The Energon Pub

I was out earlier with fellow Seibertronian Counterpunch and we came across something a bit strange in the weird Toy Store at the local Mall:


Iron Claw 001

Yep, that's a single packed version of the (previously) European exclusive Minicon Iron Claw. It cost $8 (ouch!) at the "Toy City" store in Cary Towne Center in Cary, NC. We're thinking this is a running change to the Market Six release from last year with the same, unchanged recolored Cybertron Recon Team members, although it wasn't clear if an entire case was out, so who knows.

Anyone know anything else about these? Might we see some more of those Euro 8-pack guys surface?

Interesting.

Nice find.

1) I don't have that mold.
2) I've been wanting that mold.
3) Those colors are awesome.

Please be true!

wow, awesome find
gonna have to keep my eyes open now for this guy and any others

See?

Pal around with me IRL and Mini-cons will find you.

While making the rounds in Cary, NC Seibertron member ScottyP and Seibertron.com Podcast host Counterpunch made an interesting discovery, a single carded version of he European exclusive Iron Claw Mini-Con. This little guy was originally one of the figures featured in a European exclusive Mini-Con 8-pack released back in 2010.

The figure was purchased for $8.00 at Toy City in the Cary Towne Center. ScottyP and Counterpunch speculate this could be a running change to the Market 6 release from last year.

ScottyP wrote:I was out earlier with fellow Seibertronian Counterpunch and we came across something a bit strange in the weird Toy Store at the local Mall:



Yep, that's a single packed version of the (previously) European exclusive Minicon Iron Claw. It cost $8 (ouch!) at the "Toy City" store in Cary Towne Center in Cary, NC. We're thinking this is a running change to the Market Six release from last year with the same, unchanged recolored Cybertron Recon Team members, although it wasn't clear if an entire case was out, so who knows.

Anyone know anything else about these? Might we see some more of those Euro 8-pack guys surface?

I was fortunate enough to pick up the original gift set when it first came out, although living in Europe didn't make it any easier. Hasbro originally stated that this would be shipping in the European Union.

There are 27 member states in the EU and I was only able to confirm its release in 3 of them! I eventually managed to get mine from a French eBay seller for about £30 posted. I think this and the Ravage infiltration pack were two of the hardest releases to pick up from the HFTD/TF2010 range.

Hopefully this release will mean more opportunities for fans to get these, assuming the whole assortment has been made available and not just a select few like the single releases of the Universe 12 pack.

Nice find

Great, another Mini-Con repaint to crap up store shelves so they won't order other figures.

TCWJoe wrote:Great, another Mini-Con repaint to crap up store shelves so they won't order other figures.

What?

dear god $8 for a mini-con, and i though $15 for a deluxe was bad.

PrymeStriker wrote:

TCWJoe wrote:Great, another Mini-Con repaint to crap up store shelves so they won't order other figures.

What?

At least those will stick with liquidator stores, not Walmart and the like.

Counterpunch wrote:See?

Pal around with me IRL and Mini-cons will find you.

Great, now I gotta move to Cary just to hang with you in hopes of finding hard-to-get figures.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:

PrymeStriker wrote:

TCWJoe wrote:Great, another Mini-Con repaint to crap up store shelves so they won't order other figures.

What?

At least those will stick with liquidator stores, not Walmart and the like.

Its not like they were widely available in the first place either, for all intents and purposes; this is a brand new release to US fans :-/

TCWJoe wrote:Great, another Mini-Con repaint to crap up store shelves so they won't order other figures.

So, you're not really sure why this matters to people but you're decrying it anyway.

Perfect.

I never even found it in it's intended market.

PrymeStriker wrote:

TCWJoe wrote:Great, another Mini-Con repaint to crap up store shelves so they won't order other figures.

What?

Except for the couple big box stores everything near me that would carry transformers still has a bunch of min-cons on the pegs despite when I read about the figures hitting to that level because no one wants the damn mini-cons and now I might end up with more taking up peg space. I just bought the purple one of this mode a couple months ago and the store I bought it from still has a bunch.

TCWJoe wrote:

PrymeStriker wrote:

TCWJoe wrote:Great, another Mini-Con repaint to crap up store shelves so they won't order other figures.

