QLD Transformers Sightings.

[Soundwarp]

The Noosa Metroplex is gone

[Ravagecat]

Coles at Fairfield has the last BH Legion wave. I saw Rot Gut, Dive Bomb and Ace Vehicon.
No Bot Shots save for two bumblebees. Ravagecat did Mr Toys get that Megatron flip shot wave in? The one at indro seemed to have quite a few bot shots.

Thanks tinyJazz, I had a look at the new intro toyworld a few weeks ago and they just had the same old first couple of bot shot waves that all the sth side stores seem to have. I did mange to pick up a BH Ultra class O Prime from there which I had been looking everywhere for too Happy about that!

Botshots Megatron was found and obtained by a friend of mine just the other day So don't need it anymore. Thanks for any suggestions given guys

[tinyJazz]

Thanks tinyJazz, I had a look at the new intro toyworld a few weeks ago and they just had the same old first couple of bot shot waves that all the sth side stores seem to have. I did mange to pick up a BH Ultra class O Prime from there which I had been looking everywhere for too Happy about that!

Botshots Megatron was found and obtained by a friend of mine just the other day So don't need it anymore. Thanks for any suggestions given guys

Oh sweet!

btw dudes, the Mr Toys at Jindalee must have had a warehouse find, First wave tfp deluxes, hftd voyager Optimus and Seaspray, and allspark power Brawl in tube packaging. Only had one of each though.

[Caffinetron]

The Noosa Metroplex is gone

It was sitting on the top shelf of the board games shelves above eye level (for the common vertical man). Not your general place to put a TF figure.

[Soundwarp]

I'll send the In-Laws back to check

[griffin]

Garden City ToysRUs looked up on the computer system earlier in the week that all the Combiner Kreons appear to be out to stores now (they were showing none at the Warehouse apparently, because I wanted to order the newest ones in). Since their system said that Garden City had none coming, but Aspley had about 5 (in total) and Gold Coast had 16 in total... I had to go down to the Gold Coast today.
Sure enough the Gold Coast ToysRUs had six of each Kreo Menasor and Computron for $17 each (plus 1 or 2 Superion & Devastator), and about 4 of the Custom Kreo as well.
I bought a pair for me and Ravagecat, and got a third pair for anyone else in Brisbane who wants them but can't get all the way to the Coast. (PM me if interested) (sold)

I wanted to report on this earlier, but after the last couple sightings of mine resulted in sudden clearing out of those stores (of BotShots), I didn't want to risk it before I went all the way down there and back.

There are still three of each of Menasor and Computron at the Gold Coast, and by the sounds of it, maybe a couple at Aspley... but it sounds like that is all we can expect for SE QLD.
(the SEQ store with the most sales traffic, was the one that didn't end up getting any at all)

Between Pacific Fair and Australia Fair, there wasn't really anything to report... except maybe the last batch of BH Legions were at TRU ($8) and Coles ($7) at Pacific Fair.

[griffin]

BY THE WAY.....

The Gold Coast ToysRUs store is closing down in July.

The Pacific Fair is being renovated (they look to be demolishing part or all of the outdoor part, probably to expand the multi-storey complex into that area just to fit in more retailers per square meter of land), and that 2-storey section is being demolished as well... so maybe the new complex was not able to incorporate the existing building.
The staff-member I was talking to said that they were offered temporary locations, but none were big enough for them, so they decided to close down when the lease ran out, and the stock will be transferred to other stores (probably Aspley and Garden City). They may return to the Gold Coast again, but not in the foreseeable future (according to the staffer... but I might ask Head Office if they have any plans to re-open somewhere on the Gold Coast).


Target is underneath TRU, so I imagine that they would be closing down as well... but Target are not as rare as TRU in SE QLD, so it isn't as great a loss.
This will leave just the two Brisbane stores now, to cater to the 3 million people in the SE corner of the state... making limited edition figures even more difficult to fight over.

I know that we are still better off than those in regions or even states that don't even have a TRU anywhere near them, but it is unusually low ratio in this third-largest population cluster in Australia...
(Greater) Sydney (4.4 million) has 10 stores = 1 per 440,000 people
(Greater) Melbourne (4.2 million) has 6 stores = 1 per 700,000 people
Brisbane (2.2 million) has 2 stores = 1 per 1,100,000 people
Perth (1.9 million) has 4 stores = 1 per 475,000 people
Adelaide (1.3 million) has 3 stores = 1 per 433,000 people
Gold Coast (0.6 million) has 1 store (closing soon) = 1 per 600,000 people
Canberra (0.4 million) has 2 stores = 1 per 200,000 people
Newcastle (0.4 million) has 1 store = 1 per 400,000 people
Central Coast (0.3 million) has 1 store = 1 per 300,000 people
Wollongong (0.3 million has 1 store = 1 per 300,000 people
Geelong (0.2 million) has 1 store = 1 per 200,000 people
Townsville (0.2 million) has 1 store = 1 per 200,000 people
Cairns (0.15 million) has 1 store = 1 per 150,000 people
Mackay (0.08 million) had 1 store (burnt down, might return) = 1 per 80,000 people


That's all 35 existing stores (if Mackay comes back), and Brisbane is 2-3 times the ratio of most other locations, with Melbourne being next worst with stores per capita.
(it'd be nice to have one in Hobart, Darwin and Sunshine Coast as well... to cover the 15 largest population centres here, and the two states/territories that don't have any)

(I get distracted by numbers way too easily... )

[Caffinetron]

There used to be a TRU on the Sunshine Coast. It was in the external shopping Village on Plaza Pde that has Camera House and Woolworths in Maroochydore. That was sometime ago though. And when you walked in there tumbleweeds would roll across the aisles. It would be good to have one back here but i just don't think the demand is there. There are only 3 toy stores on the Sunshine Coast and if you look at their stock and the turnover of money and the stock, it shows that families tend to shop in the variety store toy aisles due to the ease of "shopping all under the one roof" and the price of their stock compared to toy stores.
Unfortunately TRU do get the exclusive toys etc, but the price they charge for the common figure you may as well put a store in the airport terminal or cinema foyer.

[griffin]

Wow... so we are coming down to half of what it was when they first started up in QLD in the mid 90s.
We lost Indooroopilly and Sunshine Coast... possibly Mackay, and then the Gold Coast store closes in July. It leaves us with 4 of the original 8 in QLD.

If they keep contracting (stores have closed in other states in recent years), there must be something wrong with their retail model. (aside from the high prices)

[Zommael]

Big W at Stocklands Rocky has the new movie Prime in vast quantities. I haven't decided yet whether to pick it up or not.