Mattel Updates > MOTUC, DC subs, Draego-Man costs

August 17, 2011 | Poe

Lots of Mattel-related stuff to discuss today. First up is this addendum to Monday’s Q&A:

3.) Gasha168 asks: Does the 23″ Voltron contain any diecast metal components at all, or is it pure plastic except for the springs and pin joints?

The Lions that combine into the 23″ Voltron do not have any die-cast parts.  At the scale that the lions are being offered, if they were die-cast, the overall weight of the combined Voltron would be too much for it to be secure or stable.  However, we do understand that die-cast is a big fan request so this is something that we’re looking into for the future.

Next, we have a bunch of updates from Mattel regarding the MOTUC and DC subs. There’s a lot to cover here–this appears to be one of those times when Mattel comes surprisingly clean with us. I’ll reply bit by bit rather than a long speech at the end.

First off is this post from the Mattycollector forums:

Hey He-Fans and She-Ravers,

With so much talk over the DC Sub (and if we have enough subscribers) I wanted to check in with all of you on the MOTUC sub.

First off, as expected we have well passed our min sub order to keep the line going. (MOTU fans are committed!) BUT, I do want to let you know that we are actually at our lowest sub sale yet. Which unless we get a huge bump in sales this week, this means Shadow Weaver will likely be the lowest produced figure in the whole line! Wow.

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Ask Mattel > Answers for Mid-August

August 15, 2011 | Poe

1.) MsMarvel fan asks: Great reveals at SDCC! I’m really excited for 2012. Can those of us with MOTUC subscriptions look forward to a way to opt into additional club figures and/or 30th Anniversary figures for shipment with our sub figures?

We are looking into a way to possibly combine shipping on the 30th figures into a sub but we don’t have this confirmed yet. Stay tuned as we continue to explore options!

2.) Fringinator asks: Are Infinite Heroes coming back? That line went away just as I was really getting into it. Other companies are doing more and more characters on a smaller, 4-inch scale like that, and the DC universe has never gotten a big line like that.

The exact Infinite Heroes line is over for now, but that does not mean the scale is done. Again, stay tuned as we get all of our ducks in a row! We know there is a lot of fan demand for more DC figures in this scale!

3.) Gasha168 asks: Does the 23″ Voltron contain any diecast metal components at all, or is it pure plastic except for the springs and pin joints?

It does have some die cast. More details as soon as we confirm with design.

UPDATED ANSWER: The Lions that combine into the 23″ Voltron do not have any die-cast parts.  At the scale that the lions are being offered, if they were die-cast, the overall weight of the combined Voltron would be too much for it to be secure or stable.  However, we do understand that die-cast is a big fan request so this is something that we’re looking into for the future.

4.) AJ7 asks: If Shadow Weaver will not be re-released in any way, shape or form, is there still a possibility for 200X-inspired female “Shadow Wraiths” to be released in the MOTUC line?

Shadow Weaver will not be re-released but it is possible for us to do the Shadow Wraiths from 2002 from episode 35 as separate characters (and male characters at that).

5.) Snarf! Snarf! asks: After seeing the mixed reactions regarding Battleground Evil Lyn: Was she meant to be the “classicized” version of 200X Evil Lyn, or is there room for a third Evil Lyn in her Zalesian attire (A female version of The Faceless One’s vest)?

Never say never, but for now this is intended to be the Horsemen’s definitive Evil Lyn for the time being.

Feliz Maskor Dia!

August 15, 2011 | Poe

Is anyone else impressed that Mattel managed to keep a lid on MEF’s secret accessory right up to sale day? Even if it gets revealed today, I have to say congrats to Mattel–oh, and also, why do you continue to suppress information that might result in increased sales?!?! But I digress.

Here’s the link to the all-in-one page. Also on sale:

  • Megator
  • Ready To Believe You Egon w/ Library Ghost
  • Green Lantern Origins 3-Pack
  • Beast Man
  • Gygor