What?

Except for the couple big box stores everything near me that would carry transformers still has a bunch of min-cons on the pegs despite when I read about the figures hitting to that level because no one wants the damn mini-cons and now I might end up with more taking up peg space. I just bought the purple one of this mode a couple months ago and the store I bought it from still has a bunch.

I dunno where you shop, but where I shop for Transformers, the closest thing I see to a Mini-Con is the Cyberverse/Legends figures. Haven't seen any Mini-Cons since the end of the Classics line.

Mindmaster wrote:

TCWJoe wrote:

PrymeStriker wrote:

TCWJoe wrote:Great, another Mini-Con repaint to crap up store shelves so they won't order other figures.

What?

Except for the couple big box stores everything near me that would carry transformers still has a bunch of min-cons on the pegs despite when I read about the figures hitting to that level because no one wants the damn mini-cons and now I might end up with more taking up peg space. I just bought the purple one of this mode a couple months ago and the store I bought it from still has a bunch.

I dunno where you shop, but where I shop for Transformers, the closest thing I see to a Mini-Con is the Cyberverse/Legends figures. Haven't seen any Mini-Cons since the end of the Classics line.

Try liquidator stores like Big Lots!, Tuesday Morning, or even Dollar General and Family Dollar. Those stores get the smaller exclusives like Mini-Cons. Walmart, Target and Toys 'R Us do not carry them.

One final thing: Cyberverse figures are not Mini-Cons.

TCWJoe wrote:

PrymeStriker wrote:

TCWJoe wrote:Great, another Mini-Con repaint to crap up store shelves so they won't order other figures.

What?

Except for the couple big box stores everything near me that would carry transformers still has a bunch of min-cons on the pegs despite when I read about the figures hitting to that level because no one wants the damn mini-cons and now I might end up with more taking up peg space. I just bought the purple one of this mode a couple months ago and the store I bought it from still has a bunch.

Unless you're in a very strange, middle of nowhere-y place, there's no way a "Big box" store would have pegs of old minicons. Ollie's and Big Lots are not "big box" stores, friend. They're clearance stores. Major stores would be Walmart, Target, K-mart, etc. and none of those would have stock that old on shelves (outside of clearance setions, which are entirely separate from the primary aisles).

Right, the WalMarts, Targets and KMarts are clear of them in my area, but we are absolutely flooded with them in DuPage CO. just a few miles outside of Chicago at all the BigLots, Dollar Generals, Family Dollar, Walgreens, etc. I see reports of other series at these stores on here, but we never get them because we can't get rid of the damn mini-cons.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:

Mindmaster wrote:

TCWJoe wrote:

PrymeStriker wrote:

TCWJoe wrote:Great, another Mini-Con repaint to crap up store shelves so they won't order other figures.

What?

Except for the couple big box stores everything near me that would carry transformers still has a bunch of min-cons on the pegs despite when I read about the figures hitting to that level because no one wants the damn mini-cons and now I might end up with more taking up peg space. I just bought the purple one of this mode a couple months ago and the store I bought it from still has a bunch.

I dunno where you shop, but where I shop for Transformers, the closest thing I see to a Mini-Con is the Cyberverse/Legends figures. Haven't seen any Mini-Cons since the end of the Classics line.

Try liquidator stores like Big Lots!, Tuesday Morning, or even Dollar General and Family Dollar. Those stores get the smaller exclusives like Mini-Cons. Walmart, Target and Toys 'R Us do not carry them.

I take a look every now and then at those places. They mainly supply Scouts and Legends from . Haven't seen a Mini-Con yet.

One final thing: Cyberverse figures are not Mini-Cons.

I know. I was referring to their similar sizes, not their functionality. Sorry about that.

I pretty much have to do my shopping at those kinds of stores, resale shops and the clearance racks. I can't afford $15 for a deluxe at the major chains. I sure as hell can't afford those sweet 3rd party figures.

Counterpunch wrote:See?

Pal around with me IRL and Mini-cons will find you.

That's not the only thing that finds you...

ScottyP wrote:

Counterpunch wrote:See?

Pal around with me IRL and Mini-cons will find you.

That's not the only thing that finds you...

Teehee?