[megachickmagnet]

According to his majesty, King Guru... He's not sure if there will be a 2014 line. Thanks for the optimism! It really instills us with confidence. 'sigh' LOL. I'm sure this response is just another tactic to get the fans up in arms and worried. Same as last year only earlier and with a different twist.

http://forums.mattyc...17/m/5741017208

[Nguyen_Dragon]

I am sure its also a tactic to drive the secondary market prices up so online retailers will buy more subs...

[featofstrength]

megachickmagnet, on 05 February 2013 - 09:14 AM, said:

I'm sure this response is just another tactic to get the fans up in arms and worried. Same as last year only earlier and with a different twist.

Im betting the same thing.

[FUGAYZIE]

i am really starting to dislike that guy. saying something pessimistic like that just feels like he's pissing on the line.

[Dark Horse]

He's a liar and scaremonger who will use any dirty tactic to make himself more money.

[Monkey_Shuttle]

Nguyen_Dragon, on 05 February 2013 - 09:27 AM, said:

I am sure its also a tactic to drive the secondary market prices up so online retailers will buy more subs...

See, I dunno about that part. A lot of people get into a line and get caught up trying to keep up with all the offerings, but once the line is dead, interest wanes, people start selling off their "non-essentials," and the market floods.

Teela, Fisto, and a lot of those core one-shots will, of course, retain their secondary market value. But guys like Optikk or Nestossa aren't going to jump in price because the line is coming to a grinding halt. If anything, they'll get ridiculously cheap(er).

[yojoebro82]

So the agreed upon theme here is, "Same S@#$, different year?"

[Nguyen_Dragon]

yojoebro82, on 05 February 2013 - 01:05 PM, said:

So the agreed upon theme here is, "Same S@#$, different year?"

That sounds about right...

[Dark Horse]

How much does a person suck that practically every thread on every MotUC forum ends up with folk cussing TG or DR?

It's funny and tragic at the same time.

[synch]

I find it ammusing its taken people this long to catch on finally & I got to say I don't think the line will make it either remember it took people buying multiples of multiples of subs to get it through & after doing it once I highly doubt the same idiots are going to do it twice

[megachickmagnet]

I just hope out of all the things he does lie about, finishing the vintage figures for 2014 isn't one of them. I really want to see all of the 1986 and 1987 figures get made. I'm confident that the rest of the 1985 figures will get done.

[shokker]

Well i cant blame him for saying that. The line loses customers every day with all the crap that goes on. If you ask me this is the first time he is honest about it. Last year we barely made it and ram man, clamp champ will come this year. The line wont go up again but just down. They should just do 12 figures a year and dont include beasts and multy packs and vehicules in the sub.
I also agree to open subs earlier.

[CaptainTriumph]

If the largest toy company can't wrap-up their premier boy toy line next year, then they should hang their heads in shame.

I currently have all but one figure to have a complete run so I'm good to go.

Would love to have the last few in the vintage line but if not, then I'm happy with what I've gotten so far.

In otherwards, bring on the next line!

[Monkey_Shuttle]

I think what kills me the most is that in the last 4+ years, Mattel hasn't really grown/developed this property all that much.

I mean, sure we got some really odd TRU DC/MOTU 2-packs, and a handful of crappy digital comics, but aside from the sheer volume of product, MOTU is exactly where it was 4 years ago - online-Matty-store exclusives.

This is one of Mattel's home brands, after all. Can you imagine if Hasbro did the same thing with Transformers?

Sometimes, I swear it's like Mattel likes to shoot itself in the foot. Look at Ghostbusters (who *wouldn't* want a line full of the four GB's in various outfits? *puke*). DC Classics is in its death throws. Voltron lasted one year. For the number one toy company in the world, they sure don't seem to foster anything beyond Barbie and Hot Wheels - and since they own Matchbox, too, it's not like there's a lot of competition there, either.

So every year it comes down to the same deal. Begging and scare tactics to try to drive sales. Seriously. If Matty didn't suck so badly, they wouldn't have to beg people to buy their product. The guaranteed sales/sub model only keeps the price higher since your profit margin has to be greater due to less volume in production. Not revisiting core cast members even if only to make Filmation repaints/remoulds stops growth from new fans. Refusing to cater to 200X fans isn't that bright, either. Heck, 200X deco'ed core cast members is another great way to keep the line accessible to new comers. 200X options broaden your buyer base. Fisto scratched a lot of itches with this versatility.

This isn't the golden age of toys (80's) anymore. This is an adult collector's line run almost exclusively on nostalgia. You have to market your stuff more intelligently, Matty. You have to push the nostalgia buttons while simultaneously growing your brand. Stuffing the line with doofy Mary Sue characters isn't the way to do that. Draego-Man was awesome. I'm glad to own him. Sir Laser-lot? Not so much.

But never mind all of that because it'll totally be the fans' fault when the line finally fails/dies.

[FreddyWilliams]

LOL... thats why I don't go to that forum. If anything MOTUC would probably shrink down to maybe 6-8 figures a year.

[Eric]

Monkey_Shuttle, on 05 February 2013 - 06:11 PM, said:

I think what kills me the most is that in the last 4+ years, Mattel hasn't really grown/developed this property all that much.

I mean, sure we got some really odd TRU DC/MOTU 2-packs, and a handful of crappy digital comics, but aside from the sheer volume of product, MOTU is exactly where it was 4 years ago - online-Matty-store exclusives.

This is one of Mattel's home brands, after all. Can you imagine if Hasbro did the same thing with Transformers?

