Toyguru MOTUC Post-SDCC: Figure Production Numbers Going Down in 2012

[Tallstar]

I don't really think that at all, if that were the case then MOTUC would be like DCU and have the stupid thermometer

Mattel like any business likes money, they are already making quite a bit on MOTUC and want that to continue.

The sky is falling concern should not be there, business wise MOTUC is about as far from that as you can get as of this point.

I dunno. I think a lot of it comes down to what Darkspecter was explaining earlier with regard to warehouse space and the associated storage costs. Putting aside the fact that DCU is a different beast, that line will be competing with all the other Mattycollector brands for a spot in the warehouse, so I think the old business model probably isn't even an option right now.

There's so much more to take into consideration with the MOTUC line right now, when compared to just a few years ago. Not only are they having to maintain all these trademarks for the toys and Club Eternia (yes, there are trademarks associated with Club Eternia), but they're also accumulating a bunch of stock from all the releases. Every year the line is getting bigger too.

[josh]

To buy a subscription is a support to Mattel. We cannot support otherwise than with our wallet... that's the way it is.

As much as I enjoy Masters of the Universe, I don't support Mattel's backwards way of doing business. Is it a drop in the bucket? To them, yes. To me, it's whether or not I can afford to give them more money they can actually keep.

[..]Yeah I gonna waste my money by you stretching out the line with useless characters like the Star Sisters and made up characters by the Four Horsemen(Draego-man),and now with Filmation,I guess the Starchild,Jeremy,and Yukkers will be forced on us too!

Pathetic!

"Useless characters"? Well, they're toys, so they're all basically useless characters that someone made up at one point or another.

The way I see it, subscribers are the lifeblood of the line that get us from Point A to Point B. Without those guaranteed sales, Mattel wouldn't be able to put all these figures into production. So, in essence, the cherry pickers are reaping the benefits from those who subscribe.

I totally get why non-subscribers would be frustrated though. But this is why things like the Twitter Campaign are vital to the survival of this line, silly as they may seem. I hate to be an alarmist, but I'm a little nervous about the subscription sales potentially being lower this year. This line can't survive if the vast majority are cherry picking characters.

By not offering a true all-in subscription (or another sensible preorder system so many people have asked for), Mattel is actually enabling people to be cherry pickers. I want the 30th anniversary figures, but I can't afford them if I have to pay for extra shipping 6 months out of 12. Combined with other non-sub items, there may be a few more times a year, and if I'm going to the website that much, well, it makes it pretty easy to just take my chances on what I want & easier to not get things I was on the fence about.

[markatisu]

I dunno. I think a lot of it comes down to what Darkspecter was explaining earlier with regard to warehouse space and the associated storage costs. Putting aside the fact that DCU is a different beast, that line will be competing with all the other Mattycollector brands for a spot in the warehouse, so I think the old business model probably isn't even an option right now.

There's so much more to take into consideration with the MOTUC line right now, when compared to just a few years ago. Not only are they having to maintain all these trademarks for the toys and Club Eternia (yes, there are trademarks associated with Club Eternia), but they're also accumulating a bunch of stock from all the releases. Every year the line is getting bigger too.

The profit margin is big enough to take care of all that, this line was designed to profit from Day 1.

Nothing competes with MOTUC on MattyCollector, every other line is secondary and always will be. That was proven by the time distribution at SDCC and the way all the subs are designed.

I would also not be surprised if they are actually not lowering production as much as they are implying, that would give them a bonus of being able to say "BECAUSE YOU DEMANDED IT" when they wanted to offload extras on a big event sale

[Blaster]

Alright after reading through the posts, and Matty's (TG's) original post, this is what I glean. First off I do believe they will make ample amount of non-sub stuff, they just won't reissue it. Matty has that **** or get off the pot attitude. So if you want the product, buy it now! So I have no doubt the Wind Raider and Draego Man, and Photog will be fairly easy to obtain. If not I do believe they will reissue them, TG did say in his post that reissues won't exclude all releases. Just for the majority of them. They for sure won't reissue any POP's, NA's or Pre-Ternia concept figures because they have a smaller fan base. It really comes down to a personal and financial decision. I bought the sub due primarily to Shadow Weaver, however Sorceress, Fisto and Kahn I want all of as well, I'll take the Star Sisters too so thats cool, and I'll only be selling my TP He-man, because I detest variants and versions. And because Shadow Weaver rocks I'll be looking in the Marketplace around that time to purchase a second one.

