Some quick updates are coming out of Mattel about the MOTU Club Eternia sub. We’ve got some notes on how well it’s selling, plans to combine it with a 30th Anniversary add-on sub (or DC: Club Infinite Earths, Ghostbusters, or Voltron sub), and some disappointing news about possible changes to Draego-Man.
First up is Mattel’s update on Club Eternia from Yesterday:
Hey He-Fans and She-Ravers,
With so much talk over the DC Sub (and if we have enough subscribers) I wanted to check in with all of you on the MOTUC 2012 sub!
First off, as expected we have well passed our min sub order to keep the line going. (MOTU fans are committed!) BUT, I do want to let you know that we are actually at our lowest sub sale yet. Which unless we get a huge bump in sales this week (which is 100% the LAST week for all subs!), this means Shadow Weaver will likely be the lowest produced figure in the whole MOTUC line to date! Wow.
Also, as stated a few times, we will no longer be doing second runs of figures starting with Man-E-Faces. We still have quite a few older figures already slotted for re-release each month in 2012, but they are all figure originally offered before Man-E-Faces. This also means NONE of the 2012 figures will go into a second run.
Finally, our overall production is going to be a bit lower in 2012. We still intend for product to be available for “Cherry Pickers” the day-of the sale, but 1: we will have overall a bit less compared to 2011, (how long this will last is anyone’s guess), and 2: because production is based on part on the sub sales, with lower overall sub sales then expected, this means the day-of product will be even slightly less then we orignally intended with the original planned “slight reduction” (to control inventory).
Part of the reason for the initial reducution in “day of” quota is both to control inventory and to maintain the secondary market so that those who buy the sub but don’t want all of the monthly figures will have an avenue to sell them off at a reasonable secondary market price. We’re not trying to create “Scal-por” (ha ha) but we do want to help out fans who may be turned off by the high price of say, the Star Sisters, and want to know we won’t flood the market with this pack giving them the option of selling it off one day if it is not their cup of tea. We are not trying to support scalping, but we do want to help out those who will want to sell off subscription figures if they choose. Since the sub is open to all in unlimited quantites this feels like a fair meeting in the middle (obviously their will never be a way to make EVERYONE happy all the time! To many factors and opinions!)
SO….What does all this mean?
While in NO WAY is this message intended to be a “you must buy the sub!” post (I can see the accusations now…). In all fairness, consider this fair warning that the sub is your best way of guaranteeing all figures without a sell out and the ONLY way to ever get Shadow Weaver. (and hey don’t forget about the awesome Preternia map!)
Whether the sub is for you is a personal choice, I just want to make sure fair warning and all the info is out there for you to make an eductated choice for your own collection!
Hope this helps!
ScottPS: The Create a Character contest is still on through Dec 31 2011. Keep those entires coming. Remember, your entry must be with an offical entry form for EACH submission and you can not go over one single page of a n 8 1/2 by 11 piece of paper. Anyone sending in more then one single, one sided page will be disqualified. The full rules are posted on Mattycollector.com. You can send in bio info and any other written work but as stated in the offical rules it MUST be on one side of a single piece of 8 1/2 by 11 paper along with any visuals. (you are not judged on artistic ability!)
And then today’s update on the 30th Anniversary Sub, including combined shipping for all subs:
.More updates for ya He-Fans and She-Raves,
So we know a lot of you have been asking us to add in the six 30th anniversary figures into the sub program to save on shipping. We do not have things finalized YET but it looks like this will be able to go through starting with the March figure Draego-Man (Photog may still need to be purchased day of).
But if all goes according to plan, we hope to offer a special 30th anniversary series “add on” sub around late Oct/early Nov. The sub add on should ideally include the 5 remaining 30th anniversary figures after Photog which includes Draego-Man by the Four Horsemen, the two Mattel characters, the Geoff Johns character and the winner of the new Create a Character contest! (five of the six figs)
Additionally, it looks like an upgrade we have been working on will go into affect in Feb/March 2012 which will combine all sub shipping on all brands even if you bought them at separate times!
So if you have one brand’s sub and still want to add another brand’s sub in a second purchase order, the Jan/Feb subs may ship separate, but ideally starting in March (if all works out!) we will combine shipping in one order for all subs, including the new 30th anniversary sub we want to offer in a month or so. (As a refresh, currently, only subs purchased together in one order will combine shipping. The upgrade we are attempting should ideally combine all subs together in one shipment, even if bought at separate times!)
