This ends speculation on the sub exclusive issue

[scott metzger]

are you advocating for ram-man to be the sub exclusive?
prior to this year, the sub exclusive wasn't a MUST HAVE. it was a cool to have figure. horde prime or horde supreme fits.

This actually is a good case. Horde Prime/Supreme is exactly the kind of non-necessary-for-you-to-complete-your-collection figure that had been the sub exclusive previously. Now, I'm not saying that making Weaver the exclusive was JUST to make a big deal out of getting the Filmation rights, as strong arming the customers has become a Matty tradition. But I can see the reasoning TG gives as being another justification for the choice made. And, given that making Weaver the exclusive still resulted in the lowest sub sales ever, perhaps, for once, Mattel has actually learned a lesson? I would have bet the rent money on Rammy being the sub exclusive next year because, with one Matty disaster after another the past several months, including the "guarantee" of getting all the figures if you had the sub turning out to be a lie (ask all the folks who had a sub, had DR charge the wrong card, and then were told they were out of luck on Fisto by the time the incompetent blunder was straightened out), I'd expect the subs to nosedive. But it would be hard for even TG to spin his way out of this one after explicitly saying the sub figure would not be an important character like Ram Man.

Then again, Matty said in writing that all subs purchased together in one transaction would ship together from day one, and that didn't happen, either, so I'm 100% convinced when I see a figure at SDCC with the words "Sub Exclusive" on the placard in front of it.

[bcrduke]

Making Ram Man the Sub Exclusive would have made people angry, but in this case, it might have worked better than with Shadow Weaver. But it wouldn't have won Scott any friends.

And for the hundredth time, who said he was being released as the Sub Exclusive?!

He would be a Sub LURE: a figure shown at sdcc to lure people into buying the sub.

I still think that he will be used this way.

I think we will see some POP, some FILMATION, a mini-comic character, some MYP, and a NA.


Whoever the Sub Exclusive is, and whatever else is revealed, if you have ANY inclination to subscribe, DO IT.

the line will die otherwise.

I would choose MYP King Miro (as seen in the new mini-comic) as the sub exclusive. I'm not saying that's what WILL happen, just they it would be a good idea. He has crossover appeal.

Lodar could be a contender.

[Nekk-ra]

So BCRDuke, your want list has been censored for the time being?

Such a dirty, dirty tease.

I love it.

[mekaneckpain]

I think the basis for choosing the sub exclusive figure is:

-What would be a fan demanded, really cool figure and a must have for at least 85% of the fans?

My definition of "must have" = A figure that you absolutely have to add to your collection, and it will not be complete without it.

The thing is, a "must have" figure can be any figure and it depends on the person and their tastes, it's up to the toy company to try and gauge what would be a figure that they would absolutely have to have, and make it a sub exclusive. It's all about market research and there is a degree of chance taking too.

Ultimately, I would imagine if the toy company really wanted to take an A list figure like Ram Man and make it a sub exclusive, what's stoping them. We've already seen them do whatever they want, whenever they want.

[Firefly]

Ram Man would be a bad exclusive as he is clearly a character that they could get two figures out of his unique mold (1 cardback, 1 toy colors). It would be a waste of money to make him a sub exclusive. They left a lot of money left on the table by making Shadow Weaver one as well. Subscriptions went down, not up when she was made the exclusive. Wundar and PE He-Man were good exclusives. I don't think they should do another He-Man, but it should be a minor character or variant.

[midor]

Toyguru
Collector Supreme

The 2013 sub figure is not a main character like Shadow Weaver.

I've said it before. And I keep on saying it.

My guess is Eldor. I know I've said that for about 2 now going 3 yrs, ish, but I stick by it.

[blackiecats]

That strikes me as kind of odd. It's not like they need to specify a slot for a figure to display it. Throw SW out there as a "Coming Soon!" thing, let people freak out (in a positive way), and put a more obscure figure out as the exclusive.

I'm not trying to raise the 'BS' flag on TG. It just doesn't seme like a particularly valid reason to make someone like Shadow Weaver the sub exclusive.

It wasn't a valid reason. The honest truth is he thought Filmation/She-Ra fans were gonna jump at the chance of dumping over $500 on toys, as a purpose to get Shadow Weaver in their collections. The plan backfired, so thus we have the "we needed to put her in a slot to show her at SDCC and announce Filmation rights" BS. Totally agree that she could have been a coming soon! figure, which would have helped sell the sub anyway.

