MOTUC Q&A - Thread Archivio

Ragazzi d'ora in poi postiamo qui le Questions and Answers!

Sino ad oggi le ho accorpate nelle News, ma è meglio tenerle tutte qui ;)

1. Matty – we know that Ram Man was an expensive figure to produce due to all the new tooling, but what about General Tataran, King Ahgo and Grox? Those guys can use Ram Man parts to help the cost and MOTUC needs some trolls and goblins like crazy! Don’t forget about them!

At this point with a dwindling audience the chances of getting to fully tool’d Filmation characters is a bit less. Not off the table, but honestly we’d rather do fan demanded figures like Sea Hawk, Icer and Strongarm vs Grox at this point. Maybe one day!

2. I am a little concerned about how the chance to FINALLY get FILMation characters might be slipping away now with so much focus being put on the vintage line. Do you have plans for these characters to get them out? Don’t forget about fans of Filmation and those that want more than just the vintage cast.

Yes, we have a plan!

3. I really appreciate you adding Elasti-Girl to the 2012 line-up. Now I know that Bill in design is a big Doom Patrol fan so make sure that he and everyone else don’t foget about MENTO! The Doom Patrol is not complete yet!

And don’t forget the Chief!

4. We got three females in the Club IE in 2012, since there are more months covered in the 2013 program, can we expect to see more than three females in 2013?

Time will tell. Remember, in 2012 we also had oversized figure slots and one was female. Without these additional slots (due to fewer and fewer sub holders) we have less overall slots for all.

5. Thanks for getting us a sticker sheet for the Great Rebellion. How about some for the Evil Warriors and the Heroic Warriors? The two most important factions are the only ones without stickers/logos!

Maybe in time. Nothing to announce right now.

1. Arvulis: In 2014, might we still expect to see some MYP/200X characters (like Prahvus or Calix), essential concepts (like Eldor or Horde Mummy) and Filmation (like Batros or Scorpia) or will the shift be completely vintage motu/vintage pop/vintage na?

Right now it is too early to tell since we don't know how many skus we will have in 2014. But we will do our best to make every sku count!

2. The Fallen: Is the missing ball from King He-Man's crown an intential design choice or a broken prototype?

It was broken on the prototype. The final fig will have balls on all the crown points!

3. Jun-Yor: You pledged to get thru the remaining Vintage line, PoP mainstays and NA mainstays in 2014. How might you plan on achieving this in a 12-month period, given 3 dozen characters spring to mind? Would 2-packs be an option, even as early as 2013?

We will still do our best to get to as many vintage figures as possible and will make every slot count, but in order to have enough skus to really get to ALL the vintage figs we needed much closer to a 100% renewal rate. At the current 2013 sub rate (which was just a smidge over the bare min) it is unlikely we will be able to do as big a line as we did in 2011 and 2012. It is still too early to know how many slots we will get in 2014 (which again will be based on sell in of the 2013sub) but we will make every slot we get count!

4. Loo-Kee: Kowl was a huge player in the Great Rebellion, almost in every episode, and one of my favorites as a kid. Would he (or Loo-Kee) come with a figure as was the case with Orko & Adam? Would he be articulated like Orko? I don't want these guys to be static.

There are a lot of options to get Kowl out but we just don't have concrete plans yet. He is on our hot list to get into the line as soon as possible!

5. Coptur: We know you don't like to discuss plans involving other companies but would Mattel ever consider having any Master of the Universe characters appear within Wizkids/Neca's Heroclix game?

Sorry, this isn't something we can comment on.

PlanetEternia.de

With 2013 subs being so low, wouldn't now finally be the time to offer different subscription, f.e. one that only includes 12 regular figures, and one that includes quarterly items?

That is certainly one options but we are just not close enough to 2014 to make that call.

Why can Mattel not offer a preorder system for "holiday items"? The Four Horsemen already have sculpted the Battle Ram anyway, and it's not too hard to show what a green Granamyr would look like.

It actually is a lot harder as it requires design resources to do something like this.

At one point, Toyguru explained that relatively obscure characters wouldn't be possible to do without the subscriptions. But if you already know that demand for those figures is rather low (and thus not a good draw to sell subscriptions), why does Mattel produce those characters at all?

In order to have the most complete line as possible. A complete line includes both A listers and D listers and our goal has always been to get to as many figs as possible. Both A list and D list figs were strategically sprinkles throughout the line from day 1 to overall maximize the number of total figures.

Why do accessoires need to have "China" printed on them? It looks just ugly on Spikor's mace and tridents!

