ToyGuru on the “MOTUC style”

It still sounds incredibly contradictory and/or nit-picky. Like management doesn't know what exactly they want. "We're sick of this 200X stuff, oh but hey, that 200X Power Sword does look kinda cool!"

Really I don't expect any less of Mattel. Give us info that can be interpreted two different ways so the arguments and debates can continue ad nauseum.

Personally, the only 200X elements I want the most are 200X Evil-Lyn (at least a purple/pale Evil-Lyn, if not one with a new helmet-less head), and Clawful's 200X head (which seems like it isn't happening). Beyond that, I'm sick of worrying about this.

All I have to say is that if you only like the 200X then don’t buy these toys or just buy the figures that have 200X characters or the ones with the 200X influences.

I'm glad a clearer statement was made about this whole mess. It seemed, to me anyway, that many people didn't understand the idea of the line from day one.

I loved the 200X line and was sad to see it go but this line more than made up for it. 200X was a cool reimaging but I'm glad that MOTUC gets back to the vintage direction. That being said, I still think they should include the 200X heads for those that want them.

I'm also curious about this TPTB. I do think the initital announcement of no 200X heads was done in anticipation of the disappointing Grizzlor news.

The way he lays it out here makes more sense to me by pointing out that both lines attempt to update classic stuff in different ways, and the styles clash because they're doing a similar thing but not in thw same way, not because "200X is crap."

I'm not sure if everyone is aware, but apparently the 200X issue is minor compared to a sudden outburst of Princess of Power anger, demands, and accusations of discrimination against PoP fans. The Horsemen even issued a statement in response to how ridiculous and impatient people are getting.

Lemonjuice McGee wrote:

It seems that basically Toy Guru, while admittedly a fan of the 200X series, is just trying to give a response other than “my boss is a douche”.

That's my take on it too.

The entire issue has been blown way out of proportion by TPTB at Mattel. Extra heads sell characters. 200x has fans. Throw in an extra head here or there and you make extra money. The bodies are still reusing parts. It's still 95% vintage inspired.

Whatever idiots in charge at Mattel that made that call seem to be trying to screw up a good thing.

Mattel, why limit the line and alienate a portion of the fanbase? This should be the MOTU line that brings together ALL fans from the various eras.

Just because somebody higher-up at corporate got burned in 200x and can't bear to see people with real talent and skill win with 200x is no reason to work against the fan-base. Let your damn pride go and follow the potential cash. Smell the Benjamins, Matty baby!

"Wake up, Muhtel!" (in best Earl Pitts voice)

P.S. 200x Evil-Lyn with a helmetless head…make it happen Matty.

P.P.S. I'm 99% eighties MOTU so this isn't a 200x rant. It's a "Why limit the allmighty MOTU brand?" rant.

Pitts off 🙂

this is considered a "clear" answer?

they really just need to say "look we have no idea what we're doing" and leave it at that.

@Dean

My thoughts exactly. If a figure has next to no accessories, Mattel has often included something to add value. Why limit the creative sources the Horsemen can pull from?

Whiplash didn't need an extra head, but a little extra effort makes my $20 and WSOD time spent seem a bit more appreciated.

@Wyngarde: "Keldor and the upcoming cat guy are not things I like being a subscriber."

ok, but are you willing to concede that for some subscribers, they are desired figs? the issue i see, about this whole thing getting blown out of proportion, is one side being unwilling to concede that they aren't the only side. i like motuc because the horsemen are blending a heavy dose of influence from the various incarnations of motu into one line that while definitely heavily nods vintage, is most definitely not just a "vintage redux" and i don't want a vintage redux! mer-man getting both heads and both weapons was COOL and made him slightly more worth that surreal 20 dollar price tag. moss man got both heads, COOL! i favor motuCOOL over any othe rnotion of division.

on the concept of perceived value vs price tag, i think the millenium heads & weapons need to be available for characters who may be gear-lite. bottom line, no matter which era of he-man i prefer, i want a value for my dollar.

and really, isn't this whole vintage vs millenium thing pretty stupid anyways… mattel said they were stopping adding in the 200x heads as extras… that could just mean that from now on, the fig comes packed w/ the millenium noggin as the standard and the vintage head will be the bonus item. wouldn't THAT piss some people off!

(besides, we can read between the lines, right? some bean counter figured out that the millenium heads/weapons were a steal for us, and they'd rather release the millenium update characters as their own releases to gouge us for an extra fig… as a subber, that would piss me off. but as a motu fan, is it really that hard to hand off a millenium head to a friend or customizer, or just toss it out? i don't believe in deliberately asking a company to scale back on pack-ins for an item that's already overpriced, that goes against every principle of frugality i was taught.)

Marzo's hair is too hyper anime movement detailed11!!1! according to middle management. Because every figure must be designed to look completely lifeless in a neutral pose.

I hate the 200x style, so I got no problems. I agree with Newt though, they've got to stop answering this question if the answers aren't going to change. This is the way it is, whining about it won't help.

A 200X head on a Classic figure doesn't make that figure into a 200X design.

Mattel and fans need to understand that. People automatically assume that the inclusion of 200X heads is a full scale return to the 200X line.

It isn't.

@Crixus:
Unless another axe comes down, we'll still get entire 200X figures "but in the Classics style". 200X Evil-Lyn, Sorceress, Randor and Adam are still on the table.

That decision only affects straight up 200X heads being included with the figures like Whiplash. The figures will still get 200X accessories and weapons, as well as brand new stuff too.

