I guess they still have to deal with the same supply availability as the rest of the UK. It’s still early delays, they opened at the back end of the previous release window so hopefully they’ll stock all of the next wave of Legacy and carry some of the harder to find figs. Cheers!
Thank you, I don’t have the track details to hand I’m afraid, the video construction files on a hard drive. When I fish it out I’ll have a look and let you know. The music is off a website called Uppbeat.io if that helps, Cheers!
Ah cool, it’s a great store! As you can see from my video the products are largely merchandise rather than figures but there’s a bunch of exclusive items so there’s some unique bits to pick up. It might be worth coinciding a visit with a comic con or wait to see if they announce a fan event to make your trip a bit more substantial as the store although cool is a long way to travel if you’re coming from another country. Outside of the TF store I don’t think London has too much to offer a TF aside from Forbidden Planet. It’s worth keeping an eye on the TF stores socials as they seem to be adding new items regularly plus they have just added a bunch of mainline toys so looks like the store is improving all the time. You could even drop them a message to explain you are travelling a long way to see if they have any events coming up, they were pretty helpful with me when I wanted to visit for the preview evening. Cheers!
This is awesome in theory but they really need to sell more actual Transformers. I couldn't care less about those ugly super deformed plushies and walls of Junko pops. The comic stuff is great though. I wish we had an Ark restaurant like they do in Hong Kong.
I did speak to the team behind the store and said although I thought the store looked great plus I had a great time it was a big omission to basically have no Transformers outside of a bunch of core class and a few Soundwaves. I totally understand their reasoning. So the thinking is although the store was full of collectors who had come down especially that’s not likely to be their day to day regular customers. Their main customers are going to be average Joe thats likes Transformers but isn’t a dedicated fan. So they’ve gone for mass appeal collectibles and entry point items like the comics. Then the plan is to have special release events where they get in a bunch of main line items, Studio series and Legacy and have all the fans down to do their pick up and meet up for a socialise. As for myself and possibly other collectors even if they stocked TFs it’s likely I’ll still be using online stores or Smyths as they’re more convenient and better priced. As it’s an official store I’d be very surprised if they have discounted items or clearance deals. I would be prepared to travel down for special events as it was loads of fun meeting people and chatting so I’d do one or two pick ups for the added experience. Yeah I’ve seen the Ark store that would be amazing. Hopefully if this stores successful they can expand. Would love to try a bowl of Energon cubes! Cheers
@@GeekExplorers It'll be interesting to see if that pays off for them. It's a bit of a trek through London which is awful for many so I don't know if they'll have that much casual trade rather than more serious fans of the franchise. I like the idea of visiting there but there's nothing I'd actually buy there at the moment so not worth the hell of travelling through London.
I’d never been to Battersea and was pleasantly surprised really liked it as a shopping centre, though deffo at the premium end. There’s a cinema, some sort of attraction to maybe go up one of the towers and loads of food options so can spend a bit of time once there. Although lunch was a mixed bag there were a bunch of £15 deals for a drink main and side which is an okay price but it was not a filling portion 😬 The stores attached to a pepper pig store so I think they’re hopping that will be an extra draw to siphon off dads who are board by cartoon pigs, hopefully it will do well so we get more like it in other cities or an expansion. Bonus shout out to the book store that was next door their clearance section had some great graphic novel bargains.
@@GeekExplorersI'm an average Joe that's just getting into Transformers and this would be the perfect place for me to buy one. I really think they screwed up. I feel like us casuals or non fans would even be willing to pay more just to get our first one from the Transformers store. It's all fine fixing it later and getting Transformers in then but if you mess up people's first opinion of you, it's hard to bring those people back. I've seen a lot of people writing this place off as somewhere to buy Transformers branded tat but not a place to go for actual Transformers
As with any store everyone is going to have a different experience so there’s no doubt differing views to line out there. I had a great time, found all the staff to be friendly and helpful and will probably visit again. Hopefully they’ll follow through with stocking Studio series and other mainline figures and then run fan events. I’d totally be up for events if it feels like it will be worth my while attending. ie having an exclusive experience and coming away feeling like I’ve had additional value. I’ll mostly stick to using Indemand, Kapow, my local comic shops and Smyths for collecting. It’s super early days for this store so we will just have to see how it goes.
Seems to have the Transformers fans a bit divided, this one. Sure, it's great for TF branded Merchandise and the Vanch card game, or if you want other toylines like Blockees, TFOne and some Earthspark toys, but the fact that there were no Mainline Legacy or Studio Series toys (Ya know, ACTUAL Transformers!) makes it a waste of time for a figure collector. A Transformers Store with no Transformers??
