Answers to WTFWTK 2.5!

[JVS3]

Toyguru has once again provided answers to your questions.
Check out his answers to your Round 5 questions!

1. Now that all 3 sets of the 2002 MYP cartoon have been released and initial sales have been recorded, what is the possibility of a direct-to-dvd animated movie or maybe even a new cartoon series?
This is something we are exploring but in context of working on the new toy line and a future live action movie, it is all part of an overall MOTU franchise. While we don’t have anything to announce quite yet, we are very aware of a fan demand for this!

2. Are unreleased classic figures that were in production fair game for the MOTUC line?
For example, in NA, Mara & Darius made it to the prototype stage but were never released.
Sames goes for POP, with the Star Sisters (Starla, Tallstar and Jewelstar).
It is possible but some of these characters are a bit obscure and wouldn’t happen for quite some time.

3. How will Mattel gauge the success of the MOTUC line? Will it take a complete sell out of each figure's production run, or a certain percentage?
It might not take complete sell out, but we would want to see how many figures we sell in the first day, week and month to start making any type of success call. Grayskull was a HUGE success in our books.

4. With the announcement of alternate heads for some figures, how do you determine who gets an extra head and what that head will be? For example, many fans would love to see POP figures come with alternate heads with rooted hair, or Skeletor come with an Alcala inspired head.
We handle this based on two factors: 1: Who absolutely needs a second head (Mer Man and Man-At-Arms come to mind) and how much tooling do we have for the total line for the year. Obviously the more successful the line is the more tooling dollars are available. We wouldn’t do a second head just to do it or to do a second expression, a figure would have to have a compelling reason to need a second head.

Also, for major characters like Skeletor, we would be more likely to do a new release then pack in a new head since he is a guaranteed seller no matter what the head is.

At this time we will not be doing rooted hair for any of the characters. All POP characters will have plastic hair to keep a uniform line look and keep costs down. (having rooted hair means using a vendor who can do rooted hair and the MOTUC line and the DCUC line is produced in a plant that does not do rooted hair). Changing vendors is expensive and would slow down production.

5. Will the MOTUC packaging be resealable like the DCUC Lobo? And if not, is this something Mattel will do in the future for the line?
We looked into doing re-sealable packaging but it was driving the cost of the figures up to high. So the answer is no, not at this time.

6. Given how you said you are looking into the possibility of some sort of DCUC / MOTUC cross-over, what is the possibility of reusing DCUC parts in the MOTUC line to help extend the life of the line with a larger library of recycled parts as a further cost-saving measure?
This is something we are looking into but not all parts work back and forth. For example, the basic He-Man body is a bit big for Green Lantern and the basic DCUC body is a bit small for MOTU. But we are looking at some possibilities down the road. Grodd might make a good Shadow Beast if executed right and Kid Flash might work out for Prince Adam if executed right. (not that we wouldn’t also look at doing Prince Adam as a repaint of He-Man as well) Lots of possibilities depending on the fan support the line gets.

7. Since you announced that MOTUC figures will be recycling art from the classic packaging, what will you do about never-before-released-figures that don't have classic packaging artwork? (eg: Queen Marlena, Green Goddess, etc)
We could also use art from the classic mini comics for either of these characters!

8. Some fans had a King Grayskull whose sword and/or shield had a dimple in the middle. Is this a mold problem or just a casting problem on a certain number of swords/shield, and will it be fixed by the time we get He-Man and Skeletor?
Really? We haven’t seen any samples here with a dimple. Either way, it might have just been a fluke in a few samples and wasn’t at all something done on purpose going forward.

9. Given the durability issue of King Grayskull and the numerous broken figures, what is Mattel doing to insure durability on future MOTUC figures?
We switched vendors.

10. Some fans would like to fast-track the relase of figures that did not see a release in the 2002 action-figure / mini-statue line (eg: Spikor, Scare Glow, etc). How is Mattel determining what figures are released first? It is all based on the reuse of parts, or is there another reason for why certain characters are chosen over others?
The first several months of characters were chosen based on popularity coupled with reuse of parts (which is why Zodac will be done before Ram Man who needs a full new sculpt).

Once we gage fan interest and sales success of the line we will have a better idea of how much tooling we can allocate for future figures. As far as additional character selection into the rest of 2009, that is up to the marketing and design team (as well as some input from the Horsemen). But all of the members of the team are huge MOTU fans and have mentioned that doing characters who were not in the 2002 or Staction line are a big priority for them. We don’t think their will be much disappointment in the 2009 line up!

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And have fun discussing Toy Guru's answers to your Round 5 questions!

[Angel-T]

Good answers, perticularly question one! It's good to hear Toyguru mention a possible movie. It makes sence to have any new DVD release tied into that project (IMO). It' a shame about the no rooted hair for POP characters, but when explaned like this it's totally understandable.

