Who COMES UP with these ???

[geekacres]

So I stopped off at my local Target over the lunch hour. Hoping they might have a Black CC or a Joe Trooper of any flavor (they didn't). What they did have was a couple of Zartans and a few Dukes. But mostly SE, SS, and Roadblock. Gonna guess about 16 to 18 figures in all.

On my way back down the aisle I stopped, briefly, to look at the Transformer pegs. In the space reserved for the Prime toys they had FIFTEEN Bumblebees. Thats it. At least with Joe, there was an assortment of figures. I can't believe that someone at Hasbro honestly believes that Bumblebee is such a popular figure that he is that disproportionate to the rest of his case-mates.

So does anyone know ? What sort of thought process goes into case assortment ? Yeah, I get that the new movie seems to be about ninjas, so we've got our SE and our SS. And yeah, I get that that The Rock is the face of the franchise for the moment. But it just seems that someone's decision making process is out of whack.

[Dem_Yoe'z!]

Welcome to the "core concept" mentality :(

[DarkHorse]

Could not give a shit about Transformers to be honest.

[r3v3n63]

This is something that has been frustrating me, it would seem better distribution to just do an even number of figures per case and if sales are good for a specific figure then just include the more popular ones in future waves. Isn't that how Joes originally were released? Now it seems that we get tons of specific characters while things that people would buy multiples of, like troops, only get one per case.

[jeffafa]

The thought processes is that kids love Bumblebee (I guess from feedback from the movies) and they focus case assortments on getting enough BBs to the kids.
And they say collectors dont make up the majority of people buying toys. I think what you saw alone should be enough evidence that they are wrong.
But they will never listen...

[Cdt Weasel]

I do wonder about their assortment choices, sure have lots of bumblebees at xmas time release, when kids and parents will buy them up, but give variety the rest of the year when they are bought for other reasons.

[sharky]

If there was nothing but bumblebees I suspect someone bought all the pegwarmers from their local store and returned them to your local store. This way his store gets in new cases while your store sits on the pegwarmers and will never order a case until they are all gone. Nice isn't it.

[cobracobra]

Bumblebee is the Snake Eyes of Transformers. I cared about the Classics but it just gets to be way to much money for characters I didn't know existed prior to being released.

[geekacres]

And I was just using this (rather drastic) Transformers example to illustrate my point. We fight the same battle, whether its Joes or Avengers, or whatever. I think r3v3n63 is on to something. With a less skewed case pack, fans would be happier and Hasbro just might make more cash in the final analysis. Tweak the later case packs if something is selling extremely well. Win/Win. The alternative, of course, is sending boxes of mangled-hands roadblock off to Ross.

[Outback 2094]

If the cases were 12 different figures, we would just hear people get upset because they can't find the "new" Duke or Snake Eyes. Whether the Collector Community agrees or not, characters like Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow and even Duke, are popular with the kids... Of course, all the "hot" Troop Builders would still be the first to go.

[Trigue]

Seen something like that the local wal-mart. They've been out of GIJoe since May, but the two Halo pegs have about 10 each of the same two figures and only those two.

[Steevy Maximus]

Tweak the later case packs if something is selling extremely well. Win/Win.
You forget that most of those casepacks are done MONTHS ahead of when something reaches retail.

Hasbro's ability to tweak is limited to when they find out and how far product is. On average, you are looking at a 4-6 month MINIMUM before Hasbro can realistically address any issues you see at retail NOW.
A good example is GI Joe 25th:
The line launched in late summer 2007, and pretty much sold out and remained so through early 2008. We didn't start seeing noticeably increased production until wave 7, which hit in the spring of 2008 (around March). And Hasbro wasn't able to address the availability of rare figures (like Flint or Firefly) until the revision cases started hitting around August of 2008

Also remember that no two regions sell product at exactly the same rate. For every region that has piles of Bumblebee, you have one of mine where Walmart is sitting on three Bumblebees and two Ratchets in the Prime section (or a Dark of the Moon section filled with Mudflap).

Current case packouts are designed to fill as many markets as possible, and considering Hasbro's been doing so going on since the fall of 2010, I'd say the issue isn't as severe as collectors make it out to be.

[AirborneRigger]

The thought processes is that kids love Bumblebee

Yep! My son loves Bumblebee the most, BUT he's starting to love all of the others too bc he watches TF Prime and the 80s TF cartoons.

I bought him a Jetfire from the little Battle line they have and he refuses to call it Jetfire bc in the 80s cartoon they call him Skyfire, so that's what he calls it! lol

[MonkeyBoyZ]

The the wave 1 case assortment for the TF Prime figures is a little crazy. Out of 12, 3 are Bumblebee and then 1 of each other character in that wave, including the 1 troop builder in the line. That seems like it would be a bad idea from the get go as the only possible outcome is Bumblebee peg warming. Unless he doesn't show up in any other waves, like he does in wave 2.
There must be some weird math that Hasbro uses to decide the cases for their toys.

[EvilMonkeyPrime]

Case assortments are just getting worse. 1 red ninja 1 joe trooper per. Come on how do you think those won't be builders. I maintain do 2 sets of cases hobbie and retail. Just like cards. Load the hobbie with troop builds and load retail with "core characters". Let us give you $$$ hasbro. And please please stop doing wave 1 wave 2 refresh of wave 1&2 wave 3 wave 4. Don't put the refresh till all the waves are out. Anyone with me?

[fireflyguy]

I wish toys were only sold online and not in retail at all anymore.

Not really, but this might as well be the case.

[Dem_Yoe'z!]

