AOE toys off to slow start. 50% of DOTM pre-release levels.

Discussion in 'Transformers News and Rumors' started by signals3, Jun 3, 2014.

  1. lordmegatron64

    lordmegatron64 War Starter and Crate God

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    Like with Generations "Air Raid" which was just a shitty repaint of Shockwave?
     
  2. Snake_eyes1975

    Snake_eyes1975 Well-Known Member

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    I SOOOoo agree there. When I was in high school the 70's were "sooo cool". Now the 80's are that way. I think its perfect time for something like that.

    Were in the same boat. I still say this was a pretty early release for movie toys. I don't recall any movie toys with a street date more than a month before the movies...at least the stuff I look for. I think they will do just fine with this line.
     
  3. Omega Charge

    Omega Charge CHARGE ON

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    I just got back from the store, and there was a grandmother looking for a Transformer for her 4-year-old grandson. From talking with her, I found that he had previously gotten Generations Sandstorm, but it was returned because it was "extremely difficult" to transform. Apparently the kid really wants Bumblebee, but one that's simple to convert. The grandmother was looking at the 1-step stuff, which is what the kid seemed to agree on, but 1-step Bumblebee was not on the shelves (only a bunch of Drifts and Optimus). He apparently did NOT want the "Power-punch" Bumblebee, which was on the shelves (It was too "orange"?).

    I can say one thing, the grandmother AND myself found the wall of product options confusing. There were MULTIPLE options for kiddie toys for several characters (Optimus, Grimlock, Bumblebee). From this experience and many others, I can see there IS a strong market for kiddie Transformers (as well as, yes, Bumblebee) for the under-5 age group, and think the 1-step changers are innovative and will be lots of fun for little kids. But there are simply so many different options Hasbro is trying at once (Dino Sparkers, 1-step changers, Flip-changers, Power Battlers, Titan Heroes, and more) that it's overwhelming the buyers and choking shelves. I think that they should have stuck with only a couple of those options; the current set-up seems very redundant, and will likely result in product being left on the pegs. And to top it off, there were NO Generations Deluxes on the shelves, because there was no space.

    In the end, we picked out a Generations Legends Bumblebee w/Blazemaster. It's not a kiddie toy, but it's Bumblebee and shouldn't be nearly as hard as Sandstorm.
     
    Last edited: Jun 5, 2014
  4. MenaceRx

    MenaceRx Well-Known Member

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    I ended up just ordering again from Amazon instead of wasting gas hoping to find certain figures. Picked up Deluxe Strafe and Voyager Hound. 2 Day free shipping, same price as TRU and everywhere else. Get them saturday. I really enjoy the hunt and seeing them in person before buying them but the quantity of 1Step, Flip n Change to the Deluxe and Voyager line is so out of proportion that I will just be ordering them all from here on out.
     
  5. Hollywood Hoist

    Hollywood Hoist Well-Known Member

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    Every movie line has had a large number of options.

    Deluxe
    Voyager
    Leader
    Legends
    Real Gear
    Ultimate
    Cyberstompers
    Cyber slammers
    Fast Action Battlers
    Robot Heroes
    Robot Replicas
    3" titanium

    Though I do agree that the flip changers and voyagers are often confused as well as Deluxes and Power Battlers. In 07 and 09 lines we did have FAB and Deluxes but the packaging was easier to differentiate.

    The one steps are good for very young, the power battlers are great for a little older kids who aren't quite ready for Generations.

    Power Battlers and Flip/changers are like the Deluxe and voyager of the kid line similar to FAB but with two size classes instead of one. DIno Sparkers are a gimmick line, similar to Cyber Slammers, Titan figures are replacing Cyber stompers.
     
  6. Metroplex79

    Metroplex79 Hey mouse, say cheese!

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    Not surprised. Guess the person buying it for him didn't see the "Ages 5+" on front of the box. Or that it's Level 2 Intermediate.
     
