MOTUC Castle Grayskull Discussion Thread

[Lay Ze-Man]

Yeah, people like to bet on a winner, so I definitely foresee a spike once it gets closer to the top.

I wasn't holding out for any particular reason, just knew I had til the 12th to do it.
I'm sure there are tons of procrastinators like me out there.

[iron_pride]

Well, would Matty extend the deadline if we are, say, 85%-95%? Maybe with another week or two we can get there.

But right now, I have a bad feeling about this.

Don;t fret it VZX, we will pull through, just like with the subs....

[RockinHard]

I am VERY worried about the size of the box that will be needed to ship Castle Grayskull. I am trying to help out a few international friends, but I am worried the box will be too large to ship to some countries (Australia, South America, etc.) due to the size/ girth restrictions making this a huge gamble.

Do it now!!!

[Arvulis]

New speech about Castle Grayskull by ToyGuru

http://forums.mattycollector.com/eve...787#2101052787


#21: Castle Grayskull

It isn’t just a toy. It’s a pop culture icon. The original Castle Grayskull playset from 1982 has lived on well beyond its “playtime” and truly set the standard for what a toy playset should deliver. From the mysterious skull face to the action packaged throne room dungeon trap, how many of us just spent hours and hours of our childhood lugging that bad boy around playing out countless adventures for He-Man and his pals.
Until recently I never thought a playset could ever come out that would rival the original Castle. While playsets were a hallmark of the ‘80s, in recent years (and decades) we have seen decline in “action figure real estate” for a variety of reasons. But those monster sets of the early ‘80s will always remain lasting icons of an era when muscle-bound warriors ruled the living room, defending freedom and playtime everywhere.

It’s no secret that we’ve wanted the current Masters of the Universe Classics line (available each month on Mattycollector.com!) to become the greatest MOTU line of all time (if not one of the greatest toy lines of all time). Putting out any MOTU line that could even challenge the original is an endeavor unto itself.

But over the last 4 or 5 years, the MOTUC team has really stepped up to the plate and created some of the coolest, most amazing adult collector figures ever made. We’ve covered people, beasts, gorillas, giant dragons and even flying boats. But we haven’t yet gotten to the center piece of them all. The playset.
Well, now the time has come. Fan demand helped it happen, the Hoverboard pre-order sale made it plausible. And now if we hit our minimum order by November 12th, the MOTU fans will do what no other fan base for any toy line has been able to prove- that they ARE big enough to support large playsets and want to see these happen!

We’ve had our presale up for about two weeks now and are getting close. But we can’t close the gap without your help. If you are on the fence about whether or not to buy a Castle Grayskull, let me see if I can talk you over to our side of the yard.

A lot of folks have looked at not just the price, but the actual footprint of the Castle and wondered “where am I even going to put that?” Well, you’ve got a lot of options. We did design the Castle to display as many figures as possible, even adding a third level across the top to attack or defend from below. Some fans have noted they really only want a “Castle façade” to use as a backdrop. If you only want a one-sided façade as a backdrop, simply only assemble the front half of the Castle. Just like the vintage set, our new MOTUC Castle Grayskull swings open and closed. If you have limited shelf space or only want the front side behind your collection, you can simply detach the back half (just like the vintage set) and display only the front half!

But there is another factor to consider.

As a collector myself, I know how valuable “shelf space” is. And finding room for a full Castle Grayskull in your current toy room or man cave (or woman cave!) is often challenging. One thing I would throw out there from my good friends on the Back to the Future brand is to think about this playset “fourth dimensionally.”

This Castle Grayskull isn’t just for now. It isn’t just for tomorrow or even next week. This Castle Grayskull is for the next 30 years.

It really isn’t every day or even every decade that Mattel can offer a MOTU playset. This is a rare thing. (Heck, quite literally, this is only the third Castle in 30 years, so I guess that means we’ve done one a decade at this rate, right?)

But this one is different. This is CLASSICS Castle Grayskull.

This is the one we have all waited for. It is in scale with our 6” figures and chock full of every detail, crammed with accessories, and ideally will be sculpted to perfection soon (once we hit that minimum number of pre-orders on Nov 12th!). And for those a little unsure, it does include ALL of the items shown in the blueprints. We hope to add more, but there won’t be less.

This is the playset “designed to last” for the adult collector. The chance of doing this again or offering anything like this in another way is pretty slim, especially if this one doesn’t go through. Ever since Classics debuted 5 years ago, fans have been asking for this centerpiece. Now is the time.

