MOTUC: Looking Ahead at 2014 & Beyond

[MegaGearMax]

Toyguru's first big message of the year...and it's a doozy!

He-Fans and She-Ravers,

Happy New Year, everyone! And welcome to the top of another exciting year collecting Masters of the Universe Classics on Mattycollector.com!

Here at the top of 2014 is a very interesting point in the line to take a moment and pause for reflection. Not only on where we have been, but on where we are going as well. We are now into our sixth year of the line (I know we had three releases in 2008, but 2009 was really the first full year). It has been a long and amazing ride. Never in my wildest imagination did I think we would get this deep into the line (almost to our 150th figure!) nor did I think I would have the privilege and honor of getting to head-up the line for this long. Truly a personal dream come true as a toy collector and MOTU fan myself!

As we enter 2014, we are clearly at a turning point for MOTUC. No longer are we looking up a big mountain wondering where the peak will be, but rather it is now the point where we are looking down the other side, celebrating the victory of making the MOTUC Castle Grayskull happen (that was all you guys, you know!) as well as the roadmap to “complete the line.”

Some longtime fans know that MOTUC was originally created and always had the intent of being the most all-inclusive MOTU line possible, incorporating characters from the widest variety of source material - from vintage toys to Filmation and mini comics. All sculpted and designed around the same “buck” (or shared part) system to create one unified universal look for all characters. When we kicked off the line back in 2007-2009, a long term roadmap was created that spread out the releases over many years to ensure that each year had a robust selection and we did not burn through too many hot characters too quickly, leaving far out (at the time) years like 2013 and 2014 with very little to offer.

This initial strategy has paid off very well helping to ensure recent years still contained huge fan-demanded characters like Ram Man and Horde Troopers, all deliberately held back for these years to keep the line fresh and hot.

But the inevitable happened and the cost to produce these figures slowly crept up, to the point that in 2013 we finally had to accept a price increase. Along with this, we heard fans loud and clear that the robust nature of the line was getting a little too robust and under the new higher prices more obscure characters like the Fighting Foe Men or Karatii might not be what most fans wanted.

And we listened to you!

As promised back in 2012 when the 2013 sub was sold, we reworked the original roadmap (which stretched out to 2017/2018) and combined the last few years into two “final” years that would be needed to complete all of the vintage MOTU, POP and A-list most fan-demanded figures from other lines such as NA, 200X, Filmation, mini comics etc. We dropped a lot of the “filler” figures and focused on getting the most demanded figures out there before prices rose to the point that it would cost more to make the figure than fans were willing to pay.

So that brings us to 2014…the first year of the “new roadmap.” I’m pretty confident that I can say we held true to our promise. With 60-70% of 2014 already revealed, I haven’t seen much chatter that the figures revealed thus far are “off the map” and new strategy. One of the more “frustrating” things about working in the toy industry is that it takes 12-16 months for any changes to happen. This meant even when we promised fans a new roadmap during SDCC 2012, it still meant 2013 had to be produced under the original road map/strategy of offering the most robust character selection possible. So there were still a few tail-end obscure characters that made it out in 2013.

That all finally changes!

Now we are finally at 2014, just days away from the first “revised roadmap” figure, Two-Bad , shipping to subscribers. Our goal for the next two years is to crank out all of the remaining MIA characters to ensure the vintage roadmap is complete by the end of 2015. As promised in 2012, we are keeping prices flat in 2014 to the 2013 prices, but it is likely come 2015 there will be a very small price increase (in comparison to the large price increase we had in 2013). But they key takeaway is that in order to deliver on fan expectations to complete the new revised roadmap, we need all the SKUs and slots we can get in both 2014 and 2015. Without a 2015 line, we will be a little short.

That being said, a TON of work from Mattel design, marketing and the Four Horsemen went into crafting 2014 and 2015. Both years add up to be two sides of the same coin. Half of the remaining figures will be offered in 2014 and the other half will be in 2015, should we hit the minimum quota to get a 2015 sub.

There are always going to be personal favorites who may not make the list (Filmation alone has hundreds of characters we have not gotten to!) but once all of 2014 and 2015 are announced and sold, I think for the most part fans will look at the two year line-up and be hard pressed to say “that figure/character should not have been released in lieu of this other one” (i.e., are we not going to release Rio Blast so we can do the Guy in Yellow shorts playing tug of war in the mini-comics? I don’t think so!).