  7. RedAlert Rescue

    RedAlert Rescue Banned

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    The Cyberslammer Bumblebee I got at a carboot sale for £1.00 a few years a go is a hell of a lot better looking toy than a Titan figure as it's not made of rubbery plastic and it's properly painted and has loads of sound effects built in - not to mention that it's a 1970's style Bumblebee (Not the over saturated Concept or Production modern Camero) that adds a little extra charm too. If you gave that to a 4 year old they'd have more fun with it I suspect - and also it's yellow not Orange/gold.

    I say a lot on here but to keep it simple I'll say this having the packaging for the entire product offering look the same is just a receipt for complete confusion.

    I will also say I don't actually have much of a problem with the Movie Generations overall - it's the brand focus mainly on the under 8's lines that I have a problem with.
     
  8. LegendAntihero

    LegendAntihero Banned

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    I hated that. What a terrible way to make toys for older fans
     
  9. RedAlert Rescue

    RedAlert Rescue Banned

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    Perhaps he needs an upgrade kit ?
     
  10. hthrun

    hthrun Show accuracy's overrated

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    ^ This. I almost grabbed a 1-step changer the first time I saw the toys because they're packaged nearly identically with the generation toys...
     
  11. Autovolt 127

    Autovolt 127 Get In The Titan, Prime!

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    Such a shame Sandstorm is such a good toy.
     
  12. Anguirus

    Anguirus Well-Known Member

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    You leave Generations Fireflight with bonus Megatron Sword alone, you hear me?! ;) 

    I dunno, I kind of feel like that is a kid's toy...and should be. Although I guess an unsupervised kid that young might eat Blazemaster or something.

    I feel like the Transformers we really remember catch lightning in a bottle and are fun for a really wide range of ages. I love that Bumblebee, and would love to gift it to a future child of mine.

    Thanks for the recommendation! I've yet to pick one up, but I have considered it, just because they are the ONLY impulse-buy priced product out there right now. I only have a few Construct-Bots, and I don't much like the look of the larger Dinobots, but I might wind up with a few when all is said and done.
     
  13. ThinkTank Customs

    ThinkTank Customs TFW2005-Citizen

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    Just Hasbro has the problem
     
  14. harrismonkey

    harrismonkey Well-Known Member

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    I just went to my local store again (for stuff we needed- not wasting my time on a hopeless hunt). They're well stocked on power battlers, sparkers and have a few voyagers. Based off of what they generally have it seems pretty clear they view the battlers as deluxes.

    I already did my buying online. This makes it painfully clear I won't find ANYTHING on shelves worth a damn this time.

    Also, as a foot note for those who keepsaying Hasbro must know what they're doing with those TF Prime Titan figures, the Transformers section is over run with those and ?Construct a bot? stuff. They clearly aren't selling here.
     
  15. Jimmy88

    Jimmy88 Well-Known Member

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    Well dudes this shouldn't be a surprise, Hasbro should be ashamed at what they are putting out for AOE, sure the Leaders, Voyagers, and deluxes are ok at best but those are just a very small part of the AOE release and when you walk in a store you don't even see those in stores, its all of the other stuff. I mean its like you don't even have Transformers toys in a Transformers line anymore which is so sad!!!!! I think Hasbro really does not know what they are doing or who they are trying to reach. Everything was fine and they reached a high point with the ROTF line, but then a couple parents complained that they were too complicated(THEY ARE TRANSFORMERS!!!!!) and the next thing you know Hasbro is releasing pre-school toys. I mean the same goes for Hasbro's Marvel lines as well. I know a big part of it is Hasbro has a problem with re-releases but another big part of it is that Hasbro is releasing the wrong type of product....they need to re-think their strategy and get back to where they were....THEY NEED TO HAVE THE ACTUAL TRANSFORMERS TOYS AT THE HEART OF THEIR LINE ONCE AGAIN AND FORGET ALL THIS LITTLE KIDDY PRE-SCHOOL DOLLAR STORE GARBAGE!!!!
     
  16. Afterburner

    Afterburner For your health

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    This one time, I was in the toy aisle, and someone was buying toys. MOST POPLAR LINE EVAR
     
  17. Starscream Gaga

    Starscream Gaga Protoformed This Way

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    This one time, I was in the toy aisle, and nobody else was in there. WORST LINE EVAR!