I actually asked the question that was answered on RGD, and I wasn't and never will be satified with the answer given.

[Haephestus]

I'll believe that the 2013 sub-exclusive figure isn't an "essential" character when I see it revealed at SDCC.

I still don't understand why Shadow Weaver *had* to be the sub-exclusive instead of Horde Prime when she could have simply been announced as a regular monthly figure. Unless the tooling budget for the sub-exclusive is larger than for a regular monthly figure and they couldn't cost-out her uniquely sculpted parts as a regular monthly figure.

In the interest of full-disclosure, even though I'm not a subscriber, a fellow collector very kindly offered me their Shadow Weaver, so she now forms part of my Evil Horde.

[shadowfall1976]

Shadow Weaver was a highly demanded figure, just because you didn't know who she was, doesn't mean the MOST others didn't.

Sometimes people on here think that their knowledge on a subject is the same for everyone.

Too many think they are the majority, and speak as if others really were behind them, well I represent my own opinion, if I happen to have the same opinion as someone else, then so be it, but I'll never claim to be a foremost expert on all subjects, but when I do know what I am talking about I will say so.

And to my knowledge of reading through posts on here since August, I have seen MANY, that are clamoring to find a cheap SW, and many before she came out to be looking forward to her, and many still like her more than they thought at first. There hasn't been a post calling for Wun-Dar or PD He-Man to not have been sub exclusives, but I see threads and post after post about people complaining that Shadow Weaver shouldn't have been one.

I honestly never heard of Shadow Weaver until her reveal, because I know very little about POP, other than a few main players, but even I kind wanted her after I saw her....I myself wished they kept the more pink color, but whatever, and since I've had her these few months, she has grown on me....not one of my ultimate favorites, but still a really nice figure to look at and display.

Actually, you do need proof. Calling someone a liar without it is slander or libel.

People are called liars all the time, and many are, abut many are just full of it lies, harmless....but at least in Scott's case you can call him in the least....inconsistent. And unless you are accusing someone of a crime, then I really don't think anything legal will ever come into play.

[blackiecats]

In the interest of full-disclosure, even though I'm not a subscriber, a fellow collector very kindly offered me their Shadow Weaver, so she now forms part of my Evil Horde.

Ditto. A very generous She-Ra fan helped me out with mine. Its those that were not so fortunate I feel p'ed off for.

[wundarwarrior]

I think Snake Armor He-Man is a good option. He is a variant like Preternian He-Man and Wun-Dar with limited tooling. And I think he is pretty demanded among fans so they could push him out without disrupting the vintage variant release schedule they have been following. He would be a solid choice IMO. But Scott's comments kind of debunk my thought process. SDCC is just toooooooooo far!

[shadowfall1976]

Ditto. A very generous She-Ra fan helped me out with mine. Its those that were not so fortunate I feel p'ed off for.

I had a friend who wanted me to sell their extra Shadow Weavers and in return, gave me one of the extras, he had 2, he bought 3 subs...for just doing him the favor. Even though at the time I didn't care if i had her or not, I do appreciate it, and as I've said before, she has grown on me a lot since.

[darkmoon766]

....Horde Prime is a "meh" figure that could be an easy skip for most since he really doesn't look like UK Horde Prime or Filmation except his hand. ....

He looks even more "meh" now that he doesn't have his staff, half of his paint apps, and seems to have the wrong waist piece...

[mekaneckpain]

The Filmation artists were very creative with many of thier designs. Even the Ghostbusters cartoon had some very uniquely styled characters. Shadow Weaver is simplified yes, but sometimes less is more. Pale skin witch, red cloak, glowing yellow eyes with a hidden face. And she hovers like an apparition. She's just so evil looking... and kinda sexy.

