Toyguru Mattycollector.com MOTUC News Thread October 2011

[MegaGearMax]

Welcome to the Toyguru Mattycollector.com MOTUC news thread for October 2011!

Toyguru's Recent Posts on Mattycollector.com's Forum

Like last year, instead of posting EVERY little thing in it's own post, I'll gather them ALL the relevant MOTUC Ask Matty postings here. Keep checking for updates! The old threads are ancient history and won't be updated anymore. This is the new spot until next month.

As always, I'll put the most recent news up first, while the old news is down the bottom.

Toyguru Mattycollector.com MOTUC news thread I
Toyguru Mattycollector.com MOTUC news thread II
Toyguru Mattycollector.com MOTUC news thread September 2010
Toyguru Mattycollector.com MOTUC news thread October 2010
Toyguru Mattycollector.com MOTUC news thread November 2010
Toyguru Mattycollector.com MOTUC news thread December 2010
Toyguru Mattycollector.com MOTUC news thread January 2011
Toyguru Mattycollector.com MOTUC news thread February 2011
Toyguru Mattycollector.com MOTUC news thread March 2011
Toyguru Mattycollector.com MOTUC news thread April 2011
Toyguru Mattycollector.com MOTUC news thread May 2011
Toyguru Mattycollector.com MOTUC news thread July 2011
Toyguru Mattycollector.com MOTUC news thread August 2011
Toyguru Mattycollector.com MOTUC news thread September 2011
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NEW STUFF!!!

TG, Needless Changes in SMAA Will Kill The Mix & Match Parts Fun !!

Please..... Do Not Change The Deco Of Snake-Man-At-Arms Which Was Shown At NYCC ! Most of the fans LOVE that colour deco. And do I have to say that colour deco is EXACTLY the same as the vintage MAA figure ?

And, DO NOT EVEN CONSIDER of giving him shared parts of Roboto/Trap Jaw/Clawful ETC ! It will kill the mixing & matching parts fun from original MAA. Number of polls from org & here confirms the human body parts choice !!

A perfect example of how you just can't please everyone.

We honestly are not sure what direction we are going in. A lot may 100% depend on whether we are too far down the logistical process to even make any changes or whether the proposed changes will cost more vs. what was shown at NYCC. Terry from design and David Strom from Engineering are still reviewing possible changes with Hong Kong.

So literally we are balancing all the factors and listening to all fans. No final decision has been made, and honestly it will likely come down in the end to cost and logistics since fans seem to be pretty split on this issue.

As soon as we have a confirmed final design we will let you all know!

Elephants as a MOTUC large beast?

Now with the upcoming release of ol' Snouty, was wondering if the MOTU world ever had any elephants?
Is it possible to see a jumbo (spiced up with 4 tusks, big ears, war helmet) in the MOTUC beast slot?

Like in that great 80's Magazine cover? That would be cool. No plans right now and not exactly a high priority, but certainly not out of the question one day.

Sale Date for MOTUC She-Ra Nov. 15, right?

I noticed that the order page for Nov. isn't up yet and just wanted to confirm that the sale date this month is Tues Nov. 15?

Yes. And I'm sure the page will be updated shortly. She goes on sale the same day as all other Nov items (Especially Swiftwind).

MYP variants first and the other look "in time"?

will we ever get the variants we want first? with SMAA and BGEL we have been told the MYP look we have been asking for for 3 years will come "in time" but why can't that look be done first and the non MYP variant be done "in time"?

We did have a true 200X variant planned for later 2012, but it was bumped when we got the Filmation rights. Getting Filmation characters into the line was difficult only in the sense that we had a very balanced line already set for 2012 and in the end it was the 200X variant that was bumped.

We hope to get to more 200X and Filmation characters in 2013 and beyond. Nothing is stopping us!

Horde Prime Question

Will Horde Prime's helmet fit over his comic style head with the antennae and is his hidden head going to have visible differences (color aside)to distinguish it from Hordak?

I only ask because from that teeny tiny peak we got from his reveal at NYCC the features (possibly species specific) were very similar. He's goinjg to make a great addition to the line, I was just curious.

No, the helmet is not designed to fit over the comic head. But it might. I personally did not try it on the fragile prototype but the helmet is pretty big, there is a chance it might (but it does not intentionally).

About kobra khan

Will Kobra khan come as an evil warrior, as a snakemen, or as both things?

