The Energon Pub

That's excellent news for those that missed them!

Definitely, considering skids is up to 60-80$ from most sellers x.x also gives me time to recover my $ after MP prowl... actually, I might have to put him on my buy later list because that will probably be payment 3 month for TFCC if there aren't any major delays. already have goldbug, but loose knees mean I could use the extra for a chance at better ones

Great news of those of you who had trouble finding the Transformers Deluxe Wave featuring Dreadwing, Goldfire, Waspinator, and Skids! Site sponsor BigBadToyStore has listed a new pre-order for an upcoming run of the aforementioned figures scheduled to arrive in September. The set of four is price at $59.99. Click here to view the pre-order page.

Well that's good, though September sounds awfully far off for, y'know, things that already exist. Or are they just know making this batch and it'll take them that long to get here? (genuine question, not trying to being snarky)

Does this mean AoE will have a really short run? Classics and Movie are the same line now, is May-August Movie stuff and September+ Classics (both restocks and new releases)? Or am I completely misunderstanding all of this?

Shelves will probably still be full of AOE anyway, so I'm not sure how many of these will turn up at retail, but if TFSource get them on pre-order I might suffer the Bee just to get Skids and Waspy.

Funny, the only one I didnt find in retail was bee. I found G2 dreadwing and skids in target and jumped on them. They were the only ones. Then I found waspy in a walmart and he was the only one. I jumped on it. I never saw any of them again anywhere. I wouldnt mind having bee just for the comic book. I wouldnt pay more than ten bucks including shipping.

how much you want to bet they still wont show up in stores

Good to hear. I've had these guys on preorder (at TfSource, but still) since December of last year. Kind of glad I found Waspinator and Skids out in the wild now.

Did BBTS say this is a second run?

I'm willing to bet BBTS got these from a distribution center somewhere, where these guys are just collecting dust. They'll probably be shelf-warming sometime before Christmas - Kinda like how Voyager Inferno was impossible to find, and then poof, Toys R Us was stuffed to the brims with him around the holidays.

There is NO way im giving a greedy retailer all that money for just skids.
this is a cheap marketing trick which reminds me of those horrible
adults that sell overpriced magic the gathering cards to children... booo

Can someone explain how distribution works and fails? I don't understand how some toys come up extremely short in the U.S. markets, especially since Hasbro is HQ in the U.S and the U.S. makes up their largest market share for their line.

I would imagine that the marketing teams are coming up with manufacturing numbers during the planning phase, so how do they fall short?

There's still a dreadwing in a comic store in my area. $20 bucks though. That's how I found a new skids after the one I had's ball joint snapped off when I tried to fix it's hips.

It Is Him wrote:Did BBTS say this is a second run?

I'm willing to bet BBTS got these from a distribution center somewhere, where these guys are just collecting dust. They'll probably be shelf-warming sometime before Christmas - Kinda like how Voyager Inferno was impossible to find, and then poof, Toys R Us was stuffed to the brims with him around the holidays.

WHATT!!!! wWhere???? I've missed every version of that mold to come stateside and I'm not happy abou that....

Having only secured Waspinator last year, I'm certainly happy about this.

Just not as happy as I'd be if it was the Ruination wave, which I only ever saw in one store in my area, during two weeks when I couldn't afford them. Is perceived demand for the Wreckers so low that there's no chance of a second run, no matter how low supply was?

I'm not so high on wanting Skids anymore, if Takara ever makes a dark blue version, I will bite.

sad to say, but this puts me off even more from hasbro official produts.
3rd parties seem to generally do it better, In fact skids and wheeljack were the only
official products on this years list for me. changed my mind about wheeljack and while this
skids is a good looking figure, enough time has passed from when he featured prominently in MTMTE
so the hype is over.

All this might not seem relevant. What is though is that whether the case may be here (marketing strategy from developers or distributors) is that its ASTONISHING how hasbro, while taking extreme lengths towards obscure marketing strategies (for example telling Roberts he couldn't have Mirage on the Lost Light cos they had plans for him.... 2 years later and ... nothing) and then then let some greedy distributor inflate the prices of one of their strongest products of the moment (to adult/g1 tf fans Skids was one of the few non 3rd party really desirable figures).

Regardless, in the end, I have more love for fansproject, and other emerging 3rd party companies than for hasbro, which sadly, seldom fails to meet our needs, as they say the needs of kids is such a higher demographics to make our money irrelevant for them.. very well if they don't want my money I'm sure I can find some1 who does...

sorry to add to this but just to make it clear:

try explaining to someone who doesn't collect (wife, father, husband, collegue, whatever) why to get 1 figure worth some $20 you have to buy another 3 figures for a total of 60$
they will all tell you your an idiot if you bite.
and the fact that nobody will really ask this question just stresses how we all know its true deep down...

Flashwave wrote:

It Is Him wrote:Did BBTS say this is a second run?

I'm willing to bet BBTS got these from a distribution center somewhere, where these guys are just collecting dust. They'll probably be shelf-warming sometime before Christmas - Kinda like how Voyager Inferno was impossible to find, and then poof, Toys R Us was stuffed to the brims with him around the holidays.

WHATT!!!! wWhere???? I've missed every version of that mold to come stateside and I'm not happy abou that....

That was like 2009, maybe 2010.

Stormrider wrote:Can someone explain how distribution works and fails? I don't understand how some toys come up extremely short in the U.S. markets, especially since Hasbro is HQ in the U.S and the U.S. makes up their largest market share for their line.