We are still getting our ducks in a row, but what does this mean? Well, if you are hesitant to buy a 2012 Club Eternia sub because you know you will be buying the 30th figures “day-of” anyway, this new “add-on” sub should (in a perfect world) allow us to combine all subs into one order and save on your shipping (starting with the Feb/March figures, it may not be in place in time for Jan figures, i.e. Photog).
We will confirm all the details at Power Con in late Sept and are committed to continuing to improve things with new process and logistics in place to save you on shipping!
See you in the toy aisles and on Mattycollector.com!
Matty
Now, I could seven “should”s or “ideally”s in there. I have to imagine they wouldn’t be announcing this unless they were sure, but the faith this expresses in Digital River is astounding. The good news is that this does remove a barrier for people that have already subscribed and wanted to do a DC subscription but couldn’t combine their orders.
And then one parting tidbit that is probably the most impactful piece of news:
Also, please note [Draego-Man] is a PROTOTYPE. He is coming in way more expensive then expected and we are exploring possible deco and accessory changes (with the Horsemen’s blessing) to bring him into cost.
Well, that blows, right? What part of Draego-Man would you be willing to sacrifice if you were in Toy Guru’s (or Terry’s) shoes? The reaction from most fans so far seems to be that they’d prefer to pay more money to see Draego as is – I don’t know about that. Sounds like it sets a dangerous precedent to me. I prefer they cut some accessories (and include them somewhere else later). Which brings me to this post from Toy Guru at He-Man.Org…
Guys, don’t freak out of Draego Man yet. We are still exploring options.
Honestly, as soon as I saw the images from the 4HM my first through was, “crap that is a lot of accessories and deco, how are we going to afford that!”
It is basically due to the huge amount of surface area he has with the wings/tail which results in more paint deco needed compared to the average fig. Nothing is changing YET. Terry and the Horsemen are still reviewing and it also doesn’t rule out that if we have to cut one or two accessories we can always look at finding ways to release them with someone else down the road. We’re not looking at a huge change, it just may be lossing an accessory or two. No one is cutting the tail or the armor or anything. Minor minor changes if at all.
We certainly won’t be offering multiple versions or changing the price. It just logistically won’t work that way. Not to fear, this won’t be a huge change guys! Hang in their while we review all possible options. We won’t move on anything without the Horsemen’s approval.
Sounds workable to me. There’s bound to be low tooling figures like Battleground Evil-Lyn in next year’s assortment, so ideally we can get an increased value out of those if they’ll include the accessories dropped from Draego-Man.
Glad to see they are looking to combine subs. Matty does listen! I hope they can get this DCUC sub off the ground, but in the end, it is in the fans hands for that.
I already have the regular one and look forward to adding the 30th anniversary subs as well.
The combining of shipping is great news to me. It was the only thing keeping me from going forward with buying a DCUC sub.
Combine subs, good. Cut an accessory or two, fit ’em in somewhere down the line, that’s fine.
I am very happy to hear they are looking into possibly creating a 30th Anniv Sub. Also the fact that we can combine them is music to my ears as well.
I don’t take too much issue with anything said here. I guess I wish the line was doing better than they’re leading us to believe it is.
I’m not sure what I’d sacrifice from Draego Man… I could possibly live without an accessory.
Instead of these scare tactics, they should just produce higher number of the core characters for sale day and reduce production numbers for the 2nd & 3rd line characters..and they’re definitely gonna drop the flaming swords and add-ons for Draego-Man
Man-e-faces wasn’t going to ship with Megator for all sub holders until they corrected their mistake, ran a “program”, and all sub orders were corrected.
They turned this around in 2 days.
An opt-in sub for the 6 30th anniversary figures can’t be put in place until October, and won’t take effect until March? 7 months?
Matty, why do you make it so hard for me to give you my money?
Draego-man has more surface area, and needs more paint. Got it. How much over cost are we talking? I paid $20 for some pretty plain characters, and didn’t mind. Can I pay $21 for Draego-man? $22?
Is there a rule I missed that says he has to cost the same to the customer as the less-interesting ones?
