Ask Mattel September “15th”
& Link Round-Up

NoisyDvL5



Ask Matty – September “15th” Edition

DCClassics.Com Asks: On the Mattycollector forums, Matty Justice League said that Dark Knight Rises product will continue into 2013. Does that continuance currently include more Movie Masters?

The Dark Knight Rises line will continue as primarily a kid line at Toys R Us, but there will be a Movie Masters 3 pack with Batman from each of the three movies.

MOTUClassics.Com Asks: We know the decision regarding the size of the the 2014 MOTU subscription is months off, but will collectors be told once it is finalized or will we have to wait for the panel at SDCC 2013?

We will not have this to announce until close to SDCC 2013 (or at the show more likely)

MOTUClassics.Com Asks: Recent MOTUC figures have been molded in black plastic and then painted over to the match other pieces molded in the proper colors. Is this the “new normal” going forward?

There is no “rule”. It is a design choice on a figure-by-figure basis.

DCClassics.Com Asks: Will the 2013 Club Infinite Earths subscription still use the artwork of Mike Thompson to be consistent with the 2012 packaging?

Yes. That is the plan at this time, but anything can change.

DCClassics.Com Asks: The Red Robin & Superboy figures have come out quite a bit taller (and debatedly out of scale) than the figures as originally shown. For example, Superboy Prime is bigger than Superman. What happened there?

MattyJusticeLeague will look into this and see what he can find.

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NoisyDvL5

31 thoughts on “Ask Mattel September “15th”
& Link Round-Up”

  1. Wouldn’t a Movie Masters three pack of Batman just be three of the same figure? They didn’t make a new figure for rises, right?

    1. There is a unique Begins figure, but I’m pretty sure the Rises figure is just a reissue (maybe slight paint differences?). If I recall, the slide at SDCC showed the DKR figure being unmasked with the broken mask as an accessory, but I’d have to check on that.

      1. I was just quoting Toyguru (and pointing out how he often contradicts himself). A few weeks ago he was saying it was design decision, but now he admits it was a cost-cutting measure.

        It might be cheaper for Mattel to cast 5000 limbs in black plastic and paint them the appropriate colour, than to make 1000 of each unique coloured plastic for 5 different characters.

    1. I have the figure but have yet to open it, and now I’m kind of regretting the purchase. You’d think with the cost of materials on the rise, Mattel would want to make sure that no figures come out too big.

      1. The cost of materials are on the rise. Superboy Prime has a lot of reuse with him. His legs are a tad long, and the belt is thick and adds height to him.

        Same with Red Robin. They cut costs by reusing parts, as opposed to molding all new parts that looked like ones they had, only smaller. Also, his belt adds height to him too.

        It’s unfortunate, but there is a reason behind it.

  8. So, MattyJusticeLeague is going to look into the height problem, and do what, exactly?
    (probably nothing, except re-release RR and Superboy as “All” All-Stars figures with the correct height.)Good Grief…

  9. this black pvc is under all figures it seems up from this summer throughout all subscriptions figures. i bet they just a ton of black pvc and shoot it through all the tools to cut costs on all the parts that get reused until end of the year.
    It just happens to occur that even the recent Voltron figures are patially overpainted black PVC, i bet DCU has it too. I bet this going on since Horde Prime and all coming figs share the same PVC from this batch.
    i say that’s from efficiently viewpoint quite good thinking but it would be cool if the paint wouldn’t suck.

    1. “…but it would be cool if the paint wouldn’t suck.”

      And there’s the problem. Paint is going to come off. And now that Mattel says they aren’t going to reissue any characters made after Man-E-Faces, that setting us up for a fair few figures who will get dinged and look cheap and shoddy in years to come. Even if you’re ultra-careful, these figures WILL pick up damage, even if it’s just from falling over due to weak ankles.

      Quality control, my pert, muscular backside. What I want to know is: since we’re paying more for these figures now, who’s pocketing the difference from this “cost-cutting” measure?

  11. The ONLY reason why i would buy a Lucious Fox figure is so i can make a custom Easy Reader and DJ Mel Mounds from the Electric Company.

  12. um, did y’all see this from the greatrebellion Q&A?

    “Arthur asks: Very impressed with Strobo and Jitsu. Any chance of repaints of Jitsu’s armor and Strobo’s cape to recreate the vintage King Randor look?

    Matty: You can just buy the Classics Randor figure we released 2 years ago!”

    we can? how exactly does mattel intend for us to purchase this figure? ebay? i get what they’re saying, they kitbashed the parts he likes from the two figures he named from the randor figured they named… but i can’t “just buy” the randor figure, or at least, not from them.

      1. He’s got a point though. What kind of answer is this? Mattel could have answered it better, like “We released Randor two years ago based on the vintage figure, however we currently do not have any in stock and we are no longer re-producing older figures.”

        1. It seems Matty has this unusual feeling that pushing the secondary seller market = HUGE WIN for Mattel. This is the first overt expression of it I’ve seen, even if they don’t outright say “eBay, sucker!!”.

          I don’t understand this. But then again there’s so much about how Mattel operates I don’t understand. Like shortpacking and ‘treasure hunt’ packouts. These concepts are meant to make a retailer order more product to satisfy customers yet objective reality shows retailers are adverse to spending money on product where 90% sits on the pegs. (Hot Wheels not included because damn, kids love them some Hot Wheels and they’re still mostly cheap. The higher end $5 and up Hot Wheels, see above.)

          Blargh.

  13. Well, I for one am going to sleep much easier knowing that “MattyJusticeLeague” is on the case. I’m picturing some hard-boiled gumshoe in a trenchcoat and fedora skulking around Mattel’s Headquarters ala The Question, accusing interns and big- wigs with equal disdain. And if that’s not what’s happening, then please don’t ruin it for me. Hey Noisy, one of next month’s “Ask Matty” questions has to automatically be “So, what did your boy MattyJusticeLeague come up with?”. If for no other reason than just to eff with them.

  14. Thanks for bringing up the paint-over-black-plastic issue. Now all we need is enough people complaining about it so that Mattel BENDS TO OUR WILL AND MAKES TOP-QUALITY ACTION FIGURES.

    And when I start typing like a raving supervillain, it’s time for bed.

  15. I would like to know if the ghostbusters line is still active, and if it is, what plans do the have?

    1. It is not active. There was a question a while back asking pretty much that. They’re done with figures, and are focusing on prop replicas. They’ve made all the marketable characters, and even several of them sold horribly.

    2. Well they still have that last Ray (because the powers that be have a hard-on for him) with the other Scolari brother so there is that!

  16. This month’s answers from every website are the most retarded responses ever. It is like now that we have signed up for their clubs for next year they no longer care about being civil because they have our money locked in.

    Hell, the black plastic stuff just start cropping up and they are just blowing off our concerns with it.

  17. Pingback: dccollectors.com Ask Matty September 15th 2012 Edition

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