Why can't a vehicle take the place of a giant figure.

[Kowl]

I think now would be the right time for the first playset. But even for playsets, Mattel procrastinates. "Too expensive to produce", "maybe during a movie year"... blah, blah, blah... this movie year thing is a sad new 21st century trend. During the 80's, Castle Grayskull and the other playsets were NOT released during a movie year (except maybe Eternia, which didn't appear in the movie anyway). They should get to at least one playset soon. They could even start with the Slime Pit, which is not really big (but we all know fans expect Catsle Grayskull to be the 1st playset released).

I totally want to see Castle Grayskull & Snake Mountain too, but you are comparing apples & oranges here. When these playsets were released in the 80s, they didn't need a "movie." MOTU was such a huge retail hit in the early years that parents had to go to several stores to even find a Castle Grayskull. Supply initially had a hard time matching the demand. We don't really remember this, since we were young kids.

Today, MOTUC is an entirely different story. We don't even know how much product is being produced since Mattel refuses to release this info. A playset, to match our high adult collector standards, would be costly to tool and produce. TG already said that it would be at a $200 price point, if not higher. Fans are already saying that the line is very expensive this year with multiple figures and accessories. Vehicles are only going to increase that cost now. The point is that enough fans might not have that kinda extra money to spend of MOTUC to justify its production. If Mattel took that chance and it failed, then it could possibly mean the end. I know it's hard, but trust that Mattel knows how to properly handle the line under its current financial restrictions. 2011 is such a great year compared to 2009... Let the line grow on its own without rushing it forward.

[Prahvus]

Oh, they could have released a playset and some vehicles before, all right. Of course, that's IF they would have put a little more faith, ambition and investment into this line ! I mean, come on, MOTUC was initially a 6 action figures plan ! That tells you about Mattel's short-sight for MOTUC.

They were scared to relaunch a MOTU line after the 200x demise (a 20x demise that was due to THEIR marketing habits : bad case ratios, too many variants and repaints, availability problems... all due to a "cutting costs policy"). That's why they didn't plan any vehicle or playset before.

The big difference, these days, is that people at Mattel are chilly to invest. Why ? It's not only due to the state of economy (other companies are not so chilly and show more faith and ambition). It's also due to one of Mattel's main policies since the beginning of the 21st century : cutting the costs. THIS is really what caused the 200x demise, and this might be a problem with MOTUC too (and it is also a problem with other Mattel brands such as DCUC, for instance).

Basically, you say "trust Mattel and the way they handle their business". Well, that's what I did with ALL the MOTU properties in the past. And guess what ? I always regretted it and felt betrayed after the end of those toy collections, because the different lines always stopped abruptly, leaving a bitter "incomplete" feeling and taste in my mouth.

[Kowl]

Oh, they could have released a playset and some vehicles before, all right. Of course, that's IF they would have put a little more faith, ambition and investment into this line ! I mean, come on, MOTUC was initially a 6 action figures plan ! That tells you about Mattel's short-sight for MOTUC.

.......

Basically, you say "trust Mattel and the way they handle their business". Well, that's what I did with ALL the MOTU properties in the past. And guess what ? I always regretted it and felt betrayed after the end of those toy collections, because the different lines always stopped abruptly, leaving a bitter "incomplete" feeling and taste in my mouth.

I guess we are getting a bit off topic, but I'm sorry you see it this way. The fact that MOTUC has progressed so far shows that Mattel realizes potential beyond the originally planned 2 packs. The line has consistently grown and it is now much bigger. 2012 will most likely see further growth. As long as the line remains financially successful, it should continue to see growth. Be positive and positive things will happen. You are being a "naysayer" and Mattel hasn't even announced their 30th anniversary plans yet. Wait until SDCC and make your final decision then. The amount of "celebration" of this anniversary should have a direct relation to how Mattel views the line's profitability potentials.

The original MOTU line saw a 5-6 year run and released all sorts of cool toys. The line saw its demise because the "demand" for the line dried up. They tried a reboot with New Adventures and that saw some promise, but eventually did not perform as well. I didn't watch NA as a child, I had already outgrown toys at that point. They got a few more years out of slightly younger fans than I, but then the whole MOTU generation grew up. You can't blame this on Mattel. In the early 90s, children had shifted interest to newer, more exciting things like TMNT & Power Rangers. Don't forget that the other big 80s properties were stagnate or dead by the early 90s. It was simple market based economics.

The 200x MOTU is a different story. I firmly believe that this line didn't take off because Cartoon Network did not handle the cartoon correctly. As much as a lot of fans hate to admit, the reboot was geared towards children. Without the cartoon being successful, the children (read parents) did not purchase the toys. You can blame case packs all you want, but remember that most kid based lines are main character heavy. When sales didn't skyrocket, Mattel did the best they could by releasing color variants and slight variations that weren't too expensive to extend the line. They knew that compulsive fans would buy multiple variations (look at the Star Wars folks) and it allowed the line to hang around and try to pick up more kid interest. It simply just never happened. The case packing issue wasn't a big issue in the mid 80s, since the original line shipped in boxes of individual characters, not assortment packs. Stores in the 80s were shipped more He-Man/Skeletor cases than they were Mer-Man / Man At Arm cases.
Bottom line = If more kids had been exposed to and enjoyed the 200x cartoon, then toy sales would have been much higher. You *might* blame this on Mattel/MYP for not forcing Cartoon Network to better market the cartoon, but I'm sure there were legal/logistical reasons involved.