Catra's Wrath: Kobra Khan will come as an evil warrior (in other words - without the Snake Men sticker) but there will be a Snake Men sticker included on the sticker sheet for Club Eternia 2011 subscribers so if fans choose to make him a member of the Snake Men they can!

OLD STUFF

Please give us the head and ring!

While I doubt plans are going to change, I just want to say: please don't dump the Snake MAA head and Snake Ring... I like them and think this figure is going to be a cool variant to own. I think even a lot of folks who aren't completely happy with the figure don't want to see the head and ring dropped, but were just hoping for more to differentiate this version from the original release.

The Snake Head and Ring are not being dropped. The figure is way to far down the production timeline to have things dropped at this point (even if full tooling has not been finished, their are still a ton of prelim logistical milestones that need to be worked out). Heck, The Horsemen and Terry are really burning the mid night oil trying to make ANY changes at all (like switching in some alt. shared parts like Roboto arms etc...) per fan requests.

Also, let me use this post to clear up some confusion. Of course we know there is a lot of demand for other MAA variants and accessories such as a helmetless head and an arm cannon. This version is just not the version of MAA that comes with those particular accessories. This one comes with a Snake Man transformed head and the Snake Ring.

MAA is a very popular character and in the long run a character we want to revisit again and again in Classics. Their are quite a few variants and other ways we want to potentially tackle Duncan in the future. But the immediate figure coming up in 2012 is the Snake Man-At-Arms variant, and he will indeed come with the Snake Head and the Serpent Ring.

This in no way rules out other future variants of Randor's Man-At-Arms with other fan demanded accessories down the road.

Also, in further defense of this figure, he really has about the same number of new parts as other figures designed for a similar slot. Keldor was a head and a cape, Grayskull was a new orb, heck, even Battle Armor He-Man was just new chest armor, he even had the same head as the previous release!

Some figures will get more tooling vs. others. It is how we balance out the full year. Snake Man-At-Arms was designed to look like he did in his appearance in the 2002 series and comic (with a "classicized look" that is) and that look just did not require that many new parts.

SMAA was a very important character for what would have been the 3rd Season of the 2002 series (Dean, Gary and Ian went into this in great detail at their panel at Power Con and we used this info to base a lot of the bio on). Snake MAA would have been the conduit for the Snake Men to get vehicles (on the show and in the toy aisle) and although his actual appearance on the show was limited, this figure pays a bit of homage to what would have been a very long sub plot making Duncan a member of the Snake Men team. (and hey, it adds to their figure count as well in the Classics line).

So in conclusion, this is not the be all end all of MAA variants. We know their are other fan demanded versions customers want to see and in time we hope to deliver.

TOYGURU: Unnecessary changes

I know the fans does love the colors for Snake Man-At-Arms. A deco change or retool would be not necessary. Just the accessories everyone complains about above all.
Please don't change the figure.
We don't want a Man-At-Arms with Roboto arms... look at he-man.org. The Fans don't want him different, they want more or different accesoires... the colors for Man-At-Arms are perfect.

I'll pass your comment onto the Horsemen, but it really was their initiative from fan reaction to make some changes (based on the tooling restriction we have). The SMAA as shown at NYCC was the Horsemen and Terry's design. They did contact Terry and I noting all of the feedback and asked for a second crack at him (again, within the limits that we don't have more tooling avail). We try to do all we can to take fan suggestions and as you noted, no two fans have the exact same opinion. I have yet to see the revised SMAA that they are working on, but with all MOTUC figures we leave the sculpt design/look up to the Horsemen with logistical review by Terry and the Mattel design group. Marketing does not dictate these things and this may be a great example of how you just can't please everyone all the time. But we will do our best!

head pack morbid for MOTUC but not for Barbie?

why can Barbie get a head pack but not MOTUC?

As stated multiple times over the years, heads are also one of the most expensive parts of a figure from a sculpt and deco stand point and to do an all heads pack would take as much if not more tooling and logistics vs. a standard figure. It just is not something we will be doing in the MOTUC line at this time. You never know what might change down the road, but don't look for this anytime soon even if other group are doing slightly similar executions at retail (remember, retail product gets way more resources vs. a small online collection line!)

SnakeMAA and already tooled accessories for him (fix da mace)

I know that we cannot have newly tooled stuff like the 200X gun or an unhelmeted head for him...
How about giving him the right side Armor AND a Mustache head in Filmation colors? THose were already tooled for the Palace Guards AND MAA... They would give Snake MAA that edge that he needs to be a much more desirable variant.

