If you were in the UK and looking forward to the [Toys R Us Exclusive Masterpiece Thundercracker, 2005 boards member Sai brings us some bad news this morning, from Hasbro UK:
Subject: Transformers Masterpiece Thundercracker
Thank you for your email. Unfortunately we are no longer able to get this item for the UK and it will therefore not be available at Toys r Us. We hope this information has been useful to you.
Kind regards Sasha Consumer Affairs Advisor
Optimus Bruce
About 50/50 for me, but like you i always bugdet it in and if don't get charged, bonus.
It doesn't bother me having to import this as I'm so used to it, and paying more for the MP experience. If you want the piece, you have to pay the price – they haven't ever exactly been cheap! (I can feel my hasbro SW blushing in his box though )
Most of us may actually end up importing him twice if TakTom take him back to Japan and alter the deco slightly like with Whitescream.
CyberShadow
I think customs have me on some kind of list. I get charged about 85% of the time, but I used to do a lot of importing. I had to. Fact is, you have to build the cost in, because it should be paid, is likely to be charged and you can't 'opt out'.
Even at a conservative estimate (and it is very conservative) of £100 to get the new MP Thundercracker (if I did), that is more than double the US price, and 50% more than if it was on a shelf in a UK TRU (even with Hasbro's criminal £1=$1 exchange rate at £70).
deathsheadII
shame i don't live in leeds lol i asked my local tru and unfortunately they had none in the stock room
Optimus Bruce
I saw on a thread somewhere here the other day that TRU's in Leeds are flooded with them both apparently!
Ive not seen either locally myself though in around 6 months, but I only occasionally visit either of my 2 localish TRU's.
Have a word with your local store, maybe they could find a few on their system local to you? Hell, might even have a couple in the back!
deathsheadII
never been charged import tax for any mp sized figures but thats the risk you take as other people have been hit on this forum
deathsheadII
what tru's still have grimlock can't find one myself even another board member had a look for me and he also asked a mate of his to have a look and still nothing
CyberShadow
A $70 MP figure for you is equal to about £45 with the exchange rate.
If we got the same $70 figure over here on the shelves, he would retail at £70 (= $110). Hasbro are very consistant in using an exchange rate of £1=$1.
If I could get a friendly US guy to get it for me at cost, I would pay the £45, plus shippingg at about £20, and then import tax would add about £13 on that, for a total of about £80.
If I had to buy imported to a UK retailer, it would probably cost about £70-£90.
I would estimate that this guy will go for about £80-£100 + shipping on eBay.
MrFX
How much it usually costs you guys to import toys? What taxes/fees/duties do you pay in order to get them?
How much would you pay for a new MP vs. our store prices? Say I walk into TRU and buy an MP for $70 USD. How much would you pay?
Optimus Bruce
I feel both the US and UK both do pretty poorly anyway in ref to what we get release wise in comparison to our Eastern collecting cousins, but especially so in the MP stakes. Of the MP's I own only 2 were bought here, which doesn't sound bad when 4 have been released, but when you consider 16 have been released in the main TakTom line it kind of puts a different slant on it.
Skywarp sold so poorly over here, and it doesn't appear Rodimus or Grimlock have all gone from the shelves of TRU UK, so maybe Hasbro UK and/or TRU UK don't feel the shelves could support both the new TC and OP along with the last knockings of the other 2. The UK is such a small pool of people anyway, further shrunk when you talk about true "collectors".
I have pretty much zero interest in collecting any other transformers line than the MP's so unfortunately I can't share your pain on the other lack of SDCC UK releases, but I can certainly understand your frustrations.
deathsheadII
such a shame but no biggie i will just get one imported
CyberShadow
Broadly, you are correct. As an MP collector, about 3/4 of my figures are imported. But, in the past the MP line is possibly the most stable and available over here. Has there been a previous Hasbro MP figure that we have not had released? Probably Starscream as a Walmart exclusive, but generally we have done well, getting Skywarp, Grimlock and then Hot Rod.
And, on it's own I agree that its not the end of the world. But combine this with everything else and it's just another sign of the ridiculous hoops UK collectors have to go through to give a company money for a product that they are already producing.
How much of the stuff showcased at SDCC do you think will actually make it to a shelf in the UK or be domestically available? Not the Dark Energon (BBTS), MP Thundercracker (US TRU), G2 Bruticus (Amazon, BBTS). Prime Voyagers waves four and five? Almost certainly not. Asian and Prime FE lines? I seriously doubt it. Later FoC waves? Most likely of the entire lot, but I wouldn't hold my breath. It's sad when of all the product showcased for the next 6-9 months, we might possibly get a couple of Voyagers.
Optimus Bruce
I don't personally see the problem.
If you live over here and collect MP's it's not like you won't have had to import them before, this will just be another example if indeed no UK release.
Sai
It's sad to see that the UK will miss out on this figure,i'm sure there are plenty of UK fans out there who would have loved to have gotten their hands on this,is this a sign of more mp disappointment to come for the UK and other countries in the future?! Wake up Hasbro UK and anyone else who was involved with this decision for whatever reason…You've left a lot of us feeling frustrated and angry at the lack of love shown to us!!!
CyberShadow
FFS. This is the real nail in the coffin for a UK release. I could hold on to hopes of an outside source and TRU still getting it, but this sucks donkeys. I do wonder whats the point of even trying to collect in the UK these days.
Skywarp SCS
Seems that TRU themselves are now confirming the UK cancellation.
Seibertron.com Energon Pub Forums • View topic – Masterpiece THUNDERCRACKER Available For Toys'R'Us UK Pre-Order
Just more of my money Hasbro don't want….
danny boy
Hasbro has done it again, they've given TC short shorts. Geez it's painful, it's what bothered me most about RP.
Also decipticon symbols are wrong. What's with the sonic boom? Yeah I know it's a feature of TC but do they need to advertise it on the tail fin?
I like the shade of blue, not toon accurate but close enough. Will probably wait for the takara version without the short shorts.
hoosierdaddy04
Thanks for the 411 definitely not going to wait on getting this guy when he's released. Don't need another MP Roddy price jump again.
Grimmjow
Ah, thanks…at the same time, SHIT, $10 more than I expected…puts me $10 short for Hasbro MP10…oh well, I have a plan.
03Mach1
Not sure if the UK cancellation thread is the appropriate place for discussion but…
MP Thundercracker is listed in TRU computers at $69.99.
Grimmjow
Ok, how much will this be? Any word on that yet?