I didn’t articulate it very well but the question I put to the team behind the store was that the store looked great plus I had a great time but there was basically no Transformers outside of a bunch of core class and a few Soundwaves. I think I was more abrupt than I meant to be 😬😂 and to be fair I understood the idea behind their decisions. So the thinking is although the store was full of collectors who had come down especially that’s not likely to be their day to day regular customers. Their main customers are going to be average Joe thats likes Transformers but isn’t a dedicated fan. So they’ve gone for mass appeal collectibles and entry point items like the comics. Then the plan is to have special release events where they get in a bunch of main line items, Studio series and Legacy and have all the fans down to do their pick up and meet up for a socialise. As for myself realistically even if they stocked TFs I wanted I’d probably still be using online stores or Smyths as they’re more convenient and better priced. As it’s an official store I’d be very surprised if they have discounted items or clearance deals. I would be prepared to travel down for special events as it was loads of fun meeting people and chatting so I’d do one or two pick ups for the added experience. Cheers!
@@GeekExplorers I went on opening day for a Legacy Leader Class Soundwave as i spotted it in ToysAreRuss's video from the Tuesday,, but by the time I got there, it had gone, and the staff didn't really know anything about them. Didn't even bother to check out back to see if they had any more. I won't be going again unless it's a special event with guaranteed stock.
@AFCManUk wow that sucks, hopefully they’ll improve as they go. I imagine they’re so new they’re still figuring things out. I was specifically after a SS86 Prime, luckily I managed to pick one up at Comic Con yesterday.
@@AFCManUkthis is the problem. I'm seeing a lot of people saying they'll improve over time but they should've known better before opening the store. They should've known that a lot of people would want to buy actual Transformers and want staff that know about the brand. Not just the fans coming in but also the non fans and casuals like me. And you only get one chance to make a first impression. A lot of people have a negative view of the place now either from their trip there or from hearing about other people's experiences.
I’m sure they would have liked to have had more figures available but with openings there’s lots of moving parts at play and bumps along the way. As I say I hope it goes well for them, the people representing the store seemed like they had good intentions and were very open to listening to feed back. You could contact them directly and offer your thoughts.
Thanks you, it was a fun place to visit and really great couple of days so easy to be enthusiastic about it! My next videos already filmed so will try to remember for the one after, cheers!
Well of course it’s important to tick the box of culture before you get to the good stuff! 😂 Hopefully this will be successful and they’ll put one on your side of the world too! 🤞😀
Sorry to say that I went yesterday and sadly this was as big a disappointment as I feared, I at least expected whatever is on Hasbro Pulse right now, (maybe even some exclusives?) such the Studio 86 or Legacy ranges, I especially expected the 40th Prime rerelease (or the other recent ones) maybe DVD collections or games or some homage to G1 considering its anniversary year, but aside from the self transforming toys (that the assistant couldnt get working!!) this shop seemed to be stocked with plush toys, Pezz dispensers, keyrings and Funko-pops, along with a few things like pens and water bottles ive seen being sold off in discount stores in the UK. (is this shop just dedicated to the things that dont sell??) Reply
Sorry to hear that! As mentioned in my video I was expecting to be able to get a SS86 Prime so was disappointed in that respect. They had a very small selection of SS and Legacy figures on opening. I think the small selection was to do with supplier availability. Hopefully going forward they will follow through with the intention to do fan events when new release come out. I don’t think they’ll ever have exclusive figures but will have exclusive merch, like the T-shirts and comic covers etc. They seemed very open to feed back and suggestions for future products so I think it’s worth dropping a message as if there’s demand for certain items I’m sure they’d want to get the right products out. Thanks for the comment, cheers!
@@GeekExplorers they did have a exclusive comic but like most things on the shelves - no prices, I asked one of the staff if they had any of the Legacy toys which im currently collecting and he looked at me like I was talking another language lol, unfortunately i dont think ill be rushing back
Lack of visible prices is a pain, when I was there they were still stick pricing up so had to ask a bunch of times, it deffo puts me off buying things as I don’t want to get caught out at the till. At least you gave it a try, fortunately there’s plenty of great sellers online like InDemand and Kapow or in person like Forbidden Planet etc. Cheers.
I'm a bit disappointed as you would think an official transformers only store would have some of the harder to find products on its shelves
I guess they still have to deal with the same supply availability as the rest of the UK. It’s still early delays, they opened at the back end of the previous release window so hopefully they’ll stock all of the next wave of Legacy and carry some of the harder to find figs. Cheers!