Also, can we get a harder handle on the mace? cause Normal MAA's soft plastic makes the mace go limp and looks bad on display...

A cool idea but SMAA budget was set months ago and we don't have room to add more armor (even if it is already tool'd). Personally I'd love to plus him up with more tooling or more already tool'd parts but things like this are just not logistically possible at this point in the toy process. (and yea i know how we all feel about that word!)

Price on Swiftwind

How much will Swiftwind sell for in November? I remember $30, but I was told otherwise by a friend. Can you confirm?

Swifty will indeed be 30.00

Star Sisters Question

Hi TG! I have a few Star Sisters questions:

1) Will their wands/staffs be translucent with glitter still? The sample figures' wands do not look translucent any longer (in pictures at least).

Yes, the stalves will be clear with some sparkle added!

Can you clear up the rumors about Snake Man-At-Arms?

I know at NYCC it was stated that you're looking for ways to plus up this figure, and on TNI it says that he WILL come with another head but that it just hasn't been decided/announced which head yet. Is this accurate? Thanks!!!!

We are looking into possible deco changes but I can confirm only one head. This rumor is 100% not true.

Accesories Service

Is it possible to create a service of free pieces in matty's web? My Screech has a broke wing, and I would like to buy other one.

Alas this is not something we can offer right now.

Do You Agree With This ?

Now before asking my question, I would like to tell you that NONE Of The Fans Are Interested In Separate Animated Line (i.e. JLU, Young Justice) OR Animated & Simplistic Designed Filmation Figures/Variants In MOTUC ! A lot of fan forums related to MOTUC voiced out that issue & everybody respects the “classification” treatment !!

When it comes to Filmation Variants, can you please tell us why you are branding ALL the variants figures as "Repaints" ?

YES.... Figures like Prince Adam, He-Man, Trap Jaw, Tri-Klops would fall under a 99.99% "straight repaint" category. But for figures like (Filmation) Skeletor, Hordak, Teela & Evil-Lyn, They are completely different from their MOTUC counter parts !

A Filmation Teela & Evil-Lyn would be needing their unique tunics were else Skeletor would need a new filmation accurate head, bare human arms without fins (can be reused on Oo-Lar & other filmation characters), pointed boots (can be reused again) & that awesome havoc staff (More than me, you know that it is much...much better than the MOTUC version) That’s 6 BRAND NEW tools & how can it be called a "Repaint" ? The same can be said for Filmation Hordak too !!

We do plan to get to Filmation variants of characters (much as we can do 200X variants)in time but all will be in Classics style, not an animated style. Just to pick an example that works well, King Randor had very different looks in the vintage toy line, Filmation, and several outfits in 200X. So hypotetically we could do any of these looks but all would be in Classic style.

The first monthly POP figure of 2012

What month will see the first monthly MOTUC POP figure release?..June?, July?

Sorry, we can't comment past Stinkor at this time.

Horde Adora

Will we be getting a Horde Adora as she was in the comics?



Always a possibilty but we can't comment on anyone past Stinkor at this time.

Bio Gygor & BG Evil-Lyn

In the Bio for Gygor we can read: Eventually, Hordak returned to Eternia and the savage gorilla was freed by Evil-Lyn in her attempt to bolster Skeletor's forces against the new Horde army.
In the bio for BG Evil-Lyn: ...and plotted to overthrow Skeletor by releasing his enemies from their dimensional prisons. In a series of miscalculations, she helped free the Snake Men, Hordak, and Gygor, increasing her adversaries threefold!

That is a little bit confusing. In the first one is the case that Lyn wants to help Skeletor and bolster his army. In the second one she released gygor to overthrow Skeletor and in the end Gygor was her enemy.

TG can you please explain this to us?

Evil Lyn has a history of acting impulsively. While she intended to release Gygor to help, after securing his freedom (much like when se free'd Hssss in the 2002 show) Gygor had his own agenda and alliances!

Toyguru: Madame Razz??

After we heard some information for Scorpia, Icer and other Filmation Characters you want to release in MOTUC...
What is with the main character Madam Razz & her Broom?
She is always in the Top 10 for the Filmation polls.
I know you can't say when but can you tell the Madame Razz Fans that she is in your list!? Sooner or later?
I think she is important enough to get her own figure after 25 years. What do you think? Can you tell us a little bit?

