|
|
Post by blueshift on Mar 30, 2014 22:45:06 GMT
With the split into simple Movie toys for kids and more complex Generations for collectors it will be interesting to see how the UK market stocks Transformers after this May! -Ralph Badly, I bet |
|
kayevcee
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
The Weather Wizard
Posts: 5,527
|
Post by kayevcee on Mar 31, 2014 9:21:08 GMT
The difficulty with Generations is that each wave is only available for a fixed period of time- if shops don't sell enough of wave 2 in time, they miss the window for wave 3 and, since it's a store exclusive that means wave 3 (for example) skips the UK entirely. Not ideal, but not the shop's fault. You can point the finger at Hasbro UK- God knows all the small toy reailers do.
The Year Of The... releases are a simpler matter. They're not a fixed size class or part of any particular line so they become "special order" items that every shop can go yea or nay on individually. At a guess, I'd say the very-much-outside-the-fandom higher-ups at TRU UK said "who the hell is Predaking/Omega Supreme/Bruticus" and skipped them due to lack of name recognition. Optimus Prime and Starscream, however? Those they know of as big names and supposedly big sellers. I'd assume they didn't know the Optimus Prime was the same one they sat on for months at £25 less the previous year, or that the Starscream was a giant figure they struggled to get rid of at half price a decade ago.
-Nick
|
|
|
|
Post by Bogatan on Mar 31, 2014 20:07:06 GMT
What gets me with this line is the way the exclusivity shifts from release to release. So you have a collector oriented remould/repaint line, I understand that and I'll buy into that happily, it's like a western version of Cloud I suppose - despite the oriental 'Year of' moniker - but it's all over the place in terms of who does what. Amazon, BBTS, TRU, Hasbro Toyshop, they've all been a mixture of what comes from where. Okay I think you are mixing up the "Year of the" exclusives with the "30 at 30" (or whatever it is called) even though the current two are both (and were year of Prime and OM)the rest are one or the other. I think the "Year of the" line is an Asian release primarily. If someone in the US/UK wants to stock them Hasbros fine with that, but I don't think they are that bothered if they are stocked or not. TRU has stocked more of them than anyone else at this point I think. On top of that TRU UK seem to have joined at exactly the wrong point with two useless releases in bling Prime and that overpriced Starscream, probably killing any chance of future releases. We could have had the Grimlock/Bruticus set or the big Ultra Magnus. Both of which would have been cheaper than £125 and probably sold more, even if Grimlock has had a solo release. I'd have bought both of those if I'd walked into a shop and seen them. Same for Year of the Snake Omega Supreme as that was a shared TRU exclusive too. I'm still tempted to get that one from BBTS even though I've got the Energon original. I like the fact it would fit with the FoCers and it has the right colours. And surely the reissue of Predaking would have done well as those toys never have been released here (that's right isn't it? they didn't sneak out in the 90s reissues?) In terms of Year of I dont think any of the previous releases would have sold better. Ultimate DOTM Prime was hardly a bit hit and the trailer in red probably wouldn't have helped any. Omega Supreme is in the same ball park price range as Starscream in Canadian TRU were it was available so I don't see that as better value. As for the thrilling 30 at 30 TRU already stocked Grimlock and Bruticus individually without any great success. In comparison MP10 sold out across the country and Starscream has name recognition. I can see why TRU would have selected those two to follow up Soundwave and Acid Storm. The error and it is huge is in expecting either to sell at those retail prices. I do want that Prime though, it looks fantastic. I believe Predaking was a BBTS/Amazon exclusive so may not have even been offered to TRU. Even if it had, I'm not sure how well it would have sold. Us adult fans would have been thrilled (unless it was to expensive) but I doubt many kids would have wanted one. |
|
|
|
Post by Pinwig on Mar 31, 2014 21:38:22 GMT
