Wow that is HARSH

 

That would kind of undermine the "exclusive" aspect.

Nevermind the 'Curse of Skywarp', in light of the bad press this toy got before Hasbro ironed out (most of) the problems... i think this statement is particularly relevant to Rodimus.

 

Sale  

 

As TRU and Hasbro get a better idea of who's buying MP figures in the US (not mothers), the price may keep creeping upward. They obviously do enough market research to know that it's not unheard of to pay hundreds to import similar figures.

 

The problem there is they will have to up their quality to match what is being produced overseas. If they tried to charge $150 for TRU Roddy, I bet many would pony up for the better Takara version or skip it outright. the low price point is their only selling point at the moment.

 

^ Indeed. Obviously the lower they can keep it and make it pay off the better. But the collector market is different from the parents-of-children market. TRU MP Grimlock is comparable to MP-08, and TRU MP Rodimus is 50% better and 50% worse, not counting the deco which people actively disagree on. At least in the case of "trailer-less" Grimlock and Starscream, saving on shipping ALONE would make the USA versions worth it.

What Hasbro's and TRU's actual problem is an inadequate distribution and production model to satisfy the collector market. Actually tracking down one of those MPs can be a maddening experience that sucks real actual time out of your week. A $20 premium just to not have to travel to stores and deal with the uncertainty is seriously worth it for me.

If they fail too hard on convenience and quality, then yeah, they need some low low prices to compete.

 

least you guys get a chance of getting one, we here Ireland get shafted and get no new figures at all really other than the odd mainline

 

Picking MP Roddy was probably the worst example you could have chosen.

 

Not sure if you guys are part of the TRU rewards program. If you are, there is a coupon in there for Buy one, get one 50% off. So you can technically get 2 for less then $100. If you find a board memeber to take it, you should be able to land one at a really good price.

 

I am a Rewards member and I am not seeing it on their page? Did you get the coupon via e-mail?

 

Some TRU wont let you buy two at a time, stupid policy if you ask me. NO I am not a scalper, I have a bro that is into this and sometimes he doesnt have time to get it like i do before it is sold out.

 

So just got an MP Rodimus from my local TRU..

But, oh boy.. Do I have a story. After looking on the Transformers aisle, my fiancé and I go up to the service counter to see if they can locate a Rodimus at a nearby store for me. The girl at the counter looks it up and says they should have 6 on the floor right now at their store. We of course already looked high and low and knew they weren't actually there. So she was going to call on of the other nearby stores to have them hold one for me. Then this other guy employee walks up and asks what we are looking for. I tell him Masterpiece Rodimus Prime, and he says "Oh yeah those don't stay on the shelves for more than a day, it may say we have 6, but we don't have any." Meanwhile the girl employee is still on hold waiting to talk to someone at the other store. And then the guy employee says "Hang on" and turns and walks away. He then returns a couple of minutes later, the girl employee is still waiting on the phone mind you, and he says "If the other store doesn't have one, you'll leave here tonight with one."
I was a little confused and I thought maybe it was one they had saved in the back for someone that never claimed it. But now I'm thinking... why would he still have me go to the other store if he NOW had one in back he could sell me. He then says "I put on aside for myself two weeks ago cuz I didn't have the money for it" Ok, so my next train of thought is he's a collector and I'd feel kind of bad if I took the Rodimus he put aside for himself.... His next statement changed my mind immediately: "I was just going to sell it on Ebay for like 90 bucks" he said.

SCALPER ALERT!!!

Anyway, he ended up bringing it out for me because my fiancé and I just gave him the "look" from that point on. I wouldn't be suprised if he had the other five that they supposedly had in stock stashed in the back for himself as well!

 

Has anyone else noticed that the bubbles and boxes are dinged up a lot?

 

Who cares?...I'm just freakin' stoked that I walked into a TRU and finally found a Rodimus sitting on the shelf today. Doubly cool that yesterday was my birthday so this is my present to myself.

 

Of the 6 I saw at TRU, 2 were, 4 were immaculate.

The toys inside were a different matter. Do NOT drive away before checking your Roddy.

 

Bubbles are the least of your worries. So far, I have seen a few with Offshoot having backwards arms, or a stress mark on a MISB Roddy...

 

So, has pretty much everyone who wants a MP Roddy been able to get one now? The reason I ask is because there are six of them sitting on the shelves since at least Friday at the TRU near where I work, in Philly on Cottman Ave. So, are these pretty much out there at TRUs all over, or is this an unusual occurrence?

 

I've seen a few shelf warming at 2 local TRU's. Maybe A) The scalpers found that they can't get as much, B) they produced more than the fans expected and are able to supply the demads, or C) people really don't want him as much (insert animated movie reasoning).

 

There are none at the three I visited last night.