Case assortments are just getting worse. 1 red ninja 1 joe trooper per. Come on how do you think those won't be builders. I maintain do 2 sets of cases hobbie and retail. Just like cards. Load the hobbie with troop builds and load retail with "core characters". Let us give you $$$ hasbro. And please please stop doing wave 1 wave 2 refresh of wave 1&2 wave 3 wave 4. Don't put the refresh till all the waves are out. Anyone with me?

I'm with you on this one. The only refreshes before all waves are released should be troop builders (I can't believe they can't predict which troop builders are going to sell like crazy).

If they have to do it for non troop builders, they could at least switch it up a bit by making running changes, maybe changing the colors to make TF/PP/environmental themed versions

[AlleyViperEXE]

I think by this point in time, Hasbro should realize that just about any and all troop builders sell. I don't think there was a single "generic" troop from PoC that sat on shelves for too long. For Retaliation, Red Ninjas and Joe Troopers don't even seem like they hit the shelves. And Cobra Troopers only last about a day or two before they're gone.

At the very least, if they don't want to release builders at retail stores, they could produce more and offer online. I can see wanting more core characters at retail for kids--especially in the case of, say, Retaliation where the movie it attached. Kids are probably going to want a Snake Eyes and a Roadblock because they see those characters as being "cool."

Meanwhile, as collectors, we probably have what we already deem to be the "best" versions of those characters, and would just like to bolster our armies. :D

[r3v3n63]

I'm with you on this one. The only refreshes before all waves are released should be troop builders (I can't believe they can't predict which troop builders are going to sell like crazy).

If they have to do it for non troop builders, they could at least switch it up a bit by making running changes, maybe changing the colors to make TF/PP/environmental themed versions

I would just be happy with same color scheme as long as there is enough to go around. Changing the color would probably mean more changes in production which is energy I would rather have focused in getting what they say they are going to release out to the public. Hasbro does this with Star Wars figures and I guess it must work since they are still doing it but with Joes? We are kind of a niche crowd, I've not seen ANY kids even look at Joes (although I admittedly do not get around) I've only seen guys my age rooting through the pegs so why that tactic for selling this line? I donno, it just seems that if I wanted to have a successful business I would find a way to get the product to the customer and replenish the stock that is in demand. I don't care if distribution is done on an online system, brick-and -mortar or whatever. It just needs to get to the people who buy it and if distribution was better then I think it would alleviate so many issues with this toy line.

[youdoitimbusy]

Deja vue?

[Beckley]

Each case of Wave One has two Snake Eyes and two Storm Shadows.
Both Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow are featured in one of the Three Packs.
Wave Two, (whenever we see it) will also feature A Snake Eyes and a Storm Shadow.
It's way more than I need, if anything I just wish the Ninja Showdown set had two Red Ninjas vs Snake Eyes instead of the Storm Shadow.
Oh well.

[Crystal Ball]

Bumblebee is the Snake Eyes of Transformers.

That is the most awful thing I have ever read in my life.

[theprocess]

That is the most awful thing I have ever read in my life.

So you made me laugh...but in all seriousness, you should have seen that comment from a mile away.

[5h4rK]

Could not give a shit about Transformers to be honest.

^^^This! Thank you..

[Sithcobra]

ive noticed everyone has alot of bee's there's 3 in a case and no one seems to buy him so pop nothing but the lil fa...ahem sorry but same happens with gi joe both targets here keeps restocking tho twice a week they restockin sat from what they told me and said beginning of july an ret end cap goes up--sooo fig i post it on here

[CrimsonGuard101]

pegwarming 101...its a new course at Joecon...should sign up..explains this whole concept in explicit detail

[jestermon]

It's no exageration the prime sections of the toy isles are nothing but BB at my 2 local WM.

[EvilMonkeyPrime]

Each case of Wave One has two Snake Eyes and two Storm Shadows.
Both Snake Eyes & Storm Shadow are featured in one of the Three Packs.
Wave Two, (whenever we see it) will also feature A Snake Eyes and a Storm Shadow.
It's way more than I need, if anything I just wish the Ninja Showdown set had two Red Ninjas vs Snake Eyes instead of the Storm Shadow.
Oh well.

If the 3 pack was 2 red ninjas and the black&red ninja. Man I would have spent way more. It's so sad they have to stuff a "core character into almost every multipack. Like marvel how many spider-man 2 packs plus the singles plus the spidy line.

[EvilMonkeyPrime]

Star wars has it the worst 4 new figs out of 12. Brutal and they all have t-crotch man I feel bat for those guys. Marvel is better mostly 2 per case. Comic packs horrible they stuff pegwarmers in the new cases and have the most anticipated 1 per case. At least the way they did card art for singles they can put anything in refresh cases. Give us a shot at some early figs. Come on ms marvel (not classic again) the other 2.

[Zanzibar]

What pisses me off with the new Dark Knight Rises 6 inch movie masters, 1st wave is only 1 Alfred, 2 Banes and 3 Batmans. So whenever I hit target and they seem to restock wave 1, all i see is Banes/Batmans, Alfred is ALWAYS gone by the time I get there. Thankfully it isn't a problem at Barnes & Noble.

[Sithcobra]

What pisses me off with the new Dark Knight Rises 6 inch movie masters, 1st wave is only 1 Alfred, 2 Banes and 3 Batmans. So whenever I hit target and they seem to restock wave 1, all i see is Banes/Batmans, Alfred is ALWAYS gone by the time I get there. Thankfully it isn't a problem at Barnes & Noble.

i been seeing all of em in stock....over stock

[brcthrift]

My WM had about 8 Cliffjumpers and 1 Soundwave.

[Psycho Joe Guy]

Did anyone mention the new wave of TF Prime has 2 of a BB repaint? ...bitches!