The Energon Pub

WHEN IS IT COMING?!?!? Oh, and I'm hearing rumors that it will be exclusivly sold at Walmart? Can anyone offer up some intel? Thanks!

HypnoXXIV wrote:WHEN IS IT COMING?!?!? Oh, and I'm hearing rumors that it will be exclusivly sold at Walmart? Can anyone offer up some intel? Thanks!

Heh. There's threads (yes, multiples) already in existence.

I'll go ahead and answer this though, since you're a noob, and it'll be easier for you to find the info.

1.) He is a confirmed Wal-Mart exclusive.

2.) We've heard a small list of release times.

They include:
September (according to TransFormers.com, the official Hasbro site. This has since been proven wrong.)

October (according to Action-H-Q, they claim it's due to ship out October 15th or 16th. Apparently this hasn't happened, because none of the people who preordered him have said it shipped to them. So this looks to have been proven wrong as well.)

November (according to a tag on the display shelf at BotCon. Most likely this one will be the correct date. Many of us believe it'll be a Black Friday exclusive.)

eBay auctions claim December or January, other posters claim we're not getting him at all. (none of this is true. It'll be before December, and we are definitely getting him.)

I, and another poster here, emailed Hasbro's Customer Service and their email said:

Customer (Name Removed) 10/03/2007 11:57 AM
Hello. I heard recently that you're bringing the Masterpiece Starscream figure to Wal-Mart stores as an exclusive. I was wondering if you could tell me when he's due, and about how much the MSRP is? Here's the UPC code for him: 6 53569 27551 0 along with a picture of his UPC barcode.

Thank you in advance. I appreciate it.

Their response:

Response (Veronica) 10/03/2007 02:57 PM
Hi (Name Removed),

Thank you for contacting Hasbro, Inc. We appreciate your interest in our company and products!

This product has just recently begun shipping to Walmart stores. Please keep in mind that depending on time of year, retailer distribution systems, store inventory and sales patterns, it may take from several weeks up to several months for some products to show up on store shelves.

Please continue checking your local Walmart stores and their online store for availability of this product.

Again, thank you for your interest.

So as you can see, we are getting him. Wal-Mart will be the place, and as she said, it's dependent on the store as to when it'll be on the shelves. However, she didn't realize exactly how the stores work. So we can't hold it against her.

Here's where she's wrong:

1.) They're shipping to Wal-Mart warehouse/distribution centers now.

2.) Once they arrive, and invoices hit the system, etc...then the warehouses will start shipping them to the stores.

So, yeah, she's right, generally, but, it could be weeks to months, depending on the store. However, since the warehouses are getting them in as we speak, and BotCon said November...we will see him within the next month's worth of time.

No worries, he's coming. To Wal-Mart. We'll get him.

Oh and since no one else has done it..WELCOME TO SEIBERTRON! WARNING: SEIBERTRON CONTAINS NUTS!

While I hope & pray that this figure isn't a Black Friday release, if I were a betting man, that's where I'd put my money. I can just see myself now - standing outside of WallyWorld at 5 AM like an idiot. <Shakes head> The things I do for this hobby....

I can see the conversation with my gf now.

You're coming with me.

No I'm not!!

C'mon, you're gonna let me go stand outside in the cold all alone?

No, you'll have other idiots like yourself to keep you company.

But I don't wanna warm up with Autobot032. C'mon, I'll buy you breakfast.

You'll buy me breakfast anyway when you get home.

Gah, you're coming with me or no X-mas present.

But, but I went with you to Botcon!

Well, you did say I needded a hobby!

Yup, it'll go something like that. In the end, she will be shivering out there with me just like she stood in line for the Botcon souveneirs, 2 hours on day one and then another 2 on day 2.

What is black friday it sounds really bad.

I have some news. Before I finish this, let me make it abundantly clear, this is not guaranteed. This is guess work (but it fits, I'll explain) and as such it must be taken with a grain of salt until we see otherwise. I repeat, not guaranteed.

I went to Wal-Mart this morning to get stuff for my dad and decided to stop by toys. They were working frantically to move a bunch of TFs and Spider-Man stuff, and I couldn't figure out why. Then I saw her, a Hasbro rep helping them with the layout.

I walked up to her and asked her about Masterpiece Starscream and she said "I'm sorry. I've heard absolutely nothing about it. Obviously you have, otherwise you'd not be asking. I'm guessing you got your info from the internet?" I said yes, showed her the UPC all of it, yada yada yada. She said "You'll find out about it long before I will. I'm just here to help push things along on what's currently available. I can't give you any of the info that you're asking for because I simply don't have it."

So the Toy Department manager said "No problem. I'll go check in the back on the inventory computer and check our warehouses." So as he was heading off I gave him the UPC and said "Hasbro told me in an email that they're shipping to Wal-Marts nationwide, as we speak." He said okay and walked back.