Let’s say you’re making 10,000 of these. If we pay $22 instead of $20, does a $20,000 addition to the budget for the figure cover the paint and accessories?
Since these are anniversary figures, do they even have to fit the pattern of sub figures, which are costed-out differently? What if all 6 30th anniversary figures cost $21? Is $60,000 enough to turn 6 toys into 6 kick-ass toys that will SHAME the regular line with their awesomeness?
Matty, why do you make it so hard for me to give you my money?
Well, to be fair the orders weren’t totally corrected. I still haven’t been able to get my sub renewed. Next time it doesn’t go through, it gets cancelled. It’s my punishment for pushing the DC sub, surely.
But you’re absolutely right, whatever stupid thing in DR’s January system that won’t allow subs to be combined verges on idotic. Mattel may not be able to afford to have Photog sent around in a warehouse for thirty days or be moved twice or whatever cost issues are associated with moving him, but they should look into it. We’re already buying $80 worth of product that month, if they could move him back into the sub window and relax our wallets a bit, it wouldn’t hurt us any.
Still not getting the sub…
On Draego Man: If something HAS to be delayed, then I choose the shield and it’s flames… Sword that can burst into flames is too awesome to leave behind…
Isn’t Battleground Evil-Lyn coming out this year, in November?
Yes. I simply use her as an example. There will surely be another figure in 2012 where the value to the collector is as criminal as BG Evil-Lyn, we just don’t know who it is yet.
BG Evil-Lyn is why they can’t offer a “pick and choose” sub. They are doing the budget for the line over a fiscal year; if we had to pay for each individual figure based on the development and tooling and deco costs, then Sorceress might be $50 per figure, while BG Lyn would be less.
I know it is easy to go to FURY MODE when TG says something like the Draego-Man statement about the accessories (AND he might already be into a cost overrun), but think of it from a business perspective, separate from the idea that these are fun toys: would you LOSE money on a product to make your customers happy?
If Mattel had the idea that people would pay different prices for different figures based on the amount of work that went into them, we would already have Castle Greyskull. Instead, they are faced with whiney indifference when they announce an $80 Granaymr that people have been asking for since Classics started – “it’s too expensive! Too large! Too…BLONDE!”
think of it from a business perspective doc… sometimes the positive vide and word of mouth from taking a loss on a single product is absolutely worth the free advertising. it’s also, as you point out, a line that they’re dividing costs out on, and since we’ve gotten wun-dar, and faker, and three teela tunics, and king grayskull twice, etc… they’ve costed themselves into the black since the line started. so i’d wager it’s not really a case of them taking a loss, it’s breaking even… on one item… for the only 30th anniversary figure set they’re producing… in celebration of the line… to commemorate the studio who has made these figs complete sellouts for the last 4 years… and the first truly new character to be added under the motuc auspice. there’s no way, no conceivable truthful way, that they can’t make the figure cost out as shown. it’s just flat out extortion man, but i’d like to counter that extortion with one of my own:
hey mattel… how’s it cost out if we boycott the incomplete figure and you eat the cost of his entire production run? got some flex in the coffers now? remember how awesome that stargodz ra figure was from way back in the day? of the tekken figs? those companies went dry and aren’t in business anymore and they failed to sell me their toys… and i’m just fine and dandy. i’ll keep livin’ after you fail to sell me draego man too. so you can get wise and magically make the whole thing cost out AS SHOWN or i just don’t give a crap. i’m livin’ just fine without him already, and there are plenty of companies willing to sell me plastic happiness at 15 bucks a pop. it’s not my loss to incur boys.
Company’s take losses all the time for the customer. Light bulbs are a great example GE lost money on cheap 40 watts for years; because customer wanted them to buy cheap and retailers expected GE to give the customer what they wanted (this caused a huge conflict and sticker shock when the newer style of bulbs came out). I don’t for one second blame Mattel for trying to make a profit, but let’s not flex our MBA’s too far. Mattel should have kept making kids toy’s and stayed out of the “collector” biz if they didn’t want “whiney indifference”. I resent the name-calling that customers get for standing up for themselves, in the same way that consumers of “non collectables” are expected and encouraged to. Just because some want to kowtow to Genghis Matty just to get whatever piece of plastic give them a boner doesn’t mean we all have to. I put 45 buck in the Mattel coffers today but on my own terms not theirs. The subscription model is one that serves Matty much more than it does the collector, we should be see a deeper discount because of the lack of a middle man instead matty is pocketing it all, and not giving us even a taste.
