Ask Matty –
January 15th Edition

NoisyDvL5


Ask Matty
January 15th, 2010


1. SilntAngl asks: I think I speak for most of the fans when I say that I love that MOTU Classics follows the blueprint of the vintage MOTU line, but is there room in the line for some new takes on old characters or some all-new characters? Something that we’ve never seen before like a Battle Armor Faker or an Evil Horde-counterpart for Extendar (that could make his parts reusable)?

This is a very cool idea and something we have discussed at Mattel. As the line extends into 2010 and beyond, we may just look into these types of possibilities and maybe add A-List bonus figures on a quarterly basis. What do you fans think? Would you prefer a Battle Armor Faker over* say, Dragon Blaster Skeletor as an A-list update? What say you?

* – Editor’s Note: Over? I dream of a world where Battle Armor Faker, Dragon Blaster Skeletor, and Laser Light He-Man live in disharmony on my toy shelves! -ND5


2. Mr. Rant asks: Recently, Toy Guru gave He-Man.Org members the chance to weigh-in on the solution to the female MOTUC figures neck stability, but both choices would take something away from the figure. If the joint works successfully on the male figures, why can’t that technique be applied to the female figures? For my part, I can’t see a good reason to limit the articulation on a $20 figure.

The female neck is too thin to make the head both removable and fully articulated.

3. Manekochan asks: We’ve already seen a few of the different 90s era Superman costumes, but what are some alternate versions of Superman that you’d like to see in the line?

A lot of us at Mattel would love to get to some Golden Age variants of major characters in time.


4. Noisy asks: We loved the wave 13 pictures that debuted in last month’s ToyFare, but Superboy’s costume is painted incorrectly. The neck and shoulders should be black as seen in this picture to the right. Is there still time to get the paint master changed to the correct colors?

We’ve actually already made this change! Good catch.

5. Vault asks: Does Mattel look at upcoming DC multimedia projects and try to add related characters that they do have license to into the line? Specifically, something like the Jonah Hex film set to debut next year. Does that help his chances to see a DC Classics release?

Yes, we do look at future projects from DC. While we may not be doing a Jonah Hex line, having a movie does make it more of a possibility to include him, or any other characters in the Classics line to coincide.

Stay Connected with IAT

While we’ve got your attention, we wanted to point out a couple new features we’ve added here at IAT. Over the last few days, you may have noticed a new “Connect with IAT” box up there on the right side of the page with a steadily growing number of little icons. We figured it was finally time to make better use of the 21st century internet and expand beyond our meager high school HTML comfort zone. In addition to being able to subscribe to our RSS feed a few different ways, you can also follow us on Twitter & Facebook.

Our Twitter updates include important tidbits of information not big enough for columns, some in-store photos of the interesting things we find, and our occasional attempt at witty commentary. For our Facebook page, we’ll be uploading “behind the scenes” photo albums with stories of how we arrived at some of our favorite Amusing Articulations. And we’ll be posting more exclusive Facebook content as we get our ducks in a row.

The first button though, is our newest on-site feature, the Green Room. We had planned to launch a message board with the opening of the blog, but we left the forum out of sight because we weren’t sure where we wanted to go with it. Did we want to heavily promote it as part of the blog? Did we want to funnel comments into the forums instead of at the end of the articles? Did the internet really need another toy forum when we already have so many fantastic ones? We couldn’t decide. So we kept it running in the background. Mostly for IAT personnel, a few regular commenters, and the occasional person who happened to stumble across it. We used the last few months as a sort of test drive. Now that we’ve ironed out the kinks and gotten a handle on how it works* we’ve decided we’re ready to open the Green Room to all our readers. Our plan is to keep it simple, just one small forum for our readers to kick back and enjoy.

* – It’s a little to known fact that a PHPBB board has four million and thirty-seven settings.

We do love reading your comments and all the IAT staff will still be responding at the end of the articles to your shared thoughts and concerns. But we’d also like to invite you a little deeper into the website so that we can get to know you and your fellow IATers. We think it’s a good step forward for the site and we hope it will be a fun ride for all of us.


Ask Mattel Around the Web:

62 thoughts on “Ask Matty –
January 15th Edition”

  2. Why would we have to pick between the two? That’s ridiculous. I want both of those, Matty.

  3. That Battle Armor Faker is awesome!! I’ve talked about new characters at the .Org a few times, but those fans suck. They just want their old toys updated and don’t want new things. 🙁

    With Matty asking us to choose, I fear they’d all pick that lame lizard hauling Skeletor over that sweet Faker.

    1. Well, after Adora’s sell out today, they can’t malign POP anymore!

      They still will though.

      1. Is there another good He-Man place to hang out besides the .Org? I used to love the place back in 200x (when everyone was happy with the new product), but the MOTUC line has made fans of POP/NA/200x feel like refugees in hostile territory.

  5. There’s no reason we should have to pick between either an old character or a new one. It’s not like a BA Faker would take any new pieces. How stupid.

