June 30
This news update is a bit off the mark, but if you've been as frustrated by Windows Vista as we have, you'll probably appreciate it.
Windows 7 is supposed to be a huge improvement over Vista, and reviews look good so far.
Windows 7 is due out October 22nd, and right now Amazon is running a preorder sale.
If you buy a Windows 7 upgrade between now and July 11th, you can get 50% or more off, depending on which version you buy.
Those are some pretty big savings.
Plus, if you buy it after clicking on the link below, you also help out He-Man.org at no extra cost!
Remember: any time you want to buy something from Amazon, just click on one of Amazon banner ads or this Windows 7 upgrade link first, then surf to what you want to buy at Amazon. As long as you make your purchase during that visit to Amazon, you'll help out this site at no extra cost to yourself!
Click here to purchase the Windows 7 upgrade of your choice.
June 28
Auctions end today!
The Cafe Wha has listed some really cool, really rare items for auction that help support this site!
A lot of US collectors have never seen these very limited international reprints of the 2002 MVCreations comic! Here's a rare chance to get ahold of them.
The Cafe Wha is also one of the last remaining places you can get ahold of the limited edition SDCC exclusive Volume 3 MYP DVD sets!
Get yours now before it's too late!
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Toyguru has sent this update about the Q&A sessions:
"Just to give everyone an update, we are working on the July 1st Q & A now and will return it a week from Wednesday. However, please be aware that with SDCC around the corner, this will be out last Q & A until Aug 15th...
...We will pick up with our usual schedule after."
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MegaGearMax sent along news from Mattel, detailing their SDCC plans:
"For us toy collectors, the granddaddy of events has to be San Diego Comic-Con. The 2009 show starts July 23rd (preview night July 22nd) and runs through July 26th, and this year I'm bringing more cool stuff than ever before!
FAN PANELS
First off, we'll have not one, but TWO fan panels at the show:
Mattel & DC Comics, a Powerful Partnership
Friday, JULY 24
11:00 AM - 12:00 NOON
ROOM 2
MattyPalooza
Friday, JULY 24
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
ROOM 2
NEW PRODUCTS
Then, visit me at Booth #2845, and you'll find tons of new toys either just coming on the market or soon to come. We'll have Ghostbusters, DC Universe, DC Universe Classics, Infinite Heroes, Justice League Unlimited, Masters of the Universe Classics, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Disney/Pixar CARS, Toy Story, Hot Wheels, Scene It? The DVD Game, and the insane new Mindflex game — plus a few surprises!
PRODUCTS AVAILABLE AT COMIC-CON
Products will be sold starting preview night. Customer service and safety is our number one priority, so we'll have a separate booth run by our Toy Club to handle sales. Lines will only be allowed to get as long as the designated roped-off area, but "fast-pass" tickets will be handed out to reserve your spot later that day. Limits on all exclusives will be six per person, per visit to the Mattel booth.
If you choose to wait in line a second time, you'll be eligible to buy another 6 figures (there will also be a limit of six figures for online purchases after the show). It should all go very smoothly for the best buying experience yet!
We're going to have plenty of gotta-get products available for sale, including (click each for all the scoop):
- Disney/Pixar CARS Toon Rescue Squad Mater
- 3-3/4" scale Buzz Lightyear figure
- DC Universe Infinite Heroes Anti-Monitor figure
- Justice League Unlimited Green Lantern Origins 3-pack
- DC Universe Classics Wonder Twins 2 pack
- Masters of the Universe Classics He-Ro figure
- Ghostbusters Classics Dr. Egon Spengler with Slimer
PRODUCTS AVAILABLE AT MATTYCOLLECTOR.COM
Can't make it to Comic-Con? Fear not, fair comic fan! You'll be able to get everything listed above on MattyCollector.com starting at 12:00 Noon on Monday, August 3rd, except these items:
- SDCC variant He-Ro
- SDCC variant Buzz Lightyear (with "Andy" on his foot)
- SDCC Gleek (but the onder Twins without Gleek will be available)
Whew! That's it for now, but stay tuned to MattyCollector.com, because I'll have more news as Comic-Con gets closer."
