The Energon Pub

[Mkall]

Given the onslaught of Transformers-related news yesterday from Toy Fair, including a lot of images of upcoming figures, it is understandable if you may have missed a couple items that were announced during Hasbro's presentation: that Masterpiece Soundwave and Acid Storm will see release through Hasbro. This does confirmed the earlier-reported rumour of these two seeing release.

Very few details are known at this time, including release date or if these will be carried by Toys R Us or another chain. What is known is that Soundwave will come packaged with all 5 of his cassettes!

Stay tuned to Seibertron.com for more information as we receive it.

[Megazarak]

It's cool that Soundwave just comes with all of his cassettes. Makes getting them and him a simple process. Though I wonder how much the whole thing will end up costing? Maybe around Optimus (he needs another run btw, not even close to enough were shipped)? Possibly even less? Either way. Interesting that we're getting Acid Storm, too. Pretty random though.

[Bumblevivisector]

What is known is that Soundwave will come packaged with all 5 of his cassettes!

And THAT...is all I need to know! Even if Metroplex really is bigger than ol' Fort Max, THIS news is even bigger to me. Although, dammit, I love Soundwave so much that this is one of the few MP toys I want the Takara and Hasbo versions of, but there's too much else to save up for...

[jspags15]

Well soundwave, to me, is the best news so far. Ill be on the lookout for him and the triple changers to buy, not sure about metroplex. Metroplex could get made cheaply by hasbro to keep their cost down. If his plastic is thin and cheap looking I'm going to pass on him.

[Mindmaster]

Already read about it in the initial news coverage. Nothing new, basically. I still expect images of Acid Storm and Soundwave (and friends) soon.

[Bumblevivisector]

And the biggest question just dawned on me: Which one will be named Rumble, and which will be Frenzy?

Yes, I know how their new FOC Disk figs doled out the names, but rather that trying to start the umpteenth pointless RIRFIBRIBFIR debate, I'll place a wager that the package takes advantage of them both being in the same Hasbro box for the first time and refers to them collectively as "Rumble & Frenzy" leaving us to decide who's who, just like Dreamwave G1. If their bio mentions them having phase-shift-chromatic armor that lets them switch back and forth between the two color schemes, leaving their REAL colors in doubt, I might just die of a fan-gasm.

[Jelze Bunnycat]

And the biggest question just dawned on me: Which one will be named Rumble, and which will be Frenzy?

Given the trend of Prime Rumble being blue and FoC Rumble being blue, I'm fairly certain the blue guy will be officially called Rumble too. Nothing stopping you from naming him Frenzy tho.

[frogbat]

This is great news I reckon... One of the reasons he wasn't on my shopping list was the costs involved in getting all the tapes.. I'm surges its price will be less than the cost of importing the figure and tapes...

[Doubledealer93]

YES!!!!! GIVE ME THAT SOUNDWAVE!!! I NEED IT!!!!

[Cyberpath]

Excellent!

[Megatronsdemise666]

Didn't really care about a release of a hasbro soundwave.

But now I'm excited! .
I would say his price would be 80$ with all the cassettes?

[Megatronsdemise666]

Didn't really care about a release of a hasbro soundwave.

But now I'm excited! .
I would say his price would be 80$ with all the cassettes?

[Nemesis Maximo]

SOUNDWAVE!!! With 5 cassettes...Rumble, Frenzy, Ravage, Ratbat, Laserbeak.



Looks like I won't be saving any money this year!

[Mindmaster]

Didn't really care about a release of a hasbro soundwave.

But now I'm excited! .
I would say his price would be 80$ with all the cassettes?

He's somewhere between MP Starscream and MP10, so there's $74 USD right there. Cassettes, if sold individually, would probably go for Scout prices ($10 USD), and there's five of them. We're probably looking around $120 USD.

[Bumblevivisector]

And the biggest question just dawned on me: Which one will be named Rumble, and which will be Frenzy?

Given the trend of Prime Rumble being blue and FoC Rumble being blue, I'm fairly certain the blue guy will be officially called Rumble too. Nothing stopping you from naming him Frenzy tho.

Yes, I sort of already responded to that in the part of my post you didn't quote.

Seriously, no one else would like to see official fiction acknowledging Rumble and Frenzy being able to switch back and forth between their color schemes, as the ultimate in-joke on the irresolvable debate: a compromise that leaves everyone dissatisfied? It would also rationalize one coloring goof in the Movie.