This does not mean in any way 2015 is guaranteed to be the last year of Classics. But standing at the top of 2014, I do feel we are clearly looking down a mountain and not up one. For the most part, fans should have a good idea of who is coming in the next 24 months (just look at the vintage lines and see who has yet to be released!). But in order to pull this off and ensure MOTUC truly reaches its end-goal and full potential, we’ll need your help.

The 2015 sub buy-in is only seven months away and we will truly need full support to make this final year happen. Let’s not lose steam now and let a few figs remain in limbo. Mattel and the whole MattyCollector.com team want nothing more than to go out on a high note. So as we head into 2014 and into the revised roadmap that is here at last, let’s not lose sight of the importance of supporting the 2015 sub. We can only make these figures when we have an audience to buy them. And this line has always been by fans, for fans, driven by fan purchases.

This deep into the line, we are definitely hitting what I call 50% territory. There are a lot of figs set for the next 24 months that about 50% of fans love and 50% might be able to do without. Some POP fans want nothing to do with NA and the same the other way around. I see Madame Razz, for example, getting a lot of “I want her!” posts and just as many “please don’t make her!” posts.

But just as with the diversity of MOTU itself, finishing off this line will take all of us coming together. As an example, POP fans need to support NA figs to get their POP collection finished, and NA fans need to support POP figures to get their NA MIA figs made. I know this may mean not every figure will be for every fan. But this line is truly about coming together. If we all support the next two years, we all win. Should any one “sub” group of fans choose to bail, it will only hurt the chances of making us all happy.

So as we enter 2014, let’s unite. Let’s unite as a fan base and show the whole toy collecting world that there are no fans like MOTU fans. Together we can all make this happen. We have 24 months to go to lock this up. No fatigue now. Not the time to bail.

MOTUC has the very real potential of making EVERY figure from the vintage MOTU and POP lines, as well as A-list characters from other cannons and media. We can make this happen. We are so close now, it is not time to lose steam! It will take all of us supporting all of the figures to make every fan happy. The MOTU fan base in unlike any other toy or brand fan group. We support diversity and work together. When we started this line, we all thought it would be cool to get to six figures and an SDCC item. Now we are standing at an unprecedented point about to make the final leap.

The revised roadmap is finally here. All 2013 figures were part of the old strategy and the old roadmap. It is an all new ball game starting with Two Bad, Glimmer and Hydron this quarter. We have a few surprises left, and again, it does not mean 2015 is THE END. As long as we have support we would love to keep this going. But we do have a clear roadmap for the next two years. This is the time to be more excited than ever. We are so close to achieving a rarely accomplished goal in toy collecting – modern interpretations of EVERY vintage fig.

And one last thing to consider, as we head into 2014 and by Grayskull hoping we get to 2015, fans are going to get A LOT more value in their figures. The characters we have left, for a good part, have a lot more tooling needed. Giant wings, backpacks, tails, and a ton of new parts. If you compare 2014 and 2015 to what we offered in 2009, price value, figure to figure, fans are going to be getting a ton more. Zodac was a new head, armor and gun, Extendar is almost fully tooled and comes with a ton of accessories. 2014 and 2015 will be well worth the price of admission!

I couldn’t be more excited for the next two years and I am so glad to share this experience with all of you. Like we did for the Castle, together we can make this happen. It is all in your hands.

Good Journey!

Scott (AKA “Toy Guru”)

Discuss!

[karg182]

This reads like the new year edition Kim Jong Un's monthly newsletter!

[Rodster6]

Disappointing to hear that he regards Karatii as a disliked figure I thought he looked great. Doesn't bode well for more NA characters

[Nekk-ra]

Why is he focusing on POP fans liking NA and vice versa? I thought these figures were considered a harder sell to the vintage fans. An odd focus in an otherwise decent newsletter.

[davidlogan]

Disappointing to hear that he regards Karatii as a disliked figure I thought he looked great. Doesn't bode well for more NA characters

That's exactly what I thought. Everything else seemed well said.

Either way, I'm in. It would be crazy not to get 2015 done considering it will complete vintage MOTU and POP.

