The Energon Pub

Word reaches us from Seibertron.com staffer Mkall that Takara Tomy is cancelling the Transformers Go! Swordbot Samurai and Shinobi gift sets. He received the following emails from site sponsor BigBadToyStore regarding his pre-orders.

Hello,

The purpose of this message is to inform you that we unfortunately will not be able to fulfill your preorder for product TAK11725 Transformers Go Samurai Gift Set. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this cancellation has caused. We have recently been informed that this item has been discontinued and will no longer be produced, which is why we are unable to fulfill our preorders. Due to this matter, all remaining preorders will be cancelled accordingly.

Thank you for your understanding during this matter and have a wonderful day!

Sincerely,

BBTS Customer Care

Hello,

The purpose of this message is to inform you that we unfortunately will not be able to fulfill your preorder for product TAK11724 Transformers Go Ninja Gift Set. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this cancellation has caused. We have recently been informed that this item has been discontinued and will no longer be produced, which is why we are unable to fulfill our preorders. Due to this matter, all remaining preorders will be cancelled accordingly.

Thank you for your understanding during this matter and have a wonderful day!

Sincerely,

BBTS Customer Care

Well.. poo

Shame. I do have interest in these figs, but the price balanced with the...questionable look of some of them in bot mode has left me not prepared to bite. A gift set may have made it slightly cheaper and easier to snag at least one team. Maybe.

Ah well.

Either they're selling so poorly, they're giving up on them.

Or they're selling so well individually, they see no reason to offer them in a discounted bundle.

According to Hisashi Yuki, these preorders shouldn't have existed since TT never planned to do giftsets of the Swordbots. The shops just made a misinterpretation.

That was the only way I was going to get them barring a sale on the individual figures. Individually they weren't worth the full cost IMO.

Oh well, c'est la vie.

This is interesting. Since I had returned my individual Samurai team members I was looking forward to getting the gift set if the Jinbu was assembled correctly. To be honest I don't really understand the point of gift sets in 2013. With the internet revealing entire lines in one shot, a gift set almost guarantees a noticeable shift in sales towards those larger, cheaper sets over the individual toys.

They are not selling poorly.In fact, they are all sold out. Selling so good that amiami had to cancel their backorders (which I was a victim of). Had to find other "means/venue" to get the blue lion bot.

As to their "look', I'll be saying about the ninja bot set, they SUCK individually but are awesome in super mode. Especially the default Gekisuomaru form. For the spindly legs, take a look at how Shadowmaru was portrayed in the anime. Ninja? Long spindly legs.Hanya in Samurai X.

Btw, for Gekisuomaru, I moved the wings up to the "back pack" not the default style of putting them on his hips like the old MP Starscream. See how the look improves.

P.S.

Hobbysearch hasn't cancelled their orders yet though amiami never solicited them

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10232658

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10232657

not sold out by a long shot, Every toys r us has them, Amazon japan has them. These are very easy to find

jamarmiller wrote:not sold out by a long shot, Every toys r us has them, Amazon japan has them. These are very easy to find

Sold out as in Online buddy.

Online as in Japan's biggest Online specialty store that caters to foreign orders. As for Amazon Japan, you need a proxy individual/company to get them for you or if you are good in reading kanji,romanji etc.

No one in his right mind would travel to old Hinomoto just to buy the item. Normal people will buy it via Online stores, and in my case I buy it via Japanese online shops that accept foreign orders.

fenrir72 wrote:

jamarmiller wrote:not sold out by a long shot, Every toys r us has them, Amazon japan has them. These are very easy to find

Sold out as in Online buddy.

Online as in Japan's biggest Online specialty store that caters to foreign orders. As for Amazon Japan, you need a proxy individual/company to get them for you or if you are good in reading kanji,romanji etc.

No one in his right mind would travel to old Hinomoto just to buy the item. Normal people will buy it via Online stores, and in my case I buy it via Japanese online shops that accept foreign orders.

You mean sold out online for foreign buyers not living in Japan okay , buddy, but If you here in Japan, then you dont need a proxy individual/company to get them for you nor do you have to necessarily read Kanji as they have an English language option on Amazon Japan.

These things are very easy to find here in Japan. They are not sold out, Dont know how well they are selling but they are still easy to come by

jamarmiller wrote:

fenrir72 wrote:

jamarmiller wrote:not sold out by a long shot, Every toys r us has them, Amazon japan has them. These are very easy to find

Sold out as in Online buddy.

Online as in Japan's biggest Online specialty store that caters to foreign orders. As for Amazon Japan, you need a proxy individual/company to get them for you or if you are good in reading kanji,romanji etc.

No one in his right mind would travel to old Hinomoto just to buy the item. Normal people will buy it via Online stores, and in my case I buy it via Japanese online shops that accept foreign orders.

You mean sold out online for foreign buyers not living in Japan okay , buddy, but If you here in Japan, then you dont need a proxy individual/company to get them for you nor do you have to necessarily read Kanji as they have an English language option on Amazon Japan.

These things are very easy to find here in Japan. They are not sold out, Dont know how well they are selling but they are still easy to come by

Wasn't that what I just said?

