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Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled

Transformers News: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled

Sunday, January 7th, 2024 3:33PM CST

Category: Toy News
Posted by: william-james88   Views: 79,408

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There's been a lot of grief over Earth Mode Hound appearing in a multipack rather than an individual release but it turns out that he was originally cancelled. Similarly to when Walmart chose to back out on wanting toy deco voysger Hot Rod in their Velocitron line, Target backed out on wanting more individual deluxes in their Buzzworthy line.

So yes, the reason why you initially saw renders but then heard no news is because Hatchet and Hound were canceled. And since Hasbro already had all their other lines planned out, there was no place to release these toys. However, Hasbro has since found a way to bring us Hound (or at least this is what is assumed) in the upcoming Autobot multipack. So while Hatchet is still cancelled, the toy may resurface through another release.

Looking at this, while the multipack release may be annoying, this is a second resort and it's basically either that or no release. Also, the original Buzzworthy release would have of course been exclusive while this Gen Selects multipack is not said to be so yet (most Gen Selects releases have not been exclusive and can easily be bought from online retsilers). So you tell us which is your preferred option in light of these cancelled plans.

If you are curious as to why Target backed out, JTprime17 states that it's due to poor sales of the previous deluxes in the Buzzworthy line, which they later clarify to be the Cliffjumper/Kup/Bee wave which are currently being found at Ollie's and other liquidators. So if any fans were looking for proof as to the downside of hoping for clearance and liquidation finds, well the cancelation of these individual releases is a clear consequence.

JTprime17 wrote:Target backed out due to poor sales of the first deluxe wave [Cliffjumper/Kup/Bee wave]. It is what it is.

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Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175025)
Posted by sol magnus on January 7th, 2024 @ 4:21pm CST
Don't know the rest of the context as there doesn't seem to be a conversation above it referencing Hound, but either way, as long as we're getting him I'm happy.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175026)
Posted by Sabrblade on January 7th, 2024 @ 4:23pm CST
sol magnus wrote:Don't know the rest of the context as there doesn't seem to be a conversation above it referencing Hound, but either way, as long as we're getting him I'm happy.
Here.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175027)
Posted by sol magnus on January 7th, 2024 @ 4:31pm CST
Sabrblade wrote:
sol magnus wrote:Don't know the rest of the context as there doesn't seem to be a conversation above it referencing Hound, but either way, as long as we're getting him I'm happy.
Here.

Yes. I went to the home page looking and found it, but thanks for looking out - a lot of people didnt get Sunstreaker and Trailbreaker, so that's good for those collector's as well!
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175028)
Posted by Bounti76 on January 7th, 2024 @ 5:17pm CST
Hound was canceled because of poor sales of the first wave of Deluxes? Yet we got Tow-Line and a Ratchet redeco after that? That doesn't quite make sense.

If poor sales were the reason, then maybe a better mix of product would have prevented that. We got cartoon deco Cliffjumper (who I only spotted once or twice in the wild); cartoon deco Kup, who's regular release had already been shelfwarming hardcore; car-mode Shatter (with her notoriously poor QC); and a bunch of redecos of previously released Bumblebee Movie figures. Frankly, Hound and Hatchet should have been released first to drum up buzz for the line.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175029)
Posted by -Kanrabat- on January 7th, 2024 @ 5:34pm CST
So, what will happen to Hatchet?

One more 200$ multi-pack?

But if they could make a 3 pack of the DOTM Studio Series Dreads with Crowbar, Crankcase, and the new Hatchet, I'd buy it for sure.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175030)
Posted by DeathReviews on January 7th, 2024 @ 5:45pm CST
This Autobot 'multi-pack' gimmick to bundle in Hound? Well it's annoying, but hopefully the effort to balance things out will be minimal. What will it mean for my collection? It'll mean selling ER Wheeljack, and Sunstreaker, then rotating the multi-pack versions in to take their place.

My G1 collection of Autobots was missing Jazz, Trailbreaker and Hound. So 3 of the 5 are figures I'd have an eye on. Selling the other figures will keep it even. But I'll have to see how easy the set is to get ahold of. It wouldn't be the first time that Hasbro made figures impossible to find. ER Trailbreaker and Sunstreaker are two figures that were extremely difficult to get ahold of, depending on where you dwell...
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175031)
Posted by durroth on January 7th, 2024 @ 7:50pm CST
makes a lot of sense TBH, Origin Bumblebee, and then Jazz after him, really got overstocked and Jazz is still shelfwarming.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175034)
Posted by Emerje on January 7th, 2024 @ 8:46pm CST
Bounti76 wrote:Hound was canceled because of poor sales of the first wave of Deluxes? Yet we got Tow-Line and a Ratchet redeco after that? That doesn't quite make sense.

