MOTUC Q&A's From Around the Net (10/1/2011)

[MegaGearMax]

Hordak.de's Facebook page

1. There are rumors the Wind Raider will be delayed, can you clarify on this?

Yes, the Windraider will now ship in December and the price has been revised to $45.00

2. On the vintage cardbacks we have often seen scenes where Horde members were fighting Snake Men. From the bios we have learned that Hordak defeated the Snake Men in Preternian times. Will we ever learn where this rivalry came for and who started this battle (please give us a little hint and avoid "keep reading the bios!")?

Yes, this information has been discussed. Essentially it comes down to control over Eternia and its magical secrets. Everyone wants it!

3. One of the most amazing updates in 200x was Rattlor. Is he a good candidate for a quarterly variant or will he rather have "the best of both worlds"?

Both could be possible options but nothing to announce quite yet.

4. If the Battle Ram will make it into the line, will it be like the Prototype shown last year or will it rather be re-sculpted again?

If we did a Battle Ram vehicle if would most likely be based on the Horsemen concept with a few tweaks as needed. But no plans to announce right now.

5. There have been rumors about two different Jitsus in the 80ies...one with a golden, one with a silver hand. Is there any possibility that we will see him come with two different hands?

Anything is possible. These type of discussions simply have not taken place yet. If this is something the fans really want to see it isn't necessarily off the table!

Kastor's Korner

Kastor's Korner: There are amazing designs of unreleased figures coming up on the Power and Honor catalog, notably Dylamug, Horde Spider Woman, and the Horde Mummy. What are the prospects of them making it into the MOTUC collection? (And before you ask, yes, there is fan interest :-) )


Image Source: powerandhonor.org

Matty: (Toy Guru jumping in on this one "Hey guys. Yeah, I'm well aware of these designs. The issue is unlike Demo Man, Vikor and Red Beast, we don't physically have these sketches in our possession and there is no way to prove whether they were done by Mattel employees while under employment of Mattel. This makes it bit harder legally and logistically to make figures from these concepts.

Maybe one day if the stars align."

Kastor's Korner: As it was explained to fans at SDCC, Tallstar didn't have a waist extension piece due to the plastics used on the connector pieces needing to be one part ABS and the other PVC, otherwise an immobile hip
articulation situation would occur like King Hssss. While I am grateful Tallstar remained with functioning hips, this attachment has been done without issue on other toylines in the past. Looking ahead to characters
like Extendar who will need this feature, too, can you rework this particular mechanism so it can be resolved by the time King Hssss v2, Extendar, or Tallstar V2 is released?

Matty: It is certainly something we will take into consideration when and if we get to more figures with changing waists. Great suggestion.

Kastor's Korner: There have been little to no news on new/updated MOTUC figure stands and Matty flight stands. The flying stands have long been sold out and fans are awaiting new Grayskull stands that can clip at the waist to compensate for the worn ankles. Any news you can share on that front?

Matty: We will have new stands to reveal at Power Con that will be on sale in mid 2012!

Poeghostal.com

5.) What can we expect to see at NYCC this year?

A lot of new figures for all of our collector lines. Specifics are still being locked down so we don’t have anything to announce yet.

Elkk Thunder's Toyroom

Any updates on Wind Raider in October, is it still on schedule?

It is now shipping in December and the price has increased to $45.00 due to rising costs of material.

MOTUCfigures.com

1.) How are the mini-comics going to be packed: inside the mailer or inside the bubble? Many hope it will be packed separately like the maps, as packing it inside the bubble might be frustrating to MOC collectors.

It will be packed behind the figure in the blister just like the vintage figures.

2.) As a bonus to subscribers, is it possible for figures bought outside the sub continue to be priced at the 2008 pricing AND combine shipping with the sub figures? This would be a great bonus to subscribing!!!

We won't be offering quite this, but we are working on doing everything we can to find a way for sub holders to at least combine shipping on any day of purchases. This is still being worked on and we hope to have details to announce soon.