June 27
MegaGearMax sent along this update from Mattel's Facebook with new pics of and the bio for Webstor!
"Webstor
Evil Master of Escape
Real Name: Araneus son of Raknus
One of the last remaining members of an ancient Eternian race of Spider Warriors called the Arachna, Webstor was awoken from hibernation beeneath Snake Mountain and occasionally allies himself with Skeletor. In ancient times, the Arachna were an advanced dominant race until driven underground by the Snake Men. Araneus retains much of the knowleedge of his people and while seemingly savage, is an expert mathematician and strategist as well as an accomplished escape artist. He often arms himself with a grappling hook Fast Pack and uses his climbing power to escape capture!"
June 23
UPDATED:
Turns out the slide was not a hint of what's coming, but instead a Four Horsemen wish-list of characters they hope to do.
So we can't count on any of those characters actually being made right now.
Regardless, it's important to remember that Mattel's 2002 relaunch had them doing updated versions of characters from the Filmation cartoon in the MYP cartoon, some of which have been hinted at as possible characters in the MOTUC toy line (eg: Evilseed and Count Marzo).
We also don't know the details of any of Mattel's toy rights, so you never know what they might be able to make and what could be around the corner.
The possibilities, while unknown, are potentially endless.
Keep those fingers crossed!
Check out this slide from the Four Horsemen panel in Wizard World Philly that depicts some most-wanted characters (some even shown in fan renditions; please note this does not mean they are using fan designs).
Thanks to He-Fan BoShek for posting this info!
Click here to see what other fans have to say!
For those who may not recognize the characters at first glance,
Here's what is shown in the slide, from left to right.
Top row: The Goddess (original Sorceress from original mini-comics), villains from New Adventures of He-Man, Adora (who transforms into She-Ra), Megator (classic Powers of Grayskull evil giant toy only released in Italy)
Bottom row: Tytus (classic Powers of Grayskull heroic giant toy only released in Italy), Shadow Weaver (evil sorceress from The Evil Horde), heroes from the New Adventures of He-Man, Lizard-Man (hero from the classic cartoon)
June 22
MegaGearMax sent along these photos of MOTUC Teela, taken by Sword-of-Grayskull at Wizard World Philly!
Click here to see Sword-of-Grayskull's report from the show!
June 21
Pixel Dan brings us Man-at-Arms, thanks to an awesome sample from Mattel!
Plus, he has uploaded a gallery of photos of Man-at-Arms to check out as well (registered users only).
Click here to see what other fans have to say about Man-at-Arms!
June 20
Pixel Dan brings us He-Ro, thanks to an awesome sample from Mattel!
Plus, he has uploaded a gallery of photos of He-Ro to check out as well (registered users only).
Click here to see what other fans have to say about He-Ro!
June 19
A couple important forum threads we want to bring to your attention.
First up, we have a thread for reporting paint application problems on MOTUC figures.
In his response to question 7 in the latest He-Man.org, Toyguru asked for fans to post examples of bad paint apps.
So if you are a registered user on He-Man.org, please be sure to post your photos of any MOTUC paint application errors.
Next is a thread for reporting problems with the refresh screen on Matty Collector.
When ordering Hordak, some fans reported waiting for 15 minutes or more on the auto-refresh screen, which slowed down their ordering process drastically, and even resulted in some fans missing out on ordering Hordak.
If you are one of these fans and are a registered user on He-Man.org, please be sure to answer the questions in that thread.
We will pass this info along to Mattel in hopes it may help them streamline the refresh screen performance.
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MegaGearMax sent along this update from Mattel's Facebook account about Hordak's sales:
"Just to give everyone the latest info from today's sale of MOTUC Hordak and DCUC Alex Luthor and Ultraman two pack!...
