The Energon Pub

I'm really worried about US Mp Starscream --- honestly, I don't think the Wal*Marts around here are even going to carry it. I might just be worried because Wal*Mart sucks in general, even though I've had no trouble finding other exclusives.

Here's what shall transpire:

Every Wal-Mart shall recieve at least one case of MP Starscream.

The cases of MP SC will then be placed on a pallet with other toys everyone is looking for (G.I.Joe 25th ann., Star Wars, ect..). The pallet will then be shrink wrapped and placed on the highest rack in the backroom by a toy dept. employee that does not want to be bothered with finding somewhere in the set to put these new items.

The pallet will then sit there for 90 days or longer, untill the next inventory, where the computer will determine that these items have been in the store for too long and need to be clearanced or sent back to the distributor.

They will then either be;

A. Sent back to Hasbro, leading Hasbro to believe that MPs wont sell in the U.S. and insuring that we will never see Thundercracker or Skywarp released here.

B. Put on clearance for $29.99, a week too late, because you allready bought one on ebay or a toyshow for $149.


Such is the way with Wal-Mart and exclusives. The main reason I don't collect Star Wars toys anymore. The only place you ever see a Wal-Mart Star Wars exclusive is either on Ebay, or on the clearance rack after you allready bought it on Ebay!

I'm only worried about having enough money to get it

i'm more concerned about what the quality will be like.

crappy plastic? worse paint? conspicuous "safety orange" paint aps...i suppose only time will tell.

Do you guys know when is the release date?

sto_vo_kor_2000 wrote:Do you guys know when is the release date?

Some time in November, I believe.

If they never make it onto shelves, how do scalpers get them onto eBay?

Some will make it to shelves, some will leave the backroom, but not to the shelf.....

I'm worried about the plastic quality of the figure itself. Takara made it with cheap plastic. I wonder if Hasbro will do the same with it?

SpacerAM2 wrote:I'm worried about the plastic quality of the figure itself. Takara made it with cheap plastic. I wonder if Hasbro will do the same with it?

Hasbro puts everything through drop testing before they sell it. That means if they drop it from, say, shelf hight, and it doesn't break, then it's safe to sell. I'm not worried about the plastic quality.

Dispensor wrote:

SpacerAM2 wrote:I'm worried about the plastic quality of the figure itself. Takara made it with cheap plastic. I wonder if Hasbro will do the same with it?

Hasbro puts everything through drop testing before they sell it. That means if they drop it from, say, shelf hight, and it doesn't break, then it's safe to sell. I'm not worried about the plastic quality.

im not worried about the plastic quality either. id be more worried about the paint job and how poor it might come out.

tom brokaw wrote:

Dispensor wrote:

SpacerAM2 wrote:I'm worried about the plastic quality of the figure itself. Takara made it with cheap plastic. I wonder if Hasbro will do the same with it?

Hasbro puts everything through drop testing before they sell it. That means if they drop it from, say, shelf hight, and it doesn't break, then it's safe to sell. I'm not worried about the plastic quality.

im not worried about the plastic quality either. id be more worried about the paint job and how poor it might come out.

From what I've seen, the paint looks adequate, and there's paint wash. I'm a sucker for paint wash.

I worried we won't see them in Canada b/c distribution sucks super monkey balls here. We only get the poopy exclusives. We got the BB vs Barricade pack, but we didn't get the Classic Devastator or Alt Rumble and Ravage. Just like how we got the Universe Spychangers Prime and Magnus, and that repaint 2-pack of A-Starscream and Red Alert, but not the Dinobots, or Sunstorm, or yellow Landfill, or any of the Bruticus repaints! Sometimes, man ... sometimes ...

Loki41872 wrote:Here's what shall transpire:

Every Wal-Mart shall recieve at least one case of MP Starscream.

