The Official Transformers Collectors’ Club has posted an update on their homepage regarding when we can start seeing the subscription figures start to ship out:
We apologize that it has taken so long to get back to all of you concerning the first ship date, but we have been waiting on our confirmation. There was an internal issue at Hasbro that has caused the figures’ ship date to slip a fair amount. As of this week, Hasbro is telling us to expect the figures in late April/early May. We are sorry for the delay. Please know that we are pushing as hard as we can to get them here.
We will keep you updated and appreciate your patience!
Lumpy
saw that too, glad to hear.
Valkysas
Second billing for sub service is also delayed according to botcon on twitter. Will still hit around when the second figure ships.
stad
I would guess (speculate) that is just you speculating. It is likely any delays due to Chinese New Year would've already been built into the time frames already, as it's not something unexpected.
Lumpy
Isn't Chinese New Year soon too? That could be partially responsible with the delay, as they shut down for a decent amount of time, if I understand correctly. Of course, that could just be me speculating.
Sharpfinger
Some people are too much angry. This is the first time that we have the Transformers Subscription Service. Delays and issues are expected. And… everybody delays some figures: MattyCollector, 3rd Parties, Takara… oh boy… major companies have not only delays but also toys that are announced and aren't released!
Yeah, this is what I'll do. Wait. I am waiting Fortress Maximus, can wait those Club figures, too.
This is a good question that I would like to see answered.
Probably. Or, if we are lucky, they combine two or more figures in the first shipment.
Theory: Hasbro is using the factories to delivers their product earlier. That delays some Takara and FunPub figures that uses the same factories. And I can bet that Takara have priority to use the production lines when Hasbro stop to use them… and FunPub ends with the last free slots, after Hasbro and Takara (and God knows who more else is using those factories).
Dragonclaw
I agree wholeheartedly. As a collector who suddenly found myself a lot pickier in the last couple years I look at the sub and know I don't want everything…and with the increased output of the MP line, 3rd party combiners, and other brands (SOC, SRC, FiguArts, Monsterarts, etc) I am questioning going to Botcon even though it's in my home state, and what my future with the club is. I'm not sure it's relevant to me anymore and when most of their news really is dedicated to delays and putting out fires it makes them appear much more expendable.
sunlink
I think part of the problem is that the Club only really makes themselves relevant only a few times a year. People are generally happy with the Club when Botcon is announced, when it Botcon is happening, when the Membership figure is announced/released, when the FSS figures are announced/released and also whenever there's a cool e-Hobby tie-in. So if something negative happens, whether it's their fault or not, there just isn't enough good news or offerings by the Club to counter the negative things.
Like GB said, there are delays as we've seen with Fort Max and people kinda glossed over it since it was a delay in forking over a decent amount of money. But the fact T/T has announced more Masterpieces (among other things) only help people get excited about what's happening as opposed to dwelling on delays or other "negative" things. The Club really just needs to make itself relevant throughout the whole year as opposed to just a handful – even if those handful of events are generally big announcements.
And no I dont think the magazine satisfies as helping the Club stay relevant. It's nice. But it also gets outdated pretty fast. Now if they offered coupons from those who put ads in it then that would be start. Or monthly contests or showcasing collectors/customs/art/etc on their website instead of just in the mag would be nice. I know it would be a big task but starting up local (or area) "Official" club meetings to help fans gather would make things interesting. I just see so much potential for what an "Official" club could offer that would need little oversight from Hasbro.
goldent
I have to agree. For the past 3 years I've been contemplating dropping my subscription, but there's always something that keeps me on the hook for 1 more round. Last year, it was the twins. The subscription service is nice, but not that appealing since you're paying close to the cost of a BC set on top of a BC set when that comes out. The club store does not offer anything appealing that you can't get in the stores, through connections, etc…TFCC's product delays are annual whether it's the freebie, the exclusives or the post-BS sets, so it's a natural expectation to me.
Factor in the cost of some these great 3rd Party offerings on the horizon, plus whatever Toy Fair shows us in a few weeks, we're either going to be dancing on poles for extra money, or robbing banks as our new hobby. Does all of this play into the decision making process of renewing regardless of if you are a collector or not? Yes.
