Netflix WFC Collection (Smyths/Wal*Mart)

[Toph]

May 14, 2020 13:24:55 GMT Pinwig said:

I mean as in a mistake. We had a deluxe quint in early Earthrise listings until it became the allicon.

Okay that's fair.

I dunno. It just seems odd to branch this line into other ones when it's focused on the current generations aesthetic. Have Walmart done exclusives that aren't straight repaints in recent years? I can't remember who's done what now.

Soundblaster was a retool.

Walmart has been stingy on TF exclusives the past several years.
More than half of Cyberverse is a Target exclusive (or maybe it seems that way? Walmart carries almost nothing Cyberverse, and Walmart and Target are the only places left in my area to buy toys).
It's plausible Walmart wants to step it up.

[The Doctor]

As W*NC ties in to the Siege show surely it would only use characters in it?

Or perhaps W*NC is designed to have follow up shows for Earthrise and WFC III and these listings refer to future toys for those future shows?

-Ralph

[Pinwig]

I think the series is just War for Cybertron isn't it? The toy boxes don't say Siege. I think it's under the trilogy umbrella as opposed to Siege specifically.

[The Doctor]

Hadn't thought of that. Need to see the packaging.

-Ralph

[The Huff]

May 14, 2020 15:33:39 GMT Fortmax2020 said:

Would be a way to reuse the Allicon mold as well. Hard to imagine what else they could squeeze that out as.

Could it be turned into one of those Balif Guards?

[Jaymz]

May 14, 2020 15:38:40 GMT Toph said:

Walmart has been stingy on TF exclusives the past several years.

The G1 reissue line is all Walmart. Their idea, they funded the runs. Probably ate into the TF exclusive budget.

[Toph]

www.allspark.com/2020/05/new-netflixs-war-for-cybertron-deluxe-cheetor-walmart-listing/

Cheetor has now been found in the listings.

So, these are the possibilities, all of which are unprecedented in some way:
1) They are including Cyberverse molds
2) They are dusting off really old molds (the last cheetor toy is 12 years old. The last one before that was 8 years earlier)
3) This line does include heavy retooling (the only mold in the last several years that works for him is TR Weirdwolf)
4) Vehicle mode
5) New mold

[Pinwig]

Blimey that is weird. You might well be right about Cyberverse moulds being used then.

[The Huff]

Was there ever a Deluxe/warrior sized Cheetor in Cyberverse? The only ones I remember were very small (and basic).

[The Doctor]

I think there was just the one that combined with the aircraft carrier.

-Ralph

[Llama God]

May 15, 2020 4:12:39 GMT Toph said:

www.allspark.com/2020/05/new-netflixs-war-for-cybertron-deluxe-cheetor-walmart-listing/

Cheetor has now been found in the listings.

So, these are the possibilities, all of which are unprecedented in some way:
1) They are including Cyberverse molds
2) They are dusting off really old molds (the last cheetor toy is 12 years old. The last one before that was 8 years earlier)
3) This line does include heavy retooling (the only mold in the last several years that works for him is TR Weirdwolf)
4) Vehicle mode
5) New mold

He'll be a repaint of Alicon, with spots. Don't ask why.

Or... this could well be a listing mistake. But definitely an interesting one. If it's not, though, then it's surely just going to be a repaint, since that's pretty much all the W*NC line is anyway.

As to why we're getting so many more, I'm wondering if it's to do with the Coronavirus situation. The current pandemic is eating into everyone's profits, so maybe this is Hasbro's way of continuing to produce product whilst keeping stocks way down. And yes, this line did start before the pandemic, but given they'd already started it it would've been easy and a no-brainer to keep going in light of current events.

[Pinwig]

I recall Phil saying this was announced as being at least two waves from the start.

[Llama God]

Eh, fair enough then. Although I do wonder if they have expanded or will end up expanding it based on current events.