@Mark: dude, no offense, but this statement is patently stupid. you would rather remove all millenium references, like pack-in weapons, heads, slight modifications to design, than actually get characters that missed out on getting a figure? so you're skipping carnivus, and passed on whiplash, mer-man, moss man, man at arms, the weapons pak, tri-klops, trap jaw, zodak, evil lyn, whiplash, and keldor, right? all of these had non-vintage influence or pack-ins, and you're rather not have any of that at all, right? glad i'm not competing w/ you on grizzlor day either.

hey, i know, it's america, everyone's entitled to their opinion… but part of that is having the god damned common courtesy to realize that 50% of the time, you're WRONG! opinions are like assholes, every one has one, and most of the time, they're full of shit! 😉

*sigh* The simplest things often end up being the most complex. This horse has been flogged to death.

@ Americanhyena

Actually Clawful's 200x head was the same as the vintage. The only difference was the paint extended to his arms and legs. I do hope Clawful gets more of a "shelled" armor look. That was pretty much the only thing "200x" about him.

Buzz-Off also had insect hands and not crab claws.

King Hsss' 200x head is very different.

Tongue Lashor depending on how they handle the tongue could be a candidate with the split jaw.

Squeeze could also have been a canidate.

Possibly Fisto as well. He had a more Nordic look in 200x with a headband.

I don't think there are that many beyond those.

TG just needs to realize that there's a certain, very small and vocal, segment of the collector audience that cannot be reasoned with. It seems absolutely to be that simple.

Nothing he says is going to make a difference. They're going to whine, and bitch, and complain, and bemoan how THEY have personally been snubbed by Mattel because Mattel is choosing to do something they don't agree with.

More importantly, those few people will totally ignore what is actually being said to them, take it entirely out of context, twist it to mean something else, and then get angry about the statement they have, in fact, created themselves.

TG needs to understand that here's simply no point in even trying to engage those kinds of people. It's like trying to discuss theology with an illiterate, hillbilly Christian. You're not even on the same wavelength – they are blatantly blind and deaf to anything you are going to say, so just don't bother.

Mattel can just keep making awesome toys in the style and design method they think is best. I think they would definitely revisit the issue if it were really affecting sales. But it won't, because the majority of collectors don't seem to be pissing and bitching over Mattel no longer making something they only made twice before.

Fans did vote that they'd rather see extra heads and accessories over mini-comics. So I'm excited to see if Mattel will simply beef up the accessories, make other types of secondary heads (mini-comics, new designs, whatever), or both.

It'll be interesting to see where they go with it. I'm guessing we'll see lots of extra heads where appropriate – just nothing that is nothing more than a direct-to-Classics translation of a 200x head. That makes perfect sense to me, so I don't get why it confuses some people so much.

I just found this confusing. Is Classics its own unique reinterpretation or it just the vintage toys if they were made today? We know the answer, but that post from TG seems to indicate the opposite of what we know to be true.

The thing about the MO2k head issue is that we know the 4H wants the heads – they're sculpting them. We know TG wants the heads – he's said as much while pointing out his hands are tied by TPTB.

But the truth is that this isn't about the heads (though, don't get me wrong, I'm mighty bummed about not getting Buzz-Offs and an extra bee dude for my shelves), it's about TPTB messing with the line. To the people wanting us to hush up and let Mattel do their thing? Um, what? Mattel knows what they're doing? Hello? Am I hearing MOTU Fans tell me to trust in Mattel management? Is this thing even on?

I'm not trying to armchair the line, I'm saying that TPTB needs to let the MOTUC Design team armchair the line. I don't give a crap about what the TPTB want to do. They aren't responsible for this revival.

The 4H sculpted MOTUC He-Man on their own. ToyGuru put together the plan to make He-Man DTC and took it to them. Why should I have any faith in anyone at Mattel beyond Design team? Screw that.

So when TG tells us that someone is telling the Design Team no to stuff they want to do? Hell yes I'm going to be loud about it. And it blows my mind that other people don't feel the same.

If you don't want the stuff TPTB is excluding, that's fine. But this overall issue isn't about those elements specifically. Just because you're okay with the subject of his edicts doesn't mean you should be okay with the edicts themselves. So this one didn't cost you anything. What if the next one does? What then? Are you going to want my help after rebuking me on this one? The irony is, even after being called a whiner, moaner, and bitcher, I’ll be giving it.

I’m a consumer. MOTUC is a product I buy. If my favorite pizza restaurant changes the pepperoni, I leave feedback that I don’t like the new stuff. If I want Lego to make certain pieces in certain colors, I send an e-mail in. If Wal-Mart stops carrying my brand of soda, I call up to find out what happened and ask for it to return. This notion that we should shut up and buy what Mattel gives us is as asinine as the all-in subscription.

@Mark: do yourself a huge favor and spell intellecutally correctly before trying to snap off a quick jab.

if you're bitter about 200x, you need perspective. it's not worth bitterness. for some of you, it might be the first time you got screwed over by a corporation, but it certainly won't be the last.

classics, as in motu classics, was stated from the very beginning to be a revival of motu to bring it up to modern standards, but at no time did it state or even insinuate that if was a slave to the vintage line/look/creative choices, or the line wouldn't have started with king grayskull.

that intellectual enough for you? i accept praise in the form of unbridled ass kissing, and we're starting with YOU.

@dm: if i hadn't done it, i'd be laughing. 🙂

@dm: @dayraven: What exciting lifes you two lead,.

Dayraven I canot help my keyboard not being responsive to fast typing….I didn't bother re-reading what I had wrote as it shows how little I care about you and this pointless conversation.

You are in the wrong and you had no need to reply to my first post in the first place just because it does not agree with your Fan Boy opinion.

If you don't like my opinions YOU can kiss my ass!

though it's true that my life is very exciting, i wasn't laughing at you Mark, i was laughing at the perfect storm of irony in dayraven's own mispelling. love the site Poe, have a great day everyone! 🙂