{"id":3497,"date":"2010-01-20T11:00:57","date_gmt":"2010-01-20T17:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=3497"},"modified":"2012-04-18T21:53:59","modified_gmt":"2012-04-19T02:53:59","slug":"truetorial-is-there-room-for-new-characters-in-motu-classics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=3497","title":{"rendered":"Truetorial: Is There Room for
New Characters in MOTU Classics?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last month, the IAT staff sat down and beat out our Jan 15th Mattel questions. We bounced around a few ideas and, like we always do, we got off track. This time talking about Masters of the Universe Classics and the future of the line. Vault had done a little spreadsheet work and came up with a rough estimate of how many figures Mattel would be putting into the line if they fulfilled their 2016 goal including monthlies, quarterly bonuses, convention exclusives, and subscription exclusives. Then he made a list of all the previously released MOTU toys and added in some likely non-Filmation candidates that didn\u2019t get a toy but could be done now. Vault was surprised to find that the numbers turned out to be about the same. <\/p>\n

This got us talking. Was Mattel working off a similar list to the one Vault created? Did they work in reverse, counting the characters and then the months to arrive at the rough 2016 estimate? We talked at length about if the line could last that long, if they could stretch out key characters long enough to keep interest, or if 2016 would be the year of the unknowns. But we came up with a new concern too. What about new characters?<\/p>\n

We discussed and all agreed that we were interested in seeing some new ideas coming out of MOTU Classics. That became our leadoff question. We came up with a couple great new character ideas, but we had to face facts. It\u2019d be a lot harder to come up with a new character, say, Infringor, and then ask Mattel to make it. That\u2019s just not going to happen. No, any new character will have to spin out of Mattel or 4H Studios. So we changed up a bit and went for a mash-up of two old ideas: Battle Armor Faker. That\u2019s something that we could create an excellent Photoshop of without creating any legal issues if Mattel chose to make it. Still, we threw out one idea \u2013 an Evil Horde counterpart to Extendar that would reuse some of the new pieces he will require and get more use out of his tooling. <\/p>\n

Response was, let\u2019s say\u2026 mixed. Some fans were as excited at the possibility as we were. Others liked it, but were reserved about how it should be handled. But there were others that outright objected to it; claiming that \u201cnew\u201d has no place in MOTU Classics. My co-contributor, Mr. Rant, let his feelings on the subject<\/a> be known yesterday. I agree with him. While opinions are welcome, those fans that want to limit the line are, simply put, wrong. <\/p>\n

The attacks on the request for new characters were the same excuses we\u2019re hearing from people campaigning against the inclusion of POP, NA, and 200x. They\u2019re neither novel nor varied. The first and most tired defense, that the line is called \u201cClassics\u201d, is immediately worthless upon submission. Mattel has made it clear, for those paying attention, that the title is about the style of the figures and has no impact on character selection. There can be a Classic Ice Armor He-Man even though that\u2019s a 200x design. And let me tell you, if and when they do get to him, it\u2019s going to be an awesome figure. The Classics title means nothing. If you\u2019re using it as a defense, you\u2019re sitting in the Alamo for close-minded MOTU fans. <\/p>\n

Then, there\u2019s the nostalgia angle. Honestly, I get this one. I do. I\u2019m a Super Powers kid buying DC Classics. I love getting the updated characters. I love the nostalgia feeling they create. If I thought for a second that Extendar\u2019s potential evil brother would rob me of Roboto or Snout Spout, I might say no too. But I\u2019m not going to live in fear.<\/p>\n

This is similar to DC Classics and the \u201cQuest for Martian Manhunter!\u201d\u00ae. From the looks of it, we won\u2019t be getting that long-time member of the Justice League until around the 17th wave. He\u2019s likely to be the 200th or so figure in that line. Let me say that again, two hundredth figure. He would have been in my first ten. But that\u2019s how it goes in these toy lines. I don\u2019t look at Shark, Killer Moth, or Commander Steel and get upset that I might not get Martian Manhunter. I have faith that they\u2019ll get to him. I have the same faith for MOTU. They\u2019ll get to these guys. If they don\u2019t, you ask? Well, all these paranoid feelings of which characters aren\u2019t going to get made can wait. They\u2019ll be an eternity after the line ends to hash out who did and didn\u2019t belong. <\/p>\n