3.) If Draego-Man's high cost of production results in some of his accessories being dropped, would you consider making these items a perk for the 30th anniversary subscribers? Or perhaps making them an exclusive item available to purchase for subscribers only?

Actually yes. While we are not going to pack any "cut" accessory with other 30th figures, we are looking for a relevent/related figure down the line that we could pack them with in the future. So although we may have to cut his shield and whip (due to the high cost of plastic and deco with the wings and tail), we are looking for other ways to tool these and get them out one day.

4.) We know you guys are trying to figure out a way for subscribers to combine day-of-sale items in with their subscription items to save on shipping… but since subscription items are supposed to ship BEFORE day-of-sale items, would this mean that subscription items would have to be delayed in shipping until after the day-of-sale items go up for sale?

Honestly we are not sure yet. We are trying as lot of different scenarios for how we can make this work and hope to have more details soon. Please bare with us as we get our ducks in a row.

5.) Now that you guys have devised a way of doing add-on subs (like the 30th Anniversary subset), do you think it is possible that you might be able to do this for the few remaining non-sub items this year, like Granamyr and the vehicle? It would be great if we would be able to actually have a true "all-in" sub through the creation of such an add-on.

Actually, we specifically don't want to do this. We need to keep some items out of the sub so that we don't have to lock in a price or avail date. For example, the Windraider wound up being more expensive then we expected and slipped schedule, it is now coming out in Dec at $45.00. Anything pre sold as a sub needs to hold to a promoted price and for new items used to grow the line we need the flexibilty of keeping them out of the sub to allow us to make them the best they can be.

Infinite Hollywood

1. The Infinite Earths line has made it to MattyCollector, albeit with a slight price jump on sale day for non-subscribers. This was because they only reached 60% or so of the required subs. I'm guessing this year will bring in more subscribers as long as everything goes to plan. So if you hit 100% of your expected subs next year, will the price for sale day figures drop back to the original intended price or is this going to be a penalty for anyone who doesn't go all in year on year?

We have not yet started making plans for any 2013 subscription programs. At this point we are working on the exciting line up for the 2012 subscription plan! The 2012 subscription has been re-opened to allow fans one last chance to sign up. If you haven't already secured your subscription for 2012, you have until October 3 to do so on Mattycollector.com.

4. K-Mart has proven to be quite the friend to Mattel in recent years. We know that Toys R Us is done with MOTU exclusives for now, but has Mattel shopped around the idea of exclusives to other retailers, such as K-Mart?

No, at this time all MOTU items will be on Mattycollector.com. There are no plans to bring this line to Kmart at this time.

http://www.planeteternia.de/

1) What are the chances for the addition of a shipping option for intenational collectors which is faster than international post but less expensive than UPS?

We are constantly looking into offering new shipping options when available.

2) Would it be possible to add a separate "Snake Men" group sticker to Kobra Khan? That way, every MOC collector could decide for themselves whether their Khan will be part of the Snake Men or not.

All 2011 Subscribers will receive a sticker sheet with their November figure that includes extra Snake Men stickers so you can apply one to Khan if you want!

3) Let's assume that a figure such as February 2012's Fisto is sold out within just two minutes - would a re-release still be a no-no?

Correct. We are keeping inventory down so at this point even if a figure sells out quickly it will not go into a second run.

4) Just out of curiosity, was there a specific reason why the Four Horsemen decided for a pincer as Snout Spout's 2nd weapon?

As an Eternian Fireman they wanted to give Snout Spout more life saving equipment and CB came up with this great Jaws of Life accessory!

5) A while ago you said that new diorama stands were planned for a late 2012 release. Are those still in the works, or are they off the stove by now?

Yes, they are coming in April 2012 and will be shown at Power Con.

Popculturenetwork.com

If/When you guys can do a Land Shark vehicle (which happens to be my favorite!), can you call it Land Shark or are you gonna have to call it something else? It was brought to my attention that there is a recent Transformer called Landshark.