Great vid. Gota ask what’s the dnb tune from 4:13 on wards :)? Thanks
Thank you, I don’t have the track details to hand I’m afraid, the video construction files on a hard drive. When I fish it out I’ll have a look and let you know. The music is off a website called Uppbeat.io if that helps, Cheers!
Hello finally had a look and it’s called Patterns by Light Prism. Cheers!
@ thank you mate!
I'm intending to fly to the UK just for this store.
Ah cool, it’s a great store! As you can see from my video the products are largely merchandise rather than figures but there’s a bunch of exclusive items so there’s some unique bits to pick up. It might be worth coinciding a visit with a comic con or wait to see if they announce a fan event to make your trip a bit more substantial as the store although cool is a long way to travel if you’re coming from another country. Outside of the TF store I don’t think London has too much to offer a TF aside from Forbidden Planet. It’s worth keeping an eye on the TF stores socials as they seem to be adding new items regularly plus they have just added a bunch of mainline toys so looks like the store is improving all the time. You could even drop them a message to explain you are travelling a long way to see if they have any events coming up, they were pretty helpful with me when I wanted to visit for the preview evening. Cheers!
This is awesome in theory but they really need to sell more actual Transformers. I couldn't care less about those ugly super deformed plushies and walls of Junko pops. The comic stuff is great though. I wish we had an Ark restaurant like they do in Hong Kong.
I did speak to the team behind the store and said although I thought the store looked great plus I had a great time it was a big omission to basically have no Transformers outside of a bunch of core class and a few Soundwaves. I totally understand their reasoning. So the thinking is although the store was full of collectors who had come down especially that’s not likely to be their day to day regular customers. Their main customers are going to be average Joe thats likes Transformers but isn’t a dedicated fan. So they’ve gone for mass appeal collectibles and entry point items like the comics. Then the plan is to have special release events where they get in a bunch of main line items, Studio series and Legacy and have all the fans down to do their pick up and meet up for a socialise. As for myself and possibly other collectors even if they stocked TFs it’s likely I’ll still be using online stores or Smyths as they’re more convenient and better priced. As it’s an official store I’d be very surprised if they have discounted items or clearance deals. I would be prepared to travel down for special events as it was loads of fun meeting people and chatting so I’d do one or two pick ups for the added experience.
Yeah I’ve seen the Ark store that would be amazing. Hopefully if this stores successful they can expand. Would love to try a bowl of Energon cubes! Cheers
@@GeekExplorers It'll be interesting to see if that pays off for them. It's a bit of a trek through London which is awful for many so I don't know if they'll have that much casual trade rather than more serious fans of the franchise. I like the idea of visiting there but there's nothing I'd actually buy there at the moment so not worth the hell of travelling through London.
I’d never been to Battersea and was pleasantly surprised really liked it as a shopping centre, though deffo at the premium end. There’s a cinema, some sort of attraction to maybe go up one of the towers and loads of food options so can spend a bit of time once there. Although lunch was a mixed bag there were a bunch of £15 deals for a drink main and side which is an okay price but it was not a filling portion 😬
The stores attached to a pepper pig store so I think they’re hopping that will be an extra draw to siphon off dads who are board by cartoon pigs, hopefully it will do well so we get more like it in other cities or an expansion. Bonus shout out to the book store that was next door their clearance section had some great graphic novel bargains.
@@GeekExplorersI'm an average Joe that's just getting into Transformers and this would be the perfect place for me to buy one. I really think they screwed up. I feel like us casuals or non fans would even be willing to pay more just to get our first one from the Transformers store. It's all fine fixing it later and getting Transformers in then but if you mess up people's first opinion of you, it's hard to bring those people back. I've seen a lot of people writing this place off as somewhere to buy Transformers branded tat but not a place to go for actual Transformers
As with any store everyone is going to have a different experience so there’s no doubt differing views to line out there. I had a great time, found all the staff to be friendly and helpful and will probably visit again. Hopefully they’ll follow through with stocking Studio series and other mainline figures and then run fan events. I’d totally be up for events if it feels like it will be worth my while attending. ie having an exclusive experience and coming away feeling like I’ve had additional value. I’ll mostly stick to using Indemand, Kapow, my local comic shops and Smyths for collecting. It’s super early days for this store so we will just have to see how it goes.
Seems to have the Transformers fans a bit divided, this one.
Sure, it's great for TF branded Merchandise and the Vanch card game, or if you want other toylines like Blockees, TFOne and some Earthspark toys, but the fact that there were no Mainline Legacy or Studio Series toys (Ya know, ACTUAL Transformers!) makes it a waste of time for a figure collector.
A Transformers Store with no Transformers??
