So what's the deal with Siege Barricade? I thought it was an exclusive but people are finding it at Target?

I'm also puzzled by this. Siege just sort of ended abruptly and we got Earthrise hype but we didn't see these guys available to order anywhere did we?

 

Barricade was never ever stated to be an exclusive anywhwere ever. He's part of the general retail Deluxe wave 4 along with Mirage and Impactor, and if you check out my list (honest question: Do people actually know that the first post of this thread is where all the magic happens?), you'll notice that this is how I've been listing him ever since.

What makes you think that Siege has ended?

Seriously. This is the exact same pattern we've been observing with the past few lines. None of this is new. Do people just keep forgetting?

 

Literally every other Siege bot has been available to order via the regular e-tailers. I had to do work to find Barricade. That's why I wondered if he was an exclusive. No need to be so snippy.

 

As I partially explained above, this is the "preorder embargo" game at play here, in a weird variation that results from their method of announcement.

"Preorder embargo" means that even though Hasbro has officially announced certain toys at conventions and/or through official press releases, online retailers are not permitted to list them for preorder until a certain date (a "preorder street date", if you will). The working theory is that someone (presumably Walmart) is demanding this from Hasbro, in an attempt to maintain a more "fair competition" between online retailers and brick and mortar retail. Supposedly, this is meant to give brick and mortar retailers the chance to put those toys on their store shelves before everyone just orders them online and never bothers to check out an actual store.

Now this can go several ways: Sometimes, Hasbro's distribution department has already shipped out those toys to the online retailers, but they still have to wait until the set date. That way, the online retailers will never list them for preorder, but instead put them up as instant "in stock" listings. And sometimes, Walmart receives them and puts them on their store shelves regardless of the "street date", because screw you, they're Walmart and they don't have to play by anyone's rules. What's Hasbro supposed to do? Sue them? Walmart will then simply threaten never to order from Hasbro again.

So that's why you will sometimes desperately search for preorders that no-one is allowed to offer yet.

And then there are instances where Hasbro announces toys at certain shows (such as NYTF, SDCC or NYCC), and immediately every online retailer you can think of will list them for preorder, because the "preorder street date" happens to be the date of the show itself. In those cases, those toys will also be listed at Walmart.com and Target.com (because fair competition and whatnot).

Now where it gets really crazy is when not all the toys that ship in the same wave are announced at the same venue. This might sometimes create a situation where the toy that was announced at the earlier venue won't be listed for preorder anywhere for months, while that toy's case-mate that is announced at a later venue immediately goes up for preorder. This happened with the past two waves of Studio Series Voyagers, and also applies to Siege Deluxe wave 4. Mirage and Impactor were announced at a show that had an "instant preorder" policy (namely, New York Toy Fair), whereas Barricade was announced at a show that had a "preorder street date far in the future" policy (namely, Toy Fair Australia).

It's stupid, and it sucks. But that's one of the patterns we've seen in the past, and can expect to see again in the future. Because it's an asymmetical pattern, some people may not immediately recognize it as a pattern.


TL;DR: Based on what we've seen in the past, when exactly online retailers will list any specific toy for preorder appears to depend entirely on what show said toy is announced at, and what preorder policy applies to toys announced at said show.

I hope that explains things a bit.

 

Okay, I've tried to look up which toys were announced when and how, and which preorder policy applies/applied to them. Toys in bold are figures that shipped as part of the same wave which were/are subject to conflicting preorder policies.


New York Comic-Con 2018 reveals: Preorder embargo. Toys revealed:
Siege Battle Masters wave 1 Blowpipe
Siege Battle Masters wave 2 Aimless
Siege Micromasters wave 1 Storm Cloud & Visper (Air Strike Patrol)
Siege Deluxe Class wave 2 Skytread
Siege Deluxe Class wave 3 Brunt
Siege Deluxe Class wave 3 Refraktor
Siege Voyager Class wave 1 Megatron
Siege Voyager Class wave 2 Starscream
Siege Voyager Class wave 2 Soundwave
Siege Leader Class wave 1 Decepticon Shockwave