The cases of MP SC will then be placed on a pallet with other toys everyone is looking for (G.I.Joe 25th ann., Star Wars, ect..). The pallet will then be shrink wrapped and placed on the highest rack in the backroom by a toy dept. employee that does not want to be bothered with finding somewhere in the set to put these new items.

The pallet will then sit there for 90 days or longer, untill the next inventory, where the computer will determine that these items have been in the store for too long and need to be clearanced or sent back to the distributor.

They will then either be;

A. Sent back to Hasbro, leading Hasbro to believe that MPs wont sell in the U.S. and insuring that we will never see Thundercracker or Skywarp released here.

B. Put on clearance for $29.99, a week too late, because you allready bought one on ebay or a toyshow for $149.


Such is the way with Wal-Mart and exclusives. The main reason I don't collect Star Wars toys anymore. The only place you ever see a Wal-Mart Star Wars exclusive is either on Ebay, or on the clearance rack after you allready bought it on Ebay!

I used to work at Wally-world back in the day, you sooo totally described exactly their toy policy, except you forgot to mention the Toy collector from within!!!

they work in the store and still, hide about 6 or so of the most sought after exclusives in the Back room, usually in a Layaway box section, in a Personal box that only they can tell whose it's for, then after they buy them all, and with an employee discount, they open one item, save one and sell the rest online for loads of cash!!

All while the rest of us are looking for it up and down the isles and asking Him/Her usually a Him though, if they have it in stock in the back...as they smile and walk away to seemingly check, only to go and smoke, laughing to themselves as they come back and tell you they are out of stock, or they get shipments all the time, check back frequently...

only so they can laugh at you from afar as they see you everyday, coming back to find that exclusive that you know should be there by now..knowing full well that in the grand scheme of things you will eventually buy it from them on ebay at a huge jacked up price!!!

How do I know this, I had friends do this to guys like you on a Weekly basis and enjoy it!! Trust me when I say, they remember you, they can watch you from isles outside of your visual range, because they are sneaky like that... be parinoid, there is a reason for it, trust me!!!

That was one of the reasons I quit, and hate scalpers, and have a real problem with exclusives.. but hey.. the world is full of cruel people, yet the straw that broke the camel's back was the little kid looking for that special Spiderman toy ...he cried and I knew that full well, that the giant Spiderman Movie, 60 points of articulation, figure was probably in the back..

The easiest way to know if you found one of those guys...He will know a crapload about a particular toyline..

sto_vo_kor_2000 wrote:Do you guys know when is the release date?

October. (Specific date not given.)

I really hope you'll be able to preorder online at the walmart website. I keep checking daily but no joy so far.

I'm not worried about finding one. I'm part of a very large network of Michiganders and I'm sure we'll all be on the lookout for it. I love those guys.

My contempt for teh Wal-Mart system is just too great.

I used to work at a Toys 'R' Us, way back in the day. So I know a thing or two about retail. Anyway, I showed up TWICE on June 2nd, after being told by the manager on duty that morning that only the deluxes were for sale. I knew better, so I checked back in to see if they had someone there who wasn't retarded. Sure enough, the person on the phone told me they had the voyager toys in for sale. 'Boo Yah,' I thought to myself, as I headed toward Wally World.

I walk in the door, and bolted for the toy aisle. There, on the shelf, is two Ironhides, and a Starscream. Needless to say, I was distraught. I asked the employee at the Paint section, because they were in the next section over, and there are no toy specialists at Wal-Mart, I know this now. She goes to the back to see, so I stand in the aisle, talking uncomfortably with some guy I don't know about Transformers, because he's looking for more of them, too.

She's gone an HOUR AND A HALF, before she finally comes back. She tells me, quote, "They are located on a pallet, behind another pallet. They're going to re-stock in about an hour if you want to wait."

By now, I just figure I can by them from Hasbro and safe myself the trouble. But, I wind up sticking around. An hour comes and goes, and I walk back to the toy aisles, a bit of hope still deep in my heart. I see that they have filled the aisles with pallets. 'Maybe,' I think. I check the boxes on each pallet, and they are all, every single one, summer equipment (such as pools and pool toys).

