Round 11.15.09 of Ask Mattel will be arriving in a few days, so it’s time to take questions for round 12.1.09. Fire at will.
Round 11.15.09 of Ask Mattel will be arriving in a few days, so it’s time to take questions for round 12.1.09. Fire at will.
"Any chance of a mass-market 3.3/4" MOTU line, perhaps using shrunk-down versions of the 7 inch series?"
My question is very simple:
Mattel, why are you making it so hard for me to give you my money?
I haven't seen a new DCU figure since wave 7. To me, this seems rather foolish. In order to make money, you need to have your product available. It is not that DCU is so popular that they are flying off the shelves… my local Walmart, Target, and Toys-R-Us stores are all fully stocked -with wave 7.
This is a shame. I love toys. I was estatic when the DCU line came out. I bought all the Marvel Legends (until Hasbro ruined the line), and was excited to have DC figures to have in addition to the Marvel ones. Now, I can't even get two figures (Dr. Fate and Gentleman Ghost) because of screwed up distribution issues.
If I can't walk into a store and buy these figures, then I am no longer going to bother. I refuse to pay insane mark up prices, so I'll wait until the line is dead and buy them cheap at that point.
Congrats, Mattel, you lost a customer.
I really want to ask about the Ghostbusters proton wand material again but I don't know if you submitted my question for the last round
I'm with Marc. Wave 11 is out in many places around the country and I have never seen anything past wave 7 in Minnesota.
This is VERY, VERY frustrating.
It is even more frustrating that Mattel's response will be "If you want to see DCUC in your store, talk to your local department store's toy aisle manager."
So, I don't really have a question. I just wish Mattel would hear us that distribution is a problem.
Regarding Ghostbusters, can you give fans who are collecting this line some reassurances that all 4 Ghostbusters WILL be made available? With Venkman being the most popular yet the last of the 4 to come out, after Walter Peck, some collectors are concerned the line might be cancelled prior to all of the announced releases coming out. This is even more troubling when you look at the fact that Ray is still available a month after going on sale and doesn't bode well for Winston, the least popular of the group when he hits next month. If the less popular Ghostbusters don't sell out fast enough or at all will that affect the availability of future releases?
With your history of bad distribution how do you think this will affect your upcomming WWE line?
Why do you not supply DCUC to shops in the UK like Toys'R'Us etc?
Will MOTUC ever be available at general retail?
I think a lot of fans would like to know if we can expect a DCUC J'onn J'onzz, also referred to as the Martian Manhunter. As a charter member of the Justice League, and a fan favorite, his absence is becoming more and more of a mystery, and for fans who have their "League" on display, there is a huge Manhunter size hole. While we are getting so many great B-list and C-list characters, the omission of Martian Manhunter, one of the only remaining "A-listers" is extremely puzzling.
Does Mattel have any plans to license out /franchise the MotU property? Are there plans for example, MotU Lego or a MotU console game? If not, is it possible for Mattel to even do this in the first place?
Does the DCUC license cover characters from DC's Wildstorm or Vertigo imprints?
Are there any plans to revive Mattel lesser know properties – Keyforce, Computer Warriors, BraveStarr, Captain Power, Food Fighters?
Is Mattel currently on the market for any new "retro" properties such as the licenses obtained like Ghostbusters? Or perhaps reviving another old in-house property like Masters of the Universe?
1) Are JLU singles being shipped at all or sold any where, and will they be seen at all before 2010?
2) Could the higher sales of the Color of Fear 2-pack change the outlook for DCUC Matty 2-packs in the future?
3) Will DC's Anniversary be the new theme for all DC-related items next year and will it include a different color scheme package-wise besides the rumored pin?
4) Not a question but MOTU comment: Count me as another collector into the idea of Snake Mountain bases like the Grayskull ones coming soon – great idea.
@Mysterious Stranger: I think the more important question (though one that would never be asked) would be what does Mattel consider a success and what do they consider a failure. MOTUC figures selling out in a matter of hours, while technically its a "success" its also a bit of a fluke, since they did not have enough product to supply demand. Obviously they create these products and want them to sell, and a sell-out whether in 2 hours or 2 months is still a sell-out. That said, if a certain item does not sell out within a certain time when will they consider it a failure? If they make 10,000 units and it sells less than half?