The woman had me follow her to her cart full of paperwork and started flipping through it, she showed me what's out and what is to come. (BTW...the Allspark Power line *is* due in January. Deluxe, Voyager, and Leader Classes. Second-third week of the month. This I saw with my own eyes, she even reaffirmed it for me. This part is 100%.) Well she's flipping through all of it and guess what? Masterpiece Starscream doesn't appear in any of her pages. Not for Wal-Mart, Target, Toys "R" Us, K-B, any of it. Nada, zip, zilch. She asked me if I knew I had the right item and I told her how it was packaged, pieces have hit eBay, etc. "Oh it's in Hasbro packaging? Well then, that means he's being produced and he's a legit item, plus that is a TransFormers designated upc you have. It's really odd that it's not showing up in here. I have a list of all figures, including exclusive figures through summer 2008."

So we waited for the guy to come back. Five minutes later, he shows up and says "Not in our warehouses, not on any invoices, none here in the store, none in any of the stores for at least a 100 mile radius. Nothing." He asked me again if I was sure it was an exclusive and I told him and her all about BotCon and how it said November, A-HQ said October, etc. I mentioned Black Friday and right then, both of them had the idea light bulb over their heads (not literally, figuratively. I say I say, listen son. Pay attention.)

The guy said "Well you might just have your answer right there." I looked at him really puzzled because he knew more than he was saying and I had to kinda get it out of him.

He said (and I quote!):

"Black Friday items aren't in the computers until a week in advance. The home office and the printing company that handles the circular are the only ones who know what will be coming that day, long in advance. So if he's a Blitz exclusive, that explains why he's not registering on any computer. Also, you said he's currently shipping to us, well that can take months. All of our freight involving items like this come by surface mail from China. That literally takes weeks to cross the ocean because of all of their stops. Plus it has to go through customs, and then sits at the docks in California for a couple of weeks before being processed for our warehouses. With all of that, Black Friday sounds like a reasonable time frame. It covers the shipping time, it covers his exclusivity, and why we can't find him in the computer. Not to mention, that would explain why a Fall item doesn't show up on any of the mods."

The rep then piped up and said "That also explains why it's not in my paperwork. My guess is he *is* a Wal-Mart exclusive, but most likely a Blitz exclusive, and I have no information on those. That's handled by corporate and the retailers. It's a deal between the two of them, we the middle men are left completely out when it comes to something like this. You say he's in the process of shipping to stores now, well the November time frame would fit. They most likely started shipping him at the beginning of September, end of August."

So we had the guy run through his Telzone once more just to be sure and he said "Not on file. If I was a betting man, I'd almost bet the house he'll be here for Black Friday. That does present a problem though. We cannot order anything, we're only given a specific number of said item and if it's still in stock after 11:00, great. If not, you're screwed. So if it is a Blitz item, be here and be in line, because you're going to have to beat the crowds to get him."

The rep said "With the sales of these figures as they are, I wouldn't doubt he'll sell out, so if you want one, you better be here early, like he said. In fact, TransFormers is one of our top five hot Christmas brands. Now with the movie out on DVD, the toys will sell even more."

I thanked them both, and walked away.

So to recap...

1.) He *is* shipping to Wal-Mart as we speak. (This was confirmed by emails to Hasbro.)

2.) He will arrive around November if he's in shipping right now. (confirmed by rep)

3.) He is a Wal-Mart exclusive, but it remains to be seen whether or not that's a Black Friday Blitz only exclusive, or a store exclusive, period.

4.) Black Friday Blitz items do not appear in the computer until one week before the actual sale, so if they tell you it's not in their system, they ain't lyin'. They can't get access to his info.

So while it's not 100% concrete, this does look like this is the scenario. A Black Friday Blitz exclusive. That would explain the price, the hush hush about all of it in the computers, people being out of the loop.

I'm hoping it's not a BFB exclusive and can be found regularly, but if it must be a BFB exclusive...I'll be there. Oh yes, I shall be there.

Sorry to burst any bubbles people. But hey, at least we're getting him.

Bonger wrote:But I don't wanna warm up with Autobot032.

Aww. That's a shame...I like to cuddle.

shortround wrote:What is black friday it sounds really bad.

The biggest shopping day of the year. It's the day after Thanksgiving. All the major stores have a "Blitz" of Early Bird specials. 6a-11a you can find items they normally don't carry or ones they do, but at really low prices. Or 2-for-1 deals, etc. It's an extremely busy day and very difficult to deal with. If he's a Blitz exclusive, I'd recommend you be in line around 4:30 am or so.

man, i hope you're wrong about the black friday thing. it's bad enough that he's a wal-mart exclusive but now if it comes out on black friday it's like a double whammy for all of us who want him. first they stick the knife in our back with the wal-mart exclusive bs and now they're just twisting it around if this black friday news is true. call me crazy but shouldn't they make a sought after figure like this easily available?

WHAT IS BLACK FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Autobot032 wrote:The biggest shopping day of the year. It's the day after Thanksgiving. All the major stores have a "Blitz" of Early Bird specials. 6a-11a you can find items they normally don't carry or ones they do, but at really low prices. Or 2-for-1 deals, etc. It's an extremely busy day and very difficult to deal with. If he's a Blitz exclusive, I'd recommend you be in line around 4:30 am or so.

In case you missed Autobot032's post.