Trademarks open and close quite a lot in the toy industry. Our first choice would be to retail the original name if it becomes available when and if we do a Land Shark vehicle. But nothing is planned at this time.

What are, if any, the restrictions on any possible upcoming vehicles? Most of the vehicles had a gimmick to them that was essential to the toys, such as the Dragon Walker's battery operated motor or the Road Ripper's pull mechanism. Would features such as these eliminate them from the available pool of vehicles?

Right now we have not designed any vehicles past the Windraider so these type of conversations simply have not taken place!

Did Mattel decide that the Wind Raider would be the 1st Vehicle in the MOTUC line or did Mattel give the 4H full reign to decide?

This was a Mattel marketing and design decision.

MOTUClassics.com

MOTUClassics.Com: Since there appears to still be time, can Fisto’s fist (& Jitsu’s hand) be made compatible with the other interchangeable hands released so far (both for each other and for future weapons paks)?

Likely that is what we will do. Terry is still working on this.

The Ultimate She-Ra Guide

Have you been watching any (key) Filmation episodes to influence the writing of Filmation character bios? And now that the rights are available, are there any bios you’re planning to adjust?

Thanks to all the great fan lists over the years we have a very good idea of the top 20 or so Filmation characters. Going at a base of 1-3 Filmation character a year this is more then enough to last a few years. Once we zero'd in on the top 20 "Filmation" characters we worked with the writing staff at Mattel to create bios. They are now written and shuffled into the master bio document with all other bios written at the time of Stratos!

Why were the Star Sisters slotted for January, which is a busy month (what with Sorceress and Photog coming), when February is so quiet (with just Fisto)?

We are always trying out best to sprinkle out offerings so that we don't offer a new "beast/multipack" and an A-List variant in the same month. It just happened to work out that Feb was a lite month (especially since we wanted the 30th figs to start in Jan, not Feb allowing us to have both the Jan and March 30th fig to show at SDCC).

We're still missing a lot of smaller characters. Would you guys consider speeding these releases up by including them with the bigger figures? (ie each upcoming POP figure could include one of the three main Twiggets)

You will just need to wait and see how and if these smaller figures get released. We are well aware of fan demand!

You’ve mentioned that the 2012 sub-sales are the lowest yet. Have you considered releasing a customer questionnaire on Matty about customers’ reasons/buying habits/favourite characters etc?

Although the 2012 sub was lower compared to 2011, it was still well above the min we needed so there is no need for a survey of this type. Fans on the forums have provided more then enough information and opinions on this subject!

Now that Filmation rights are on the table, how would you imagine making Light Hope cartoon-accurate?

There are quite a few ways Light Hope could be executed from a clear figure to an actual tool'd up wall of light to even a pre-formless version. But as we do not have a Light Hope figure in development right now these conversations simply have not taken place beyond general speculation.

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The sites listed below are the sites who want to participate in the Q&A round-up in these threads and on the He-Man.org homepage news entry.
Be sure to check out their sites! There's a lot there to see in addition to the Q&As.

http://www.planeteternia.de/
http://www.popculturenetwork.com/
http://www.figures.com/
http://www.superherotimes.com/
http://www.kastorskorner.com/
http://experiencethewonder.com
http://www.motucportal.com/
http://www.facebook.com/hordak.de
http://www.maitresdelunivers.org/
http://www.poeghostal.com/
www.kittyspryde.com
http://www.infinitehollywood.com/
http://www.motucfigures.com/
http://www.he-man.de/
ElkkThunders Toy Room
The Ultimate She-Ra Guide
MOTUClassics.com

All other sites haven't gotten back to us yet about participating, or have asked not to be included which we completely understand and respect.
So, please do not post the actual questions and answers from any site not listed above.
But you are welcome to post a direct link to their Q&A, and discuss the info here in this thread.

Thanks!

[gbagok]

Thanks, MGM!

There have been rumors about two different Jitsus in the 80ies...one with a golden, one with a silver hand. Is there any possibility that we will see him come with two different hands?

