Answers to WTFWTK 2.22!

[Rhanen]

14. Now that Hordak is officially released, fans would like to know more about he origin of the name Hec-Tor Kur? Was it Hordak's original name that was dug up like Demo-Man, Sultress, and X-Man, or was he named after a Mattel employee who had a resemblance to Hordak or something like that?
A lot of MOTU figures and places have names based on Greek and Latin. Hector means “to bully” in Greek. Also, if the character took the name “Hordak” as a war name, it made sense that he would have a bit of a simple sounding real name and hence the need to upgrade to “Hordak” to strike fear into his enemies. Hec-Tor fit well for all these reasons. Obviously he wasn’t born “Hordak” just as Mer-Man wasn’t born with that name.
And unofficially, his name was influenced after Captain Barbosa from POTC. It just seemed great to have such a cool character with such a simple sounding real name!

Is there any Greek fellow orger? 'Cause I think this answer is "sanata" (which means "this is what my mind made up at this moment and I hope nobody else notices" in Argentinian).

As far as I've learned, Hector (or Ektor) resembles the meaning of "the protector", "the one that defends", "the owner" or "the one sculpted"; basically references a person with good nature that has been made up by himself on his life enduring experiences.

By the way, quite dissapointing answers indeed.

[Spectror]

2. Are the bonus figures going to be produced in a lesser quantity than regular monthly figures and will there be a lower limit placed on how many you can order?
We can’t comment on production runs, but limits will remain at 10.

Come on, can't you tell us "the bonus figures will be produced in the same amount as the normal monthly figures", or "bonus figures will be produced in a smaller amount than the normal monthly figures", or even "so far, we still don't know if bonus figures will be produced in the same amount than normal monthly figures" ? Mattel already gave us clues like that in the past, and suddenly they can't do it anymore ?

3. Because plastic degrades over time, can Mattel advise us on:
-what plastics MOTUC are made of?
-the optimal conditions for storing them?
-the known environmental hazards that speeds degradation (e.g.
sunlight, moisture?)
-how long Mattel expects a MOTUC figure to last?
Sorry, we can’t comment on these questions.

WHAT ? I mean, here we had a bunch of very down to earth questions that I was certain Mattel would answer, so we collectors can keep our figures in the best condition possible, but Mattel "can't comment" on these questions ?

That's really the WORST I've ever heard from them so far ! It's like Mattel acts like their product is the last gadget used by the secret services, and like we ask questions related to "industrial espionnage" ! I think this is ridiculous.

5. Battlecat, as a "bonus figure", will not be offered with the subscription, so fans are worried about getting one. What insight can you offer us into how many you will be producing?
Sorry, we can’t discuss production runs, but like the re-release of He-Man in November, if Battle Cat does well we will do a second run with a slight package change.

So people who actually don't succeed to get Battle Cat in November will have to wait a whole year before getting one ! He problem is that, next year the demand might not be there anymore...

8. With all the effort going into providing back stories for each character and taking parts of each canon to construct a story, are there any plans on releasing that story in book or comic form of any kind?
No.

Well, I know some more fans who'll get disappointed, here !

12. It was revealed at the SDCC that there are going to be "original characters" introduced into the MOTUC line in the future. When this does happen, will these characters be part of the yearly subscription or will they be considered bonus figures?
This may have been taken out of context. There are no plans to introduce original characters in the line.

Here, I think we got this answer because we should have used other words than "original characters". Maybe we should have written instead "characters never made before as figures" and give an example or two (like Eldor, Shadow Weaver...). Then, maybe we might have received a better answer.

15. This year, there are numerous accounts on most toy forums of people in line who were able to buy Mattel exclusives exceeding the stated limits at the conventions. What steps are being taken to ensure that things like this will work better at future cons, and is there anything we can do to help at next year's SDCC?
Limits were strictly enforced throughout the con and were not changed at all. The only time we broke the limit rule during the entire convention was to sell 10 MOTU books each to two He-Man.org members. Any other changes to limits was human error and quickly corrected.

Come on, folks, we all know what kind of mess happened at SDCC with resellers and the huge number of items that were sold to some of them ! But still, Mattel REFUSES to admit it ! Worse: they are insinuating that it is US, at he-man.org, who broke the limit rule and who are responsible for the mess that happened at SDCC because "the only time they broke the limit rule during the entire convention was to sell 10 MOTU books each to two He-Man.org members" !