I feel like something didn't quite get conveyed right. Instead of first wave maybe they really meant previous wave? These were supposed to be next after NEST Ratchet and Bonecrusher, right? Those didn't seem to sell well at all. Hound probably got axed because he was supposed to be in the case with Hatchet so I could see why they would sour on obscure movie stuff and Hound became a casualty by association. I mean, we still have more Target exclusives coming this year though they've dropped the the Buzzworthy branding so it isn't like they've abandoned exclusives all together.

Emerje
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175036)
Posted by Sowndwave76 on January 7th, 2024 @ 8:54pm CST
I'd bet that Hound being in Buzzworthy was supposed to help the overall, individual deluxe releases sales... Which imo now makes sense why Detritus was picked to be in Legacy Evolution.

I don't mean this aggressively, but I really think people need to be more careful about using "shelf-warming" as a broad term that always applies for everyone; it truly depends on the area your in.
Neither Origins Bee nor Origins Jazz "shelf-warmed" in my area... In fact, I've never seen Jazz at any of the three Targets I've regularly checked for TF. I only have him because my wife snagged the one she found at a Target in the Omaha, NE area while on a work trip.

I said this in the Selects thread; Both Sunstreaker and Trailbreaker are a part of this 5-pack because Hastak either knows via their own research, and/or has heard enough from consumers that these two figures were difficult to get ahold of.
Then why are Wheeljack and Jazz included? Past re-packs show Hastak favors having Wheeljack on pegs. Idk why. I also can't put reason as to why Jazz is included; imo it seems that mold has been used enough.
I would've picked Sideswipe, Bluestreak, or Red Alert since those were past exclusives.
But if these are made of all solid plastic, this set is just all the better.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175037)
Posted by sol magnus on January 7th, 2024 @ 9:08pm CST
Sowndwave76 wrote:Then why are Wheeljack and Jazz included? Past re-packs show Hastak favors having Wheeljack on pegs. Idk why. I also can't put reason as to why Jazz is included; imo it seems that mold has been used enough.
I would've picked Sideswipe, Bluestreak, or Red Alert since those were past exclusives.
But if these are made of all solid plastic, this set is just all the better.

Solid plastic would be my guess, because otherwise (and maybe even still) I'd rather a non-dead Prowl be in that pack, although I know that's not how they think.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175038)
Posted by Sowndwave76 on January 7th, 2024 @ 9:22pm CST
sol magnus wrote:
Sowndwave76 wrote:Then why are Wheeljack and Jazz included? Past re-packs show Hastak favors having Wheeljack on pegs. Idk why. I also can't put reason as to why Jazz is included; imo it seems that mold has been used enough.
I would've picked Sideswipe, Bluestreak, or Red Alert since those were past exclusives.
But if these are made of all solid plastic, this set is just all the better.

Solid plastic would be my guess, because otherwise (and maybe even still) I'd rather a non-dead Prowl be in that pack, although I know that's not how they think.


I think no matter which figures would have been included they would have solid plastic.
My guess of the inclusion of Wheeljack and Jazz have to do with someone or some people at Hastak favoring those characters. Of course, there's also a chance that they have the numbers (data) that show those characters have sold well enough in the past to make the cut.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175045)
Posted by chuckdawg1999 on January 7th, 2024 @ 10:32pm CST
william-james88 wrote:There's been a lot of grief over Earth Mode Hound appearing in a multipack rather than an individual release but it turns out that he was originally cancelled. Similarly to when Walmart chose to back out on wanting toy deco voysger Hot Rod in their Velocitron line, Target backed out on wanting more individual deluxes in their Buzzworthy line.

So yes, the reason why you initially saw renders but then heard no news is because Hatchet and Hound were canceled. And since Hasbro already had all their other lines planned out, there was no place to release these toys. However, Hasbro has since found a way to bring us Hound (or at least this is what is assumed) in the upcoming Autobot multipack. So while Hatchet is still cancelled, the toy may resurface through another release.

Looking at this, while the multipack release may be annoying, this is a second resort and it's basically either that or no release. Also, the original Buzzworthy release would have of course been exclusive while this Gen Selects multipack is not said to be so yet (most Gen Selects releases have not been exclusive and can easily be bought from online retsilers). So you tell us which is your preferred option in light of these cancelled plans.

If you are curious as to why Target backed out, JTprime17 states that it's due to poor sales of the previous deluxes in the Buzzworthy line, which are currently being found at Ollie's and other liquidators. So if any fans were looking for proof as to the downside of hoping for clearance and liquidation finds, well the cancelation of these individual releases is a clear consequence.

JTprime17 wrote:Target backed out due to poor sales of the first deluxe wave. It is what it is.


