Transforming Toys
LEGENDS
---WAVE 1: Eight to a case: Megatron (fusion tank), Starscream (F-22),
Optimus Prime, Jetfire (SR-71 Blackhawk), Sideswipe (silver sportscar),
Ratchet, Bumblebee (Concept Camaro), Springer (V-22 Osprey). 5/13/09:
Starting to hit shelves by mistake, you may or may not be able to buy them if
they're on the shelf, but most stores have them street-dated. $4.99 each at
Walmart. 5/22: $6.29 at K-Mart. I spotted them on the shelf but wasn't able
to buy them (I gave 'em to customer service to put back in the storeroom once
they came up as unsellable). Ratchet and Starscream are redecos, the rest
are new molds. Jetfire is packaged as a Decepticon. 5/27: Walgreens in
Torrance CA, Redondo Beach CA. $6.99 each, but no street date limiting.
5/30: Walmart in Junction City KS, $4.97. 5/31: Walmart in Manhattan KS, on
one of those things that hang from the side of an endcap (a Terminator
endcap, in this case). 6/9: Rite-Aid in Torrance CA. 6/11: Walgreens in
Manhattan KS. 6/13: Walmart, Target, TRU and K-Mart in Topeka KS.
---WAVE 2: The Fallen (spaceship), Mudflap (Chevy Trax), Grindor
(Blackout redeco), Enforcer Ironhide (red redeco). Based on what I saw on
the shelf, they're probably packed with Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, and
possibly Starscream and Springer. 6/20/09: Walmart in Junction City
KS. 6/21: Walmart in Torrance CA, Santa Ana CA. 6/30: Walmart in Muncie
IN. 7/3: TRU in Muncie IN. 7/26: K-Mart in Manhattan KS.
---WAVE 3: Tankor (blue Brawl redeco), Autobot Skids, Sideways,
possibly more. 8/29/09: TRU in Topeka KS. $4.99 each. 9/1: Walmart
in Manhattan KS. 9/11: Giant Supermarket in Germantown MD. 9/12: Walmart in
Junction City KS. 9/26: Walmart in Topeka KS.
---WAVE 4: Soundwave (satellite), Wheelie (RC truck), BlueSteel
Sideswipe (redeco with a blue tint) and Power Armor Optimus Prime (just a
redeco, but meant to evoke the Jetfire armor add-on). 12/6/09: Walgreens
in Torrance CA. 2/11/10: Still no other sightings sent to me, stores
don't seem to be ordering Legends. 2/18: Walmart in Manhattan KS. 2/20:
Walmart in Junction City KS. 2/27: Walmart in Topeka KS. 3/3: Walmart in
Muncie IN. 3/4: K-Mart in Gaithersburg MD, Manhattan KS.
---WAVE 5: Arcee (motorcycle), Jolt (sports car), Stealth Bumblebee
(black with yellow paint). Regular RotF packaging, not NEST. 2/11/10:
Walmart in Manhattan KS (a lone Arcee was all that was left). 2/27:
Walmart in Topeka KS (no Bumblebee, didn't shed a tear).
---DEVASTATOR: A Wal-Mart exclusive supposed to come out in February,
a gift set of all seven figures. The photos suggest few or no changes from
the Japanese EZ Collection versions. $32 starting price. 2/3/10:
Torrance CA. Reportedly $32.99 there. 2/6: Topeka KS, Springfield MO.
$32. 2/13: Junction City KS (stuck in the "clearance and miscellany" aisle,
oddly). 2/14: Manhattan KS. 2/23: Edmonton AB ($40CDN).
---TARGET EXCLUSIVE 2-PACKS: Bumblebee (with slight redeco) versus
Shadow Striker (G1 Wheelie in black with red windows and tires, female
character), Rally Mudflap (similar deco to Deluxe Tuner Mudflap) and Offroad
Skids (ligher green plus either white or silver), Smokescreen (G1 Rodimus
redeco in the G1-ish colors rather than the colors of the recent Jazz redeco)
vs. Starscream (all black plastic with blue tattoos). 1/31/10: Manhattan
KS. 2/2: Redondo Beach CA. 2/3: El Paso TX. 2/8: Muncie IN. 2/11:
Somerville MA. 2/12: Torrance CA. 2/14: Chino CA.
SCOUT
---WAVE 4: Sonar (gray camo redeco of Depthcharge), Wideload (beige
redeco of Rollbar) and Brakedown (new mold). Contrary to earlier listing,
this is NOT a NEST wave, they're apparently keeping the packaging NEST-free
to avoid confusion over the Ravage redemption (which is only Deluxe and
Voyager figures). 2/3/10: Target in El Paso TX. 2/4: Target in
Manhattan Beach CA. 2/8: Walmart in Torrance CA. 2/14: Walmart in Manhattan
KS. 2/19: Target in Mt. Kisco NY. 2/20: TRU in Muncie IN. 2/27: Walmart
and TRU in Topeka KS.
---WAVE 5: Reships of some or all of wave 4, plus Divebomb (Red
Baron redeco of Ransack), Scattorshot (new mold, armored truck) and
Skystalker (new mold, stealth jet, built to interface with Voyager Mindwipe).
2/9/10: Walmart in Torrance CA. 2/14: Target in Chino CA. 2/18:
Walmart in Manhattan KS. 2/22: Target in West LA CA. 2/27: Walmart in
Topeka KS; Target in Mt. Kisco NY. 3/5: Target in Manhattan Beach CA. 3/6:
Walmart in Junction City KS. 3/10: Target in Fayetteville NC. 3/11: Walmart
in Muncie IN.
---WALMART TWOPACKS: A couple of redeco two-packs. "Road Rival
Showdown" with Beachcomber (Dune Runner) and Deadlift (Dirt Boss in the
colors of Gobots Spoons), Windy City Chase with Slap Dash (Dead End in G1
Wheelie colors) and Trenchmouth (red redeco of Knock Out). I'll probably
only get the Road Rival set, as I already have two decos of the Windy City
figures. 2/3/10: Torrance CA. 2/13: Junction City KS. 2/14:
Manhattan KS, Diamond Bar CA. 2/20: Some stores seem to already be
clearancing these, although that may be an error, mixing them up with the
previous two-packs from the holiday season. 2/27: Topeka KS. 3/3: Muncie
IN.