[ForTheHonour86]

WOW! Seriously?!

It looks like Mattel gave us fans our last meal before sending us down the Green Mile with this crap!

I wonder if Filmation rights plus exclusives have stretched the budget to this?

Either way, how could a growing line with bigger potential shrink down the production?

It's just **** poor on Mattel's behalf - Shadow Weaver is also another bad decision as a 'sub' only considering she was thrown in for the sake getting out of the line early!

Mattel SURE LOVES US INTERNATIONAL FANS WHO CAN'TAFFORD SUBS SO HAVE TO GO ON THE SIT EFOR AN EVEN LOWER POOL OF FIGURES!

A question for Scott - If EVERY international fan pulled out of the MOTUC line, could you still keep the line going because this is what you're doing!

[DarthBrett]

Still not going to buy a sub this year, even if they are lowering production runs. Worst-case scenario if I can't get them on sale at Matty, I'll just get them on BBTS or eBay.

[Benedict Judas Hel]

Still not going to buy a sub this year, even if they are lowering production runs. Worst-case scenario if I can't get them on sale at Matty, I'll just get them on BBTS or eBay.

My sentiments exactly. I'm not getting a sub this year. I'll risk it. I'm not a big enough MOTU fan to want everything released.

[josh]

I dunno. I think a lot of it comes down to what Darkspecter was explaining earlier with regard to warehouse space and the associated storage costs. Putting aside the fact that DCU is a different beast, that line will be competing with all the other Mattycollector brands for a spot in the warehouse, so I think the old business model probably isn't even an option right now.

There's so much more to take into consideration with the MOTUC line right now, when compared to just a few years ago. Not only are they having to maintain all these trademarks for the toys and Club Eternia (yes, there are trademarks associated with Club Eternia), but they're also accumulating a bunch of stock from all the releases. Every year the line is getting bigger too.

Club Eternia doesn't take too much to maintain. From Wikipedia (for those that haven't had numerous non-law classes where things like this are discussed):

Also in contrast to copyright or patent law, trademark protection has no expiration. As long as the mark is continually used, it can be protected from infringement indefinitely.

Basically, use it. There is a cost (not sure exactly what it is), but it's a once every ten years kind of thing.

[Zargon]

One would think that if they tell us upfront that they do not plan to reissue figures from a particular month forward then from said month they would up the production starting that month so that these figures would last a couple days rather than a couple of hours, minutes, seconds.... especially since they still haven't completely fixed the WSOD issue and they want fans to be happy....

but who am I to say....

[superheman]

I love the MOTUC line and have been selectively buying direct from MattyCollector wallet- and WSOD-permitting, but I am far less likely today to get a sub than I was yesterday.

As bad as I feel about the lowered production numbers as a non-subscriber, I feel worse for subscribers who will have to compete with non-subscribers (and surely, many resellers) to get the non-sub items next year.

Bottom line for me is this: It's simply not a fun experience to buy these things, and they're only making it worse. I almost feel like I have to beg them to take money from me to send me a product. Sometimes, they'll listen. Other times, they won't. Regardless, the product is backed by poor customer service anyway. For a supposedly premium product line, it's all very below-average. And anything that takes the fun away from MOTU, I can live without. Eventually, this line too will be at that stage for me, and it's a shame that it'll have nothing to do with the product and everything to do with the selling/buying processes.

Having said that:

1. I wonder if this will make an after-market reseller of anyone, just to be able to afford one sub (2013, here I come! J/K );
2. Of course I haven't seen the balance sheet for the line, but this whole "it's a business thing" has gotten old -- please, of course we know it's a business, and of course we understand supply-demand;
3. If I don't get at least my Sorceress and Thunder-Punch He-Man in 2012, I could use some help.