G.B. Blackrock
My two cents.
I'm not particularly interested in whose fault the delay is. I don't particularly blame TCC. It has been pointed out that we've seen a number of toys from Takara get delayed recently (Fort Max being, to me, the most prominent example). As has been said, delays happen.
I'm just getting tired of seeing it happen so often. TCC puts out so few toys per year (especially if you're not including BotCon-specific merchandise, which to the best of my knowledge has never failed to be there at the time of the convention) that any delay becomes immediately noticeable, and as the delays pile up year after year, it just gets frustrating.
But, for me, it's far more of a "*sigh*, again?" frustration than a "AGAIN? *rage!*" kind of frustration. I just want to see the problems fixed such that delays start to appear more the exception (again, for non-BotCon toys) rather than the rule.
I'm also a bit scared that the delays will push the next set of subscription figures back, such that we end up skipping a year between sets. But, to be fair, even though that threatened to be the case back in the early days of the club (we kind of lost 2009 in regard to the "annual" pair of figures to order from the club site), they've more than kept pace since then, so we've actually averaged our "annual" pair of figures with less than a year's worth of wait on average since then. (Just double-checked with the relevant data page to be sure)
That gives me hope.
ninjaslacker
All i gotta say is i cant wait for that Scourge and Ultra Mammoth!
GizmoTron
Kind of wish that I had been able to pay in full already, as it is now, the next payment's could hit right around the same time as Fort Max. But more time to save up I guess.
BigPhill
Like other people, I've just got the email explaining this same situation. No mention about the next payment though. I think Pete will clear that one up once he's had a chat with Brian about it.
Autovolt 127
it happens.
Gryph
All of those things you just said are horribly ignorant.
The club doesn't even have direct contact with the factory. Everything has to first be run through Hasbro, who then deals with the factory. Right now there is currently something holding things up on the Hasbro side of things. This is not some sort of excuse. These sorts of things happen. It could be something unavoidable at the moment. Maybe the layoffs are causing a disruption in daily operations. Who knows.
I have absolutely no problem with the club taking flak for things it screws up on, but this is obviously outside of their control. Anyone who thinks they're lying when they says it's on Hasbro's end is a fool. They would have never said that without Hasbro's ok.
Matty
I hope everyone does realize that delays do happen … but unfortunately TFCC seems to be in the wrong light all too often. Even something like a delay is negative stuff for them.
Hiro Prime
It'll be futile, but here's some logic to (hopefully) calm a few people down.
TFCC is not at fault for this.
Delays happen.
Takara/Tomy have delayed Fort Max, the Alternity GTs, etc. due to some problems in the production lines.
If their releases are being pushed back, wouldn't everyone else's figures be delayed?
Like the subscription figures?
Just thinking logically here.
CodeXCDM
Because they have hiccups like these all too often.
If it isn't product delays for whatever reason… there's issues with their geocities-styled webpage… and security that might as well be from said era… as they've had a couple CC issues recently.
If I didn't really want their Scourge and Ultra Mammoth figures… I wouldn't have even bothered to get a preloaded card to buy them. Sure as heck wasn't going to put my real CC info after two years in a row reading the forums regarding CC leaks.
Also expected them to be available early in the year so I can scrap whatever figures I don't want as resale/trade fodder… and then get the two I wanted. We now have *at least* a 3-4 month wait for the first figure… and if it winds up being bi-monthly for whatever reason… we won't see the whole set finished until 2014… which stinks. Horribly.
mtmte586
Did Funpub put in orders after the latest Beast Hunters or is the agreement to only make the Funpub figures when there is some manufacturing idle time?
jestermon
Matty Collector is that you?
I love how they always blame the Chinese or the "factory" which obviously have vastly superior molding and process facilities, yet they always mess it up.
They act as if they don't own their own factories but just go randomly pick some guy in his garage to make them.
robo_rob
Poop.
I'd be more disappointed if I paid in full, but being that I did the payment plan, I'm just a bit let down. Maybe because now I have more time to put back for those payments.
Still, was looking forward to this.