DELUXE
NOTE: Please do not put "NEST" in the subject line of sightings. After a
rash of home improvement spam, my filters mark the word as being spam.
Also, be sure to save the stickers that come in NEST toys if you want to send
away for the "free" Ravage redeco (of course, you have to buy a fairly
expensive redeco set of Cannon Bumblebee and Soundwave to get the mailaway
form, and pay $5 S&H...).
---NEST WAVE 1: Tuner Mudflap (redeco), Bumblebee (NEST-logo redeco of
the preview wave remold), Armorhide (Movie1 Landmine redeco), Dirge (new
mold). Mudflap is the longpacked pegwarmer. 12/23/09: Target in
Manhattan Beach CA, Harbor City CA, Redondo Beach CA; TRU in Torrance CA.
12/24: TRU in Springfield MO. 12/25: Target in West Hollywood CA. 12/26:
Target in Muncie IN; Walmart in Luberton NC. 12/27: Walmart in Manhattan KS.
12/28: TRU and Target in Topeka KS; Walmart in Torrance CA. 12/29: Target in
Mt. Kisco NY. 1/2/10: Walmart in Junction City KS. 1/4: Walmart in Santa
Maria CA, Arroyo Grande CA, Paso Robles CA, Marina CA, Long Beach CA; Target
in Paso Robles CA; TRU in Redondo Beach CA. 1/5: Target in Muncie IN. 2/6:
Walmart in Topeka KS.
---NEST WAVE 2: Brawn (uparmored pickup truck), Ratchet (Hummvee),
Lockdown (yes, the TF:A character re-imagined for the movie aesthetic,
complete with a rivalry with Ratchet and the ability to steal Deluxe
Ratchet's gun) and Strike Mission Sideswipe (red windows and a racing stripe,
a minimal redeco). 2/3/10: Target in El Paso TX, South Carson CA.
Warning, Brawn's front bumper is apparently kinda fragile. 2/8: Target in
Muncie IN. 2/13: Walmart in Junction City. 2/13: Walmart in Manhattan KS;
Target in Chino CA. 2/22: Target in West LA CA. 2/27: Walmart and Target in
Topeka KS; Target in Mt. Kisco NY. 3/5: Target in Manhattan Beach CA. 3/10:
Target in Fayetteville NC.
---FAB 5: Cyber Pursuit Arcee (new mold), Night Blades Sideswipe (gray
and green redeco), Power Armor Optimus Prime (black-heavy redeco of the
two-blade version, meant to evoke the Jetfire combination in robot mode). No
direct sightings sent to me yet, but reviews of Arcee are popping up. She's
apparently not that bad. 12/19/09: Walmart in Junction City KS. FABs
are finally included in the Deluxe sale at Walmart, $10 each. 12/25: Walmart
in Buena Park CA. 1/4/10: Walmart in Cerritos CA.
---FAB 6: Offroad Skids, Rally Mudflap, Spark Blast Jolt. All are
redecos.
---GRAVITY BOTS 3: Bolt Bumblebee and Skids return, with Barricade
added into the mix. 3/5/10: Walmart in Junction City KS.
---RPM BATTLE CHARGERS: Like Cyber-Slammers, because apparently
Gravity Bots didn't fill this niche well enough. While listed under RPM,
they do transform, more or less. First wave includes Sideswipe, Optimus
Prime and Bumblebee. 7/1/09: TRU in Torrance CA. 7/11: TRU in Topeka
KS. It's a bit more involved than the Cyber-Slammers, but still essentially
a robot upper body riding in a car when it transforms. 8/1: Target in
Manhattan KS. 11/20/09: Wave 2 spotted at Target in Manhattan KS. It
looks to be a reship of Optimus Prime, plus "Stealth Bumblebee" in black and
yellow tattoo-like patterns. It's more black than regular Bumblebee, but
hardly what I'd call a stealthy color scheme. 11/23: Harbor City CA,
Torrance CA, San Pedro CA. 12/19: Second wave also has a "Hyper Speed
Sideswipe" redeco, it's not a lot different from the original, just some
paint details and a few different color masks. 2/2/10: Third wave at
Target in Manhattan KS. Megatron and a white-heavy Optimus Prime redeco.
$13.
VOYAGER
---NEST WAVE 1: As with the Deluxes, please don't put "NEST" in the
subject line, it gets shunted to my spam folders. Recon Ironhide (extensive
new accessories, new deco), Bludgeon (Tank to skeletal samurai).
12/26/09: Walmart in Luberton NC. 12/27: Walmart in Manhattan KS.
12/28: Walmart in Torrance CA. 12/30: TRU in Torrance CA. 1/2/10: Walmart
in Junction City KS. 1/5: Target in Muncie IN. 1/8: Walmart in White Plains
NY. 1/30: TRU in Victoria BC. 1/31: Target in Manhattan KS; K-Mart in
Torrance CA. 2/6: TRU in Topeka KS.
---NEST WAVE 2: Reships, plus Defender Optimus Prime (yet another
redeco, in blue and light gray reminiscent of Nightwatch Optimus Prime) and
Mindwipe (space jet). 2/9/10: Target in Torrance CA. 2/10: Target in
Redondo Beach CA. 2/12: Target in Torrance CA, Muncie IN. 2/14: Target in
Chino CA. 2/15: Target in Manhattan KS. 2/19: Target in Mt. Kisco NY.
2/21: K-Mart in Manhattan KS. 2/22: Target in West LA CA. 2/27: Target in
Topeka KS. 3/5: Target in Manhattan Beach CA; Walmart in Torrance CA.
---NEST TWO-PACK: Battlefield Bumblebee (recolor of Cannon Bumblebee
with a battle mask head remold) vs. Infiltration Soundwave (a recolor of
Deluxe Soundwave) for $20. Not too thrilling, yes? But wait, there's more!