[karg182]

Disappointing to hear that he regards Karatii as a disliked figure I thought he looked great. Doesn't bode well for more NA characters

I'm a massive NA fan, but Karatti to me just didn't work. His design just lacked something. And also, a lot of people are suffering from what's known as Trapjaw Legs Fatigue syndrome

[blackhart1975]

I'm In for 2015, and hoping for a 2016 sub to get more na

[NorthCoast]

Great write-up by Scott! I definitely hope we can make 2015 happen! One more big year followed by a few figures here and there (or even quarterly) would be great for me. I think when the time comes, the MOTU community will pull together one last time to make it happen!

I hope the line lasts long enough for everyone to get that one figure they always dreamed of being made!

[paulioscorchio]

I love Karatti. I hate Mighty Spector.

And if we are "getting a lot more value" then how does he explain Blade's swords?

[The All American]

That is a good positive message to start the new year.

Let's stick together. At the end of the day, this is the best toyline going today. If we can get 2015, who knows what follows.

I'm a vintage fan at heart, but I support the various eras, and hope 2016 is the beginning for those more unique MOTU characters in Classics.

[bcrduke]

Good letter.

However, he has to reassess his perspective on POP fans:

WE BUY EVERYTHING.

WE BUY MULTIPLE SUBS.

He's talking like POP and NA fans are the problem when it comes to being picky.

Really?

That couldn't be more incorrect.

[Super He-Man]

I can't imagine too many people sticking with the line this long and then dropping in right as the line is possibly about to wrap up.

I do hope it continues into 2016 though, and they start giving us Filmation versions of some of the more popular characters.

[MOTU_Maniac]

I'm in again with multiple subs to help the line.

[Super He-Man]

Good letter.

However, he has to reassess his perspective on POP fans:

WE BUY EVERYTHING.

WE BUY MULTIPLE SUBS.

He's talking like POP and NA fans are the problem when it comes to being picky.

Really?

That couldn't be more incorrect.

He's just making an example. You can't really point to too many people not wanting vintage MOTU, as that has been the bulk of EVERY years' sub. If you don't like vintage, you probably haven't been subbing to begin with.

Yes, I know there are plenty of vintage fans who don't want anything else, but you can't really reverse that as easily.

[Beastmaster]

It's disgusting that he dares to write: "fans are going to get A LOT more value in their figures."

Just look at Blade's swords, the living proof that as of 2014, detail and paintjob will be sacrificed...

[MegaGearMax]

Good letter.

However, he has to reassess his perspective on POP fans:

WE BUY EVERYTHING.

WE BUY MULTIPLE SUBS.

He's talking like POP and NA fans are the problem when it comes to being picky.

Really?

That couldn't be more incorrect.

Around sub time, some hardcore POP fans had to be reassured that it was worth it to buy a sub.

[Teacher of Madness]

What's with the Blade argument? I've seen it here and on the Facebook post now. Is it because he doesn't have enough sword or something? It looked like he had a few, and the whip, did they cut one? Plus that outfit is paint-app-a-licious. No complaints from me on him, but then again it's not a figure I have a huge emotional investment in.

[MegaGearMax]

It's disgusting that he dares to write: "fans are going to get A LOT more value in their figures."

Just look at Blade's swords, the living proof that as of 2014, detail and paintjob will be sacrificed...

As opposed to Modulok, Extendar, NA Skeletor and possibly Madame Razz having 100% new tooling? He's saying that figures won't be repaints of existing molds, but brand new sculpts.

Weapon-wise, they can always get a correction out there somehow.

[GoldBlade6]

This line would be a whole lot more fun with:

• Point Dread & Talon Fighter - Essential part of Castle Grayskull. Logical add-on to an already great Castle.
• Battle Ram - We already have half of it, so...
• Snake Mountain - We need somewhere for Skeletor and his gang, as well as the Snake Men to hang out. The world seems unbalanced with only Castle Grayskull.
• Eternia Playset - This is one of the holy grails of the line. The vintage one goes for tons of money, and having a new one would be great for all of the biggest battles.
• Fright Zone - Base for the Horde faction we've been collecting.
• Crystal Castle - Base for the PoP faction we've been collecting.
• Tyrantisaurus Rex and Bionatops - Perfect for Preternia action. Who doesn't love dinosaurs?
• Stridor and Night Stalker - Iconic vintage vehicles. One mold, two characters. Perfect for a 2-pack.
• Dragon Walker - Iconic vintage vehicle.
• Roton - Iconic vintage vehicle.
• Battle Bones - Iconic vintage vehicle.
• Mantisaur - Would just be an incredibly cool addition to the Horde.