It is a legal requirement, not a design choice.

What about doing an official poll that shows Mattel why customers did not subscribe for 2013 and what kinds of products the fans really want?

Why not? You can start one anytime.



GreatRebellion.org

DO4M asks: How about a "Secret of the Sword" non-sub 2 pack! Adam in Filmation colors and Adora with the Cap'n Glenn inspired vest. Toss in a few extra accessories on it like a "Horde Belt" for Adoraand maybe a Certain Little Know-it-Owl to boost the reasons for wanting this pack!

A cool idea but no plans right now to announce

Skell-skells asks: Is there any chance of getting the modified removable tunic used on Queen Marlena's Captain Genn outfit released in Adora's colours, either as a "secret accessory" with another figure, or in a future Weapon's Pak?

No plans right now but cool idea.

Ealo.krill asks: With the chance of the 2014 MOTUC sub being reduced in size, will we need to wait until SDCC2013 to find out how big or small the 2014 MOTUC sub is?

Based on the extremely low sell in of the 2013 sub it is likely if there is a 2014 line it will be smaller compared to 2011 or 2012. We needed closer to a 100% renewal rate to keep 2014 as big as 2013.

Arthur asks: Matty, you often tell us POP fans that we're more louder than numerous. Ever thought on releasing a numbered limited series of POP three packs at higher prices to finish off POP? Sure if you can do a sub for 6 figures a year you can do one for say 2 yearly 3-packs at $150 each or so.

No, we do not have plans for something like this. We'll be excited to see how Frosta sells to see how big the POP fan base is!

MOTULA.org

Scott, all the M.O.T.U.C. fans, we are a lot, we're all worried about the fact that, in all the videos to save the line and promote the 2013 sub, you said that in 2014 we would get all the vintage figures. Once the sub goal was reached, you said in Matty forums that in 2014 we would get less figures, then how is it gonna be possible to complete all the figures? I'd like you to clear that point, there has been confusion and anger in others, I'd like to know your opinion.

From Toyguru:

"Allow me to clarify! In order to have enough slots for a full robust line in 2014 like we did in 2011-2013, we needed close to 100% renewal for the 2013 sub. (and my sincere apologies for not making this clear). At the actual sub numbers for 2013, which was just a smidge above the bare min (and about 50% lower than any other year) it is unknown if we will get enough slots from management in 2014 to truly finish every vintage fig. What we will do is be true too our word and "throw out" the long term roadmap and make sure every slot in 2014 gets us closer to finishing the vintage line. Whether we have enough slots to do this is based on the sub sales for 2013 and they were much lower vs. any other year. Hope that helps!"

Is it totally out of the map a Filmation Hordak variant for 2013? Considering that there won't be so many variants like previous years.

He would still be a great variant and a main Filmation character but no plans to specifically announce right now.

In Marzo's bio it is said that he is a "5th degree wizard". We were expecting that in subsequent bios we would see the "degree" of the rest of the wizards like Skeletor, Hordak, Shadow Weaver, Orko, Sorceress, He-Ro, Evil-Lyn, Hiss, etc... but it didn't happen, it seems the "degree" concept was forgotten or discarded in the canon. So, my questions: Which are the degrees of those wizards? Will we see some day (within MOTUC) the complete ranking (similar to Marzo's degree) for the rest of the wizards?

Yes, we do have all of the rank and this will be revealed in time.

From January 2013, will we be still getting reissues?

It depends on what our stock levels are. We are very rapidly selling out of older product and now that we are not going into production of any reissues, we will only have reissues if stock is left to do this! Many figures are sold out completely at this point.

would consider move Procrustus to another month, different from Granamyr? For cost.

We can't move Procrustus into 2013 as he was developed under the 2012 budget (and part of the 2012 sub) and he won't be ready until Dec. We did try to have Granamyr ready in Sept, but he was such a complicated figure he kept slipping out. Luckily you have several months notice so plenty of time to save up!

Preternia.com

Regarding the surprise accessory that will be handed out at Power-Con, it says in the announcement that it will be available first there … does this mean it will see a release as a pack in somewhere down the line?

Yes, we have more units than we expect to give out at Power Con so likely it will also be given out somewhere else in the future.

With the DC Comics MOTU Origin of Skeletor coming out this year, and the mini-comic next year being Skeletor’s origin as well I assume the two are probably going to be very different?

Yes, they are both quite different.

Skeletor gets a lot of different origin stories that have been told throughout the years, is the mini comic going to specifically tie in to the MOTUC bio’s we continue to read?

