With the 2012 cost cutting, what figure would you want to hold out to 2013?

[TheFallen]

We have been seeing a lot of cost cutting in 2012 because Mattel have left the prices at 2008 prices and it is starting to affect the figures. Horde Prime lost his staff but Stinkor lost some much needed paint apps on his accessories.

With SDCC fast approaching we could potentially see our favourites coming but they may fall victim to the dreaded cost cutting which means they may not be released as good as the could be. If they were held out until 2013 under the new pricing system then they could potentially be released with more improvements.

Are there any figures you would rather not see this year so they don't suffer the cost cutting of missed accessories or lost paint apps?

[ksensor]

Eh, like Pixel Dan pointed out in this thread Missing paint apps - a new trend?, the final product never looks as good as the hand-painted prototypes. And we know 4H sculpt more accessories than Mattel asks them to do.

I'm not too shaken up by any of that. I'd much rather get the characters I want made now, rather than wait and hope they get made later with the budget for one more paint app on the weapons.

[oulala]

Every figure!

Especially female POP with saggy pants and rigid dresses. I'll gladly wait till they've solved that one!

[vertigoink]

Can I pick Snake Man At Arms and move him to never ? In all seriousness, depending on how they fixed her face I'd like to see them give more love to Frosta- I think she could benefit from more than just one paltry staff personally.

[He-Dad]

I would like to see weapons packs with the weapons that have the paint apps that were prototyped and the missing accessories myself. For example, did we really need Stinkor's gun right now? Instead they could have released him with the shield and metalic paint app and included the matching gun in the weapon pack. I'ld prefer this to sticking in accessories with other figures so that I'm not stuck having to pay....say.....Snake MAA to get the arm cannon....not that they would do that of course Or some other figure I don't really want to get Drago's shield, which I do really want. I wouldn't mind paying for a weapons pack that was full of new weapons for my existing figures and not just alternative paint jobs.

[Riddle of Steel]

Here's a theory....instead of jumping STRAIGHT to increased prices why don't we try making smarter descions......

Not enough $ in the budget to paint Stinkor's accessories or include plastic/rubber hoses for the tanks? Then why the heck do we have a second head in which is virtually a copy of the first with a different expression? Just really asinine.....

Save the money on the second head by scratching it and paint the freaking accessories. Just makes no sense, yet we supposedly *need* an increase a instead.

I'm sure that just about all of us would take that swap in a second and we could sit here all day and make numerous cases on other figures as well.

I'm not saying that increases aren't a given here and there, but when one thing seems to hinder another due to poor decision making that's an issue.

[He-Dad]

Here's a theory....instead of jumping STRAIGHT to increased prices why don't we try making smarter descions......

Not enough $ in the budget to paint Stinkor's accessories or include plastic/rubber hoses for the tanks? Then why the heck do we have a second head in which is virtually a copy of the first with a different expression? Just really asinine.....

Save the money on the second head by scratching it and paint the freaking accessories. Just makes no sense, yet we supposedly *need* an increase a instead.

I'm sure that just about all of us would take that swap in a second and we could sit here all day and make numerous cases on other figures as well.

I'm not saying that increases aren't a given here and there, but when one thing seems to hinder another due to poor decision making that's an issue.

This too...I personally have a bag of extra accessories that I'm not displaying and extra heads that I'm holding onto just so the figure can stay "complete" in the event that something happens and I have to sell. While some of these heads I love having and while I advocate the release of some extra heads for varients in the future (like Filmation), some, like Stinkor, weren't necessary. If it comes down to a paint app and accessory OR an extra head.....I say off with the head.

[mjw41]

Here's a theory....instead of jumping STRAIGHT to increased prices why don't we try making smarter descions......

Not enough $ in the budget to paint Stinkor's accessories or include plastic/rubber hoses for the tanks? Then why the heck do we have a second head in which is virtually a copy of the first with a different expression? Just really asinine.....