I would imagine that the marketing teams are coming up with manufacturing numbers during the planning phase, so how do they fall short?

I have a pretty laymen's understanding off the supply chain (someone with some expertise feel free to correct any of this) A simple version of the supply chain is

Manufacturer (Hasbro) ---> Distribution Center ----> Retail (Toys 'R Us)

Toys get shipped by Hasbro to Distribution Centers, which then get shipped to Retail Stores.

There's a lot of reasons why supply could get out of whack, but primarily it comes down communication and expected sales.

If Target says they need 10,000 Generation Deluxe cases, but Hasbro sends 12,000, you're going to have 2,000 sitting in a Distribution Center somewhere, which might later end up at discount stores like Tuesday Morning or Ross. There are other variables to this situation, like retail ordering more than Hasbro can provide, etc.

explanations are all very nice, but they don't fulfill the customers initial intent.

example.
Frank walks in restaurant (to eat) to be told the kitchen is closed.
Frank goes looking for another restaurant.

whatever the explanations is the result is
A)SKIDS: a wanted figure supposed to be available at $20 is only really found at $60
B) MP RAT BAT: Hasbro is providing info on MP ultra magnus in 20whatever while not providing information on if and when a figure that is worth some $20-40 alone at best is only obtainable at $120.

explanations are hypothesis
the results... well are under the light of the sun for all to see.

... I'm not trying to troll, rather express how I feel as a customer. I find it hard to believe that nobody else feels like this. not even those who have MP soundwave, want ratbat but not soundblaster? last time i checked in the park, tree's didn't grow $120 dollar notes...

Transformers don't grow on trees, either.

It Is Him wrote:

Stormrider wrote:Can someone explain how distribution works and fails? I don't understand how some toys come up extremely short in the U.S. markets, especially since Hasbro is HQ in the U.S and the U.S. makes up their largest market share for their line.

I would imagine that the marketing teams are coming up with manufacturing numbers during the planning phase, so how do they fall short?

I have a pretty laymen's understanding off the supply chain (someone with some expertise feel free to correct any of this) A simple version of the supply chain is

Manufacturer (Hasbro) ---> Distribution Center ----> Retail (Toys 'R Us)

Toys get shipped by Hasbro to Distribution Centers, which then get shipped to Retail Stores.

There's a lot of reasons why supply could get out of whack, but primarily it comes down communication and expected sales.

If Target says they need 10,000 Generation Deluxe cases, but Hasbro sends 12,000, you're going to have 2,000 sitting in a Distribution Center somewhere, which might later end up at discount stores like Tuesday Morning or Ross. There are other variables to this situation, like retail ordering more than Hasbro can provide, etc.

I think you're missing an important link here: the retail chain's warehouses. I know of at least one for my local stores in the (not-so) immediate area.

Susha wrote:explanations are all very nice, but they don't fulfill the customers initial intent.

example.
Frank walks in restaurant (to eat) to be told the kitchen is closed.
Frank goes looking for another restaurant.

whatever the explanations is the result is
A)SKIDS: a wanted figure supposed to be available at $20 is only really found at $60
B) MP RAT BAT: Hasbro is providing info on MP ultra magnus in 20whatever while not providing information on if and when a figure that is worth some $20-40 alone at best is only obtainable at $120.

explanations are hypothesis
the results... well are under the light of the sun for all to see.

... I'm not trying to troll, rather express how I feel as a customer. I find it hard to believe that nobody else feels like this. not even those who have MP soundwave, want ratbat but not soundblaster? last time i checked in the park, tree's didn't grow $120 dollar notes...

You are not alone in anger. For me, I have just grown a callus to the toy distribution problems. It doesn't solve the problem at all, but keeps me from doing this: :BANG_HEAD:

The reason why I ask about the distribution principles so I can get around this repetitive issue is I understand if the problem is fixable (such as this case of Hasbro releasing a second run), or if it's being more in tune with the potential problems and buying the figures from other markets before they dry up like Windcharger.

As you stated - Skids has manufacturing defects so I am not going out on a limb to pay top dollar for him. I would love to add him to my collection but I am willing to wait if a second run really will come out.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:

It Is Him wrote:

Stormrider wrote:Can someone explain how distribution works and fails? I don't understand how some toys come up extremely short in the U.S. markets, especially since Hasbro is HQ in the U.S and the U.S. makes up their largest market share for their line.

I would imagine that the marketing teams are coming up with manufacturing numbers during the planning phase, so how do they fall short?

I have a pretty laymen's understanding off the supply chain (someone with some expertise feel free to correct any of this) A simple version of the supply chain is

Manufacturer (Hasbro) ---> Distribution Center ----> Retail (Toys 'R Us)

Toys get shipped by Hasbro to Distribution Centers, which then get shipped to Retail Stores.

There's a lot of reasons why supply could get out of whack, but primarily it comes down communication and expected sales.

If Target says they need 10,000 Generation Deluxe cases, but Hasbro sends 12,000, you're going to have 2,000 sitting in a Distribution Center somewhere, which might later end up at discount stores like Tuesday Morning or Ross. There are other variables to this situation, like retail ordering more than Hasbro can provide, etc.

I think you're missing an important link here: the retail chain's warehouses. I know of at least one for my local stores in the (not-so) immediate area.

Thanks for the explanations. I realize that there can be many variables, but now I get the gist.