She and Broom are also great characters who would be fun to get to. Try not to over read post where I name off Filmation examples. It is just me using examples to illustrate a point and shouldn't be read at all that those characters are locked in and others are not. Only when a character is officially announced or shown (like Shadowweaver) are they coming.

NYCC - What Booth Will Matty Be Located?

What booth number will you guys be located at?

1222

Could Mighty Spector Use LT spector face?

Hey Toyguru, congrats on TMS! But can you use the face of the spector palace guard (without helmet and all solid painted) instead of the one alredy shown?? If he is the same "person" he need the same facial features!!!! and that face is already sculped! Please consider it!

As with all figure reveals, we sometimes can make slighty paint changes after a reveal, but sculpt changes are not possible if we are going to maintain budget and schedule.

30th Anniversary characters question

For the 30th Anniversary figures, like Fearless Photog and Spector... Will they have a place in the MOTU mythos when it comes to their profiles/origins?

If so, for the contest winner, will Mattel make up the characters personality and allegiance or will the contest winner?

Ideally we hope to work with the contest winner on the bio and any "team" but Matteo reserves the right to decide on all final aspects including the name.

NYCC MOTUC Figure Reveals?

I was wondering for those of us not able to attend NYCC how many new MOTUC's reveals will be shown that we haven't seen yet and will these new reveals be posted on Matty Collector like the ones show at Powercon?

We hope to have one or two new figures as well as the rest of the Mighty Spector's weapons, all depending on how much the Horsemen finish in time!

She-Ra re-issue with the 2.0 body?

Will we ever get a She-Ra re-issue that uses the 2.0 body, but has the "classic" look of the original figure?

I really don't want to have to get 2 figures to make 1 that I like.

You guys did a great job with the 2.0 body, but I can't really afford to do that.

Nope. But up can swap heads and capes from the first She-Ra with Bubble Power to make your own personal She-Ra.

Orb Holder Stand Question !

It’s cool to see the Orb holder stand with TOD Sorceress. But I personally think it should have been included with Queen Veena. She deserves that accessory more than anybody else, since she is a lovable wife of King Grayskull !

Anyway, Since TOD Sorceress is sort of an "Exclusive" figure, will we able to see her Orb stand in the future Weapons Packs ? It would be totally unfair on fans if you are going to treat it like Preternia He-Man's Cosmic Key !

There are no plans to release the orb holder outside of TOD Sorceress at this time.

Create A Character Contest

is there any chance for the final figure created by fans to turn out
being a Werewolf??i think we miss that type of characters on Eternia..

Only if werewolf wins. Why don't you submit one! There are 8 judges going in with no preexisting bias on type of character. May the best one win!

shadow weaver and club eternia

after this second round of club eternia sub , is shadow weaver still the figure of less production number in motuc ?

Yes. We did receive addition orders for the main sub but still overall lower to previous years.

WHO THE HECK IS ILLUMINA?

I can't find much on her on the internet. Who on Eternia is she, and why do people keep talking about her? I kept expecting to find some hidden wealth of info about some undiscovered MOTU figure, and as far as I can find she was just some picture somewhere... She looks ok enough, but I'm confused where she fits into the mythos. MOTU original? She Ra? NA of He-man, 200X, all original?

Catra's Wrath: Illumina is a character created by the artist Emilano Santalucia. She appeared properly only once in the MVC Masters of the Universe comic (aside from in the background of a couple of comic panels in another issue) as an advert for an upcoming issue. Not much is known about her as the comic was never published, all that was alluded to was that she is a Gar (the race Keldor originates from) and that she had something to do with Grayskull in the past.

That's about as much as anyone knows!

And people wonder why we are hesitant to do this character! While there is a lot of demand for this rather obscure character on He-Man.org, outside of this very small (but vocal) group, she just isn't ready to make the cut.

As jzachery illustrates, to most MOTU fans, she is neither known or requested.

Maybe we will get to her one day, but their are just too many other characters from MOTU, Filmation, POP, NA, 200X and so forth that we want to get to first! Heck, Filmation alone is hundreds of characters, 20-30 of which are extremely fan demanded and it is going to be hard giving up a slot to an obscure character from a pin up when we have the opportunity to do characters like Goat Man, Strobo, Icer, Sea Hawk, Mara, Strong Arm and all the rest! (no offense to those who are asking for her BTW, I mean no foul by you, just offering perceptive as fan sites like He-Man.org and others tend to function in a bubble outside of the larger overall fan base that is out there and the repetitive posting of a few individuals can create the illusion of greater demand then there really is)

Griffin Articulation question...