Save the money on the second head by scratching it and paint the freaking accessories. Just makes no sense, yet we supposedly *need* an increase a instead.

I'm sure that just about all of us would take that swap in a second and we could sit here all day and make numerous cases on other figures as well.

I'm not saying that increases aren't a given here and there, but when one thing seems to hinder another due to poor decision making that's an issue.

I remember the roast Gooble episode where all this was talked about. First off the price increase has nothing to do with the tooling budget as thats separate. The price increase is to make sure no more paint appts or accessories get dropped anymore from figures because the figures cost more to make than what they locked the cost in to subscribers. Look at Draego-Man he's massive and heavy so because he went over cost mattel couldn't afford to produce him with all his accessories shown for the $20.00 cost they locked him in at. Costs have risen in labor, materials and it was explained how even painting a figures face is the most expensive part. The more paint the more expensive the figure becomes.

As For Stinkor who ever said he was going to come with ruber hose like his 200x staction? The Horsemen didn't sculpt hoses for the tanks to the gas mask. They based it more on the vintage Stinkor but added 200x accessories ( the gun, second head and tanks) If the price increase gives Mattel the room to give the figures great paint appts and the accessories shown with the figure then I'm all for it.

[Riddle of Steel]

I'm not sure what your getting at. Your comparing Draego Man who *couldn't* afford to have additional ANY THING as he was over budget to Stinkor in which I'm suggesting dropping one thing while adding another, a head *an accessory as you mentioned,* not tooling. The theory is that one off sets the other.

There was nothing that we wanted to *loose* from Draego Man so that we could fix some thing else, so again I'm not sure why you're comparing the two. Removing the second head from Stinkor *should* bring the budget of the figure back down, thus providing $ for the paint.

The hoses were simply brought up as another suggestion of what could of been done in place of some thing else. Not originally sculpted so that they would work w/ the tank? Then fine just do the paint apps.

How ever you wanna dice it, poor execution IMO and you can't tell me that some paint highlights/deco is more expensive then an additional fully painted head and that's the reason why it couldn't be done.

[The All American]

Can I pick Snake Man At Arms and move him to never ?

I second the proposal!

[MegaGearMax]

Here's a theory....instead of jumping STRAIGHT to increased prices why don't we try making smarter descions......

Not enough $ in the budget to paint Stinkor's accessories or include plastic/rubber hoses for the tanks? Then why the heck do we have a second head in which is virtually a copy of the first with a different expression? Just really asinine.....

Save the money on the second head by scratching it and paint the freaking accessories. Just makes no sense, yet we supposedly *need* an increase a instead.

I'm sure that just about all of us would take that swap in a second and we could sit here all day and make numerous cases on other figures as well.

I'm not saying that increases aren't a given here and there, but when one thing seems to hinder another due to poor decision making that's an issue.

The vintage Mer-Man repaint head is for vintage fans who have to have it like they remember. And the 200X head is uniquely Stinkor's head. There are reasons for both heads.

For all we know Granamyr could be eating up all of the costs.

[shadowfall1976]

This too...I personally have a bag of extra accessories that I'm not displaying and extra heads that I'm holding onto just so the figure can stay "complete" in the event that something happens and I have to sell. While some of these heads I love having and while I advocate the release of some extra heads for varients in the future (like Filmation), some, like Stinkor, weren't necessary. If it comes down to a paint app and accessory OR an extra head.....I say off with the head.

The vintage Mer-Man repaint head is for vintage fans who have to have it like they remember. And the 200X head is uniquely Stinkor's head. There are reasons for both heads.

For all we know Granamyr could be eating up all of the costs.

Here's a theory....instead of jumping STRAIGHT to increased prices why don't we try making smarter descions......

Not enough $ in the budget to paint Stinkor's accessories or include plastic/rubber hoses for the tanks? Then why the heck do we have a second head in which is virtually a copy of the first with a different expression? Just really asinine.....

Save the money on the second head by scratching it and paint the freaking accessories. Just makes no sense, yet we supposedly *need* an increase a instead.