If you are on the fence, as both the brand manager for MOTU and a fan, I suggest it is time to get off and support this playset. It truly is in the fans’ hands. We can’t make this playset without you. We all want this. We’ve been asking for it for years. Mattel finally found a way to make it happen, but it can only go forward with your support.

You may not have the room to display the Castle today. Personally, I own thousands of toys and for the most part they are in large rubber bins in storage. I simply don’t have room to display everything I own or even want to (especially with a 2 ½ year old at home – small parts and all…). But even before I was lucky enough to land a gig at Mattel as a professional collector (if you will), I’ve always viewed my collection as “one day.” “One day” I know I will be successful enough and have a big enough place to display all my toys, including the proper space for this castle.

But the Castle Grayskull pre-order is now.

Even if you think you lack the proper display space for the Castle right now, keep in mind this playset not only is a bit of a one-time offer, but more importantly, it is going to last. Twenty years from now, even thirty years from now, hopefully we’ll all be looking over our MOTUC collections with joy. Whether or not we’re still offering new monthly figures or not isn’t the key. They key is that even after figures stop coming out, your collection is permanent. You’ll have it as long as you collect. And seriously, who doesn’t want Castle Grayskull to be the centerpiece of that collection?! Years from now, do you not want to have this castle there with all your figures? How incomplete will your collection look if this Castle is missing? Preordering the Castle isn’t just about 2012 or 2013 but for the life of your collection for as long as you want to keep MOTU on display. Years from now, with a “complete” figure set, this playset will be the centerpiece of any collection. Whether you display everything now, or one day intend to have an amazing shelf (shelves?) full of MOTUC toys, this is the time to lock in your Castle Grayskull. This castle isn’t just to display now but to reign proudly over all your toys for decades to come. This playset is going to look amazing. It is going to be everything we all want a Classics Castle to be.

Please help us make this happen. Help your fellow He-Fans make this happen. Offering a 6” scale Castle Grayskull really is a turning point in all of toy collecting. This playset truly could go on to become one of (if not THE) greatest toy made. Think of how iconic the vintage playset still is 30 years later.

Now think of that powered by the detail, paint, sculpting and passion of the Classics line. This is going to be one heck of a toy. It’s the one that will make all your friends jealous, not just for years, but for decades to come. Opportunities like this don’t come around that often and now is the time. Let’s make this happen.

We have the power!

Scott

PS: We are still working on the packaging but hope to have Rudy do another amazing new illustration on what will be a closed box. If we do move forward, one thing we want to do is let fans vote on which 5 good guys and which 5 bad guys will be attacking/defending the Castle on the box front illustration! We hope to involve fans as much as possible along the way on things liike this, but we need to hit that minimum order quota first. So if you are on the fence, now is the time to come on board!

// THIS IS AWESOME !!

[Replikor]

PLEASE let this happen!!! Come on guys!!!

Preorder Now!!!


PLEASE DONT WAIT!!!

[Spitfire]

Great update, and all valid points. I just found out Uncle Sam is moving us again next DEC when CG releases. I ordered one, but was considering another until I found out I may be between homes next Christmas. I really hope this happens, we get new forumites joining everyday. Ordering CG is like voting, do it early and often!

oh, and-

cue the "Which 5 heros and villians do you want to see on the MOTUC CG box?" thread in 3...2...1

[motu-1202]

Does anybody know how much each tick actually accounts for?

[Sentinelgrayskull]

[QUOTE=RockinHard;3152176]Do it now!!![/

I'm ordering 3 this Friday. I want to make sure I have not been running up my credit card again. If I order 3, are they going to reduce my credit card limit?

[MOTU_Maniac]

I'm ordering 3 this Friday. I want to make sure I have not been running up my credit card again. If I order 3, are they going to reduce my credit card limit?

I ordered 12 last week and never even saw a $0.00 authorization, so you shouldn't see anything as payment is not due until late next year.

[Orko's Magic Hat]

Really good pitch from Toyguru - I wish I could order a second one but simply can't i hope we can make it!!!

[JonWes]

Oh man, voting on who gets to be on the box would be awesome! I hope people get creative with that should it happen. I'd love to see Draego-Man on there, for starters.

[charliecore]

This is downright ridiculous. I have never really lashed out on this forum over the practices of Mattel. I have sat back and been fairly neutral over some of the issues that have really divided the fan base (quality control, shipping practices, channel of distribution, pricing, delays, shuffling of schedules, basically holding a gun to fans heads to subscribe, etc). HOWEVER, the notion that they couldn't sculpt this thing until so many orders are placed are downright laughable.