I can't tell from the images online...will the Griffin's lower jaw be articulated, so it can be open or closed?

Yes, it will open and close.

Another Plea to Change Griffin's Wing Color

Please consider changing the wing color from grey to brown like the actual MYP cartoon. MANY fans prefer the brown (more than not).

The best thing to do is ask the Horsemen at NYCC or on their webboards. This was a design choice, not a marketing request.

Griffin Wing color?

You have stated that the wing color of the griffin shown at powercon in gray is final as thats how the horsemen designed him. Well everyone is not happy with the gray wings. Since 200x MYP is on the table in MOTUC's toy line then the Horsemen should be making the Griffin as accurate in color and design as possible. The Griffins only appearencein the MOTU mythos was in the 200x MYP cartoon and the Griffins wings were brown and black with grey trim at bottom NOT solid grey.

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i9...iffinsteed.jpg

Why are the Horsemen changing the look of the Griffin from the MYP cartoon? You said with Faceless one that the Horsemens look was final and we both know that changed as the fans who are paying for the item asked the inner hood be black not purple and Mattel listend and Faceless one turned out better looking for it.

Now we have another issue with The Griffins wings. Having solid Gray wings with a brown body does not look right ( Way too much Contrast ) and we the fans THE SUBSCRIBERS who are paying for it want the wings brown and black with grey trim at bottom so it truely looks like the MYP griffen in the cartoon that the horsemen designed it from.
This is how the MOTUC Griffin needs to look Scott.



So please stop telling us NO and change the wing color because solid grey wings doesn't look right in the below picture.



We the fans don't honestly think the Horsemen will mind the wings color change because it makes the Griffin look 100% better. So please change it?

I'd be happy to ask the Horsemen about this at NYCC. Or better yet, you guys should ask them at our Q & A!

Any 30th anniversary figures come with multiple heads/looks; reason for 2 subs

I always buy 2 normal subs to make I can display figures with multiple heads or looks (like Stinkor, Fisto, King Hsss, Icarius, MAA, etc in all ways.

Right now I only bought 1 30th anniversary sub because we have seen no such thing for the revealed 3 figures.

Without spoiling anything, could you let us know if there is 1 or more figures that will have multiple looks or heads?
Then I will get another sub.

So far, all three that are revealed have one head. We aren't yet ready to reveal Geoff and Terry's character and we are still in submission stage for the new contest winner and quite a few entires have multiple heads. So we just don't know.

Catra - Toy Design Question

If and when you get to doing Catra in her original toy design, do you think her skirt would be molded plastic, or would it be furry, a la Grizzlor. I know you don't want to get into soft goods too much, but ol Grizzy does set the precedent for this type of material.

I simply do not know. I can't guess about future figures we haven't worked on. We'll have to see when and if we get to this what direction is taken.

Slush Head armor

Is the Slush Head´s armor removeable?

We haven't gotten there yet, but I imagine it will be.

Project Photog / Fearless Photog Follow-Up...

You stated that Project Photog and Fearless Photog was not the same thing/character.

Why use the word "Photog" to name both? When I read Marlena's bio I thought that Fearless Photog was her companion. Couldn't you have chosen another name instead of "Project Photog" for Marlena's bio?

Sure we could of, but where would the fun be in that?

Photog was a very "MOTU" word and at the time we wrote the bios we did not have rights to Nate's character so we thought using the name as a "project" in Marlena's bio would be a nice nod to this character (assuming at the time that we were not going to be able to make him).

By the time we got rights to him, Marlena's bio was already done and the package printed. It wound up being a bit of a cosmic coincidence that Fearless Photog was revealed at a convention where the convention figure (Marlena) happened to mention "Photog" on the bio. Stranger things have happened.

Draego-Man's wings on Whiplash?

Can you please tell us if Draego-Man's back section with tail and wings will be attachable via pegs, just like Whiplash's tail? It would be so neat if we could switch out these pieces to give Whiplash new tail and wings!!

No, I believe the wings attach to Draego through a new connector in his back armor. They won't work on Whiplash (at least to the best of my knowledge, I haven't seen a tool'd first shot yet).

The Ultimate Swords question

First I wanna say that I'm excited that BP She-Ra is getting her Toy accurate Sword; and that we might get the Keldor Dual Blades (streamlined to reduce the Hyper detailing) in the line...

