It may seem odd to post a news byte about photos from a mall in the Philippines, but let's be real, in the United States (and some other places) toy collectors have largely had their collecting activities relegated to online sources or toy sections of stores like Target or Walmart. The days of going to Toys 'R' Us (in its previous incarnation) and seeing dozens (if not hundreds) of Transformers toys on pegs and shelves is over and not coming back any time soon.
So photos like the ones shared with me by fellow fan Mark Cerbo are a real treat. These were taken today (January 18, 2023) at the Toys 'R' Us in the Glorietta Mall. Marvel as exclusives from different stores in the U.S. sit on shelves alongside each other! Look, Minerva! Oh wow, a shelf full of Beast Wars like it's the 90's again! Also this gives us a look at the packaging for the EarthSpark Tacticons, which have not yet been released in the United States. Enjoy the pics in the gallery below and thanks to Mark for sending them!