Poe’s Point > Mattel reconsiders DCUC chase figures

September 26, 2008 | Poe

Mattel’s Scott Neitlich, a.k.a. ToyGuru, put up a post and poll on ActionFigureInsider, asking collectors what the company should do regarding chase figures in DC Universe Classics.

Got a question for fans around the world on the chase figures we are doing in the DCUC line. It is no secret that across the toy industry costs have gone up, manufacturing has risen and the overall cost to bring a 6 inch figure to market has skyrocketed in the the last year.

We are hitting a snag on our chase figures and want to run a possible direction by the fan base to keep the chase figures going.

The chase figures (because of the low quantity) are really making it difficult to keep the line at a low price at retail. We are charged a premium by our vendors for low run figures (which is why SDCC figures cost more to the customer).

One direction we have thought of to keep chase figures in the line is to put the chase figures up on MattyCollector.com about 2-3 months after the wave hits retail at a premium price (about 30.00 a figure).

$30 a figure? Woof…that’s $10 more than most online retailers are charging for chase figures in the earlier waves, and $10 more than already-controversial price for Masters of the Universe Classics. (more…)

Poe’s Point > Top Five Most Wanted MOTU Classics

August 18, 2008 | Poe

We all know Mattel intends to make the “original eight” characters for their new Masters of the Universe Classics line: He-Man, Skeletor, Beast-Man, Man-At-Arms, Teela, Mer-Man, Stratos, and Zodac. With He-Man going on sale in October, that gets us through May 2009, assuming we don’t get any non-original-eight figures before that. There are some other characters who are gimmes too–like Trap-Jaw and Evil-Lyn.

But after that, the field is wide open. According to Mattel and the Four Horsemen, they can make any character from any incarnation of MOTU (including the New Adventures of He-Man).

Here are my top five most wanted MOTUC figures. (more…)

Poe’s Point > A little perspective for DCUC collectors

June 30, 2008 | Poe

Where is everyone? Two new posts since Friday and not a word of comment. I suppose I can’t really complain, since I’ve been sort of in toy hibernation myself, anxiously awaiting the arrival of wave three of DC Universe Classics. The waiting has already driven more than one collector over at Fwoosh and RTM insane.

Much of the complaining among the online community is based around Mattel’s perceived distribution problems. In terms of quantity, I understand where that’s coming from–the second wave of DCUC has been difficult to find, though I think it’s worth pointing out that there’s plenty of the first wave around, and it’s probably only fair to wait and see how easy it is to find waves three, four and beyond before condemning the company. DCUC2 could be a fluke (or, as Mattel has promised, more shipments of the wave may hit, particularly at Wal-Mart).

Now, as for the collectors who, like me, are going crazy with the wait for DCUC3…

I was too young to really be aware of how toys were released back in the 1980s. But a cursory look at the historical release lists for He-Man and G.I. Joe reveals I’m apparently a spoiled brat. The biggest year for new figure releases for the original He-Man line was 1984, when twelve new characters were made. Counting vehicle drivers, the debut year of G.I. Joe: RAH featured fifteen unique figures. There were a mere eight figures in the first year of Kenner’s Super Powers line, followed by fifteen the next year and ten the final year.

Since December, we’ve seen twelve figures in the DCUC line. While the availability of these (particularly DCUC2) is definitely a problem, I think complaints about lateness are a bit unfair. If Mattel manages to get out even four waves this year (rather than the planned six), that will be twenty-four unique figures (not counting variants) in a single year–four of them BAFs. Twenty-five if you count Lobo!

That’s pretty good for a mass market line. It will be interesting to see, at the end of the year, the final counts for original DCUC/Marvel Legends figures in 2008. I’ll revisit the topic then.

Poe’s Point > DCUC and retail distribution

May 29, 2008 | Poe

Mattel hasn’t always had the best track record when it comes to action figure lines in recent years–at least, not when it comes to keeping collectors happy. Their 2002 Masters of the Universe revamp died out as collectors gave up trying to find that one Evil-lyn amongst the racks upon racks of Spin Blade He-Man. Their 2003 Batman line suffered from many of the same problems–four of the best figures, Bat Signal Batman, Attack Armor Batman, Bane and the Scarecrow were initially available only internationally, and the villains that were available in the U.S. were often shortpacked in favor of the umpteenth Batman in some bizarre outfit.

There’s lot of evidence Mattel has learned from their mistakes as the Batman line has morphed into DC Superheroes and then into DC Universe Classics. So far, every buck reuse in DCUC has been to create a look or another character who has appeared in the comics, rather than giving us, say, Arctic Shield Batman.

Still, action figure collectors aren’t known for being a particularly patient lot (and I definitely include myself in that characterization), so it’s no surprise that, as they see shipments of DCUC wave 1 fill the pegs at their local retailers while DCUC2 remains scarce, fans have started to worry the line will soon follow the fate of MOTU.

Never mind the fact that Mattel is bringing MOTU back this fall. Never mind the fact that, arguably, Mattel’s 6″ DC line has been in continuous production since the first Batman figures were released five years ago, albeit under various titles. Never mind that Mattel hasn’t even canceled the JLU line (which hasn’t had a cartoon to support it for two years), but have worked to keep it going as a Target exclusive.

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Poe’s Point > 5 figures I’d like to see in DCUC–but (probably) won’t

May 1, 2008 | Poe

It’s safe to say DC Universe Classics is my favorite toy line of the moment–and for the foreseeable future. Some have hailed it as Super Powers redux, and with its excellent renditions of the SP-era Lex Luthor and Brainiac, it’s hard to argue with that logic. But DCUC is more than a nostalgia line; with Lightray, Black Lightning, and Amazo already on the way, it’s clear Mattel and the Four Horsemen are committed to a very diverse mix of characters. And with Lobo as the SDCC exclusive, it would seem the sky is the limit.