I've never heard that one before, but I think a silver hand would look wrong with Jitsu's color scheme and we'd be better off asking Mattel for an alternate non-vac metal hand instead. Just my $0.0.

[LANTERN-RO]

The Wind Raider is now $45??? Wow!!! I´ll have to buy just one.... :-(

[JonWes]

The Wind Raider is now $45??? Wow!!! I´ll have to buy just one.... :-(

Yeah, that was announced at Power-Con. I only planned to get one due to space.

[Sallah]

I'm up!

http://www.motucfigures.com/2011/10/...-1st-2011.html

Sallah

[Tallstar]

*falls to knees and prays for Tallstar V2*

*shaking & crying @....*

Matty: (Toy Guru jumping in on this one "Hey guys. Yeah, I'm well aware of these designs. The issue is unlike Demo Man, Vikor and Red Beast, we don't physically have these sketches in our possession and there is no way to prove whether they were done by Mattel employees while under employment of Mattel. This makes it bit harder legally and logistically to make figures from these concepts.

Maybe one day if the stars align."

[Ealo]

*falls to knees and prays for Tallstar V2*

*shaking & crying @....*

wait what, i'm confused, crying @ what? are we getting a tallstar v2?

[Sgt. Slaughter]

Here's ours: Infinite Hollywood: Mattel Q&A October

[Sir Reilly]

From PlanetEternia.de:

1) What are the chances for the addition of a shipping option for intenational collectors which is faster than international post but less expensive than UPS?

We are constantly looking into offering new shipping options when available.


2) Would it be possible to add a separate "Snake Men" group sticker to Kobra Khan? That way, every MOC collector could decide for themselves whether their Khan will be part of the Snake Men or not.

All 2011 Subscribers will receive a sticker sheet with their November figure that includes extra Snake Men stickers so you can apply one to Khan if you want!


3) Let's assume that a figure such as February 2012's Fisto is sold out within just two minutes - would a re-release still be a no-no?

Correct. We are keeping inventory down so at this point even if a figure sells out quickly it will not go into a second run.


4) Just out of curiosity, was there a specific reason why the Four Horsemen decided for a pincer as Snout Spout's 2nd weapon?

As an Eternian Fireman they wanted to give Snout Spout more life saving equipment and CB came up with this great Jaws of Life accessory!


5) A while ago you said that new diorama stands were planned for a late 2012 release. Are those still in the works, or are they off the stove by now?

Yes, they are coming in April 2012 and will be shown at Power Con.

[RockinHard]

If Fisto sells out in 2 minutes, there will be no reissue. Hmmmm . . .

[Larry Waters]

If Fisto sells out in 2 minutes, there will be no reissue. Hmmmm . . .

He will be one of the fastest sell-outs, I'm sure. With two TOTALLY different looks available, lots of folks are going to be doubling up on this guy.

[Met-Hild]

There go my hopes of getting a MOTUC Fisto. And Kobra Khan too, probably.

[gbagok]

3) Let's assume that a figure such as February 2012's Fisto is sold out within just two minutes - would a re-release still be a no-no?

Correct. We are keeping inventory down so at this point even if a figure sells out quickly it will not go into a second run.

I hope this tactic doesn't backfire and just shrinks the customer base because the figures become too hard to get. I figure if enough sellouts are too quick, they'll do reissues again, but how many will it take?

[Rhanen]

From PlanetEternia.de:

1) What are the chances for the addition of a shipping option for intenational collectors which is faster than international post but less expensive than UPS?

We are constantly looking into offering new shipping options when available.
.

Ha, this is a broken record since Dec 2008

[markatisu]

I hope this tactic doesn't backfire and just shrinks the customer base because the figures become too hard to get. I figure if enough sellouts are too quick, they'll do reissues again, but how many will it take?

Well given their desire is to have a locked in sub base I don't see how it can. Remember they basically stopped courting day of sales people as an expansion a long time ago. Day of sales are just added profit but their entire goal of this line is to lock people in via subscription. If that is not clear by now it really should be.