Now here's the BIG MOTUC Sword Question: Is it possible to get the following blades in the line?
(obviously after adapting them to the MOTUC aesthetic... Classicizer Machine and all that...)



A bit more "Hyper detailed" explanation of the blades
-The "Princess version" of the Power Sword (Sword of Protection that looks like a Twin of the Default Power Sword)
-The "Prince Version" of the Sword of Protection (Filmation Power Sword)
-"True Vintage" versions of the Power Sword and Sword of Protection.
-"Faker" Techno Sword (Repaint of the Techno Sword to match Faker... Weapons Pak Material)
-"Prince Version" of the Techno Sword. (Different shape than the Default Techno Sword)
-"Princess Version" of the Techno Sword... (Yes, I KNOW it looks a LOT like the Default Sword of Protection, but the White Gem is different enough, right?)

Anything is possible. We will just have to see in time what the Horsemen and design have in mind. All cool ideas on getting new weapons out there!

Scorpia

I was wondering what your thoughts on Scorpia are?. After Shadow Weaver she is by far the next most wanted filmation character and polls on both here and HE-MAN.ORG show that time and time again.

I've heard that the plan is to do the most popular Filmation characters first so can we expect to see her sooner rather than later when it comes to the Filmaton characters and are you aware of the demand a popularity of Scorpia?

Absolutely a fan demanded figure. But that doesn't mean she will be next after Shadow Weaver. But I imagine we will get to her in time.

Fan feedback on Griffin's wing colors

Hey Toy Guru, I was wondering if you and the Four Horsemen would consider the following fan feedback about the Griffin's wing colors. It seems that many of us (at least from early polling) would like to see the color scheme more closely match how the beasts were portrayed in the 2002 cartoon series. Is it still possible to make this change?

I've seen a lot of great suggestions and I'd be happy to run them by the Horsemen and Terry to see if 1: they want to make any changes and 2: if there is time to. I'll see the Horsemen next week at NYCC and will make sure to ask them.

[Prahvus]

And the denial of Illumina goes on !

I guess we'll have to start an Illumina awareness day or something...

Mighty Spector didn't even appear in a MOTU comics... he was only featured as a child drawing on a pice of paper. And despite his simplistic design and the fact that fans are not really enthused by this figure, he was included in MOTUC !

Illumina should get at least a chance of release...

[Emiliano]

I find more annoying the understimate of He-Man.org reach and representation of the fan base. Just by the numbers we know, it's hard to say we're not a big percentage of that "larger overall fanbase"

[Tallstar]

Oh Lord. What I want to know is, where are all these folks outside of the He-Man.org community that are clamoring for someone like Goat Man? Why dismiss the members here as a 'vocal minority' when, in the past, you've used the input from this place to make decisions, changes etc.? Lame.

[MegaGearMax]

As soon as Illumina-gate cooled down, it starts back up again!

251 fans want her so far.

[Darkspecter]

252 and counting!

[DO4M]

That Illumina answer kinda bothers me...
Up until Recently I didn't knew who Goatman, Gygor, Vikor or Demo-Man were!
I learned about them (and Illumina) from that small He-Man site that is in no way whatsoever a representative of the entire fanbase... Silly me! I'm posting this on that site!

On a more positive note: The swords weren't flat out denied! (Here's hoping for a Filmation He-Man Sword, "True Vintage" She-Ra Sword and ALL THE Techno Swords!)

[the.overlord]

...also pretty irritating to sugest to ask folks to talk to the 4Hmen at NYCC about Griffin's wings! Doesn't TG know that it will be already too late for any changes?

[Prahvus]

The Griffin will have a hinged beak !

AWESOME !!!

[Dynamo of Eternia]

That Illumina answer kinda bothers me...
Up until Recently I didn't knew who Goatman, Gygor, Vikor or Demo-Man were!
I learned about them (and Illumina) from that small He-Man site that is in no way whatsoever a representative of the entire fanbase... Silly me! I'm posting this on that site!

Yeah, that's the part that I don't get about this. They have no problem using old in-house concepts that were never previously developed into a previous figure, or appeared in any previous media, and therefore fans have no nostalgic attachement to, but for whatever reason Illumina is off the table.

While I can "take her or leave her" (she's a cool concept that I wouldn't mind getting in figure form, but I won't kick & scream if it doesn't happen), it's just the way Mattel is trying to push this particular character off to the side that is really fishy.