A NEST patch, and the mailaway form that you need in order to redeem those
NEST stickers that come in the other NEST toys, to get the "free" red-tinged
Ravage redeco. 1/21/10: TRU in Torrance CA. Also, featured in Cyber
Missions #1, an online CG cartoon that looks like a decently-staged MMO
screencap. 1/23: TRU in Whitestone Bridge NY. 1/25: TRU in Culver City CA,
Huntington Beach CA. 2/2: Target in Redondo Beach CA. 2/3: TRU in El Paso
TX; Target in South Carson CA. 2/4: Walmart and Target in Manhattan KS. I
ended up getting it for the patch. :) 2/6: Walmart and TRU in Topeka KS.
2/8: Target in Muncie IN; Walmart in Torrance CA. Also, part two of the
Cyber Missions is up...it makes the first part look good by comparison.
2/12: Target in Torrance CA. 2/14: Walmart in Diamond Bar CA; Target in
Chino CA.
---TARGET EXCLUSIVE FALLEN: A red "burning" Fallen in Special
Packaging, whee. Some of the plastic is orange, basically. 10/2/09: Now
shipping from Target.com. Lists as not available in stores, although
that may change. 11/21: It changed. Culver City CA. 11/27: Part of the
Black Friday endcaps, should be out everywhere that it's gonna be out.
2/27/10: Clearanced out most places. Annoyingly, still $16 locally.
---SHANGHAI SHOWDOWN: Toys R Us exclusive white redeco of Demolishor
and a "dirt added" redeco of the Ice Cream Truck Twins. Demolishor
apparently looks nicely weathered, but the Twins just look mud-daubed.
3/3/10: Torrance CA, but indications that this was a street date thing
and every store will have them at this point. 3/5: Culver City CA.
---NEBULAR STARSCREAM: K-Mart exclusive with special packaging of RotF
Voyager Starscream with metallic teal tattoos. 2/27/10: Kmart.com has it
listed, but not yet available.
HUMAN ALLIANCE PACKS: Like the Screen Battles packs of last time,
these feature human (or Frenzy) figures alongside Transformers. However,
this time the figures are at least minimally poseable, and the Transformers
seem to be redesigned to let the figures sit inside them, rather than being
reissues. $30 price point. Several of the smaller cars come with
Scout-sized motorcycles (Arcee, Chromia, etc).
---BARRICADE: With Frenzy, initially shipping with a lot of Skids, but
probably taking over a larger chunk of the case later on. 2/4/10: Walmart
in Fresno CA. Reportedly "awesome". 2/6: Walmart in Topeka KS,
Springfield MO. Frenzy looks a little "off" though. 2/16: Target in
Kingston NY. 2/18: Target in Rockville MD. 2/19: Target in Torrance CA.
2/25: Walmart in Muncie IN. 3/6: Walmart in Junction City KS.
LEADER
---NEST WAVE 1: NEST Shadow Command Megatron, a G1-style redeco with
new voice chip and brighter LEDs. 1/23/10: TRU in Hawthorne CA.
1/25: TRU in Culver City CA, Huntington Beach CA. 2/2: TRU in Torrance CA.
2/3: TRU in El Paso TX. 2/16: TRU in Whitestone Bridge NY, Cross County
Parkway NY.
BIGGER
---GATHERING AT NEMESIS: A TRU-exclusive box set of Voyager Fallen,
what looks to be a Premium version of the 2007 Voyager Megatron and a
G1-colored Deluxe Soundwave, $50 price point and a very long box.
9/10/09: Hawthorne CA. 9/12: Culver City CA. 9/19: El Paso TX.
9/26: Topeka KS. 9/28: Torrance CA. 10/27: Muncie IN.
---ULTIMATE BUMBLEBEE: The mold has been tweaked, mostly in the head
sculpt and a corrected front end, and the sound chip has been replaced.
6/7/09: Walmart in Torrance CA. $98.88 at Walmart, riiiiiight. HTS
only wants $89.99. 6/20: Walmart in Junction City KS. 6/25: Target in
Manhattan Beach CA. 6/28: TRU in Hawthorne CA and Culver City CA; Target in
Culver City CA, Redondo Beach CA, Playa del Rey CA.
---DEVASTATOR: Or, as I think of it, MegaZord Devastator. Six
vehicles that combine to form the big robot, no individual robot modes.
Note, the power shovel is named Scavenger rather than Demolishor, at least a
slight nod to the fact that Demolishor can't be the one who forms Devs.
Also, the toy is more talkative than the actual movie character. $100
price point. 7/15/09: Available on hasbrotoyshop.com. 7/25: On
display at San Diego Comicon. 7/28: TRU in Torrance CA. $100 at TRU,
also available at Amazon.com for $110. TRU currently has a "buy a bunch of
stuff and get a gift card" promo which helps take a bite out of the price
too. 8/1: TRU in Peoria IL. 8/2: Target in El Paso TX. 8/4: Target in
Muncie IN. 8/6: Target in Manhattan KS, Mt. Kisco NY. 8/10: Target in
Somerville MA, Everett MA, Woburn MA. 8/16: Walmart in Paramount CA. 8/20:
Walmart in Manhattan KS. 8/23: TRU in Culver City CA. 8/29: TRU in Topeka
KS. 9/6: Walmart in Santa Maria CA. 9/12: TRU is starting to put anti-theft
devices on Devastator, and they apparently interfere with the "try me"
function. 9/26: Walmart in Topeka KS. 10/3: Walmart in Junction City KS.
10/6: K-Mart in Manhattan KS, part of an aisle display. $99.99. 10/26: BJ's
Warehouse (discount club) is carrying this for $70.
|
NonTransforming Toys
Membership in this category can seem kinda arbitrary, and sometimes it will
be. Basically, if it's a robot or vehicle toy, or a weapon, but it doesn't
"really" transform (whatever that ends up meaning to me), it goes here.
Stuff that's still toys, but definitely not of the action figure or vehicle
style (like kites or video games) will go on the right-hand column.
UNDER $10
WACKY WOBBLERS: Bobbleheads made by someone without the license to the
name Bobblehead, basically. Optimus Prime, Megatron and Bumblebee. The
standard ones have black bases, but there's chase figures with chromed bases,
whee. $9.99 at TRU. 6/4/09: TRU in Torrance CA. 6/9: Target in
Manhattan KS (in with the trading cards near the toy section), $9.99. I
didn't like any of them enough to buy. 6/13: TRU and Target in Topeka KS.
