MOTUC Castle Grayskull Discussion Thread w/ Feb 26, 2013 Q&A

[King Criss79]

No, not for me...If I don't like the sculpt, I don't buy it. The b-sheet was okay for me, don't like the 80's prototype, so my decision of not preordering it is right.

It's too bad for those who don't like the design choices they are doing with the Castle. . It would take ALOT for me to be unhappy with this particular product.

[Crusader]

Oh man, those are the best pics of it I've seen. That is a thing of beauty.

Yeah, you can even see the details on the playmat. I hope some of those creepy-crawlies make it into the line at some point. Maybe in a CG moat expansion pack or something.
I also love the ladder and the throne with the 3 pointy embellishments, just like in King of Castle Grayskull

Is that a punching bag hanging down under the bat thing?

Yep He works out !!!

[braxsis364]

Yeah, you can even see the details on the playmat. I hope some of those creepy-crawlies make it into the line at some point. Maybe in a CG moat expansion pack or something.
I also love the ladder and the throne with the 3 pointy embellishments, just like in King of Castle Grayskull



Yep He works out !!!

The endless moat between the drawbidge and the only access to the castle was allways a great aspect of play.I remember as a kid me and my brother would often creat the moat, by placeing Grayskull between two tables or chairs so when the drawbridge lowered it would be the only safe passage,into the castle.

Sold seperatly modular playsets that when pieced together would creat that filmaition Grayskull diorama that we see on the first set of dvds we got could solve this problem but you know im not in upper sales manegement so who am I eveything in baby steps perhaps someday.

One things for sure and you gota give em props the FH have promissed us all the bells and whisstles on this one.it all comes down to a leap of faith.and theres no reason not to belive em! hope to get one,wish I could get two the resale value,is there as well as has been mentioned.

[Sharkysharky]

Would have been nice for TG to ackowledge Kollectors excellent suggestion for removable turrets as this would have greatly improved the display options IMHO.

[hadley]

Awesome Q&A. Thanks to Val and Scott for making that happen.

Folks are going to be kicking themselves for not ordering Grayskull because the teeth are too short or the eyes aren't formed exactly right.

[Dr Kain]

Not if it is the 200x version. Yuck!

Wha tis wrong with the 2002 Grayskull? Th eonly difference is it looks like a castle instead of a woman's waist line.

[RockinHard]

Wha tis wrong with the 2002 Grayskull? Th eonly difference is it looks like a castle instead of a woman's waist line.

The other castles look like women's waistlines? Duly noted.

[Colder Soldier]

Wha tis wrong with the 2002 Grayskull? Th eonly difference is it looks like a castle instead of a woman's waist line.

Okay-- It's killing me. Please explain...

[geooco]

Wha tis wrong with the 2002 Grayskull? Th eonly difference is it looks like a castle instead of a woman's waist line.

Yeah, I want to know where you hail from where the women look like castles.

[Krueger]

Maybe he means that the original Grayskull was very narrow?

[Dr Kain]

It had this rounding curve look to it. Kinda like ) ( to me.

[zodak74]

I'm relieved to know that the color scheme will be based on the classic toy & packaging instead of the 2002 Castle, which I thought (and still think to this day) is one of the most visually unappealing and weakest versions of Grayskull ever conceived.

[Iris Wildthyme]

Interesting that he should say...

If you have a defective product you can get it replaced, but you can't exchange it for money or another different toy.

I don't know how things work over in the US but this is certainly against UK consumer law. Then again, perhaps that is one reason why Mattel hasn't set up a European branch for MOTUC yet?

Do any UK fans know how much this would cost in P&P to send over here to the UK, and any guesses on custom charges?

[Krueger]

Do any UK fans know how much this would cost in P&P to send over here to the UK, and any guesses on custom charges?

They've lowered the international shipping. It started out as a whopping $200, but they've since lowered it to just under $100 (I think something like $94). I have no idea about customs, though, but I'm guessing it won't be cheap.

[Iris Wildthyme]

They've lowered the international shipping. It started out as a whopping $200, but they've since lowered it to just under $100 (I think something like $94). I have no idea about customs, though, but I'm guessing it won't be cheap.

Ah, thanks for this Krueger. Hmmm, so at current exchange rates we are looking at about £220 then, pre-customs. It is tempting, especially given how much I paid for Shadow Weaver off ebay. But... I just don't think I have the room for it and it may come with a divorce if I did bite!

[Whiplash7]

I also love the ladder and the throne with the 3 pointy embellishments, just like in King of Castle Grayskull

Looking at both the inside and the outside of the prototype, you can see the level of artistic care Mr. Alcala put into his work in replicating those designs for the minicomics. I'm glad to see little nods to his minicomic mastery in the b-sheets--the shields by the door, the candle.
I'm glad the 4H will be giving the proto the same treatment for various elements, based on what we've seen. There are vintage toy elements I will be glad to see--ie, the elevator. But it's awesome that some elements--ie, the throne--will be made as they were meant to be.

