Digital River on Mattycollector: We have “heard you loud and clear”

August 3, 2012 | Poe

OK, I said I wouldn’t talk about the sub anymore unless there was news. Well, there is – and it’s a surprisingly direct address of the problem I mentioned in my editorial earlier this week (definitely not saying I had anything to do with this, but at least they seem to be aware of the problem).

Please Read: A special message about your MattyCollector.com experience from Digital River

Dear MattyCollector.com Customers,

The Digital River Team has heard you loud and clear and we would like to openly address the feedback that you have provided regarding your experience on MattyCollector.com.

We realize that there have been some challenges. And we want you to know that we are fully committed to providing you not only with an easier and simpler way to manage your subscriptions to our clubs, but also an improved customer service experience.  The good news is that we have already taken steps in this direction, and are planning on making even more enhancements in the coming months. Here’s how…

Read the rest after the jump. (more…)

MOTUC & DC Sub Press Pics

August 2, 2012 | Poe

OK, I said I wasn’t going to write about the subs anymore and I’m not, but I thought some of you – the ones who never visit any other sites, anyway – might appreciate a look at the press pics Mattel issued yesterday. The text beneath each one is from Mattel.

Club Eternia 2013

Our next POP figure will hopefully be Netossa, one of the hardest of the vintage figs to track down! She comes with a net/cape and her shield! If the sub happens she will be the Jan monthly figure. (more…)

Joe Amaro Brings The Manta Raider to Power-Con

July 31, 2012 | Poe

You may recall Joe Amaro teaming up with vintage He-Man packaging artist Rudy Obrero to create a MOTU-themed vehicle called the Manta Raider. Well, Joe’s got some good news for those who wished they could get their own:

At the He-Man.org Power Party I finally got a chance to sit down and talk to Rudy Obrero face to face.

At the party Rudy told me that he wants to make the Manta Raider available to the fans!!! I need to figure out the logistics and price but it will be a very very limited run, definitely under 100. We talked about having it in some type of packaging so we can use Rudy’s awesome painting!

The plan right now is to have it ready for Power Con in September. Rudy will have a table there with some prints for sale. Best of all you can have all the items signed by Rudy!

Note: This is just a fan project and not associated, licensed or in any way affiliated with Mattel or Masters of the Universe.

Subpocalypse, Cont’d

July 27, 2012 | Poe

A Poester writes in:

I was chatting to a friend of mine today [who owns a specialist collector toy shop in England] – mostly Transformers, Star Wars etc.  We where chatting and the whole situation with MOTUC came up, as I know he collects them. During our conversation he told me that last year, he contacted Mattel and wanted to be a supplier for MOTUC in the UK. They replied and told him that unless he was willing to purchase $55,000 worth of each figure, they would not supply him. Realistically he was willing to spend £500-£1000 on each figure, but he said there was no way he was going to order $55,000 worth of one figure.

It puzzles me they would turn down a retailer willing to spend £1000 on one of their monthly figures, yet they are claiming there is not enough support. Mattel must really want to keep retailers and customers away from their products.

Obviously this is entirely unsourced, so it’s nothing but hearsay without actual corroboration. Still, it doesn’t sound made-up to me, and it also sounds entirely plausible. (more…)

Subpocalypse, Cont’d > The Four Horsemen Make a Personal Appeal

July 26, 2012 | Poe

The Four Horsemen have been asked by Mattel to intercede on behalf of Masters of the Universe Classics. They posted the following on the He-Man.org forums today:

Hey, all of you He-Fans and She-Ravers!

As we’re sure you’ve all heard by now, the number of subscribers to the 2013 Masters of the Universe Classics Club Eternia at Mattel has dropped drastically from last year to this year. This has put the future of the line in danger of being cancelled altogether.

We’ve seen a lot of the discussion on various message boards and blogs surrounding this issue, and many people have commented that this may be some sort of ruse by Mattel just to sell more subscriptions and that there’s no true danger of the line ending. Well, you should know by now that we’ve always tried to be as open, honest and transparent with the fans as we could possibly be, and we’re telling you now that the Masters of the Universe Classics action figure line IS currently in danger of ending sooner than expected because of a sudden and drastic drop in the number of subscriptions to the line.

