The Energon Pub

[o.supreme]

Went to one local Ross & Marshalls by my work yesterday (they are right next to each other...which never made much sense to me ). But no TR toys, just the usual CW Voyagers for $14.99. Today I hope to check another TJ Maxx/Marshalls/Ross that are on a different route between my Work & Home.

[william-james88]

Canadian Marshalls had nothing.

[Rodimus Knight]

I have only once seen Transformers Generation toys at Marshalls and never at TJ Maxx. It's depressing.

[ultrascottus]

I went to my local TJ Maxx on Sunday, even called the store to make see if they had it. The workers there had no clue what I was talking about. I even told them specifically what I was looking for, and got excited when they said they had it and had it saved for me to pick up, only to find out that it was Combiner Wars Motormaster.

I'm not sure how they got Motormaster from Computron.. but they did. My theory is that they saw a box that said "Transformers: Combiner Wars" and just assumed it was it.

Guess I'm going to have to keep checking TJ Maxx and even Marshalls. Even if it is time-consuming and a waste of gas, or order online..

[o.supreme]

The workers there had no clue what I was talking about. I even told them specifically what I was looking for, and got excited when they said they had it and had it saved for me to pick up, only to find out that it was Combiner Wars Motormaster.

I'm not sure how they got Motormaster from Computron.. but they did. My theory is that they saw a box that said "Transformers: Combiner Wars" and just assumed it was it.

Unfortunately I learned a long...long time ago, that unless you are calling a toy store specifically, it isn't worth it to call ahead. This even applies at Wal-Mart and Target. Yes workers especially at Market 6 stores have no clue, because toys are a drop in the bucket compared with everything else they sell, and as most of you can tell when you walk in, there is no rhyme or reason to any of their toy sections. Stuff is just put on shelves randomly. Often you have to look behind product to find other totally unrelated items, which is why I am very thorough when I go to these places because sometimes you do find a hidden gem. The employees don't even know what to expect in their shipments, stuff just sort of "shows up" from others stores or warehouses presumably.

I understand the desire not to waste gas/time on travel. Fortunately I live in a suburb of a fairly large city, so there are actually more of these stores than I can go to in any given time, so I plan my routes. I went to a couple yesterday. Today I plan on going home a different direction that will pass by 3 of these stores.

[Sabrblade]

Uh, what state were these found in? That always helps.

He found Computron at TJ Maxx in Fenton, Missouri, and Astrotrain at Marshalls off Lindburg in St. Louis, Missouri.

Source.

[KVO Prime]

Man, combiner sets for $40,-... That's NEVER gonna happen here in the EU
First Victorion, now Computron and G2 sets...

Do you not have TK Maxx?

And I know it was lighthearted, but let's keep politics off the threads

Yeah, got it I agree.

Well, I googled it, and apparently, we DO have TK Maxx!! Never ever heard of them, but there's one pretty close in Heerlen, and also a bit further in Germany, Aachen! Sadly, you can't see what they have online...
Can you call them and ask?

Don't blame you - I barely recall them existing here until we found out about that £13 Sky Lynx.
From what I've heard the stock can vary greatly depending on the store; I guess it's just up for luck. Sky Lynx, CW boxsets, random Legends Class dudes, RiD 2015 deployers, Titans Return Leaders - it's pretty much a random grab-bag. I suppose you might be able to call the individual store itself and ask, but it doesn't exactly seem like they stock toys in the typical sense; just take on residual stock from elsewhere and price it according to what they think it's worth. Still, wouldn't hurt to try, right?

Yeah I found Sky Lynx for $13 here at a Marshall's or Ross in San Diego. I was NOT going to pay 30 for him, but the lower price was just fine. He looks like a big puppy. lol.

[ultrascottus]

The workers there had no clue what I was talking about. I even told them specifically what I was looking for, and got excited when they said they had it and had it saved for me to pick up, only to find out that it was Combiner Wars Motormaster.

I'm not sure how they got Motormaster from Computron.. but they did. My theory is that they saw a box that said "Transformers: Combiner Wars" and just assumed it was it.

