The Italian website Gamepeople has now brought us some in-package stock photos of the upcoming Titans Return Leader class Twin Cast & Autobot Blaster and Autobot Apex & Powermaster Optimus Prime figures. This gives us a great, clear look at their Generations-styled black boxes and accompanying artwork, as well as another front view of the toys themselves.
Check them out after the break!
Nevermore
More photos, from UK distributor A.B.Gee:
From Entertainment Earth:
Yobuster
Those boxes look pretty good, just like the current style, clear and shows the toy off nicely.
shadowfall1976
Why is it a bias to want the best looking version for a particular taste? I don't like unpainted rims and missing detail on a figure I don't plan to buy another of, not even a MP.
I want painted rims and cab stripes, not a version without, to me the extra money is worth it. And I have no issue paying it every so often. Mostly I buy Hasbro because I don't see a need to pay extra, but I'll be three Combiners into Takara when Computron and Bruticus are released, Hasbro's just didn't cut it from Defensor on for me.
Takara will get my money for Prime, not sure about the main Headmasters, I never cared about them so much in the toon, but I had the toys. So, not sure it's worth it for the new heads for them, and I want to see if they do a more toon colored Blurr instead of the almost monochromish Hasbro one.
Sometimes the Takara version is just worth it to some to pay a bit more for a less toyish look, sometimes its not because the look isn't that different.
knoted
Wow, except for literally a handful of figures, i have never seen you happy/content about any Transformer.
payres
There's a 2 pack Optimus Primal vs Megatron boxset in repainting Mindwipe and Skullcruncher for a start.
Another of the same characters when they do Apeface and Snapdragon.
Weidwolf as K9.
There we go, most of the way there to next year's convention theme, Headmaster Beast Wars celebrating the 20th anniversary of the BW cartoon and the 30th anniversary of Headmasters.
Timothy.R
at this point i'm just disliking so much that i'd really just like to see more beast wars figures.. but i'm sure i'd wind up disappointed with those as well. beast wars designs seem like they'd be too complex for hasbro to waste the money creating.
hopefully takara will add a masterpiece beast wars megatron to go with primal, and maybe if a miracle happens we'd get a dinobot as well.
SouthtownKid
Yeah, there is supposed to be. Although how they would plan to attach something is a complete mystery to me. Especially over the already huge legs.
GizmoTron
I might be remembering wrong, but I think an Apex Armor/God Bomber was talked about among all of those toy rumors from the Transmissions podcast.
RavageX9
Unless there's a God Bomber down the line, I'm not a bit interested in this mold after my disappointment with the cheap feel of Mangus.
Novaburnhilde
These two look pretty awesome.
Exinferis
This. Exactly this. Some Americans seem to think that the World begins and ends at their boarders and no-one else exists!
Since Hasbro picks and chooses what products it releases in the UK based seemingly on when God farts, it's often easier and cheaper to get Takara's products directly from Japan. If I also get a better product as well, then that's a bonus!
Frankly I'm sick of missing out on stuff just because Hasbro can't be arsed to release it outside of the USA. Honestly, you Americans don't know how easy you have it!
Murasame
There is only 2 stores left which carry transformers here. It's most of the time wasted time checking what they've got.
Haywired
^
This. Sometimes Takara is a choice made not by me, but because $$$.
If it happends to have more bling as well?
Bring it.
And I have no desire to go hunting for figures when it can be ordered online, so…
To make it funnier, Polish import tax is paid only when shipment reaches a certain value. Below this treshold it's only VAT which is calculated as a percentage of product+shipment.
And obviously shipment from Japan is Yen, so it is cheaper than in $. And can be even cheaper than in UK Pounds, so a figure bought in Japan will end cheaper than a figure ordered from UK because if they're both below this import tax treshold it does not matter if both Poland and UK are EU countries… Because this time there won't be an import tax on a Japanese figure anyway. Cheaper overall product+shipment value = lover VAT to pay.
On a good day I can get Takara figures at the same or a very near price as some overpriced Polish importers ask for Hasbro figures. Lulz…
Still, I went with Hasbro on some figures because more cartoon accurate not always looks better executed in plastic. It was paing more for a figure only because Hasbro color choices looked nicer to me.
Yeah, it's usually retailers not Hasbro who's skipping waves or overpricing, but as an end customers many collectors may simply not care who's responsible… They just look for what's better priced or more available.
Looking for things in different stores also translates to either commuting or gas and time spent.
YoungPrime
Yeah I had to skip that Leader Class Megatron and those Seekers. Would a it have made sense if Hasbro had made a Thunderwing and/or Black Shadow retool out of Jetfire instead? I mean I would've grabbed them both.