...2: As for Hordak, well he has been our most successful figure yet. We produced as many Hordak's as we did Zodac and Mer-Man, but he also sold out faster than any other figure! Just goes to show the power of the Horde lives!
We will continue to increase numbers and adjust as needed on a figure by figure basis. We are well aware of which figure are more popular (i.e. Zodac vs. Hordak) and will continue to do our best to adjust production without the dreaded line-killing over-production option. And yes, in time Hordak will be back for a second run much like we are doing with He-Man and Skeletor in the fall.
And keep in mind that the full 12 figure MOTUC subscription for 2010 will be available in July starting at SDCC (you can even sign up right in our booth if you are at the show!). This is the best method to guarantee you get every figure. And as a bonus, the 2010 subscription will include extra items only available to subscribers (and there will be a nominal fee to cover this). more details will be revealed in San Diego.
Next up is Man-At-Arms on July 15. After that, see you in San Diego!"
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MegaGearMax has sent along some MOTUC Q&A tidbits from other sites!
From Planet Eternia:
1) Can we expect improved international shipping options in the foreseeable future? Right now, we still just can choose between extremely slow, uninsured shipping or fast and insured but extremely expensive shipping. And if other shipping options become available, will those who've subscribed earlier still be able to switch to the new shipping option?
This is something we are looking into and are discussing options with Digital River to improve shipping options for international customers.
3) Will upcoming armored figures feature Hordak's "smooth belly armor" sculpt as well, will they be done similar to the He-Ro figure with the painted muscle belly, or will we see a yet-unseen solution like full-body one-piece armor?
The plan right now is for all armored figures to use the Hordak style. He-ro has a sculpted muscle detail because that is what the original figure had. This was a design for the line created by the Four Horsemen and we love it!
4) Some fans wonder why Hordak's crossbow will be colored black and gray instead of white like the vintage figure. Can you give any insight about that decision?
For this we went right to the Four Horsemen:
"Although we have a pretty good idea of how we are going to address the design elements of a figure before we even start sculpting it, sometimes we end up changing things as we go. The crossbow is a pretty good example of this. Most of the figures so far have stayed pretty close to their original counterparts in many respects, including accessory color. In Hordak's case, though, once the paint master was completed we didn't think that the crossbow worked in it's classic color. The addition of the metallic colors, along with the newly styled accessories and updated sculpting gave Hordak a darker look than we originally expected. When we looked at the classic colors against the figure it just looked out of place. In general accessories will continue to match up to their classic counterparts, but like every element on these figures we will make decisions on a case by case basis."
6) Are there any plans in progress in terms of Collect & Connect figures?
No, we will not be doing Collect and Connect figure in the MOTUC line.
8) Will Battle Cat be released early in 2010, or rather lately?
He will be released early in 2010. More details will be announced at SDCC.
10) Will you produce different versions of the core characters, such as New Adventures He-Man or Dragon Blaster Skeletor? When could we expect such figures?
We are looking at adding the first variant of He-Man in 2010 as a "bonus figure". Look for more details at SDCC.
From Action Figure Pics:
4. You could argue that no Masters of the Universe collection would be complete without Orko. With price point for Classics, some collectors might think twice about buying Orko. Have you thought about how you might release an Orko, and what will you do to get his value to be on par with the rest of MOTUC?
We know exactly how and when Orko will be in the line. He's coming sometime in 2010.
From The Fwoosh:
1. Back when MOTU Classics was just starting up you said that characters that required all new tooling (like Ram-Man) would require the line going to retail in order to cost them out. With the apparent [rampant] success of the line at this point, has that stance changed at all. Have sales shown that guys like Rammy, Leech, Mantenna and King HSSS stand a chance in the line as is now?
It is possible we will get to some fully tooled figures, depending on fan interest. In 2009, Teela was fully tooled.