Final point. MOTUC is a GREAT line and more than we ever imagined we'd see after the 200x line failure. Think back to that excitement everyone felt when Mattel had a strange-looking, unknown He-Man figure in their SDCC case one random year. So much has happened since November 2008 and I think fans are very quick to forget this way too easily and just demand more and more. As long as the line continues to succeed, the line will continue to grow. Be patient and positive. This line is not showing any signs of slowing up yet. Keep in mind that fewer reissues does not indicate "slowing up," it only indicates that the current amount of product in the market meets the demand for profitability.

[Swanmarsh]

... Final point. MOTUC is a GREAT line and more than we ever imagined we'd see after the 200x line failure. Think back to that excitement everyone felt when Mattel had a strange-looking, unknown He-Man figure in their SDCC case one random year. So much has happened since November 2008 and I think fans are very quick to forget this way too easily and just demand more and more. As long as the line continues to succeed, the line will continue to grow. Be patient and positive. This line is not showing any signs of slowing up yet. Keep in mind that fewer reissues does not indicate "slowing up," it only indicates that the current amount of product in the market meets the demand for profitability.

Well said. I do think with hindsight that Mattel could/should have planned vehicles and playsets earlier to hit the market while the craze was at its peak: the fans will not let an ultimate Castle Grayskull or Snake Mountain just sit on the shelves.

However, seeing figures like Tytus and Megator (even if they are not their vintage size) does give me hope we may one day get playsets. How amazing would it be to bookend the 30th anniversary with Grayskull at the start and Snake Mountain at the end!

I hope the fans stick with this line and keep supporting it so we all have the chance to get those figures and accessories (incl. Filmation) that we've always wanted. That's why I'm hanging around!

[synthalus]

I rather see more Beasts/Creatures/Giants and army builder 2-packs.

Vehicles need to have their own sku because they are totally different from the creatures. They would be the first sku to come and go in no time if Mattel makes a mistake in a release.

That's why I sincerely hope we won't see more than 1 vehicle a year and only the most popular of the vehicles. If something like a relatively unknown Jet Sled will be released first, vehicles would be doomed as it would take way too long to sell out!

I can only think of the following that are the most poplar...
- Sky Sled (separate -- this is the #1 and most used vehicle in the cartoons)
- Battle Ram with Sky Sled
- Wind Raider
- Talon Fighter
- Land Shark
- Attack Track (arguably since it doesn't look like it's filmation design at all)

Look at the awesome Weapons Rack from the most famous playset of them all; Castle Grayskull! It retails for only $12 and it isn't sold out yet after a week where $20 figures sell out in minutes & hours. Higher shipping and added taxes play a big part in this and it is only a $12 item.
Popularity has a lot to do with it as well. If all weapons were silver, I'm 100% positive it would sell out in a day. The red repaints are a major letdown for many.

Vehicles enter a whole different area with a lot less support than Figures. The most popular Vehicles will sell, but for the rest it cannot sustain the support because the larger the vehicle is, the less it'll be bought. Most people have limited space and will need to choose what to display. Not only does a large vehicle cost money to buy and to ship, it also costs space to display which eventually costs money if you need to move to a bigger house due to the lack of display space. If you want everything in curio closets to prevent dust as much as possible, you will need a larger closet for the vehicles as well.

Loose Figures barely take space, large figures and creatures on 2 legs take a little more space, but Beasts with 4 legs require a lot more space. Battle Cat and Panthor are the most popular of all beasts which make them must haves for many, but if a beast like Clawdeen will be released, she'll most likely sell a lot slower.

That's why I believe only the most popular vehicles will sell decent and the rest won't sell out.

[guitargod694]

Final point. MOTUC is a GREAT line and more than we ever imagined we'd see after the 200x line failure. Think back to that excitement everyone felt when Mattel had a strange-looking, unknown He-Man figure in their SDCC case one random year. So much has happened since November 2008 and I think fans are very quick to forget this way too easily and just demand more and more. As long as the line continues to succeed, the line will continue to grow. Be patient and positive. This line is not showing any signs of slowing up yet. Keep in mind that fewer reissues does not indicate "slowing up," it only indicates that the current amount of product in the market meets the demand for profitability.

I have to agree here.
I'm certainly not happy with everything about MotUC/Mattel these days,
but I can't fault them for how they are rolling out this line.
It's easy to sit here after two years of success and say they should've known it would be successful and planned more stuff earlier.

I, for one, am absolutely fine with rolling things out somewhat slowly and making sure the market can support things before they get in over their heads and the whole line collapses on itself.

I'd rather get one or two vehicles and keep the action figures coming than have them over-saturate the market and kill the whole thing.