Thanks for the answer it sounds really scary. I just never knew that the day after thanksgiving was called black ______ since it doesn't always fall on friday.

shortround wrote:Thanks for the answer it sounds really scary. I just never knew that the day after thanksgiving was called black ______ since it doesn't always fall on friday.

Wow dude, just wow.

Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday. Hence, Black Friday is always on Friday.

I thought Thanksgiving was always on a Thursday.

EDIT: Egad, Bonger has the 60-second win!

Leonardo wrote:I thought Thanksgiving was always on a Thursday.

He isn't even american and Leo knows this. C'mon Shortround, you gotta take it easy on the pot buddy.

I never really noticed that before but now that you bring it up your right. Plus I never go shopping the day after thanksgiving because I know how insane it will be. I can't image how many scalper will show up at the diffrent wal-mart locations.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Transformers-Master ... dZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Hasbro-Masterpiece- ... dZViewItem

Both of those Auctions say the first of November. (Pre-orders)

Here's the thing...why haven't we seen more leaked copies of this guy on eBay? I think we've seen two (from the same seller) about a month or two ago.

Maybe Hasbro's finally taking control of the factory, or he's made in such small quantities that the workers can't get their hands on 'em.

I mean, we've never seen one out of package on eBay, none marked "NOT FOR SALE", nada.

But, if you think about it...the one we did see, was on display at BotCon, and that was back in June/July. Which would fit the Hasbro rep's statement about the time it takes to get here. They probably had the figures made and getting ready to be packed long before today. I'd say we'll see them stateside soon.

*still hopes it isn't BFB*

Hasbro must be thinking that they are geniuses, but I say that they are full of hate. A Black Friday excusive? That's insane.

Have you tried to wake up a young child in the middle of the night to stand in a long line in the freezing night? If you have, then you most likely are feeling the hate with me. I did this last year to get my daughter a MP3 player that was more then 60% off. Not having done it before, I didn't realize how ruthless some of these shoppers and the weather conditions are.

All I want is a MP Starscream. Okay, a few MP Starscreams. For other members of my family who love him too. Is that so much to ask for?

Autobot032, thanks for the info man. Its very detailed and does sound like it might be the case. But if it means I need to wait in line 4:30am in the morning for a Black Friday Blitz, I might as well order online somewhere and not bother with the hassle. Who knows if they'll pull another BestBuy Exclusives metallic figures on us, with each Walmart only have 5 in stock, but we always end up being the 6th guy in line LOL. And I bet customer number 1-4 are scalpers that do this for a living. Good luck beating them.

Really start to not like collecting domestic toys. Its always the hunt, and the hassle of not getting one regardless you put a good effort on the search. With other Japanese releases, I just preorder online and the cool toys will just show up when the time is due. Really getting tired of this crap.

shortround wrote:WHAT IS BLACK FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The day after Thanksgiving. Busiest shopping day of the year. The day I avoid retail stores like they are filled with disease carrying vermin, except in this case because I really want the MP-03 repaint.

Very informative. Thank you for being so detailed.

We need to have Starscream parties in line that morning.

I'm still holding onto hope that he's not a BFB item. (Even though, it seems he's headed that way...)

Or perhaps he'll hit store shelves first as a BFB item, then be carried normally like any other TF figure.

...I really, really, really hope he's there for more than one day.

If wal-mart makes it a black friday blitz toy to drum up business for that day then they are really more pathitic than I first thought. Also if hasbro is only producing a limited number of these figures because they figure that they won't sell he in the united states then there sadly mistaken. Either way the time and energy it would take to stand in-line and hope I'm one of the lucky few after spending the evening with my extended family I would rather not get one.

You know, I've been thinking about it and, although it may seem like a waste, I'm probably just going to pre-order MP Animated Starscream online versus wait around and try to find one in stores, especially since it might be a black Friday special and it's going to be a really, really hot item. I'd an online vendor do the leg work and just send it to me. I'm not the kind of black Friday person who's going to spend one of my rare holidays where I can sleep in fighting crowds at Walmart. And even if it's not a black Friday deal, there's no guarantee I'd get one anyway. I'm just so tempted to just order it to take the guess work out of it at this point. My time and my gas are valuable too and I've wasted enough of it at this point showing up at random Walmarts trying to find this guy.

Why do you think they're doing this? Is it because MP Prime spent so long just sitting around on shelves along with Primus?

Tekka wrote:Why do you think they're doing this? Is it because MP Prime spent so long just sitting around on shelves along with Primus?

That's probably an excellent point. Low supply, high demand versus their Prime problem-average demand and extremely high supply.

Oh joy, sit in line to wait for wal-mart to open..

tard: So what are you getting?
me:a show accurate MP Starscream
tard: show me who scream?
me:a 60 dollar transformer..
tard:-ensues laughing- isnt buying toys for lil kids?
me:for alot of us..it's a hobby
tard: HA you need a new hobby
me:I think I just did..
tard:Oh and whats that?
me:Once I buy it, I'm going to take it and smash you over the head with it. Then you'd be screaming for Starscream to stop attacking you.

I'm sure something like that might happen to some of us as we're sitting outside wal-mart in the freezing cold weather.