Odds ‘n Ends > 8/12/2011

August 12, 2011 | Poe

  • I got an email last night that said Mattel had extended all the subscriptions another week to August 22. It’s hard to know whether this is primarily to give the DC subscription a better chance or because all the subs aren’t getting the numbers they want. I still think the DC sub is screwed–the minimum number just seems to be too high–but this week I was considering subscribing until I found out that, because I already subscribed to Club Eternia and didn’t subscribe to both at the same time, I’d have to pay double shipping by adding a second subscription (“Remember, you can buy as many subscriptions as you like in any combination and they’ll all ship together when purchased in the same transaction!”). I’m sorry, but I am not paying double shipping. If Mattel wants to encourage fans to buy Club Infinite Earths, they should kick Digital River’s sorry ass and make them combine the shipping for the damned subs even if they’re ordered separately. Anything less is dumbfoundingly stupid. Period.
  • Mattel also posted more information on the future of the 6″ DC figures aside from Club Infinite Earths. The money quote, in my opinion: Yes DC 6″ will continue at retail in 2012 but their will be a lot of changes. Collect and Connect and the Wave strategy will be gone. The focus will be on much more mainstream and kid/mom friendly mixes/characters. This is WHY we created the club, to give a home to those team builders, C and  D list characters and fan demanded variants who may no longer be showing up at retail in 2012. It seems fan speculation is correct–the 6″ DC line will look like the Millennium MOTU line of the early 2000s, with tons of Superman and Batman guises. Before you start collecting kindling for Mattel’s auto-da-fé, keep in mind this is very likely being pushed by Warner Bros./DC, who are overtly trying to court a younger audience with their “Brand New DC” relaunch next month. Get the kids hooked early and all that. When will the two big comic companies stop pining for the days when Captain Marvel sold a million copies a month? That was in the 1940s, people. There were few televisions and no videogames or heck, even action figures then. Those days aren’t coming back.
  • Blogger, Poester and sometime PGPoA contributor Novelty wants to know: “What if MOTUC cherry pickers switched to the subscriptions instead?”
  • Figureoftheday.com is having an Alien/Predator event all day today. Might be worth checking out.
  • Angels preserve us, could the second G.I. Joe movie actually not suck?
  • You may remember MasterEnglish, whom I commissioned to make my 339/1 custom. I’ve just commissioned a second custom, which will be (if all goes according to plan) revealed not here, but at Power-Con first.

Toy Aisle Trolls > Skal(lox)ped

August 11, 2011 | Poe

Toy Aisle Trolls is a feature highlighting acts of vandalism to in-store toy items. If you find a ruined package, a stolen figure, a swapped-out figure, or any other such acts, take a photo (cell phone photos are fine if they’re not blurry) and email them to poe AT poeghostal.com.

Submitted by: WW

What It’s Supposed to Look Like: This

WW writes:

Long time reader, first time “caller”! I was in a Walmart in Catonsville, MD and I stumbled upon the attached example of a Toy Aisle Troll. As you can see, they stole the Skallox/Nite-lik Red Lantern body and replaced it with a *broken* Atom body. Atom’s broken leg was just free-floating in the package. The package rim was covered in tape, so it was obvious to anyone that it had been opened. Surprisingly, the Stel part was still there.

Toy Aisle Trolls > Lack Hand

August 9, 2011 | Poe

Toy Aisle Trolls is a feature highlighting acts of vandalism to in-store toy items. If you find a ruined package, a stolen figure, a swapped-out figure, or any other such acts, take a photo (cell phone photos are fine if they’re not blurry) and email them to poe AT poeghostal.com.

Submitted by: Poe

The Problem: The BAF piece is missing, and the Mattel Black Hand figure has been replaced with a DC Direct Black Hand.

What It’s Supposed to Look Like: This

Poe writes: Poester Sped and I came across this at the Toys R Us in Dedham, MA. Someone at TRU was evidently vaguely aware of the problem, as it’s got the reduced-price red sticker. But for all I know they just thought the BAF piece was missing–even Sped missed the fact it was a DCD Black Hand until I pointed it out.

Odds ‘n Ends > August 8, 2011

August 8, 2011 | Poe

  • I’m putting together what I’m calling “Bat-Week”–a week of reviews of Batman-related toys. I was hoping to do it this week, the week after Shark Week, but it didn’t come together. So it will be either next week or the week after.
  • I missed this out of SDCC, but it appears Mattel is actually looking into an opt-in option for subscribers for the six “Anniversary” figures in 2012 (Fearless Photog, Draego-Man, and the other four new characters). If that happens, I’ll be both surprised and pleased. The vehicles and Granamyr are still excluded because the pricing on them isn’t known yet (though they’ve been saying $80 for Granamyr).
  • DCUC is on sale for $9.99 at TRU this week, evidently. If you’re short on Mary Marvels or Steppenwolfs, now’s your chance to stock up.
  • Speaking of TRU, apparently the “Mad Love” Joker/Harley two-packs are hitting stores. It would be just my luck if every other Mattel DCUC 2-pack has pegwarmed but I never even see this set.
  • On a related note, I’ve started looking for the K-Mart exclusive Golden Age Batman w/ Bat-Mite. All I’ve found are empty pegs for Batman Legacy figures that haven’t been put out.

Mattel adds Poison Ivy to Infinite Earths sub (& why I’m still not biting)

August 2, 2011 | Poe

Why oh why oh WHY did I mention the idea of Batman figures in a subscription? Mattel announced another figure for the Infinite Earths subscription:

Hey DC Universe fans, you asked for it, you got it! Here is the reveal of another 6″ character in the DC Universe Club Infinite Earths subscription program…Poison Ivy!

What’s more, they’ve made it clear we will not see these characters as figures (or at least, not next year):

To clarify the DC Universe Club Infinite Earths subscription, If the sub does not move forward, the figures announced will not be a part of the 2012 retail line. The only way we will create these DC Universe figures in 2012 is through the subscription program. To get Starman, Atrocitus, Flash 1, and Poison Ivy, sign up for the sub.

I had to think it over. The sub is more tempting now, but I was mildly surprised to find I still didn’t want to sign up–not for Poison Ivy alone. (Probably the only single figure who could get me to sign up for an entire sub is Red Robin.)
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