Eternia Playset in MOTUC Official Discussion

[Beastmaster]

I would prefer the 3 Towers over Grayskull or any other playset!
They could make molds from the sculpts of the Towers used in the conventions and, indeed, do one each year. Since they're just one part, it could be rotocast and relatively cheap.
I wouldn't need the monorail or little vehicles and accessories, just the way they were in the cabinet on SDCC!

[slackrguy]

I'm not sure sure if an Eternian Playset would be more feasible than Castle Greyskull, but the suggestion has merit.

It would give a little bit of Greyskull and a little bit of Snake Mountain at the same time. Seperate releases for each tower would be COT (cash-over-time) damge instead of a single burst of cash damage.

Then again....

Would there actually be more parts sculpted and painted and cast for three towers than for one Castle Greyskull thus raising costs? Is there a greater demand for a Classics Eternia Playset than for Castle Greyskull?

In the end, I'd be fine with either...on one condition. I don't need a playset. I'm a big advocate of to scale 2-sided display sculpted dioramas that use hinges and no electronics, springs, or levers. That with some releases of diorama accents like the Weapons Rack and the Greyskull Orb Holder (which I must have...damn exclusives). For me that would help keep costs down.

I have the same desires for Snake Mountain, Fright Zone, Eternian Towers, and even if we got one the Crystal Castle. I know that I am not going to play these so I don't need any playset features. Just 1-3 levels of figure placement, a few hinges so things move, 2-sides (interior/exterior), and a moderate to moderately-high price point.

[EtherianChronicles]

I'm not sure sure if an Eternian Playset would be more feasible than Castle Greyskull, but the suggestion has merit.

It would give a little bit of Greyskull and a little bit of Snake Mountain at the same time. Seperate releases for each tower would be COT (cash-over-time) damge instead of a single burst of cash damage.

Then again....

Would there actually be more parts sculpted and painted and cast for three towers than for one Castle Greyskull thus raising costs? Is there a greater demand for a Classics Eternia Playset than for Castle Greyskull?

In the end, I'd be fine with either...on one condition. I don't need a playset. I'm a big advocate of to scale 2-sided display sculpted dioramas that use hinges and no electronics, springs, or levers. That with some releases of diorama accents like the Weapons Rack and the Greyskull Orb Holder (which I must have...damn exclusives). For me that would help keep costs down.

I have the same desires for Snake Mountain, Fright Zone, Eternian Towers, and even if we got one the Crystal Castle. I know that I am not going to play these so I don't need any playset features. Just 1-3 levels of figure placement, a few hinges so things move, 2-sides (interior/exterior), and a moderate to moderately-high price point.

First, yes, totally agree - I don't need cutesy "action" features. Make it two sided (and I'll buy two, LOL), but that's all I need. The action features would actually detract for me - I'd rather them spend the tooling and money making it look good overall.

Second, in one of the recent Ask Matty's, they actually talked quite a bit about the possibilities of a tower as opposed to Grayskull or other buildings. It's more feasible because they could be shipped as one piece - apparently the issue with a full playset is that it would take multiple parts to be put together.

TBH, everyone wants such different Grayskulls, I think Towers would be just fine by me.

[phnx75]

I would love to get the three towers even if they were released seperately. They would definitely be more feasable that way and their structures are simpler to produce than a Castle Greyskull. I would want the Central Tower first though. It would be the one tower I would absolutely want out of the three if for some reason the line ended prematurely. I have no need for the tracks though.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Some I just don't see this as being likely (not that I wouldn't enjoy it if it happened).

While the one benefit of this would be that the towers could be sold separately, not making it as big of a hit to the wallet (or production costs) all at one time, there's always the chance that we may not get all of the towers. Interest in the line could die down over time. If the first or second towers don't sell well enough, then it could lead to the remaining tower(s) not being released, which would upset A LOT of people and in many ways be far worse than just not producing it in the first place. And for that matter, while they have a basic "road map" of where this line is going years from now, the line is still only truly "green lit" on a year to year basis, so if sales in general taper off enough for any reason, the line as a whole could end sooner rather than later.

It's really too much of a gamble in many ways to split up a sell it over time.

Not to mention that even if this would all pan out correctly, to dedicate 3 years to releasing the towers (1 per year) would be 3 years during which they couldn't release any other sets. So Grayskull would be even more of a definate no-no during this time than it already is... and that's the most iconic playset that I think most people would want.

[davidlogan]

I would love this just as much as a Grayskull itself and I think selling it in three sections would be best for fans and Mattel! I don't need the track either! Just bring on the three towers!

[zodak74]

I think we've already had this conversation elsewhere before, but regardless my thoughts are the same: totally into each individual tower being sold annually until the three are complete. No monorail or anything like that to connect them, just the towers with a handful of accessories/features. I would be satisfied having just those, as Grayskull and Viper Towers would stand as representations of Grayskull and Snake Mountain in my display. If we ever get Grayskull and Snake Mountain and everything else, that's all well and good. But in my head, I'm thinking I would REALLY want Snake Mountain for the villains if they ever made Grayskull, and I don't know what the likelihood of getting BOTH full-sized playsets would be. So with the Eternia playset towers, everybody kinda wins. Mostly.

[whbinder]

I don't think this has been discussed anywhere else, but did anyone else notice that there are now four towers? The new Preternia map has the Grayskull tower, Viper Tower, Central Tower and a Dragon Tower. Interesting.

[Skystalker]

This would be the smartest playset for mattel to start with.
1. Sell in pieces.
2. Cost probably around $100 a little more for the central tower.
3. If the first tower doesn't sell well they can stop with out taking a huge loss.
4. This goes along with their theory of leaving fan demanded stuff for last. To keep the line well spread out.

Actually sounds like a brilliant Idea to me. Offer the towers as part of the sub by subtracting two or three of the beast slots and substituting it with the tower. We're going to run out of beasts that people really want anyway.

I also don't understand why Mattel doesn't test playsets with a Point Dread and the Talon Fighter set. They could probably do that for under $100, and they could design Point Dread so that it can attach to Grayskull if they were to decide to move forward with that project.

[Captain Atkin]

I would love the three towers. Release them one at a time, starting with Viper Tower.

I could live without the blue rail tracks.

[bskcase]

A lot of things have to happen before we get Eternia. We have to get Castle Grayskull and then a Snake Mountain.

I would love to get them, but I would even settle for special commemorative smaller scale sets. Not playsets but just small statues of them. To me, these have a more releastic chance than actual scale playsets.

[Captain Atkin]

A lot of things have to happen before we get Eternia. We have to get Castle Grayskull and then a Snake Mountain.

There is no reason why Grayskull and Snake Mountain have to come before the Eternian Towers. After all, they haven't released the figures in the same order that they did in the original line.

[bskcase]

There is a reason for it. As a sales point of view, Castle Grayskull and Snake Mountain are clearly more in demand and more recognized. Castle Grayskull is almost as recognizable as He-man and it does represent MOTU. Its a safe bet to say that Castle Grayskull is more sought after than Eternia. If Castle Grayskull sells well, then we have opened the door for Snake Mountain and the rest.

[Uki]

I'd love the three towers. I really want playsets...or even just diorama pieces... Of Snake Mountain, Grayskull, and the Towers. The Fright Zone would rule too.

[Dark Sorceress]

whats the old playset look like with the new figs?