The third assortment of the Robots in Disguise Mini-Cons has finally been sighted in the US. The set of four figures – consisting of Swelter, Hammer, Blizzard Strike Stripstream, and Back (known in some online releases as Forth) – was spotted at a Marshall’s / Home Goods store in Gurnee, Illinois by TFW2005 member EShadowP. It looks like this assortment – making an appearance long after it first appeared overseas – is going straight to the Market 6 stores, bypassing your usual big box retailers.
Happy hunting, one and all!
Nevermore
Three of them are now in stock at Walmart.com ("sold by Walmart.com") for $4.93 each.
Blizzard Strike Slipstream
Swelter
Back/Forth
Unfortunately, Hammer is only available as a marketplace item ("sold by Toywiz") for $10.99.
Nevermore
What manufacturing date codes are stamped onto the back of the packaging?
mrduce1018
Oh, that is my mistake then. I thought it was discovered that part of the problem with the missing new waves of Minicons was due to the same issue with the 4 pack. Well this is disheartening indeed. Glad I am only missing those two, but hunting them will suck….
Thank you for the correction
Nevermore
I'm afraid I have to correct you, but you got that one wrong: The single pack Mini-Cons all have individual UPC barcodes.
It's the three Mini-Con 4-Packs, all of which have been found at US retail, that share the same UPC barcode:
BBCW Distributors :: Temporarily Out Of Stock :: Transformers Robots In Disguise Figures – Mini-Con 4-Pack – AS00
BBCW Distributors :: Temporarily Out Of Stock :: Transformers Robots In Disguise Figures – Mini-Con 4-Pack – AS01
BBCW Distributors :: Temporarily Out Of Stock :: Transformers Robots In Disguise Figures – Mini-Con 4-Pack – AS02
mrduce1018
I have the 'Forth' version, but since he is the 'harder to find/get' version, I am not going to open it. But I would be interested to see what the name is on the instruction sheet as well.
I was able to purchase all the RID Minicons through wave 6, with the exception of Wave 5 Lord Doomitron and Bashbreaker. However, before I open any of them I would like to see how these will all filter out to retail/online stores. We know they have been made, we know they were shown and solicited by Hasbro. Unfortunately they all have the same UPC (?) code, that Nevermore discovered and thus is the reason why the different waves haven't shown up in the stores.
Sucks for Minicons collectors and those who were looking forward to the Weaponizers.
griffin-of-oz
That is extraordinary…
It's like a running change, and there were enough of both varieties for both versions to end up in the one master carton or location.
I echo what Nevermore is wanting to know, as it would be interesting to see what name is on the instructions for Decepticon Forth. Then again, even if it has "Back" on the instructions, it wouldn't be the first time we've had mismatched names between packaging and instructions, so I'd still consider it as "Forth" who is a clone brother to "Back" (we certainly had a lot of them in the RID cartoon).
I think this could just end up being treated by fans as the same situation as the BotCon Seekers in 2009, in that they were the exact same toy but each one had a different name… prompting many people to keep all three.
TFXProtector
I ended up buying Takara Crazybolt from BBTS. If ALL Deployers had been designed like this guy, no one would bat an eye at buying them.
This is what a Deployer should've been all along. Pretty much full articulation, a rather intricate transformation (for a Deployer, akin to Warrior/Deluxe Class) and just an all around nice figure.
EShadowP
They were regular price, no discount.
Mine was "Decepticon Back" on both the card and the instructions.
HARD RAINBOW
Shit, so does this mean we won't be seeing the single releases of the Mini-Con Weaponizers?
I really wanted those things!
The only weaponizer I get is ugly one from the 4-pack that looks like binoculars
MartyFeeb
That's a good point… seems like the Deployer line is a bust, except that the mini-cons are NOT being clearanced in some Targets (might be a timing thing, though).
I find it odd that Target is not making extra space on shelves (for TR) by clearancing CW. Clearly, the CW toys are selling better than RID? Well, at least better than Deployers, I guess.
Still, let me be the first to voice DISAPPOINTMENT that Marshall's finally gets something TF (other than non-converting Titans like Drift), and it's RID. Great.
Ikkstakk
Target (or at least the Targets in this area) have already clearanced the Deployers and removed their shelf space. I'd be interested to know if other retailers are following suit, whether with the Deployers or with any of the other lines.
Nevermore
I'd really, REALLY be curious what name is printed on the instructions for these two versions.
Pimpimus Prime
I found both Back and Forth at Marshalls.
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Nevermore
There's quite the backlog as far as RID releases at US retail are concerned. This wave is particularly outstanding, though – it was stocked by US-based online retailers like BBTS, ToyWiz and Entertainment Earth as early as last November.
Deployer Crazybolt is also massively overdue.
BB Shockwave
Huh, only now? It has been out in Europe for months. Weird that the USA gets things later than us these days.
Then again, you guys had the other minicon 4-pack, with the show-accurate Hammer and Anvil, wish we got that.
Hollywood Hoist
What was the price on those? Were they discounted or the same price as other stores?
EShadowP
Yeah, I was surprised to see them, I just assumed I missed their regular retail release. It wasn't until I started looking around at the boards that I realized they never seemed to have a regular retail release in the US.
TFXProtector
Marshall's?! They're already moving them to closeout/discount stores?!
No wonder I couldn't find them. That's ridiculous.
Nevermore
… I just said it over in the other thread… yeah, those have been looooooong overdue. Like, eight friggin' months overdue.
Now it's only three more waves awaiting a US retail release.
Also, interestingly, it's "Decepticon Back" again, which makes "Decepticon Forth" a US online retailer exclusive name variant.
EShadowP
Found these four at a Marshall's/Home Goods store in Gurnee, IL today.