Finally, there\u2019s the \u201cwell, I don\u2019t want\u201d attack. This one is a great one and, truthfully, it works for each of us on a personal level. But it doesn\u2019t work overall. Suffice to say, I\u2019m in agreement with Mr. Rant on this. No one fan\u2019s vision of MOTU should be able to restrict it for others. I\u2019m not interested in what figures you don\u2019t want. There\u2019s some I don\u2019t want too, but somewhere someone has a list of likes and dislikes opposite of mine and we cancel each other out. Our opinions are negated. <\/p>\n

I\u2019m sure there are more reasons why not, but those are the big three and I consider the naysayers struck out. The MOTU line needs new characters and here are three reasons why. <\/p>\n

First up, it helps make the line more profitable. If Mattel is looking at characters like Ram Man or Extendar and balking because they see one figure requiring a bunch of one-off parts, then lets tell them it\u2019s okay to reuse some of those parts. We used Extendar as our example \u2013 suggesting he receive an Evil Horde counterpart. Our reason for this was simple \u2013 he was created by Hordak and it seems logical that Hordak would try again. Hordak tries again a lot, in fact. If they take the Extendar buck and follow the new chest armor, new head, new accessory paradigm to give us a new character \u2013 it will fit canon nicely, it will look great on your Horde shelf, and it gives Mattel a reason to extend the line past that 2016 cutoff. <\/p>\n

My second reason is a simple one. To give the Four Horsemen a reward for all the hard work they do, to let them have a stamp on the franchise bigger than what they\u2019re doing now. We\u2019ve seen these gentlemen sculpt a few different versions of a lot of these characters. They have faithfully given us three different Evil Lyns, for example, and there\u2019s likely more of her to come. But I want to see what they do when let loose. From reading about and talking to the Four Horsemen, I can guarantee you there are new character designs for MOTU floating around those studios. I say let the 4H have the reign to do them. As far as I\u2019m concerned, no 4H fan should be against this idea. If you balked at our idea of an Evil Horde counterpart to Extendar when we first suggested it, you didn\u2019t think about it. It would be a Four Horsemen Evil Horde counterpart to Extendar. They would ensure it was awesome and gruesome at the same time. <\/p>\n

Third, that\u2019s what the original line was all about. There\u2019s a bunch of barbarians and sorcerers in a line with robots, aliens, alien robots, ninjas, monsters, and a cowboy! There\u2019s a cowboy. Vintage MOTU was a line that could have anything in it. It was about coming up with a crazy figure and working it into the line. That\u2019s why we loved it as kids. Sure, we might have objected to the man with a mechanical elephant head (I didn\u2019t) or to that aforementioned cowboy (I didn\u2019t), but we all surely had at least one of the out there ones as a favorite. <\/p>\n

It makes me sad to think that that inclusiveness, so pivotal to the original line is so unwanted today. If you want MOTU Classics to only make your favorite old figures then you\u2019re limiting it to be the greatest homage line. If you open it up to the other MOTU shows (which Mattel has done, that boat has sailed) and to a handful of new 4H-created characters then it can fulfill its own promise and be a great line overall. <\/p>\n

I think that last one is where it gets me most. MOTU Classics, in my opinion, is the be-all of MOTU toys. I\u2019m sure that are still innovations to come in the action figure aisle and future toys will do amazing things, but I\u2019m going to get too old to be interested in Ultra Action Multi-Action Re-Action Figures or Holo-articulation. I\u2019m confident enough to say that MOTUC will forever be the right balance between the original mythos and the way I want an action figure to be. It\u2019s my desire is to see this toy line be as complete as possible. And I won\u2019t consider it complete unless it has some of its own unique characters to showcase what the line can do. A figure that will always indelibly be a MOTU Classic.<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s agree to try and make that happen. I\u2019m positive Mattel will be more than happy to test out my theory, it\u2019s good for them. I’d bet the 4H wouldn’t mind either. And it\u2019s good for fans too \u2013 if we\u2019ll let it be. So, let\u2019s tell Mattel through our Q&A\u2019s, reviews, and feedback that we\u2019re interested in a little expansion. Don\u2019t worry that Battle Armor Faker will knock off Dragon Blast Skeletor, because it won\u2019t. They won\u2019t purposefully make one figure and then not another. Still, I can\u2019t tell you that the line will go on forever and I can\u2019t tell you that you will absolutely get that obscure character you want, but I can tell you that we shouldn\u2019t live in fear of which ones aren\u2019t made. That can be debated ad nauseum once the line does end. <\/p>\n

