Filmation figure priorities?

[Scorpia]

Hi all- firstly let me say that this thread isn't about listing which Filmation characters you want to see in the MOTUC line. It's asking 'why'...

...but my first question is to fans of Fang Man, Lizard Man and Strongarm. These three frequently come up as supposedly 'popular' unproduced characters but I'm interested to learn why?

To me, all of them were one-shot/bit-part characters with no real relevance/potential for the line. Shokoti, General Tataran and Melaktha are more important to the mythos/family if you ask me... Are they popular for retro reasons? Ie, they were in episodes released on home video?

Additionally, do we need Strongarm if we have Jitsu/Fisto? Fang Man if we have Kobra Kahn and other Snake Men?

Help me out with the above and tell us who you think we NEED for MOTUC from Filmation and why.

...discuss!

[Arthur]

Absolutely MADAM RAZZ. She is one of the main characters in the show and is also one of those who share's the twin's secret. She is an essential character in the He-Man and She-Ra universe and is on a par with Man-At-Arms as far as her importance goes.

LIGHT HOPE too for the same reasons as her. Then there's Shadow Weaver, who is Hordak's right hand woman. A good fourth place goes to Scorpia who appeared in many episodes.

Among the other characters that are mostly guest stars, Captain Sea Hawk, Lizard Man, Octavia, Dylamug, Tataran are the most relevant ones I think. Then there's all the others of course like Shokoti, Strongarm etc.

[cyberv]

Some Filmation characters are more popular than others, to be fair. Lizard Man was a fairly unique looking guy among the heroic warriors, and fairly popular.

Strongarm and Fang Man... Not so much.

Yeah, some like Madame Razz and Broom, or Dree-Elle... Shadow Weaver, etc... They're very important characters that we want to see.

[MegaGearMax]

Shadow Weaver, Granamyr (Filmation version) and Sea Hawk are pretty much some of the most popular. I'd say the recurring characters like the Twiggets, Madame Razz, Scorpia.

Some of the one-shot characters like Shokoti and Masque are popular. I guess it all boils down to fan demand. Malak could win if enough fans supported him. I'd suppose a Filmation character Idol would be in order if Mattel gets the rights.

[wallbie]

I'd say the most demanded/popular of the Filmation characters would be a toss-up between Marlena and Shadow Weaver. Behind them, I'd put down Scorpia and Fang Man. I only say Fang Man because he could also pass for one of the Snake Men and I'd like to see their ranks bolstered a bit. You know if the Filmation rights are ever acquired by Mattel, Hordak's going to have a bigger army than a bunch of dumb robot-ish Horde Troopers. I'd say give them Snake Men and the Council of Evil to make both a little bit more formidable in numbers.

[maltesefalcon]

while shadow weaver, madame razz etc have a high priority for me a huge priority is zagras keeper of the comets! why? well not only is he a recurring character he also appeared in the first episode of the filmation series.
he as oafe.net is fond of saying is a nod to story and was part of the major introduction to masters of the universe for most of us so while some others may be essential zagras is someone that should be prioritised!

[Thatman]

Well, recurring characters probably have the greatest claim - especially if they're fairly principal - so Shadow Weaver and Madame Razz probably get the biggest nods, with Sea Hawk, Granymyr, and Scorpia coming in after that.

(I have no idea even HOW they'd make a Light Hope figure!)

Others probably depend on individual taste - but there are very few that *wouldn't* merit the figure treatment. (Think what the 4H could do with Icer, Strong Arm, Fang Man, Lizard Man, Shokoti, Negator, Masque, Batros, etc. etc. etc.)

Do we NEED any of them? Again, probably depends on individual desires - none of the characters in the above paragraph are really major players, but then again...

Jitsu, Roboto & Faker were in one episode each. I can count on one hand the number of appearances (each) of Zodac, Man-E-Faces, Sy-Klone, Moss Man, Spikor, Snout Spout, Stonedar, Rokkon, Multi-Bot. Some of the characters above had at least as much screen time as some of these guys.

[Count Marzo]

All I'm gonna say is...

If NA figures sell as fast as Optikk did, imagine how well Filmation-based characters' figures would. I know for a fact there are a lot more Filmation fans than NA fans.

This right here should warrant the idea alone. I was never too fond of NA. In fact I hated it. But you know what, I'm realllly anxious for my Optikk figure to get here.

[UTK007]

Shadow Weaver should be a high priority, because she is a high ranking official in the Horde Empire.

Lizard Man should be a high priority, because he is a "Master."

Finally, Uncle Montork should be a priority, because of the major role placed on Trollans in the MOTUC storyline.

[bamf1980]

I'm just gonna make this simple: If he/she was important enough to appear in the opening credits, he/she is important enough to take top priority when it comes to getting an action figure.

[urbanmyth]

I can't think of a better way to put it!

