalpers. I remember Shadow Panther being sold out in Higashimatsuyama Saitama, which is like freakin' semi-rural. Not sure if the average kid at the time was taking a massive interest in a non-show repaint of Cheetor, but that toy would be sold out within just hours of being shelved! I personally had to trek out to Tokyo to get a Rhinox Vs Shadow Panther set for myself.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Hard to say on either of the above, by Osakan standards the town I work for is pretty small and quite far out from the City proper, but we have an international university here so there is a sizeable uni student population, including a lot of foreign students.
That wouldn't totally account for the Izumiotsu Yamada being all out though.

Either way, I'll totally pay that it's better here than back in Oz - though that's very much damning with faint praise.

[griffin]

If you don't end up finding them locally and get desperate, some HK online stores still have both.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Cheers Griff, but I'm pretty sure one will show up at one of the Den Den Town hobby shops sooner or later. I'm just a little too caught up with work stuff atm to make it into the city and have a decent look around.

That and it's freaking annoying to see shelves full of that god-awful GO! crap when there could be Rhinoxes and Waspinators there instead.

I suppose it's good practice for the upcoming TF4 and all those nice Generations toys that the retailers will pass on.