I meant a year and a half run for the movie toys - they came out earlier than 6/22/07 if I remember correctly.Well..preview toys hit in May 07 And Hasbro relented on the street date, but my point stands the movie line has barely been active in retail a year, and it remains to be seen how long stores are going to stick with carrying the movie stuff, I know stuff is expected to ship through August at least.
I don't really think that the movie line is going to stop with TF 2 slated for next summer - it would be easier for Hasbro to continue the line during the interum than retool the machines twice (once off once on).
I meant a year and a half run for the movie toys - they came out earlier than 6/22/07 if I remember correctly.
Well..preview toys hit in May 07 And Hasbro relented on the street date, but my point stands the movie line has barely been active in retail a year, and it remains to be seen how long stores are going to stick with carrying the movie stuff, I know stuff is expected to ship through August at least.
Transformers had several successful lines - Generation1 reissuses, Universe, Cybertron and especially the Alternators (collectors based G1 characters that transformed into replicas of real vehicles)- then the movie came out: all of these lines were closed down, two and a half years later the movie line continues and so does a new line based on the cartoon show. For collectors to find the Universe figures which are updates of G1 characters is almost impossible.Just to clear a few points:
The Generation 1 reissues and Alternators were not these massive hits you seem to think they were, and both were cancelled due to poor sales and several unproduced items (the reissues had Astrotrain distributed online only, and Sideswipe ended up cleared out for $15 at KB toys, the last two Alternators were store exclusive as well).
The original Universe line was canned back in 2005 due to weak sales, and Cybertron simply ran for its intended brand run (typical brand revisions to Hasbro's toys happen every 12-18 months). Classics (the G1 figures I think you are referring to) were always intended as filler between Cybertron and movie product, and more importantly, will be back on shelves come August under the Universe brand.
I don't know where you got the "2 and 1/2 year" run for the Transformer movie toys since they only came out ONE YEAR AGO. Literally, the shelf date for wave 1 movie toys was 6/22/07.
Sorry about the misconceptions - G1 reissues and Alternators were incredibly popular where I am (hence the assumption)
As for the other lines I never followed them closely and again based my knowlege off sails in my area.
I meant a year and a half run for the movie toys - they came out earlier than 6/22/07 if I remember correctly.
The only transformers I collected post G2 were the alternators (you can tell)
Transformers had several successful lines - Generation1 reissuses, Universe, Cybertron and especially the Alternators (collectors based G1 characters that transformed into replicas of real vehicles)- then the movie came out: all of these lines were closed down, two and a half years later the movie line continues and so does a new line based on the cartoon show. For collectors to find the Universe figures which are updates of G1 characters is almost impossible.
Just to clear a few points:
The Generation 1 reissues and Alternators were not these massive hits you seem to think they were, and both were cancelled due to poor sales and several unproduced items (the reissues had Astrotrain distributed online only, and Sideswipe ended up cleared out for $15 at KB toys, the last two Alternators were store exclusive as well).
The original Universe line was canned back in 2005 due to weak sales, and Cybertron simply ran for its intended brand run (typical brand revisions to Hasbro's toys happen every 12-18 months). Classics (the G1 figures I think you are referring to) were always intended as filler between Cybertron and movie product, and more importantly, will be back on shelves come August under the Universe brand.
I don't know where you got the "2 and 1/2 year" run for the Transformer movie toys since they only came out ONE YEAR AGO. Literally, the shelf date for wave 1 movie toys was 6/22/07.
True, Canada is getting better at supply. I'm from Calgary and only found waves 1-5 SP at specialty stores, however, since about March supply has improved (marginally). We actually got lots of wave 6, and a decent amount of wave 7 and 8 (about 10 cases for the city - makes sence doesn't it). Still, comic pack availability has drastically improved, and hopefully Hasbro will begin to send more items to Canada (how bout those US exclusives, what kind of bulls*** is that).
When there's a Target exclusive, check Zeller's for them, as there are no Targets in Canada so Hasbro tries to sell them to Zeller's intstead (but cannot sell them to Walmart or TRU). Unfortunatley with Walmart and TRU exclusives, it's up to Wlmart Canada, and TRU Canada to pick them up, otherwise we'll never see them on the shelves. It is B.S. but it's the way it is.
Distribution a problem? Man, I've found a "full" stock of Joes ONCE at a local Walmart. Now, bear in mind I live in Canada, and even though it's a fairly large one (about 375,000) we have it MUCH worse up here. A "full" stock of GI Joes (Wave 8) consisted of TWO of each character. That's IT. So I guess this Walmart figures, what, two people will be interested in these and buy them? The whole thing is so ridiculous. Naturally I took a set (plus an extra PP Officer). Even though I was pissed at the distribution, I felt really lucky.Of course anything with a movie is still clogging shelves, so once the GI Joe movie previews start happening, we won't need to worry about this. This will be mostly movie figures but hopefully it will happen with classic waves as well, if we're lucky.
