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Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled

Posted by william-james88 Jan 7, 2024 at 3:33pm CST 87,278 views
There's been a lot of grief over Earth Mode Hound appearing in a multipack rather than an individual release but it turns out that he was originally cancelled. Similarly to when Walmart chose to back out on wanting toy deco voysger Hot Rod in their Velocitron line, Target backed out on wanting more individual deluxes in their Buzzworthy line.

So yes, the reason why you initially saw renders but then heard no news is because Hatchet and Hound were canceled. And since Hasbro already had all their other lines planned out, there was no place to release these toys. However, Hasbro has since found a way to bring us Hound (or at least this is what is assumed) in the upcoming Autobot multipack. So while Hatchet is still cancelled, the toy may resurface through another release.

Looking at this, while the multipack release may be annoying, this is a second resort and it's basically either that or no release. Also, the original Buzzworthy release would have of course been exclusive while this Gen Selects multipack is not said to be so yet (most Gen Selects releases have not been exclusive and can easily be bought from online retsilers). So you tell us which is your preferred option in light of these cancelled plans.

If you are curious as to why Target backed out, JTprime17 states that it's due to poor sales of the previous deluxes in the Buzzworthy line, which they later clarify to be the Cliffjumper/Kup/Bee wave which are currently being found at Ollie's and other liquidators. So if any fans were looking for proof as to the downside of hoping for clearance and liquidation finds, well the cancelation of these individual releases is a clear consequence.

JTprime17 wrote:Target backed out due to poor sales of the first deluxe wave [Cliffjumper/Kup/Bee wave]. It is what it is.

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Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (view post)
Comment by sol magnus Jan 7, 2024
Don't know the rest of the context as there doesn't seem to be a conversation above it referencing Hound, but either way, as long as we're getting him I'm happy.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (view post)
Comment by Sabrblade Jan 7, 2024
sol magnus wrote:Don't know the rest of the context as there doesn't seem to be a conversation above it referencing Hound, but either way, as long as we're getting him I'm happy.
Here.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (view post)
Comment by sol magnus Jan 7, 2024
Sabrblade wrote:
sol magnus wrote:Don't know the rest of the context as there doesn't seem to be a conversation above it referencing Hound, but either way, as long as we're getting him I'm happy.
Here.

Yes. I went to the home page looking and found it, but thanks for looking out - a lot of people didnt get Sunstreaker and Trailbreaker, so that's good for those collector's as well!
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (view post)
Comment by Bounti76 Jan 7, 2024
Hound was canceled because of poor sales of the first wave of Deluxes? Yet we got Tow-Line and a Ratchet redeco after that? That doesn't quite make sense.

If poor sales were the reason, then maybe a better mix of product would have prevented that. We got cartoon deco Cliffjumper (who I only spotted once or twice in the wild); cartoon deco Kup, who's regular release had already been shelfwarming hardcore; car-mode Shatter (with her notoriously poor QC); and a bunch of redecos of previously released Bumblebee Movie figures. Frankly, Hound and Hatchet should have been released first to drum up buzz for the line.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (view post)
Comment by -Kanrabat- Jan 7, 2024
So, what will happen to Hatchet?

One more 200$ multi-pack?

But if they could make a 3 pack of the DOTM Studio Series Dreads with Crowbar, Crankcase, and the new Hatchet, I'd buy it for sure.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (view post)
Comment by DeathReviews Jan 7, 2024
This Autobot 'multi-pack' gimmick to bundle in Hound? Well it's annoying, but hopefully the effort to balance things out will be minimal. What will it mean for my collection? It'll mean selling ER Wheeljack, and Sunstreaker, then rotating the multi-pack versions in to take their place.

My G1 collection of Autobots was missing Jazz, Trailbreaker and Hound. So 3 of the 5 are figures I'd have an eye on. Selling the other figures will keep it even. But I'll have to see how easy the set is to get ahold of. It wouldn't be the first time that Hasbro made figures impossible to find. ER Trailbreaker and Sunstreaker are two figures that were extremely difficult to get ahold of, depending on where you dwell...
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (view post)
Comment by durroth Jan 7, 2024
makes a lot of sense TBH, Origin Bumblebee, and then Jazz after him, really got overstocked and Jazz is still shelfwarming.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (view post)
Comment by Emerje Jan 7, 2024
Bounti76 wrote:Hound was canceled because of poor sales of the first wave of Deluxes? Yet we got Tow-Line and a Ratchet redeco after that? That doesn't quite make sense.