I’m glad no one here is jumping the gun that screaming that Mattel is just supporting the scalpers.
Give it time… 😉
i would ask this though, politely, and respectfully… what the hell is mattel’s concern with the secondary market? is he flat out admitting that mattel, as a corporation, has some stake in a market that they don’t get a taste of? cuz that sounds like they don’t trust “he-joe” or “she-nancy” to able to sustain the line, and that they know, in some way, that the re-sellers are the ones buying the bulk of the toys and that if that audience dries up, the party’s over… now how could they know that? and is it in any way related that their perpetual hype machine MIGHT have oversold the potential of this line?
I think its just as plain as Scott makes it. They want people to be secure in buying subs because they will be able to dump the figures they don’t want. In the current market, figures are barely breaking even if at all and that is steaming a lot of sub buyers who don’t want everything.
how is that any of mattel’s business whether or not you break even on the re-sale of the figure? they’re not getting a taste. ebay is a crap shoot, so is trying to profit from a collector’s toy line. you’re not entitled to profit, you’re not even entitled to break even. that’s why the phrase is “caveat emptor.” where was that concern when my goddess’ hip shattered like carnie wilson’s deck chairs? mine broke three months after i got her, and i was basically told i was SOL… why are the resellers any better off? fudge ’em. it was your mistake for signing up for an all-in sub when you wanted to cherry pick. (not you personally LB, “you” as in the party who bought the sub)
I really wish somebody would point out to Matty that a preorder system is a perfectly reasonable way to gauge consumer interest in a character, in order to set production runs. Why must the same number be produced of every figure? Who in their right minds would think that demand for the Star Systems demands a similar production run to, say, Thunder Punch He-man?
::golf clap::
I thought that was the POINT of the subs, right?
I mean, it’s not rocket science. the formula is very simple.
A.KEY characters will ALWAYS outsell supporting and background characters
B.SOME characters will ALWAYS sell better than others
C.EVERY Character is SOMEBODY’S favorite
D.The internet lies. Pressure to make ‘C’ does NOT equal ‘A’
Honestly, and this will be an unpopular opinion, I like the subscription because it can broadens the horizons of some toy collectors. Putting money aside, as no one should buy a sub if they can’t afford it, I think getting some people to buy characters they wouldn’t normally is good for the collector themselves. We could all learn to appreciate some things outside of our comfort zone. I have *zero* interest in the Star Sisters. If I didn’t know Tallstar at the Org, I wouldn’t even know who they are, but having three cool figures of them put in my hands is pushing me to learn more about them and surely appreciate them come review time. That’s good for me. And it’ll probably be good for a lot of other MOTU collectors too.
WHAT??? Forcing someone to buy something they don’t want is a GOOD THING!!! I’m sorry but I think boarding someone’s horizons is anybody but mattels job. Its one of the reasons sites like this and others are so awesome there is an exchange of ideas. I have bought many figures after a good review, a positive post or, a few good pics. But Mattel is invested way too much to be in horizon broadening business, I don’t need a Toy Gestapo.
on the draego-man you know what? NO! no, i’m not buying the figure with less stuff, nor am i buying him if he’s more expensive… for ONE FIGURE, as a HORSEMEN ORIGINAL, for a character who’s there as a CELEBRATION of the 30th anniversary of the property, and as a mark of the SUCCESS of the motuc line… THEY CAN EAT THE LOSS ON THIS GUY. sell him at regular cost, with all his shit there, because it’s not like their earnings statements and stock price don’t back up that their boy’s toys devision makes hellified money. this property is CHEAP to produce because of the nature of the buck line. they’ve made tons of money so far, and they’re lined up to make money again and again through to 2016… so no, they can eat the loss on draego man, and all the rest of the 30th anniversary figures and celebrate the way a celebration is supposed to take place.
any one who’s ever been to a party knows that it costs money… but done CORRECTLY, the positive memories last a lifetime. throw a freaking party mattel, and don’t make me go dutch on my end… lord knows i’ve pumped plenty into the line thusfar, and i haven’t bought in as robustly as others have. this is friggin preposterous. for every draego man, there’s a faker, so shut the fudge up and give me the fire accessories (which are no doubt what will go) ESPECIALLY since they already stated that draego provides them the wings for the spelians going forward!! the accessories and the head are the only unique bits he gets!