As far as Walter Peck is concerned, even hardcore fans might have a hard time justifying dropping $20 on him, which is I'm sure why they've included the containment unit with him, or as myself and a few others, they've included him as an "accessory" to the containment unit.
Can I resubmit my questions from last time?
DCUC:
Any chance of re-releasing wave 8? MANY have had a hard time finding these figures.
What about re-releasing any of the Exclusive w5 figures? w10's Power Girl is already planned for WGSH re-release, so it only seems fair a wave that most NEVER SAW should get equal treatment.
JLU:
why such a limited release of the Cheetah, Batman Beyond, Waller, and SuperFriends sets? Are more coming?
Many have not seen these due to the clogged pegs of Fire/Ice wave.
When are we going to get the WWE Deluxe Shawn Michaels figure…removable t-shirt and hat. Cause I would deffinently buy it.
A) We know that the Gotham City 5 set was originally to be all Bat characters. Can you tell us who the other two characters were to be before being changed to Superman and Lex? Or at least whether they would have been repaints or any new tooling?
B) I keep managing to buy older DC Superheroes figures *right* before a new version or rerelease of the character is announced (Two-Face, Joker, Darkseid). I'm not complaining mind you. I just would like to know if it's safe for me to go hunt down a Scarecrow. :-p
Are there plans for a Filmation style Power Sword [possibly released with a future Prince Adam] to match the Sword of Protection thats available with Adora?
Hi, are you able to confirm when sets of carded DCUC will be sold on MattyCollector?
How do you decide on making WGSH(rerealesed DCUC) Characters do you go by fan demand or not enough supply to meet damand?
@Marc:
In fairness, you're answering your own question. If the stores you go to can't get rid of what they have, their warehouse (which has nothing to do with Mattel BTW) isn't going to send any more.
The situation you mentioned isn't true of all targets. The Target near me, after a long wait, has received multiple cases of wave 9 recently, along with what seems to be a mix of 7 and 8.
Is there any chance of making the female figures arms in DCUC a bit less spindley? They all seem just a bit too frail compared to the arms on Teela in the MOTUC line.
Also, will other figures like Beast Man and Stratos be getting re-issues on Matty similar to He-man and Skeletor, or do we have to pay over the top on the secondary market if we came to the line late?
I absolutely love the DCUC line and all of the work of the 4 Horsemen. I'm wondering about tooling and pricing lately
It seems that tooling is the go to answer regarding any questions about pricing or the possibility of a more complex character.
1) We hear that tooling contributes to pricing, which is about to increase, and that it also is a reason certain accesories have been cancelled. If tooling is so restricting, why are we seeing such extensive tooling done just for variants, each of which only sells half of the units of a regular figure? They are actually pretty amazing and thoughtful for the fans, but the parademons were each entirely new, with little opportunity for reuse, and even the Super Powers Manits' use of new parts over a standard body used more molds than you average new character. It's can also be frustrating since a figure with new molds is pretty desireable, but the variants can be tough to grab both versions, or if you only want 1 version, youre still going to buy whichever one shows up first, to ensure a complete BAF.
So I'm wondering if you can elaborate on the decisions regarding tooling, pricing and variants, and also, froma tooling standpoint, would it make more sense financially to include swappable heads/helmets for the simpler variants to make not only better use of tooling, but a more desireable product?
DCUC question; Is there a chance Eradicator will get a re-issue like Cyborg Superman?
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Looking at the upcoming Dr Mid-Nite, is his owl removable? If so how does it attach to his arm?
@Baena: trying to read your post made a blood vessel pop in my brain and i now forgot my entire year of 1st grade. lol
roughly how many GB figs are planned for 2010?
are you looking at other lines to see where sharing tooling may be beneficial i.e. DCUC bodies partially used in MOTUC or GB or vice versa?
Do you have the rights to Doc Savage and the Spirit? If so may they appear in DCUC.