Mattel has already said that creating an original 100% tooled product like Grayskull was too challenging for them to attempt another project like it anytime soon, that the Wind Raider didn't sell well enough to even consider another vehicle, and of course we have been told that the other half of the Battle Ram is unlikely, if not impossible in the foreseeable future, but for me, items like those listed above are the most fun part of He-Man. I want playlets and vehicles for the figures to interact with, on, around. It's frustrating that Mattel only seems to want to do the bare minimum so we will miss out on more exciting, original items that aren't just basic figures - but like Scott said, it's all downhill from here. I really hope Scott has some surprises in store, because if Grayskull was the pinnacle and it's just going to be basic figures/accessories from here on out, it will be a disappointing road to the finish line.

P.S. Seeing a dungeon grate mold on the bottom of an Imaginext castle kind of made me wince since we didn't get anything like it. Kind of a tease, a jab. Not cool.

[Niki]

So, let´s all stick together for these last two years(at least for now) and let´s try to be positive.

True Mattels design isn´t making it any easier with unpainted swords, weird NOT-leotards and wrong positioned tabs (by the way all things they had corrected in the past now reappear to haunt us again….) but in the end the figures are amazing no matter what.

[Beastmaster]

What's with the Blade argument? I've seen it here and on the Facebook post now. Is it because he doesn't have enough sword or something? It looked like he had a few, and the whip, did they cut one? Plus that outfit is paint-app-a-licious. No complaints from me on him, but then again it's not a figure I have a huge emotional investment in.

It's nothing to do with the amount, we knew he came with one vintage and one movie style sword. However, the prototype had a very detailed paintjob. The producton one is just one shade of grey plastic. Also, they're way too big, they look more like 200x weapons. Accessories from past figures ike Fang Man, Chief Carnivous or even He-Man featured far more detailed paintjobs.

It's not only Blade though, Two-Bad and Hydron also come with accerossies that lack any shading or detailed paintjob.

- - - Updated - - -

As opposed to Modulok, Extendar, NA Skeletor and possibly Madame Razz having 100% new tooling? He's saying that figures won't be repaints of existing molds, but brand new sculpts.

Weapon-wise, they can always get a correction out there somehow.

So you're saying they can make the cheapest garbage now and charge us a second time later on for weapon packs which include better versions of the weapons the figures should have come with in the first place?

[Alexx]

P.S. Seeing a dungeon grate mold on the bottom of an Imaginext castle kind of made me wince since we didn't get anything like it. Kind of a tease, a jab. Not cool.

Well un-wince that face, buddy! It wasn't a mold, it was a design on the bottom of a toy on top of a battery hatch. They didn't mold a whole new item for that set, and no one on the MotUC team did it - it was the Imaginext folks 'cause they're fans of He-Man as well. It's like getting angry 'cause someone in the Barbie department paid homage to some design from She-Ra (IF they did, I mean). There is no possible way to see that as a slap in our face, 'cause they weren't even looking in our direction when they did it.

[MegaGearMax]

So you're saying they can make the cheapest garbage now and charge us a second time later on for weapon packs which include better versions of the weapons the figures should have come with in the first place?

They've BEEN doing this for the longest, remember She-Ra's sword? And that's if the weapons even make it to the package at all. I suspect corners have to be cut somewhere when they overestimate their ability to give us all of these unique sculpts. When Mattel can't make an easy repaint (Battle Lion or presumably Ninjor), they might skimp out on weapons, the plastic or their paint.

But this is nothing new. Anyone who has Draego-Man, Strobo, Keldor, Netossa and others will tell you this.

[PwrdOff]

If 2015 is indeed the last year, maybe they could announce the full list of figures due to be released so people know exactly what they're getting into, especially if they are concerned that their personal favorite might not make the cut or something.

[Fright Zone]

It's disgusting that he dares to write: "fans are going to get A LOT more value in their figures."

Just look at Blade's swords, the living proof that as of 2014, detail and paintjob will be sacrificed...

It's not disgusting, he makes a very valid point. The original couple of waves shared a lot more tooling compared to the later waves which featured a lot of original parts.
Therefore in MOTUC some of the most popular vintage figures have also been the cheapest to produce.
I'm disappointed to see some missing paint apps on weapons, but if that's the corner they have to cut in order to get so many fully tooled figures out in one year, so be it.
I'd rather have some plain weapons (which can always be painted yourself) than lose out on someone like Modulok or Extendar.