[Tallstar]

I'm disappointed that the PoP figures won't be getting an extra head with rooted hair, but like Angel-T I think it's understandable. Mattel gave a perfectly valid reason so I can't complain. *sigh* Man. I guess those of us who want it will just have to keep hoping that popularity/sales are enough to justify it later down the line.

[Irian]

Kid Flash might work out for Prince Adam if executed right. (not that we wouldn’t also look at doing Prince Adam as a repaint of He-Man as well)

Wohoo! They are at least considering a different body for Adam! Yes! I am so glad!

[Tallstar]

As I've said in the past, when the females start showing up in MOTUC, let's make sure not to repeat a Giganta situation. I just checked the site and can't believe she's still for sale after all this time.

[evenflow]

Well I am glad they are considering making Adam smaller than He-Man.

[Leoghan]

this is all very good news
im glad the mentioned movie in there. and the fact we wont be getting extra skeletor head, as i would much rather have them release the chase versions of he-man and skeletor then give us different heads and weapons pack to make them battle armor.

[claw guy 3]

Well, these answers are alot better than previous ones, none of the "anything is possible" line. Great to hear that the whole franchise is being looked at and hopefully cared for.

I'm glad about the hair being sculpted.

Really glad to hear that they are looking at doing both Adam's. Keeps more people happy.

Very disappointed that the card-art won't be all new art. I understand not having comics straight away but a new picture shouldn't cost that much. It's a good thing that these won't be on retail shelves! There are some amazing artists here at the Org, whom I'm sure would work cheap.

My sword has dents, maybe we should start a thread?

VERY VERY happy to hear that the rest of the figures should be more durable than KG (I assume that new vendor means new factory?)

Ram-Man will have a complete new sculpt from the sound of it. Thats nearly a bonus answer.

Good to hear that they will probably keep the top tier characters coming thick and fast. Imagine if Orko bombed and was the death of the line!

As I've said in the past, when the females start showing up in MOTUC, let's make sure not to repeat a Giganta situation. I just checked the site and can't believe she's still for sale after all this time.

Can't say that I'm surprised. I'm not a DC fan but I know who Lobo is but I have no clue as to who Giganta is! I think Mattel are going to be very wary of releasing the MOTUC ladies

[baileyrecords]

I'm happy with all these answers... especially regarding an alt Adam sculpt and the possibility of a direct-to-DVD movie.

[JafariStew]

A lot of excellent info!!

[zodak74]

Very happy with the answers, but I take slight issue with question 2's answer- I can't believe that Mara, Darius or the Star Sisters are too obscure to consider releasing sooner- they're not obscure, they're practically legendary amongst fans for their released-as-prototype-pics-only status. I'd rate them just as important to see in this "geared to the fans" collector's line as He-Ro or Eldor.
But, overall, they gave some great answers this time out

[AlessandraF]

I think that will be better have PoP figures with plastic hair: this will bring more access to the PoP warriors (!) to MotU fans (and who love PoP but hates they rooted hair for severals reasons). Sculpted hair is better to clean the unboxed figures (I'm dust alergic and my She-Ra make me sneeze everytime ), sculpted hair will guarantee fidelity, you can show PoP females with MotUC females like the same series and will resistant in the time... honestly I don't see any advantage in the rooted hair

[JVS3]

I'm happy with all these answers... especially regarding an alt Adam sculpt and the possibility of a direct-to-DVD movie.

Well, keep in mind that his answer was in response to "a direct-to-dvd animated movie or maybe even a new cartoon series"
and his answer was based on the new toy line and a new live-action movie.

What you are looking at is mostly the possibility of a new cartoon series if a new movie comes out and is successful.

The odds of any DTV 2002 cartoon releases is slim to nil IMO.

I say this only because I fear a rumor starting that a DTV continuation of the MYP series is coming,
when in reality, he said nothing to comfirm this was the case.
So I want to squash such a rumor before it happens.

[motu77]

Another round of good answers!

[preternia]

I am not happy about the answer for the never released prototype figures, but the question was also not right asked!

I think also the STAR SISTERS... BUBBLE CARRIAGE... HE-RO... ELDOR... GYRATTACKER... are too specially to introduce them at the beginning for the MOTUC line.

I am more interested in to see this toys back as 80's version first, before wishing as new design toys in the MOTUC line.

Question is, is there any possiblitiy for vintage collectors to bring some 80's stuff backs at the side with MOTUC, like Anniversary Editions?

[Uki]

Pretty exciting stuff, here! I personally am happy to hear (read, I suppose) that the PoP gals will have sculpted hair all around, but that's too bad for all of the fans who are gung-ho for rooted dos. I like the idea of Adam being a smaller figure than He-Man, but I know I'd drop my Jefferson (I did not mean that to sound as dirty as it does) for both versions if/when they come out.
It is too bad about the resealable packaging, but given the reasoning, I am 100% behind it. Hopefully there will be an clever way to open these suckers without completely destroying the box and its art. I am stoked to see that original art will be used. That stuff is so classic and takes me back to the days when TRU had an aisle full of just MOTU. There should be a coffee table book done with all of that artistic goodness. (Those and the mini-comics, but I digress.)
As a fan of DC characters, I still say I'm not terribly keen on the lines crossing, but the idea of Grodd as a Shadowbeast is a good sign that Mattel is thinking. As long as it makes sense, (and I do believe that Mattel knows what it's doing in this respect) I'm all for it.