I see the girl who went to the back to check for me earlier, and, after being asked again, all she says is, "They're stocking right now," and then dissapears, as if by ninja magic.

Now, I hate to be racist, but every single after-closing stocker on my Wal-Mart's team just happens to be Mexican. And I'm not talking the decent, hark-working, trying to break the stereotype Mexican. I mean poncho-and-sombrero wearing Mexican. I stand there, trying to get someone's attention, but they were too busy not speaking the local dialect and shooting their revolvers to see me. (That last bit is over-reacting, but I almost punched one of them out of frustration by this point)

I went home, and a week later, found the guys I was looking for at another store, once more despite the "help" of the employees. It makes me want to get a job and STAY in toys, just so that someone there knows two sticks about what they're trying to sell to people.

If I can, I'm probably just going to buy it online and do that Site-to-Store thing.

Hunting for toys you want can be fun, but not if the people behind the scenes do everything they can not to get those toys out the front.

I am not picking when I say this, but you new guys need to calm down a bit. I have notice this sence of panic with '08 Bumblebee when the first sighting are reported and you cannot find the figure right away. Things you need to understand are there are no official release dates when stores release toys. Toys are not treated the same way as DVD's, CD's, and video games. You get toys based on what is in the warehouse when a store makes its order. Just because something is out in one place does not mean it is out everywhere, it takes time. Now Wal-Mart is one of the best places for exclusives because they usually get a lot and they sit no matter the demand. Alts Rumble and Ravage are good examples. They were sighted in one part of the country and ebay and took awhile to show up everywhere. People went nuts. Then they showed up and guess what, they end up on clearance in many are. You guys need to understand that the evil scalpers are not buying every figure that hits shelves. I have no fears about getting one at all. Now I am not being mean and I now it is fustrating when you see a figure is out in some places and you look and cannot find it, yet is selling for big money on ebay. I was the same way when I started collecting then I learned what I am telling you guys from others. Lets not panic. Enjoy the hobby to not stress because it takes the fun out of it.

Gutter Bunny wrote:i'm more concerned about what the quality will be like.

crappy plastic? worse paint? conspicuous "safety orange" paint aps...i suppose only time will tell.

Why would they do that? He's not a gun.

I personally would love to know how I can get him, Ive heard no mention of Hasbro UK planning to release him (and have intention of waiting up to two years like we had to with Prime),and heve yet to see him crop up on the preorderes of the online stores I use.

Im loathed to use ebay, mainly cuase it wont be cheap, and I just dont seem to like ebay the way I used to when I had a small collection and a large student loan.

Loki41872 wrote:Here's what shall transpire:

Every Wal-Mart shall recieve at least one case of MP Starscream.

The cases of MP SC will then be placed on a pallet with other toys everyone is looking for (G.I.Joe 25th ann., Star Wars, ect..). The pallet will then be shrink wrapped and placed on the highest rack in the backroom by a toy dept. employee that does not want to be bothered with finding somewhere in the set to put these new items.

The pallet will then sit there for 90 days or longer, untill the next inventory, where the computer will determine that these items have been in the store for too long and need to be clearanced or sent back to the distributor.

They will then either be;

A. Sent back to Hasbro, leading Hasbro to believe that MPs wont sell in the U.S. and insuring that we will never see Thundercracker or Skywarp released here.

B. Put on clearance for $29.99, a week too late, because you allready bought one on ebay or a toyshow for $149.


Such is the way with Wal-Mart and exclusives. The main reason I don't collect Star Wars toys anymore. The only place you ever see a Wal-Mart Star Wars exclusive is either on Ebay, or on the clearance rack after you allready bought it on Ebay!