ROLEPLAY PHONE: A faux iPhone with button-pressing sounds and various
voice clips and sound effects. I suppose this might count as a right-hand
column thing, but I'll leave it here as "roleplay" for now. 5/25/09:
Walmart in Topeka KS, $9.97. 5/30: Walmart in Junction City KS, and a
few other places I forgot to note. 6/4: Working into gaps at most Walmarts
by this point.
KEYCHAINS: Like last time around, small but poseable "keychain"
figures. Not something you'd attach your keys to unless you carry a purse,
though. Prices vary, $4-6 depending on the store.
---WAVE 1: Megatron, Bumblebee, Starscream and Optimus Prime merged
with Jetfire. 5/20/09: TRU in Muncie IN. Also spotted at some other
TRUs, but those stores were enforcing street date. 6/13: TRU in Topeka KS.
I got the Prime/Jetfire one but passed on the others, they look pretty bad.
7/7: Target has them with the trading cards and collectible things, $4.99.
7/18: Alco in Abilene KS.
---MINI CLIPS: Not exactly keychains, more like cellphone charms or
zipper pulls. 35mm or so tall figures with stands that just happen to have
keychain loops on them, sold two to the blister. Most of the in-movie
characters are represented. 8/11/09: TRU in Torrance CA. 10/31: TRU
in Topeka KS. There's four two-packs, $3.99 each. I got all four, will
probably review them at some point.
ROBOT HEROES: The two-packs of chibi Transformers return to the movie
line after several waves of Classics/Universe.
---WAVE 1: Optimus Prime/Blackout, Mudflap/Rampage,
Springer/Starscream, Bumblebee/Longhaul, Sideswipe/Sideways, and
Skids/Megatron. As an oversized six-set wave, they're all the same
assortment number, but the cardbacks are different for the Mudflap and Skids
sets (those sets are omitted from the cardbacks of the other four, and
replace the Springer and Sideswipe sets on their own cardbacks). Blackout
and Starscream are reused molds from the first movie waves (the original
crouching Starscream mold), although at least Starscream has his new tattoos.
The other returning characters are new molds. Most of the new molds have
peg-holes in the feet. 4/23/09: Target in Newark, CA. 4/24: Target in
Torrance CA, shelf price $7.49. 4/27: Target in Redlands CA. 4/29: Target
in Muncie IN. 5/4: Target in Everett MA. 5/13: Walmart in Torrance CA.
5/24: Target in Manhattan KS. Guess it's time to pack up the Universe shelf
to start making room for RotF. 5/25: Target in Topeka KS. 5/29: Walmart in
Manhattan KS. 5/30: Walmart in Junction City KS. 6/13: Walmart and TRU in
Topeka KS.
WAVE 2: Reships of Skids/Megatron and Mudflap/Rampage, plus new
sets Jolt/Ravage and Ironhide/Mixmaster. Ironhide is the original movie
version in dark brown plastic. 9/5/09: Walmart in Junction City KS.
9/26: Walmart in Topeka KS.
WAVE 2.5: Still labeled Series 2, but it has Jolt/Ravage,
Ironhide/Mixmaster and new sets Ratchet (new mold)/Barricade (redeco) and
Chromia/Megatron ("Guntank" mode). 9/19/09: Walmart in Junction City
KS. 10/26: Walmart in Torrance CA. 11/12: Target in Torrance CA.
HOLIDAY PACK: Target has a 3-pack of dual-sword Optimus Prime,
tattooed Starscream and brown Ironhide (all identical to Wave 1 and Wave 2
versions) for $8.99 in the seasonal section with other stocking stuffers.
11/3/09: Should be hitting all Targets this week as they reset for
Christmas stuff.
RPM: These are Hot Wheels scale vehicles with the robot forms in a
sort of shallow relief on the underside. They're made at the the same level
of detail as those "premium" cars with very good attention to detail and so
forth, and aren't really intended for crashing into stuff. But that'll
happen anyway. Sold as two-packs at the $8 price point. Unlike most $4
pricepoint cars, though, they're all plastic and very light. Also available
in $4 single packs. 8/23/09: Note that Walmart has moved these to be with
the "not a dollar" 1:72 and 1:64 scale cars in their recent reset, but Target
is keeping them with the other Transformers.
---SINGLE-PACK NEW PACKAGING WAVE 1: More traditional toy car blisters
with more space at the top for art unique to the figure. The price point
seems to have been reset at $3 as well. The first batch in new packaging
includes: Ironhide, Optimus Prime, Megatron, Mixmaster, Long Haul, Ratchet,
Sideswipe, Sideways, Bumblebee, Barricade and Jolt, all in normal colors.
2/4/10: Walmart in Manhattan KS. 2/13: Walmart in Junction City KS.
---RPM LIGHTS AND SOUND: These are the same size as the "sits up in
the car" RPM toys, but non-transforming. They have a button on the hood or
roof that activates one of several sounds accompanied by flashing LEDs, and
the robot is portrayed on the underside like the 1:64 scale RPMs. $9.99
price point, chunky vehicle modes. 1/20/10: Walmart in Manhattan KS.
$10-19
---SQUIRTGUN: This is apparently a different one than the version that
showed up in Universe-like packaging at Target in June, but I haven't seen it
myself yet to confirm. It's in movie packaging. 7/14/09: Walmarts around
Los Angeles CA.
---TITANIUM 3": Toys R Us has several exclusive two-packs of repainted
2007 movie Titaniums, $14.99 each. Rescue Ratchet vs. Blackout (not Grindor,
oddly), Cliffjumper (Bumblebee redeco) vs. Dead End (Jazz redeco), Offroad
Ironhide vs. Deep Desert Brawl. There's one other set my sighter didn't get
the name of, I'd be willing to guess it's Prime vs. Megatron. 7/5/09:
Hawthorne CA, Torrance CA. 7/11: Topeka KS. There's only three sets, not
four as I earlier heard. I passed on 'em.
MR. POTATOHEAD: There may be more than one, so I'll make this a
header.
---BUMBLESPUD: Bumblebee Mr. Potatohead. I'm passing for now, maybe
I'll get it as a gift from my parents or something. :) $12.88 at Walmart.