4. For 2009, the characters released under the MOTUC banner have been fairly logical- e.g. most of the 8-back characters, reuse, etc. Will that change going into 2010? Can you give us some insight as to the number of Princess of Power and New Adventure figures we might see next year? We want all corners of the MOTU mythos!
We are currently planning on at least 1 POP and 1 NA character in 2010. We can't comment on anything beyond that. However, we very interested in exploring all of the MOTU world with this new collector line!
5. Since SDCC is right around the corner, can you give us an idea of how many DCUC, MOTUC and Ghostbusters figure reveals we will see at the show? Everyone is excited for a big showing.
We will have three new waves of 6†DCU figures, at least 1 new Ghostbuster figure and at least 6 new MOTUC figures.
From Pendragon's Post:
1) Seeing Mattel has already said that She-Ra would be a part of the MOTU line, will fans being seeing other characters from the Princess of Power cartoon in 2010?
All of the POP characters in the MOTUC line will be based on the original toys, not the animated series. And yes, we are looking at doing a few more POP characters as the line goes along!
3) Will Mattel be making a full line of characters sculpted to resemble the classic Master of the Universe figures including 200x characters, or will Mattel be mixing in figures that are sculpted to fit in with the 200x line?
We won't be doing a separate line of 200X styled figures but will look at this line for inspiration when designing characters. We will also look at re-releasing some A-level character in a more 200X style, especially if that figure's 200X design is radically different from the vintage look.
5) There were a lot of issues with the shipping of the MOTU figures. Customers not receiving shipping confirmations. Damaged packaging. What is Mattel doing exactly to fix this?
Starting with He-Ro, all MOTUC figures will ship in an outer shipping box much like the DCUC and JLU Mattycollector.com sets.
From Poe Ghostal:
2.) Frogster asks: Given the popularity of MOTUC, is there any chance of a promotion for the fans (preferably available on Mattycollector.com, not just at conventions) such as posters or mini-comics?
This is something we are looking into and will have more to announce at SDCC.
June 18
Toyguru has sent answers to your questions from WTFWTK 2.20!
1. How far away are we from seeing 2-packs (or more-packs) released online in the MOTUC line? examples: army builders or even themed sets like Adam and Adora, Randor and Marlena, rock warriors, etc.
Not that far actually…
2. Why is Mattel no longer attending the Wizard World Chicago show, as well as not attending the NYCC in 2010?
We have schedule conflicts with both of these shows. NYCC moved to October in 2010, which is the same time as our internal Toy Fair show for major retailers.
3. In the subscription description it says that we will get a figure a month "at current prices". Does this mean fans might face a price increase?
Not anytime in the immediate future.
4. Any updates on the production of a life-sized Sword of Power?
This is something we continue to look into, but we do not have any updates yet.
5. Will Mattel create high heeled feet as well as flat foot molds for female characters? She-Ra and The Sorceress stood at the same height as He-Man because of their high heels where as Teela and Evil-Lyn were shorter because of their flat boots.
Yes - there are currently two sets of female foot molds in the mix. The high heel versions have a slightly different ankle articulation to allow for the inclusion of the that detail. You should be seeing the high heels sooner than later!
6. With the picture of Webstor revealed, should we expect the 8-back Skeletor shin guard legs and fin arms to be used on all figures that shared them in the original toy line? Examples: Kobra Khan, Scare Glow, Ninjor.
This is a detail which will be handled on a figure by figure basis by the Four Horsemen.
7. Some fans have noticed a decline in the quality of the paint applications. Although we are aware that the figures are hand-painted, is there any way to fix this problem at the factory, and what sort of Quality Control measures are in place?
We constantly strive to put out the best figures possible. If you have samples with any errors it would be great to post them so we can review with our vendors.
8. Could we please do a fan's choice character for an upcoming figure? You did this with DCUC (The Question) and it would be a great idea for the MOTUC.
