Man, I’m makin’ up for lost time today! Here’s the latest round of Q&A with Scott Neitlich, a.k.a. Mattel’s “ToyGuru.”
POE: I’m sure you’re going to get asked this more than once, but why is Sinestro so short compared to Hal? Was this by design, or was there an error in the production process? In the comics, Sinestro is said to be 6′ 7″–five inches taller than Hal. (more…)
Codename: Monte
Specialty: Educator. Father. Amateur Photographer. Geek.
Base of Operations: Geek Creek
History: In the early ’90s, Monte Williams sold all his G.I. Joe toys to his uncle Ronnie for twenty bucks, so he could drop acid with his best friend, Poptart. Today, he is a columnist for Popmatters.com, a hopeless Sigma 6 nerd, and arguably the only Atheist teacher in all of Idaho.
POE: First off, let’s establish some groundwork. What was the heyday of your childhood toy collecting–i.e., what were your favorite toy lines as a youth?
Like you, Poe, I was a child of the ’80s, and so my favorite toys should surprise no one: G.I. Joe (A Real American Hero), Transformers (I liked Go-Bots, too; their corniness was part of their charm), Thundercats, Masters of the Universe… The heavy hitters, basically, but supplemented with obligatory weirdness like Inhumanoids, Centurions, M.U.S.C.L.E. Things, Rock Lords…
The last series of toys that I became obsessed with before temporarily “outgrowing” toys altogether was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Indeed, I blame that property for all my eccentric personality defects; a lawsuit is in the works.
I guess the only really notable quirks of my childhood toymania are that I was never a Star Wars enthusiast, and I really loved me some Marshall Bravestarr. (more…)
We’re back with another round of questions with Mattel’s “ToyGuru,” Scott Neitlich!
PG: The classic-suit, be-mulleted Superman in DCUC Wave Six looks great. Given that the Eradicator figure in Wave Five has a classic-looking Supes head, is it possible we’ll see a new classic Superman with the short-hair look–perhaps as a Mattycollector.com exclusive?
SN: Definitely something we are looking into.
With the DCUC case packs moving up from six figures to ten per case, will there be a greater likelihood that by ordering a case, collectors will be able to get all the variants in a given wave?
The variants will continue to be chase figures. The extra spots in the case packs will be filled with All Star figures on re-released cards such as Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Batman. Our goal is to keep new figures coming for collectors while having the big 7 at retail for the casual buyer or the “Mom” purchase.
When will the Movie Master Batpod ship to Target?
It should be on shelf now.
As of right now, does Mattel have any set plans for Movie Masters beyond the Nolan Batman films?
Nothing to announce quite yet but we have big plans in the works.
Any possibility of a Mattycollector.com exclusive space-motorcycle for Lobo?
Not at this time.
Codename: Kate Napolitano
Specialty: Managing Editor
Base of Operations: ToyFare magazine
Motto: “What’s it going to be then, eh?”
History: There was she, that is Kate, and her three hobbies: books, sex, and superheroes. For a long time, she believed she was going to marry the first two and try to become the next Dr. Ruth. Growing up in my happy New Jersey home, she always appreciated having my questions about sex answered honestly and positively by her totally sweet, supportive parents–and she thought it’d be great to pass that good karma professionally on to others. But when she got to college, and suddenly realized she was writing a few more papers on Batman than she was on BDSM, she thought a job more marvelous-so to speak-would likely make her happy. So, she kept her eyes open for anything Wizard, Marvel, DC, Top Cow, etc., related–and lo and behold–she found this opportunity and fought for it like the last BBQ chip! She is a life-long fan of all things Wizard–they are honestly her Journalism heroes; it’s a dream and honor to be in their office every day. So, humbly and happily, Kate’s glad to say she’s a pretty happy girl right now. And (she said with a wink) still a budding sexpert off the clock. She never leaves a droog behind.
PG: Please describe what you do at ToyFare. Is this the culmination of a lifelong desire to work with toys or the inevitable result of a misspent youth?
I am Adam Tracey’s bioengineered clone, birthed in a petri-dish at Wayne Enterprises–now with less goatee, more cleavage (::shiver at thought of Adam with a li’l decolletage::). Okay…seriously, I am ToyFare‘s Managing Editor. And what’s that, friends? In short, I organize, organize, organize–production schedules, meetings, interview appointments–with a little whip crackin’ to make sure everything, from big features to little ads, gets done on time. Plus a little copy editing. Which is a sentence fragment. As is that. And that. (more…)
Today I’m pleased to share this interview with Richard Gottlieb, a longtime provider of business development services to the toy industry.
Codename: Richard Gottlieb
Base of Operations: richardgottliebassoc.com
History: Richard Gottlieb is President of Richard Gottlieb’s USA Toy Experts, LLC, and a provider of business development services to the consumer products industry. Richard combines an MBA in Global Management with thirty-five years of consumer products experience to help small, medium, and Fortune 500 Manufacturers increase their market share. Providing straight talk and out of the box thinking, Richard helps companies create innovative, new ideas that leverage their company’s existing assets in dynamic new ways. He is also a Contributing Editor and blogger for “Playthings” and “Gifts & Decorative Accessories” magazines.
