POTP Wave 2
 

Hey Everyone,

No extensive introduction needed here, to state the obvious this wave is crazy scarce, from what I can tell distribution in the US is poor as well.

Just wondering:

1. Has anyone asked Hasbro? I know I know, they typically don't provide the best info but why not try? Hopefully I don't speak for myself when I say we are getting desperate
2. Has anyone asked Walmart or TRU if there are any coming down the pipe?

Not looking to speculate here, just wondering if there is any reliable info out there...

--Echo

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

Interesting. They were very slow to come admittedly, but I can put my hands on at least 8 of each in the deluxe wave right now. Oddly, Rippersnapper seems to be peg warming. Admittedly as well, the voyagers are a TAD more rare than I like seeing, legends were fine but we are waiting on restock, only saw 2 alpha Trions yes and no submaurader and NO Rodimus Unicronus yet. But, word is TRU was delayed because of the US/UK mess and were supposed to get an order for wave 2 in April that has gotten pushed until June. Take that as rumor but so far it seems accurate.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

I am usually loyal to TRU Canada (for obvious reasons...see TRU USA. LOL) but their almost complete lack of Wave 2 has been ridiculous (especially since they are stocking the newer Studio Series). I finally sent a message to their customer service tonight to ask what is up. They are pretty good with explaining these types of things.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

Multiple WMs here have stocked (and restocked) Wave 2 Deluxes, Voyagers, and Legends multiple times since early April.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

Is it possible that there are new players to the collecting world that don't post around here?

Might explain the barren shelves.

Then again, it's not like Kijiji is flooded.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

There’s no such thing as PotP deluxe wave 2. It’s a myth, like the Yeti.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

100% agree with Goaliebot.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

Eh it's starting to hit harder now.

I wonder if it was a miscalculation to release Rippersnapper on his own, without the other Terrorcons. With the Dinobots you were still able to pick up TWO limbs at once, but also, they're the Dinobots so people are getting them with the combiner as a bonus feature/afterthought.

Rippersnapper is a PERFECT toy. He is absolutely outstanding in every way and a beautiful upgrade to the G1 toy. But he doesn't have another Terrorcon to share the wave with him like Swoop and Slug did... and the spotty distro also means people are less likely to see him at the same time as Hun-Grrr and nab both.

Also, maybe it's worth noting that nothing on the packaging even really PROMOTES the combiner idea. With Combiner Wars, each team member had a "_ of 5" tag and "COMBINES TO FORM _____". POTP doesn't have that. Yes, there's a drawing of Abombinus on the box and side of the bubble, but that's not really a CALL-OUT. Rippersnapper's back of card doesn't show him as an arm or leg, and hell, Hun-Grrr's doesn't even show him as a torso. It just shows Prime Master compatibility.

So yeah all us nerds know he's a combiner, but Abominus isn't anywhere near as recognizable as the Aerialbots or Stunticon teams. The more casual grown-up fan might not even pick up on it, and if you're a kid, you have no idea you're getting part of a combiner unless you buy.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

I called Hasbro a few weeks back, because I bought a TF5 Voyager Scorn that had a misassembly.
While I had the guy on the phone, I asked about wave 2, and if it had been sent out to stores in Canada. The answer I got was vague, more or less not sure if they had been sent out, but that TRU probably wouldn't have gotten them yet, because their bankruptcy in the states is complicating the Canadian chain's orders. So maybe when that's all settled, at least TRU will start to catch up?

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

My local Walmart has had 4 potp wave 2 restocks but no leader class figures wave 2 though. They just got a full wave 2 restock with the rollback thus week but no more wave 2.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

i was tempted to order takara terrorcon set just so i can get all 5
at once. too bad there is no boxset this time around, i'd totally go for that.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

I personally managed to snag the wave 2 legends and voyagers but that's it. I was told that wave 2 deluxes came to the local Wal-Mart's but only one case to each store.
Distribution woes are the main reason why last year I decided that Power of the Primes will end my 34 years of collecting. I'll get the Masterpiece figures that I want via online retailers and that's it.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

im with bubba... i got hun grr and rippersnapper but why do they make it so difficult... I WANT TO GIVE YOU MY MONEY!

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

I wonder if maybe, with all the stuff going on with TRU in the US and the uncertainty of TRU Canadas future if the warehouses didn't cancel sending any product to TRU stores for fear of it just ending up on liquidation. It's irrelevant now, but it may take them a bit to get caught up.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

I've only seen wave 2 stuff at Walmart.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

It's so strange, seems like distributes really uneven, I have never, ever, ever seen wave 2 deluxes at mass retail, yet some of you have seen multiple shipments. Indeed it really seems like distribution issues. Thanks to Alan G and UTF for sharing the information you got from TRU/Hasbro.

And thanks for all the other posts with ideas about what's going on...

