Ask Mattel March 15th
+ Link Roundup

NoisyDvL5



Ask Matty – March 15th Edition


DCClassics.Com Asks: When are the newest DCUC 2pks (Yellow Hal & Blue Kyle, Red Azrael & Battle Damage Batman) expected to hit TRU shelves?

They have already shipped so it is up to Toy R Us at this point!

DCClassics.Com Asks: The 6″ Young Justice line is coming along nicely on our shelves, but as we get into the second year, we’re still short Miss Martian. Will the team be completed anytime soon?

Miss Martian is coming in a 2 pack with her Uncle later this year.

Editor’s Note: Unfortunately, that’s the 4″ version in the 2pk. Hopefully, we’ll see the 6″ version soon, but I fear it might sport an Invasion look like Superboy instead of the more traditional comic look that I’d prefer.

MOTUClassics.Com Asks: Will Frosta feature swivel articulation in the thigh? A few of the recent female figures have lost that particular articulation point and it hurts the overall poseability of the figure.

We are not far enough along with this figure but will pass this note to the Horsemen.

DCClassics.Com Asks: The With Mattel giving online retailers the okay to name the figures in DC All-Stars Wave 3, when will Mattel reveal what versions of Hawkman and Batgirl are included in the wave?

We are actually make some big changes to the line up for retail and hope to have confirmation of the new line up soon.

Editor’s Note: After this question was submitted, Mattel torpedoed the first three lineups. Wave One is currently “New” Batman, “New Superman”, Superboy Prime, and Red Robin. The fate of the other figures is unclear at this point.

MOTUClassics.Com Asks: With Kobra Kahn released, we’d be remiss if we didn’t inquire about Camo Kahn again. Is he on Mattel’s radar? And if so, would he likely be a subscription figure or offered outside of it?

Definitely a character we have kept our eye on. He would have worked great on something like a TRU vs. 2 pack. But could still work as a quarterly variant now that this retail sku is done. We don’t have any plans to announce right now but we have talked about this fan requested variant.

We need your questions for the next round! Submit your suggestions on the ItsAllTrue.net Forums…

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26 thoughts on “Ask Mattel March 15th
+ Link Roundup”

    1. that’s his alt head, not the one under the helmet in the helmeted photos… so you’ve seen A head, not the HEADS. 😉

      2. It would be funny to see Toyguru/Scott as the surprise head. All the MOTU fans would be screaming.

        1. every time I look at the UK Comics head, I can’t get over the resemblance to Hulk Hogan.

  2. Okay, slightly less infuriating answers this time, so either they’re learning to listen to the people who pay their wages, or they’re saying what they think we want to hear so we’ll leave them alone.

    One question of my own, though: What’s “Camo Khan”? I’ve been a fan of MOTU since I was eight (1982), and this “fan favourite” is something I’ve never heard of before. Can anyone throw some light on the subject for me, please?

      1. Thanks for that, Heli!

        Man, that is pretty weird, even for an el cheapo foreign bootleg. Not sure if I’d go for that one as part of my subscription. If they gave him swappable hands and claws, maybe. Otherwise, first come, first serve. I’d rather have a Dragon Blaster or Terror Claws Skeletor than THAT abomination.

        The funny thing is, my buddy Dave and I would design MOTU characters for fun back when we were kids. I designed a character like that back in my youth and called him “Skeetor.” Colour palette aside, he was essentially THAT figure, but with Buzz-Off wings and antennae. This is why 11-year-olds shouldn’t run toy design departments. Yick.

    2. we just got the team that actually answers questions… from what i gather, there are four teams of matty people that answer the Q&A’s…
      the “Every Silver Lining has a Dark Cloud” group
      the “We Can’t Reveal that at this Time” group
      the “We Truly Don’t Understand the Question” group
      and the “We’ll Provide Clear and Direct Enough Answers to Keep You All Coming Back” group

      2. That last group must consist of only two members, and one is usually out on vacation.

  3. Who the heck keeps spelling tooled as “tool’d”? Do you not have a dictionary??
    Can you ask them if someone ever proofreads these answers so they don’t look more foolish/unprofessional? We keep getting more answers where it’s obvious they didn’t understand the question or basic misspellings that give the wrong impression.
    (otoh, “tool’d” does help ID one of the people answering!)

    When was the DC All-star line-up scuttled/rearranged? Numerous e-tailers have been pre-selling these from the moment they were announced, and likely some are now being asked for refunds. this nu52 being crammed down our throats is pissing off even more fans.

    AFi – LoSH was such a success it delayed other lines?? and because of that, you’re NOT planning on another set, even a 2-3pk??
    BOO-freaking-HOO! that’s BUSINESS!! that’s what you WANT to happen!
    @_@……..!

    C.Mess –
    Lead: “A very cool and much needed figure we want to get to sooner then later.”
    So, we’re getting him TWICE? sooner AND later? or did they mean “sooner rather thAn later”?
    Rocket Red – just say you were brown-nosing your new buddy Johns for doing a freebie on MOTU and move on.

    KK- Geoff was the only “celebrity” who wanted to play ball with their limited budget?
    translation: we only asked a few of our favorite creator-type/comic people, who either demanded a kickback or the new tooling costs were way too high. Turning DCUC into Geoff’s playground was his payment.