I feel like something didn't quite get conveyed right. Instead of first wave maybe they really meant previous wave? These were supposed to be next after NEST Ratchet and Bonecrusher, right? Those didn't seem to sell well at all. Hound probably got axed because he was supposed to be in the case with Hatchet so I could see why they would sour on obscure movie stuff and Hound became a casualty by association. I mean, we still have more Target exclusives coming this year though they've dropped the the Buzzworthy branding so it isn't like they've abandoned exclusives all together.

Emerje
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (view post)
Comment by Sowndwave76 Jan 7, 2024
I'd bet that Hound being in Buzzworthy was supposed to help the overall, individual deluxe releases sales... Which imo now makes sense why Detritus was picked to be in Legacy Evolution.

I don't mean this aggressively, but I really think people need to be more careful about using "shelf-warming" as a broad term that always applies for everyone; it truly depends on the area your in.
Neither Origins Bee nor Origins Jazz "shelf-warmed" in my area... In fact, I've never seen Jazz at any of the three Targets I've regularly checked for TF. I only have him because my wife snagged the one she found at a Target in the Omaha, NE area while on a work trip.

I said this in the Selects thread; Both Sunstreaker and Trailbreaker are a part of this 5-pack because Hastak either knows via their own research, and/or has heard enough from consumers that these two figures were difficult to get ahold of.
Then why are Wheeljack and Jazz included? Past re-packs show Hastak favors having Wheeljack on pegs. Idk why. I also can't put reason as to why Jazz is included; imo it seems that mold has been used enough.
I would've picked Sideswipe, Bluestreak, or Red Alert since those were past exclusives.
But if these are made of all solid plastic, this set is just all the better.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (view post)
Comment by sol magnus Jan 7, 2024
Sowndwave76 wrote:Then why are Wheeljack and Jazz included? Past re-packs show Hastak favors having Wheeljack on pegs. Idk why. I also can't put reason as to why Jazz is included; imo it seems that mold has been used enough.
I would've picked Sideswipe, Bluestreak, or Red Alert since those were past exclusives.
But if these are made of all solid plastic, this set is just all the better.

Solid plastic would be my guess, because otherwise (and maybe even still) I'd rather a non-dead Prowl be in that pack, although I know that's not how they think.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (view post)
Comment by Sowndwave76 Jan 7, 2024
sol magnus wrote:
Sowndwave76 wrote:Then why are Wheeljack and Jazz included? Past re-packs show Hastak favors having Wheeljack on pegs. Idk why. I also can't put reason as to why Jazz is included; imo it seems that mold has been used enough.
I would've picked Sideswipe, Bluestreak, or Red Alert since those were past exclusives.
But if these are made of all solid plastic, this set is just all the better.

Solid plastic would be my guess, because otherwise (and maybe even still) I'd rather a non-dead Prowl be in that pack, although I know that's not how they think.


I think no matter which figures would have been included they would have solid plastic.
My guess of the inclusion of Wheeljack and Jazz have to do with someone or some people at Hastak favoring those characters. Of course, there's also a chance that they have the numbers (data) that show those characters have sold well enough in the past to make the cut.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (view post)
Comment by chuckdawg1999 Jan 7, 2024
william-james88 wrote:There's been a lot of grief over Earth Mode Hound appearing in a multipack rather than an individual release but it turns out that he was originally cancelled. Similarly to when Walmart chose to back out on wanting toy deco voysger Hot Rod in their Velocitron line, Target backed out on wanting more individual deluxes in their Buzzworthy line.

So yes, the reason why you initially saw renders but then heard no news is because Hatchet and Hound were canceled. And since Hasbro already had all their other lines planned out, there was no place to release these toys. However, Hasbro has since found a way to bring us Hound (or at least this is what is assumed) in the upcoming Autobot multipack. So while Hatchet is still cancelled, the toy may resurface through another release.

Looking at this, while the multipack release may be annoying, this is a second resort and it's basically either that or no release. Also, the original Buzzworthy release would have of course been exclusive while this Gen Selects multipack is not said to be so yet (most Gen Selects releases have not been exclusive and can easily be bought from online retsilers). So you tell us which is your preferred option in light of these cancelled plans.

If you are curious as to why Target backed out, JTprime17 states that it's due to poor sales of the previous deluxes in the Buzzworthy line, which are currently being found at Ollie's and other liquidators. So if any fans were looking for proof as to the downside of hoping for clearance and liquidation finds, well the cancelation of these individual releases is a clear consequence.