What figures were in the first wave? I remember some figures selling better, like SS86 Cliffjumper and Kup, than others, blue Bluestreak comes to mind.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175047)
Posted by -Kanrabat- on January 7th, 2024 @ 10:37pm CST
chuckdawg1999 wrote:What figures were in the first wave? I remember some figures selling better, like SS86 Cliffjumper and Kup, than others, blue Bluestreak comes to mind.


Bluestreak had a "wave" on its own.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175048)
Posted by william-james88 on January 7th, 2024 @ 11:32pm CST
chuckdawg1999 wrote:What figures were in the first wave? I remember some figures selling better, like SS86 Cliffjumper and Kup, than others, blue Bluestreak comes to mind.


Image

Though as others have said, it doesn't make much sense.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175049)
Posted by Sabrblade on January 7th, 2024 @ 11:38pm CST
Could have been the first wave of the year, instead? As in the first wave of 2023?
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175050)
Posted by chuckdawg1999 on January 8th, 2024 @ 12:50am CST
I remember those selling well, obviously some better than others. I think the last few waves; blue Bluestreak, Terrorsaur, the movie repaints, didn't move as well. Another thing I noticed is the repaints/repacks of older kid friendly figures dropped off too. Those surprisingly sold well.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175051)
Posted by Nemesis Primal on January 8th, 2024 @ 4:16am CST
Looking at the posts made by JTPrime after that initial "wave 1 sold bad so Target backed out" comment: the wave 1 in question was the Cliffjumper/Kup/B-127 wave, specifically. Apparently the wave that was repacks of 3 Bees & Shatter had different enough Hasbro parent codes for that assortment compared to the CJ/Kup/Bee wave that both are internally considered Wave 1's completely independently of each other, and the Hatchet/Hound/"Bee 2" wave would have been Wave 2 for specifically the same assortment as CJ/Kup/Bee.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175052)
Posted by -Kanrabat- on January 8th, 2024 @ 4:35am CST
The main flaw of that line is that too many of these reissues were too soon in a far too great quantity, while some others were barely made.

Especially for that damn SS86 Sergeant Kup, whose presence was akin to roaches. It was everywhere and there was so many, it was as if it was reproducing itself on the shelves.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175053)
Posted by ScottyP on January 8th, 2024 @ 7:49am CST
Emerje wrote:
Bounti76 wrote:Hound was canceled because of poor sales of the first wave of Deluxes? Yet we got Tow-Line and a Ratchet redeco after that? That doesn't quite make sense.

I feel like something didn't quite get conveyed right. Instead of first wave maybe they really meant previous wave?
The good 'ol eye test says it's blue Bluestreak's fault.

Edit: I should have kept reading
Nemesis Primal wrote:Looking at the posts made by JTPrime after that initial "wave 1 sold bad so Target backed out" comment: the wave 1 in question was the Cliffjumper/Kup/B-127 wave, specifically. Apparently the wave that was repacks of 3 Bees & Shatter had different enough Hasbro parent codes for that assortment compared to the CJ/Kup/Bee wave that both are internally considered Wave 1's completely independently of each other, and the Hatchet/Hound/"Bee 2" wave would have been Wave 2 for specifically the same assortment as CJ/Kup/Bee.
This sounds like Target tripping over themselves more than anything. The Cliffjumper was very difficult to find and B127 seemed to move ok, at least. Kup sat around a bit, but at least anecdotally, he didn't sit around that long. This reeks of an internal distribution (or POG execution, timing, etc) kerfuffle that Target themselves misinterpreted.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175054)
Posted by AcademyofDrX on January 8th, 2024 @ 8:05am CST
We're over-analyzing this from the hobbyist perspective. The line was clearly overproduced relative to demand, and that's not a consequence of specific figures or anything like that. The last few years have had a ton of disruption in the toy industry. During the pandemic, there were big upswings in demand alongside reduced supply from distribution issues. Even after the supply chain normalized, demand was still high, and the industry acted like this was the new normal and overcompensated. As trends shifted back, a lot of retailers wound up with too much stock.

This isn't specific to Target, either: look what happened with the Velocitron subline, which also had a cancellation after a render reveal -- in that case, even after it was announced! As with BB, large quantities of Walmart exclusive Generations product eventually had to get unloaded to discount retailers. And this isn't exclusive to Transformers either, as a trip to those stores will show. There's no mystery hear to solve.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175057)
Posted by DeathReviews on January 8th, 2024 @ 9:31am CST
I don't mean this aggressively, but I really think people need to be more careful about using "shelf-warming" as a broad term that always applies for everyone; it truly depends on the area your in. Neither Origins Bee nor Origins Jazz "shelf-warmed" in my area... In fact, I've never seen Jazz at any of the three Targets I've regularly checked for TF.