Well I think that Mattel plans out the budget for the Mattycollector lines a year in advance, and that is all the money they have to work with. So if they think that something is going to eat more money than it should they have to work it down to make the rest of the year pan out.
Heck, not only would Draego-Man provide Spelean wings, he could provide, at the very least, wings and tail for a Dragoon as well.
Can ANYBODY explain the weasel-wording on the secondary market issue? Why does that matter to them, other than, as they say they don’t, feeding and catering to the scalper ‘customer’?
Scalpers live for the moment and the ‘quick flip’. If MOTUC is ‘cooling’ then we can logically expect a drop-off in scalpers buying up figures. Which no doubt has Mattel peeing blood.
“OH NOZE! WE’LL HAVE TO RELY ON PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY WANT THE TOYS!!”
*sigh* I tell ya, if I were in charge of Boy toys and online sales I would truly and surely put a bunch of folk against the wall to be shot.
Though I’m glad the 30th Anniversary Sub will possibly go through, I’m scratching my head as to why they can’t include Fearless Photog. If the sub kicks in around Feb/March 2012, why not delay Photog until after the sub starts? That way they can include all six figures.
In terms of Draego-Man, I’d rather pay more than loose some accessories. I’d pay $25 for him; people did so for Adam/Orko and Queen Marlena. Due to his wingspan, he may need larger packaging which could qualify him as a beast.
I’m also a fan of dayraven’s option. I like that, too.
Me too. I mean, I honestly don’t care where the accessories are as long as we get them somewhere, but if they have to take a bath on a figure it may as well be on the Four Horsemen’s 30th figure.
I’m waiting for someone to point out that Draego-man would need the Hsss shoulders fixed… 😉
Mattel is really “screwing the pooch”.Do they watch the news?? The economy is bad right now,but instead of making things easier,they are doing their best to force you into their lame subscriptions.I’m a “cherry-picker” because I collect more than one line.Making it harder,or more expensive,is not going to force me into a subscription.What it WILL do is cause them to LOSE what money I give them.Not doing second runs of characters is flat-out stupid.I didn’t get in on MOTU when it first started,and if they hadn’t done second runs of He-Man,Skeletor,or Battle cat,they would have a lot less of my cash.But unlike some collectors,I WILL NOT BEG,I will show my displeasure with my dollar,the first time I don’t get the figure I want,will be the LAST time I try.I’m sure Marvel Legends will take my cash,without all these games.
Make the flame on dreago mans shield permanent and get rid of one of the 2 sword attachments, personally i say make the flame sword/handle combo a permanent fixture…nix the whip too…. when i first saw that figure i laughed and said “Itll never come with all those accessories…. its way too much and will be over budget” this is no surprise, tho i am glad to hear the 30th anniversary sub will most likely be attached, stupid it wasnt offered from the get go, mattys logic logistically makes no sense “Well, we wanna make everyone buy subs and eliminate extra stock BUT we’re not gonna offer ALL the figures in a sub cause not everyone may want this stuff”
Well, at least we now have the option to get five of the six special figures in an add-on sub. Trying to fight the WSOD is harrowing enough, but with reduced production numbers, it would be even worse, and since I don’t always have the sale day off work, the thought of missing out on something cool wrenches at my guts.
This year, I started cherry-picking items from the other lines I collect, paring down my selections with comparatively ruthless resolve (next year will have to be even more sparse), but the only line I’m happy to buy absolutely everything from is the MOTU Classics line, especially as my girlfriend has fond memories of the stuff from her own childhood as well.
Not sure if anyone else caught this, but the Infinite Earth sub has suddenly spiked to about 55%
I’ve been watching it. It hit 43% for sure on Monday afternoon which was odd in-it-of-itself since it was 40% that morning. We’ve gotten two updates day since then and gained an extra 10-12% or so. It’s hard to say for sure becuase they quit naming the file names with the percentages.
The first update from Scott is one of the worst things he’s ever written.
