Sounds like good news. As a Brit it's easy to complain about poor distribution and high prices (comparing the dollar versus pound we are quite shafted...) But there are places where things are worse. Let's hope this is the start of Hasbro screwing their heads on!

 

Groovy.

 

Just another international market for Hasbro to dump merchandise US retailers don't want.

RID Stomp and Chromp Grimlock - Available at TRU UK now.
Masterpiece Starscream - not coming to TRU UK at all apparently.

 

And now Africans can experience the joy of high import fees the UK/Aus people do!

 

In b4 the South African currency isn't worth anything.

 

Are they able to get Takara figures? I figure if Hasbro TF's are so hard to get but Takara isn't I would probably go with them. Plus I think you get way more with Takara then Hasbro.

 

Someone needs to tell Hasbro that those emails are scams.

 

i laughed. Oh maaan.

 

Good stuff. Some of the most dedicated fans that I knew were from countries in Africa.

 

why doesnt hasbro work on expanding the US market a bit first? by actually getting product on the shelf? i havent seen generations ultra magnus or devastator anywhere and those two have been out for months now

 

I just don't understand that logic.

 

Or Canada. That too is an option.

 

Because the US market is mature and saturated. There really isn't any real "growth" to be had. The market isn't growing, so any gains for one brand are likely to come at the expense of others.

You're not talking "market share", you're talking "distribution" which are separate issues. If you have a ready supply of leader class figures (even if not the ones YOU want), your market is being served. The fact you even have the assortment says Transformers is maintaining a good share of the market.

(And as I recall from Metroplex, a LOT of stores didn't actively carry the item as a regular item, it was more a specialty item that had to be ordered, even from Walmarts and Targets. TRU and some warehouse stores were the only ones to actively "carry" Metroplex in store. I suspect the same will happen with Devastator)

 

That's not what expanding the market means. If they expanded the US market you'd most likely see even less toys since they'll be funneling stock meant for your neck of the woods into some far-flung previously unserved neck of the woods.

 

Don't confuse the children. They don't understand big person speak.

Seriously though, good news. Aleays nice to see hasbro 3xpandinv into new markets and allowing their customers to rely on something other than directly importing.

 

I'm not sure how I feel about this honestly

 

But then again I'm the same guy who thinks hasbro should be making transformers toys smaller, which I know is indefensible to most of the fandom

 

I guess this means TF5 will be featuring South Africa as a plot device.  


Hasbro & Paramount had tapped out the Western markets by the Third movie, and then had to tap into the Chinese market in a big way for the fourth movie (which was the only reason they made more money for TF4 over the first three, as the US box-office return was actually down for the fourth movie)... so it only makes sense that they are looking to expand into markets that are new or under-developed with each movie just to make them (and the toyline) more profitable than the last one.
(at some point though they are going to run out of new countries/regions for each movie to squeeze more money from)

 

so TF5 directed by Neill Blomkamp starring Sharlto Copley?