5/30/09: Walmart in Junction City KS. 6/2: K-Mart in Manhattan KS
($10.99). 6/5: Target in Manhattan KS ($10.99 regular, on sale this week
$9.99). 6/13: Target and K-Mart in Topeka KS. 6/18: Hastings in Manhattan
KS ($14.99).
ROBOT REPLICAS: Revoltech-like action figures with ratcheting
universal joints, intended to look more like the characters as they appear in
the movie.
---WAVE 1: Ratchet (shortpacked), Optimus Prime, Ironhide, Starscream
(slightly shortpacked). 4/23/09: TRU in Torrance CA. 5/29: Walmart
and Target in El Paso TX. 5/30: Walmart in Junction City KS. Prime is a
totally new mold, no reused parts. They're not only at the new higher $12.88
price point, they no longer come with swappable arm accessories. 5/31:
Walmart in Manhattan KS. 6/5: Target in Manhattan KS. 6/13: Walmart, TRU,
Target and K-Mart in Topeka KS.
---WAVE 2: Megatron, Autobot Skids, Bumblebee and Jetfire. All new
molds. 5/31/09: Walmart in Butte MT. 6/9: Walmart in Manhattan KS
(only Skids and Bumblebee, will hold off on reviewing until I have all
four). 6/13: TRU in Topeka KS (got the others I needed). 6/18: Hastings in
Manhattan KS ($13.99). 6/27: Walmart in Junction City KS.
---WAVE 3: The Fallen, Sideswipe and reships of Bumblebee and
Jetfire. 6/27/09: Walmart in Junction City KS; TRU in Torrance CA.
WALKIE TALKIES: Two-packs of head-shaped communicators, $18-20 per
pack. The heads available are Optimus Prime, Megatron, Bumblebee and
Starscream, but Prime/Megs seems to be the most common pairing. 5/27/09:
TRU in Torrance CA. 5/30: Walmart in Junction City KS. 6/5: Target in
Manhattan KS. 6/13: Walmart, Target and TRU in Topeka KS>
$20-29
ROBOT HEROES: Robot Heroes finally get the big-figure sets. "Battle
of the Fallen" includes an oversized Fallen, a regular sized Prime with
Jetfire armor (officially known as Jetpower Optimus Prime), and vehicle modes
of Ironhide and Megatron. The cardboard scenery is of the Egyptian battle.
"Battle for the AllSpark" has no giant figure, but includes vehicle modes of
Starscream, Bumblebee and Optimus Prime (all pretty deformed), a figure of
Sam, redecos of Brawl and mace-Megatron, and a new mold of Ratchet with arm
blade. The scenery is for Mission City in the first movie. $20 price point.
7/31/09: Target in Torrance CA. 8/1: Target in Manhattan KS. The new
molds in the Battle for the AllSpark are so ugly that I passed on it, but I
grabbed Battle of the Fallen. 8/2: Target in Manhattan Beach CA. 8/18:
K-Mart in Manhattan KS, $22.99. 8/22: Walmart in Junction City KS. 8/29:
TRU and K-Mart in Topeka KS. 9/22: I'm told "Desert Devastation" (big
Devastator, vehicle Mudflap and Skids, human Lennox) has hit Target in the
Pittsburgh PA area, and will have to look more carefully locally since it may
be mixed in with the other two. 9/25: "Shanghai Shootout" (big Demolishor,
Prime on big base as he lands, vehicle ice cream truck, Sideways and
Sideswipe) is available on hasbrotoyshop.com. 1/13/09: Desert Devastation
and Shanghai Shootout at Walmart in Torrance CA.
POWER BOTS: Non-transforming large figures with sound and light
features and some action gimmicks.
---WAVE 1: Bumblebee and Megatron. 5/3/09: Walmart in Diamond Bar
CA. 5/11: Walmart in Redlands CA. 5/13: Walmart in Torrance CA. 5/30:
Walmart in Junction City KS. They look and feel really cheap compared even
to the TF:A Bumblebee Power Bot, and look like knockoffs compared to the 2007
Cyber-Stompin' figures. 6/4: Walmart in Manhattan KS. 6/5: Target in
Manhattan KS. 6/13: Walmart, Target, TRU and K-Mart in Topeka KS. 6/18:
K-Mart in Manhattan KS.
---WAVE 2: Sideswipe, who only seems to have one sound button.
12/9/09: Target in Manhattan KS. 12/24: Walmart in Manhattan KS.
12/25: Walmart in Buena Park CA; Target in Manhattan Beach CA.
$30 and up
---REMOTE CONTROL RPMs: Under the RPM brand. Non-transforming, but
the controllers look like the robot's upper half. $33 at Target.
7/31/09: Target in Torrance CA, target.com have Optimus Prime. 8/6:
Optimus Prime and Bumblebee at Target in Manhattan KS, Mt. Kisco NY. The
controllers have voice clips. 8/9: K-Mart in Manhattan KS, $21.99 is the
shelf tag but I bet it's in error.
---MEGA POWER BOTS 1: Bigger, more gimmicks, $35 price point. The
first one is Jetpower Optimus Prime, OP with the Jetfire bits. 7/29/09:
TRU in Torrance CA. 7/31: Target in Torrance CA. 8/1: TRU in Topeka KS.
8/6: Target in Manhattan KS.
---MEGA POWER BOTS 2: Devastator, might be a compromise for people who
want a big Devs set but aren't willing to drop $100. It doesn't transform,
but $100 version is a Zord anyway. 8/21/09: Walmart in Torrance CA.
9/23: Target in Manhattan Beach CA. 9/24: Walmart in Manhattan KS. 10/3:
Walmart in Junction City KS.
---BUMBLEBEE TRIM PACKAGE: Camaro is now offering a $1000 trim package
for the appropriate Camaros that will give it Bumblebee's rally stripes
(which can also be had for about $500 alone) plus various Autobot symbols
here and there. It's just a glue-on/paint-on package, and won't make your
Camaro totally movie-accurate (Bumblebee has a few physical mods as well,
like oversized exhaust pipes).