As a conclusion, I truly wonder what's the point of WTFWTK, since it seems we're only considered as annoying geeks by "the Firm" ! Many of the questions are not even answered, and whenever there's a problem due to Mattel, they always refuse to admit their faults, and actually say (or insinuate) that the problem came from the customers/fans/collectors !

As far as I am concerned, I'm certain of one thing : MOTUC is the LAST Mattel product I'm buying. If I continue to buy these figures, it is ONLY because of my personal attachment to the MOTU mythos and universe, and because the figures are great and very well sculpted by the 4 Horsemen...

[Eats-the-Trash]

6. If the subscription bonus Wun-Dar will be shipped with that month's regular figure, this means that many overseas buyers will get hit by larger customs fees. Is there any way to ship them separately to international fans to help alleviate this concern?
No, they will be shipped together. In the end, Mattel and Mattycollector.com is a US based company, so anyone outside the US is taking these products on import similar to how US buyers pay extra for toys make in Japan.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but we paid $20 for the subscription. Wun-Dar is a free figure sent as part of the sub, like the Eternia map. Both have no declarable value, therefore the combined packages should only have a value of $20.

[Toymaker]

Very unhappy about Wun-dar being shipped with mossy. That's going to end up making him cost more than he was really worth to me.

It's bad enough I've already paid for wun-dar and have to wait almost a year to recieve him. Having to pay customs on him if just rubbing salt in the wound.

I hear that, why not just send them a week apart?

[JakeofEternia]

It is frustrating to get a nice long list of questions just to hear them say they can't comment or to just tell us something that we already know is untrue.

So as for the one question they did answer, I think Rhanen is right, they might want to check into their Greek a bit. And I can't say I agree with their opinion on Hector either. If you have such a great name like Hordak, why give him some "simple" first name. He's like second in command of this evil galactic empire, Hordak is a strong enough name on it's own.

All in all a very disappointing and non-informative round of answers. Thanks for the effort though.

[Soulfly]

Hahahahaha.

So Teela and other females can lose their ab-crunch for their dresses, but the bra armor stays so that certain male figures can use their ab crunch? I don't see the point of this at all. I don't care if it's the 4H that make this call, or Mattel. It needs to be one way with everything, or the other. What's OK for Teela should be OK for Hordak.

Also, I think the answer to number 15 is inaccurate. Toyguru won't comment on anything art book related (but posted what number art book mattel had on display!!!!) then comes up with an answer like this?

I wish they would be more upfront with us.

[JVS3]

Is there any Greek fellow orger? 'Cause I think this answer is "sanata" (which means "this is what my mind made up at this moment and I hope nobody else notices" in Argentinian).

Hector in Greek mythology was one of the best warriors in the Trojan war, and was known for his courage.
Hector in Greek (to English) means to "hold fast" which he did outside the gates of Troy, representative of his courage and heroism. I'm sure the actual Greek translation is a bit different, but similar in meaning.

The modern English language meaning of hector is to harass or bully.
One theory is it was based off a gang called the Hectors in the 17th century, made up of ex-soldiers, that harassed citizens of London (there's info on the net, like an excerpt from the book The Culture of Sensibility)
And the idea was that to "hector" people came from the gang's name becoming a slur.

[Rodster6]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but we paid $20 for the subscription. Wun-Dar is a free figure sent as part of the sub, like the Eternia map. Both have no declarable value, therefore the combined packages should only have a value of $20.

How can international fans question or complain to matty about this if we do end up with a customs charge as it should not be declared due to it being free.
Its supposed to be a nice little bonus for getting a subscription but considering its a character im not all that bothered about, it could end up costing me and other international collectors quite a bit.

[Benedict Judas Hel]

Here, I think we got this answer because we should have used other words than "original characters". Maybe we should have written instead "characters never made before as figures" and give an example or two (like Eldor, Shadow Weaver...). Then, maybe we might have received a better answer.

I asked question 12 and I used the words I meant to. I vaguely remember in a panel discussion that Mattel (or 4H) was thinking about doing "original characters" incorporated into the MOTUC line, this being a character that never appeared before anywhere. Simply a new creation thought up by the 4H that they thought would blend in well with the MOTUC line. Example: an evil fly/man hybrid called Fly-Speck, the evil master of Regurgitation. That's what I wanted to know. I didn't want a creation like that, no matter how cool it looked, as part of my subscription. I'd rather it be a bonus figure that I could take and leave as I please.