Because the world of MOTU is a bit smaller than DCU (in terms of character selection), and since we have the line planned out for several years, a fan’s choice logistically would not work and will not be offered.
9. How bad are the illegal ebay figures sold out of Hong Kong hurting Mattel's "surprise" factor and willingness to continue with surprises, and what is Mattel doing to put an end to these auctions?
It is Mattel’s policy not to discuss any legal matters.
10. Will you, at this point, tell us how many POP and NA figures we can expect in 2010? And if not, when will we finally find out your plans for including POP and NA in the MOTUC line?
We are currently planning on at least 1 POP and 1 NA character in 2010. We can’t comment on anything beyond that.
Check out what fans have to say about the answers to the WTFWTK 2.20, as well as find links to all the previous WTFWTK sessions!
June 15
UPDATE:
Hodak has already sold out, much to everyone's suprise!
Mattel has issued this statement for now:
"Hordak is now sold out. We will bring him back in the future (much like
other sold out figures starting with He-Man in October) but for now,
the Ruthless Leader of the Evil Horde is off the market."
We'll post more info from Mattel if we receive it.
See what other fans have to say about this sell out!
Hordak goes on sale today at Matty at 12pm EST (GMT-5).
As always, you can get the dates and times for MOTUC figure releases on the He-Man.org calendar.
And speaking of Hordak, Guia X has sent along some awesome shots of the Ruthless Leader!
In addition to the sample below, you can check out Guia X's complete galleries on the forums.
Hordak gallery
Remember that subscriptions don't start until September.
So even if you signed up for a subscription, you are going to have to order Hordak!
Important reminder about ordering Hordak!
The refresh screen at Matty is a protective measure to help alleviate traffic and help you place your order!
As it says, it refreshes on it's own!
Don't get frustrated,
don't keep hitting refresh on your own!
Doing this is part of the reason for the server overload!
Let the 3-second refresh work for you,
sit and wait for the refresh screen to disappear on its own,
and have patience!
Like with Mer-Man and Zodac, you will get through to place your order as long as Hordak is in stock!
If you got there early, just have patience. Fans have reported sitting on a refresh screen for almost 20 minutes before a successful order goes through.
It took Zodac several days to sell out, and Mattel has admitted to making more of Hordak.
Don't let the overflow queuing measures on Matty freak you out!
It's there to help you.
June 14
A big news update from Mattel!
But first,
you know those awesome new He-Man.org symbol shirts shown in the June 5th news update?
And all those other awesome symbol shirts at the He-Man.org symbol shirt store?
Well, here's one more chance to save big on them!
Use these coupon codes!
Save $5.00 USD on orders over $25.00 USD with coupon code:
COVERYOURNAKEDNESS
Save $10.00 USD on orders over $50.00 USD with coupon code:
COVERYOURFRIENDS
Save $20.00 USD on orders over $100.00 USD with coupon code:
COVERTHEWHOLEFAMILY
You must enter coupon code before completing checkout.
Your subtotal must meet the minimum to receive the discount.
Discount is only applied to the subtotal and does not include shipping, taxes, or additional charges.
Offer valid from 06/14/09 to 06/21/09 11:59 PM MST (GMT -7).
This offer may not be combined with any other Printfection promotional or discount offers.
Orders placed with this discount may be delayed beyond normal estimated ship dates, no refunds or discounts will be given for orders delayed under this promotion.
Now for the news!
Toyguru posted the following info here on the forums, which MegaGearMax collected.
Check it out in this thread!
Here's the meat of his post:
"Its been a while since I was able to chime in (things have been busy around the Big M with Comic Con a mere few weeks away) but I wanted to give everyone the latest updates.
First off, obviously MOTUC is doing very well and this has rung all the way up to the top brass. We couldn't be happier with where the line is and have some amazing plans to expand it beyond single figures per month in 2010. In fact, in all likely-hood, almost each month next year will have at least two MOTU items for sale. More details will follow at our SDCC fan panel on Friday at 1:00 in room 2.