    I don’t know why I keep reading these. it gets my blood pressure up every time. 🙁

    1. the johns thing seems prety improbable, especially in light of folks we know they didn’t ask (mark taylor, val or emiliano, roger sweet, tony guerrero…) who did they ask? dolph lundgren? frank langella? christina pickles? for reals… who did they ask that wanted a taste, i want names! lou scheimer? fred savage? WHO???!!!

          1. man, i missed your response entirely steve… sorry. i kind of knew i was pushing a button w/ my comment, but i thought noisy would let it slide… he didn’t. ;P oh well.

            that said, i stand by the notion that johns gets a figure cuz johns is gifted at sucking up, nothing more complex than that. he likes to schmooze, it’s not a secret, so he made a play and it worked for him. fortune favors the bold, i suppose, but i don’t see how his offering is any better than the much maligned mo-lar was.

  5. The whole female articulation thing in MOTUC really gets my blood boiling. The figures missing the thigh swivel (ahem, sorceress, ahem) are, IMHO, significantly inferior figures. I bought my sub with the understanding that my figures would have a certain minimum level of articulation, and AFTER I have paid for the sub, I find out that, nope, sorry, sometimes the females will have less, and you won’t know when, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Seriously considering canceling my sub if Frosta is missing the thigh swivel.

    1. Still haven’t received my Sorceress (or Fisto or Shadow Weaver) yet, so your news that she doesn’t contain a thigh swivel disappoints me, Ender. The tooling is already there, #*=%ing use it! Used to be a time when companies tried to please their customers . . . .

      Going by her thigh-high boots, Frosta looks like she’ll have newly-sculpted thighs, so I fear she may not get the thigh swivel, likely for reasons of cost or “logistics.” I really hope I’m wrong about that, though.

  6. Mattel is clueless. I’m really surprised more sites haven’t stopped asking questions as the answers are rarely revealing anything. I mean, most subjects are off limits for them to give definite answers about. You actually get more direct responses from the Matty Q&A thread…which might be by design.

    1. maybe the various sites should get together and ask the same “give us a straight answer” question or set of questions one of these times?

      1. What? unite against a common antagonist? PSHAW I say! That’s not in the fannish mentality!

        You’re asking people to give up the potential of having the ONE question that having been asked and answered makes them KING NERD. Everyone getting together and asking the same questions only risks not having any questions answered.

        Note, Mattel is under no obligation whatsoever to answer. If a round is consistent with the exact same questions from everyone, questions that the way they were worded could NOT be danced around in the reply, Mattel could just say “go screw, we’re not doing this anymore” and man, let me tell you, there are some out there that the denial of even that limited ‘access’ to TPTB, that tiny feeling of being ‘inside’ and thus superior to us common nerds, it would be world shattering. It would not be allowed to be. To some that feeling is more important than anything else in the world.

        It’s just the nature of being a fan. 🙂

        1. I know 12 owners of the 16 sites I link to in the Q&As and I’m pretty sure that not a one of them would be all that butthurt if Mattel stopped the program. I wouldn’t be all that heartbroken, but I do think it’d be a shame to lose what little opportunity they do provide.

          See, I don’t really understand what kind of accountability consumers want toy companies to have in these Q&As. It’s a Mattel PR program, not investigative journalism. And, like Lee noted, you’ll notice that the exciting info comes out on Facebook or at Mattycollector, so by default the Q&As are the place to quietly dole out disappointment.

          It’s with that in mind that we try to approach asking questions in three very specific areas:

          1. To seek out tidbits of info that Mattel doesn’t make a big deal about like store exclusives, pre-production updates, behind-the-scenes decision making. Mattel is its own worst enemy at times and needs to be asked about some things (like store exclusive release dates – IAT got to scoop TRU Batman because Mattel neglected to promote it).

          2. To telegraph our wants. Battle Armor Faker. Keldor Swords. Starman’s second head. These are all things that were asked about in Q&As that ended up getting done. (Though Toy Guru prefers to attribute things to “the plan” rather than consumer requests, we’re still chalking it up to feedback).

          3. To voice disapproval. This one is similar to number two, but works in the reverse (and unfortunately has fewer results). Atrocitus’ increased height is a good example though.

          I’m usually only disappointed when answers to No. 1 are glossed over because it means someone at Mattel isn’t bright enough to take advantage of the PR opportunity I threw at them (though we do note that sometimes we ask a question that doesn’t get an answer here, but is provided shortly thereafter at Mattycollector). Questions to no. 2 & 3 can have coy answers because the question was the point, not the answer. The question is feedback supplied directly to the people making the decisions. Even if we don’t get things like Jay Garrick’s second head or Frosta’s thigh swivel, at least consumers got to shoot an e-mail directly to the brand manager about it. They were heard.*

          * – Which is why folks also crack me up when they complain about one question being asked multiple times. Like Brainlock suggested, the more times a question asked, the better. Maybe not for a straight answer, but to at least telegraph the information.

  8. That should read:

    DCClassics.Com Asks: The 6″ Young Justice line is coming along nicely on our shelves, but as we get into the second year, we’re still short Miss Martian. Will the team be completed anytime soon?

    Miss Martian is coming in a 2 pack with her Uncle later this year.

    Editor’s Note: You’re stupid and I hate you.

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