I said this in the Selects thread; Both Sunstreaker and Trailbreaker are a part of this 5-pack because Hastak either knows via their own research, and/or has heard enough from consumers that these two figures were difficult to get ahold of. Then why are Wheeljack and Jazz included? Past re-packs show Hastak favors having Wheeljack on pegs. Idk why. I also can't put reason as to why Jazz is included; imo it seems that mold has been used enough.


My minions haven't seen Origins Jazz anywhere. It's also been taken down from the Target website, so you can't even order it online - even IF they happen to have spare copies in other locations. Neither Trailbreaker nor Sunstreaker ever appeared anywhere we could find them. Same with 86 Jazz. There have been a couple of the Toxitron repaints, but nothing more.

It would seem there are some kinks in the distribution network still. Some locations are being flooded with figures to the point that they become 'shelfwarmers'. If you put 30 copies of a single figure on a shelf in only one store, then of course there will be a high percentage that don't move. That doesn't mean other locations wouldn't jump at the chance to have 10 copies of that figure. I know with large organizations, it can be hard to control. But they should be doing more to ensure a more even distribution across a wider geographic range. Their current model of "flood location X with gazillions of copies", and "locations A-W get nothing" just isn't working.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175059)
Posted by ZeldaTheSwordsman on January 8th, 2024 @ 10:44am CST
I'm honestly more annoyed that the multipack is the only way they're putting out the badly-needed Sunstreaker and Trailbreaker reissues. And I'm really hoping that Sunny and Trailbreaker won't be like Happy Meal Cliffjumper from the Buzzworthy line.

As far as the Kup/Cliffjumper/B-127 wave goes, Happy Meal Cliffjumper seemed to shift alright (no accounting for taste/lack of, I guess; that and a lot of people got screwed out of buying ER) but I saw Kup hanging around a faaaaair bit before he shifted. Same for B-127 to a lesser degree. Other Deluxes have also had issues shifting (NEST Ratchet comes to mind).

Of course, it would probably help if Hasbro stopped price-gouging the brand to death.

EDIT: You know, I guess this means I was more-or-less right about why Detritus got a mainline release: to guarantee they got money from the Earth Mode version of the Hound mold. I said that with the Buzzworthy Hound release pending, Hasbro couldn't really count any money from that as theirs yet because Target could always back out. And lo and behold, it turns out that's what had happened.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175060)
Posted by Overcracker on January 8th, 2024 @ 11:31am CST
ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:I'm honestly more annoyed that the multipack is the only way they're putting out the badly-needed Sunstreaker and Trailbreaker reissues. And I'm really hoping that Sunny and Trailbreaker won't be like Happy Meal Cliffjumper from the Buzzworthy line.



Agreed.

It's also quite mistifying how they manage to shoehorn Wheeljack everywhere, 3 different lines, and now the bundle here but Hound was seemingly impossible to slip into any line Did we really need yet another Wheeljack?

I just gave in and got DK-3 for a trailbreaker stand-in since he was on sale for $12US plus shipping. If I do end up picking this up, I need to figure out what to do with DK-3 now.

Sunstreaker is likely the one and most compelling reason to get this set.

I can just see all the wheeljacks and trailbreakers making there way to Ebay.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175062)
Posted by Till-all-R1 on January 8th, 2024 @ 1:14pm CST
Sowndwave76 wrote:Neither Origins Bee nor Origins Jazz "shelf-warmed" in my area... In fact, I've never seen Jazz at any of the three Targets I've regularly checked for TF.

I only ever Saw Bee in stock once, and the store "in stock" website basically confirmed this as after about a week they were no longer orderable for in store pickup. After that I never saw it again.

I never saw Jazz in store, nor the Cliffjumper, Kup redeco. I did see the Bluestreak once.
The only ones that I did see regularly were the Bayformer movie releases.

Knowing what I know about retail, I'd chalk it up to horrible distribution where select stores always get more of an item than another thus affecting sales overall fi they didn't move as quickly as expected. Where as if they had been more equally distributed it would have possibly looked better, though not by much because some bots simply won't do as well as others.

Also, as with Walmart also making a boneheaded move caused Cosmos to be severely under packed. So there is an issue with not quite understanding the contents, it's not like they're buying a case of toasters in that they know exactly what they're getting and how to market it.

Buzzworthy has been around a while now so maybe t's time for a "refresh" on the packaging?

Overcracker wrote:It's also quite mistifying how they manage to shoehorn Wheeljack everywhere, 3 different lines, and now the bundle here but Hound was seemingly impossible to slip into any line Did we really need yet another Wheeljack?

