Toyguru Mattycollector.com MOTUC news thread April 2011

[StraightEdgeHe-Man]

Thanks to Directv I don't get G4 anymore, assuming attack of the show is still on G4

I said it before but the dials on Sy-clone and Optick aren't really noticeable being on the waist, but Hordaks dial being on the middle of his back on his armor, possibly removable armor, is very noticeable and looks out of place

[Canada-Man]

I'm gonna get a cape for him

[MrRoboto]

Instead of useless dials we should get extra heads.

I'm definitely up for extra heads but when you think about it, why would Mattel do that? In a business sense, they could make more $$$ off collectors down the track. Instead of giving fans two Buzz Off heads for example, they just release a "classicised" 200X version later on in the line. Looking back, imo, i think we were lucky with a figure like Trap-Jaw considering the accessories that came with him.

The dial on HH back makes no difference to me as he'll be displayed and i'll rarely see the thing. I can understand why others are fuming over it, and why others are ok with it. I do wonder though what will happen when the next Classics figure is shown to the public who had a dial/lever or whatever on the vintage figure...

[Romer]

The decisions on this line just keep getting more comical. It's hilarious that a stupid fake dial had to be tooled on the armor for Hordak, essentially meaning new armor. Total waste of tooling budget.

You know what wouldn't have been a waste? Full torso armor for Hordak that didn't look like a sports bra. Something a lot of fans wanted from when the original Hordak was released. So yet again a perfect opportunity wasted by Mattel/4H/whoever. Instead of fixing mistakes, or things that fans have an issue with, they waste their budget needlessly on something such as a FAKE dial instead of correcting something that people cared about.

Hey Mattel, do yourself and the budget a favor. When it comes to making "new" armor like this one for Hordak, save the money. You know damn well that all the fans would rather get an extra head for any character rather than a stupid dial on Hordaks back. Oh hi Grizzlor and your 200X face plate, I'm looking at you. Sorry, sports bra - fake dial - gold Hordak armor is more important than you.

Yea, clearly we have some real fans running the show here...

well said.

You know, I'm very irritated at how mattel is defending the freaking dial, but prince's Adam sheath?, it was in the prototype, and it needed to go... so we ended up with and Adam who has no sheath.

What's the reason for that, budget?, it couldn't possibly be that, if they are willing to waste budget in useless dials.

lately mattel has been making some pretty stupid decisions, it's like they're trying to top the one they just made.

I'm definitely up for extra heads but when you think about it, why would Mattel do that? In a business sense, they could make more $$$ off collectors down the track. Instead of giving fans two Buzz Off heads for example, they just release a "classicised" 200X version later on in the line. Looking back, imo, i think we were lucky with a figure like Trap-Jaw considering the accessories that came with him.

except they may not even release a 200x version, all seems to point at the fact that they won't it's "retired".

[Donimo]

well said.

You know, I'm very irritated at how mattel is defending the freaking dial, but prince's Adam sheath?, it was in the prototype, and it needed to go... so we ended up with and Adam who has no sheath.

What's the reason for that, budget?, it couldn't possibly be that, if they are willing to waste budget in useless dials.

lately mattel has been making some pretty stupid decisions, it's like they're trying to top the one they just made.

They already explained a long time ago what happened with Adam's sheath.

[MrRoboto]

except they may not even release a 200x version, all seems to point at the fact that they won't it's "retired".

Well, we did get Zodak?

Plus, they haven't ruled out Captain Randor, Prince Adam and Evil-Lyn by their own admission.

As far as we know, instead of HA (obviously), it'll be classicised and that's why Mattel will be very picky over where they put extra heads (like Bow) is all i'm saying.

[Mern-Ra]

From Mattycollector's poll:

No, the dial is dumb without the action feature. - 57 (62%)

Yes, the dial harkens back to the vintage look of the figure. - 30 (33%)

I don't have a preference either way. - 5 (5%)

*He-Man.org's poll isn't valid because it started a long way before we saw Hurricane Hordak. Those first two dials was literally nods.. a small little details. They aren't that anymore.

I must say I'm a little scared by what comes to Tung Lashor, please 4H live that DIAL OUT!

Well hey....look at that....data. Well, in my defense, when I made my post I HADN'T seen that!