I'm interested in only pre-existing characters from the vintage line, mini-comics and perhaps Filmation. But the answer given was sufficient for me so I don't have to worry about original characters in this line.

[Arthur]

About the plastic:

The no comment can be explained only in two ways (as far as we know): either the plastic is really bad quality which is a possibility considering they always want to cut down costs and they want to avoid having to say "Hey guys, the nice figures you are buying will turn into a melted soup of plastic in just a few years", OR there might be legal reasons related to the problems that someone else mentioned earlier. I can't think of any other explanation.


For SDCC:

I haven't been there and I have heard stories about the limit not being enforced as well as stories that it was. So far, the former seem to outweigh the latter. Since I haven't had first hand experience I can't tell who's telling the truth here. If the limit was really not enforced, this would be one more instance where Mattel has to learn to be more honest with their customers. It's true that people today are buying the figures because they are new, they are the most popular and everyone is very excited about them...probably we die hard core fans will buy them anyway whatever happens. But in the long run, if Mattel wants this line to stay succesful and to last for many years to come, they need to try to build a better meaningful relationship with their customers. One that is based on trust and built upon respect from the part of the customers towards Mattel and honesty towards their buyers from Mattel as well. It doesn't work just one way round.

About the tax:

Wun Dar is SUBJECT TO VAT so either they tax the $20 subscription fee as digital goods or they have to declare his value as $20 on the customs form. We have complained about the former possibility. They listened and removed the tax but legally, now, they should mark Wun Dar as $20 merchandise. That's what the law says. Let's not play the part of the folks who are never happy. Apart from a couple of instances, Mattel has always acted in a very friendly and helpful manner with internationals. They gave us two shipping options. They don't overcharge for shipping. They helped us about the tax. They didn't put any electronics in He-Ro to be able to ship it to us. I don't think it's fair to say that they hate international people.

Just my opinion, of course

[MOTU_Maniac]

I appreciate Matty/ Toy Guru answering the questions that they did. I know that they didn't have to answer any questions for us at all, but I appreciate them taking the time to answer the few questions that they did. Hopefully, we will have more meaningful answers in the coming weeks, but even if we don't I am still fully onboard for purchasing these awesome figures!

[yodafreakmaster]

I'm really pumped that he said other beasts/vehicles are possible down the road! This would be AWESOME!! They really need to produce at least as many Battle Cats as the other regular releases. Seriously! Who is their right mind would pass on him at $30?? I am glad to hear that they will do another run as needed. It is too bad that he did not throw us a bone on the bonus numbers "in relation to those already put out". I feel that the fans are owed at least some answer here. All they need to say is "less", "equal", or "more" so that we know if we are going to have to take vacation time from work to have a chance at these items. I do appreciate TG and Matty for at least taking the time to answer some of our questions each month!

[VZX]

7. If Battle Cat is a success, it would seem Panthor might follow shortly thereafter. If both cats are a success, would Mattel look at some of the other animals in the line that can easily be reproduced as repaints?
Yes. But we are also looking at other “large scale” items which can reuse parts as well for this sku….

Sku? What's a "sku?" Anyway, I wonder what other "large scale" items they are referring to. It could be vehicles, but which ones reused parts? Or maybe the two giants, which I know the Four Horsemen are fans of.

If they do vehicles, I hope for the Wind Raider and Battle Ram.

[Torvik]

Sku? What's a "sku?"

SKU (stockkeeping unit, sometimes spelled "Sku") is an identification, usually alphanumeric, of a particular product that allows it to be tracked for inventory purposes. Typically, a SKU is associated with any purchasable item in a store or catalog. For example, a shirt of a particular style and size might have an SKU of "3726-8," meaning "Style 3726, size 8." The SKU identification for a product may or may not be made visible to a customer. SKU numbers can sometimes be seen in online e-commerce sites.

An SKU is not the same as a product model number from a manufacturer, although the model number could form all or part of the SKU. The SKU is established by the merchant.

from:

http://searchcio-midmarket.techtarge...213590,00.html

[Adam_Prince of Eternia]

A lot of MOTU figures and places have names based on Greek and Latin. Hector means “to bully” in Greek. Also, if the character took the name “Hordak” as a war name, it made sense that he would have a bit of a simple sounding real name and hence the need to upgrade to “Hordak” to strike fear into his enemies. Hec-Tor fit well for all these reasons. Obviously he wasn’t born “Hordak” just as Mer-Man wasn’t born with that name.
And unofficially, his name was influenced after Captain Barbosa from POTC. It just seemed great to have such a cool character with such a simple sounding real name!

