Lakeville Target had a single Micromaster pack yesterday.

 

For all you fellow freaky-fish guys out there. Pulse has both Seacon preorders up.

 

Thanks for the heads up! Grabbed 'em.

 

Alright, ran around tonight and ended up sighting:

Cyberverse Ultimate Grimlock (Bloomington Target) as well as some Brunts and Red Alerts
EP Target: Bot Bots series 3 blind bags (I picked over most of them but there are a few left) as well as Cheetor Boat
EP Walmart: NOTHIN'

 

Pulse doesn't charge until it's in stock, right?

 

Yes.

They do a test charge for the full amount when you place the order (boo!) but it falls off after a day or so.

 

So they charge it, refund it, then charge it again when it comes in stock?

 

It's an authorization charge, so it'll fall off pretty quick. It's just they (for whatever reason) use the full amount.

 

Can’t I get a Sensei Pineapple or what??

 

Should be soon! He was among the S3 blind packs I found today in EP. They didn't have a full set out, but it was most of 'em and I was able to get all the blind pack exclusive except for 3 of 'em. I'm guessing they'll hit Edina soon because that and EP have been my go-to for botbots in the south metro. I'll snag one for ya if I spot it.

Also, non-transform but robot related....
My trilogy is done! The last book comes out 8/17!!!
Here's a link to the series (only ebooks at the moment, but I'm prolly gonna work on paperbacks next)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0753KJCNL?ref_=series_rw_dp_labf

A TL;DR summary of the series: The three nations of the Warlands of Ord have been deadlocked in conflict for millennia, when suits of giant mechanical suits of armor fall from the sky. Pilots from each nation gain control of these MAGi and set off not only to bring about a final end to the ongoing war, but figure out what the MAGi are as well, only to discover their source is an even bigger threat to not only their nations, but their world of Alterra as a whole. (Spoilers: Some of the MAGi eventually transform, too! XD)

TOTALLY no pressure on this, I just wanted to share it with you guys because you're rad and like robots.   (Also all proceeds from book sales go to trying to fund Unicron XD)

 

Single Rainmaker set at Eagan Target.

 

The Otsego Target was well stocked this morning. They had one Siege 10 pack, which I grabbed. They also had Studio Series Long Haul and KSI Boss. I stopped collecting Studio Series, but Long Haul looked really good in person.

I had my first sighting of Alpha Trion, which appeared to have been put straight into clearance.

I was pretty excited for the 10 pack, but the quality is all over the board. The legs won't stay on for some of the figures, and the plastic feels cheap on most of them. They're still fun but why is quality so iffy on store exclusives?

 

One rainmaker set at Northtown Target.

 

2 Rainmaker sets at Edina Target, as well as 1 long haul and 2 KSI bosses in the back of the voyagers.
They also have botbots s3 8-packs behind the s2 8-packs (including one with Sensei Spiny, @Cloudraker )
1 Cheetorship and a couple Alpha Trions as well as a few Cyberverse Ultimate Grimlocks.

 

Brooklyn Center Walmart got in the Siege Jetfire. One of the two came home with me.

I was seriously on the fence getting him until finally seeing him in person. This is the best Jetfire we've ever gotten in the line. Had I not owned the Fans Toys unofficial Masterpiece Jetfire (Phoenix), I'd say he was the best Jetfire figure ever.

 

So my Long Haul order from Pulse showed up... after I tried to cancel it... because it shipped the next day after I tried to cancel it...

I guess what I'm trying to say is... anyone need a Long Haul? XD

 

So do you guys think Unicron will reach the goal? I'm dubious. I'm expecting some extra money at the end of the month, and I'll probably back it, assuming that comes through.

Do you think Hasbro will extend the deadline if it doesn't quite make it? I don't remember how long the Sail Barge campaign lasted, but six weeks feels short to me.

 

Would you say you're.... HIGHLY dubious? XD

I'm in the same boat as you. I'm trying to raise funds to get it *plugs books again XD* but I don't think I'll pull the trigger unless it looks like a surer shot. On the other hand, I wonder if a lot of people are thinking that.

All that said, I think they would extend the deadline, but only if they were within a thousand of goal. 6 weeks was very short to raise that kind of cash, especially for a figure that doesn't look as technically complex as I'd expect a $600 transformer to be, even a 1p one.

I also wish they'd let someone do a partial review of it, but I get why they wouldn't. The worst thing that could happen, though, is that it ends up having QC issues. That would be infuriating.

 

Yeah. The QC... that's the very reason I'm waiting on copious reviews before considering the new MP Prime. The price too I think is a pretty big ask. I would've expected it to be closer to the barge at $400, or maybe $500 tops. Kinda makes me wonder if Hasbro even wants this to succeed, or if this is just all a big marketing ploy for Pulse.

 

I don't think it's the latter. Everyone involved seems pretty jazzed about it, and it seems like people who have seen it are impressed outside of the kibble. The price IS a big ask, but I kinda get it compared to the barge since the barge didn't require nearly the same amount of engineering Unicron would where the barge for all intents and purposes is a big pretty diorama box.