Yeah, that's what we need, more figures sold at a higher price point with bonus accessories to justify the price so people can complain that they expect the figure to be either larger, or the accessory to be included for free!

 

So what happened to SS-77 (grey offroad Bumblebee), how come it has been skipped?
I didn't see anything official saying it was an exclusive... so is it coming out in wave 15 with Perceptor and SS-79?
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By all accounts it seems like these Sideswipe's are hitting store shelves early. Stores probably got in some random stock because distribution has been wacky during the pandemic. Some folks haven't realized it but Sideswipe hasn't been officially revealed by Hasbro. He's supposed to be wave 14. Wave 13 is the current wave (which has ROTF Bumblebee, Jolt, and Gnaw) and wave 15 will be Perceptor which is due to come out in February 2022. That's the intended release timeline off the top of my head but I could be a bit off.

Regardless, SS-77 NEST Bumblebee never got skipped. It will probably still come out early next year.

 

He’s a fan channel exclusive. He was never planned to be apart of the regular retail waves. He does have interesting story though, but that’s for another day.

 

For anyone who needed even more proof theyre showing up in more places, got him in Cincinnati yesterday.

Reminder for those who don't remember what Meijer is. Theyre kinda like walmart, but (imo) better in most ways. Theyre currently in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, illinois, and Wisconsin. They usually are pretty decent when they get new stuff, as they've had multiple first sightings before. They don't consistently buy toys, with shelves left with the last of the stock they've received for months on end, seemingly only buying toys (tf's at least) 2-3 times a year.

 

If you got him in Cincinnati then hopefully that means he's slowly making his way up to Michigan.

 

Meijer also ended up with that Drift & baby dino set, which lasted about 2 days and never seen again.

 

Was that stated by any official source, or is it just fan speculation?
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That he’s a fan channel exclusive? If Hasbro’s order sheets are official then yes. As for the other part, also yes but I’m not a liberty to say.

 

Sorry to interrupt but, I'm really curious about this.
Is Universal studios exclusive count as a Fan channel exclusive?

 

*chuckles, not originally.  

 

Haha Okay, now I got it. I won't tell anymore about this.
Thanks for kind replying.  

 

I like how the figure looks, but it isn't different enough from DOTM Sideswipe to make me want to buy the figure

 

Has SS78 Sideswipe been spotted at any Walmarts yet?

 

Think there was a sighting in a Walmart in Kansas

 

Finally found Swipe out in the wilds of Walmart.  

 

Yes, got mine yesterday. Be warned, though, heard a few reports of issues at checkout as it isn't in the system, and sure enough, we had that problem yesterday. With some assistance, we were on our way, Sideswipe in hand.

 

Curious what you did to get them to let you buy it. What price did you end up paying for it?

 

We just told them the price of the other studio series figures and the lady just manually entered it in the system. $18.99 is what our Walmart is selling them for. We have Meijer in our area where he was first spotted, but I had no luck tracking him down there. Walmart for the win!

 

Nice. Sounds like you had a very easy going cashier. I've heard stories of employees who when they come across a street date or a toy that isn't in the system they hold it no matter what.

Hopefully everyone here who wants a Sideswipe will be as lucky as you.