Still available?[]
Can someone inform me where these are still available from, because I can't find them listed (new) anywhere other than on eBay. I also don't recall them being in any stores I've seen for the last year or more. I think it is safe to say that this one is discontinued, especially since they have already released a new model with the same name.
Bluedragon1971 (talk) 20:29, January 21, 2013 (UTC)
- They're frequent where I live, although like the other re-release models, they don't get a widespread US release from what I've seen. It's like the Max-D 3000 and 6000, still available and continually updated, but hard as hell to find. In spite of the new blaster out, I think this one's still around, especially since it's been updated for every year since its release. Gage 20:51, January 21, 2013 (UTC)
- From what I gather from most of your posts, I'm starting to think that Canada is one of those places that continues to get old stock of blasters long after they are discontinued elsewhere. Other examples of this would be how the Longshot was available in the UK and Singapore LONG after it had been pulled from stores in the US and elsewhere. I know the Arctic Shock had a re-release alongside the new lines of Super Soakers in 2011, but I've seen nothing of it being available anywhere since then other than Amazon or eBay (and there currently aren't any listed as available on Amazon).
- While Canada is a large country in land size, you have a population between that of Texas and California, and also considering the climate that far north, I really doubt that Canada is anywhere near the top of Hasbro's list for marketing Super Soakers. The only places here that I ever see any of the older model Super Soakers (such as the Rattler, which I still want to get) are small discount chains like Big Lots or Family Dollar or Dollar General. None of the major retail chains such as Walmart or Target carry them.
- Bluedragon1971 (talk) 21:10, January 21, 2013 (UTC)
- I'm not really seeing what you mean by that. This blaster is still available and updated in several countries ([http://www.walmart.com.br/produto/Brinquedos/Lancador/Hasbro/325305-NER-SOA-ARTIC-SHOCK for example), and as I've previously said, Hasbro tends not to discontinue Super Soakers, as they re-use them a lot. Some blasters were discontinued for several series, but brought back in 2008 (notably the XP-240, or the 1997/1998 XP-75). I will be updating the Super Soaker pages soon, however I'd prefer not to label anything since Soaker Wars as discontinued when it can be found on several sites still, and in some stores. Perhaps an "ongoing production" template, or so? I would not really like to have the discontinued label on these blasters when they are still updated throughout the years. Gage 21:17, January 21, 2013 (UTC)
- I can see the point you are trying to make here, but you have to understand the difference between limited stocks of items still being available in the global retail chain and an item actually being out of production. Some stores will have stocks of products YEARS after the product has stopped production, simply because they ordered more than they could sell or because the item doesn't sell all that well. Even though stocks remain available in some markets, the item can still be considered as discontinued if the manufacturer is no longer producing it. In retail terminology, if an item is no longer currently being produced, it is discontinued. It is certainly possible that after Hasbro produced their last runs of certain models of blasters, and stopped shipping them to US stores, they could very well have had thousands or millions still around to ship to smaller markets like Canada and Brazil.
- Bluedragon1971 (talk) 21:46, January 21, 2013 (UTC)
- Interesting little bit of info - the US makes up right at 20% of the entire market for toys globally! http://www.toyassociation.org/TIA/Industry_Facts/salesdata/IndustryFacts/Sales_Data/Sales_Data.aspx?hkey=6381a73a-ce46-4caf-8bc1-72b99567df1e#.UP23qB3WKRg
- Since Hasbro is the largest toy maker in the world, I'd say it is a safe bet that the US is their first priority as a market.
- Bluedragon1971 (talk) 21:50, January 21, 2013 (UTC)
- It's not really a matter of this being discontinued, it's been updated every year with new packaging. I can update the page once I get the other ones done, over the next few days. While discontinuation is an entire possibility, I don't think it's really good to assume since you could have said it was discontinued after the SoakerTag Elite line was replaced. I just don't think, until Hasbro decides to stop re-releasing it, that it's good to have it listed as discontinued. Whether or not the other re-releases are available in the United States, I'm not sure. It's not really a matter of the stocks being low, we're talking about a 2011/2012 product here, it's just, like nearly every other re-release, a not-so available blaster. I see tons of Super Soaker Helix around where I live, however I have never seen some other re-releases. The Super Soaker line itself is tricky to gain knowledge of, it's confusing as hell. Gage 22:10, January 21, 2013 (UTC)