    1. Yep. It’s a false choice. And based on the current nostalgia temperature of the .Org this question is basically designed to defeat BA Faker.

    1. Thank you for your opinion, but you shouldn’t call my wife a moron. 😉

      If it gets made and you don’t like it, don’t buy it. No reason to deny the rest of the world based on personal preferences, right?

    3. Get a life. You’ve no right going around and insulting others just because you don’t like a toy.

  7. The thing is that MOTU is for a bunch of 25-30 yr old nerds. It is a nostalgia line. New concepts and new characters can check themselves at the door. They’re not needed.

    1. I find that opinion to be rather sad. I thought we loved the toy line as kids because of the infinite possibilities.

      Is it appropriate that we’ve grown up and now want the adult version to be as restricted as possible? Nothing new?

    2. So you’re basically saying that you want He-Man to die out when it’s fans do.

      Shouldn’t Mattel try and get new fans interested and expand the mythos with new characters and concepts?

      1. Pshaw! We’ve already skipped a couple generations since then, what’s a few more?

        Speaking of, it’s sad that MOTU is so far below its fellow 80s standouts.

  8. Battle Armor Faker AND Dragon Blaster Skeletor, please please PLEASE!! I never had a He-Ro or a Green Goddess figure in my ’80s Masters line (or Adora in PoP), but that doesn’t mean that new twists and clever alternates should be made unwelcome in this all-encompassing New Line! Bring it!! :^)

    1. Yep. I’m for both. Matty needs to stop giving MOTU fans these ridiculous either/or decisions. It’s not like if everyone said “we want BA Faker” we would kill the possibility of DB Skeletor.

  9. Big yes to Battle Armor Faker! There is room in his line for new interpretations.

    And, Noisy, I’m still mad at you for making me want Horror Cat!

  10. I don’t know if I want a Battle Armor Faker, but I have to say that is some great photoshop work. For a second, you had me thinking it was real. Good job!

  11. Glad to hear Superboy is fixed, that was buggin me.

    Guess Toy Guru doesn’t want anymore Superman costumes in the line.

      1. I still demand 90s WarWorld Gladiator Superman!

        and while I don’t collect MOTU, I can only point out to them HASBRO has no problem with this with the last few female Marvel Legends (Elektra, Maria Hill/Sharon Carter).

        1. Gladiator Superman would be cool.

          I think it’s funny that almost every other toy company out there has figured out how to do ball jointed heads except Mattel.

          1. What was it? Matty just need to call up Mr. Pototahead and ask how to do ball-jointed necks?? LOL 😀

            I want Hunter-Prey Superman, Superman Red/Blue (classic), oh and Justice Lords Superman.

            1. They almost got the H-P Superman once, giving him that head as a metallic variant in DCSH. I think that was “Kal-El Superman”?

              I removed his cape and recently added a Mother Box (via clear rubber band) to his shoulder and have him with my “Reign” set in my display with DD, w6 Regen, Steel, SuperGirl and DCD Kon-El (which I’m still liking over the DCUC version with glasses).

  13. Hey! Where’s the outrage over the “non-answer” to the interchangeable heads on MOTUC females? 😛

    But yeah, I want BA Faker. 😀

    But I want him with more orange! Moooore oooooorange! 🙂

  14. i certainly embrace the new, when it makes sense… but i’d again like to add, i want new sculpts… so AFTER i get extendar, i’ll take BA faker, and then dragon blaster skeletor.

    and yes lay-ze, i too noticed, “the girl’s neck’s are too thin,” which isn’t the answer. the neck’s are indeed thinner, but w/ teela and the goddess so far, the diameter of the peg isn’t the problem, it’s the fit into the neck hole… the nevk hole itself is too big!! all they have to do is fill it in a little! if the super glue trick works (and it does) then mattel can FIX the problem… what do we have to do, have noisy crack open a female torso and break down this problem for them too?

    1. I gotta crack open another figure? Man…

      In all instances the neck problems arise from the sudden inability to to make a ball snugly fit into a neck socket.

      Hey, if the neck is too thin – then aren’t they blaming the 4H? LOL

  15. I think a lot of the MOTUC (and DCUC, too I reckon) problems would likely be helped if they sent the 4H pre-production samples with ample time to address issues like that.

    Just sayin’, probably wouldn’t hurt to have the guys who sculpt and engineer the things give ’em a once over. 😉

  16. At least you MOTUC fans get real responses to most of your questions and Matty seems to be MUCH more interested in getting MOTUC fan’s input about the line. Just look at the way they handled the Supes question…pretty typical. They consulted the MOTUC fans about the Moss Man and the lack of flocking or articulation. For DCUC fans, they just gave us a pic of Black Canary with real stockings, which was cool, but neglected to mention that they had eliminated her hip articulation. Same thing for the upcoming Mary Marvel fig…just nixed it…no questioning of the fans on what they wanted or what was more appropriate to the character. They did it again with the thigh swivel on Kilowog…never asked. Just took the articulation out and thumbed their noses up at the fans. But with MOTUC, at least they are giving you a say…it may be a non-choice, but at least they respect that fan base enough to ask what they want regarding the female neck joint and the future characters for that matter with the BA Faker and what not.