Well if you want to be technical:

1. Discussion was for people who don't live in Japan. Most if not all the respondents in the thread are either from Europe or the USA so the answer "if you live in japan" is not applicable. Btw, again, who in is right mind would look for a proxy if you already live in Japan? That's simply short in the common sense.

2. Since you "live" in Japan, why didn't you ask your friendly vendor if they are "selling out" since you inserted your opinion in the thread. It would have made a great 'nice to know" moment.

All my statements are based on feedback from the online stores in Japan where I buy my Japan TFs. Amazon Japan/USA japan has a slight mark up over the direct online seller, so in a pragmatic sense, ordering it not via Amazon is much cheaper. If you live in Europe or the USA, then go via vendors like BBTS/RK/hlj etc or many other seibertron sponsors. I rarely hear anybody in seibertron going by the Amazon Japan route. But if the emphasis is just I live in Japan then..........

fenrir72 wrote:

jamarmiller wrote:

fenrir72 wrote:

jamarmiller wrote:not sold out by a long shot, Every toys r us has them, Amazon japan has them. These are very easy to find

Sold out as in Online buddy.

Online as in Japan's biggest Online specialty store that caters to foreign orders. As for Amazon Japan, you need a proxy individual/company to get them for you or if you are good in reading kanji,romanji etc.

No one in his right mind would travel to old Hinomoto just to buy the item. Normal people will buy it via Online stores, and in my case I buy it via Japanese online shops that accept foreign orders.

You mean sold out online for foreign buyers not living in Japan okay , buddy, but If you here in Japan, then you dont need a proxy individual/company to get them for you nor do you have to necessarily read Kanji as they have an English language option on Amazon Japan.

These things are very easy to find here in Japan. They are not sold out, Dont know how well they are selling but they are still easy to come by

Wasn't that what I just said?

Well if you want to be technical:

1. Discussion was for people who don't live in Japan. Most if not all the respondents in the thread are either from Europe or the USA so the answer "if you live in japan" is not applicable. Btw, again, who in is right mind would look for a proxy if you already live in Japan? That's simply short in the common sense.

2. Since you "live" in Japan, why didn't you ask your friendly vendor if they are "selling out" since you inserted your opinion in the thread. It would have made a great 'nice to know" moment.

All my statements are based on feedback from the online stores in Japan where I buy my Japan TFs. Amazon Japan/USA japan has a slight mark up over the direct online seller, so in a pragmatic sense, ordering it not via Amazon is much cheaper. If you live in Europe or the USA, then go via vendors like BBTS/RK/hlj etc or many other seibertron sponsors. I rarely hear anybody in seibertron going by the Amazon Japan route. But if the emphasis is just I live in Japan then..........

wow, uhmmmm, yeah, LOL, whatever, I think that says just enough about you for me to leave this thread. Have a nice day !

Well, I guess that answers my question about whether or not the versions in the gift sets would have alternate decos. I've already got the original/individual releases, so no biggie.

There'll be recolors but most probably individual packs. If by Monday, there isn't any changes in the Hobbysearch solicitation for the "gift sets, most probably the release will be limited release to japan only.....in limited quantities(?) Speculation on my part. At least until Monday.

Well, we do have those Kuromusha and Kurojishi versions of Kenzan and Gekisoumaru, respectively, still coming.

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10232658

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10232657

It's still being solicited.

Sabrblade wrote:Well, we do have those Kuromusha and Kurojishi versions of Kenzan and Gekisoumaru, respectively, still coming.

What, you mean the all black versions? No thanks. Too dull.

xyl360 wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:Well, we do have those Kuromusha and Kurojishi versions of Kenzan and Gekisoumaru, respectively, still coming.

What, you mean the all black versions? No thanks. Too dull.

How are shiny toys "too dull"?

I was looking forward to getting these guys, in their sets. Sad that they've waited til some have sold out before telling us we have to get the singles. Not sure I can justify the singles pricing either.

edit: I'm based in the UK and only talking about availability through my usual online retailers. If these are shelf-warming in the country they're supposed to be sold in, then maybe we'll get lucky and they'll go on sale and some enterprising Japanese folks will stick em on some website for lower prices, but I can't think of any previous examples of that happening, so I'm not holding my breath.

In some online specialty stores in Japan that cater to international and not domestic clients (I can't say the same for BBTS etc)you can (with luck) find the Samurai team. On the Shinobi, good luck finding the lion component. Let me emphasize, on my end....Geki was a pain in the @ss to acquire. Despite my back order reserve. It got cancelled (first time it ever happened)

Statement not applicable for Japanese residents if you want to be @nally legal.

Just a formality. I got Hobbysearch to update their site to indicate the item's cancellation.


Dear ####,

Thank you for your inquiry.

As you pointed out, the manufacturer "Tomy(TakaraTomy)" surely had cancelled
the production of the following products.

Samurai Sanjo Gattai Go-kenzan Set (Completed)
http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10232657

Shinobi Sanjo Gattai Go-gekisou Set (Completed)
http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10232658

We deeply apologize for your inconvenience and your understanding
would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much.

Sincerely Yours,
Daisuke Saito