[-Kanrabat-]

Lemme guess. Once again, both MPs will be goddamn TrU exclusive unavailable for Québec because they are too retarded to print French on the boxes.

It made me rage greatly considering that those stupid packagings ARE printed IN Québec.
Oh the irony.

[Megatron Wolf]

it better not be a store exclusive and if it is better not be TRU. Either way the price point better be realistic and not that crap they pulled with Grimlock. Acidstorm should be between $40 & $50 Soundwave $60-$70. But we all know acid storm will be $80 & Soundwave $150 especially if TRU gets them.

[-Kanrabat-]

it better not be a store exclusive and if it is better not be TRU. Either way the price point better be realistic and not that crap they pulled with Grimlock. Acidstorm should be between $40 & $50 Soundwave $60-$70. But we all know acid storm will be $80 & Soundwave $150 especially if TRU gets them.

Plus, they will force demand by making then not available in all the TrU (not counting Québec that they hate so much).
Then, like OP, they will increase the price by 20$ when stock get down.

TrU is not known to stay classy.

[Mindmaster]

it better not be a store exclusive and if it is better not be TRU. Either way the price point better be realistic and not that crap they pulled with Grimlock. Acidstorm should be between $40 & $50 Soundwave $60-$70. But we all know acid storm will be $80 & Soundwave $150 especially if TRU gets them.

Plus, they will force demand by making then not available in all the TrU (not counting Québec that they hate so much).
Then, like OP, they will increase the price by 20$ when stock get down.

TrU is not known to stay classy.

Dear Hasbro,

Make them available to all retailers and stop making Toys "R" Us the dominant seller of Masterpieces in North America.

Warm regards,

-Mindmaster and pretty much most of the fanbase

[craggy]

Seriously, no one else would like to see official fiction acknowledging Rumble and Frenzy being able to switch back and forth between their color schemes, as the ultimate in-joke on the irresolvable debate: a compromise that leaves everyone dissatisfied? It would also rationalize one coloring goof in the Movie.

I'd buy that for a dollar. Or $3.99 whatever the price of the current comics is. I'm not against the idea that a lot of TFs can change colour at will. It'd explain their turning grey when dead in the movie, excuse animation errors and it could be written off as a racial inherent talent that not everyone possesses explaining why some bots are always the same colours. It could be hardwired into their CNA.

[megatronus]

Dear Hasbro,

Make them available to all retailers and stop making Toys "R" Us the dominant seller of Masterpieces in North America.

Warm regards,

-Mindmaster and pretty much most of the fanbase

I think Hasbro gets a lot of flack from the fandom for the TRU exclusives, but I don't think they're to blame (necessarily).

We all know Masterpieces have historically performed poorly at other retailers, and TRU seems to be the only retailer willing to pick up that slack. From a business perspective, I'm sure Hasbro would love to have a wider presence at the big box department stores, but those stores are probably unwilling to play ball.

Even with Masterpiece Optimus, I'm fairly certain that Hasbro manufactured to the quantities TRU decided to order, so throw stones at TRU for vastly underestimating demand. Same with the price point - Hasbro set the suggested retail of 99.95, and sold product to TRU at prices based on that suggested retail. It's TRU that jacked up the price.

What we're seeing now is a symptom of poor performance in the past. If we were able to have Target or Wal-Mart go to bat for Soundwave, we might be able to end the vicious TRU epidemic, but I wouldn't count on it.

I wish Hasbro's online Toy Store had the gumption to sell this stuff directly. That may be the most realistic (if not likely) solution to this short-supply, TRU & scalpers market.

[XDMan]

Give me some photos, I don't have time for predictions, Hasbro.

[UltraPrimal]

Too bad it's too late to cancel my MP Soundwave order from BBTS. Anyone wanna buy a brand new MISB Takara Soundwave?

[Mindmaster]

Give me some photos, I don't have time for predictions, Hasbro.

It's probably going to still look the same:



Maybe put in a few subtle changes here and there like they did MP10, but that's it. Be patient, brah. Hasbro will deliver.

[DinobotSix]

'cause everyone is CLEARLY waiting for an Acid Storm... /sigh

*goes back to saving pennies for a 110% overpriced Starscream import*