A dragon on your back could be pretty complicated for assembly .
Gaping holes in my collection: Regular old Teela, Weapons pack 1, Power & Honour book 1, SDCC artbook (maybe)
So is the wind raider a 2nd run? What i mean is they sold out on the first run, didnt sell out quick enough so they sold ok but not to Mattels expectation. IF this isnt a 2nd run which i didnt think it was (correct me if im wrong) then why arent they still available right now?
Actually i think this is a 2nd run
Evil Army of the Horde!!
TG said they made a VERY tiny amount of Wind Raiders and Mattel wasn't happy they took "so long" to sell out of that very small amount. It also kind of sounds like they didn't produce ENOUGH Wind Raiders to turn an "acceptable profit"...but that last part is NOT the consumers' fault.Originally Posted by lorde trooper
So is the wind raider a 2nd run? What i mean is they sold out on the first run, didnt sell out quick enough so they sold ok but not to Mattels expectation. IF this isnt a 2nd run which i didnt think it was (correct me if im wrong) then why arent they still available right now?
Actually i think this is a 2nd runThat's why a second run was made (no leftovers).
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The WR comments are just silly, but at least he has backtracked enough to acknowledge that the 2nd sale could be different.
At the time, it was "ignore all circumstances regarding the release, fans could have saved their pennies for one if they really wanted one!"
This ignored all kinds of things, some planned, some not:
1) November was an expensive sub month to begin with - a beast and two figrues (Swifty, She-ra 2.0, Snout Spout).
2) November also had Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend, when many figures that had long been off sale came back, and to take advantage people were forced to make many small purchases (I spent like $100 just in shipping that weekend over so many orders).
3) December also had regular sale releases as well.
4) It was Christmas, which often has unexpected extra expenses in general for many.
This is why it was a horrible time to sell that item. I think it was not so much people who would have bought 1 and ended up buying 0, but more people who would have bought 2, 3, or more and only bought 1 because of all the other expenses.
I bought two, and probably would have bought 4 or 5 if I hadn't dumped about a grand on this line between Nov and Dec anyway. I didn't "not save my pennies", but I spent so much on the surrounding times that it just felt like a bit much to have bought more.
It's the same factor that I think they are missing in the price increase discussion. Raise it much more, and people will buy less. People who usually get 2-3 of every figure might just say to heck with it and just do 1. I know I'm already there. I probably skipped out on at least a dozen extras this year (reissues, etc.) because with the price increase, especially once you add shipping if only buying 1 or 2 figures, made me say, "No, I don't need to spend $55 to pick up two reissues I might only use for parts."
I highly doubt the Wind Raiders being sold this summer are not already sitting in a warehouse - they were made in such a small package, it just makes sense to make them all at once. We will never likely find out, but since we hear it takes half a year to get them over here, it's doubtful they ordered up a new set after the "so so" sale day, which they would have had to in order to get it here for the upcoming sale.
That has all already been said to TG, and he still responds with we gave the fans enough time to save.
A recent answer in one of the Q&A's was contradictory to what TG has told us as well. The answer was something about the time not mattering but that they sold their quota and that's all that matters.
Something else had to have happened for Mattel to back off of vehicles, they just wont disclose it.
J
I think I know why Mattel is concerned with how fast the Wind Raiders sold out.
I've read a typical movie that makes $20 million during the opening week will usually make $10m the 2nd week, $5m the 3rd, and so on until it's pulled from theaters.And after selling these figures for several years now, Mattel has to have some kind of formula worked out for MOTUC too.
So lets say sales cut in half every day for MOTUC, and that on day 1 they sold 1000 units. If they had plenty of stock and decided to leave it up for sale, it would mean:
Day 1 1000 Wind Raiders sold
Day 2 500
Day 3 250
Day 4 125
Day 5 63
Day 6 31
Day 7 16
Day 8 8
Day 9 4
Day 10 2
Day 11 1
Day 12 0
Total Sales 2000
Let's assume Mattel pulled the Wind Raider after it completely sold out, which was on day three I think. So they made 1750 and sold 1750. But because of the past history of sales, they can reasonably estimate that even if they made more, they would sell no more than 2000 Wind Raiders.
Mattel is saying that at 1750 units sold, their total profit was only "ok." And in order to convince upper management to take a risk and make another vehicle, the profits needed to be great. If a great profit means selling 3500 WRs, then they would have had to sell out of the 1750 WRs on day 1, according to their formula.
Day 1 1750 Wind Raiders sold
Day 2 875
Day 3 438
Day 4 219
Day 5 109
Day 6 55
Day 7 27
Day 8 14
Day 9 7
Day 10 3
Day 11 2
Day 12 1
Total Sales 3499
I work in accounting and I know that companies use these types of formulas and data to estimate production. Mattel has to be using some sort of formula and even if it isn't the one I used here (I'm sure it's not that simple), they are using a formula to predict total demand, and the speed of sales is part of that equation. In general, most of the people who want these figures buy them day one, so it is reasonable to use speed of sales to predict total possible sales.
