MOTU Classics Tytus Video Review by Pixel Dan

[Eterniandreams]

Look for Centrifugal casting.
There is nothing wrong with rotocasting. The mold turns in high speed and smacks all the plastic against the inside. Therefore you are creating hollow parts which saves you plastic. I also understood that they can also use silicone molds. I can imagine those are a lot cheaper than iron ones. I guess it is just very hard to create a forearm with a plug hole on one side and a double (hollow) ring shape on the other side of good quality.

I think that most rotocast figures have normal cast parts on them. I think Tytus' head is made with normal molds.

[Sabretooth]

Look for Centrifugal casting.
There is nothing wrong with rotocasting. The mold turns in high speed and smacks all the plastic against the inside. Therefore you are creating hollow parts which saves you plastic. I also understood that they can also use silicone molds. I can imagine those are a lot cheaper than iron ones. I guess it is just very hard to create a forearm with a plug hole on one side and a double (hollow) ring shape on the other side of good quality.

I think that most rotocast figures have normal cast parts on them. I think Tytus' head is made with normal molds.

Thanks for explainig. But why did you say that Battle-Cat is not rotocast? It is hollow, right (I did not open it but it seems to be)? I thought that hollow=rotocast, that is why I thought Battle-Cat is rotocast

[poweredconvoy]

I don't think this guy will be that quick of a sale besides the fact that everything MOTU is hot now. It'll be real quick but not to the levels of the stuff we've seen lately.

With that said I think the sculpt is great, but the lack of articulation and the poor weapon (which has always been the case for this character) really bring it down for me. Particularly the useless weapon.

Randy

[Eterniandreams]

Thanks for explainig. But why did you say that Battle-Cat is not rotocast? It is hollow, right (I did not open it but it seems to be)? I thought that hollow=rotocast, that is why I thought Battle-Cat is rotocast

Battlecats chest is hollow! But so is the chest of every Motuc figure!

the difference is that they were made the normal conventional way. The 2 shell pieces were made with multipart metal molds. During assembly they were put together.
Remember that Hollow doesnt always mean rotocast. Rotocast is a way to create hollow parts. I hope that explains it a bit.

[SAMURAI36]

Nothing. I'm as much a capitalist as Mattel. I am a consumer, though, and as such, I should not be happy with prices that are too high (and there is such a thing). Unfortunately, I only collect the properties Mattel currently holds the rights to (MOTU & DC). I have no interest in any other lines right now.

That's pretty much me as well at this point. I do agree that there is such a thing as "too high prices", but I guess I'm just stressing the question of 'what's too high, when we already spend on one fig, enough to be 3 from most other lines'?

I don't have a personal problem with Mattel, and never have, despite what some might believe. In fact I have a friend who works there, and another who works for a company that does work with Mattel all the time. Mattel isn't a bad company. However, I think that any and all complaints on this board are read by a lot of people as though they are written in a common tone: one of searing rage and irrationality.

I guess your last statement is the crux of my point here: I don't have an issue with voicing grievances, but it's hard to expect them to be heard when they come out as irrational rants. That whole thing about "threatening to get TG fired", and the fiasco about threatening his personal safey on Facebook still leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

When I say that "Mattel is a company and it has no heart," I don't mean to appear screaming, on my knees, pulling my hair in a huff. I mean to sound as monotone and blandly factual as the statement I've made. I don't blame them for not having a "heart," because, well, they aren't supposed to have one, at least not in the way a charitable organziation does. As for some of the employees, that's a different story, but then individuals can be far more sensitive and empathetic than megalithic corporations.

I get you, totally. However, in (or even out of) context, I'm sure you can imagine how it sounds. Otherwise, as you have even said here, to make such a statement sounds almost redundant.

AGREED!!

HAHAHAAHA (reminds me of the South Park with Mickey Mouse!!) Regarding your comments here, please refer to what I said earlier. I don't mean for my statements to sound dramatic. Mattel's heartlessness isn't evil. It isn't heroic. It's corporate.

LOL, actually I was thinking about the comic "FABLES", but you're right about that example.

I just think it's the customer's choice whether Mattel's pricing, profit, and costs are his or her concern or not. It all depends on how much Mattel's recent and numerous price hikes bother you or affect you.

Yes, you're right, but only to an extent. People in today's society have become far too obsessed with the bank accounts of those that are far more well-to-do than the rest of us are. For instance, it's a shame that whenever I start talking about my favorite artists, the first thing people in urban environments retort with is some such non-sense as "yeah well, such-n-such ain't sellin' platinum records..."

Like, what does that have to do with how good the album actually is? He's not sharing any of that "platinum" money with you, so why do you care how many it sold?

It's the same premise here. The reality is, no matter what info gets released, we'll never know how much money these companies and others make. All we as the consumer can account for, is the 1 (or more) copies of an album, a shirt, a figure, or whatever else we buy.

I tend to agree with you on this one, but when a figure like Tytus costs $40, when it could have cost $30, I tend to see that as Mattel becoming more greedy than is healthy for the actual toy line, in the long run.

For me, I'm thankful it cost $40, when it could have cost $80. I guess I'm looking at it in a different direction. But that's my point. You're right, it could have cost $30 instead of $40, but Teela could have cost $10 instead of $20.


Yet, I'm hearing people on here that claim that they would have easily paid twice more than $40 for it. What's the cut-off point?

The decline of the American economy has more to do with Americans abusing their personal credit, living beyond their means, and with fewer and fewer small businesses being able to make it because they don't receive the tax breaks the huge corporations do... but that's for the Tar Swamp.