[Reboot]

Well, recurring characters probably have the greatest claim - especially if they're fairly principal - so Shadow Weaver and Madame Razz probably get the biggest nods, with Sea Hawk, Granymyr, and Scorpia coming in after that.

Essentially.

(I have no idea even HOW they'd make a Light Hope figure!)

Translucent rainbow-coloured plastic column with a light-up base?

No chance of it ever happening, of course, even if they GOT the Filmation rights, short of them doing a complete Filmation-style Crystal Castle.

[bcrduke]

I too think that being in the opening credits of any of the toons equals figure-priority!!

Shadow Weaver
Madame Razz & Broom
Montork
Dree-Elle
Strong Arm
Lizard Man
Shokoti
Lord Masque
The Enchantress
Scorpia
Fang Man
Evil-Lyn (filmation version)
Octavia
Miro (filmation version)
Icer
Kathos
Malek
Garth
Hunga the Harpy
Horde Prime
Teela'Na
Morgoth

these are all priorities for me. There are many many other characters that could and should be made too.

[LostIt2Bostik]

SHADOW WEAVER!!! ...then Lizard Man!!! ...then Scorpia!!

[Arthur]

Madam Razz also appears in the opening credits, along with Weaver. They could do Light Hope in human form with a small translucent beam of light as a bonus accessory. He would just need to be an all translucent figure. I think it would be cool. Definitely no need to be Fimation accurate with this guy.

[carlo]

we need them because they are COOL characters.. Strong Arm, Fang-Man, Lizard-man should have been made in the first place..


Mattel Should have known better to give us those characters

Not sure why we got a Jitsu figure and his one liner on film and too considered a stereotype, then we have the other 3 (non stereotype) with a more cameo role and dont get them as figures

[LostIt2Bostik]

Not sure why we got a Jitsu figure and his one liner on film and too considered a stereotype, then we have the other 3 (non stereotype) with a more cameo role and dont get them as figures

Totally off-topic, wasn't Jitsu originally called "Chopper" or some similar lame name?

[carlo]

Totally off-topic, wasn't Jitsu originally called "Chopper" or some similar lame name?

in the script he is named chopper

[DO4M]

Shadow Weaver, Scorpia, Octavia, Sea Hawk, Madame Razz (With Broom... duh!), Melakatha. My Top 6 Filmation characters.

Shadow Weaver, Octavia and Scorpia are to strentgthen my Evil Horde Ranks...
Madame Razz is because she's one of the few that know She-Ra's Secret
Sea Hwak and Melakatha are there cause I've always liked those characters

[Multibot]

Hi all- firstly let me say that this thread isn't about listing which Filmation characters you want to see in the MOTUC line. It's asking 'why'...

...but my first question is to fans of Fang Man, Lizard Man and Strongarm. These three frequently come up as supposedly 'popular' unproduced characters but I'm interested to learn why?

To me, all of them were one-shot/bit-part characters with no real relevance/potential for the line. Shokoti, General Tataran and Melaktha are more important to the mythos/family if you ask me... Are they popular for retro reasons? Ie, they were in episodes released on home video?

Additionally, do we need Strongarm if we have Jitsu/Fisto? Fang Man if we have Kobra Kahn and other Snake Men?

Help me out with the above and tell us who you think we NEED for MOTUC from Filmation and why.

...discuss!

uhm.... a better question would be, Why not? does a character need to have a major recurring role to necessitate an action figure? imo, no.

I would HATE it if MOTU consisted of nothing but the 10 or so 'main' characters. this line would be dead now if that were the case. to me, it's all about the secondary & one timers. most of them are alot more visually appealing (to me) anyway.

roboto was a create a character contest winner, and only appeared in one episode but got a figure. Man E Faces only appeared in 2 eps but got a figure.... jitsu only appeared in one ep, and wasn't even called by name, and got a figure... and hasn't been used in any media since. and don't get me started on Faker, who has never appeared in any motu show (in the way the figure looks).

IMO, who cares how many eps a character appeared in, or how the tv show's writers used them... as long as they'd make for a cool figure; that's all that matters to me. imo, the shows underused alot of cool charaters & overused alot of the blandest ones....

Yes, I want a Strong arm, because he's a different character from Fisto & Jitsu.... so what if they have similarities... He-man & MAA are basically the same looking figures, minus the armor & color differences... why have Evil lyn if you have Teela? aren't those two basically the same figure as well?

do we need Faker when we have He-man? Seriously, your arguement for not including certain ''one bit'' as you put it, chracters isn't a very strong one imo. Why have Extendar if you have Mekaneck? Why the hell not??

to me, the whole purpose of having a diverse franchise is to have as many characters/toys/figures as possible. the more the merrier....if motu is to have any degree of longevity beyond a few years.



add to that, Mattel made alot of other characters that have never appeared in either motu series, that got figures.... Extendar, Dragstor, Mosquitor, RioBlast, Ninjor, Clamp champ, etc. all come to mind. not to take anything away from those, but IMO all the characters that actually had tv appearances should have been made before any of those.

why are some of those Filmation characters so popular, you ask? Isn't it obvious? Because they never got made into figures.... anything that fans can't have is instantly going to become popular.