[mick4metal]

No matter how much Mattel threatens get the sub or else I'm just not going to do it. I will not pay for figures that are a absolute waste of plastic in my eyes. The Star Sisters give me a ****ing break. I also will not front up money for 9 months of items that I have no clue on. Get ready for it people 2012 will be the last year to get figures without a sub. 2013 it will be sub or nothing.

One other major beef that I have is with the 4horseman. In the eyes of most they can do no wrong but I think their character selection is starting to get lame. This started in DCU with a lot of bad choices. I have three friends that dropped that line because of it. I also see it on a lot of figure site forums. The 4H want to make their childhood favorites and skip the guys that many people want. Example: Metal Men, Superfriends scrubs, Kamandi In the MOTU line they throw in Lt.Spector, Mo-Larr, Star Sisters They think it's cute but I don't because Mattel wants to force us to buy this crap.

This post may seem like I have an attitude but the truth is I am a diehard MOTU fan and I just want to buy what I want without being told what I have to buy. I will not buy the sub and if that becomes the way it is I will not buy at all. Not a threat but the truth.

[Grimmy]

$490+ is a tough pill to swallow, i admit, but we arnt paying it all at once. only been collecting for a year now, and im actually looking forward to spending less on this line next year, and i got the sub. ill admit some parts of the line dont interest me as much as others, like i dont really care much about "The Powers of Grayskull" but if i dont like a figure that much im sure i can find someone on ebay who does. the sub will at least save me from the headache of WSOD

[JimPansen]

Now i believe that the WSOD was always on purpose.
I will never buy a sub! You can keep your star sisters!
Nice 30th anniversary gift Mattel!
If i will not get my figures , im done with the line.
After all the constant annoyance , that beats everything.

[jibernish]

I appreciate all that Scott has done to bring us this line. I really do. But I wish his comment had said something like, "We are reducing production by a little, but are still shooting to have figures for sale for at least a day, or six hours..." etc. His comment reminds me of the ten minute sellout days, and how hard and stressful that was.

I have been contemplating whether or not to buy Marlena, and also pick up Zodak and BG Teela too, but I'm going to pass. This news has saddened me, and I think I'm finally accepting that I won't be able to get every figure that I want. And after accepting that, the whole house of cards kinda collapses with it. I'm tired of being manipulated by corporations to squeeze every last penny out of me that they can. While not all the figures are must haves for me, I'd like to have them all, but I can't afford a sub. And for whatever nonsensical reason, they won't do pre-orders on a per-figure basis. They have their reasons and priorities and customer satisfaction isn't at the top.

I will still buy figures, but I will be even more selective now. My enthusiasm for the line is dying. Mattel continues to make decisions that serve their bottom line at my expense. And I'm paying for that?

[heavy-eternium]

well , we have the sixth huge announcement for 30th anniversary, nice way to celebrate.

I can now say the 30 year anniversary will not be as big as it should be.
anything beyond motuc and now this news.

[MegaGearMax]

The last thing the non-subbers need is for the Sorceress to get sold out in 10 minutes. Fans would riot.

[KnightDamien]

I was so angered by this news that I didn't even feel comfortable responding until now -- despite having read the news almost 3 hours ago. So. . I checked out my new Clawful who just arrived today; played with my daughter, and I had some ice cream. I'm finding.. I'm still pretty angry.


Soo, help me out - I wanna try to get this straight. Okay? Off we go:

Mattel is strong-arming me into buying a sub, even though they've put more than 6-7 months of product OFF the sub that I'll have to go onto their website to buy anyway.

AND, we cannot even combine shipping with sub items. Which means Mattel is basically trying to force us to pay tons of extra shipping.

Buy a sub. Then you get to pay for all your sub items to be shipped. AND, you still get to visit the website at least 7 times in 2012, out of 12 months, for the privilege of paying ANOTHER dose of shipping for the items Mattel didn't put in the sub and won't let you combine WITH the sub.

. . .What? What complete and total piece of sub-human garbage thought this little number up?


I was seriously considering getting the sub this time - planning to make my final decision tomorrow. Mostly because, even though there's a LOT of reasons that the sub is a complete rip-off for anyone that wants more than what's in the sub, there's also still something appealing about it.