[The Doctor]

I'm still not comvinced W*NC will have new moulds. Can the market sustain three Generations style lines at once (W*NC, Earthrise, Studio Series)?

-Ralph

[Toph]

I will flip my lid if Cheetor is a new mold, or a repaint of Siege Prowl (given Cheetor's original design is an homage to the datsun design, it needs to happen at some point)

[The Doctor]

ID's FB update of 15/5 states that Voyagers have been cancelled by Hasbro UK with customers to be contacted soon. Oh dear.

I ordered mine from Kapow. Now to wait and see if Hasbro UK shaft them too.

-Ralph

[Pinwig]

That is very worrying. Hope this doesn't threaten Earthrise. Wait, why are Hasbro cancelling items that are already in Smyths? Makes no sense.

[The Doctor]

It's Hasbro UK.

-Ralph

[The Doctor]

May 16, 2020 16:33:44 GMT Pinwig said:

That is very worrying. Hope this doesn't threaten Earthrise. Wait, why are Hasbro cancelling items that are already in Smyths?.

Darn it. Hotlink and Megatron are out of stock for delivery at Smyths. If Kapow get shafted too then I shall miss out, which would be doubly annoying as I paid for them 3 months ago. This would not be Kapow's fault though.

-Ralph

[Pinwig]

Have they been in stock for delivery? I only saw them for click and collect. No longer at either of my two locals, but there do seem to be a fair number around in other shops. Some in Dezzeh's local.

[Fortmax2020]

Maybe they have become Smyths exclusives in the UK?

[Dezzeh]

Gonna try and pick up a Hotlink now, saw people doing click and collect today.

[The Doctor]

May 16, 2020 17:53:22 GMT Fortmax2020 said:

Maybe they have become Smyths exclusives in the UK?

If so they should have only been made available to Smyths. I paid for them 3 months ago with Kapow.

-Ralph

[Llama God]

That's shit on Hasbro UK's part. I wish I was surprised...

[Fortmax2020]

May 16, 2020 22:31:29 GMT The Doctor said:

May 16, 2020 17:53:22 GMT Fortmax2020 said:

Maybe they have become Smyths exclusives in the UK?

If so they should have only been made available to Smyths. I paid for them 3 months ago with Kapow.

-Ralph

Agreed, but they may have changed their minds with pandemic etc. Possibly easier to ship a large quantity to a large outlet rather than that plus a whole bunch of smaller shipments to places that can't be sure of warehouse space and staffing when things arrive.

[Philip Ayres]

I believe there was some confusion up stream.

Hasbro Europe promised them as an exclusive to Smyths, not realising Smyths distributed to the UK.

Hasbro UK said they were general stock.

The problem has been recently discovered and Hasbro Europe/Smyths won, thanks to Smyths having some printed material saying it was their exclusive.

It is what is referred to in the trade as "a massive cock up" and one that we should be only to familiar with from our Hasbro dealings.

[Pinwig]

There might be something in the rumour mentioned last night that these have always been signed exclusively to Smyths, but there was some confusion on Hasbro Europe's part and they thought Smyths was an Irish company. That's so stupid it's plausible.

[Pinwig]

Do we know if that applies to the whole range, Phil, or just the Voyagers/Magnus?

[The Doctor]

The while situation really pisses me over. Shafting suppliers is never good business sense. ID say that the deluxes are fine and they are trying to source Voyagers supplies elsewhere. I'm not doing Click and Collect at Smyths as I already paid for them months ago at Kapow. And I'm not doing a 4-hour round trip on public transport. Getting these toys should not be stressful and I know plastic robots are very low priority in the Current Situation but I was really looking forward to these and am now stressed I won't get what I paid for months ago. Silly things like plastic robots are helping me deal with the stress of the Current Situation and Work Situation.

-Ralph

[Fortmax2020]

It sounds like Hasbro have been trying to have their cake and eat it. And Smyths rightly pulled them up on it when they found out.

Bit of a mess.