Especially since VW Bee is right there in need of a reissue over anyone else. IMO
I mean if they were struggling with candidates for a 5pack, I can think of a few better ones! lol
Both might be neat if redone with non clear windows, but that really isn't my thing because if I go down that road then I'm gonna need all the others redone in the same manner. Right?

And I'm not about to go rebuy every bot because of an alternat window, and having just a few scatted about would look off to me.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175063)
Posted by AcademyofDrX on January 8th, 2024 @ 1:20pm CST
Till-all-R1 wrote:...
Also, as with Walmart also making a boneheaded move caused Cosmos to be severely under packed. So there is an issue with not quite understanding the contents, it's not like they're buying a case of toasters in that they know exactly what they're getting and how to market it.

I don't think this is Walmart's fault or problem. They're not determining the case contents or distribution to begin with. Nor do they care, and why should they? They don't want to move 1/8th of the contents of the case, but the whole quantity.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175064)
Posted by william-james88 on January 8th, 2024 @ 1:37pm CST
AcademyofDrX wrote:
Till-all-R1 wrote:...
Also, as with Walmart also making a boneheaded move caused Cosmos to be severely under packed. So there is an issue with not quite understanding the contents, it's not like they're buying a case of toasters in that they know exactly what they're getting and how to market it.

I don't think this is Walmart's fault or problem. They're not determining the case contents or distribution to begin with. Nor do they care, and why should they? They don't want to move 1/8th of the contents of the case, but the whole quantity.


I read that Walmart did determine the case content. BMac had said that Hasbro will help Walmart and recommend product but at the end of the day, it's Walmart who determines and accepts what they sell.

That would make more sense than Hasbro purposefully making cosmos one per case.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175065)
Posted by ZeldaTheSwordsman on January 8th, 2024 @ 1:38pm CST
Till-all-R1 wrote:
Overcracker wrote:It's also quite mistifying how they manage to shoehorn Wheeljack everywhere, 3 different lines, and now the bundle here but Hound was seemingly impossible to slip into any line Did we really need yet another Wheeljack?

Especially since VW Bee is right there in need of a reissue over anyone else. IMO
Dunno if Mall-Wart has stopped squatting on VW straight-up Bee, though.

Till-all-R1 wrote:I mean if they were struggling with candidates for a 5pack, I can think of a few better ones! lol
Indeed. Like, say, Tap-Out or Glyph. Or Crosshairs. Or someone from Legacy who got scalper-hoovered, like Devcon, Shrapnel, or Bombshell. Even ER Hoist would be be better, just to give people who missed the original release a fresh window.

Till-all-R1 wrote:Both might be neat if redone with non clear windows
They better not be redone with opaque windows. If they are, then this pack is a complete write-off IMO.

I seriously don't get what people see in that...

william-james88 wrote:
AcademyofDrX wrote:
Till-all-R1 wrote:...
Also, as with Walmart also making a boneheaded move caused Cosmos to be severely under packed. So there is an issue with not quite understanding the contents, it's not like they're buying a case of toasters in that they know exactly what they're getting and how to market it.

I don't think this is Walmart's fault or problem. They're not determining the case contents or distribution to begin with. Nor do they care, and why should they? They don't want to move 1/8th of the contents of the case, but the whole quantity.


I read that Walmart did determine the case content. BMac had said that Hasbro will help Walmart and recommend product but at the end of the day, it's Walmart who determines and accepts what they sell.

That would make more sense than Hasbro purposefully making cosmos one per case.
Yes. The retailers have more power than the manufacturers on this front - this is a hard fact of late-20th-century-onward retail. Mall Wart especially, given their ungodly huge market share. And also especially with exclusive lines.

And it has to be said that Mall Wart have something of a history of not judging Transformers demand well. They've own-goal'd themselves in the past by generating gluts of exclusives that then shelfwarm.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175066)
Posted by AcademyofDrX on January 8th, 2024 @ 1:47pm CST
william-james88 wrote:
AcademyofDrX wrote:
Till-all-R1 wrote:...
Also, as with Walmart also making a boneheaded move caused Cosmos to be severely under packed. So there is an issue with not quite understanding the contents, it's not like they're buying a case of toasters in that they know exactly what they're getting and how to market it.

I don't think this is Walmart's fault or problem. They're not determining the case contents or distribution to begin with. Nor do they care, and why should they? They don't want to move 1/8th of the contents of the case, but the whole quantity.


I read that Walmart did determine the case content. BMac had said that Hasbro will help Walmart and recommend product but at the end of the day, it's Walmart who determines and accepts what they sell.

That would make more sense than Hasbro purposefully making cosmos one per case.