[Nemisythe]

I think we all know that in the strongest sense, SW was a reason to increase the sub sales... FINAL!
Considering that the sub is the driving force behind this line the numbers needed to be raised to keep this thing going! As you can see from the previous sub figures; yeah Wundar was fun but didn't generate enormous heat. Preternia Disguise He-man was more like a oh...ok variant exclsuive. Now if HP was the sub for the year and based on the fact that the subs didn't 'Pop' like they thought with these newly designed characters, possibly gettin the Filmation Rights when they did could help. SW which by most fans is a highly demanded item was a DEFINITE (or so it was speculated) way to boost those subs sales.. sorry but it's true. And you can't really blame Scott for this strategy cause it was in his hands to increase the numbers so he can keep the bigwigs happy. You want something really bad, you sometimes will do whatever it takes! Matty knew how high these things rocket on ebay so imagine the speculation prices the next day on ebay after such an announcement. Now as a fan and consumer, which devil do you deal with the luck in paying a couple hundred for one figure or gettin an exclusive with a set of figures (pressure burst pipes). Cause since she was gonna come out the next year, she could've simply been the January figure, but no she wasn't. So I say listen at this point it makes no sense to beat this horse, unless Mattel would correct this blight by possible reissuing SW? I think the continuous attempt to validate any other reason, well it's just bringing back the bad. Let's just move on and understand it was a bad business move and something we hope doesn't happen again to people who are really committed to this line.

BTW: I do not speak as if I missed out, cause I'm a sub holder for LIFE and my army of SW's is deep!

[sailoruranus]

I actually think that when they get to Ram Man, that he'll be a SDCC figure. That way they can charge more to cover his unique sculpt, and his two colors (red vs. orange) make him ideal for the "sold at SDCC" version, and the "sold online" version.

[Shadow-Ra]

I actually think that when they get to Ram Man, that he'll be a SDCC figure. That way they can charge more to cover his unique sculpt, and his two colors (red vs. orange) make him ideal for the "sold at SDCC" version, and the "sold online" version.

I'd never thought of it this way, and makes alot of sense.

[vertigoink]

I actually think that when they get to Ram Man, that he'll be a SDCC figure. That way they can charge more to cover his unique sculpt, and his two colors (red vs. orange) make him ideal for the "sold at SDCC" version, and the "sold online" version.

I think it will still cause problems as people will pretty much lament over anything just to lament! No I kid I kid, this would be a pretty good way of funding this character actually!

- - - Updated - - -

Making Ram Man the Sub Exclusive would have made people angry, but in this case, it might have worked better than with Shadow Weaver. But it wouldn't have won Scott any friends.

And for the hundredth time, who said he was being released as the Sub Exclusive?!

He would be a Sub LURE: a figure shown at sdcc to lure people into buying the sub.

I still think that he will be used this way.

I think we will see some POP, some FILMATION, a mini-comic character, some MYP, and a NA.


Whoever the Sub Exclusive is, and whatever else is revealed, if you have ANY inclination to subscribe, DO IT.

the line will die otherwise.

I would choose MYP King Miro (as seen in the new mini-comic) as the sub exclusive. I'm not saying that's what WILL happen, just they it would be a good idea. He has crossover appeal.

Lodar could be a contender.

A guy on the Fwoosh boards kept saying it and I kept telling him in private that he was off his nut- said "guy: is a user on here as well but I'm being an adult and not naming names in this case.

AND NO BRIAN NEVER SAID HE WOULD BE THE SUB EXCLUSIVE LOL!

[Nemisythe]

It's not gonna be Ram Man no other A-Lister has been an exclusive and will never be unless it's a way off variant. Ram Man will be a sub and I think by now we all know this. Scott is not looking to screw fans over, he's looking for sales!

[Count Judas]

Who will draw in some sales for 2013 as the sub exclusive? My 2 picks

Gwildor - a cult favorite, not a must have to all but to most he's essential, first movie figure in MOTUC, unique buck
Eldor - prototype figure, hardcore fans know of him, not a must have but does expand the Powers of Grayskull

[wundarwarrior]

Who will draw in some sales for 2013 as the sub exclusive? My 2 picks

Gwildor - a cult favorite, not a must have to all but to most he's essential, first movie figure in MOTUC, unique buck
Eldor - prototype figure, hardcore fans know of him, not a must have but does expand the Powers of Grayskull

Gwildor would be a great fit!

[He-Dad]

I really think it should be a variant...maybe na skeletor.

[Ben Solstice-Moon]

You know, I'm finding this kind of funny... why is Ram-Man the golden idol? It could just as easily be Jitsu, Two-Bad, or say, Mantenna they could use? Why so much aggression about Rammy?

[Wulff]

Not really new info, we have been told hold Shadow Weaver/Horde Prime went down more than once before.

In my opinion, I'd love to see Ram Man or another important character as the sub exclusive. Great way to bring more people to the sub.

[mykan]

Screw Ram-Man. lol