---RPM DEVASTATOR SHOWDOWN PLAYSET: A big gimmicky track set in which
cars drive through Devastator's mouth. Comes with Skids, same as the version
in the two-pack. $40 price point. 7/22/09: TRU in Hawthorne CA, Torrance
CA. 7/27: Target in Torrance CA. 8/1: TRU in Topeka KS. 8/29: K-Mart
in Topeka KS. 9/6: Walmart in Santa Maria CA.
---ROLEPLAY WEAPONS: Bumblebee Plasma Cannon, which "transforms"
between fist and blaster mode, and has loads of electronic effects. $39.99
at HasbroToyStore.com. 5/1/09: Up for pre-order at HTS. 5/29: Target
in Rockville MD, Gaithersburg MD, El Paso TX, Manhattan KS; Walmart in
Manhattan KS, El Paso TX. Unlike earlier toys, this one does not comfortably
allow adult hands. The try-me feature let me determine that it could be held
and fired, but awkwardly. 5/30: Target in Torrance CA; Walmart in Junction
City KS. The weapon doesn't seem to actually transform so much as have the
barrel slide back to show a puny fist. 6/13: Walmart, TRU, Target and K-Mart
in Topeka KS.
---ROLEPLAY MASKS: Bumblebee voice-mixer helmet. Same principles as
the Prime helmet from the first movie, but with music added in. $39.99 at
HTS. 5/1/09: Up for pre-order at HTS. 5/29: Bumblebee and redeco'ed
Prime helmets at Walmart and Target in Manhattan KS, El Paso TX. 5/30:
Target in Torrance CA; Walmart in Junction City KS, Hope Mills NC. 6/13:
Walmart, Target, TRU and K-Mart in Topeka KS. 6/18: K-Mart in Manhattan KS.
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Other Merchandise
Note: I will be less detailed about sightings in this column.
THE MOVIE
10/20/09: Revenge of the Fallen is now available. Walmart
promises extra footage from the IMAX release on its exclusive 2-disc set, but
nothing on the package mentions IMAX and the package otherswise seems
identical to the "exclusive" 2-disc set available at K-Mart, aside from the
package artwork. Best Buy offers am Optimus Prime bust with the BluRay, and
Target has another transforming package, this time Bumblebee. I got the
Walmart version, but haven't watched it yet to see if it has the supposed
IMAX stuff. It's starting to look like ALL 2-disc sets might have that
footage, with Walmart's "exclusive" being limited to different unlockable
online content from showing the package to your webcam. Suncoast has their
usual steelcase trick. 10/22: The Kroger family of grocery stores offers
free Band-Aids (including the Transformers Animated ones) with purchase.
Hey, at least it's something other than Yet Another Exclusive Online
Content.
READ IT
GUIDEBOOKS: 6/13: "Transformers Revenge of the Fallen: The Movie
Universe" from DK is out in stores. It reprints a lot of the DK movie guide
from last time, including all of Jazz's and Blackout's pages, but does have
new material.
PLAY IT
ROBOT HEROES GAME: Like the existing Star Wars one, it's a card-based
duelling game on a limited board using Robot Heroes as game tokens. The
first one has Optimus Prime (two blade version) versus Megatron (tank), they
appear to be identical to the regular releases. $16.99, exclusive to
Target. I may review it later. 8/21/09: Should be in most Targets
now.
MUSIC: Both the soundtrack (the usual mix of pop chart stuff and one
or two songs that may appear in the movie) and the score released at the same
time this time, the week of the movie's release. 6/23/09: Soundtrack easy
to find, score less so. Soundtrack on sale for about $10 most places this
week, Target has the score for $11.99 on sale, Best Buy wants full price of
$14.99. 11/25: There's a CD organizer (the sort you put on the visor in
your car) with either an Autobot symbol or Decepticon symbol available.
Hastings has them for $12.99.
COMPUTER GAMES: Available for several platforms, none of which I
follow. Most come with some sort of movie cash pack-in. I am informed that
the DS game is decent. 6/23/09: Released today, and reportedly sold out most
places (it was certainly gone from the shelves the places I noticed the
displays). 6/25: There are reusable adhesive skins with RotF motifs
available for PS3, X-Box, PSP and the WiiMote.
RUBIK'S CUBE: Not a generic "puzzle cube", this is all properly
licensed and such. $9.99 price point, all sparkly. 6/23/09: Part of endcap
displays at Target.
PUZZLES: Various 100 piece jigsaw puzzles are out. I still have
unopened puzzles from 2007, so I'll be passing on these. 6/18/09: Hastings
is carrying these. 11/5: I suppose this sort of counts as a puzzle. Walmart
has a $40 gift card that comes with a Bumblebee "puzzle". Not a lot more
complicated than the foamcore puzzles that were in the party supplies aisle a
while back, if thicker.
BALLS: A Nerf-like football and a smaller than regulation soccerball
are available, with either Optimus Prime or Bumblebee decos on each.
6/13/09: $10 at Walmart. 8/30: Now at TRU as well.
ARTPADS: Drawing pads with either Optimus Prime or Bumblebee on the
cover, and a page or two of activities before the blank pages. Available in
either "drawing pad" variety with 40 white pages in reasonably heavy stock,
or "doodle pad" variety with colored construction paper pages. 6/13/09:
K-Mart is carrying these, $2.99 for both varieties.
LAPTOP: A fake laptop with various educational games, shaped like a
big Autobot symbol. $30 price point. 6/5/09: Target carrying these now.
6/6: Also Walmart. 6/13: And TRU.
KITES: 4/3/09: Two-pack (OP and BB) of medium kites for $10,
microflyer kites for $2 (OP). Plus several of the older kites.
DECORATE IT
AIRBRUSH PEN: 9/06/09: As part of their holiday toy surge,
Walgreens has handheld "airbrush" pen sets with RotF packaging. $10
price point, looks to be a battery operated version of BloPens, with various
RotF stencils and stickers.
PARTY WARE: The first movie stuff is slowly being replaced by updated
RotF materials. The usual cups, plates, stickers, temporary tattoos, etc.
There's also a $40 box set with (theoretically) enough for one full party.