Continued after the jump… (more…)

NECA Bets They Can Get You To Buy Another Robocop…

July 25, 2012 | Poe

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMm8bxvpoT8&feature=youtu.be&h=375&w=500]

…and they’re totally right.

Just thought it’d be nice to take a break from Subpocalypse for a moment.

Club Eternia 2013, Cont’d

July 25, 2012 | Poe

Scott Neitlich posted the following on the Mattycollector forums last night in response to a question as to where the MOTUC subs stand right now:

We have over 50% to go. We are at 46% of the min orders we need as of right now.

If we don’t hit 100% of the min it means fewer figs at higher prices (i.e. 30-35.00 per figure and likely only 4-6 figs for the whole year)

Forty-six percent of the required minimum tells me that all the discussion of the Star Sisters, QC, and CS issues is fairly inconsequential. The QC and CS issues have been around for almost the entire life of the line, yet they easily hit the required number last year. I have a difficult time believing that Star Sisters are holding anyone back, because the truth is, they were part of last year’s sub, not this year’s – if they were going to hold anyone off subbing, it would have been last year. (It could be argued the incentive figure, King He-Man, is no Shadow Weaver, but I think Ram Man makes up that difference.)

The SS/QC/CS stuff may have eaten away at the margins, but I think the main reason for the lower sub numbers was the price and international shipping increases, plain and simple. If it had been just the price increase of just the shipping increase, the damage might have been more mitigated. But with both hitting at once, MOTUC may have been dealt a mortal blow.

There’s not going to be another rush of subscribers – those happen in the first few days. I don’t like being a downer, but I just don’t see how they double the sub numbers by August 6 – unless there are some e-tailers who hop on board and save the line.

There’s been some talk that many people have been holding off to get paid at the end of this month or the first of August. I’m skeptical that 50% of the needed subscribers are in that boat, but I guess we’ll see.

UPDATE: On second thought, the total cost of the 2013 sub (before shipping) is $505, while the total cost of the 2012 sub was $510. It’s pretty much identical to last year, it’s just more per figure. So now I’m not sure how much the price increase figures into it, although I’m sure there’s a certain psychological resistance to paying an extra $5 per figure that factors in to collectors’ thinking (including mine, but I went ahead anyway).

MOTUC 2013 Sub in Jeopardy?

July 20, 2012 | Poe

Following up from the earlier post, there are two notable posts over on the Mattycollector forums.

First up:

Subject: MOTUC on the chopping block?

Q: With all due respect Toyguru, how could MOTUC possibly be on the chopping block when it’s the highest selling line on Mattycollector.com? Is this an edict handed down by corporate or is this a brand decision from yourself? Do you feel Mattycollector could even exist without MOTUC?

A: In 2012 it was/is one of the hottest. But the 2013 sub has not sold the min yet. Until it does, it is on the block. We need sub support to continue it.

And:

Subject: Can you do a sub meter for MOTUC?

Q: Like the one you have on DCUC? Clearly, we need it.

A: We’ll look into it. At this point we may need one. We were not expecting to which is why one was not prepped.

(more…)

Mattel: Cherry Pickers Need Not Apply (& Could Ruin It for Everyone)

July 20, 2012 | Poe

Scott Neitlich posted a lengthy update on the various Mattycollector subscriptions on the Mattycollector Facebook page.

The whole thing is pretty long, but the main takeaways are:

  • They had to raise the price because it was simply untenable to maintain the 2008 pricing in 2013.
  • There will be very little to almost no day-of-sale stock for many figures.
  • The early-access ordering for subscribers does not apply to other subscriptions you have not subscribed to (i.e., Watchmen subscribers can’t nab a Ram Man before the regular sale).
  • They’re working on improving the customer service.

But probably the most important part is this: (more…)