Yes, the mini comic will be in the bios cannon.

Has there been a verdict on the final hair color of Castle Greyskullman? He was shown with very blonde, almost Hulkamania hair … but you had mentioned it was probably going to be whiter in production?

It is more green and white than yellow. We will have a close to final sample at Power Con and NYCC.

Will Ram Man’s neck peg be the same as all the other figures in the line so I can stick a Whiplash head on him if I want to?

Yes, the neck peg on Ram Man is the same as every other fig.

Kastor’s Korner

Kastor’s Korner: Jitsu has been shown with two kamas, weapons typically held simultaneously in both hands. Will his gold hand be able to grip a weapon somehow, or will he come with an alternate hand that could hold the second kama?

Mattel: No, Jitsu can not hold a weapon in his chopping hand and he does not come with an alt hand.

Kastor’s Korner: We understand that the entire year’s figures being displayed during the subscription window is not feasible, but what is the reasoning for not revealing the full year’s lineup by name during this time frame? It would seem like the perfect way to help consumers make the most educated decision, and wouldn’t a “lineup subject to change” line be protection against any legal concerns?

Mattel: Look at how upset fans get when they can’t get an accessory shown (remember the fall out over Drago’s dropped accessories). We wouldn’t want to even name a figure if it is not 100% coming out. Fans just get too upset and legal likes to avoid this too.

Kastor’s Korner: The Matty Collector subscription model has been a major experiment over the past few years, with many changes both large and small as you move forward. What specifically are the most important lessons the Matty Collector team has taken away from the recent “close call” with 2013 subs for Club Eternia and Club Infinite Earths?

Mattel: We know we need more improvements in the buying and customer service areas and are actively working on this (as we have been the past few years!)

Infinite Hollywood

1. Did having the actors of Blade and Saurod coming out in support of MOTUC help increase their chances of getting made into figures, any?

Time will tell! We certain feel obligated to them!

2. Obviously MOTUC struggled to meet it's numbers this year, but once we crossed the finish line it seemed to be with a pretty good stride. TG mentioned something new possibly getting greenlit because of the strong finish. Are there always secret projects like this that could be greenlit if sales were stupendous? Perhaps that should have been teased before the sub sign ups were ending.

We didn't want to tease it in case it didn't happen. We hate to disappoint.

3. How big of a challenge was it to get Granamyr made given the smaller production runs and difficulty within Mattel to allow MOTUC more money?

It was very challenging due to the overall low sales of MOTUC (compared to any other Mattel line) but luckily MOTU has a very dedicated team who is are also fans and try push the envelope all the time!

4. Any idea if there will be a Mad Matty sale coming up? Or some sort of sale in October like there was last year on the site?

Nothing to announce right now.

5. Last year you guys skipped C2E2 because of their date change. The year before you had a pretty good presence. Will you be attending C2E2 in 2013? People in the Chicago area really miss Mattel's presence and we want a chance to buy some of those con exclusives!

We are not yet ready to announce our 2013 convention plans. All we can confirm is SDCC 2013 at this time.

MOTUClassics.Com

DCClassics.Com Asks: In regards to the Dark Knight Returns Batman, the shoulders (or whatever parts) he shares from MOTUC were stressed as part of a one-time deal. What needs to happen to push Mattel into making – at least – a second exception for a Dark Knight Rises Superman?

Keep posting requests online and let us know at conventions!

MOTUClassics.Com Asks: In regards to the “new” surprises, triggered by the 135% sell-thru, are we talking simply new “skus” or possibly new, short-term “niche” subscriptions like Watchmen?

You’ll just need to wait and see!

MOTUClassics.Com Asks: When Mattel re-uses a MOTUC mold, or part of a mold for another line (like Max Steel), does that help extrapolate the costs of that mold more effectively?

It saves Max Steel money but there is no effect for MOTU.

MOTUClassics.Com Asks: With subscription dynamics dictating that 2014 be focused on vintage characters, what should subscribers who have enjoyed the blended line be looking forward to beyond vintage updates?

Toy Guru: This a tough one and it all comes down to how many customers we have. Now that the 2013 sub sold in at barely above the min, it is most likely we will not be able to do as robust a 2014 line as we had in 2011-2013. So with very few slots (comparably) the question to fans is “how would you want Mattel to use the few slots we will get?” Would you want only vintage or would you want concept figures still? My best guess is if we concentrate on vintage figs and key animation figs, we will do the best by the fans.