Unfortunately I learned a long...long time ago, that unless you are calling a toy store specifically, it isn't worth it to call ahead. This even applies at Wal-Mart and Target. Yes workers especially at Market 6 stores have no clue, because toys are a drop in the bucket compared with everything else they sell, and as most of you can tell when you walk in, there is no rhyme or reason to any of their toy sections. Stuff is just put on shelves randomly. Often you have to look behind product to find other totally unrelated items, which is why I am very thorough when I go to these places because sometimes you do find a hidden gem. The employees don't even know what to expect in their shipments, stuff just sort of "shows up" from others stores or warehouses presumably.

I understand the desire not to waste gas/time on travel. Fortunately I live in a suburb of a fairly large city, so there are actually more of these stores than I can go to in any given time, so I plan my routes. I went to a couple yesterday. Today I plan on going home a different direction that will pass by 3 of these stores.

Yeah, you are right. 100% I live in the middle of nowhere, essentially, and if I want to go get anything, I would have to travel 45 mins, at least to even look. Might be better if I knew someone close, that could help me out.. lol

[william-james88]

Yes you read that right. We are talking about Transformers Combiner Wars Wave 2 from over a year ago. Cases of the wave 2 revision wave (which also includes Dragstrip) were found at a UK chain called Guess How Much? for £6.99. The photo with Dragstrip comes from their Doncaster store. You can click here to go to their store locator to see if you have one near you.





You will notice in the photo evidence that these come with the comics and were thus not initially meant for UK distribution. Instead, these are grey imports, which means they weren't brough over by Hasbro UK but by another importer.

It's similar to how BBTS imports platinum editions from China and sells them for a similar price to the exclusive US retailer. It is also called parallel importing.

The fan who gathered all this news for us, TFW2005 member Payres, explains it better in the following quote:

A "grey import" is a toy that's been imported into the UK by a firm other than Hasbro themselves.

This usually means there's a sticker somewhere on the packaging saying "imported by" and naming the firm.

This particular firm has a record for this sort of thing going back to the mid 90s, maybe earlier

Grey Imports are frequently left over stock from another region so the boxes/cards for the toys are usually not the standard ones for the UK. Sometimes it's hard to tell but there's a dead giveaway here as these CW toys have the comics which the UK versions didn't. Last year lots of chains got cases of T30 Voyagers in stock, which we never got here.

Generally grey imports are sold to discount chains such as TK Maxx, Home Bargains and B&M. The discount chain mentioned here is a new one on most people. However at this time of year, when shelf turnover is high, they can end up in normal retail stores.

How widespread it is outside the UK I haven't a clue!

[Kurona]

Good luck finding one, though. There's a grand total of 6 stores in the entire United Kingdom, and none of them in Scotland or Ireland.

https://ghmstores.co.uk/store-locator/?location=all

[Agamemnon]

I want those comics...

[william-james88]

I want those comics...

Thats right, I forget, you guys never did get the Dragstrip comic.

And I dont know if you remember Agamemnon, but the Alpha Bravo comics were given out free at a Shanghai event since they ended up never being used for a revision wave.

[Bumblebee21]

I want those comics...

Thats right, I forget, you guys never did get the Dragstrip comic.

And I dont know if you remember Agamemnon, but the Alpha Bravo comics were given out free at a Shanghai event since they ended up never being used for a revision wave.

yeah we did get dragstrip. i remember going to a tru or 2 and seeing him with the other stuntcions.I remember it vividly because it meant i was gonna have to wait longer for air raid.i had slingshot before i had air raid.
the comics did end up being reused tho. they were with the combaticons

[Optimum Supreme]

Weird that the comic versions wound up in Britain, when at a Target here in America I saw the non-comic versions back when they were the current wave. My own had the comics because I went BBTS thinking I'd never see them (and for the most part I was right)

Oh wait... Dragstrip was wave 1, so I'm not talking about him, but for the ones actually in wave 2, what I said applies..

[Sabrblade]

Right now, I've seen comic-less versions of CW Ironhide and Sunstreaker at TJ Maxx stores.

[Bumblebee21]

Right now, I've seen comic-less versions of CW Ironhide and Sunstreaker at TJ Maxx stores.

is sabr doing some hunting.
yeah i saw blast off swindle hound and mirage

[william-james88]

Right now, I've seen comic-less versions of CW Ironhide and Sunstreaker at TJ Maxx stores.

is sabr doing some hunting.
yeah i saw blast off swindle hound and mirage

I am pretty sure those are canadian overstock.