However, there are a few characters I’m pretty certain we won’t see–but I’d like to, anyway. In the list below, I run down five characters I’d like to see in DCUC and why. Before anyone gets worked up, I should clarify that I wouldn’t want to see these until after all the A-listers and most of the B-listers have been produced. They’d be best sold as exclusives, since they’ll have absolutely no household recognition and even very little fan recognition.

(Thanks to ToyOtter for the use of images from his excellent website, the Super Powers Archive. Also, most of the “Who he is” text was swiped from the characters’ Wikipedia entries.)

SAMURAI
Background: The third wave of Super Powers figures included three characters who had never appeared in a comic book. One of these was the rather unimaginatively named Samurai, though he had an edge on the other two because he’d appeared fairly frequently as a member of the Justice League in the 1970s Super Friends cartoon. I’m not sure why someone as obscure as Samurai got an action figure in Super Powers when there were plenty of existing DC characters to choose from, but I suppose his appearances on the kid-targeted Super Friends make him a decent pick for a toy line.
Who he is: Toshio Eto was a history professor. One day, Eto was struck by a beam of light sent by the New Gods of New Genesis, who were trying to create more superheroes to defend the world from Darkseid. Although Eto briefly ran wild with his new powers, the New Gods explained their intent to him and he vowed to become a superhero.
Why I’d like to see him in DCUC: Since he has never officially been introduced in the comics, Samurai is ripe for an innovative, unique Four Horsemen re-interpretation. The Horsemen went wild with their redesigns on the 2002 He-Man line, and I can only imagine what they could do with someone like Samurai, who is obscure enough to allow the Horsemen to do whatever they want with him. I can see this is as a great exclusive–something that will appeal to collectors and fans of Super Powers, but one more casual fans of the DCU can pass up.
Suggestions for a DCUC redesign: If their work on MOTU is any indication, the Horsemen like to take small, odd details on the original toy and amp them up. In the case of Samurai, I think the strangest trait is his weird sword; I can see the Horsemen developing it into a huge, sweeping serrated monstrosity. Other than that, though, there’s really not a lot to work with here.

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Poe’s Point > DCUC: Identity Crisis

April 24, 2008 | Poe

Batmen

American pop culture nostalgia tends to go through generational cycles. In the 1970s, everyone watched Happy Days; in the 1990s we had another Woodstock; in the early “naughts” we had That ’70s Show.

The same holds true for toys. In the 1990s, there was a resurgence of popularity for Mego and Star Wars, lines whose heyday was in the 1970s and early 1980s. Now, we’re seeing feature films of The Transformers and G.I. Joe, while lines such as Transformers Classics, 25th Anniversary G.I. Joe and the 2002 Masters of the Universe revamp show that 1980s nostalgia is big business right now. NECA’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Mattel’s latest attempt at resurrecting He-Man, Masters of the Universe Classics, are more examples of action figure lines intended to cater to collectors who were kids in the 1980s. (more…)

Poe’s Point > Top Ten Cartoons of all time…EVER.

April 10, 2008 | Poe

NOTE: Originally published on Biggerboat on 2/16/2007.

After my Saturday morning cartoons post, I decided to go ahead and compile a list of my top ten cartoons of all time. This list is unrestrained by timeslot or, I should mention, relative quality. I make no claim as to this list representing what I think are the best cartoons ever made. That list would be quite different. Today’s list is about the cartoons that have made a significant impact on me or my life at some point.

Anyone who knows me at all no doubt can guess #1 right now, but we’re going to start at number ten.
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Poe’s Point > Here come the price hikes

March 20, 2008 | Poe

Earlier this year many manufacturers announced there would be price hikes on their 2008 products. Due to a combination of rising gas prices (most plastics are made from petroleum), Chinese and American governmental policies, the current toy safety crisis, and the weakness of the American dollar, price hikes on action figures were inevitable:

Mattel Inc (MAT.N: Quote, Profile, Research), which manufacturers most of its toys in China, said earlier this year it will raise prices by roughly 5 – 10 percent in the second half of the year.

For those of you curious as to how exactly this will hit close to home, Scott, owner and manager of the online retailer Enchanted Toy Chest, recently posted a message on the Fwoosh forum about it: (more…)

Poe’s Point > Top Five Most Anticipated Movie Toy Lines of 2008

March 13, 2008 | Poe

Yeah, I could write a list of my most anticipated movies this year–and there are quite a few–but to stay more on-topic, I decided to list what I think are the five most anticipated action figure lines based on movies this year among collectors. Note, these aren’t listed in the order I’m anticipating them, but on how much I think the collector community is. (more…)

Poe’s Point > Top Five Saturday Morning Cartoons

March 7, 2008 | Poe

NOTE: This article was originally published on Biggerboat on 1/31/07.

I’ve often declared my life’s goal to make every day feel like Saturday morning. If there’s anything that makes me regret the linear direction of space-time and ache for the past as all mortals do, it’s that I can never truly recapture what it feels like to be a young kid on a Saturday morning.

Growing up in the 1980s following the FCC’s deregulation of children’s programming, Saturday morning offered a bevy of options for the child who, having woken at six a.m. to enjoy as much of his school-free day as possible, would down three bowls of sugar-loaded cereal while watching colorful talking animals and consequence-free cartoon violence. True, many of the shows were little more than half-hour advertisements for toys (or candy, or Mr. T). Others were genuinely entertaining. But what Saturday morning cartoons really offered children was a time when television catered just to them. No boring adult dramas or shows they weren’t allowed to watch. Saturday morning TV belonged to kids.
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