[Darkspecter]

I think the problem is that we get pointless dials sculpted instead of legitimate things like Bow's correct boots or 200X He-Man's sporran.

I think you mean He-Man's loin-purse. Didn't know it had an actual name. Interesting.

I'm happy you meantioned Bow's boots though. I know I may be in the minority here, but I think the MOTUC Bow (while cool) got a bit screwed. Besides being changed up significantly in design/style which isn't what this line is about, he LOST vintage parts and accessories.

Has any other figure in MOTUC so far actually LOST accessories they had in the vintage line? I know Optikk lost some of his unique sculpting to share pieces...but I can't think of anyone outside Bow who actually LOST vintage accessories (full torso armour chest plate). Also, his quiver of arrows used to be removeable.

[urbanmyth]

I'm happy you meantioned Bow's boots though. I know I may be in the minority here, but I think the MOTUC Bow (while cool) got a bit screwed. Besides being changed up significantly in design/style which isn't what this line is about

I agree with you here. Bow will always be a weaker figure for me due to his huge space boots (and flat hair). But once I saw where they went with Catra, I kind of got over Bow. She looks awesome.

[SCB]

They went that route with Bow, a total makeover, because most fans gave them the impression that Bow is the last figure they want and is a girl's figure.

[Zargon]

The dial on Sy-Klone is just silly, unfortunately. It reminds us that they didn't spend the money to include the spinning feature.

The dial on HH's back could have been cool... they could have sharpened the edges, and made it look like a red, sharp, scary spine or something.

Optikk's dial actually looks kind of cool... his armor is so detailed and busy, and he's a mutant, so that spikey thing on his lower back just looks like it fits in with the rest of the detailing.

I like when they incorporate little things, and turn them into something else. She-Ra's comb, for example, was a cool homage, and making it into an axe with spikes on the edge was brilliant.

I would prefer the 4H use artistic interpretation to include homages, rather than simply sculpt the red dial, reminding us AGAIN that the action feature is missing on this figure.

Tung Lashor should not have the dial... unless they create a similarly colored spine of skin on his back... that would be a cool way of creating an homage to the dial on the vintage figure, without ruining the sculpt.

Catra's whip was not so well realized... I've suggested this before, but I feel they should have made it so the whip extended from the handle of the comb, and the comb spikes could have been used as a tossable weapon, or a grappling (as a fellow friend here added).

The lack of creativity when it comes to including these homages baffles me. The 4H are incredibly talented, and it's a surprise that they haven't had more fun turning these old dials, levers, etc. into fun updates.

Totally agree with you. I didn't even realize Optikk had a fake dial until it was brought up since I didn't have him until MOTUC.

[bcrduke]

They already explained a long time ago what happened with Adam's sheath.

Sort of... it was more like a "what? oh, someone must have missed that, maybe... but I don't know when, or how, and I certainly don't know WHO missed it ."

The fact is that either TG or someone else should be paying attention to details like that. He's busy? Fine... hire an intern to be the detail-police for MOTUC. Details are important for a collector-line... I'd bet that the Green Lantern Classics and the new Green Lantern movie lines will have their details looked after. Why? Because TG is a Green Lantern die-hard.

When you produce lines like MOTUC, you have to make sure you have a system in place to deal with details. The adult-collector market is VERY picky... but then we should be, we pay a lot of money for these items.

Adam's missing sheath was just silly... especially since the 200X figure had it, the MOTUC Adora had it (and it was received with wide acclaim), AND one of the things the vintage figure DIDN'T have was a sheath, and we all wanted that as kids I'd imagine.

Mistakes are made. That's fine. No one is perfect. TG makes mistakes too often with the details, and even THEN it would be forgiveable, but he's just way too snarky with his responses to the customers. He is far too defensive. That kind of defensive response masks a good deal of insecurity.. IMO.

[jhoward]

Mistakes are made. That's fine. No one is perfect. TG makes mistakes too often with the details, and even THEN it would be forgiveable, but he's just way too snarky with his responses to the customers. He is far too defensive. That kind of defensive response masks a good deal of insecurity.. IMO.

Well, he also receives an unprecendented amount of hate and vitriol over something as inconsequential as an action figure toy line. I'm sick and tired of reading it, I can only imagine how it feels to be on the receiving end. I would not have the will power to be as composed as TG is.

