just curious what everyone thinks about the vast number of Sublines and Exclusives currently going?

Just in CHUG, with todays War For Cybertron: Galactic Odyssey reveal, in 2020 it looks like we have at least 3 ongoing Exclusive lines (forgive me if I get the numbers off a tad):

War For Cybertron: Galactic Odyssey (Amazon Exclusive? - likely 10 figures or more)
War For Cybertron: Netflix Trilogy (Walmart Exclusive - AT LEAST 30 figures)
War For Cybertron: Earthrise: Cybertronian Villians (Target Exclusive - At least 5 figures presuming Thrust ends up there, which seems likely - I forget, did Runamuck show up in Target computers too?)
Generations Selects (14 or so domestic releases, 12 TakaraTomy releases)

Plus various mainlines exclusives (Amazon 2 packs & AU Optimus Prime, Pulse Centurion and wherever Bluestreak ends up)

and we may have a Headmasters line waiting in the wings at Walmart (assume at least 7 figures if they reissue the 88 main characters based on rumors)

Maybe it's just Covid talking, or the current high prices on TFs, but man, that is getting overwhelming just to keep track of what is where and when to order it... I think the fact they've tacked on the G2 guys and this new G.O. reveal in the midst of the Transformers Tuesdays may be part of why it all seems a bit out of hand right now (not to mention we've got Kingdom right around the corner with leaks happening, and nearly 1/2 of Earthrise mainline still waiting to be released...)

Like, it's exciting too! but, overwhelming, and I don't like the FOMO feeling of these exclusives. plus I'm still salty on Amazon messing up my Seeker order (out for delivery then not delivered then canceled...)

 

IMO it's adjacent to the idea that you can get burnt out on seeing bad things in the media because you have access to what's happening all over the world at all times. Think about how many figures we know about that we "shouldn't" -- we should have literally nothing on Kingdom besides the title Netflix officially released. But you have people who can't keep a secret and people who spend their free time digging for things that won't be available for months and months and that we can't even see.

If you just take it a wave at a time and get what you want there really isn't that much going on.

 

Cybertronian Villains is actually a cross-line subline - there have been both Cyberverse and ER figures with that branding (all exclusive to Target).

 

oh yeah, I knew that, but was specifying to just to CHUG for the context of this discussion.  

 

The result of TRU ending seems to be the three remaining retail outlets getting their own exclusive lines, while the online shops get their shred one. Also, a lot of this could be to balance out the billion dollars they lost on certain partner lines recently.

 

True, and I'm not even a "gotta catch'em all" collector, but with the way things have gone this year, it looks like there's going to be a BOATLOAD jammed in the last 3 months (ER deluxes wave 2 and 3, possibly Kingdom wave 2, Netflix wave 2, several GS and other exclusives...)

 

That's fair, and I'm almost certainly biased because I don't think there's anything at all I want from all the spread of stuff that's out now and that we know about for the future. I have the opposite problem everyone else does.

 

Eh, this really doesn't bother me. I get what I want and ignore what I don't. Also, having early information on a lot of the upcoming stuff such as knowing most of the mainline for Kingdom next year doesn't bother me either. It actually helps me get a rough idea of my toy budget... obviously there will be adjustments based on when things actually get slated for release. However, it does give me a fairly good idea of what I want in what price points. I suppose it's hard to get burned out when I actively collect five other lines besides Transformers.

 

I kind of dig it, individual waves are spaced so far apart these days that it’s nice to have stuff to fill the gaps. Earthrise wave 2 still isn’t fully released but we’ve got the various exclusives and multipacks to stop us drowning in a sea of Grapples and Ironworks. Im all for this.

 

That’s news. Care to elaborate?

 

I’d much rather they do this than make us sit outside a TRU waiting for it to open to get my figure...

 

Exclusives wouldn’t bother me if not for pre order and availability issues

 

Each of these lines are all store exclusives:
"Galactic Odyssey" is Amazons line
"Netflix Trilogy" is Walmarts line
"Cybertronian Villains" is Targets line
the "Generations Selects" is the Pulse / online line.

Honestly, I don't mind it since we're in the middle of a global pandemic.

 

This. The problem with the exclusives is how it's almost become necessary to pre-order on day one to actually get a figure. Exclusives are selling out and supply isn't meeting demand. When you're like me and like to wait for reviews and reports of QC issues, this can be a frustration. Then even if you do pre-order, you often still miss out for no apparent because of Wal Mart and Amazon's shitty practices of cancelling pre-orders and such. Then enter the scalpers who help create an artificial "shortage" of figures, who I'm often forced to buy off of because I missed out on the pre-order. It's a frustrating game, and it's forced me to buy a lot less figures than I would've bought. I missed out on the coneheads this time because I wanted to wait for the QC reports (and guess what, they had issues), that was mighty irritating.

 

Exclusives has gotten way out of hand

 

I would've liked to have seen them lean harder on the fan channel stuff. The real problem with Target and Walmart exclusives is their lousy distribution that pushes too many people online. People in areas that are heavily scalped or receive their toys a little late jump online and compete with those of us in areas where toys aren't carried at all. So a week after everybody from CA or TX depletes the dozen or so cases reserved for online sales, those same toys flood their local shelves and sit until they have to be clearanced out because people already bought it online. And then we have to hear about it while our local shelves remain bare. I really hate to tell people to be patient, because that's a fool's errand for many of us, but if you don't live somewhere like Soviet Pennsylvanistan you could just hold your horses a bit.

 

I'm absolutely fine with it. So far this year I've easily obtained every figure and every exclusive I've wanted at retail price. Why are my experiences different then a lot of others collecters?

1. Money. I have $4000 seating in an account that I just use for toy purchases. I don't need to worry or plot, I see it, I want it, I buy it. I would bet 99% of the time someone is bitching about a figure it's really because they can't afford it.

2. The only thing I collect is transformers so it the only thing I'm looking at and the only thing I am concerned with is transformers. No other distractions.

3. I already know that I will buy 90% to 95% of the line for the year I don't fight it, I just plan for it and do it.

 

Habro's response to the end of TRU seems to be to carpet bomb Target, Amazon, Walmart and Pulse with exclusives for all their major toylines: Transformers, Marvel Legends, Star Wars, Power Rangers and now G.I. Joe. But especially the first 3.

A lot of this is extremely inexpensive for them. Much of Marvel Legends use standardized body types they update every few years, and they pair that with character specific heads and accessories that fill out their costume / clothing. Transformers has been capitalizing on shared engineering since mid Prime Wars, but especially since the demise of TFCC, they've gone deep into new heads and strait up repaints and troop building. Consider Siege Sideswipe. He will have 4 releases: Siege, Netflix, G2 "Clone Sideswipe", Tigertrack.

Personally I think it's pretty great. But it's very hard to keep up with. FOMO hasn't kicked in yet, because a lot of this is long desired characters or filling out G1. But I think when they do something like, redeco Topgun Maverick into a neon yellow G2 Cyberjet, then it's probably time to start passing.

 

If the exclusives were readily available worldwide I'd be fine with them. Having to pay sometimes double retail price for US exclusives internationally is kinda peeving me off.

 

well considering exclusives are a sign of Transformers’ success and thus the continuity of the brand I think never enough, BUT from a consumer it can be a bit overwhelming. Especially when I have to virtually hunt them down and wait at 4:55am to grab an exclusive (target seeker 2 pack).