Masterpiece Optimus Prime up for Preorder at Toys R Us Website

They're both good news to my broke ass wallet.

Wide release? Oh Primus yes.

Great news! I'm thinking it still won't be "easy" to find him, but it won't be quite the mission impossible that required for finding TRU exclusive Transformers.

I'm still skeptical of any news given by a customer service rep. I'll wait until the official announcement.

Awesome.

Yeah, either this is really good news or just a typical clueless rep that's just making stuff up cause they don't know anything.

Assuming this is true, this should help keep the price down.

This.

That'd be awesome considering there's no TRU for miles where I am.

This is promising even if it's from a customer service rep. For the sake of everyone wanting one, let's hope the info is accurate and OP is a wide release.

What are the differences between this and the Takara release, other than Roller's color?

Makes sense as both Movie Trilogy and Ultimate Optimus Prime have sold well in my area.

Lighter blues and reds. Interior of trailer has much less, or no, silver.
Headlights on chest are painted yellow... Axe is more a red color, i think.

If this is true, this is awesome.

yes YES YES!!!!!

I don't mean to get anyone down, but info from reps doesn't have the best history of being true in the past.

A wide release means more figures will be made and will drive the price down.

Also, the price will be lower because retailers have to compete with each other and we won't have one store basically setting the price at whatever they want (I'm looking at you TRU and your shady way of jacking up the price of your MPs several different times during the same release)

You never know.

This crossed my mind as well.

How accurate can the feedback from *1* Hasbro Customer Service rep be?

But, we do have evidence which could point either way.

Don't figures have exclusivity information on the placecard sitting next to them at the conventions?

Also where is the store exclusive sticker on the packaging of the MP Prime displayed at each convention?

When announced at each convention don't the Hasbro representatives there announce that it's an exclusive when the figure is shown/at the panels?

Optimus Prime is THE iconic character of the Transformers brand. It would make more sense if he was a mass release. There's also the fact that the version of MP-01 which came out in 2006 for the 20th Anniversary of the 1986 movie (DVD Prime as it's referred to) was a mass release...which could possibly point to the same thing for this version as well.

I sure hope this is true. Closest TRU to where I live is 2 hours away.

I hope this is true.

hopefully he will get an European release to

Yup. I'd love for this to be true, considering I NEVER saw a MP Grimlock or MP Rodimus in person at my local TRU and I'd been dreading trying to get this locally or hoping I'm online at the right time to order it from the TRU website. I'd much rather get this from Walmart or Target. That said, I'm not breathing a sigh of relief yet either.

It's time for that weekly 'I want to be treated like a serious collector, but only want to pay kid's toy prices' mantra.

However........ a quick look at SDCC pictures showed that Thundercracker had a place card, with a release date, and 'exclusive' on it, but Prime had no place card at all.

(did i miss Prime's place card?)

This doesn't necessarily mean anything WRT to Prime...but it does indicate something may still be unconfirmed.

He had a place card with 'Exclusive' and 'July 2012' on it.

Noted....but July is about done, so something seems up in the air.

As frustrating as the prospect is to some.... i'd be inclined to say it's in Hasbro's own interest to not make it widely available.

We need actual photographic evidence.

Some folks are saying his place card didn't have "exclusive" on it.

Some folks are saying his place card did have "exclusive" on it.

And some folks are saying he didn't have a place card at all.

Edit: Nevermind I saw the picture in the other thread.

I guess it is an exclusive. Things do change though.....it might explain the lack of a MSRP and the apparent delay in the actual release. Things might still be up in the air.

Thanks for that info. I was considering boxing up and selling my MP-10, but your response talked me out of it

As I said in the other thread. The card is from Botcon at SDCC there was no card. Also Skywarp had a exclusive sticker on his box Optimus did not. Lastly the card at Botcon said it would be out July 12, and July is almost over. All are hints that things may have changed.

What I think happened is that Hasbro, or Toys R Us backed out of there exclusive contract. It happens. That would also explane why there is now no release date. Hasbro needs time to set up orders with other companies.

I call bullshit. I doubt the CS rep knew what they were talking about. It say TRU exclusive at Toy Fair, and had exclusive on the tag at SDCC I believe.

Oh man - this - so this.

TRU does have those coupons, but honestly, they never work out for me because TRU is a PITA to get to and they're always sold out. This guy could even go on clearance but I'm not going to risk it.

I'm skeptical as well. Definitely won't complain if this is a wide release, however.

This actually makes sense seeing as Thundercracker will apparently be the TRU MP figure.

Assuming this bit of news is true, it's great to have options on the retail release of a Masterpiece figure. Seems like it'll increase the likelihood of being to locate one in-store.

(Sigh)..... How many MP Primes do we need...seriously.

It feels like they release one every other month...

I wonder if they're any other Transformers that Hasbro could focus on.

Which other masterpieces should they release??

This figure doesn't have that Gold or Silver TRU sticker most of their exclusives have and so i would bet the CSR was right. Man, I can't wait! Woohoo!!!

Do we know an official price for it??

I would definitely appreciate this, if it is true.

Sweet! Now I'll be able to casually look for him instead of worrying about scalpers.

this great news i plan on getting him for my 9 yr olds birthday so i hope it is out in time for his bday in sept

Would be cool if he ends up a wide release. Makes him easier to get for those who don't have a nearby TRU and possibly cheaper at Target or Wal-Mart.

Really? There are other Transformers Hasbro is focusing on...

The lines are called Transformers Prime and FOC/Generations, you can collect plenty of transformers from those lines.

The original MP Prime hasn't been released over here in close to a decade...and the past Two MP figures to make it stateside have been TRU exclusives.

So where are these MP transformers that Hasbro is releasing every other month?

I for one am happy to see both V2 Thundercracker and Optimus making it stateside. I usually collect Takara MP figures but since I have had MP-01 for the better part of a decade, I never felt the need to pay 250 for a figure I personally consider inferior to the original. However, I'll be sure to grab him up for 100 bucks, and I can't wait to have all my V1 Seekers in Alt-mode while the V2's are displayed in robot mode. All we need now is a Skywarp redux, and a new MP Megatron. I'll glady display MP01 and MP05 together by themselves, while the updated versions of Prime and Megs stay with the MP display.

Sweet, now I won't have to worry about 'Tards R Us botching up shipping The upgrade body for my Powermaster Optimus Prime.

oh thank god, I can stop waking up at 3:30 am every morning just to check TRU for it after the Rodimus fiasco.

Hopefully this person knew what they were talking about and life will be easier and happier for those who want this Optimus....like me!

+1. And avoid the overpricing cheese tactics at most TRUs.

If you were talking about Optimus toys in general, I could get that, somewhat. MP Optimuses? Counting "reissues" (like the MP-4 "reissue"/restock), have MP Optimus toys even seen 10 releases total in the US and Japan since MP-1 was released?

I was at SDCC and yeah, I don't recall seeing anything indicating Optimus was a TRU exclusive, compared to MP Thundercracker carrying its TRU Exclusive sticker on its packaging.

Not that anyone will pay attention to this post, but this is not true.