Elkkthunderstoyroom.com

Given the lower sales for 2013 subs, when will we know the plan for 2014? Toyfair or sometime later?

Likely sometime between NYTF and SDCC next year.

Does the decreased sub sales make the chances for the mini-masters toys less likely? Are these still an option?

Yes and no. They potentially could present an all new way to release MOTU figures at a lower price point now that 6" figures are getting a little pricey to produce. But nothing to announce right now.

un po' di news:

1. wundarwarrior: If the line ever came to an end, which I hope never happens, would you put the rest of the bios canon out in some sort of booklet? Or would we be left in the dark much like the end of the MYP series? I really enjoy this story and will be beyond bummed if it isn't finished.

Your question is really asking a hypothetical and honestly we just don't have an answer. Our hope is enough figures will ship that all the bios will be revealed. We can tell you by the end of 2013 most of the "core" story will be revealed.

2. Prahvus: Will Netossa's net/cape be made in the same fragile, rubbery plastic as Leech's net?

It will be similar but we are trying to make it a bit more durable.

3. Mern-Ra: Could Ruben tell us exactly why he chose not to re-deco Clawful's mace in the next weapons pack? We have been told it was his design choice, but we would all love to hear the reasoning behind this unusual choice.

It was honestly just a design choice. There really isn't a larger back story. Ruben designed the mace in a color that he personally liked.

4. hadley: Assuming an Oo-Lar figure was EVER in the cards, was he to be considered a "concept" character like Vikor that is now very unlikely to be made, or a "bonus" character more like Wun-Dar (that I guess is also very unlikely)? I'm very interested to see what he looked like, so I hope he gets made some day.

We'd love to get to an Oo-Lar figure in time. A lot of that will depend on how many slots we get in 2014 (which will be based on 2013 sub sales, which as we've noted were much lower compared to previous years which potentially means we may get fewer slots in 2014 compared to 2011 or 2012. But that remains to be seen. We will fight for every slot we can!)

5. musclor: In the talks of the changing roadmap, I've seen all three vintage lines mentioned, along with nods to Filmation and 200X. Do you feel, though, that there are still mini-comics characters (Lodar, Garn, Prince Dakon, etc.) that belong in the new heavy hitters only selection for 2014 and onwards? Mini comics is an area we want to hit. How many mini comic figures we can get to after 2013 will all come down to how many slots we get to each year. Lets us know what you think! Would you prefer Hydron, Two Bad and Glimmer or Lodar and The Masks of Power Demons etc...?

We want to maximize each slot we get so let us know who you want the most and we’ll do our best with every slot we get.

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.

Da Dekker in poi dovrebbero cambiare la terribile scelta di fare tutto in plastica nera.

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Design is looking into this and they have already confirm they will explore other base colors and solutions starting with Dekker, the next fig going into production that still had time to change.
FONTE

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PaoloKr@, 21/09/2012 10.08:

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Da Dekker in poi dovrebbero cambiare la terribile scelta di fare tutto in plastica nera.

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Design is looking into this and they have already confirm they will explore other base colors and solutions starting with Dekker, the next fig going into production that still had time to change.
FONTE

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speriamo che quelli che hanno la plastica nera non subiscano danni a questo punto.

nel weekend ritiro sir laser lot, saprò dirvi...

i miei spikor e vykron per ora sono a posto!

Mattel has once again provided answers to your questions.
Thanks again to them for taking the time to answer these!
Check out their answers to your Round 87 questions!

This round of questions were selected by Beastmaster.
Thanks to those fans for their help!

1. Tundra Torque: Now that The Roadmap is gone, can you reveal some details of The Roadmap? For example, if Evilseed was slotted into The Roadmap, where would he have appeared?

No, we won't be revealing this as 2014 and beyond is still to much up in the air.

2. Scorpia: Between September 2009 and June 2010, we had a great run of female figures in monthly slots (Teela is September 2009, Adora in January 2010, Evil-Lyn in the April and She-Ra in June). This was an exciting time for a lot of fans! Without giving away names, is it possible we'll see a similar run of females in future monthly slots?

You will continue to see many females in the line.

3. Beastmaster: Is it possible to get a pair of Horde Prime hands in orange or blue for Cy-Chop in a future weapons pack? His hyper-anime-detail hands/weapons just don't do it for many fans.

A cool suggestion but no plans at this time.

4. Fisto69: I was just wondering how Cy-Chop got his name. Was it a play on the word cyclops like Tri-Klops was, or does the Cy part stand for cyborg, or something else entirely?