Ram Man is probably the most requested character that needs a lot of tooling. Let’s try and improve his timetable by letting Mattel know we’re willing to buy a new character made from those new pieces so they can double the value of the tooling. I promise you that, in the Four Horsemen’s hands, we can expect a lot more than a repaint of Ram Man with gold armor. Just look at our Steppenwolf review<\/a> from Monday to see how different the 4H can make two figures using the same basic parts and a few new ones. I know that they can find a way to reuse those Ram Man pieces and create something most of us we\u2019ll love.<\/p>\n

Finally, just think of it in terms of the old wedding tradition. We have something borrowed (Wun-Dar). We have something blue (Faker). We have something old (Goddess). Now, it\u2019s time for something new. And I for one can\u2019t wait to see what they can come up with… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last month, the IAT staff sat down and beat out our Jan 15th Mattel questions. We bounced around a few ideas and, like we always do, we got off track. This time talking about Masters of the Universe Classics and the future of the line. Vault had done a little spreadsheet work and came up […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[7,10,201],"tags":[411,114,2562,78,20,16,2563,2560,2580],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pObc6-Up","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":31061,"url":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=31061","url_meta":{"origin":3497,"position":0},"title":"Mattel Announces MOTU Classics & Ghostbusters SDCC Exclusives","date":"May 7, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "Ghostbusters"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8661,"url":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=8661","url_meta":{"origin":3497,"position":1},"title":"Truetorial: Mattel’s Meddling Middle Management","date":"August 19, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"You may have heard over the weekend that the 200x Whiplash head caused a bit of commotion in the Mattel offices and the 200x heads can no longer be included in the line. By itself, this might not be big news, but I think it's part of a larger issue.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "MOTUClassics"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13133,"url":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=13133","url_meta":{"origin":3497,"position":2},"title":"We did it!!! SDCCExclusive Battle Armor Faker","date":"July 1, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"In a press release today, Toys R Us and Entertainment Earth revealed a handful of shared SDCC\/online exclusives. There's plenty of cool items from several hot toy lines, but there's one you know is near and dear to my heart. A DC vs MOTU 2pk featuring Bizarro facing off against...\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "MOTUClassics"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/newsimages\/Bizarro-vs-Faker.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":23298,"url":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=23298","url_meta":{"origin":3497,"position":3},"title":"Mattel Announces Stonedar & Rokkon Two-Pack for SDCC 2013!","date":"April 29, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"All this week, Mattel will be revealing their SDCC Exclusives for their collector brands. As you\u2019d expect from the site\u2019s content, I\u2019m interested in the MOTU & DC Exclusives \u2013 luckily, Mattel revealed the MOTUC Exclusive first! This year\u2019s SDCC Exclusive is a bit of a surprise \u2013 a 2pk\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "MOTUClassics"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9787,"url":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=9787","url_meta":{"origin":3497,"position":4},"title":"Happy Roboto Day!","date":"October 15, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The 15th is here & while shiny, probably reversed shouldered, Robotos are already making their way to the IAT offices, there's still that little matter of the actual sale today. It's just Roboto & some Zodac leftovers not cool enough for Cyber Monday. What will you try & get? Join\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "MOTUClassics"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6725,"url":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=6725","url_meta":{"origin":3497,"position":5},"title":"8 Things… Mattel should do for MOTU Classics","date":"June 25, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Every month Mattel unleashes another MOTU Classics figure and every month it sells out within minutes. Collectors seems to love this line. It\u2019s hard not to - classically styled versions of the inhabitants of Eternia rendered by the Four Horsemen. These figures are the perfect mix of nostalgia and modern\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8 Things..."","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3497"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3497"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3497\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18304,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3497\/revisions\/18304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}