PG: In the 1980s, action figures were huge business, with mass market lines like Star Wars, He-Man, G.I. Joe and Transformers dominating the market. Today, kids appear to be more interested in electronics (such as videogames and Ipods) than traditional toys. Overall, what is the action figure industry like today compared to twenty years ago?
RG: It is alive and well. It certainly does compete with other forms of entertainment for children but is a staple part of the industry. Its health will vary with the health of the movie, television and other intellectual property it relies on. Bottom line, if there are hot properties then the segment will be hot. (more…)
Codename: TJ Dietsch
Specialty: Associate Editor
Base of Operations: ToyFare magazine
History: He comes from the mean streets of Toledo, Ohio where he learned to survive by reading comics, watching hours of TV and playing with toys. He’s somehow, to the amazement of just about everyone but his mom, turned all that into a living–go figure! No pun intended. Or maybe it was.
Please describe what you do at ToyFare. Is this the culmination of a lifelong desire to work with toys or the inevitable result of a misspent youth?
I am the Associate Editor here at ToyFare, I took over when Justin left us briefly. Basically, I read all the copy that comes in and check it for factual and grammatical accuracy. Every now and then I get to write a feature or two (my first was the Iron Man Costume Contest feature in TF #130 which I’m pretty proud of). I also suggest word balloons and help out with things like TTT, Back Page and those wacky next issue ads.
I actually started out at Wizard Entertainment with an internship a few (four?) years ago. After I graduated I sat around my home town of Toledo, Ohio for a while and then got a job in the research department of Wizard for about three years before moving up to my current position. I’ve always like ToyFare, I even remember picking up the first few issues until I couldn’t afford it anymore and I’d read the issues as they came out when I was in research. I’m a big toy fan, I’ve been collecting, opening and playing with action figures since I was a kid, so ToyFare isn’t where I though I’d end up, but it’s been a perfect fit so far. (more…)
Continuing the interview from yesterday’s post, in the second half of my interview with the Four Horsemen they discuss Masters of the Universe Classics, their ongoing FANtastic Exclusive project and the future of the studio.
POE: While details are few on Masters of the Universe Classics so far, we have seen a proto of the King Grayskull SDCC Exclusive. How similar with these figures be to DC Universe Classics in size, style, and articulation?
JIM PREZIOSI: Both lines are very close in the amount and types of articulation they have, but the style is more of a throwback to the original 1980s MOTU line than DCUC. The style will retain a lot of that old school flair, but there will be enough detail and modern applications that the figures won’t feel at all out of place in todays’ market.
ERIC TREADAWAY: As for size, they’ll be close in scale with DC Universe Classics, but the proportions of the characters will be so different that we’re not sure that they’ll fit all that well together in some collectors’ eyes. (more…)
On May 1, Poe Ghostal’s Points of Articulation hit its six-month anniversary. In anticipation of this event, I asked the Four Horsemen if they would be willing to do another interview as they did for the inaugural month of this blog, and they very kindly agreed. I had hoped to post it on May 1st, but the Horsemen were too busy creating awesome toys to get to it right away. I think we can all agree it’s worth the wait.
This is the first half of the interview, focusing on DC Universe Classics and NECA’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I’ll post the second half tomorrow.
POE: There are some slight stylistic differences between the early DC Superheroes figures and DC Universe Classics–for instance, Superman from DCSH wave 2. Do you feel Superman still fits in well with DC Universe Classics, or would you like a chance to do another straight Supes figures?
ERIC “CORNBOY” MAYSE: Well, as you’ve probably already guessed from the “Regeneration Suit Superman” revealed at Wizard World Philadelphia a few weeks back, we’re definitely moving forward in attempting to create a definitive DC Universe Classics Superman that will have obvious differences from its earlier DC Superheroes counterpart.
JIM PREZIOSI: When and in which wave that definitive Superman will finally make his debut is still up in the air, but it is coming. (more…)
Get ready for another round of questions with Mattel’s Toy Guru!
Poe Ghostal: Photos have shown both Lobo and Despero with the same big gun. Will they both come with it?
Toy Guru: Yes. Both Lobo and Despero come with the same weapons, although they are painted slightly differently. Lobo actually shares a the same body buck as Despero with a new head, coat, belt, boots, and arms.
Is there any chance of seeing an updated Superman figure in his classic look, with brighter colors and the yellow “S” on his cape?
This is definitely a variant of Superman we will get to in time.
The Joker figure made for the 2003 Batman line is visibly under-scaled and lacks the articulation of DCUC. Collectors have expressed a wish for a new comic-based Joker–is there any chance of that in DCUC’s future?
Much like we re-sculpted Nightwing for Wave 3, The Joker is a character ready for a new updated sculpt. Only time will tell when he will show up. He is a crafty one!
DCUC wave 2 seems noticeably harder to find in stores than the first wave. Is there a reason for that, and will we see any more shipments of DCUC2?
So far we have only shipped out the first half of Wave 2. The second half with Jason as Firestorm will start showing up very soon. This should help make Wave 2 easier to find.
It may be too early to ask this, but is there any chance the Four Horsemen will do any work on WWE for Mattel?
It is indeed to early to comment on WWE toys. Currently the Four Horsemen are busy sculpting our amazing DC Universe Classics and upcoming Master of the Universe Classics toy lines. We keep them well booked!
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.