"Cy" is a play on "cyborg". Chop is due to his scissor hands.

5. blogjammer: Is there a way that we can find out which figures are 'Gone for Good'? I got into the line late & have been purchasing re-issues & CS stock when available but it would be helpful to know which figures are completely gone, & which figures you still have CS stock of.

Likely we will know this in 2013 after our holiday sales are over. Quite a few figures are truly gone for good.

Check out what fans have to say about the answers to the WTFWTK 2.87, as well as find links to all the previous WTFWTK sessions!


MOTUC Q&A From Around The Net (10/1/2012) October 5, 2012 10:51 pm by MegaGearMax

The Q&A's from Around the Net have returned!

Hordak.de

1. In 2012 the Temple of Darkness Sorceress wasn't ready for the early conventions this year, for example the Eternia Convention in Xanten/ Germany. Could you produce Strobo early enough to have him available for the early conventions in 2013, as there is a lot less product to produce next year?

We are shooting to have Strobo available as early in 2013, but it is unlikely we will have him in Q1 2013.

2. The Fighting Foe Men will have two different display options: Vehicle breast plates and Horde breast plates. Could you make the Box resealable and add two unattached stickers (Horde/PoG)? That way fans would have the option two display the box both ways and chose one faction. It could even lead to MOC collectors buying an extra set!

The FFM will come in the same box as the Star Sisters. They only have one sticker for POG, but with the great sticker sheet we sent to sub holders last year you can customize the box for any team you want!

3. Is there any chance you could tool the Strobo weapon and then put it into a possible 2013 weapons pak, together with a blue Bubble Power She-Ra sword for Netossa?

This is something we are looking into but no plans to confirm right now.

4. When you sold the Weapons Rack, did it sell only "okay" like the Wind Raider did or would be possible to get more diorama pieces like this in the future based on sales?

It just sold "okay" and has not green lit additional small diorama pieces.

5. The orb stand that is coming with the Temple of Darkness Sorceress looks great! Can you tell us more about the meaning of the letters and symbols on it?

They tell the story of the formation of the Orb combining the Power of the Universe and the Wisdom of the Elders.



Elkkthunder's Toyroom

Many of the Mattycollector Exclusives (12" Superman, Green Lantern, Ghosbusters) have been found at retail bargain outlets. Can you provide any details and whether we may see more of this?

Older Matty inventory is being moved out to make room for new items. No bigger story. We are however reducing quotas going forward and no longer doing second runs so that future product has cleaner sell throughs and will not be showing up anywhere else.

The early listing of September Snakemen and DB Skeletor on Mattycollector was clearly a mistake, but seems to speak to the persistent problems with Digital River. How does this occur and why not honor orders placed?

It was a simple mistake and those "orders" were not "honored" because it is not fair to sub holders for a few accidental orders to trump them getting their figures first. Our customers are a smart bunch
Kastor’s Korner

Kastor’s Korner: After what Toy Guru said about wishing to get all the unique Masters bucks completed earlier in the run, have you considered prioritizing the new bucks for the remainder of 2013 so there is less new tooling left to do when the line dials back in 2014?

Mattel: We aren’t able to make any changes to 2013. It was locked in over a year ago.

Kastor’s Korner: We know based on Comic Con this year and the 2013 sub window that the plan is to do a smaller run for the 2014 Masters subscription, with a focus on core characters… when all is said and done, is the overall game plan still to at least see updates of all the classic MOTU figures in the new line, or is it now more likely that certain figures– especially those with more unique tooling– are less likely to make it to the Classics collection?

Mattel: We actually have not announced anything about 2014 at this point. It is still too early to comment.
Mintconditioncustom.com

Trevor Williams asks: How does Mattel feel about people selling custom action figures using parts from Mattel products?

As long as they are one of a kind pieces of art that is pretty neat. Once fans step into production it may be a legal issue.

Justin Martinez asks: With the MOTUC roadmap changing to better suit the changing market, will variants like Laser Light He-Man and Skeletor be put on the back burner to make way for brand new characters?

It all depends on how many slots we get in 2014 and what figures fans want the most.
Greatrebellion.org

AdultCollector asks: If Mattel decides to end its "black plastic design choice", can we possibly see reissues of those figures affected by the design choice?

Matty: No. While there is some demand from a handful of collectors (even a few hundred based on the number of unique user posts online) it is not even close to the demand needed to do a new run. There will be no second run of any 2012 MOTUC figure.

Tim Beers asks: Can we expect a NA reveal at NYCC?