[Agamemnon]

I want those comics...

Thats right, I forget, you guys never did get the Dragstrip comic.

And I dont know if you remember Agamemnon, but the Alpha Bravo comics were given out free at a Shanghai event since they ended up never being used for a revision wave.

yeah we did get dragstrip. i remember going to a tru or 2 and seeing him with the other stuntcions.I remember it vividly because it meant i was gonna have to wait longer for air raid.i had slingshot before i had air raid.
the comics did end up being reused tho. they were with the combaticons

Indeed, if it could be found, I believe Dragstrip with comic was packed in wave 2 cases. (I never saw one in person.) And I wish I was in Shanghai when that happened. I haven't looked for some time, but I imagine these covers are around. I just wonder if they are available at a premium price because of completionists like me....

[RAR]

Yes I've know about United Overseas Limited (Kingsley Paige) for a long time.
I really must check to see if they have anything to do with MBC (Chorley Woods Herts) who is the other one who does a lot of this stuff.

Those grey imports have been around literally for ever - they used to import Goadaikins in the 1980s and American Packed MASK, also lines like Air Raiders, Bone Age & Robotix even some Inhumanoids. egg beasts as well as Transformers, Gi Joe, Batman toys & 90's Action Man and likely dozens more.

I think people really noticed them though when they started dumping all that Chinese G1 & G2 stuff on cheap stores in the 1990s. (Like Devastator) they even used to sell their imports in Woolworths - I often hear people wondering why they have a Frenzy with plastic feet. (that is why).

Though Woolworths also did their own importing / exclusives too as dd ASDA (oddly this was before they were owned by Walmart).

I'm starting to see more of this sort of things - looking at the stuff TRU, The Entertainer & even Very have suddenly been stocking - makes me smell "Imports" I get that vibe from the sudden appearance of later Jurassic World toys - that previously had been on sale no where and that appear to not be in European packaging.

It would be terrific if they've imported some Voyagers too - then you might see Motormaster & white Optimus too.

Oh and there are imports of the legends class too (including Viper & Blackjack) in some cheapstores like the Original factory Shop marked 'MBC limited' as well as a whole lot of Hero mashers that have shown up out of no where that I've never seen before in the UK like Red Hulk & Deadpool.

I got a Blackjack myself in OFS 2 weeks ago for £6.00.

[nycPrime]

So is it possible that computron at tj maxx was either a one-off mistake or not true to begin with? I feel like everyone has been searching for it, myself included. You would think by now a few more would've turned up.

[Bumblebee21]

So is it possible that computron at tj maxx was either a one-off mistake or not true to begin with? I feel like everyone has been searching for it, myself included. You would think by now a few more would've turned up.

he will be out just got to give it some time.
it probably just got out early.
im not sure about the choo choos tho

[william-james88]

So is it possible that computron at tj maxx was either a one-off mistake or not true to begin with? I feel like everyone has been searching for it, myself included. You would think by now a few more would've turned up.

he will be out just got to give it some time.
it probably just got out early.
im not sure about the choo choos tho

Yeah those astrotrains look like mistakes, like they were sent the wrong batch of Generations Voyagers.

[Bumblebee21]

So is it possible that computron at tj maxx was either a one-off mistake or not true to begin with? I feel like everyone has been searching for it, myself included. You would think by now a few more would've turned up.

he will be out just got to give it some time.
it probably just got out early.
im not sure about the choo choos tho

Yeah those astrotrains look like mistakes, like they were sent the wrong batch of Generations Voyagers.

of course if its true its sad and there goes my switch astrotrain for alpha trion plan

but i dont think that compy was a mistake since the other boxsets have been showing

[darkjedi187]

Found g2 menasour but no computron.

[o.supreme]

Also found a G2 Menasor at Marshalls, box was pretty beat up though. All 3 (TJ Maxx, Marshalls & Ross) had CW Voyagers. 14.99 at the first two, and $12.99 at Ross. Something tells me Hasbro just way over produced on these. I mean I thought it would have been pretty simple math. You are only going to need one voyager for every 4 deluxes in a line mostly dedicated to combiners, I mean not that many people are going to collect these on their own.... . I know TR is a whole different deal but...Sadly no TR figures spotted yet