[markatisu]

Well, he also receives an unprecendented amount of hate and vitriol over something as inconsequential as an action figure toy line. I'm sick and tired of reading it, I can only imagine how it feels to be on the receiving end. I would not have the will power to be as composed as TG is.

Yes you would cause it would be your job, TG is fine. If he cannot ignore the negativity then A)he is going to have a self-induced headache and B)he has not learned you cannot please all of the people. A lot of the heat he gets is partially his own making, he should figure out how to use the ignore feature the org has and I think he might also enjoy himself more.

Its really easy to ignore the complaints and critiques, more people on this board should learn how and they would feel much happier I think.

[PrinceAdam101]

They went that route with Bow, a total makeover, because most fans gave them the impression that Bow is the last figure they want and is a girl's figure.

True, I guess...although it was a little more than that. I think most now agree that on some level the BOW figure was a terrific success. On the point, I dislike the dial because it is needless and takes away from the sculpt. That, and they took away Adams sheath.

[SCB]

They have separate rules for MOTU and POP. With MOTU, the Horsemen chose the original designs with slight changes here and there. That genre is the direction of MOTUC. POP was a different genre, so they have the challenge to either redesign POP into MOTU or keep iconic looks like Catra's the same while not scaring away the MOTU fans.

[Mr. Shokoti]

Well, he also receives an unprecendented amount of hate and vitriol over something as inconsequential as an action figure toy line. I'm sick and tired of reading it, I can only imagine how it feels to be on the receiving end. I would not have the will power to be as composed as TG is.

Yes you would cause it would be your job, TG is fine. If he cannot ignore the negativity then A)he is going to have a self-induced headache and B)he has not learned you cannot please all of the people. A lot of the heat he gets is partially his own making, he should figure out how to use the ignore feature the org has and I think he might also enjoy himself more.

Its really easy to ignore the complaints and critiques, more people on this board should learn how and they would feel much happier I think.

I agree with both of you.

If I was in ToyGuru's position, I'd either stop coming to this forum(I'm not sure how bad Matty's forum is), or I'd start lashing out at the "tough guys" here who like tossing insults. He seems to be the scapegoat for every toy related problem whether he is to blame or not. People want him to treat them in a professional manner with a great deal of respect but some of them act like a bunch of children themselves. Practice what you preach.

Yes, it is his job and he may get snarky at times, but when you have a bunch of grownups acting like they're on the playground at school making fun of the "new kid", it's almost impossible to not lower yourself to their level at times. If TG started ignoring everyone who insults him or gives him a hard time, he'd probably only be able to view 3 or 4 forum members' posts.

[Mr_Yuck]

Well, he also receives an unprecendented amount of hate and vitriol over something as inconsequential as an action figure toy line. I'm sick and tired of reading it, I can only imagine how it feels to be on the receiving end. I would not have the will power to be as composed as TG is.

That's understandable. Not everybody is thick skinned when it comes to criticism, whether constructive or otherwise. The thing is the role of a Brand Manager who interfaces a lot with the customers often becomes the lightning rod, but not necessarily is the target of some of the customers frustrations. As a professional, I'm sure Scott recognizes that, and understood what taking on a role such as this entails when he accepted the position.

I don't think anyone here who has taken issue with the way this line is run has anything personal against him. Unfortunately, I do have to agree some of his responses in regards to issues presented by the customers read a bit less than professional at times. As we said, he's human, and he's going to make mistakes. On the flip side though, with some of the issues that are continual problems, I think it's reasonable to expect criticism to be sent his way as he is the face of the brand for us.

[markatisu]

I agree with both of you.

If I was in ToyGuru's position, I'd either stop coming to this forum(I'm not sure how bad Matty's forum is), or I'd start lashing out at the "tough guys" here who like tossing insults. He seems to be the scapegoat for every toy related problem whether he is to blame or not. People want him to treat them in a professional manner with a great deal of respect but some of them act like a bunch of children themselves. Practice what you preach.

He is the scapegoat because he is the figure head, right or wrong its just human nature to attack a figurehead when you are dissatisfied. Its why people write CEO's of companies even though their issue might be with a CS rep or a design flaw. It's why people hate the President despite most of the law coming from Congress or local government.