Matty: You'll just need to wait and see!

RJ Polito asks: Why was the concept character Sharella abandoned and her name given to Green Goddess -doesn't that go against the "justify as many figures as possible" motif?

Matty: Not in the least. If anything it helps justify a "pre Goddess transformation" figure of her.

Arthur asks: Have you considered making Netossa a gay character given her relationship with Spinnerella? We know MOTU is an avathar of the imagination but the gay fans of MOTU would love to have at least one figure they can relate to in an official Mattel bio.

Matty: It certainly is a cool idea but we can confirm her bio does not refer to her sexual orientation.
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The sites listed below are the sites who want to participate in the Q&A round-up in these threads and on the He-Man.org homepage news entry.
Be sure to check out their sites! There's a lot there to see in addition to the Q&As.

www.planeteternia.de/
www.figures.com/
www.kastorskorner.com/
www.facebook.com/hordak.de
www.maitresdelunivers.org/
www.infinitehollywood.com/
www.he-man.de/
ElkkThunders Toy Room
MOTUClassics.com
MOTULA.org
www.preternia.com
www.mintconditioncustom.com/
greatrebellion.org

See what the fans have to say HERE!

un po' di news:

Mattel has once again provided answers to your questions.
Thanks again to them for taking the time to answer these!
Check out their answers to your Round 88 questions!

This round of questions were selected by Penny Dreadful.
Thanks to that fan for their help!

1. grenadaspice: Many fans are worried that they won't get all the figures they want from POP, NA, 200X, Filmation, prototypes, and concepts if the line might go mainly vintage, with A/B-Listers from the other canons sprinkled in. Has there ever been any conversations of splitting the line up into 3 separate lines: MOTU Classics, POP Classics, and (NA) He-Man Classics? It almost seems like a good way off getting all the characters out, yet if allowing the fans to not have to subscribe to getting characters from a canon they don't care about.

MOTUC is one line that is all inclusive. There are no plans for separate POP or NA lines at this time.

2. Scorpia: Octavia looks AMAZING. You get a lot of flack, so I'd like to thank you for giving her to us. I'm a bit concerned about her tentacles. How is Mattel going to ensure the final figure doesn't topple over under the weight of her wide-spanning tentacles? And how do they fit underneath her hair, without pushing her head down so she's looking at the floor?

We are still a little far off from a tool'd model but the idea is the tentacles will plug into ball joints on her back. As far as toppling over, we'll do all we can to get her balanced.

3. bcrduke: Amazing reveals at Power Con and thank you for the Mattel presence there! Upon closer inspection of the sample Netossa in the case at Power Con, it became obvious that her shin/calf pieces were reversed. Will this be fixed? Please don't allow the next POP character to be ruined by this factory mistake.

Yup. These are corrected on the final figure. Often early hand made prototypes are done quickly for shows. The same thing happened to Mosquitor and he was corrected for production!

4. Swanmarsh: Now the road map has been thrown away, will Mattel reconsider its policy of re-issueing old figures repackaged with their alternate (200x inspired) head on display (i.e. MAA, Mer-Man, Whiplash)? This could be a way to make additional dollars off the old molds to help off-set cost of tooling new MOTUC figures.

Definitely not. New heads would require a development sku and right now we are going to use all the skus we have for new characters (or legit variants such as Thunderpunch He-Man etc…)

5. Wolfman Jake: I feel some boundaries were pushed too far with the death of many iconic characters in the service of "moving the story forward." A lot of fans have very strong attachments to these characters, and killing them off, especially so unceremoniously in certain cases, doesn't resonate well with the celebration of MOTUC. Would you and your creative team consider retconning or touching up some of these major character deaths in future bios or other outlets for the line's fiction?

Nope. Deaths, births and change is part of the MOTUC storyline and we will not be retconning it. But keep in mind that MOTUC mini comics and bios are not the definitive cannon. Adventures told in movies, animation or in your own backyard are just as legitimate.

The Q&A's are here for the first of November! Read on to discover the answers to the fans' most recent questions about MOTUC!

Greatrebellion.org

DO4M asks: Assuming that Management allows a Weapons Pack SKU, could Mattel make an official poll for fans to choose the items in it?

Matty: (Design would choose the colors for said items) It is possible but no plans at this time.

Marvelous One asks: Is there a way to include a spot inside Castle Grayskull where one could hang both Swords of Power and Protection crisscrossed like it was shown in the Filmation series? Maybe even include 2 new versions of the sword to look like their Filmation counterparts. Both sword being the same size?"