[wundarwarrior]

My wife grabbed my a vintage Grayskull with box at an auction today and the price tag from KB is $29.99, man I wish we still paid those prices. Who knew 29 years later we would be paying 10 times the price for a Grayskull!!! That box art is AMAZING though!

[SCB]

Wha tis wrong with the 2002 Grayskull? Th eonly difference is it looks like a castle instead of a woman's waist line.

#drkainproblems

[Dragonblaster]

As I'm mostly interested to display CG's facade it saddens me that we probably won't get that "playmat" ( sculpted) with the Classics CG. To me it's more important than the interior...




BTW is there a high res picture of the playmat itself?

[Rael]

I want the playmat too!

[Grayskull's Heir]

What's with all the hatred for the prototype? This kind of criticism is really beyond me. The prototype and the vintage toy are really not that different. The vintage toy is more flat and less organic and less detailed because they had to make it flatter to fit in the box and less detailed to make it cheaper to produce.
The prototype is really quite close to the box art and especially to the illustrations in the old mini comics.
Some people talk about the prototype as if it was a completely different castle like the 200X version.
It's jus a more organic, more detailed and older looking version of the vintage toy.

[EtherianChronicles]

1. When you announced Castle Grayskull you said it would be based on Mark Taylor's prototype and mentioned the elongated mouth. The visuals on the B-sheet however are heavily inspired by the vintage boxart and the license guide. Is that the definitive look now or can we still expect to see the protruding snout and stalactite teeth from the prototype incorporated in the final design?

It is still a work in progress. Ideally we do want to lean more towards the prototype in the actual sculpt.

Please God No.

If it has that huge elongated mouth I will be so very, very disappointed and sad. That is not the Castle Grayskull that has been loved and cherished for decades. I pre-ordered because the mock up did not look like it, I thought they had come to their senses. I don't care how long the teeth are, or what shape the eyes are to a crazy level of detail, but the stuck out jaw looks unnatural, and matches neither the toy box art or Filmation. When will Scott learn to stop catering to the most minor versions of things. I will be so, so disappointed if it looks like that deformity.

13. What happened to the abyss diorama that was surrounding the castle in the vintage prototype? This was one of the arrows during the Power-Con presentation.

It is something we want to try and include but we'd first like to make sure we can get everything else. I suppose you can say this is last priority over things like the throne, the dungeon and the computer etc... We can't guarantee the playmat right now.

Very few people want a cartoony play-mat - chuck it. I'm sure some will argue, so maybe a poll is in order - but I truly cannot imagine many of us would display using some little flat cartoony playmat around it - it simply does not fit in with the MOTUC aesthetic.

17. Will there be a bio for the castle?

Yes, and it was written at the time of all the other bios! (Snake Mountain too!)

I wish he'd stop mentioning Snake Mountain - talk about false hope. Grayskull has been up for nearly two weeks now and only half way there, I just can't see a Snake Mountain making it. I'd LOVE for it to - but I just think this is bait, like all the garbage we were told to get us to re-sub this year.

18. Because some fans are afraid of billing and shipping issues that has plagued the line, will the My Sub page go up soon? And will you offer a DHL shipping option for Grayskull?

DHL will not be available but the my sub page should be up in a matter of weeks at this point!

HA!!!!!!!!!!!

Believe it when I see it, Scott.

This is what you said almost A YEAR AGO.

If it finally shows up, great - but seriously, it's still a fail because if it takes a year to code one webpage then there is a severe problem going on and it's not just your ego this time - it's full on delusion.

[Dragonblaster]

Very few people want a cartoony play-mat - chuck it. I'm sure some will argue, so maybe a poll is in order - but I truly cannot imagine many of us would display using some little flat cartoony playmat around it - it simply does not fit in with the MOTUC aesthetic.

I completerly agree - it should be a sculpted base for the castle to stand on.

[Crusader]

If it has that huge elongated mouth I will be so very, very disappointed and sad. That is not the Castle Grayskull that has been loved and cherished for decades.

I on the other hand would be over the moon if the final sculpt looked like Mark Taylor's prototype. It's my favourite version, the boxart is a close second, but nothing beats that grim and ghoulish face

I completerly agree - it should be a sculpted base for the castle to stand on.

I assume that's what they meant by including the playmat, it wouldn't make sense to do a flat cardboard cutout.

Can you imagine how cool it would be if that drawing would be rendered in three dimensions, and the moatmonster, the disgruntled octopus, the goblin, the sarcophagus, etc... as separate display pieces

[Dragonblaster]

Does anyone have a high res picture of the CG playmat from above? I'd love to see all those details...

Can you imagine how cool it would be if that drawing would be rendered in three dimensions, and the moatmonster, the disgruntled octopus, the goblin, the sarcophagus, etc... as separate display pieces

Oh yes I'd love to see that! I'd also love to see the Snake Mountain creatures some day...