Had most of the fan community previously heard of "Demo-Man" before this line started up? I know that I hadn't. And most of what we did hear about him for a while since the line started up was the name being mentioned by the likes of ToyGuru, etc, speaking of him. The name didn't even appear in Skeletor's MOTUC bio until it was edited for his reissue.

For example, is Demo-Man in any higher demand than Illumina? Somehow I doubt it, and if he is currently, it probably has more to do with that Acala Skeletor head that he comes with than anything. Odds are, even with as much talk of this character as there has been, there were probably many fans who saw the pics from SDCC and had the same reaction to Demo-Man that the person asking the Illumina question had.... "Who the hell is THAT?!" And ther will probably be some more people who will have that reaction when he goes on sale, possibly having missed the previous news about him.



Then there is the 30th anniversary line. I realize that Illumina wouldn't go with that line since she's a pre-existing character that appeared in some form of previous media, but the point is that with the sole exception of Photog, the concept for which has existed for many, many years, these are all brand new characters. I have nothing against that, and having seen them I am liking what we are getting so far. But none the less Mattel is still taking a gamble by even making figures that have no pre-existing following or demand in any remote way, shape, or form.

Why is it that Mattel has no problem taking a shot at completely original characters and extremely obscure concept characters like Demo-Man, Vikor, or Gygor, but feel the need to push Illumina off to the side? So what if she was made in recent years in a brief comic appearance? She technically got more exposure to the fan community than those other characters did in any type of media. Somehow I doubt that Mattel would be pushing back on this as much as they are if she had been some old, unused design from the vintage line sitting in their archives, but still looking exactly the same as she does now.

The bottom line is that they are just turning this into a huge semantics argument more than anything. They have figures being made in this line one way or another that are just as if not more obsucre/unknown than Illumina, but because of the semantics of their origins or how they are being fit into the line (i.e. the 30th anniversary figures), Mattel is giving these characters the time of day and not Illumina.

[urbanmyth]

So should we expect only highly "known and requested" figures in the future? Maybe Gygor's sales were weak and reaction to Demo-man has been less than steller and people have gotten down right ugly about Spector (probably because he IS ugly ) so maybe Mattel is now limiting the line to only highly requested and known figures. So much for getting more than a couple other New Adventure characters. . .

[Met-Hild]

252 and counting!

And not counting all of us who don't have a facebook account!

I wish TG would realize he's just digging himself deeper every time he tries to justify not making Illumina. I didn't know the first thing about Illumina before I read the support thread less than a year ago, and the first thing I knew when I saw her was that I wanted a figure of her. Is there any indication that people who ended up buying figures like Chief Carnivus or Gygor were long-time fans of the character, rather than just going by the cool factor - or even for the sake of completism?

[Skystalker]

Mattel should just simply say that Illumina is available and that she will get a good figure if and when they get to her. That is true, and is the canned answer for every other demanded figure.

[fball13z]

I find more annoying the understimate of He-Man.org reach and representation of the fan base. Just by the numbers we know, it's hard to say we're not a big percentage of that "larger overall fanbase"

this didnt make sense to me either. Are we not the signle largest MOTU community in the USA?

Not saying we are always right, I have been known to disagree with some here and there

but I just cant see taking the .org lightly. Who were the fans that kept he-man alive when mattel didnt care about it?

With out the great people that run this .org, would we have had Power-Con?

How many of great members are involved with Power and Honor?

I love TG, great guy and a fan of MOTU, but sometimes I just do not get him.

Sigh, I may not always agree with some of the fans here, but this is my MOTU home and I believe this IS the MOTU home.

[Whiplash7]

I'm not interested in Illumina, but that's a terrible answer. Oh my.
20-30 'extremely' fan-demanded filmation characters?! Is he serious? 99% of those wouldn't be any more well known than Illumina imo. And what a way to disparage the org. Why doesn't he just give one of the stock answers like "It's possible down the road, but nothing to announce at this time!"

[13977]

Mattel should just simply say that Illumina is available and that she will get a good figure if and when they get to her. That is true, and is the canned answer for every other demanded figure.

Agreed, if they just said this it wouldn't get everybody all riled up.

[bcrduke]

First of all, Scott, the self-proclaimed writer REALLY needs to proof-read. Though this is more a grammar thing than anything else.

When speaking, rather defensively, about the use of Photog in the bios:

Sure we could of

It's "Sure, We could have..."

