Ask Mattel > June 1 Edition

June 2, 2008 | Poe

Here’s our latest batch of questions and answers with Mattel’s ToyGuru!

PG: In terms of character selection and costumes, does Mattel view DC Universe Classics as a line catering to collectors who are fond of earlier eras, such as the 1970s/’80s, in a way similar to Masters of the Universe Classics?

Absolutely! Our license for DC comics extends to 2012 and we would like to get to all of the popular eras for as many characters as possible.

On a related note, obviously some more contemporary costumes have appeared in DCUC (wave 3 Robin and Sinestro Corps Sinestro, for instance). How much do you try to tie DCUC in with the changes going on in the DCU, particularly when events such as Final Crisis may have far-ranging effects on popular characters?

We are working very closely with DC comics both in terms of avoiding potential overlap with DC Direct figures and in terms of including characters that will be featured in upcoming storylines. Staying on the forefront of DC continuity is very important to the collector and to Mattel.

Approximately how long is it between the time the Horsemen complete a figure sculpt and the time it appears on the retail pegs?

About 9 months to a year.

Will MOTU Classics be in the same scale, and have the same articulation, as DCUC?

Yes. But the MOTU Classics figures will be a bit more muscular.

Are Movie Master bucks fair game for shared tooling with DCUC, and vice versa?

Yup. Where appropriate. We won’t make any stretches that don’t logically work for the character.

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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Odds ‘n Ends > Slow as Ass Edition

May 27, 2008 | Poe

ODD: Before you ask, yes, my webhost is having problems again. Fingers crossed that everything is resolved in the next few days. Apparently there’s some troublesome file server, and I think I speak for everyone in my cluster when I suggest that once all the data has been offloaded from that server, it should be dragged out into a field behind the office and smashed with a baseball bat.

But I digress.

END: An inquisitive DC Universe Classics fan uncovered two new photos this week: promo photos of Kalibak and the Sinestro Corps variant of Sinestro. (UPDATE: I’ve removed the Kalibak photo, as apparently Mattel doesn’t want it out there right now.) The Kalibak is a new reveal, and given the fact that the photo was found on Mattel’s retailer site, it’s probably safe to assume he’s the Collect & Connect figure for Wave 6.

ODD: I scored the second Iron Monger and Titanium Man from Hasbro’s Iron Man line in a trade this weekend. Watch for reviews of both figures over on OAFE sometime in the near future. My teeny-tiny review: they’re both pretty cool.

I’ll be posting most of my reviews posted on OAFE from now on (despite the fact that yo go re has yet to post a single comment over here…I don’t think he even reads the blog). (more…)

Odds ‘N Ends > Authentic Edition

May 20, 2008 | Poe

ODD: Where did all the comments go? I leave for a few days and the comments dry up like Aquaman in the desert. Come back! I promise I’ll be interesting!

END: Good news for fans of NECA’s Ninja Turtles line. First, it appears the line is selling quite well. That’s great news; perhaps NECA will be inspired to create more heavily-articulated figures. Second, it appears to be confirmed that the SDCC exclusive is a Mouser 3-pack. Add another exclusive to the pile I’ll be begging for come July…

ODD: From the looks of the toy aisles when I hit Target or TRU, Iron Man seems to be a rousing success with the kids as well as adults. All the 6″ figures have disappeared, though I notice plenty of those Superhero Squad and dress-up sets. Hint hint, Hasbro!

END: Please join me in congratulating Paul of Toy Bender, who entered into wedded bliss this past weekend. I’ll be joining him in just a few scant months. See you on the other side, Paul!

ODD: The next issue of The Toybox will be delayed until the first week of June, due to a hectic schedule for both Red Kryptonite and me. But I’m hoping to put something together to tide you over in the meantime, as well as expand the Toybox world.

END: The latest issue of ToyFare (which I’ll recap tomorrow) has a big ad for wave three of DC Universe Classics, possibly the greatest wave of superhero action figures since ML6. I imagine packaged pics will show up on the Net soon, though I still don’t expect to see my set until late June. If you think you know better, be sure to enter the contest!

Ask Mattel > 5/1/08

May 1, 2008 | Poe

Welcome to another round of Ask Mattel here at PGPoA. Let’s get right into it…

Poe Ghostal: Will the Lobo SDCC exclusive be produced in at least the same numbers as Man-Bat last year?

Mattel’s “ToyGuru”: Sorry, but we can’t comment on the production run of any of our exclusives!

When should collectors start keeping an eye out for the Wal-Mart DCUC wave?

June-ish.

What ratio will the Deathstroke/Sinestro variants be packed in wave 3?

Sinestro will be a 50/50 ratio, Deathstroke will be a bit less.

Any word on if and when the DCUC modern Red Tornado variant might be available to collectors?

Not at this time but we will continue to work on ways to bring him out to store shelves.

Just a clarification: is the Wal-Mart DCUC wave now the official “Wave 5,” and what online retailers had offered for pre-order as “Wave 5” is now, technically, Wave 6?

Yes, the Wal-Mart Wave is Wave 5, Wave 6 will have Hawkman.

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My thoughts: 50/50 Sinestro ratio? June for the Wal-Mart wave? All I have to say about that is: “awesome.”

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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ZZOMBIE NOT MUNKY

April 30, 2008 | Poe

I was going to write this up as a Poe’s Point, but I realized I hadn’t really come to any sort of opinion on the issue–at least, not enough for an editorial.

Buried at the bottom of a TNI news article about Diamond Select Toys’ plans for its popular Minimates line was this bit of information:

Marvel has put a moratorium on any further Marvel Zombie merchandise of any kind. Marvel was concerned about the negative image seeing their major characters would have on the public so they pulled the plug on any further Zombie products.

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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…)

Odds ‘n Ends > Cruelest Month Edition

April 22, 2008 | Poe

ODD: T.S. Eliot’s famous poem The Waste Land begins with the lines, “April is the cruellest month, breeding / Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing / Memory and desire, stirring / Dull roots with spring rain.” One interpretation of this is while the cold winter keeps us numb and forgetful, the regeneration that comes with spring is painful, reminding us of happier times, now long past.

I know this is certainly true for me. Spring arrived in New England last week, and whenever I found myself walking down a sunny street, the birds chirping and the smell of fresh blossoms in the breeze, I was instantly treated to a series of nostalgic sensations ranging from my childhood to just last year. I remembered “playing guns” in the forest behind our old house on Silva Street; setting up Transformers in a living room lit by the afternoon sun; trekking with my old dog Friskie through Miles Standish State Forest. I hear the cry of a seagull and I’m stepping across the large stones of the Plymouth Jetty, listening to the water lapping at the rocks. (more…)