As a fellow Canadian, I'm pleased to see that Wave 8 is on the shelves around here. WM and TRU have lots, and have seen several cases (judging by the large amounts left over of Vipers and PP officers on the pegs). It's definatley a step in the right direction as it used to be next to nothing in stores at all. Used to be I'd see a wave 1 CC, or a SE once every month or two and that was it.
True, Canada is getting better at supply. I'm from Calgary and only found waves 1-5 SP at specialty stores, however, since about March supply has improved (marginally). We actually got lots of wave 6, and a decent amount of wave 7 and 8 (about 10 cases for the city - makes sence doesn't it). Still, comic pack availability has drastically improved, and hopefully Hasbro will begin to send more items to Canada (how bout those US exclusives, what kind of bulls*** is that).
Distribution a problem? Man, I've found a "full" stock of Joes ONCE at a local Walmart. Now, bear in mind I live in Canada, and even though it's a fairly large one (about 375,000) we have it MUCH worse up here. A "full" stock of GI Joes (Wave 8) consisted of TWO of each character. That's IT. So I guess this Walmart figures, what, two people will be interested in these and buy them? The whole thing is so ridiculous. Naturally I took a set (plus an extra PP Officer). Even though I was pissed at the distribution, I felt really lucky.Of course anything with a movie is still clogging shelves, so once the GI Joe movie previews start happening, we won't need to worry about this. This will be mostly movie figures but hopefully it will happen with classic waves as well, if we're lucky.
As a fellow Canadian, I'm pleased to see that Wave 8 is on the shelves around here. WM and TRU have lots, and have seen several cases (judging by the large amounts left over of Vipers and PP officers on the pegs). It's definatley a step in the right direction as it used to be next to nothing in stores at all. Used to be I'd see a wave 1 CC, or a SE once every month or two and that was it.
In my area of St Louis County, Joe availability is crap! The three Targets around me haven't had anything new since Feb. No vehicles, and comic packs are all Wave 1 from LAST YEAR! :angry: Wal-Mart's pegs--all 2 of them --are full of Hooded Cobra Comander. TRU had the Command 3-packs for a week, and are apparently the only place that has been able to get anything new, though the last comic packs were the Twins and Noks...
I don't know if the Targets are only getting in one case of figures and they are selling as soon as they go out, or they just never ordered the Target Exclusive Vehicles. WM is in the middle of a remodel so maybe that is their excuse. TRU just seems more selective in their toy restocks since they can't be bothered to restock anything other than McFarlane SportPicks, Power Rangers, Cars, Indiana Jones and Star Wars crap. Transformers, Marvel Legends, and Joes get the shaft basically...but they have been the only place around me with anythying Joe related that is newer than 4 months ago...
From what I've heard the supply is hard to get a hold of everywhere. Quite simply, its not any fault of your own or even of you're retailer, but a Hasbro issue.
I can't blame the local retailers due to personal experience: I know the toy department manager at my local walmart and she will order in waves of figures based off recomendations - just before wave 6 came out she ordered 6 cases of Joes, she received 4 and then was unable to order more than one case of each future wave, despite the fact that those cases sold out within 5 days. Secondly, another store in my area ordered in 10 cases of wave 7 Joes the week that they were released - they received ONE case that week and a second the following with a letter saying that the rest of the request could not be filled and that they would be refunded the difference - and those cases sold out on the same day they were received!?!
Hasbro's operating system is disgusting but predictable.
If you look around you're local toy department at the available toys you'll quickly notice something - the VAST majority is based around some current television show, electronic game or video that is widely available and marked to children. I challenge you to find toylines (baring hotwheels and barbie) that are not based off something on television or the movies. Because these provide built-in marketing Hasbro (and other toy companies) choose to produce large numbers of these toys intending for parents to buy them for their children's birthdays, christmas, etc. Toy lines such as G.I. Joe, Transformers and even Star Wars that have numerous collectors are only seen as a priority to Hasbro if they can market the same line to children.
For example:
Star Wars had the Saga Line just prior to Episode III: it was closed out for about a year and a half to market toys from the movies to children, and even the new Saga line that followed was heavily biased on Episode III characters.
Transformers had several successful lines - Generation1 reissuses, Universe, Cybertron and especially the Alternators (collectors based G1 characters that transformed into replicas of real vehicles)- then the movie came out: all of these lines were closed down, two and a half years later the movie line continues and so does a new line based on the cartoon show. For collectors to find the Universe figures which are updates of G1 characters is almost impossible.
And now there is G.I. Joe.
No matter how many collectors there are for this line, they will never be the same number as the number of children that Hasbro can market a line of Movie based figures to. Ergo, they produce a limited number of 25th G.I. Joes because few to no children will buy them, but when the movie comes out I can assure you that you will find racks of G.I. Joes that rival the current surplus of Batman and Hulk figures in stores - however good luck finding classic Joes until at least the middle of 2010.
Down here in Orlando, I have had a hard time finding them. Heck I have yet to see WIld Bill wave. I did pick up a couple of vipers but no hiss drivers and the others.