MWG
So these two are supposed to both be in the first wave of TR leaders?
Anyhow, I probably will grab the Optimus early on and wait for a sale (aka a decent HTS coupon) to get Blaster & Soundwave. Hasbro really should consider bringing back the Ultra size class, lots of characters would be good in it.
+-MWG-+
Robogeek28
I wondered how long it would take for someone to correct that.
Thanks man.
Nevermore
I've checked out multiple stores; overall, I'd say distribution in Germany has gotten a lot better in the past few years compared to what it was like during the Armada days.
You still have to check multiple stores by different chains, because not every store is getting every wave.
In terms of Combiner Wars, I've personally seen the following figures at retail multiple times:
– Legends wave 1 (Powerglide, Thundercracker, Bombshell and Windcharger – still clogging shelves in many places due to numerous re-shipments and revision waves)
– Legends Blackjack (only as part of a wave 4 revision case; currently still available in many places)
– Legends wave 3 (Groove, Warpath and Viper – this one was comparably short-lived in the long run, but nevertheless available at multiple chains)
– Legends wave 4 (Rodimus and Skywarp, with more of Warpath and Groove – currently still available in many places)
– Deluxe wave 1 (Alpha Bravo, Skydive, Firefly and Dragstrip – still clogging shelves in many places)
– Deluxe wave 3 (Streetwise, First Aid, Blades and Rook – still available in many places)
– Deluxe wave 4 (Prowl, Sunstreaker, Mirage and Ironhide – still available in many places)
– Deluxe wave 5 (Vortex, Brawl, Swindle and Blast Off – this one is still comparably rare, but I've seen it at Toys"R"Us, Real and Galeria Kaufhof thus far)
– Voyager wave 1 (Optimus Prime and Silverbolt – still available in some places)
– Voyager wave 3 (Hot Spot and Cyclonus – still available in some places)
– Voyager wave 4 (Battle Core Optimus Prime, but NO Motormaster – apparently got a re-shipment at several Toys"R"Us stores recently)
– Leader wave 1 (Megatron and Armada Megatron – apparently exclusive to Toys"R"Us stores)
I've also seen Voyager Scattershot at one store (which still had him yesterday), and there are a few reports of Onslaught having been found as well, but thus far this wave is scarce – in fact, it appears most stores currently aren't stocking any Voyagers.
Figures we've completely missed out on:
– Legends Huffer
– Deluxe wave 2 (Air Raid, Dead End, Offroad and Breakdown)
– Voyager Motormaster
– Any Leaders after wave 2
– Titan Devastator
Hasbro isn't really skipping waves that often all things considered; most of the time, it's stores skipping certain waves, and then it's usually due to how the distribution system works. For example, store A orders another wave of Voyagers in February and gets sent wave 3; whereas store B orders another wave in March and gets sent wave 4. So store A probably won't get wave 4, and store B never got wave 3.
I also have a new theory for why wave 2 of all Combiner Wars assortments was skipped in Europe last year: I think it was mainly due to timing. At this time of the year, stores are very reluctant to order new toys, and Combiner Wars was launched at the most inconvenient time possible, with wave 2 scheduled to hit when stores were not interested in ordering new product, so Hasbro decided to skip it as far as Europe was concerned.
Murasame
Like Darkstone said. Yesterday I was at the store and they still have Combiner Wars Wave 1 Dragstrip, Fireflight and who else was in this line. Nothing new since then. I once saw Cyclonus in another store. So I have to order online anyway. And then it's up to the best paintjob. And in cases like Ultra Magnus and Springer I chose the Hasbro version. So I don't see that as TT bias at all.
knoted
Because he evokes the original Powermaster Prime very well ?
Leader Soundwave will fit very nicely alongside Leader Galvatron. Afteral, TR is all about reliving the Headmaster era. Time to move on from season 1 and 2 man.
TR Skullsmasher, Mindwipe, Scourge and Astrotrain will make for an excellent Decepticon line up as well.
Darkstone
What Murasame said. I actually pay like 5-10 bucks more for a TT figure, maybe even less considering I ship other stuff from Japan alongside them so I don’t pay shipping and fees just for the Transformer.
And finding a Hasbro Transformer doesn’t sound easy considering I hear stuff about Hasbro skipping waves around here all the time. And I don’t even know a toy-store in my area that stocks Transformers. Maybe the RiD stuff and a few cases of Generations at best.
Anyways, importing is nearly the same cost-wise, much easier to do, and I get IMO better painted or sometimes retooled figures. It’s rather hard for me to care about what Hasbro releases at this point. Which is not to say that I think their products are bad, I just rather pay a few bucks more for a Takara figure.