However, I also agree that in the Wind Raider's case, you can't assume that because of Cyber Monday, the expensive November, and Christmas. People were tapped out. I wanted a WR, but couldn't afford it. If it had been on sale in January, I would have bought one. So while the formula works most months and for most figures, I think in this case it might not work. And maybe Mattel understands this, and so they are offering it again in August. But August will be expensive too, SDCC is basically Christmas for us.....
I think your analogy is probably close to what Mattel is working with jibernish. I would compare it to the DCUC Legion of Superheroes 12-pack which they released last year on MattyCollector.com. It was a large and expensive item that required a lot of design and development hours similar to the Wind Raider. They made a smaller run, probably enough to recoup their costs and make a small profit but not enough to risk having leftover stock for a long time. The LOSH 12-pack sold out within a matter of hours and Mattel quickly produced a second run since the sell through was so fast and they could estimate that demand was still high enough for a second run. The Wind Raider will have another run and a second chance in July so we'll see how it does then.
If figures go to 25+ I'm out! That is just way too much every month.no...I'm guessing we might find more out in the mini-comics. Snake MAA is shown in a panel in the first mini-comic.
Disgusted is more the word. I can deal with the Sub prices being $22 and the day-of being $25, but they can't go higher than that.
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So what do you guys consider a 'dramatic' price increase. I mean $22 from $20 is 10% so would a dramatic increase be more like 25%, i.e. 2013 prices would be $27.50 per figure (based on current 2012 pricing)!
To me, dramatic is 20% or more.So what do you guys consider a 'dramatic' price increase. I mean $22 from $20 is 10% so would a dramatic increase be more like 25%, i.e. 2013 prices would be $27.50 per figure (based on current 2012 pricing)!
I think it was irresponsible of TG to say "dramatic" and then nothing else. He had to know it would upset many, and to leave us on the hook until July is not cool.
I say it's a hint! There's going to be an exciting announcement of a new live-action MOTUC TV show on TNT.I think it was irresponsible of TG to say "dramatic" and then nothing else.
tntstory_tntgoldlogo.jpg
Fire bad. Fire burn toys!
17 new answers are up!
Last edited by MegaGearMax; May 10, 2012 at 07:26pm.
TG chose to use 'dramatic language' about price increases knowing full well that it would cause an unpleasant emotional reaction in many of his customers. In fact, many have stated that if the price increases too much, they will not be buying figures next year. So in essence, many fans are waiting for the $ amount to know if MOTUC will live or die for them. Mattel and TG know the fate, but are leaving many fans in a virtual hospital waiting room until SDCC, hoping MOTUC can live on for them.
If TG can't tell us the amount of the price increase now, which I can understand, then he should have kept quiet with this dramatic language. We already knew prices were increasing; there was no need to rub our noses in it, or to toy with our emotions and passions. It was disrespectful, ignorant, and kinda mean (if not downright passive aggressive). It's no way to treat your customers, and it's no way to treat fans of your product.
If the price increases by more than $2, I hope TG is met by a loud round of boos at SDCC.
Business is business; if you have to increase prices, then increase prices. But don't purposefully throw a lighted match at an already combustable and weary fan base.
As an accountant, I find it interesting that Mattel has separate budgets for tooling and accessories/deco. If tooling is determined by sales, then I wonder how lower sub sales for 2013 (if that is what indeed happens) will affect the quality of the figures. Assuming the figures that are going to be made next year are set in stone, if sub sales are down, then the tooling budget will go down too.
Will they decrease the number of unique parts of each figure? 2nd heads? Will the looks of the figures suffer? Will we get more SMAA type variants that require almost no tooling?
Increasing figure price to increase accessories and deco is all well and good, but if that results in fewer subs being sold, and it looks like it will, then tooling will suffer. So at the end of the day, the sales hike could wind up hurting the look of the figures more than it helps. BUt it's hard to say for sure how it will work out.
I'm sure they have their reasons. I just find it interesting.
Last edited by jibernish; May 10, 2012 at 10:43pm. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
On the price increase,
TG has been dropping hints and I think the writing is on the wall. The Classics line as we know it is going out. It wasn't because lack of sales, its because the prices got too dang high.
If anything, Mattel needs to rethink MOTU and create a new smaller toyline. If Matty gets into a new smaller toyline, they can redo everything, correct past quality issues, and give them the ability to include vehicles and playsets at a reasonable pri
We survived the long night.... MOTU Forever!
Well... you might want to read this thread first.
I think that's a very helpful answer in regards to what the Power of Grayskull is. In this image the Essence of Grayskull is probably some "dusting" on the outer shell of the orb hidden below Grayskull...Two powers make up the Power of Grayskull, both from the gods. This may clarify:
The gods' aura (the little bits of their energy left behind, which was raw creation power), through a series of events, became known as the "Power of the Universe"
.
Eventually through another series of events this Power is captured and winds up contained/bonded with the Sword of He which is brought to Eternia by He-Ro. Eventually through a series of events this power is removed from the sword by Grayskull's Elders and contained in an orb hidden in Castle Grayskull.