MCM Comic-Con 2018 and Paris Comic-Con 2018 reveals: Preorder embargo. Toys revealed:
Studio Series Deluxe Class wave 6 Cogman
Studio Series Deluxe Class wave 6 Constructicon Scrapmetal
Studio Series Deluxe Class wave 6 Shatter
Studio Series Voyager Class wave 6 Constructicon Rampage
Studio Series Voyager Class wave 7 Constructicon Long Haul

Pre-Toy Fair 2019 reveals: Minimal preorder embargo (three weeks only), preorders went live during Toy Fair. Toys revealed:
Siege Deluxe Class wave 4 Mirage (revealed via Comicbook.com)
Siege Deluxe Class wave 4 Impactor (revealed via Comicbook.com)
Siege Commander Class wave 1 Jetfire (revealed via Comicbook.com)
Siege Titan Class wave 1 Omega Supreme (revealed via Comicbook.com)
Studio Series Deluxe Class wave 7 Dropkick (revealed via IGN)
Studio Series Voyager Class wave 6 Optimus Prime (revealed via IGN)

New York Toy Fair 2019 reveals: Instant preorders. Toys revealed:
Siege Battle Masters wave 3 Smashdown
Siege Battle Masters wave 3 Caliburst
Siege Deluxe Class wave 3 Red Alert
Siege Voyager Class wave 3 Springer
Siege Voyager Class wave 4 Thundercracker (originally solicited as part of wave 3 along with Springer)
Siege Leader Class wave 2 Galaxy Upgrade Optimus Prime
Selects "shared online exclusive" Combat Megatron
Studio Series Deluxe Class wave 7 Constructicon Hightower
Studio Series Deluxe Class wave 7 Autobot Drift
Studio Series Voyager Class wave 7 KSI Boss
Studio Series Leader Class wave 3 Optimus Prime
Ghostbusters Collaborative Ectotron

Australian Toy Fair 2019 reveals: Preorder embargo. Toys revealed:
Siege Micromasters wave 3 Decepticon Blackjack & Hyperdrive (Sports Car Patrol)
Siege Micromasters wave 4 Autobot Powertrain & Highjump (Off Road Patrol)
Siege Deluxe Class wave 4 Barricade

Pre-SDCC 2019 reveals: Instant preorders. Toys revealed:
Siege Deluxe Class wave 5 Crosshairs (revealed via Screenrant)
Siege Deluxe Class wave 5 Spinister (revealed via Screenrant)
Siege Voyager Class wave 5 Apeface (revealed via Screenrant)
Siege Leader Class wave 3 Astrotrain (revealed via Screenrant)

San Diego Comic-Con 2019 reveals: Preorder embargo for the general retail figures, instant preorders for the exclusives and "shared online exclusives". Toys revealed:
Siege Battle Masters wave 4 Rung
Siege Battle Masters wave 4 Singe
Siege Micromasters wave 5 Decepticon Rumble & Ratbat (Soundwave Spy Patrol 2nd Unit)
Siege Micromasters wave 5 Direct-Hit & Power Punch (Battle Squad)
Siege Target exclusive Seeker 3-Pack
Siege Target exclusive "Autobots vs. Decepticons" Micromaster 10-pack
Siege Walmart exclusive 35th Anniversary Deluxe Class Bluestreak (
Siege Walmart exclusive 35th Anniversary Voyager Class Classic Animation Optimus Prime
Siege Walmart exclusive 35th Anniversary Voyager Class Classic Animation Megatron
Siege Walmart exclusive 35th Anniversary Voyager Class Soundblaster
Siege Amazon exclusive Fan Vote 3-Pack
Siege "Fan Channel" exclusive Refraktor Reconnaissance Team 3-Pack
Selects "shared online exclusive" Galactic Man Shockwave
Selects "shared online exclusive" Lancer

Unboxing Toy Convention Mexico2019: Instant preorders. Toys revealed:
Studio Series Deluxe Class wave 8 Bumblebee
Studio Series Deluxe Class wave 8 WWII Autobot Hot Rod
Studio Series Deluxe Class wave 8 Soundwave
Studio Series Deluxe Class wave 8 Arcee, Chromia & Elita-1 3-Pack