[Lay Ze-Man]

Pretty cool answers this time around! More detailed and informative than usual!

And yeah, excellent news that Rammy gets his own sculpt!
No stuck legs though, please!

The only thing I would caution Mattel about is Question 4 where TG says Skeletor will sell no matter what.
That's true to a point, but that's a slippery slope to Spin Blade Skeletor in a lot of fans' minds, so I think that line needs a little clarification, like "He'd only be a fan favorite variant like BA and would come later down the road" or something like that.

Very happy with the answers, but I take slight issue with question 2's answer- I can't believe that Mara, Darius or the Star Sisters are too obscure to consider releasing sooner- they're not obscure, they're practically legendary amongst fans for their released-as-prototype-pics-only status. I'd rate them just as important to see in this "geared to the fans" collector's line as He-Ro or Eldor.
But, overall, they gave some great answers this time out

I for one have no idea who those characters are, and wouldn't automatically sign myself up to buy them.
But like the DCUC line, the 4H are doing such stellar work on that line, I find myself wanting figures of DC Comics characters I've never heard of before.
So given how cautious Mattel is being with the line, it's perfectly understandable those characters should be held off for a little bit.

[oulala]

Can't say that I'm surprised. I'm not a DC fan but I know who Lobo is but I have no clue as to who Giganta is! I think Mattel are going to be very wary of releasing the MOTUC ladies

She-ra is way more famous than Giganta so it doesn't really mean anything for the MOTUC line. Teela and Evil Lyn will sell like hot cakes so I'm really not worried about them either. Other secondary characters like Glimmer or more obscure supporting cast like Mermista might be a different story. Again, if Mattel decided to sell those as 'waves', we wouldn't have to worry about this because people would have to buy 6 figures in one go.

[Minion]

Good questions and good to reasonable/understandable answers. I'm a happy bunny.

I can see why some fans want rooted hair for POP figures, but I personally think the sculpted hair looks better on a shelf/display.

[Predabot]

Hmm... I'm not quite sure I understand how they're going to be able to use the mini-comic art for some of these unreleased in the 80's characters, and retain a uniform look to the way the packaging is made up.

Otherwise the replies were pretty good and it seems like the new forces of MotUC at Mattel does have their head screwed on in the right way.

[Toyguru]

Very happy with the answers, but I take slight issue with question 2's answer- I can't believe that Mara, Darius or the Star Sisters are too obscure to consider releasing sooner- they're not obscure, they're practically legendary amongst fans for their released-as-prototype-pics-only status. I'd rate them just as important to see in this "geared to the fans" collector's line as He-Ro or Eldor.
But, overall, they gave some great answers this time out

Legendary with hard core MOTU fans like you and I, but almost never heard of among the general toy buying public/casual MOTU fans. The line will need traction first before we can rally around some of these urban legend figures. Its not to say we won't get to them down the line, but doing the Star sisters in year 1... most people would be a bit confused. To be honest, most toy fans don't know who Extendar is. We've got to get some main stream fans on board first with He-Man, Skeletor and Mer Man. But not to worry, as we've said, the folks running the Classics line are big MOTU fans and want to get to these fan treats in time.

[Orko's Magic Hat]

Good Q&A, nice to know the movie is still a go and not totally buried. Also liking the fact that the POP gils will have sculpted hair, don't like rooted hair as its too doll-like. I hope we do get a MYP inspired young Prince Adam as well as the repainted He-Man version.

Regarding comic art, I was hoping we could get new art for the packaging.

[Darkness]

Your explaination makes sense Toyguru and as much as we all want to see these rare characters, I'd be willing to bet that most would want the line to last longer with the known releases then later maybe seeing the rare figures.

I like the sculpted hair, it's the way I hoped the line would go. Good answers all around.

[Tallstar]

Your explaination makes sense Toyguru and as much as we all want to see these rare characters, I'd be willing to bet that most would want the line to last longer with the known releases then later maybe seeing the rare figures.

Just a suggestion. I think it would help if Mattel created bio / history pages for lesser-known characters to use on mattycollector.com

Maybe even get Matty to dig through the archives!

That way, the casual fan can familiarize themselves while they're shopping for other stuff.

[RyDell]

All answers make good sense. I'm excited that we are getting closer to the actual release. It's only 2 months, that is nothing in the grand scheme of the universe! Looking forward to see the packaging as well, but I know that these guys will be opened upon arrival.
Thanks TG, cool to know u visit the boards and are working hard to deliver a product that many fans have always dreamed about.