I've been a TF fan and toy buyer since I was a younger kid during Armada, but I've only started to focus on serious collecting a bit after the first movie. I remember having absolutely no trouble finding any 07 Movie figs and Universe 2.0 figs I wanted (I missed a few but only because I delayed in getting them). Then, the ROTF line began in late May 2009, and every two weeks or so I could count on finding new product on the shelves, and even when I didn't, the shelves were always chock full of ROTF stuff of every assortment. Even the subline was well handled, and the only figure who really got shafted was HA Mudflap, if I recall. Even from a product standpoint, there was an abundance of new figures, tons of molds to collect, and seeing new figures frequently kept my interest in the franchise; the same happened with Generations.

Come DOTM. Compared to previous lines, it feels fairly bare-bones. Several characters entirely absent, odd size assortment choices, and worst of all, horrible distribution. The line launched in May 2011, and at the end of the summer, I had the first three waves collected, and not much else. ROTF by this time I believe was into Wave 5, and the NEST line wasn't far behind. Then, two major characters they held off for whatever reason (one in two size classes) never make it anyway, accompanied by the entire FE fiasco.

I was always looking to the fact that the Prime RID line was coming in full force as a reason for the DOTM line's shortcomings. But even now the problem continues. I purchased Wave 1 in early February, and I live in NY so this was several weeks after the figures were first found. It is now almost July. I have yet to see Wave 3 in stores, and we know nothing about Wave 5's release, and we have yet to even see official promo images of Voyager Wave 3. Shelves are no longer well stocked, reduced to only a handful of pegs at my local chains. There is so little variety, but the real problem is that it's been this way for a very long time. When nearly half a year passes and I don't have any TFs to purchase, I start to lose interest, and this has happened with both the DOTM and Prime lines.

Rant over, so TL;DR, why do you think Hasbro's acting this way especially after some phenomenally done lines like ROTF and Generations?

 

We've got Wave 3 in this area, and we know plenty about Wave 5. Hasbro can't control distribution once it's been sold to the stores. and we got images yesterday of Voyager Wave 3.

 

We know the contents but have no idea of when it could hit shelves. Also, those images were from pamphlets in Malaysia, and Hasbro Asia is extremely different from Hasbro US (tons of Generations exclusives, FE and late DOTM reissues).

 

Hasbro doesn't control when product hits the shelves, merely when it's made available for the retailers to order.

The perceived "slowness" is almost certainly due to the currently ailing global economic climate. Retailers simply aren't stocking the shelves with the same enthusiasm than they were 2-3 years ago, before the US recession.

 

This and probably that prime figures are moving slower. Every store I've been to lately appears to be fully stocked on prime figures along with also still having dotm voyager and deluxe figures. Perhaps this is why some Walmart stores missed out on wave 3 as reported on the home page a few days ago.

 

Distribution is the problem. BB is to blame. So Hasbro is to blame to a certain level due to their case assortment.

And for people who say, "well, how do you know BB is not selling?" I do know because I know people who work at Target and tell me that the stock of BB they put out is the same stock from months and months ago.

 

Is this a TF only discussion, or should we bring in the Marvel 6 inch Avengers too? I know of some people who still have yet to see them in stores, and Walmarts that have literally never had them in stock.

 

I have yet to see wave two cyberverse commanders, and I know why. The stores are doing what they did with all the movie lines. Buying too much of the waves that were available first and are getting stuck with those on shelves, trying to push those before any new product.

 

I've been collecting since 1989, and I wish they would go back to the way they released toys back then. I havent noticed much of a change since 2001.

 

I only collect Classics and Legends, but I know the feeling. I believe it's now 2 years that I wait half a year for new figures to be announced, only to realize that there is nothing I want to buy or only 1 or 2 figures. While the years before there was more than I was able to buy, because many toys were sold out, when I finally had the spare money for a new figure.

I'm waiting for months now only to get Shockwave and FOC Ultra Magnus and most of the toys I'm trying to get inbetween are old toys from like 2009 - 2011.

When I was a kid distribution was great. There were sooo many cool toys. I wanted to have them all! It felt like every few weeks or months there was a load of new Transformers in the store and I could actually get them in stores and did not have to find online stores where I can easily obtain them.

Hopefully next year it'll be different!

 

That's Wal-Mart's problem, then.

 

Marvel legends ghost rider could be added here too. Walmart had the others on shelves (maybe from 1 or 2 cases total, and I've only seen gr twice, both times at comic book stores.

 

I think there's a combination of possible things going on:

1) Dependency on volume retailers who won't budge on price
2) Increasing costs
3) Wanting to increase profits year on year..even if it means smaller toys that cost more
4) Wanting to have a popular Transformer media where they don't have to pay royalties to Paramount.


The jury is out on all of those suggestions, and i can only cite what toy stores are like locally, but Prime isn't moving that well, and i fail to see how a price hike is going to change that.

I've stuck up for Hasbro a fair bit in the past, but when i look at the Video Review for FOC Jazz, it seems small, rather simplistic, and at $15 rather expensive.

For the first time in a while, i'm starting to think about taking a step back from mainline Transformers.

 

Not to mention the quality of the toys are taking a nose dive. After Prime FE, we haven't really seen anything besides the RID Vehicon that was actually impressive. The jury is still out on the Prime line thanks to some great looking voyagers, but peeking at FoC and the recent reviews of the first wave guys...things are going downhill in engineering, paint and plastic wise on top of a price hike.

 

Like you said, RiD Vehicon is great. One of the very, very few carformers that has actually impressed me in recent years. Ratchet's also really awesome, just needs more color, really. And pretty much all of the Voyagers are considered pretty good. FE Bulkhead and Prime seem about as flawless as I can imagine, Breakdown looks amazing, Megatron... did what they could with the design.

Now, Cyberverse Commanders... are a step down from Scouts. I hate to admit, because I love them. But when I step back and realize I'm excited because the Commander has a neck it worries me. Scouts were basically smaller Deluxes. Now they're better Legends, and we've just accepted that. In spite of that, I'm still more excited about Cyberverse than the main line which is... weird.

 

I saw 4 cases them on the pallets between the two local Walmarts last night. All the locals have them (some from me), so I left them there.

The trickle doesn't bother me as much as the lack of information. I would really like to know is some of the figures aren't going to make it over here so I know what TT figures to buy.

 

Soundwave was held off because he was a spoiler

 

Too many assortments is part of the issue IMO. Back in the 80s and early 90s it seemed like only one "wave" of toys would come each year (but that wave was packed). Now it seems like there are 4-6 waves per year and many have repacks of figures from early waves in abundance with only 1-2 new characters which seem short-packed (even if they actually aren't).

+-MWG-+

 

Let me say this:
Everyone says that BB and PRIME are the only toys kids want.
So the DOTM characters are the same characters from the previous movies.

Why buy characters you already have?

And expect more of the same with TF4.

 

How come they got the Legion Soundwave released but not the HA or Deluxe? IIRC, Legion SW was released ~October/November, right when they inexplicably halted HA and Deluxes.


But, yeah, distribution/anticipation lately has been terrible. Nothing to look for or towards.