Why is Wun-dar so popular, or tytus? because they were once unobtainable to us collectors.... Unobtainable= highly sought after. plain & simple.

If you can't see that, then you never will. i say this with the utmost respect.


to answer your question... to me, any character that is wanted by fans should be made into a figure, no matter how obscure or small their role was. bottom line is, every character has someone out there who is it's fan and would buy the figure in a heartbeat. for Mattel not to make them would be like cutting off their own hands.

lizardman was in two eps, which is more than Roboto was in, until the myp series, so he should have a figure at some point.... Fangman is unique enought to add as a snakeman warrior.... and Strongarm is actually alot cooler visually than jitsu, who was nothing more than a stereotype.

what makes Shokoti so much more relevant than any of them? she was a one-timer too.... General Tataran... another one timer... and Melaktha, wasn't even a warrior, more of a villager; but still all of them should get figures just the same imo. if a character was important enough for the makers of the shows to take the time to create, then they are just as 'relevant' imo, as the ones who are in every episode.

of course as the age old saying goes, if you don't want it, don't buy it. As for me, I'll be celebrating if Mattel ever acquires the Filmation rights, and look forward to being able to get characters I've wanted since my childhood but for whatever reason didn't fit the motu 'mold' to make into figures.

[Scorpia]

Thanks everyone for your comments.

Multibot- Roboto, Man-E-Faces and Jitsu had figures before they were in the cartoon. This thread isn't about them. Your arguement about Faker can also be applied to Glimmer and Queen Angella as well, but I'm not quite sure what you're getting at there.

If we're looking at the way MOTUC is panning out, we can see how Mattel is choosing to give *everyone* some sort of role and I'd be intrigued to see what would be done with those three (Strongarm in particular- what IS he? A man with a, erm, Strong Arm...?).

I don't like Fang Man, Strongarm and Lizard Man because I don't find them particularly original or inventive. To be blunt, I find them lazily-designed characters compared to Shokoti and Tataran- Melaktha is more appealing to me because of his role rather than his design. Having an archaeologist on-side could provide an interesting link between the past and present. In terms of there potential/relevance, maybe a future bio will convince me.

I understand the fuss with Wun-Dar, but find the move a cheap way to 'grow' the mythos by Mattel. I've never been much of a fan of Roboto for the same design reasons- sure he's a robot, but none of the interpretations of the character have made me sit up and go 'WOW!!!' although MYP improved on his design and functionality I prefer Filmation's back-story.

I'm not a completist, so I won't buy everything released under the line. I love that random characters are being released - Zodak (note the 'k'!) is one of my favourite figures!- I just hope that if Mattel secure the rights to Filmation series, they create some more prominent characters first. If Strongarm, Fang Man and Lizard Man are that popular and will support the longevity of the line then bring them on. Personally, I still don't get it.

Finally, I love how my arguement 'isn't a very strong one' and then you clearly state that Strongarm is 'actually cooler' than Jitsu. Thanks for correcting me on that, I was under the impression that levels of 'cool' were subjective.

To quote Teela in 'Trouble in Arcadia', 'hooray for that little bit of difference!'

[Judeh Simon]

To quote Teela in 'Trouble in Arcadia', 'hooray for that little bit of difference!'

HAHAHAHA i had forgotten all about that!

[KingRandor82]

I honestly can't comment on Fang Man cause I don't remember him too well; but Strong Arm is one of Skeletor's cronies, so I want him to round them out, plus he looks so awesome!

Shadow Weaver and Madame Razz are also essential, not to mention Sea Hawk.

How exactly are Shokoti and Lord Masque essential? They were featured in one two-parter as far as I'm aware.

How is that dramatically any more often than Strong Arm, Icer, Nepthu, Fang Man, etc?

[davidlogan]

Plundor
Lizardman
Strongarm
Octavia
Filmation Marzo

Those are some of my biggest wants.

[carlo]

(Strongarm in particular- what IS he? A man with a, erm, Strong Arm...?)

pretty much yea.. fisto is the same with a cool voice, but i choose Strong-arm over fisto first off for sure. many other characters are just something in general also.

I don't like Fang Man, Strongarm and Lizard Man because I don't find them particularly original or inventive

same can be said about so many pop characters.. i just don't get them

dont keep me started on madame razz.. one of the most annoying characters ever imo. she ranks at the top of my hate list with gwildor

If Strongarm, Fang Man and Lizard Man are that popular and will support the longevity of the line, then bring them on. Personally, I still don't get it

u dont need to..

and of course they will support the longevity.. look at boring Optikk