The easiest way to avoid issues and headaches is to take a deep breath and engage people who deserve to be engaged. Realize on the internet with complaints almost everything is a bait/trap

Yes, it is his job and he may get snarky at times, but when you have a bunch of grownups acting like they're on the playground at school making fun of the "new kid", it's almost impossible to not lower yourself to their level at times. If TG started ignoring everyone who insults him or gives him a hard time, he'd probably only be able to view 3 or 4 forum members' posts.

Speaking as someone who has a lot of experience with how this board works the amount of negativity is severely overblown. If he truly utilized the ignore function he would probably not even miss any of the conversation.

[Mr. Shokoti]

He is the scapegoat because he is the figure head, right or wrong its just human nature to attack a figurehead when you are dissatisfied.

Whenever I used to have a problem with Disney, I got on a plane to Florida, went to Walt Disney World, and punched...



...right in the face all the while screaming "take that you rat *******".


I am no longer allowed in any park owned by Disney.

[KnightDamien]

The idea that TG should ignore anyone is ludicrous, if you ask me. For his work, he SHOULD know what fans are saying. All of them. Not just the ones that kiss his ass or are super-nice in their critiques.

Sure, plenty of people could take on a more respectful tone, or be more reasonable with their cute little demands and ultimatums. But it would be irresponsible of TG to just flat out ignore what anyone is saying about the lines under his control.

It's just good info to have. The more information he has, the better he can make the line. And if reading the boards hurts his feelings, he should toughen up. But I really don't think that's the case. Scott seems to pretty consistently give the impression of being in control and calm. In other words - he listens, he understands, and he doesn't let it get under his skin. That's perfect, and exactly how it should be.

On the other hand, I will offer this: Scott should be legally allowed to jawjack anyone he meets in person that posts online in an extremely rude, disrespectful manner. I hate the anonymous say-whatever-I-want-without-consequences Internet tough guy act.

((So again, I do not condone or approve of disrespect and aggressive attitudes toward Scott. He hasn't done much of anything to deserve that kind of vitriol.))


Also, tiny little dials sculpted onto the back of a figure AMONG other tiny details and greebles is a fun little nod. A GIANT -fake- dial sticking out of the back of a figure with no other detailing on the back of it whatsoever is absolutely asinine and mega-stupid. And if that was a 4H decision entirely, then Mattel needs to rein them in and say 'hey, that's stupid, knock it off.' Because it is stupid. As talented as the 4H are, they are not untouchable all-knowing, all-mighty toy gods.

I'm certainly not going to buy any toy with a giant fake dial sticking out of its back. It's unsightly. One of the reasons I'm glad the action features is gone is -because- that means no more giant ugly levers and dials and garbage sticking off the figures (not to mention nothing to interfere with great articulation and posing).

[Eternian Poet]

Are you saying that my making & burning of a ToyGuru effigy was extreme & unwarranted!!?

[Mr. Shokoti]

Are you saying that my making & burning of a ToyGuru effigy was extreme & unwarranted!!?

Depends. Was what you made the effigy out of environment friendly?

[Reboot]

I think you mean He-Man's loin-purse. Didn't know it had an actual name. Interesting.

I've been pointing that out for months. At some point SOMEONE was bound to notice

[Lazer Force Zodac]

Also, tiny little dials sculpted onto the back of a figure AMONG other tiny details and greebles is a fun little nod. A GIANT -fake- dial sticking out of the back of a figure with no other detailing on the back of it whatsoever is absolutely asinine and mega-stupid. And if that was a 4H decision entirely, then Mattel needs to rein them in and say 'hey, that's stupid, knock it off.' Because it is stupid. As talented as the 4H are, they are not untouchable all-knowing, all-mighty toy gods.

I'm certainly not going to buy any toy with a giant fake dial sticking out of its back. It's unsightly. One of the reasons I'm glad the action features is gone is -because- that means no more giant ugly levers and dials and garbage sticking off the figures (not to mention nothing to interfere with great articulation and posing).

Well said!

It seems like common sense doesn't it? Why on earth it would even occur to anyone to sculpt such a large thing (especially when it doesn't resemble the original at all!) is beyond me. I seriously cannot understand the thought process that went into this.