Fan Expo Canada 2019: Instant preorders. Toys revealed:
Selects "shared online exclusive" Powerdasher Zetar
Selects "shared online exclusive" Nightbird
Studio Series Voyager Class wave 8 Megatron
Studio Series Voyager Class wave 8 Constructicon Mixmaster
Studio Series Leader Class wave 4 Decepticon Shockwave
Studio Series Leader Class wave 4 Constructicon Scavenger

New York Toy Fair 2019: Instant preorders. Toys revealed:
Earthrise Battle Masters wave 1 Soundbarrier
Earthrise Micromasters wave 1 Daddy-O & Trip Up (Hot Rod Patrol)
Earthrise Micromasters wave 1 Bombshock & Decepticon Growl (Military Patrol)
Earthrise Deluxe Class wave 1 Hoist
Earthrise Deluxe Class wave 1 Cliffjumper
Earthrise Deluxe Class wave 1 Wheeljack
Earthrise Deluxe Class wave 1 Ironworks
Earthrise Voyager Class wave 1 Starscream
Earthrise Voyager Class wave 1 Autobot Grapple
Earthrise Leader Class wave 1 Optimus Prime
Selects "shared online exclusive" Powerdasher Cromar
Selects "shared online exclusive" Hot Shot

 

Updates from the Great White North:

Trash Crash Grimlock is out. Saw him at WM yesterday.

Found Cyberverse Tiny Turbo Changers Series 2 at TRU today. Bought all 24 and may need to return dupes from S1. There were 4 Letter C Grimlock and 0 BA. Factory Oops methinks.

Pics of 4 new repaints:
Cyberverse TTCs Series 2

 

Geez. Over 800 Euros. (Store's commendable, though.)

 

Wouldn't mind knowing how the €772 would work for them but if the brexit goes wrong wonder how many go over the €1000.

 

I was going to order Bluestreak but the preorder sold out in like 2 days and has remained the same since.

Maybe because no one can find a Smashdown? The only place I saw him online where he wasn't grossly overpriced was TCP...and Hasbro screwed them on stock. He's been paid for since June and has never come into stock. They had the same issue with Springer but I cancelled that preorder when Kickin Toys put him up.
I'm assuming he's a mercenary now.
Edit: And the only B&M that even carries smaller than Deluxe figs in my area is Target...and I've never seen him or Caliburst there.

 

I had no idea Smashdown had become that scarce. I got him from BBTS shortly after he came in stock there back in June, and I'm pretty sure I saw him on Amazon too. If he's been placed in the Mercenary group that would explain why he's being shown in Earthrise Starscream's stock photo.

 

Have you guys been in the Siege appreciation thread? 2 different users have WFC-S Astrotrain, a YT reviewer has him and another person. Anyone know how or where they are getting them? Theres also a guy with WFC-S Apeface

 

Theft.

 

Naw fam. Hasbro had a Siege unboxing event for a bunch of TF content creators at NYCC where they were given final wave Siege figs but had an embargo on photos until Monday.

 

Thanks, didn't know about that. Still, a lot of the *really* early "previews" are "factory samples".

 

Yeah, it's one of sleazier aspects of the YouTube reviews. There's one in particular notorious for getting those factory samples.

 

I was wondering if anyone has the case number info for recent waves of Deluxes. Since they seem to release them now as both single pack cases and also as mixed character cases (Smyths in the UK recently got some mixed cases with Brunt,Impactor, Mirage & Barricade in) for example.

I'm also looking for any info on Rescue Bot Waves as they had a new Medix show up out of now where in a refresh case - and I keep thinking there must be a record of this information somewhere surely ?

 

The Burt is repacked in wave 4? Hopefully Kickin Toys will still be able to swell the ranks of my ever-growing the Burt army!

 

I suspect that Smyths might've got solid packs of Brunts as one branch I visited had at least 5, and both Crown Point Leeds and Bradford branches had multiples of him, as the Wave 4 assortment is Impactor/Mirage/Barricade plus a repacked Sixgun IIRC? (Both branches had at least one of each Wave 4 'bot except Bradford had no Mirages.)