Meanwhile, back to the gods...
Before they left the universe and only their aura remained, they hid their magic deep inside Eternia in the shape of a star. The Elders of Eternia had the wisdom to tap into this magic. In the 200X series you see them combine their forms and their wisdom to tap into Eternia's magic with the orb (with the help of the Sorceress creating the now unified "Power of Grayskull".
The orb now contains both the wisdom to tap into the god's hidden magic (star seed) on the inside and a shell compromised of the Power of the Universe (which had been extracted from the Sword of He) into one unified power called "The Power of Grayskull" which is used by/channeled/harmonized by He-Man and She-Ra. Hope that helps.
Thank you Toyguru!
Toyguru has answered a bunch of questions. I've put up some, but I'm still adding more of them!
Good thing that 200X Adam and Teela are on the table. They don't have to come immediately.
So Scott says to call the US based CS team. How do I do that? Calling the normal number still gets me the Philippines.
J
And we reworked 2013 so that everything is now coming in well ahead of the on sale date (2-3 months) so it should be a much smoother year!
Anything to sell subs for next year.....
Keep The "Classicized" 200x Heads in MOTUC!
Matty Savings For the Year because of No DOS Purchases: $173
I've put some new answers up.
Uh oh...some of the POP fans (who don't think the Star Sisters and Shadow Weaver count) aren't going to like that last answer.
Toyguru fan club? Oh my....that is just....wow! Fandom is a funny thing.
And please, no more zombies.
I left my wallet in El Segundo...
Old Mekaneck looks great but how can you honestly justify to one of the largest sections of the fan base (POP fans) just giving us Frosta from the vintage line this
year. It's a total slap in the face to POP fans.
Why should any POP fan ever buy a sub again?, it's not like if the line ended soon we would lose out on any of the POP girls anyway since there is clearly no real
intention to get all the vintage POP figures done.
If 2014 is the earliest you can make changes then please start listenting to fan requests and look at the polls.
We should have a minimum of 2-3 more POP girls by now.
P.s Please don't try and give us Sea Hawk as some kind of incentive it really won't work. POP fans want the female rebels.
We did 5 POP females this year alone so far.
I read this on the boards a lot, and some fans I personally feel, drill down a bit too much. If you are asking for POP, we have done 5 so far this year, all are female, 4 are part of the Great Rebellion and all had toys out or in development in the 1980s.
If you are a POP fan, that's a lot already announced.
But if you drill down like this:
POP >>> Females >>>> appeared on animated show >>>> appeared in vintage line >>>> released as a single monthly release
it is my personal thought that you are drilling down too far and should perhaps step back and look at POP in general and how much stuff has shipped. From Swiftwind to
Frosta to Adora to Catra, their has been quite a lot with a lot more coming in years to come
First of all, the Star Sisters are a BONUS release, much like the likes of He-Ro, Demo-Man, Vikor etc. They're all great, but not as popular or well-known as other characters.
Let's "drill down" (as you put it) to other aspects of MOTU and see how we fare:
MOTU >>> Heroic Warriors >>> Core or regular characters >>> Swelling in numbers.
MOTU >>> Evil Warriors >>> Core or regular charaters >>> Almost complete.
MOTU >>> Evil Horde >>> Core or regular characters >>> Well on their way.
I'm not concerned about the Snake Men as they do seem to be finally catching up, and I'm sure by this time next year we'll have several of them on our shelves, but as for the Great Rebellion, Galactic Protectors and Space Mutants? We've received a few token releases. Nothing more.
Last edited by Tribal Spaceman; May 19, 2012 at 11:04am.
The thing with PoP that I don't think ToyGuru quite gets though, is that there are a LOT of characters many have been clamoring for (not that nobody wanted The Star Sisters, but more people definitely want Glimmer) that have yet to see a monthly slot in the 4+ years that this line has been running. When you look at "regular" releases (not beasts, not multi-pack slots), we've only seen (outside of Catra and She-Ra) Bow in early 2011 and now Frosta in 3rd quarter 2012 (and I'm talking about this stuff in terms of CLASSIC TOY Princess Of Power being updated by the 4H and included in MOTUC). Quite simply, we expected a bit more by this point and so are seriously chomping at the bit for it now. I think if SDCC does not have a Mermista, Double Trouble, Castaspella, Netossa, or a Glimmer reveal- PoP fans are going to be understandably P.O'd!
But yeah- I guess we do have it better than the NA fans- they've only gotten 3 figures in 4+ years!!! I would like to see less concept, more PoP/NA for the next two years just so we can feel like we're catching up a bit- especially since now there are Filmation rights added to the soup... undoubtedly spacing things out even further!
I think he understands, but there is a disconnect here: Shadow Weaver, Frosta and The Star Sisters are counted as FIVE POP releases versus some hardcore fans thinking that only Frosta is the sole POP release this year because Shadow Weaver and the Star Sisters don't count.
I think the PoP fanbase may be the thing to carry the line over the next few years. Perhaps this has been the plan from all along? Maybe that is why the PoP big guns have been held back and the vintage line has been the main focus?
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