OK- setting aside for the time being the question of whether Walmart would be interested, from Mattel's point of view, would a re-release of wave 5 be a possibility? The tooling, the molds, whatever… that all still exists, right?
I know this probably won't be answered, but is Walmart's continued involvement with DCUC contingent on 5-pack sales? I ask because around here (where I am at the moment, upstate NY), while wave 10 disappears as soon as it is put out, the 5-packs seem to be lingering on the shelves (with the pegwarming Mr.Miracles and Cyborgs (many of which are the formerly exclusive to KB sonic arm ones)).
PLEASE TELL ME COPPERHEAD COMES WITH TAIL?, IT DOESN'T APPEAR IN THE EARLY PHOTOS, AND CHEETAH,DOES HAVE ITS TAIL.AND IF A DOOMSDAY AND BANE FIGURES ARE COMING,PLEASE DON`T MAKE THEM A WALLMART EXCLUSIVES!!!
I got a cool email today (11/13) from Mattel that showcased everything for sale this Monday…except for the Dark Knight movie Master. Why is Mattel not advertising these like everything else? A picture of the November Joker figure isn't even up on the website.
@Snakeeyes22: I believe I can answer this one for you SnakeEyes. While a certain amount of cost is alotted to a particular figure in a wave – it can vary quite a bit as the entire wave is given an overall budget typically. If one character makes the grade and requires little new tooling, extra expense can go towards another figure in the wave. Additionally, the CnC pieces and how they are paired up with figures also play a part in a figure's individual budget – concerning mainly its unit weight and relative size, which all have to be pretty similar (eg. a smaller figure gets the larger CnC part and vice versa). This is because they try to have the overall case weight the same from wave to wave to anticipate freight on board costs into their budget.
Mattel are very careful (for the most part)about how they budget in their reuse and ensure tooling will be available for certain waves when factory-time rolls around. So if the dollars are budgeted right they can allow even short-run variants the chance for unique tooling, thus 50/50 case packs of Mantis, etc.
Sorry to Poe for no question, I just know that Matty likes one-line responses and probably would'nt bother going into all that….for what it's worth.
Does Mattel plan to accurate other comic book properties to make action figures of?
I think Robert Kirman's Invincible from Image Comics would be a great candidate for the following reasons:
* It is a great selling, well known, highly acclaimed comic book that is currently in the 60+issue range with no signs of stopping.
* Not so well known that it would be too costly license.
* Cheep to make! They could reuse DCUC styled bodies with little more then a new head sculpt for a lot of the characters!
* Would be able to be sold in comic shops, online and through Mattycollector.com
I'm pretty sure I can accurately answer or predict the answer to 75% or more of these. We're asking variations of the same questions over and over again.
In fact, when I have some more time, I just might :-p
Does Mattel plan to acquire other comic book properties to make action figures of?
I think Robert Kirman's Invincible from Image Comics would be a great candidate for the following reasons:
* It is a great selling, well known, highly acclaimed comic book that is currently in the 60+issue range with no signs of stopping.
* Not so well known that it would be too costly a license.
* Cheep to make! They could reuse DCUC styled bodies with little more then a new head sculpt for a lot of the characters! This includes Build a Figures.
* Would be able to be sold in comic shops, online and through Mattycollector.com
Is the Ghostbusters Ray figure selling well, and does it bode well for the future Ghostbusters figures?
Could you now tell us what the new "theme" for DCUC in 2010 will be??
Now that Doc Savage, The Spirit, and characters of THE FIRST WAVE are mainstream DCU, will DCUC have rights to make action figures of them.??
Is there any chance that the Red Circle heroes might make the DCUC line???
Some Golden Age JSA characters are in the line-up like Dr. Mid-Nite. Are there ANY plans to include the InJustice Society of the World into the line??
DCUC is a wonderful action figure line, so please don't blame us if we want an ever expanding list of characters added to this line. Thanks, for all we have…and for all the characters you've done so well.
Mattel, what damage would be done if you'd let fans in on what's coming out? Fans ask questions, and feel like it's worthless. Why are all the answers overly corporate?