I'm having a hard time following the logic in how that would work. Does Hasbro have Walmart review a list during production or after the figures are developed? How did that wind up with a five-figure wave? What's the process for deciding when a figure should be mainline or exclusive to begin with? I've learned to accept the necessary evil that is retailer exclusives because I know that they help commit retailers to selling lines and given quantities. Beyond that, none of it has ever made much sense, including that anyone expects corporate buyers to pay attention to the finer points of fan demand when they're selling in bulk.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175070)
Posted by william-james88 on January 8th, 2024 @ 2:53pm CST
ScottyP wrote:This sounds like Target tripping over themselves more than anything. The Cliffjumper was very difficult to find and B127 seemed to move ok, at least. Kup sat around a bit, but at least anecdotally, he didn't sit around that long. This reeks of an internal distribution (or POG execution, timing, etc) kerfuffle that Target themselves misinterpreted.


Yes, this is a 100% self inflicted wound. Target is notorious for that. As a Canadian, I saw that empire crumble before my eyes due to really stupid mistakes (like using american units for data entry when they were selling in a market where products sold used the metric system).
A ton of that BB SS86 Kup wave was produced and a ton ended up at Ollie's/Ross instead of their shelves. So their response, instead of fixing their internal problems that made these figures end up at Ollies, was to simply pass on the wave which had a not yet finalized order.

AcademyofDrX wrote:
william-james88 wrote:
AcademyofDrX wrote:
Till-all-R1 wrote:...
Also, as with Walmart also making a boneheaded move caused Cosmos to be severely under packed. So there is an issue with not quite understanding the contents, it's not like they're buying a case of toasters in that they know exactly what they're getting and how to market it.

I don't think this is Walmart's fault or problem. They're not determining the case contents or distribution to begin with. Nor do they care, and why should they? They don't want to move 1/8th of the contents of the case, but the whole quantity.


I read that Walmart did determine the case content. BMac had said that Hasbro will help Walmart and recommend product but at the end of the day, it's Walmart who determines and accepts what they sell.

That would make more sense than Hasbro purposefully making cosmos one per case.

I'm having a hard time following the logic in how that would work. Does Hasbro have Walmart review a list during production or after the figures are developed? How did that wind up with a five-figure wave? What's the process for deciding when a figure should be mainline or exclusive to begin with? I've learned to accept the necessary evil that is retailer exclusives because I know that they help commit retailers to selling lines and given quantities. Beyond that, none of it has ever made much sense, including that anyone expects corporate buyers to pay attention to the finer points of fan demand when they're selling in bulk.


As someone who covers this stuff, it's very frustrating not knowing any of those answers and trying to make sense of it all. It does appear to be nonsense. Like why does Walmart care all of a sudden about an exclusive this specifically?
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175072)
Posted by Till-all-R1 on January 8th, 2024 @ 3:58pm CST
AcademyofDrX wrote:I'm having a hard time following the logic in how that would work. Does Hasbro have Walmart review a list during production or after the figures are developed? How did that wind up with a five-figure wave? What's the process for deciding when a figure should be mainline or exclusive to begin with? I've learned to accept the necessary evil that is retailer exclusives because I know that they help commit retailers to selling lines and given quantities. Beyond that, none of it has ever made much sense, including that anyone expects corporate buyers to pay attention to the finer points of fan demand when they're selling in bulk.

It's really nothing new, this practice has always been more about what the retailer wants to accept as opposed to Hasbro choosing wave contents. I'm more familiar with it with Star Wars but it likely makes sense across the board. Retailers want well known characters because that's what they feel will sell and with good reason.

This is where/when you'll hear the term "we work closely with out partners" when discussing wave contents and how they're chosen, which means it was pretty much a one sided collaboration but explains why certain character were chosen for a wave versus another. Now I don't rightly know what metric Walmart or Target uses to make those decision when it comes to Transformers, specifically when we're taking G2 repaints or some of the other oddities. But it will explain why you have a mix of G1, Bayverse and animated instead of the whole case being one specific medium. It also makes sense from a collector standpoint because there are collectors of all kinds not just one medium, I'd be at a loss if a whole wave was nothing but Universe characters, or TF Prime or RID etc.

It's no secret that Walmart uses their massive buying power and influence to dictate certain terms. It also doesn't help that there are so very few retailers anymore that manufacturers are struggling to find a market for their products leaving them to basically take the deal offered.

This is oversimplifying the matter and it much more complicated than a few paragraphs can explain.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175073)
Posted by DeathReviews on January 8th, 2024 @ 4:12pm CST
I can simplify it down to one word - it's bogus, that's what ;).
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175076)
Posted by william-james88 on January 8th, 2024 @ 5:31pm CST
Till-all-R1 wrote:Now I don't rightly know what metric Walmart or Target uses to make those decision when it comes to Transformers, specifically when we're taking G2 repaints or some of the other oddities.