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

I got very lucky and found the wave 2 deluxes at a Walmart on my commute about a month and a half ago. Since then I've been stopping at least once a week to see if they've restocked so I could let you all know, but nothing. They got one case. My local TRU also seems to have relagated their PotP figures to some side shelf space. SS definitely has the premium shelf space.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

Although scarce i managed to find a set of wave 2.
Dont really know what the issue is?
You either find it or you dont count yourself lucky if you do.
Depends on how you often you hunt.
And if you are doing runs on a weekly basis good luck with that.
This has to be a daily routine.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

I think, in terms of production, they prioritized the studio series toys over the wave 2 stuff. Now that the first wave of studio series has been released and is sitting on shelves, Hasbro will put some production time into making the wave 2 figures.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

But what makes no sense is that for Wave 2 to have already appeared (which it did, though sparingly), they had to have been produced months ago. We know from early factory samples that wave 3 is currently in production. So wave 2 is either in a warehouse somewhere gathering dust or was just done a bit and now the production is moving on to wve 3 and studio series wave 2 (which is also already out in some places).

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

Thats only half of it. It depends on if your store actually stocks it. No walmart near me has ever stocked wave 2 deluxes, there have been 0 sightings of them around my area. So making it a daily routine is useless if nothing is stocked.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

Easily without a doubt the worst distribution I've seen with a toyline in all the years I've collected.

6 months in and we're still stuck and overstocked on Wave 1.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

Agreed. But at least we are not alone in this (Canada, I mean). The US has a rogh time too and they arent even available on BBTS. All it says is you can preorder them and they should come in the second quarter of the year (which is now).

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

This is hardly the worst distribution of a line. Transformers prime was the worst when it came out. Canada was the first to get the first edition figures but we had to wait over 6 months to get wave 2 of the main line and even then it was sparsely distributed and filled with bumblebees and then we got more wave 1 again after wave 2. Prime rid is one of the worst distribution of any lines.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

I agree. I recall being the first to sight the FE Prime 2-pack in North America; subsequently, the time between that FE wave and PRID wave 2 was embarrassingly long considering the show was initially very popular with TF fans and three core characters were in that wave, i.e. Ratchet, Knockout, and Vehicon. I recall giving up waiting and working out a trade with a TFW2005 boardmember to get those figures.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

I know, I had the first world retail sighting for fe voyagers and after feel hit we had a long wait til wave 2 of rid and almost a year for wave 2 and we had to wait for winners to get the last wave.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

I've found wave 2 at Walmart and Tru, but only like once since then. It's funny because I am glad I got the rest of the Dinobots but also they kind of suck.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

Messed up how I got Wave 2 Legends (Battleslash and Roadtrap) back in March but nothing else Wave 2 until now...

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

Distribution with Hasbro almost always happens with every other toy line or so.

I remember hearing about the Alternators line, tons of Grimlocks or Wheeljacks all end up in Europe/UK, but we never saw them here in Canada.

So the trend for the last 2 toy lines is TRU gets the first wave, then never or finally gets the later waves, while Walmart gets new waves, one after another. I don't understand how TRU just keeps getting stuck with the first waves and nothing new after, or not until a long time passes.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

I have a feeling TRU tends to overestimate demand for the first wave, orders a huge amount of it, and as a result it shelfwarms, and that has an adverse effect on any decisions to stock subsequent waves, under the impression that the line as a whole is "not popular".

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

Tons of people complaining about poor distribution of wave 2 here -> https://m.facebook.com/transformers/...72220452848139

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

Man that is hilarious, they're trying to hype up wave 3, when nobody's even had wave 2 yet. Great PR on social media, Hasbro, I applaud you. Good luck to the social media department addressing this.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

Stores are not ordering the products. Hasbro can't force them to.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

Could be worse. Could be Playmates TMNT line.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

Probably because a lot of the other lines aren't selling. Studio series figures are starting to become shelf warmers (well at least the deluxes and voyageur's are) and don't even mention those ancient Last Knight figures that are still taking up so much real estate in Walmarts and TRU's.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

Finally heard back from my customer complaint to TRU re: wave 2. Essentially, they gave me a fluff response:

"We have taken the liberty of forwarding your request to carry the Hasbro Transformers Power of the Primes line on to our Buyers Team at our Corporate Office for their review and consideration. We are constantly striving to provide the best product selection, lowest prices, and state of the art services to our Customers, and your suggestion gives us an opportunity to do just that!"

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

Maybe people would actually buy the TLK stuff if Hasbro dropped the "premium edition" label and the "premium pricing".

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

And how do people do that when so many of them don't have Hun-Gurrr and/or Rippersnapper?

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

IMO there are a few major factors which are affecting the distribution of the figures:

1. TRU Bankrupcty. The reason we are not seeing them at TRU is simply due to the fact of the TRU bankruptcies and the uncertain future of TRU Canada. Now that TRU Canada is safe maybe we will see better distribution.

2. No New Movies. Toy sales are closely related to movie and cartoon releases. There have been no new Transformer movies and any existing Transformer recent cartoons are losing popularity.

3. Marvel. Again in relation to movies. Marvel movies are killing it right now. The result being that the toy focus is now on super heroes not Transformers. This even applies to the big kids. I was in Japan recently and even the big expensive $300 Marvel figures were sold out everywhere. They even had pop up stores for these figures which were also sold out.

Re: POTP Wave 2
 

Thanks for posting this. Indeed it's not promising anything but it's something.

In my case I managed to get the remaining figures I need from Eric @ Madhaus toys. Woo hoo! No more running around from store to store!