Are we ever going to see the all-gold modern Dr. Fate?
w/ the majority of motuc figures thusfar representing only modest new tooling, when the line exhausts these characters and all that's left to produce are unique tooled characters (like two bad or king hiss) will mattel cancel the line for being "too expensive to produce" and leave these characters unmade?
This has probably been asked before, but what goes into deciding which figures get variants, seeing as pretty much every character at one time or another has had costume variations, especially the little known characters who've gotten figures, that have been retconned a half-dozen times(Vigilante comes to mind).
@americanhyena:
HAHA yeah i know. i was just thinking the same thing. i look at ALL the sites submitting questions and think to myself that i can already predict the answers to alot of them.
however, i bet mattel at least glances, if not reads, the thread completely.
so the fact that they see the SAME questions over and over and over again shows them that there is a constant worry or problem or concern so where as we may not ASK the question they can see the questions is being BROUGHT UP time and time again.
@Russ:
i'd like to know this as well since he is still up in 6" and 12" form. i hope they just ordered ALOT of him. then again Beastman and he-man were up for a month before being taken down to hold some back for Cons and so mattel could make room for skeletor.
cpt zero- so far the theme many people think is Green Lantern with each wave so far having some sort of GL or GL enemy included in the wave.
dayraven- you make a good point. at first ramn man was dependent on how well the line does. now that it sells out all the time that still isnt good enough for unique tooling?? huh???
tom-tom- we have to face it that everything coming out of a company is going to be scrutinized so as not to "promise" anything that they could be held liable to uphold etc. it is the way business is.
What's the latest on the Golden Age Hawkman and Hawkgirl 2-pack?? Has it been dropped??
I would think it would sell better than your first two offerings.
Character selection hindered sales, and it is unfortunate that decisions made concerning 2-pack sales on those first two offerings could dictate discontinuing future 2-pack offers.
OK. Hard-core questions from NYCC Mattel Panel:
What can you say about:
1) "Possible troop builder wave in the works for an upcoming DCUC wave"??
(Personally, I would like to see Ninjas for the Assassins League of Ra's Al Ghul.)
2) "Could see some civilian characters in DCUC"?
3) "Mattel is working on flying bases that will work for all their toy lines"??
4) "Could see some box sets for DCUC"??
Hey, my last post was wiped out!!
What happened??
It was deleted.
It was a "masterpiece".
1) As the MOTU art book was such a sell out, do you have plans for a second volume? Perhaps with increased production?
2) As She-Ra was all-but absent from the MOTU art book, will she have her own POP volume?
3) When will we see pics of the new partial flocked Moss-man?
Why are you giving your new WWE figures great cloth capes and coats etc and keeping doing pubber/pvc cloaks on MOTUC and DCUC?
Also I have been looking at your upcomming WWE line and I am completely sold…you've got me….there is a good few I want, especially that ring entrance King of Kings Triple H and Shawn Michaels.
@captainzero: I received an email saying you'd requested that comment for deletion. I take it that was an error?
I apologize if it was, but unfortunately the comment is gone now.
Okay, scratch my last question (for now at least), I have a better one:
How expensive would it be in the short run to switch to an alternative-source plastic like Thermoplastic starch biodegradable plastics, that way there'd be lower production costs and smaller MSRPs in the long run?
Mattel: I want a Martian Manhunter in DCUC….are you going to supply me with one?
This comes with extra but important riders: If you make it a WallyMart exclusive I will have to kill your dog, or if you decide not to make one at all I will likewise have to kill you. And everyone that knows you. And your dog.
Have a nice day.
Since at least one figure from the Wal-Mart Exclusive DCUC Wave 10 is going to see re-release later (Power Girl) is it possible that others might (especially Joker)?
Underneath this question, of course, is the raging "Why is it so impossible to find your products when they are exclusive to the world's largest retailer?" question that they'll never answer.
A few years back Toy Biz had a wave of figures of all villains for the Marvel Legends brand. Is there any chance of an all Villain wave of DCUC, specifically 7 new villains? The DCUC Rogues Galley is growing much too slowly, (in my opinion).