And yes, we are looking into other projects and lines to do with the brand, but nothing to announce quite yet.
In the things we can announce category, we've been doing some major research into the brand going deep into the Mattel archives. In this process we've uncovered quite a lot of goodies such as the original story concept for MOTU (pre mini comics!) and some concept art never before shown to the public (did you know Skeletor was called "Demo-Man", Trap Jaw was originally called "X-Man", Evil Lynn was "Sultress" and Zoar was called "He-Bird"!) Lots of cool stuff and we are working on finding ways to publish some of these finds for the fans. We even found the original painting from the Eternia Playset. So good stuff is brewing as we continue to research the line and make MOTUC the best it can be.
Okay, and so lets get to He-Ro. I know there has been a lot of chatter about him on the boards lately. We've got some basic info up on MattyCollector.com, but to recap, there will be three magic Spell Stones randomly packed with both the SDCC and Matty.com versions. (and yes he is still the most powerful wizard in the universe taught by Eldor, he is just also a Cosmic Warrior, the cool blend of magic and technology). The stones will be inside the Spell Staff so you won't know what color you have until or unless you open the figure. Green will be the most common with Red and Purple being a bit harder to find. For legal reasons, much like with production runs, we will not be publishing exact ratios of the colors.
At SDCC, He-Ro will get an extra SDCC tampo stamp under the armor. We thought this was a good way to make the figure special for those who come to the show, while still letting purists keep He-Ro looking traditional by not removing the armor. Will it please everyone? Of course not, but we think it is way cool!
His sword is indeed blue as original created as an homage to the weapons pack and will be transparent with the star deco like the prototype black sword. We've already send out PR samples so I'm sure close up reviews of this amazing accessory will be all over the net in a week or so.
As for why his name is "Ro" and not "Gray", well simple. In the original story line "Powers of Grayskull" He-Man travels back in time to meet his ancestor who turns out to be He-Ro. Because the 2002 MYP series firmly established King Grayskull as Adam's ancestor, He-Ro was reinvisioned slightly to make him a contemporary of Grayskull, but not the same character. It really wouldn't make sense to have a character called "Gray" and "Grayskull". Since he carries the sword of He, it made sense Ro would adapt this weapon as part of his new name to call out his powers. (much as He-Man is a "man who carries the sword of "He" - get it? ). How the Sword of He relates to the Power of Grayskull has yet to be revealed...
We promise more details about this story line and the secret connections between He-Ro, Grayskull, Adam, and others will be revealed in time. We have the bios worked out well in advance, so there really is a complete story we are telling. If it is frustrating now, remember that all the details have not been revealed. If new bios are creating more questions then answers then we are doing our job right as slowly over the next few years the full story will be revealed! Stay tuned!!!
So Hordak goes on sale Monday (along with Alex Luthor and Ultraman for DCUC!) We have increased the original production of Hordak (he is at the same production as Mer-Man and Zodac) and as mentioned, we increased production up again starting with Tri-Klops. We have a good idea of how big the fan base is and ideally between increased production and the opportunity to purchase subscriptions, fans should have more options to not miss a figure.
Oh, speaking of which, the 2010 subscription should be available to pre order starting at SDCC (in fact you can do so right at our booth!) We have a few surprises in store that are special for the subscription this time, and subscribers for 2010 will get more then just the 12 monthly figures, we've got some cool surprises in store! (and there may be a small sign up fee to compensate for this, but it will be well worth it we promise!). Full details will be announced before sign up start.
Finally, we'll have full details about selling methods, limits and availability for all our exclusives to be posted on MattyCollector.com later this week.
Looks to be a fantastic Comic Con with a lot to announce. Battle Cat will be out starting Wednesday night with more figures coming out after the fan panel.
See you in San Diego, until then, Good Journey!"
