Okay, there have been a lot of different threads on this subject, so I thought it would be a good idea to make one thread where we can redirect all questions regarding the First Edition Transformers: Prime Toys, and whether or not they will be exclusives.

There is a lot of information going around right now. Some of it is from reliable sources; some of it is contradictory. I've made a rough list of everything we know for certain, which we can update as time goes on and more news is revealed. Please point out any errors, and feel free to post any information you think might be helpful and I will add it to the list.

Here are the facts:

1) The First Edition TF Prime line will consist of 3 waves of figures:

Wave 1 will include Deluxe Bumblebee, Deluxe Arcee, Deluxe Starscream, Voyager Optimus Prime, Voyager Bulkhead, and the Entertainment Pack.
Wave 2 will include Deluxe Cliffjumper, along with more of Bumblebee, Arcee, and Starscream.
Wave 3 will include Deluxe Vehicon and Terrorcon Cliffjumper.

Further info about the individual figures and waves can be found here: All You Wanted to Know About TF Prime But Were Afraid to Ask

2) The First Edition TF: Prime toys have already been released at retail in Hong Kong.

3) The First Edition TF: Prime toys are slated for U.S. release on Dec. 1. This was confirmed at Botcon and again at SDCC.

4) The First Edition TF: Prime toys have already been released at various Toys R Us stores in Canada.

Here's where things get complicated:

5) BBTS recently revealed that the First Edition toys were exclusives and would NOT be sold at Wal-mart, K-mart or Target.

6) BBTS later revised their statement and removed the portion about Wal-mart, K-mart, and Target.

7) Shadow2879, a Hasbro insider who has been a reliable source of information thus far, had this to say:

8) Various board members have asked retailers about the first edition toys. Some retailers claim that they will have them on Dec. 1. Other retailers say they will not.

9) Thus far, the UPC numbers of the first edition toys have NOT been found in Wal-mart computers.

10) The Entertainment Pack is listed as a Toys R Us exclusive on the Canada Toys R Us website.

11) Deluxe Bumblebee has been listed on the U.S. Toys R Us Website. So far, it is NOT listed as a Toys R Us exclusive.

TF Prime Bumblebee in Stock at TRU.com

Edited - Nov. 14 12:30 PM
Edited - Nov. 17 2:00 PM

What does all this mean? Well, it is unclear when and if the First Edition Prime toys will be released at Walmart, K-mart, and Target in the U.S. However, they will definitely be available at Toy R Us, and the main line will be released at mass retail sometime around March.

So, feel free to discuss.

 

TRANSFORMERS PRIME - Entertainment Pack - First Edition OPTIMUS PRIME Vs. MEGATRON with DVD - English Edition - RGC Redmond - Toys"R"Us
also says R exclusive, doubt they'd put that if they weren't

 

45 for that 2 pack? Pass.

 

Really?  

 

Seriously, $45 for a two pack of Deluxes!?! Is this what the Prime line is going to be?

 

$45 is the canadian retail price. The US price I believe has been stated be be around $30

Store exclusives are different for different countries. Perfect example, Recon Ravage....

 

Is either you buy or you pass,nobody is forcing us to buy

 

So is that TRU link only for Canada? And seriously, why is Canada getting so screwed on the price? Poor Canadians. Even though you damn Canadians are getting these first!

I saw in the shipping area it said, these can be shipped inside Canada. So I am assuming for the moment it is Canada only.

As for noone forcing us to buy, you are wrong. These figures force you to buy. They scream, buy me. Ignore the price. Just BUY ME.

 

The URL does say .ca.

Canada isn't getting screwed on the price as much as the US just has the lowest prices for our plastic crack.

 

You should separate your waves, so they make more sense:

There is only one wave of Voyagers: Prime and Bulkhead.

There are three waves of Deluxes: SS, Arcee, & BB are wave 1, Those plus CJ is wave 2, Wave 3 also ads Zombie CJ and the Terracon (but we don't know what else will be in those cases yet).

Some places list the CJ wave as "Wave 1.5" which may or may not be correct. Hasbro's ".5" case assortments are usually revision waves, and by definition a revision case assortment doesn't add new characters. So who knows? But there are 3 full "waves" of deluxes, supposedly.

 

So... not only are they waiting until months after the first season has finished airing to release any figures, when they finally do release them, they're also not releasing them mass-market?

... huh. Just... huh.

 

Yes they will.

 

Thanks brr-icy. I'll add that to the list.

Thanks! Fixed.  

 

....what? These are just the first edition figures. The full line will be released to mass market come March 2012.

 

BTW, I made this thread last week. Just not discussing the release dates. This pretty much has all the details on the figures:

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/487768-all-you-wanted-know-about-tf-prime-but-were-afraid-ask.html

 

Yes, but this thread is focusing on whether or not the first edition toys will be exclusives and which stores will be getting them.

Anyway, I'll add a link to your thread in the first section.  

 

I know, I mean the first editions. I just don't get them waiting another four months getting these to mass retail when they're already WAY past due to release them.

 

Does anyone have the UPC's we got from Canada? I was told by a Hasbro distributor at Walmart that they would definitely be at regular retail starting Dec. 1st, but I'll start checking to see if they're in the computers too.

 

I was thinking the same, but there could be reasons:

1- Movie figures may have not sold as well as originally thought and the stores are still full of them, so they are not yet ordering any other lines until those go.
2- Maybe the Movie Toys are still selling good and they don't want to interfere with those sales with the sales of Prime Toys
3- They are waiting for the start of Season 2 Prime to release so that sales are stronger
4- They don't want their figures heavily discounted (which happens during Christmas season) so they are waiting till next year.

Any of these are possibilities.

I think it was confirmed that the packaging is different in Canada then the states so the UPCs will not match.

 

If that's true, then that explains why the UPCs aren't showing up in Wal-mart's computers.