In other words, because you think it's "cool."

[DavidSummers]

This I find particularly interesting.

7. If Battle Cat is a success, it would seem Panthor might follow shortly thereafter. If both cats are a success, would Mattel look at some of the other animals in the line that can easily be reproduced as repaints?
Yes. But we are also looking at other “large scale” items which can reuse parts as well for this sku….

Other "large scale" items which can reuse parts as well for this sku….? The mind races

I agree with finding this interesting, too.

Thanks for the explanation Torvik

[musclor]

I agree with finding this interesting, too.

Thanks for the explanation Torvik

I found that most interesting as well. What other items could fit in that sku that would have reuseable parts?

I can see
Stridor/Night Stalker
POP horses
Tytus and Megator (maybe. I would assume they would be bigger/higher price point.)

Any others?

[Tallstar]

Still excited over the part about doing a certain amount of POP every year. I hope we get at least one more in 2010 besides Adora and She-Ra.

[Lex_Alfa]

I will be saying this till the end of times: greek names are not cool for most european countries, they sound like something we already know (and maybe love) My cousin could be named Hector, and it's not a strange name. Is the same as when english speakers say "Stinkor is a stupid name" Stinkor is a stupid name for you in English because you know the verb, when I was a child Stinkor was a great name for me in Spain because I had no idea about its meaning... so please think latin names sound kind of lame in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Romanian... IMO

[hhhelmsley]

7. If Battle Cat is a success, it would seem Panthor might follow shortly thereafter. If both cats are a success, would Mattel look at some of the other animals in the line that can easily be reproduced as repaints?
Yes. But we are also looking at other “large scale” items which can reuse parts as well for this sku….

Great!! Looks like Clawdeen and possible King Grayskull's giant cat on the horizon.

[Minion]

I've very excited over the mention of the 'larger scale'. if they can figure out a way to mre-use more parts for different animals/vehciles that would be just amazing. I'd love a Spydor or Roton if they ever go down that route.

Little disappointed on some of the other questions, especially re the bonus figure production runs. We don't need a number, but saying they are matching the regular figure release productions would be really reassuring!

[SirBushnell]

Quite a few posts have mentioned vehicles as a possibility, based on these answers. But I don't see anything about vehicles anywhere - only references to large-scale beasts, etc.

Didn't they say at SDCC that vehicles were not being planned at all?

[PrinceAdam101]

Very disappointed in the answers to some of the questions, as well as the choices of questions ToyGuru selected. Why bother answering a question with a "no comment"?

I had asked a general question that he could have answered in any variety of ways that would've been very positive, hinting at what is to come, but my question was ignored in the list.

I haven't been all that concerned about the plastic quality of the figures. I don't intend to put them in the bathtub, nor place them in direct sunlight for long periods of time. But the non-answer to that question is very alarming.

Love the line, love everything about it. But let's get some better answers next time.

[FAN-DOR]

I wouldn't worry too much about the non-answer to the plastic question. I don't expect Mattel to know how long their plastics will last. I mean wouldn't they have to do like a ten year study to give us an answer on that. So in that case a "no comment" doesn't bother me. It's better than making somehting up. My advice, just treat your figures well and don't leave them in puddles of gasoline and they should be fine.

As for the SDCC answer, I feel we got the shaft yet again. Toyguru refuses to acknowledge the huge problems Mattel caused at the con. I think we will just have to accept the fact that we will never be given an apology.

Time to move on. Bring on Adora, Battlecat, and BA He-man!

[Eric]

It seems like they were intentionally being obtuse on the second question.

We weren't looking for production numbers, which we're all well aware can't be disclosed, but rather an idea along the lines of "less than usual" or "more than usual". People want to know if it's going to be difficult getting bonus figures on MattyCollector or if they can expect to be satisfied.

Perhaps Mattel wants to continue to try to generate as much hype/interest/fear among collectors as possible, and indirectly keeping alive an idea of "extremely limited runs" of bonus figures helps serve that purpose. Maybe next they'll come out and say no bonus figures will ever be reproduced to further drive home that point.