Probably the same Hasbro uses: Alt Mode and Color. That would explain cosmos since Transformers that turn into cars sell better (and is what the suits know to be reliable and associated most closely with the brand). It's also no coincidence that, as you suggested, there was an Optimus Prime mold for the leader slot in both of Walmart's exclusive lines.

Oh and FYI, the best selling boys toys are vehicles tied to a profession (firetruck, police car, construction vehicles). The best selling lego sets* are trucks as well. So yeah, all that points to alt modes being an accepted industry metric.

*I'm referring to lego sets targetted at kids which are about building something specific and not just a big box of random blocks for them to do as they wish with, since those big random boxes are the best sellers.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175080)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on January 8th, 2024 @ 6:15pm CST
I'm sad that Hatchet got canceled, hopefully he ends up somewhere, I want to have a full set of Dreads!

Considering how bad Kup shelfwarmed, I'm not surprised that wave was the issue. I never saw Origins Jazz, saw Bee once, I found Bluestreak in bountiful numbers and even in Ollies. Terrorsaur and Dinobot were also pretty slow sellers.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175105)
Posted by cruizerdave on January 8th, 2024 @ 9:49pm CST
Honestly, I'm happy to get a crack at Sunstreaker, Wheeljack, Jazz and Trailbreaker again as those were the guys I missed the first time around.
I understand why it's annoying to other fans, but it really makes my collecting life easier now.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175123)
Posted by -Kanrabat- on January 9th, 2024 @ 5:10am CST
cruizerdave wrote:Honestly, I'm happy to get a crack at Sunstreaker, Wheeljack, Jazz and Trailbreaker again as those were the guys I missed the first time around.
I understand why it's annoying to other fans, but it really makes my collecting life easier now.


That's the main purpose of these packs. Those are catch-up packs, a great way for the new or unlucky collector to fill in their collection.

Now, let's hope that pack will be easy to get and be sold at Amazon. ALL the Amazons. Even though I never needed it personally, I'm a bit salty that the SS '07 Movie :BOT: pack never appeared at amazon.ca.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175126)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on January 9th, 2024 @ 8:35am CST
Not gonna lie, the rumor of these 5 figures in the repack having battle damage makes me a smidge interested
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175130)
Posted by krisridge1985 on January 9th, 2024 @ 8:56am CST
Wow all these collectible children's toys aren't being made because there's no non collector sales,
What a shame.
Maybe if the associated franchise made some decent media they could sell, until then there's no option but to continue to buy plastic I guess, oh well.
It's not like the only ones that sold were the 85 studio because the 85 movie was cool with not a very human centric story and was concentrated on the robots relationships, if only someone could bang out a fresh pop 80s tune and a decent story.
I mean bumble bee had og stuff in it for 30 seconds and seemed pretty cool, but instead tead we get a comedian as mirage a bunch of no names no story robots and some dude saving the day.

If only there was a way to fix this.
Oh well keep purchasing friends.
Don't forget to buy your minecraft fortnite lego star wars transformers figures.
And buy your no skin Steve transformers figure.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175131)
Posted by AcademyofDrX on January 9th, 2024 @ 9:00am CST
D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Not gonna lie, the rumor of these 5 figures in the repack having battle damage makes me a smidge interested

This is the post that really got that rumor running, and it seems like obvious bait to me, so I'm very skeptical. I know people are still salty about dead Prowl, though.
https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/ ... t-21968662
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175132)
Posted by Emerje on January 9th, 2024 @ 9:02am CST
D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Not gonna lie, the rumor of these 5 figures in the repack having battle damage makes me a smidge interested

If it's true and it's molded in I'd be a little more interested, but if it's just painted I'm going to be very disappointed. That would be a very strange for a Selects set to do, they usually do straight up character releases.

Emerje
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175133)
Posted by DeathReviews on January 9th, 2024 @ 9:31am CST
AcademyofDrX wrote:
D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Not gonna lie, the rumor of these 5 figures in the repack having battle damage makes me a smidge interested

This is the post that really got that rumor running, and it seems like obvious bait to me, so I'm very skeptical. I know people are still salty about dead Prowl, though.
https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/ ... t-21968662



I've obtained, and am in the process of reviewing the 'dead' Prowl/Ironhide 2-pack. And to be frank? I'm perfectly fine with the molded damage bits on both of them, and even their vacuous 'dead' faces. Getting rid of that horrible transparent plastic, and the ugly paint discolorations that come with it, was a perfectly acceptable trade-off, IMO. Not having to worry that Prowl's entire back half will snap off, or Ironhide's roof, is a HUGE relief. If they do the same to this new 5-pack, I wouldn't mind one bit. They'll still fit in just fine with my updated G1 Autobots. Only downside is that I'll need to sell ER Sunstreaker and Wheeljack. Sunstreaker may still fetch a decent ROI price. But the ER Wheeljack mold? You can't swing a dead cat over your head without hitting an entire pile of those....
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175158)
Posted by chuckdawg1999 on January 9th, 2024 @ 6:01pm CST
D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Not gonna lie, the rumor of these 5 figures in the repack having battle damage makes me a smidge interested