But now? No. This bullying sales tactic is as beneath me as it should be beneath a multi-billion-dollar company. No sub for me now just on principle. I'll try to get the figures I want on sale days. If I can't - I guess I just won't have them. I'll live.



You know, strong-arming people into getting a sub might have been less egregious last year when there was a lot less outside the sub. But 2012 has a LOT of stuff and potential stuff outside the sub. I'm just at a loss to explain how disgusted I am with Mattel right now.

[KingRondor]

[QUOTE=Big Country;2783209]Maybe the Gnomes from South Park are running the Matty strategy sessions?
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z18aTQFPb-...600/gnomes.jpg[/QU

LOL !!!!

[Neal1972]

Now i believe that the WSOD was always on purpose.

I've always felt it was deliberate. My response was to simply buy what I wanted through 3rd parties and never have to bother with the WSOD.

[RockinHard]

I was so angered by this news that I didn't even feel comfortable responding until now -- despite having read the news almost 3 hours ago. So. . I checked out my new Clawful who just arrived today; played with my daughter, and I had some ice cream. I'm finding.. I'm still pretty angry.


Soo, help me out - I wanna try to get this straight. Okay? Off we go:

Mattel is strong-arming me into buying a sub, even though they've put more than 6-7 months of product OFF the sub that I'll have to go onto their website to buy anyway.

AND, we cannot even combine shipping with sub items. Which means Mattel is basically trying to force us to pay tons of extra shipping.

Buy a sub. Then you get to pay for all your sub items to be shipped. AND, you still get to visit the website at least 7 times in 2012, out of 12 months, for the privilege of paying ANOTHER dose of shipping for the items Mattel didn't put in the sub and won't let you combine WITH the sub.

. . .What? What complete and total piece of sub-human garbage thought this little number up?


I was seriously considering getting the sub this time - planning to make my final decision tomorrow. Mostly because, even though there's a LOT of reasons that the sub is a complete rip-off for anyone that wants more than what's in the sub, there's also still something appealing about it.

But now? No. This bullying sales tactic is as beneath me as it should be beneath a multi-billion-dollar company. No sub for me now just on principle. I'll try to get the figures I want on sale days. If I can't - I guess I just won't have them. I'll live.



You know, strong-arming people into getting a sub might have been less egregious last year when there was a lot less outside the sub. But 2012 has a LOT of stuff and potential stuff outside the sub. I'm just at a loss to explain how disgusted I am with Mattel right now.

I don't know how ANYONE can't empathize with this point-of-view. In my opinion, the true all-in option needs to be administered NOW. TG needs to step in here.

[Shokoti's Slave]

Maybe sales are going down and that's why they're doing this.

[CaptainAdora]

I might have forked over the near $500 if I actually wanted all the figs. But I really only saw about 3 or 4 I want. That's usually how it is each year for me. I'm all about POP! And like I've felt before, this whole 6 figs per order just kills it for the true fans and makes it too easy for the scalpers. Boooo....

[Havoc]

find it really disturbing that the reissues are pretty much stopping effective immediately.. If we miss it on the day from now on, we're pretty much stuffed.
Thats bound to cause people to panic buy the rest of the years figures, and we dont even have the option to buy more subs for the rest of this year.. Wonderful..

More mis-management for what should be a fantastic year. Someone should be sacked.

[Count Marzo]

Well that sucks for me as I cannot afford to be handcuffed into their subscription service. Some months I just wont have the extra money for it. At the same time as a non-subscriber I most likely buy MORE product from them each month than those that actually have 1 subscription. Paying for shipping is my gripe. I refuse to get ripped off on it twice as it's already a rip off to begin with.

Guess Scalp-Or is a lot happier with this news as he will be ripping me off when their website fails miserably (which it always does). Even if I'm sitting here an hour before sale time doesnt mean I'll be allowed to actually buy the **** I want.

Anyone wanna bend me over a desk for a Shadow Weaver as well as all the other things I'll try to buy but will be WSOD'd out of purchasing.

Edit: who the **** do they think we are? DEE CEE YOU CEE fans? Why not give us a damn thermometer too?!

[KingRondor]

I wish TG would just leave MOTUC and go play with the Green Lantern