    Sadly you get both variants. Coupled with the idea that if something's been there for a month its automatically a shelf-warmer rather then succeeding in being readily available.
     
  18. ZapRowsdower

    ZapRowsdower Selling oddities in a shack. In the woods.

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    Good story. :thumb 


    My 2 yr old loves Optimus and BB. Generations Legends BB is a good choice, but the back wheels pop off and are a big choking hazard to the young ones!!!!

    When I think of all these products on shelves, I can't help but think of McDonald's fast food. They said this: when times are tough, they expand the menu to attract customers; when things pick up, they reduce the options on the menu to reduce costs/improve efficiency. Is Hasbro doing the same thing here?

    Declining sales, so... make more types of toys? Cause I totally agree that a singular focus on 2 or 3 lines would have been better than what they did here.... unless their goal is to throw darts and then drop any line that doesn't hit the board. :rolleyes:  Either way, one has a hard time arguing that Hasbro is taking calculated risks, rather than randomly throwing darts... with a blind fold on.
    Those age recommendations can be all over the place and incredibly inaccurate (not to mention old people generally do not read boxes or research options before going to the store). And the "level 2" is completely worthless, as Hasbro does a piss-poor job of accurately rating transformations (often using a single rating for all toys within a line, i.e. deluxes all get same rating, even if some are more complex). Hasbro really needs to set up a kids-zone and a collector-zone in stores - that might clear up the confusion a bit. And maybe put the Construct bots in their own zone, as everything is kind of a jumbled mess right now and I can easily see a grandma buying a Construct Bot when she meant to buy something else...

    I hope you have a chance to read this comment, cause I just found an awesome WALMART bundle: buy a Construct Bot dino and get a little dino rider for FREE! http://www.walmart.com/ip/Your-Choice-Transformers-Age-of-Extinction-Construct-Bots-Dinobots-Figure-with-Bonus-Dinobot-Riders-Figure/36906538 That's $6 off!!! :eek:  I'm totally buying all three dino's at that price!!!! You should check the site and get you some! :D 
     
    Last edited: Jun 6, 2014
  19. tikgnat

    tikgnat Baweepgranaweepninnybong.

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    If parents don't read age recommendations on video games (which leads to little Johnny being taught how to shoot firearms from DOOM or something equally absurd) Gramma isn't going to read it either. Also 'Level 2 intermediate' means a big fat nothing without context.

    @RAR, I get what you're saying, but sadly kids today above the age of... 8? simply don't buy toys anymore. They're all badgering their Gramma's to buy them 'Kombat Force of Duty: Hardcore edition (with online prostitute feature) so they can learn to be better terrorists. So why would Hasbro focus on a market which would appear to reap the smallest return? I suspect without the existing Generations line we might not have gotten any AoE deluxes (which is pure speculation on my part of course).

    If I'm being serious though, the packaging thing is a 100% fail. If kids aren't choosing these toys (and they're not according to... well pretty much evidence everywhere) then it means it's other people buying them as gifts. This means the packaging needs to be informative and clear not to people like us or kids, but to our parents and little Johnnys Gramma... which right now they're anything but.

    If every line goes through an internal Hasbro critique (TF07 Premiums pissed of everyone who bought the originals, Animated was too different from movie aesthetic, ROTF was too complex) the AoE will surely be remembered for it's packaging clusterfuck in the toy aisles.
     
    Last edited: Jun 6, 2014
  20. RedAlert Rescue

    RedAlert Rescue Banned

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    This guy is a good example :

    [​IMG]

    He has a gimic that is supposed to appeal to the kids. He's got decent joints (that appeals to the adults) and he's so 'simples' your grandma could Transform him.

    Job done. You can make something the half way sensible 6 year old can still transform - but if their is still kids around who like toys who are older than that they don't feel like they are being sold something for their little brothers from the Fisher Price isle.

    or to put it another way.

    This : (with some joints)

    [​IMG]

    is better than this. (with almost none)

    [​IMG]

    P.s.

    I agree clip on wheels in general and in this case on a one step changer actually makes them unsuitable for younger children due to choking hazards.