    I’d just like to point out that they also made some awesome looking stands for the MOTUC figs…where was all the design input on the DCUC stands?!?!?!?

    No hatin’ on MOTUC, but I’m just asking where’s the love for the DCUC fans? Both lines are “collector” lines…or do we need to shell out an extra $5 bucks per fig for that type of access?

    Lee

    1. You make some even more excellent points in the vein of Mr. Rant’s article on Tuesday.
      The purposefully removed articulation was a surprise. I didn’t know about Mary yet, that’s disappointing. The stands are another great point. Those blue discs don’t hold up at all to the Grayskull base.

      I guess that’s what $5 extra a fig buys ya.

      1. Just to be clear, they didn’t eliminate the articulation of Mary Marvel’s hips…they eliminated her ab crunch…and from the latest reports, they may have well had eliminated Iron’s as well due to the rubber tunic limiting his ab crunch articulation as well.

        Well, if you read Fwoosh’s recent Q&A from Scott (Toy Guru), they state that MOTUC is one of his pet projects that he refused to let go. So even though he is off of DCUC and DCIH, he will continue to lead the helm on MOTUC…good news for MOTUC fans.

    2. This is something I’ve pointed out since MC began, it’s geared more towards MOTU than any other line. Sure they sell/sold DC lines and Cars, but they rarely seem to acknowledge DCUC or JLU and I often forget they have Cars available unless I check the site. Whether this is in-house favoritism or some snag in their deal with DC, I don’t know.

      And if I’m paying $15 retail for these,now, I want flight stands and decent articulation on ALL the figures! It’s like they think we forgot we were only paying $10 a year ago for these! I used to buy extras for custom fodder*, but I can’t afford to anymore.

      *3x Kalibak – one reg, one SP repaint, and still haven’t gotten around to that Ulik custom on third, which req’d an extra hairy arm and hand swappage.
      3x Atom-Smasher – one reg, one Colossal Boy, one tbd
      2x Grodd – reg and Solivar, which an RTMer helped me finish with an Aqua-arm, and paid $$$ for HQ online!
      NONE of these would have been possible at $15 a fig. I still can’t complete Chemo and have given up on adding to Giganta’s arm and leg.

      1. I want to say $15 is finally my upper limit, even though I remember seeing MLs at $15 last year and thinking that was outrageous and now I’m buying them at the price.

        I think it helps because I’m buying full waves at $100-120 so I don’t know it that much. I just lose a chunk of money and get a bunch of toys for it.

        And MC is really for MOTU. It’s the only place to get anything MOTU while DC fans can get their fix a lot of other places.

  17. “The female neck is too thin to make the head both removable and fully articulated.”

    Translation: “We don’t know how to do that.”

    Solution: Ask someone who does. SotA Toys gave all their Street Fighters, female and male, poseable, interchangeable heads, and the female necks were not remotely thick. Japanese companies like Kaiyodo and Max Factory do this stuff all the time. I’m sure there are other examples, because it’s not that hard. Put in the effort, or admit you can’t be bothered. There is no impossible.

    1. yeah, i’d fire the boys at mattel some in scale photos of revoltech girls, assemble borgs, microman, SOTA chun li, just ot name a few and inquire why these figs at a MUCH smaller scale can have swappable heads, but teela is apparently like asking primitive egyptians to build a pyramid… oh, wait.

      better yet, send them some photos of puma punku. ancient people figured out to accurately cut rectilinear blocks w/out writing and transport 85 ton stones 20 miles without the wheel. FIX HER FRIGGIN NECK!

      besides, the weakness they’re complaining about refers to the shaft, which isn’t the problem… the balls are the problem, and they to be just a tad larger!

      1. They’ve lost the ability to make the cavity and the ball the right size in relation to one another. That’s why putting glue or bands down in the neck cavity fix the figure.

        I assume that’s also what led to the infarmous triple barbell in DC Classics since none of those three balls were the right to size to fit the neck cavity.

        Make the balls bigger and the shaft stronger and the women figures will come out just right*

        (*-I’ve been hanging around dayraven too much)

  18. Leave it to Matty to focus on their thin shafts and know nothing about big balls.

  19. “The female neck is too thin to make the head both removable and fully articulated. ”

    Oh really?
    “Cause I got a couple Figmas at home that handle that quite well, and they’re tiny, with little tiny necks, and they can handle articulation and interchanging fine.

  20. I don’t know if I completely agree. However, you do make a good point. Perhaps I can blog a response opposing your statement.

  21. Hey, I have been a lurker around your blog for a few months. I love your writing and your entire website! Keep it up!

Comments are closed.