I find more annoying the understimate of He-Man.org reach and representation of the fan base. Just by the numbers we know, it's hard to say we're not a big percentage of that "larger overall fanbase"

This is a major point.

He can keep verbally alienating us this way because he knows we are so dedicated. We will keep buying the toys.

I would encourage people to write Mattel corporate and bring this kind of language to light. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that he's not wooing the customers; instead, he's being abrasive. That is NOT a brand manager's job.

Scott just doesn't appear to understand the long-term ramifications of his alienation of the customers.

The Org is a major reason MOTUC was such a success, at least initially.
He has to know that.

Secondary market buyers are also likely a major customer base.
Scott will never be able to make the Org or it's members go away.

He works for us in a way. We buy the toys. . His personal issues with the owners of the Org should have nothing to do with MOTUC.

All we need do is stop buying the toys, and BOOM, yet another of TG's toy lines fails.

He's under a LOT of pressure right now. Mattel isn't happy with the failure if the GL toy line, or the handling of DC infinite heroes or Retro Action (a line that is dead on Mattycollector because the brand manager loaded it with characters he wanted).

[whbinder]

While there is a truth to some things said here, the .org hasn't been too kind to Scott either. Granted he's acting in a professional setting where we are not, but I don't understand the hypocrisy.

Now I have no feelings towards our blue lady one way or the other. But I respect Emiliano as being someone who has brought a lot of He-Man into our lives, along with Olesker and a few others. If hate was coming on Olesker for Mara or on Emiliano for one of his other characters, we'd be appalled.

So why is it OK to throw so much hate on Scott's creation? Scott has done a tremendous amount for us. Then he added a new character that is in addition to the existing line. What's the problem? It could be the worst character in the world. Who cares? It's extra and it's nice that someone who made this MOTUC line happen gets a bonus.

As to his rudeness. Well, he wasn't rude the first 48 times the exact same question was asked. Respectfully, If I asked about Scrollos every day, I'll bet he'd get a little short about that too.

[davidlogan]

Glad to know I'm in a bubble and there's overwhelming fan demand for Mara and Goat Man.

I agree with what I've seen others post. In Pixel Dan's walk through videos TG always comes across as a fan and very enthusiastic. Then when I read his posts in print, he often comes across as arrogant and demeaning.

How can he say the people asking for a certain figure are less than the number of people elsewhere asking for one that is just as unknown? And he says I'M the one living in a bubble.

I'm glad to hear the passion for releasing characters like Strobo and Goat Man. I love those guys. I'm also glad to see TG say that Illumina is on the table for down the road. But why not just stop there, TG?

If you'd have replied something like... "Due to fan demand for Illumina she is being considered to become part of MOTUC down the road. We can't promise to get to her soon, but she is being considered for the future."

Then stick to that comment if you are asked again in the future. Just like you stick to not commenting past certain figures.

Now I'm no PR expert but I'm pretty sure I just said the same thing as you did and to me that sounds like great news instead of patronizing your customer base.

This is why some fans feel there is a bias toward them me thinks. It's all in the wording.

As to his rudeness. Well, he wasn't rude the first 48 times the exact same question was asked. Respectfully, If I asked about Scrollos every day, I'll bet he'd get a little short about that too.

The way I see it his posts about Illumina have actually gotten LESS rude. The worst one I saw was his first response.

[urbanmyth]

I think TG might just be moody sometimes. He kind of snapped at a small group of us at Comic Con when we asked about the Mini Masters but he was stressed that day (and the whole Con) so I didnt take offense.

I also kind if get the feeling that he may be using this current back and forth to actually drum up support for Illumina, getting some free marketing out of it for when they do finally release this "fan demanded character".

That or my other thought is because she is a girl, he doesnt think they can add her to the schedule without bumping another lady. . .and most of us don't want that to happen.

[hhhelmsley]

I agree with everybody, they need to change the wings color!!!

[Dynamo of Eternia]

I also have to love the irony that the "handful" of vocal fans on He-Man.org aren't enough to prove that there is enough support for Illumina, but one person asking the question "Who the heck is Illumina" is all that they "need" to prove to opposite case.

[Eternian Poet]

The griffon's wings must be PINK

[SCB]

My thing with Griffin's wings is that he looked so good in person, I don't want to risk a change.

[Lewd_Squirrel]

I think that TG isn't a fan of Illumina, & that's why she's not getting the go to be made. If he liked her, she prob'ly would've been made already.