Clearing the air on Castle Grayskull

[Gabriel]

I watched the 2 videos of the pre-sell castle and the measurements. And yes it is smaller but its not to much smaller. That inch or 2 would have did wonders but if they get the draw bridge sunken I think it will be great.

I was fine with the 2 inches in lost height from the mock-up to the prototype reveal. What messed up the castle for me is the huge, useless base that shrunk the castle even further from the ground up and turned the jawbridge into a diving board. They are working on sinking the jawbridge into the base a bit, but that doesn't fix the head-scraping interior. I'm hoping it looks good at the final reveal--that will be the deciding factor for me. $300 is a lot of money for a rushed job.

[mikieson]

i didnt read this whole thread..so i might not be the first to say..250-300$ for a freaking MOTU castle is ridiculous..really? Its not a vintage original castle its new..it has no connection with my childhood like the original did. Its going to cost what,50$ if that to even make it? This just shows me how much these companies do NOT appreciate us fans..BUT yet take advantage of us..Im sure im the only person that feels this way..

[MegaGearMax]

i didnt read this whole thread..so i might not be the first to say..250-300$ for a freaking MOTU castle is ridiculous..really? Its not a vintage original castle its new..it has no connection with my childhood like the original did. Its going to cost what,50$ if that to even make it? This just shows me how much these companies do NOT appreciate us fans..BUT yet take advantage of us..Im sure im the only person that feels this way..

It's EXACTLY like the vintage castle...even down to the negative walls. The big exceptions are better paint and sculpting, the secret doorways, the third level, the orb hiding place and the Power Sword ornament, the dungeon monsters and the trap door leading to the entrance instead of on the dungeon grate.

[Baena]

It's EXACTLY like the vintage castle...even down to the negative walls. The big exceptions are better paint and sculpting, the secret doorways, the third level, the orb hiding place and the Power Sword ornament, the dungeon monsters and the trap door leading to the entrance instead of on the dungeon grate.

Power to Good!

[markatisu]

i didnt read this whole thread..so i might not be the first to say..250-300$ for a freaking MOTU castle is ridiculous..really? Its not a vintage original castle its new..it has no connection with my childhood like the original did. Its going to cost what,50$ if that to even make it? This just shows me how much these companies do NOT appreciate us fans..BUT yet take advantage of us..Im sure im the only person that feels this way..

Do you have any idea how much a steel mold for even the smallest item is? And that is for items that will be in retail which get by all assumptions about 300-500% more of a production run

$50 would not even cover the freight shipping on 1000 of these from China

A lot of you guys tend to forget its not just materials to make it, you have to pay for the sculpting, the prototyping, the steel molds, the packaging, the freight and that all comes out of the same pot

[krosfyah]

Do you have any idea how much a steel mold for even the smallest item is? And that is for items that will be in retail which get by all assumptions about 300-500% more of a production run

$50 would not even cover the freight shipping on 1000 of these from China

A lot of you guys tend to forget its not just materials to make it, you have to pay for the sculpting, the prototyping, the steel molds, the packaging, the freight and that all comes out of the same pot

i just wish Scott or whomever was better at cost analysis BEFORE they released details. the news that cuts happened and more may be on the way feels horrible. I collect (sparringly) hot toys and they can cost MORE than grayskull, Grayskull to me is a better value as it's not re-using ANY parts, it's way bigger and I'm a MOTU fan more than anything. Hot Toys for the most part we are paying for the head sculpt and the fabric work, they have a few standard bucks. so the Price doesn't bother me, it's that they raised the price after the fact and STILL found ways to cut things out where we were lead to believe the price raise would cover things so we don't get cuts. that's the sting.

[Lay Ze-Man]

The steel molds for CG command a staggering cost, that's true.

Gotta say though, I'd feel a lot more comfortable investing the kind of money we're being asked to if we could get assurances the molds won't be used for retail versions of CG down the road . . .

[JonWes]

The steel molds for CG command a staggering cost, that's true.

Gotta say though, I'd feel a lot more comfortable investing the kind of money we're being asked to if we could get assurances the molds won't be used for retail versions of CG down the road . . .

Even if they release a retail version of it (which seems a wee bit doubtful due to the size) it's likely to have less paint apps and not as much stuff inside just to make retail cost work at all. So I think it's safe to say that the are never going to offer a Grayskull like the one they are offering this year again.

[Baena]

Even if they release a retail version of it (which seems a wee bit doubtful due to the size) it's likely to have less paint apps and not as much stuff inside just to make retail cost work at all. So I think it's safe to say that the are never going to offer a Grayskull like the one they are offering this year again.

Yeah, unless the movie (which I'm still slightly skeptical of it happening or not) uses the Classics look and feel? I really would be surprised if they used the exact look we're getting with this one.

I'm waiting for the big repaint though, the pink Castle, with Gold spray highlights, glitter, and purple flocking on the dome.
Remember that one? It's when Disco Skeletor finally takes over.

Really though, I agree, IF it went into retail... Then it wouldn't likely have everything we're getting in this one.
But Mattel is a business, and it just makes sense for them to re-use whatever they can possibly re-use.

Maybe say the movie does happen, and maybe the design for Grayskull is close, such that all they need to do is add a smaller tooled piece here and there to change up the look a little?

And what's to say this castle couldn't work for the mini Masters if they ever get made?

[ash]

Do you have any idea how much a steel mold for even the smallest item is? And that is for items that will be in retail which get by all assumptions about 300-500% more of a production run

$50 would not even cover the freight shipping on 1000 of these from China

A lot of you guys tend to forget its not just materials to make it, you have to pay for the sculpting, the prototyping, the steel molds, the packaging, the freight and that all comes out of the same pot

I've been wondering about this... how sure are we that they are using steel molds for most things at this point? Parts that will be heavily re-used, sure. Things like Arms, Legs, generic weapons, etc, I bet they're steel, and most of them already exist. However, I'd expect that parts that aren't going to be remade/reused (heads, unique weapons, etc) are possibly aluminum. You can get reasonable life out of aluminum molds if you take care of it, and with the "no reissues going forward", I wouldn't be surprised if wherever they can, they are switching. The molds are all likely CNC cut, so if they had to they could always cut a new tool later if they could justify it.