And if you’ve been reading the MOTUC bios, that’s saying a lot! 😀 😀 😀
There have been PLENTY of opportunities to increase subscribers for Mattel product, but most concerns have fallen on deaf Matty ears.
But this last minute passive aggressive stuff is definitely not the way to go.
Look down your nose at “Cherry Pickers” all you want Scott, but the line’s success is thanks to ALL fans, not just subscribers.
And as you have done nothing to earn a blank check from most of us, I think you should be extolling the benefits of the subscription and just leaving it at that.
I think the death of Toyfare magazine has hurt Mattel in this area. I don’t buy any of the other toy mags so I have no idea of how much ad space Mattel is buying but they did heavy ad buys in Toyfare, and combined with the constant pimping of secondary market value by the mag (because Wizard et. al. was all about the secondary market) that MUST have helped overall sales.
No more Toyfare, no more ‘casual’ customers deciding to take a look.
Toyfare died….huh
“ToyFare” is no more?! When did this happen?! I tell ya, I move away from the States, and the place goes to Hell in a handbasket.
Happened in Jan. ’11. “Nobody reads print mags anymore, come visit our new digital magazine!! It’s GREAT!!”
Well, it’s about pimping for the Wizard comic cons.
Of course you have to give them your email addy to read the magazine and I’m SURE they wouldn’t sell that to every tom, dick and spammer in the world, nooooooo.
“Hello, I am Barrister Spydor working for some interested parties trying to save the memory of the late KING RANDOR (link to article) (link to U.N.) Can you help in a very important matter of great interest?”
*ahem* sorry. The 419 Scam mail has been hitting my filters really hard lately and once in a while I read one because they are just funny as all s**t if you have ANY common sense.
Anyway, while ‘nobody’ buys and reads magazines anymore (well, *I* do but I’m nobody I guess) there’s an observable truth that when access to something is reduced, the INTEREST in that something is also reduced. No place to advertise = no ‘casual’ growth.
Is Mattycollector doing adbuys with the other toy magazines? I dunno. What magazine might most likely be read by a person who might have an interest in a revived MOTU line, interest in a nostalgia way? IS there any magazine that has that potential?
I fear we’re at the point now where it becomes an ever-narrowing circle, fannish becoming boutique becoming niche becoming super-niche.
Well, stinking salted crap on a stick. That was perhaps the last magazine I used to buy regularly. Now that I’m living in England, I had one of my pals in the States pick them up for me and either send them over or hold onto them until I visited. Guess that’s less expenditure for me and less weight for him to drag back from the comics shop.
Perhaps Mattel could pay “Robot Chicken” some money to feature their figures in sketches….
OR maybe buy AD TIME for Mattycollector on Adult Swim!
Naaaaaaaa.
Sorry about the bad news. Issue # 163, with Movie Green Lantern on the cover, was the last.
Is there an app? I could check easy enough but I’ll just float it here first.
Hey all. Since the tone is already set…
I can’t remember how I came into this cool stuff (even thogh it was just two weeks ago…), but I had a few when I was a kid. I want some of the ones I had back then (some are still laying there in the attic) and som of thoose I remember I wanted sooo bad but never had.
I found that the official site was the cheaper than ebay at the few they had in stock so I placed an order at He-Man & Hordak (the 2 coolest, except for Skeletor). The total cost seemed to land at 50 bucks (International shipping included to Sweden). Something went messed up with the order and the confirmation said 85 buck (+35 bucks for UPS to Sweden), probably since I never paid any attention to the “Submit”-step.
I was very surpring by DR’s lack of customer focus when they declined evey attempt to change the order to International shipping. I even suggested that they threw a third figure in (no change of charge) with a change of shipping. That way they would have made a 5 buck profit (I could care less).
But no. Once the order is placed they can’t do ANYTHING. That was the answear I got and it’s bullshit.
(mail conversation with DR is still on-going)
And just because of the UPS shipping method I was charged with another 50 bucks in handling & tax fee. That is some serious bullshit. I was seriously considering not not cash out the package, but I did finally.
Total amount: 135 bucks for 2 figures. On eBay, I would have got 4 figures (shipping to sweden included) for that amount.
However, I just fu**ing love them. They are awesome 🙂 And I will definitely cherry-pick the 5-6 other figures thats on my list. On eBay. DR can eat my ****.
Cheers! /V