LOL! Classic post of what is to come!

skywarp-2 wrote:
The easiest way to know if you found one of those guys...He will know a crapload about a particular toyline..

I think I will object to this a little myself... I worked in a toy department and I knew an aweful lot about the partiular toy line, but I never did what you described... the only time I got three of anythign was some rough and tough smart cars for my husband. I figured he might want to sell one some time or that he might have me repaint them into the colours we wanted...

Yeah, some people will buy things to sell. Nothing wrong with a little free enterprise. Heck, I do it myself. Mind you, if I can buy it low I will sell it low.

But I do understand the plight myself. I do find it very difficult to find toys that I would like simply because I do not have the disposable income nore the transportation to look when I do.

So I resort to selling stuff on ebay, and then buying stuff on ebay.

Anyway, much of what I want can only be bought on ebay... unfortunately.

Edit: Oh yeah, was there a sale on different font sizes? You used a lot.. reminds me of some of the more moronic e-bay sellers...

skywarp-2 wrote:

Loki41872 wrote:Here's what shall transpire:

Every Wal-Mart shall recieve at least one case of MP Starscream.

The cases of MP SC will then be placed on a pallet with other toys everyone is looking for (G.I.Joe 25th ann., Star Wars, ect..). The pallet will then be shrink wrapped and placed on the highest rack in the backroom by a toy dept. employee that does not want to be bothered with finding somewhere in the set to put these new items.

The pallet will then sit there for 90 days or longer, untill the next inventory, where the computer will determine that these items have been in the store for too long and need to be clearanced or sent back to the distributor.

They will then either be;

A. Sent back to Hasbro, leading Hasbro to believe that MPs wont sell in the U.S. and insuring that we will never see Thundercracker or Skywarp released here.

B. Put on clearance for $29.99, a week too late, because you allready bought one on ebay or a toyshow for $149.


Such is the way with Wal-Mart and exclusives. The main reason I don't collect Star Wars toys anymore. The only place you ever see a Wal-Mart Star Wars exclusive is either on Ebay, or on the clearance rack after you allready bought it on Ebay!

I used to work at Wally-world back in the day, you sooo totally described exactly their toy policy, except you forgot to mention the Toy collector from within!!!

they work in the store and still, hide about 6 or so of the most sought after exclusives in the Back room, usually in a Layaway box section, in a Personal box that only they can tell whose it's for, then after they buy them all, and with an employee discount, they open one item, save one and sell the rest online for loads of cash!!

All while the rest of us are looking for it up and down the isles and asking Him/Her usually a Him though, if they have it in stock in the back...as they smile and walk away to seemingly check, only to go and smoke, laughing to themselves as they come back and tell you they are out of stock, or they get shipments all the time, check back frequently...

only so they can laugh at you from afar as they see you everyday, coming back to find that exclusive that you know should be there by now..knowing full well that in the grand scheme of things you will eventually buy it from them on ebay at a huge jacked up price!!!

How do I know this, I had friends do this to guys like you on a Weekly basis and enjoy it!! Trust me when I say, they remember you, they can watch you from isles outside of your visual range, because they are sneaky like that... be parinoid, there is a reason for it, trust me!!!

That was one of the reasons I quit, and hate scalpers, and have a real problem with exclusives.. but hey.. the world is full of cruel people, yet the straw that broke the camel's back was the little kid looking for that special Spiderman toy ...he cried and I knew that full well, that the giant Spiderman Movie, 60 points of articulation, figure was probably in the back..

The easiest way to know if you found one of those guys...He will know a crapload about a particular toyline..

Hence my preference for Target (and the fact that the closest Target store is a lot closer than the two closest Wal-Mart).

I'll keep an eye out in the Wal-Mart stores for MP Screamer, but if I don't see him for two weeks, I'm checking BBTS. They usually carry the exclusives.

Forget worry, I just hate Wartmart completely. I can't believe there's no Wartmart in NYC! Anyhow, looks like online for me.