Okay I think you are mixing up the "Year of the" exclusives with the "30 at 30" (or whatever it is called) even though the current two are both (and were year of Prime and OM)the rest are one or the other. I think the "Year of the" line is an Asian release primarily. If someone in the US/UK wants to stock them Hasbros fine with that, but I don't think they are that bothered if they are stocked or not. TRU has stocked more of them than anyone else at this point I think. I don't think I am, I was looking at the exclusivity rights for the Platinum releases (listed here, although of course that might not be accurate). The 30 at 30 numbering has spread across different lines and different territories hasn't it? Aren't there at least three different Metroplex releases with different numbers? the rationale behind that badge escapes me, unless it's 'in this celebration year, worldwide, these are the significant/most representative releases'. Why anyone would actually want to collect all 30 of those is beyond me. I don't know if all the Platinum line have been released in Asia, it would make sense though given the naming and if so what you say makes perfect sense too. What I was saying was that with the Platinum/Year of releases there's no repeat pattern to where they come from, so you have to work at keeping track of them, which an average shop punter wouldn't do. If they all came from the same retailer they'd probably sell more as an ongoing collection. But if as you say Hasbro doesn't really care and has just offered them up on a release by release basis to anyone who may want them, then that was never an option anyway. Yes, I see that makes sense. Although the Bruticus release was marginal at best. I never saw any in a shop or in stock to order online (but no, I'd have been surprised if the platinum version came out here given Grimlock had only just come out solo and was shelf warming from the start). I suppose in terms of what TRU would want to sell the recognisable names make sense, but I still think that these toys (Generations/Masterpiece/Platinum) aren't aimed at casual shoppers and kids, they're aimed at us, and for us it isn't constant repeats of the big names we really want. I also think that MP10 was under stocked here, there'd been a gap in the line since Rodimus so TRU may have asked for lower numbers to test for demand again. But when it comes to it, if the first wave of Generations deluxes didn't shift fast enough for us to warrant having another wave since, then there isn't much hope for bigger more expensive sets unless as you say, they're the household names. It seems TRU just buy a wave and stock it until eventually they've recouped the cost, which for the Orion Pax wave still seems to be ongoing. Didn't we see at the UK Toy show in January that we are due one of the remix assortments of the last few waves in a month or two? Yes, TRU didn't have Predaking. I agree, kids wouldn't want it. Kids want Prime/Rescue Bots because that's what's on TV and the toys are realistically priced. There's no other media here to promote other lines. Predaking here would have been £120 I would think based on the original dollar price. I dunno. I'm not saying it would sell MP10 numbers, but surely something genuinely collectible like that would be worth a go just to see what it would sell. Hasbro need to make more fuss about the 30th here when the movie hits, stir up the passions in the lapsed 40-something collectors. |
|
|
|
Post by Pinwig on Mar 31, 2014 21:44:30 GMT
The difficulty with Generations is that each wave is only available for a fixed period of time- if shops don't sell enough of wave 2 in time, they miss the window for wave 3 and, since it's a store exclusive that means wave 3 (for example) skips the UK entirely. Not ideal, but not the shop's fault. You can point the finger at Hasbro UK- God knows all the small toy reailers do. The Year Of The... releases are a simpler matter. They're not a fixed size class or part of any particular line so they become "special order" items that every shop can go yea or nay on individually. At a guess, I'd say the very-much-outside-the-fandom higher-ups at TRU UK said "who the hell is Predaking/Omega Supreme/Bruticus" and skipped them due to lack of name recognition. Optimus Prime and Starscream, however? Those they know of as big names and supposedly big sellers. I'd assume they didn't know the Optimus Prime was the same one they sat on for months at £25 less the previous year, or that the Starscream was a giant figure they struggled to get rid of at half price a decade ago. -Nick Aha, I see. That makes complete sense and explains the release patterns. I get it. "There's a film coming up, what would the Dads buy when they're in our shops with their kids buying movie toys for them? oh yes, the famous names of their childhood, Hello Hasbro? what do you have on the go for those at the moment? Optimus and Starscream? yes please." |
|
|
|
Post by Philip Ayres on Jan 8, 2015 16:05:39 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Jan 8, 2015 19:08:50 GMT
Will Spike have his eyes?
-Ralph
|
|
|
|
Post by Andy Turnbull on Jan 8, 2015 19:14:19 GMT
I hope not. I like Event Horizon Spike.
Andy
|
|
|
|
Post by The Doctor on Jan 8, 2015 19:15:05 GMT
Where he's going he doesn't need eyes.
-Ralph
|
|
