Sorry for the confusion, all. Here's the list of what's been released:

 

Hasbro: Starscream and Skywarp, both Walmart exclusives. That same Skywarp showed up at TJ-Maxx this year for $29.99.

 

Takara/Tomy: Starscream, Skywarp, and Thundercracker.

Skywarp went straight to Clearance. I pray Thundercracker goes to Walmart too or I'll never see em just like Grimlock.

I pray not. In my pisshole of a town, my Wal-Mart don't get crap! I never got a MP Starscream, Skywarp, or ROTF Legends Devastator. That ticked me off! :fire

I hope it goes to Target cuz I can find him there!

Isn't the problem not how well the figure is selling at retail, but whether the retail store (Walmart, Target, TRU, etc.)will take the chance and purchase the right to sell the exclusive item?

Isn't the problem not how well the figure is selling at retail, but whether the retail store (Walmart, Target, TRU, etc.)will take the chance and purchase the right to sell the exclusive item?

Yeah but it stands to reason that if a product sells well for a retailer, the retailer will then want to reorder similar future stock. If it doesn't sell well, then they're not going to order more of what they perceive to be potential dead stock. That's why we missed out on Battle For The Spark in Australia -- after poor sales with earlier Beast Machines, Australian retailers stopped ordering more Beast Machines stock, so Hasbro Australia didn't bother distributing BFTS here due to insufficient demand from retailers, not demand from consumers (because from a fan POV, most of the best Beast Machines toys came out in BFTS).

 

MP Starscream sold incredibly well, so I guess Hasbro went ahead with their own version of MP Skywarp in anticipation that retailers would want to order them based on the success of Starscream. But if MP Skywarp is, as reported, shelf-warming, then it's understandable that Hasbro would be hesitant in going ahead with MP Thundercracker. Even MP Grimlock was slow to move and currently TRU exclusive Ghost Starscream is shelf-warming (even after the Xmas period, just 2 days ago I still saw them on shelves) -- of course, TRU's ridiculous prices (which is something that Hasbro doesn't decide) doesn't help. :(

 

I agree that it's a most regrettable situation -- Thundercracker is the coolest of the first series Seekers IMO (he has the most interesting colour scheme and persona)... and he's ALWAYS getting gipped. It's just not freakin' fair. :(

 

 

 

I saw Starscream ONCE at my WalMart, so I consider myself lucky to have picked him up. When Skywarp came out, there was literally an entire section of the wall at the store entrance filled with 20 to 30 Skywarps. Hence all the clearance talk. I dont get it. What was hasbro thinking? I under stand retailers wanting to reorder similar future stock, but they flooded the market with Skywarp to the point of clearance. The first thing I thought when I saw that wall of Skywarps was "gimmie" then that went to "I will bet anything this wall means clearance and no Thundercracker"

First the give too little Starscreams and then too many Skywarps. I just hope, that if there is a Thundercracker they will get it right. Or not, I wouldnt mind picking up a couple extras for custom seekers on clearance again.