Matty: This is something we are looking into but we can’t confirm final details right now

Domingo.Hernandez71 asks: We've seen the Palace Guards, We've seen the Snake Guys, I'm pretty sure we'll see the Horde Troopers in the future. Is their any chance we could see an army for Skeletor?

Matty:Always possible but nothing to announce right now.

Jason.Lee.718 asks: Speaking of the snakemen, easy guess we may get these in different colors but I wonder about seeing something like a Coral snake pattern or diamondback with the snakemen troops and speaking of the coral snake, there is a non venomous version and the idea of a this one being made into a hero would be a neat twist. It sees the destruction done and has no stomach for it so vows to stop his brethern.

Matty:We'd love to do new versions of Snake Warriors in time. Nothing to announce right now however.

jayson.zachery asks: Is it true that the mini figures like Kowl, Loo Kee, and Imp cost as much to make as a normal sized figure? And if so, is there a better way to get them into the line? 3 packs? 2 pack? Singles?

Matty:No, they do not cost as much as a standard figure to make.



preternia.com

Q: If the Castle Grayskull project goes through, do you intend to have the box art be done by Rudy Obrero so that it will be consistent with previous boxed releases?

A: Yes, we will ask Rudy if he will do this! (Editor’s note, they WILL be doing this as they announced today)

Q: Has a decision been reached on Snake Face’s staff being cut or not?

A: Yes,it will be included as noted at NYCC.

Q: With prices increasing, is there any chance future non sub items will be able to be ordered ahead of time and combined with sub shipments so we can save a little on shipping?

A: This is something we are looking into but nothing to confirm yet.

Q: Any new news on Mini Masters?

A: Not yet, we are still looking for a home for these guys.

Q: The green Clawful mace is my favorite part of the Great Unrest Weapons Pak, any chance of a slightly off-color Clawful release to go with it? Maybe with a 200x head?

A: Can’t say that is at the top of our list but anything is possible.

Kastor’s Korner

Kastor’s Korner: Is there time for Octavia’s tentacles to be designed to be bendy? We’re grateful she won’t feature the foam materials from Snout Spout, but we have seen a better-designed bendy material utilized for King Hssss and Monster High’s Meowlody that seems like it would work perfectly for Octavia.

Mattel: There is time, but due to fans overwhelmingly not liking this feature on Snout Spout we won’t be repeating it.

Kastor’s Korner: At NYCC last year, it was stated new flight stands were being worked on. Is there any update on this plan, given it has been just about a year?

Mattel: Yes, we should have these to show at NYTF.

Kastor’s Korner: Given how well TOD Sorceress sold at Power Con, has there been any consideration to increase the size of future Convention tour exclusives, such as a themed multi-pack? While their Collector’s Clubs are obviously a different model than a major toy company, GI Joe Con and BotCon have both seen lots of success with Con exclusive multi-packs.

Mattel: Definitely something we will look into.

Kastor’s Korner: Much like the infamous Harley Quinn, recent figures such as Frosta and Uncle Sam seem to feature more grey than white on their light-colored parts. The next figure set to feature a lot of white deco is Netossa, but will she feature the same off-white coloring or actually be white?

Mattel: We are constantly looking into issues like this to improve.

toyhypeusa.com

If MOTUC Snake-Face’s staff gets cut, would Mattel be willing to sell it individually?

Toyguru: Possible, But it turns out it will not be cut.

Castle Grayskull being made is one of the best announcements Mattel has made all year regarding this line. Was this one of the special surprises you spoke of Scott when the 2013 subscription sold enough subs? Are there more surprises in store for us in 2013?

Toyguru: Actually no. It is not the surprise we have for NYTF. That is something else.

The MOTUC Battle Ram vehicle was only shown once back in 2010. Would Mattel be willing to show us the prototype again? Would it be possible for Mattel to bring this to New York Comic-Con?

Toyguru: No,we aren’t going to show an item that is not going forward. We don’t want to give false hope.

The small gift for MOTUC Frosta, is it an accessory for her or something else? Also just wanted to thank you personally and Mattel for doing this. It’s a very nice genture and much appreciated.

Toyguru: We don’t know at this point. We are still costing out items.

Do you think we will ever see more multipacks like the Legion Of Superheroes sold on Mattycollector?

Toyguru: Highly unlikely due to the huge amount of work needed for something like this.

Motula.org

Why Sorceress chose Man-at-Arms to raise her clone? Was this choice the way Man-at-Arms knew that Castle Grayskull really existed and wasn't only a legend? Or he already belonged to a Grayskull protector's order.