The new hanging banner thing has a light-up-eyes Bumblebee battle mask in the
middle. 6/4/09: Walmart starting to swap over. 6/13: Most places are
swapped over. Walmart also has some sticker packs with trading card backing
for $2, wrapping paper, party bags, etc. Some stores have this in the
endcaps with the new toys. 6/20: Target has a four-pack of pencil-top
viewers for $3.99, unknown how many scenes they have, I didn't buy one. 8/1:
An improved Optimus Prime pinata is now available, $14 at Walmart.
POSTERS: 5/19/09: The first four are out, there's an Autobot one, a
Decepticon one, plus single-character ones for Bumblebee and Megatron.
Thoughts once I see 'em. 5/23: An 11"x17" lenticular motion "Real 3D" poster
of Optimus Prime is out, $9.97 at Walmart. It's fairly impressive. 6/14:
Okay, I've seen the endcap-hanger poster set for RotF at Walmart. $4.47
regular sized posters of the core Autobots, the new Autobots (Twins,
Sideswipe), Megatron, new Decepticons (Fallen, Ravage, Devastator), Ravage,
Bumblebee. A "Door Sized" extra wide (not extra tall, so I'm not sure what
doors are like in THEIR universe) poster of most of the characters for
$7.97. Passing for now, as I don't have a lot of blank wall space. :)
6/18: K-Mart has the smaller posters for $5.49. 7/11: TRU has wall stickers
for $12.99. 2/21: A colorable "Velvet Art" poster is $4.99 at K-Mart.
BED AND BATH: 5/25/09: K-mart is clearancing the rest of its first
movie stock of bedroom stuff (sheets, valences, etc) and has started bringing
in the RotF stuff. $19.99 for a Twin Sheet set. 11/7: In their "stuff
grandma gets you mistakenly thinking it's cool" aisle, Walmart has a new RotF
toothbrush holder and rinse cup. This time it's Bumblebee bursting out of a
wall. $5 12/1: Even more "grandparent gifts" at Walmart: "Sleep Shorts" in
men's sizes packaged in tins shaped more or less like Autobot symbols for $7,
Bath Graffitti soap sets for $9, two-pack of "moldable foam soap" bottles for
$5, "Fizz'n'Foam" bath sets (foam soap bottle and some fizzy tablets) for $5,
Play Shave set for $9.
EAT IT
KLIK CANDY DISPENSERS: Candy dispensers that aren't Pez, basically,
with Optimus Prime or Bumblebee heads. May be found with the trading cards
at Target. $1.49 each, they come with "Au'some" brand Smartie knockoff
candies. 8/2/09: Showing up at Targets in California. 8/6: Found 'em
at Target in Manhattan. These are the same sort of thing that came out for
Iron Man. They shoot the candies out of the neck rather than simply offering
them up like Pez does.
MOVIE VIEWERS: Tubes of candy (sours or gumballs) topped by a little
monocular viewer (push button to change scene) and what looks to be a
simplified version of the keychain figures of Optimus Prime or Bumblebee.
$3.49 at TRU.
WEAR IT
WINTER GEAR: 10/22/09: Kid-sized winter boots in black with yellow
trim and images of Bumblebee and Optimus Prime are at Walmart for $22.
10/26: At the FYE in the Mall of America has been spotted...a Revenge of
the Fallen Snuggie. 10/31: Hastings is carrying a series of knit cap and
"one size fits all" gloves with various brandings, including Iron Man, GI Joe
and Transformers, for $12.99. The TF hat has Bumblebee (RotF) on it, with
yellow outline Autobot symbols printed on the backs of the gloves.
WATCHES: 7/17/09: Walmart has a $7 digital watch with swappable rubber
flip-up covers, one with movie Bumblebee and one with the Autobot symbol.
7/18: Not sure where this one is on sale, I spotted it in one of those scammy
claw-retrieval arcade things. It's a watch that detatches from the band and
transforms into a blocky Optimus Prime, and it's in RotF packaging. The
Walmart I saw it at didn't have it for regular sale, but pretty much
everything in that claw machine was available for retail (i.e. it's not a
claw-machine-exclusive). 9/17: Hastings is carrying a pair of transforming
watches (I don't think Prime is the same as the one I saw in the claw
machine) for $9.99, Prime and BB. Very blocky, as one might expect. 10/31:
K-Mart is carrying the transforming watches from the 9/17 Hastings sighting
now, also $9.99. Not really worth it. 11/14: Walmart has these watches for
$7.
BACKPACKS: Target is starting to put out their back to school stuff in
order to torment kids, some of whom just got out of school the other week.
The assortment includes backpacks with movie Bumblebee and G1 Optimus Prime
for $14.99. 7/4/09: Starting to show up. 7/6: TRU has a different style of
backpack, plus "lunch kits" (soft-sided lunchbox, possibly with thermos).
For July, a buying any backpack at TRU gets a free lunch kit. 7/11: Target
has two lunch bags in stock. For $7.99 a softsided one with a lenticular
motion image of Prime and Bumblebee that has them change poses, and for $9.99
at two-section one with the Autobot symbol. 7/12: The lenticular softside
bag is available at Walmart for $7, plus a Bumblebee-deco one of the same
variety (but non-lenticular) for $7. 7/18: Walmart has two varietys of $10
backpack. One has Optimus Prime, the other uses the same lenticular art as
the softsided lunch kit. 8/20: A packpack-shaped metal lunchbox that zips
closed and has a little (as in, I could fit three fingers in but not four)
nylon mesh handle on top. 9" (23cm) tall, 3.5" (9cm) deep, with Prime and
Bumblebee on the front. $6.50.
DOG TAGS: Blind-packed sets with a dog tag and trading card, 24 in
total plus holofoil chase variants. Target also has a carded two-pack of
these with an extra card based on the teaser movie poster. 6/28/09:
Target in Harbor City CA, Torrance CA. $2.99 for the singlepacks, in the
trading card section. 6/29: Safe to say they're in all Targets, the way they
stock trading cards. The two-pack is actually one dogtag and one sticker
pack for $4.99, so you pay an extra penny for the poster-card. Note, these
count as "Transformers items" for purposes of the "10% off 2, 15% off three,
20% off four" coupons at Target, so you can get free dog tags or trading
stickers if you're planning on buying one or two larger toys. Also, while
there's 24 different tags, there aren't 24 different characters on
them...several characters get multiple tags, and there's also faction symbol
tags. Fairly cheap feeling, all told, I don't plan to buy a second unless
it's "free" because I'm bumping up another Target coupon. 6/30: Walmart is
also carrying them. There wasn't a price tag, but $2.97 seems likely given
the other stuff in that part of their trading card section.