2min sellouts drives people to 3rd parties like BBTS, that in turns brings them to the sub line in 2013 like they did earlier. The day of sale consumer in the end gets the headaches of WSOD and possibly missed figures but in the end it drives people to the subs keeps the line going.

We may not like it but it is really smart business. I am surprised it took this long to get to that point tbh

[Arvulis]

It's really cool to know that Mini Comics will be packed behind the figure in the blister just like the vintage figures.

[baronterror]

*falls to knees and prays for Tallstar V2*

*shaking & crying @....*

I dont think she needs it, but I can see what she would be. So here's my question to you;

Would you be happy with a single release (A list Variant) of just Tallstar, with the changes you could think of, rather than all three released again?

I could see them doing this. I dont think it's neccessary, but I think having more non He-Man/Skeletor/She-Ra variants is great. So while I dont want her, it'd help spread out the variants.

And when I say I dont want her, I mean a variant. I love the one we're getting. But for your sake I could see how a Variant of Tallstar could work.

So you want her seperate release sometime down the line?

I hope this tactic doesn't backfire and just shrinks the customer base because the figures become too hard to get. I figure if enough sellouts are too quick, they'll do reissues again, but how many will it take?

I still think that either all the resellers on Ebay and such will allow these figures to be availible (which is how I've got caught up here and there in the past, and at a fair price to boot), or eventually down the road when they have a large base of new figures that have never had a re-release, they will likely put them back into production for re-releases.

So maybe we just have to wait a couple of years, and viola, they'll throw them back in. Maybe just in 2013. I'm ok to wait. There are a few I want, and if I get impatient, I'll eBay them.

===

As for the minicomics, I dont have any sympathy for MOC collectors, because theirs is a self created issue easily resolved. I myself am glad as well they're packed in. Awesome. Safer too. You think they'll neccessitate special packaging to allow for their size, or just a new wrinkle in the insert, but keeping the same package. Yeah, prolly that.

[Darkspecter]

I dont think she needs it, but I can see what she would be. So here's my question to you;

Would you be happy with a single release (A list Variant) of just Tallstar, with the changes you could think of, rather than all three released again?

I could see them doing this. I dont think it's neccessary, but I think having more non He-Man/Skeletor/She-Ra variants is great. So while I dont want her, it'd help spread out the variants.

And when I say I dont want her, I mean a variant. I love the one we're getting. But for your sake I could see how a Variant of Tallstar could work.

So you want her seperate release sometime down the line?

I sure do! Tallstar version 2 with waist extension piece and removable, spiral pants. I'd love single release variants of Jewelstar and Starla eventually too (one every other year or whatever would be fine by me) in toy colours with their missing pieces (star explosion back pack, transformed jewel form), but Tallstar's really the most important because of the missing waist-extension (and the lower body can be re-used for Mermista = money saving).

[RockinHard]

I sure do! Tallstar version 2 with waist extension piece and removable, spiral pants. I'd love single release variants of Jewelstar and Starla eventually too (one every other year or whatever would be fine by me) in toy colours with their missing pieces (star explosion back pack, transformed jewel form), but Tallstar's really the most important because of the missing waist-extension (and the lower body can be re-used for Mermista = money saving).

This will definitely happen.

[Swanmarsh]

I wasn't aware of the Silver hand Jitsu ... the alternate Jitsu I want is 'Chopper' from the Filmation toon, with 2 golden chopping hands.

[chuc98]

I hope they're able to work out the day of purchases made by sub holders shipping to be added in with the sub! That'd be a great perk!!

[Soulfly]

This will definitely happen.

I lol'd hard at the mere thought of this.

[LANTERN-RO]

Yeah, that was announced at Power-Con. I only planned to get one due to space.

I didn´t know that! well at least I will save space too!

[PrinceAdam101]

I wanted to buy six Wind Raiders, but there's no way I can afford it. I'm hoping I can get 3 or 4....

[nato]

One less Wind-Raider for me now with the price increase...........as well as shipping in December. Gifts for others are more important that month. Thanks for saving me some money, Mattel!!