JTprime17 wrote:Target backed out due to poor sales of the first deluxe wave. It is what it is.


What figures were in the first wave? I remember some figures selling better, like SS86 Cliffjumper and Kup, than others, blue Bluestreak comes to mind.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (view post)
Comment by -Kanrabat- Jan 7, 2024
chuckdawg1999 wrote:What figures were in the first wave? I remember some figures selling better, like SS86 Cliffjumper and Kup, than others, blue Bluestreak comes to mind.


Bluestreak had a "wave" on its own.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (view post)
Comment by william-james88 Jan 7, 2024
chuckdawg1999 wrote:What figures were in the first wave? I remember some figures selling better, like SS86 Cliffjumper and Kup, than others, blue Bluestreak comes to mind.


Image

Though as others have said, it doesn't make much sense.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (view post)
Comment by Sabrblade Jan 7, 2024
Could have been the first wave of the year, instead? As in the first wave of 2023?
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (view post)
Comment by chuckdawg1999 Jan 8, 2024
I remember those selling well, obviously some better than others. I think the last few waves; blue Bluestreak, Terrorsaur, the movie repaints, didn't move as well. Another thing I noticed is the repaints/repacks of older kid friendly figures dropped off too. Those surprisingly sold well.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (view post)
Comment by Nemesis Primal Jan 8, 2024
Looking at the posts made by JTPrime after that initial "wave 1 sold bad so Target backed out" comment: the wave 1 in question was the Cliffjumper/Kup/B-127 wave, specifically. Apparently the wave that was repacks of 3 Bees & Shatter had different enough Hasbro parent codes for that assortment compared to the CJ/Kup/Bee wave that both are internally considered Wave 1's completely independently of each other, and the Hatchet/Hound/"Bee 2" wave would have been Wave 2 for specifically the same assortment as CJ/Kup/Bee.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (view post)
Comment by -Kanrabat- Jan 8, 2024
The main flaw of that line is that too many of these reissues were too soon in a far too great quantity, while some others were barely made.

Especially for that damn SS86 Sergeant Kup, whose presence was akin to roaches. It was everywhere and there was so many, it was as if it was reproducing itself on the shelves.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (view post)
Comment by ScottyP Jan 8, 2024
Emerje wrote:
Bounti76 wrote:Hound was canceled because of poor sales of the first wave of Deluxes? Yet we got Tow-Line and a Ratchet redeco after that? That doesn't quite make sense.

I feel like something didn't quite get conveyed right. Instead of first wave maybe they really meant previous wave?
The good 'ol eye test says it's blue Bluestreak's fault.

Edit: I should have kept reading
Nemesis Primal wrote:Looking at the posts made by JTPrime after that initial "wave 1 sold bad so Target backed out" comment: the wave 1 in question was the Cliffjumper/Kup/B-127 wave, specifically. Apparently the wave that was repacks of 3 Bees & Shatter had different enough Hasbro parent codes for that assortment compared to the CJ/Kup/Bee wave that both are internally considered Wave 1's completely independently of each other, and the Hatchet/Hound/"Bee 2" wave would have been Wave 2 for specifically the same assortment as CJ/Kup/Bee.
This sounds like Target tripping over themselves more than anything. The Cliffjumper was very difficult to find and B127 seemed to move ok, at least. Kup sat around a bit, but at least anecdotally, he didn't sit around that long. This reeks of an internal distribution (or POG execution, timing, etc) kerfuffle that Target themselves misinterpreted.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (view post)
Comment by AcademyofDrX Jan 8, 2024
We're over-analyzing this from the hobbyist perspective. The line was clearly overproduced relative to demand, and that's not a consequence of specific figures or anything like that. The last few years have had a ton of disruption in the toy industry. During the pandemic, there were big upswings in demand alongside reduced supply from distribution issues. Even after the supply chain normalized, demand was still high, and the industry acted like this was the new normal and overcompensated. As trends shifted back, a lot of retailers wound up with too much stock.

This isn't specific to Target, either: look what happened with the Velocitron subline, which also had a cancellation after a render reveal -- in that case, even after it was announced! As with BB, large quantities of Walmart exclusive Generations product eventually had to get unloaded to discount retailers. And this isn't exclusive to Transformers either, as a trip to those stores will show. There's no mystery hear to solve.
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