The Sorceress knew Duncan very well and trusted him.

To optimize the $200.ºº - $250.ºº that the Castle Grayskull approximately will cost and use all the budget in details and a great sculpt of the Castle, it would be great that you could release all the accessories that came with the vintage castle as an article outside the sub, like you did with the Weapons Rack.

That is a cool idea but no plans right now.

When Blast-Attak gets a release date, will he have the Snake Men logo on his chest?

We don't have plans for him right now so you'll have to wait and see!

A new faction/era has been introduced; "He-Ro, the Son of He-Man", do you think it will be one more era for the bios only? Or do we have a chance to get more than one M.o.t.U.C. figure from that era in the future?

Anything is possible, but no plans to announce right now.

Toyguru, we have seen apparently some contradictions between the bios and the 3rd. mini comic content, please, if you can clarify in each case which version must prevail as an official M.o.t.U.C. story

We didn't have enough room in 12 pages to show everything that happened in this battle. Many things happened between pages and even between panels! We had to pick and choose what events to show with the limited page count we had. As for Mekaneck, see the very first line of the intro title page copy from issue 1 for an explanation! (as well as the comic book for the last unfinished episode of the 200X series!)

Hordak.de

1. After the fast sell-out of the Snakemen 2-pack could you imagine going back into production on this set and just change the colour scheme of the two figures? This would make an awesome out-of-sub item to help get some more tooling dollars in and would surely sell well, just don't produce as many as the first set!

Definitely not. We tried going back into production and doing second runs and the only figure that came even close to selling well was He-Man. While there are many fans online asking for this, the reality of it is the actual customer base is just not there. A few people asking over and over online does not wind up actualizing into sales that justify production.

2. You tried to save on costs by using black plastic, but that kind of backfired. Now the figures are pressed very tight into their packaging. Could you imagine reducing the rubber bands or simply just quit them? In the past they sometimes even did damage to some figures (first Grayskul . It would save at least a little bit and every dollar saved is good for the line, is it?

We are always looking into new ways to improve figures.

3. You told us that Castle Grayskull will be 200$, maybe a little bit more. Can you tell us also something about shipping costs, so international customers can calculate how much it will cost after taxes in the end? (Frage wurde bereits Ende September gestellt, daher nicht aktuel

No, we do not have this info right now. But assume it will be a very big box and shipping will be significant.

4. Fans have spoken a lot about what they want and we finally are getting the 200x Keldor swords and MAA arm cannon. But what about including 200x heads? Are they still off the table?

The weapons you are referring to are 200X weapons but "Classicized". When you classicize He-Man's 200X head you get the current He-Man head! So we already did this.

5. A question for Terry Higuchi: Do you have an idea, what Cy-Chop's head looked like before his "accident" and if so, will you convince Scott to include an alternate head for your guy with an upcoming figure?

Terry has mentioned due to fan requests he is working on an illustration of Cy-Chop in his pre transformation mode. No word at this time on a figure based on this.

elkkthunderstoyroom.com

Will subscribers continue to get emails of announcements as they are happening like Power-con for NYCC and in 2013?

This is something we hope to do, but no plans at this time.

The planned thermometer for Castle Greyskull, how often will it be updated? Can it reflect daily pre-orders?

We will likely update it daily.

Will the subscriber bonus for Frosta be a new tooled piece or some form of repaint/accessory?

That is unknown at this time. We are still reviewing concepts.

MOTUClassics.Com

MOTUClassics.Com Asks: For Toy Guru: What “concept” figure are you most bummed about having to cut out of the road map?

Scott Neitlich: It is just too hard to make a call on this since we don’t know how many or few slots we will have next year. Ideally I hope to get to everyone on the original roadmap and more in time. But we will prioritize vintage and important animated figures for 2014.

MOTUClassics.Com Asks: The “He-Ro, Son of He-Man” faction sticker is cool, but with the current state of the line is there a chance we’ll ever see it used again after King He-Man? Should the sticker give us some collectors hope for that faction to grow despite the change to the roadmap?

Anything is possible. We’ll have to see how many skus we get in 2014.

MOTUClassics.Com Asks: If the Pre-Order goes through, does the Castle’s robot/armor have increased chances of getting made? It’s time to move beyond the sticker!

We can’t do the Robot as a figure (with the castle) but are looking into possible ways to include him. Nothing to confirm but it is on our “want” list if we can get it in somehow.