Can you imagine if every business in the world, no matter what industry, used the same model? Chevrolet wouldn't make your car until you paid for it. A restaurant wouldn't serve you dinner until you gave them money. Movie theaters wouldn't advertise what movies were playing until they sold you a ticket. I know, I know, apples to oranges, but still. Have they ever heard of the notion you have to use resources to be profitable? How much would it honestly take to sculpt a castle? Even if they allowed the pre-orders to continue until January, and they didn't hit the minimum by then, are they suggesting the loss they would take from simply sculpting a model would be that great?

If so, Mattel needs to get out of the business. Clearly, if losing the resources it would take to sculpt a castle they decided not to make is that big a financial risk, they must not have enough operating income to stay in business.

[Ntumbuluku]

I'm starting to worry that we won't hit the minimum.

[Uncle Jake]

This is downright ridiculous. I have never really lashed out on this forum over the practices of Mattel. I have sat back and been fairly neutral over some of the issues that have really divided the fan base (quality control, shipping practices, channel of distribution, pricing, delays, shuffling of schedules, basically holding a gun to fans heads to subscribe, etc). HOWEVER, the notion that they couldn't sculpt this thing until so many orders are placed are downright laughable.

Can you imagine if every business in the world, no matter what industry, used the same model? Chevrolet wouldn't make your car until you paid for it. A restaurant wouldn't serve you dinner until you gave them money. Movie theaters wouldn't advertise what movies were playing until they sold you a ticket. I know, I know, apples to oranges, but still. Have they ever heard of the notion you have to use resources to be profitable? How much would it honestly take to sculpt a castle? Even if they allowed the pre-orders to continue until January, and they didn't hit the minimum by then, are they suggesting the loss they would take from simply sculpting a model would be that great?

If so, Mattel needs to get out of the business. Clearly, if losing the resources it would take to sculpt a castle they decided not to make is that big a financial risk, they must not have enough operating income to stay in business.

Comparing Mattel not taking the financial risk on a niche item that they may never even sell to the likes of a restaurant selling food or an auto company making a car is what is ridiculous.

[Replikor]

I'm starting to worry that we won't hit the minimum.

I do as well, but I am holding otu hope that SOMEONE SOMEWHERE will make a video to help SERIOUSLY promote the preorder.

Come on guys dont wait till the last minute!

PREORDER NOW!!!

We have this much time left now to hit the minimum....

[Fug-Lee-Faces]

Comparing Mattel not taking the financial risk on a niche item that they may never even sell to the likes of a restaurant selling food or an auto company making a car is what is ridiculous.

No, he is right. A BUSINESS is supposed to foot the risk. His comparisons are valid. Why does Matty have to put all the risk on the fans? And there is risk. We have to sub, sight unseen, for a years worth of toys that they only reveal a couple of items to us. We have to hand over our credit info a year in advance for a castle that Matty even admits they can change anything they want at any time. WE ARE FOOTING ALL THE RISK AND MATTY TAKES ONLY THE REWARD. Matty's business model is laughable. And what is pathetic is the way us fans let them walk all over us.

Matty should be building and manufacturing all these toys, and then selling them. Not trying to sell them and then make them. It's completely a s s backwards. If ANY other business told you that you had to pay them up front for an item, sight unseen, you'd laugh! A years worth of a sub is about $500. If you went to Best Buy to buy a computer for $500 and the store told you, "Well, you'll get this nice laptop--I PROMISE it will be nice--but we can't order it or show it to you until you give us your credit card" you would walk right out of the store.

Matty preys on us fans in a truly unfair manner. There is ZERO reason they cannot reveal the full years sub to us up front. There is ZERO reason they can't fully commit to FULL SPECS for the castle up front. And their argument that they cannot for "legal reasons" is completely laughable and absurd. Please, tell me what exact legal reason prevents Matty from sharing with us the figures in the subscription?.



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This is downright ridiculous. I have never really lashed out on this forum over the practices of Mattel. I have sat back and been fairly neutral over some of the issues that have really divided the fan base (quality control, shipping practices, channel of distribution, pricing, delays, shuffling of schedules, basically holding a gun to fans heads to subscribe, etc). HOWEVER, the notion that they couldn't sculpt this thing until so many orders are placed are downright laughable.

Can you imagine if every business in the world, no matter what industry, used the same model? Chevrolet wouldn't make your car until you paid for it. A restaurant wouldn't serve you dinner until you gave them money. Movie theaters wouldn't advertise what movies were playing until they sold you a ticket. I know, I know, apples to oranges, but still. Have they ever heard of the notion you have to use resources to be profitable? How much would it honestly take to sculpt a castle? Even if they allowed the pre-orders to continue until January, and they didn't hit the minimum by then, are they suggesting the loss they would take from simply sculpting a model would be that great?