COSTUMES: Halloween-style costumes (bodystocking, plus plastic masks)
of Prime and Bumblebee. 5/13/09: TRU in Torrance CA. 5/19: TRU in
Nationwide CA, Culver City CA, Redlands CA. 6/4: Walmart in Torrance CA.
6/6: Walmart in Junction City KS. $19.97, it's for very small kids, maybe
kindergarten age. 6/13: There's blister-carded Optimus Prime and Bumblebee
costumes as well, they seem to be the same as the boxed ones, and the same
price. 8/1: Smaller blister-carded costumes of Optimus Prime and Bumblebee,
with the costume wadded up behind the mask, are on sale in some places for
$10. 9/15: Target has "Regular" costumes of Prime and Bumblebee for $20 that
have a mask and jumpsuit, or "Deluxe" with the addition of a chestplate and
an armpiece (smokestack for Prime, BB's arm armor). You can also get a
really cheesy molded-sheet Optimus Prime sword (right arm only) for $8 and
some large faction symbol temporary tattoos for $4. At Walmart, the
"regular" costume is $12 and seems to be the same as Target's $20, but I
didn't have the two side by side to compare. The $20 "Deluxe" set at Walmart
has padded muscles molded in. 9/17: Walmart also has infant-sized Prime
costumes with a half-mask for $17.
SLEEP WEAR: 4/27/09: Target has three-piece (pants, shirt, undershirt)
sleep suits with Revenge of the Fallen logos and art. They use that same
sort of "movie designs through a TF:A filter" style seen on placemats last
year. $14.99, boys' sizes 4-16. 11/14: Walmart has two-piece flannel
pyjamas with Optimus Prime and Bumblebee on them for $14, or just sleep pants
for $8. 1/6/10: Walmart has adult-sized sleep pants with either flaming
Autobot symbols or energized Decepticon symbols, $11.50 a pair.
BEACH GEAR: Boys' sizes 4-18 swim trunks and shirts are available at
Target for $10.99, and may be reused patterns from 2007. Walmart has beach
towels with Optimus Prime on them that are definitely leftovers from 2007.
OTHER
HOLIDAY STUFF: 12/28/09: Yes, Valentine's Day stuff is in stores
already. K-Mart has a set of foil-embossed RotF cards with a sheet of
stickers for $2.99. 2/6: The usual assortment of cards and stuff is out in
RotF versions. K-Mart is carrying an Easter bucket (sheet metal) in their
Easter section, with Bumblebee all over it, $5.99. 2/19: Target has their
Easter things out. They don't seem to have a new bucket, but they have
mostly-blue RotF shredded tissue "grass" and plastic eggs (none on the peg
here yet, so I dunno if they're the same ones as last yeat in a new bag).
Also, new egg decorating sets updated with stickers and standees from RotF.
2/20: Hy-Vee has a RotF Easter Basket with an Optimus Prime mask, various
cheesy toys with RotF character stickers on them (foam rockets,
pseudo-frisbees) and some eggs with candy in them. $15.99. I passed. 2/21:
K-Mart also has plastic buckets (yellow with Bumblebee on one side and the
Autobots on the other) for $4.99. The Target "eggs" are the same Autobot
symbol shape as last year, but in light blue rather than red.
CAMERA: A no-screen digital camera with some PC-only clip art and
framing stuff for image monkeying, the camera is in the shape of an Autobot
symbol and about three inches across. 9/26/09: TRU in Topeka KS.
FURNISHINGS: 8/29/09: K-Mart has an inflatable "camp chair" with movie
images on it for $9.99. 11/25: There's a headrest cover with an Autobot
symbol on it out there, Hastings has it for $15.99.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES: 7/11/09: Target has three varieties of notebook for
$1.99 each (Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Autobot group shot) and three varieties
of folder for $0.99 each (two Optimus, one BB).
GIFTCARDS: K-Mart has store giftcards with Bumblebee on the front.
Non-transforming cards, sorry. 6/13/09: Spotted in Topeka, so probably
available everywhere.
TRADING CARDS: This time around, it's 2 trading cards (rather smaller
set), 3 stickers and one "insert" (temporary tattoo or other gimmick thing)
per $1.99 pack. 6/9/09: Target has them both singly in their checkout-area
trading card sections and in "two packs for $3.99, save an anti-penny!"
clamshells back by toys. The regular cards I got in the one pack I bought
were a comicbook adaptation card (claiming the comic "perfectly" adapts the
movie, riiiight) and a "recap" card with stuff from the first movie. So
there may be a later set that's more traditional and focuses on RotF.
RIDES: There's skateboards and kids' scooters (110 lb max weight) with
RotF deco on them. 6/7/09: Skateboards $19.99 and scooters $39.99 at K-Mart,
although K-Mart has 15% off all scooters this week. 6/13: TRU is carrying
the scooter. 6/28: Target's weekly ad shows a 16" wheel bicycle with
training wheels and a big Autobot symbol on the front for $64.99. 8/11:
Target has small skateboards with Optimus or Bumblebee deco for $17.99.
DINING STUFF: 5/13/09: Walmart has a 12oz thermos and a 3-piece dining
set (plate, bowl, cup) in stock, with RotF imagery. The plate and bowl are
octagonal. 11/30: Big Lots has added a set of four cocoa mugs to their
"grandparent gifts" aisle.
TACKLEBOX: TRU has been reported to have a lunchbox sized tacklebox or
car case with various decos from the 2007 movie and from Revenge of the
Fallen. It may be intended as an accessory for the non-transforming 1:72
scale car line, and should probably also hold most Legends. $9.99, also
listed online. 4/27: I've seen the tacklebox at Target for $8.29, along with
a fishing pole set for about $13. It's definitely intended as a tacklebox,
not any other sort of storage. It also sucks quite badly in person.
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