So it would be a reissue of Siege Wheeljack from Walmart?
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175163)
Posted by Till-all-R1 on January 9th, 2024 @ 8:28pm CST
Battle damage increases its passableness for me.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175164)
Posted by sol magnus on January 9th, 2024 @ 8:32pm CST
This battle damage rumor seems like bollocks, anyway. I have all the figures involved,but i have no problem with buying the pack and selling off the extra figures. If they're solid plastic, they can say.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175170)
Posted by Emerje on January 10th, 2024 @ 8:04am CST
chuckdawg1999 wrote:
D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Not gonna lie, the rumor of these 5 figures in the repack having battle damage makes me a smidge interested


So it would be a reissue of Siege Wheeljack from Walmart?

If the rumor were true I still wouldn't expect that to happen. As is he'll probably get the Target blue opaque window treatment, but if they were going to do battle damage it'd me more like this:

Image

Emerje
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175177)
Posted by Spider5800 on January 10th, 2024 @ 9:58am CST
D-Maximal_Primal wrote:I'm sad that Hatchet got canceled, hopefully he ends up somewhere, I want to have a full set of Dreads!


Yeah, I was really looking forward to this one, and honestly am surprised it was only ever planned as a store exclusive. Literally a character some of us have been waiting on for over a decade, completes a subteam from the movies, and it wasn't going to be a regular release? Makes no sense to me.

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Not gonna lie, the rumor of these 5 figures in the repack having battle damage makes me a smidge interested


Ugh. That actually makes me even LESS interested. I just want a decent earth-mode Hound, not a battle damaged one.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175195)
Posted by Emerje on January 11th, 2024 @ 8:15am CST
While it's annoying that Hatchet was cut, I would have honestly preferred a Voyager jet version anyway. And now that Studio Series is including concept figures...

Emerje
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2175198)
Posted by -Kanrabat- on January 11th, 2024 @ 11:51am CST
Emerje wrote:While it's annoying that Hatchet was cut, I would have honestly preferred a Voyager jet version anyway. And now that Studio Series is including concept figures...

Emerje


Make it LEADER and you get yourself a deal.

I still have my DOTM Cyberverse Dreads on the shel and Hatchet still holds up.
Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2176087)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on February 1st, 2024 @ 8:10pm CST
took Jazz to work last week, got reminded how solid he is. I need to appreciate him more, he is a good fun toy

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Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2176408)
Posted by william-james88 on February 8th, 2024 @ 1:16pm CST
Whenever a new toy gets reveals, fans just want to know one thing: how do I get it. Well, Hasbro has been playing rather coy with their recent reveals and just like with Tuesday's reveals, we have now been given more info on Orign Wheeljack, except for anything regarding preorders. However, with this being a Target release like the previous Origin figures, it could very well be that you see this guy on shelves before your preorder ever gets sent your way. Below is the product info and new images, which features a really nice vehicle shield accessory.


TRANSFORMERS LEGACY UNITED VOYAGER CLASS ORIGIN WHEELJACK
(Ages 8 and Up | Approx. Retail Price: $34.99 | Available: Spring 2024)

Unite your favorite characters from across the world of TRANSFORMERS robots into your collection with the TRANSFORMERS Legacy United Voyager Class Origin Wheeljack action figure! Inspired by the animated series, The TRANSFORMERS, this 7-inch figure converts between robot and hovercar modes in 32 steps. Includes blaster, blast shield, and 2 rotor blade accessories that can attach to the figure in both modes and assemble the 3 included road pieces to pose the figure traveling on the roads of Cybertron. Features articulated head, arms, and legs for awesome action poses.

Celebrate the last 40 years of TRANSFORMERS history with TRANSFORMERS Legacy action figures. TRANSFORMERS Legacy opens the portal to a whole new universe of – More Than Meets the Eye – bringing together every TRANSFORMERS generation like you’ve never seen before. Collect and combine different characters to create your ideal Legacy lineup (each sold separately, subject to availability).

Pre-order info coming soon.

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Re: Original Plans for Individual Releases of Hatchet and Earth Mode Hound were Cancelled (2176409)
Posted by Sabrblade on February 8th, 2024 @ 2:04pm CST
Whoa, what's with the giant wings that weren't in previous pics of this figure?

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Transformers Podcast: Twincast / Podcast #349 - Agent of Chaos
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