If so, Mattel needs to get out of the business. Clearly, if losing the resources it would take to sculpt a castle they decided not to make is that big a financial risk, they must not have enough operating income to stay in business.

AMEN BROTHA! And your comparisons are valid.

[charliecore]

Comparing Mattel not taking the financial risk on a niche item that they may never even sell to the likes of a restaurant selling food or an auto company making a car is what is ridiculous.

You obviously missed the point to my post. I never suggested they go into full-scale production on the item. I said the potential loss on manufacturing a sculpt is a joke of a reason not to allow a pre-order phase to be extended, elevating the possibility the minimum number needed to go into production could be met.

For ToyGuru to say they have to have 'X' number of commitments to buy at a certain date just so the sculptors can be provided the resources needed to make a model just points to how poorly managed this line is.

[MOTUiac]

Argh I had quit the line but after some hard toy deliberation I preordered. God help me if my wife finds out .

[JonWes]

No, he is right. A BUSINESS is supposed to foot the risk. His comparisons are valid. Why does Matty have to put all the risk on the fans? And there is risk.

I think when people talk about this they forget one thing...
It's a risk for business, yes. And businesses usually do foot the risk up front.

You know what happens when they decide it's not worth the risk? They don't make something. Period.

Now, at this point you could argue the figures are less of a risk because they are a proven commodity for the most part. But the Castle is an unknown. The point of all of this is that Mattel doesn't consider the Castle worth doing if they have to put the money up front. From a business standpoint, it doesn't make sense. This is how it works with all businesses. The difference here is Mattel is at least trying to make the Castle by getting some assurances up front about who will actually pay for this thing.

Right now? It looks like Mattel might have been right. Maybe there weren't enough fans to support a Grayskull play set. I hope it's not the final result, but right now they it's looking like they were smart to not sink money into the castle.

[wundarwarrior]

No, he is right. A BUSINESS is supposed to foot the risk. His comparisons are valid. Why does Matty have to put all the risk on the fans? And there is risk. We have to sub, sight unseen, for a years worth of toys that they only reveal a couple of items to us. We have to hand over our credit info a year in advance for a castle that Matty even admits they can change anything they want at any time. WE ARE FOOTING ALL THE RISK AND MATTY TAKES ONLY THE REWARD. Matty's business model is laughable. And what is pathetic is the way us fans let them walk all over us.

Matty should be building and manufacturing all these toys, and then selling them. Not trying to sell them and then make them. It's completely a s s backwards. If ANY other business told you that you had to pay them up front for an item, sight unseen, you'd laugh! A years worth of a sub is about $500. If you went to Best Buy to buy a computer for $500 and the store told you, "Well, you'll get this nice laptop--I PROMISE it will be nice--but we can't order it or show it to you until you give us your credit card" you would walk right out of the store.

Matty preys on us fans in a truly unfair manner. There is ZERO reason they cannot reveal the full years sub to us up front. There is ZERO reason they can't fully commit to FULL SPECS for the castle up front. And their argument that they cannot for "legal reasons" is completely laughable and absurd. Please, tell me what exact legal reason prevents Matty from sharing with us the figures in the subscription?.



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AMEN BROTHA! And your comparisons are valid.

I agree here. The company is always the one taking the risk and his comparisons do make ample sense. Nothing is guaranteed to be a top seller but you don't know until you put it out there. And selling a small run product to a niche a market is the safest bet in the world. Chrysler and the challenger is a perfect example. They make a smaller number than Ford or Chevy do with their pony cars and they are aimed at the nostalgic mid-lifer and they buy em up.

[fireball13z]

Oh man, voting on who gets to be on the box would be awesome! I hope people get creative with that should it happen. I'd love to see Draego-Man on there, for starters.

So what happens if TMS wins a spot lol

[NorthCoast]

God help me if my wife finds out .

Remember:

[Replikor]

Argh I had quit the line but after some hard toy deliberation I preordered. God help me if my wife finds out .

lol.. go sleep in the car for a day or two with "sammich" supplies an pop an claim you gotta go away on a business trip that costs "right about what ya will pay"... lol

[NorthCoast]

Sure, companies bare the risks when they need a success to sustain their business. This is not one of those situations.

[MOTU_Maniac]

Argh I had quit the line but after some hard toy deliberation I preordered. God help me if my wife finds out .

Sorry to hear that, but so glad I have a wife that encourages me to buy anything and everything my heart desires