I'm sure that just about all of us would take that swap in a second and we could sit here all day and make numerous cases on other figures as well.

I'm not saying that increases aren't a given here and there, but when one thing seems to hinder another due to poor decision making that's an issue.

I don't like 200X much, but I do love the new Stinkor head, and that head is clearly better than the vintage Mer-Man head, I'd go as far to say I'd prefer it repainted and used as an alternate Mer-Man head, because it itself is closer to the Filmation head than the vintage.

Maybe the hoses would have been cool to see, but we were never shown those anyway, so they were never part of the figure to begin with. And while there are heads I personally have no use for, there are others that do, and that is what keeps fans coming back, the variety any given figure can have with extra accessories and heads....but that leaves Stratos out of everything, as he never came with anything, and probably never will.

I am not a fan of things that hinder articulation, like the Vykron pieces, and the molded on coats and robes, I am buying MOTUC as action figures, not statues so I personally don't like the hooded Khan head, I would have rather seen a head with a closed mouth....so that goes to my statement that there are heads I can also do without.

[wundarwarrior]

I would rather get the figures regardless of accessories and paint. I am fine with getting the missing pieces later on if it gets us the figures now.

[He-Dad]

The only two upcoming major characters for me...that we KNOW of right at this moment, is Mechaneck and Mosquitor.....I HOPE they don't skimp on them for sure!

[Eternian Poet]

No more females until they fix the granny-panties & the dumpy-crotch.

[bskcase]

No more females until they fix the granny-panties & the dumpy-crotch.

You prefer thongs?

[Eternian Poet]

You prefer thongs?

It's more a matter of making legs looks like they are joined to the hip.

[zodak74]

Rokkon, Double Trouble, Entrapta, Modulok- among my top most-wanted that I would gladly wait to get until 2013 when the price increase is in effect and thus guaranteeing good paint apps and quality accessories.

[bskcase]

Two-Bad. You know he has to be an almost unique sculpt and I want him with the shield and double mace from the 200X line.

[bamf1980]

I'm concerned about the quality of MOTU figures. I think we should focus on NA and PoP and not release anymore MOTU figures until this paint situation has been sorted out.

[Riddle of Steel]

The vintage Mer-Man repaint head is for vintage fans who have to have it like they remember. And the 200X head is uniquely Stinkor's head. There are reasons for both heads.

For all we know Granamyr could be eating up all of the costs.

I understand the reasons, I'm just saying that I *personally* don't agree with them.

You could make that case for 9,000 different issues with these figures, but at the end of the day you need to justify and make good logical calls on things for the better.....

Giving one figure two VERY similar heads, then claiming that the figure is over budget and therefore cuts need to be made was a BAD decision. Again...only my opinion.

Paint deco on the tank, gun and shield would of been a FAR better move then giving us two heads that are virtually the same.

[bamf1980]

I prefer two heads to metallic blue highlights.

I love the new head. Some love the old head. I'm glad we all have our options.

And they don't look that similar.

[Eternian Poet]

Paint deco on the tank, gun and shield would of been a FAR better move then giving us two heads that are virtually the same.

Nah, the paint deco is very very easy to do by yourself with some paints. But making your own second head is not easy!

Besides, Fisto had two very similar heads & Sy-Klone had no deco on his accessories - Stinkor isn't special in these trend.

[He-Dad]

Nah, the paint deco is very very easy to do by yourself with some paints. But making your own second head is not easy!

Besides, Fisto had two very similar heads & Sy-Klone had no deco on his accessories - Stinkor isn't special in these trend.

I don't really see why fisto needed two heads either personally. They coulda just made a removable head band.

[MegaGearMax]

I don't really see why fisto needed two heads either personally. They coulda just made a removable head band.

It goes down to choice. Some fans want vintage, others want 200X. People have fought so hard for extra heads, that I wouldn't dream of cutting them.

Maybe Mattel should have cut the Snake Mountain Stands.