TF4 toy release date confirmed - May 17th

[griffin]

According to the American ToysRUs Database, the main line of Transformers 4 toys can not be sold (by major retailers who have to answer to Hasbro) before May 17th.

The (preview) "First Edition Optimus" should be out around February, and then the tidalwave of Movie toys hits stores on Saturday May 17th.


(it will also mean the stores will be winding back on their Transformers stock levels in the month or two before that date)

[Sinnertwin]

I wonder how the online stores will play this? They're not exactly ones to adhere strictly to sales embargo dates. All it takes is one sale to go through...

[KaRNiV8L PRiME]

I think retailers will be weary of buying too much stock. TF3 shelfwarmed until they went on clearance.

[klystron]

(it will also mean the stores will be winding back on their Transformers stock levels in the month or two before that date)

Think the stores around here started "winding back" TF stock about 6 months ago!

[1orion2many]

(it will also mean the stores will be winding back on their Transformers stock levels in the month or two before that date)

Winding back, They haven't really stocked anything worth while for a long time now. If they wind it any further back we'll be buying G1 again

[DELTAprime]

(it will also mean the stores will be winding back on their Transformers stock levels in the month or two before that date)

The Big W's and Kmart's I've been in lately seem devoid of TFs aside from Big W's recent stock of Construct Bots. They seemed to cut back months ago. The Target and TRU I was recently in seemed well stocked.

Also, normally the date on the box is the same here in Australia as it is in the US. I've only seen one toy with stickers on it with a local date as opposed to a global dates printed on the box.

[griffin]

Yeah... in Australia, we've been pretty light on restocking since the first wave of Beast Hunters came out early last year.

But globally, it will make it harder to find upcoming waves, as less and less stores around the world take on new stock as the movie line gets closer.

So things we had scheduled for "first quarter" by Hasbro that are already getting hard to find (of the ones released so far)...
BH Legion - Divebomb, Rotgut, Ace Vehicon, Bluestreak.
BH Cmdr - Unicron Megatron, Ultra Magnus, Bludgeon.
BH DLX - Bumblebee, Windrazor, Twinstrike, Smokescreen
BH VOY - Optimus, Predaking (out and not in demand, so easy enough to find)
GEN Legends - Swerve, Cosmos (released late - slated for October 2013)
GEN Legends - Tailgate, Sharpshot
GEN DLX - Goldfire, Waspinator, Skids, Dreadwing (released early in Nov/Dec, but difficult to find in retailers)
GEN DLX - Skywarp, Scoop, Starscream, Minicons (out, but not in a lot of places)
GEN DLX - Rattrap, Crosscut, Tankor
GEN VOY - Rhinox, Doubldealer (released early in Nov/Dec - easy to find online)
GEN VOY - Whirl (out, but not in a lot of places)
Botshots - Prowl, Hydrax, Soundwave, Smokescreen, Strafe
BS Launcher - Starscream, Hun-Grrr
BS Launcher - Bluestreak, Buzzclaw
BS 3-pack - Red Alert/Ultra Magnus/Mirage, Twinstrike/Skystalker/Bumblebee
BS 5-pack - Protectobots, Combaticons
Kreo Combiner - Menasor, Computron (out, but limited sources)
Kreo Custom - Galvatron, Hound, Dreadwind, Predaking, Cliffjumper, Jazz
Constructbots Scout - Bumblebee, Starscream, Ripclaw
CB Elite - Skystalker, Shockwave, Optimus
CB Triple Team - Megatron, Bulkhead
CB 2-pack - Optimus Vs Predaking
CB Scout Arsenal - Starscream, Bumblebee
CB Elite Arsenal - Wheeljack, Soundwave
Rescue Bots Figurine 2-packs - Optimus Primal, Bumblebee, Heatwave

That's a lot of stuff that Hasbro had slated for release before the Movie... which I really doubt we'll see much of. And anything we do see, will prove to be difficult to obtain, as they will show up at random locations or the odd online store.

[5FDP]

TF3 shelfwarmed until they went on clearance.

I'm still seeing TF3 toys on the shelves at my local Big W. There should be some sort of record kept acknowledging toys with the longest shelf life. IMO, G1 Kup would still hold the title.

[BigTransformerTrev]

I'm still seeing TF3 toys on the shelves at my local Big W. There should be some sort of record kept acknowledging toys with the longest shelf life. IMO, G1 Kup would still hold the title.

Ha! Thinking about it I bought him at a newsagents in about 1990/91 so at least 4 to 5 years

[DELTAprime]

I'm still seeing TF3 toys on the shelves at my local Big W. There should be some sort of record kept acknowledging toys with the longest shelf life. IMO, G1 Kup would still hold the title.

Yeah that will be the $10 DOTM and PRID Deluxes we got last year. They are stock Hasbro couldn't move in the US so they sold them the Big W last year and The Reject Shop before that.