I didn’t articulate it very well but the question I put to the team behind the store was that the store looked great plus I had a great time but there was basically no Transformers outside of a bunch of core class and a few Soundwaves. I think I was more abrupt than I meant to be 😬😂 and to be fair I understood the idea behind their decisions. So the thinking is although the store was full of collectors who had come down especially that’s not likely to be their day to day regular customers. Their main customers are going to be average Joe thats likes Transformers but isn’t a dedicated fan. So they’ve gone for mass appeal collectibles and entry point items like the comics. Then the plan is to have special release events where they get in a bunch of main line items, Studio series and Legacy and have all the fans down to do their pick up and meet up for a socialise. As for myself realistically even if they stocked TFs I wanted I’d probably still be using online stores or Smyths as they’re more convenient and better priced. As it’s an official store I’d be very surprised if they have discounted items or clearance deals. I would be prepared to travel down for special events as it was loads of fun meeting people and chatting so I’d do one or two pick ups for the added experience. Cheers!
@@GeekExplorers I went on opening day for a Legacy Leader Class Soundwave as i spotted it in ToysAreRuss's video from the Tuesday,, but by the time I got there, it had gone, and the staff didn't really know anything about them. Didn't even bother to check out back to see if they had any more. I won't be going again unless it's a special event with guaranteed stock.
@AFCManUk wow that sucks, hopefully they’ll improve as they go. I imagine they’re so new they’re still figuring things out. I was specifically after a SS86 Prime, luckily I managed to pick one up at Comic Con yesterday.
@@AFCManUkthis is the problem. I'm seeing a lot of people saying they'll improve over time but they should've known better before opening the store. They should've known that a lot of people would want to buy actual Transformers and want staff that know about the brand. Not just the fans coming in but also the non fans and casuals like me. And you only get one chance to make a first impression. A lot of people have a negative view of the place now either from their trip there or from hearing about other people's experiences.
I’m sure they would have liked to have had more figures available but with openings there’s lots of moving parts at play and bumps along the way. As I say I hope it goes well for them, the people representing the store seemed like they had good intentions and were very open to listening to feed back. You could contact them directly and offer your thoughts.
I absolutely love ur enthusiasm keep it up btw can I get a shout out
Thanks you, it was a fun place to visit and really great couple of days so easy to be enthusiastic about it! My next videos already filmed so will try to remember for the one after, cheers!
It looks pretty cool but it’s on the wrong side of the world. But I’d go if I was ever in the UK. Right after Stonehenge of course. 😂
Well of course it’s important to tick the box of culture before you get to the good stuff! 😂 Hopefully this will be successful and they’ll put one on your side of the world too! 🤞😀
Sorry to say that I went yesterday and sadly this was as big a disappointment as I feared, I at least expected whatever is on Hasbro Pulse right now, (maybe even some exclusives?) such the Studio 86 or Legacy ranges, I especially expected the 40th Prime rerelease (or the other recent ones) maybe DVD collections or games or some homage to G1 considering its anniversary year, but aside from the self transforming toys (that the assistant couldnt get working!!) this shop seemed to be stocked with plush toys, Pezz dispensers, keyrings and Funko-pops, along with a few things like pens and water bottles ive seen being sold off in discount stores in the UK. (is this shop just dedicated to the things that dont sell??)
Reply
Sorry to hear that! As mentioned in my video I was expecting to be able to get a SS86 Prime so was disappointed in that respect. They had a very small selection of SS and Legacy figures on opening. I think the small selection was to do with supplier availability. Hopefully going forward they will follow through with the intention to do fan events when new release come out. I don’t think they’ll ever have exclusive figures but will have exclusive merch, like the T-shirts and comic covers etc. They seemed very open to feed back and suggestions for future products so I think it’s worth dropping a message as if there’s demand for certain items I’m sure they’d want to get the right products out. Thanks for the comment, cheers!
@@GeekExplorers they did have a exclusive comic but like most things on the shelves - no prices, I asked one of the staff if they had any of the Legacy toys which im currently collecting and he looked at me like I was talking another language lol, unfortunately i dont think ill be rushing back
Lack of visible prices is a pain, when I was there they were still stick pricing up so had to ask a bunch of times, it deffo puts me off buying things as I don’t want to get caught out at the till. At least you gave it a try, fortunately there’s plenty of great sellers online like InDemand and Kapow or in person like Forbidden Planet etc. Cheers.
this is underrated'
Hi if you mean my video is underrated? Thank you very much, cheers for the comment!
Do you have to book to get in
Hi no it’s just a regular shop so you can just turn up and walk in. It’s open
10-8 Monday to Saturday and 12-6 on a Sunday. Cheers!
@ okay great thank you
No worries, hope you have a good one if you visit!