Yes, I agree with you, though the big corps are a part of the problem. But yes, let's leave that for another time.

I am also keeping things in perspective, but perspective is unique to an individual. Your perspective is no more valid or invalid than mine. When someone asserts that his or her perspective is more valid (not more correct or incorrect, if one can even be more or less correct... that's different), it can be mistakenly inferred that that person may want all other viewpoints suppressed. I'm not saying that is what you are doing, but I am saying that your sense of perspective is different than anyone else's, and it should not be lauded as somehow more astute than all others when what we are discussing is simply a buyer's feeling that he, or she, is being ripped off.

Understood. However, I continue to ask, how far would one's convictions go? You mentioned your background in psychology later on in your response; How seriously should we take the battered spouse, if he/she continues to go right back (WILLINGLY) to their abusive spouse, after this dramatic rant?

We have all these "I'm quitting the line" threads on here.... How many of those people do you REALLY think quit the line after last month's (and each subsequent month prior) fiasco? Some of them are admittedly right back here, buying the figs, and indulging in the very same self-abusive behavior. And I'm willing to wager that there are even more of them that are right back at it, but just refusing to say anything, out of guilt and embarrassment.

I have grievances too, but a grievance is not a rant. No one takes rants seriously. Thus, if a person feels that their grievance is truly just a grievance, then they should take care not to have their grievance sound like a rant--especially if they want their grievance to be taken seriously.

This is when I would end the conversation, because I don't like condescension.

Honestly, any tone of condescension is purely unintentional.

Ok, Oprah...
Really hard? Are you sure? Alriiiiight, I will access the knowledge I acquired at Duke University's & Duke Med Center's Psychology & Mental Health Departments while a Psych major (one of two majors I acquired before graduating) by psycho-analyzing myself and teasing out the cause(s) for my behavior. To that end, I suppose it is now my turn to "indulge."

Wow, you went to Duke? I used to live not 5 minutes from there, in Durham. Let's just say, my occupation at the time, put me in direct contact with the Medical Center.

Annnnd "scene!"

See? Trumpeting one's education, just as the emperor wore his "new clothes," can be obnoxious... and I only hope my example made you realize the level of condescension your tone has brought to this conversation.

Understood, but sans any condescension, my questions/statements are no less valid.

UGH, I don't want to argue. It's just not fun or worth anyone's time.

Dude, we're just discussing things, no more or less.

Refer to my earlier statements about why i collect Mattel toys. I can also admit that MOTU holds an incredibly strong nostalgic factor for me. I think many of us gained an even stronger moral fiber from the cartoon than we might have, had we not been exposed to the carefully written and developed childrens' television that Filmation was always determined to deliver. The toys themselves allowed me countless hours of escapism from quite a stressful environment as a child. I've gone into this before in threads where we've talked about why we love MOTU. I'd collect MOTU no matter what company produced it at this point, and I might pay higher prices, but there IS a limit to even my tolerance for being ripped off.

Gotcha.

It does. However, I know that because the $20 figures are produced at least 16 times a year, at that price point, Mattel is likely not going to decrease that price.

I'm afraid I don't see the correlation. Could you clarify?

How do those things have anything to do with one another? I thought the cost of the stands was ridiculous, BECAUSE they are cheap to produce (you know quite well that I did not literally mean there is no cost to Mattel). I don't recall anyone crying when Mattel announced they wouldn't offer them again for a while. I do remember people being frustrated because they couldn't continue to order them for future figures, thus making their displays, perhaps, look oddly.

Honestly, given that we are talking about cost and whatnot, I had no idea that your statement about the cost of the fans was figurative.

However, my "Crying the blues" statement was just as figurative; there were people extremely frustrated about not getting the stands, and created a few "rant" threads about it.

I, for one, refused to buy them. After losing Battle Cat and Trap Jaw from my cart, I decided to remove the stands as well. I didn't like the price, but I wanted them. The insult of having to remove, manually, the items I had just missed out on, was enough to remind me just how big a rip-off those stands were.

Please trust, I feel your pain.

No, I would buy them on later on ebay for $18 including shipping, as I did when my Goddess figure broke into three pieces.

Ouch.

Maybe at the executive level... but even that is unlikely... check out their quarterly reports

Honestly, I really don't know either way, and that's my whole point. However, I am interested in seeing the quarterly reports... Do you have a link or something for that?

[Sgt. Slaughter]

He needed a big sword or an axe.

[hhhelmsley]

I had Tytus on my hands tonight and I don’t like the way they made the arms and legs for this figure. The arms and legs are hollow, spongy; they are not made of solid plastic like the others MOTUC figures. He reminds me of the old 80’s cheap figures.

[Captain Atkin]

I actually wish the regular figures had the same amount of articulation (or lack of) as TYTUS... That way, they wouldn't all fall down on my shelf!

[Spectror]

The arms and legs are hollow, spongy; they are not made of solid plastic like the others MOTUC figures.

Whoa! This is interesting... Could you please elaborate, hhhelmsley ? Do you mean that it's kind of soft or rubbery ? What's the big turn off about it ? Do you consider this is a poor choice on Mattel's part (inferior materials) for a $40 figure ?

[Mr. Shokoti]

I actually wish the regular figures had the same amount of articulation (or lack of) as TYTUS... That way, they wouldn't all fall down on my shelf!

You and me both. Extreme articulation detracts from a toy's sculpt, often makes them brittle or less sturdy, and, imo, makes them look like marionettes.

[Sir Reilly]

I'm getting quite excited right now. Can't wait for the sale to start!

[Terry75]

He needed a big sword or an axe.

Let's hope Spy Monkey is listening...