Sometimes, I swear it's like Mattel likes to shoot itself in the foot. Look at Ghostbusters (who *wouldn't* want a line full of the four GB's in various outfits? *puke*). DC Classics is in its death throws. Voltron lasted one year. For the number one toy company in the world, they sure don't seem to foster anything beyond Barbie and Hot Wheels - and since they own Matchbox, too, it's not like there's a lot of competition there, either.

So every year it comes down to the same deal. Begging and scare tactics to try to drive sales. Seriously. If Matty didn't suck so badly, they wouldn't have to beg people to buy their product. The guaranteed sales/sub model only keeps the price higher since your profit margin has to be greater due to less volume in production. Not revisiting core cast members even if only to make Filmation repaints/remoulds stops growth from new fans. Refusing to cater to 200X fans isn't that bright, either. Heck, 200X deco'ed core cast members is another great way to keep the line accessible to new comers. 200X options broaden your buyer base. Fisto scratched a lot of itches with this versatility.

This isn't the golden age of toys (80's) anymore. This is an adult collector's line run almost exclusively on nostalgia. You have to market your stuff more intelligently, Matty. You have to push the nostalgia buttons while simultaneously growing your brand. Stuffing the line with doofy Mary Sue characters isn't the way to do that. Draego-Man was awesome. I'm glad to own him. Sir Laser-lot? Not so much.

But never mind all of that because it'll totally be the fans' fault when the line finally fails/dies.

Great post.

[synch]

Eric, on 05 February 2013 - 10:46 PM, said:

Monkey_Shuttle, on 05 February 2013 - 06:11 PM, said:

I think what kills me the most is that in the last 4+ years, Mattel hasn't really grown/developed this property all that much.

I mean, sure we got some really odd TRU DC/MOTU 2-packs, and a handful of crappy digital comics, but aside from the sheer volume of product, MOTU is exactly where it was 4 years ago - online-Matty-store exclusives.

This is one of Mattel's home brands, after all. Can you imagine if Hasbro did the same thing with Transformers?

Sometimes, I swear it's like Mattel likes to shoot itself in the foot. Look at Ghostbusters (who *wouldn't* want a line full of the four GB's in various outfits? *puke*). DC Classics is in its death throws. Voltron lasted one year. For the number one toy company in the world, they sure don't seem to foster anything beyond Barbie and Hot Wheels - and since they own Matchbox, too, it's not like there's a lot of competition there, either.

So every year it comes down to the same deal. Begging and scare tactics to try to drive sales. Seriously. If Matty didn't suck so badly, they wouldn't have to beg people to buy their product. The guaranteed sales/sub model only keeps the price higher since your profit margin has to be greater due to less volume in production. Not revisiting core cast members even if only to make Filmation repaints/remoulds stops growth from new fans. Refusing to cater to 200X fans isn't that bright, either. Heck, 200X deco'ed core cast members is another great way to keep the line accessible to new comers. 200X options broaden your buyer base. Fisto scratched a lot of itches with this versatility.

This isn't the golden age of toys (80's) anymore. This is an adult collector's line run almost exclusively on nostalgia. You have to market your stuff more intelligently, Matty. You have to push the nostalgia buttons while simultaneously growing your brand. Stuffing the line with doofy Mary Sue characters isn't the way to do that. Draego-Man was awesome. I'm glad to own him. Sir Laser-lot? Not so much.

But never mind all of that because it'll totally be the fans' fault when the line finally fails/dies.

Great post.

<-- what he said screw scott lets give Monkey_Shuttle a shot a the job lmao

[TommyGoth]

Part of me wants this line to end just so I can stop hearing the name Scott Neitlich every day. I want my Rio Blast, Horde Troopers, Tung Lashor, Strong Arm, Icer, etc. The line will contine in 2014. If there was really any danger of it not continuing we would have heard about it by now. Like everyone says, this is just another scare tactic to get everyone ready to buy more subs than they need next year. However, if the line really did end I'd probably only feel bad about it for about a day, then be relieved that I didn't have to hear Neithlich's name anymore.

Until they made a new Masters line and I bought into that one too...

Whatever happened to that blog he was supposed to write about the old Mattel MOTU product information he found after digging through boxes? He made like one post and then stopped. I guess they decided he should focus his attention on scaring up more subscribers.

[synch]

i am ready to let it die ... i was ready ?this year ? last year ?.. whenever the last sub was ...

[Jmacq1]

CaptainTriumph, on 05 February 2013 - 05:30 PM, said:

If the largest toy company can't wrap-up their premier boy toy line next year, then they should hang their heads in shame.

I don't think there's any danger of Mattel wrapping up Hot Wheels next year, no.

Because MotU isn't even remotely close to their "premier boy toy line." It's not even the stink on a piece of s*** to them right now. You know how we can tell this? Because it isn't even offered at any major retailer. You know why? Because it isn't popular enough to warrant it.

Monkey_Shuttle, on 05 February 2013 - 06:11 PM, said:

I think what kills me the most is that in the last 4+ years, Mattel hasn't really grown/developed this property all that much.

I mean, sure we got some really odd TRU DC/MOTU 2-packs, and a handful of crappy digital comics, but aside from the sheer volume of product, MOTU is exactly where it was 4 years ago - online-Matty-store exclusives.

This is one of Mattel's home brands, after all. Can you imagine if Hasbro did the same thing with Transformers?

Sometimes, I swear it's like Mattel likes to shoot itself in the foot. Look at Ghostbusters (who *wouldn't* want a line full of the four GB's in various outfits? *puke*). DC Classics is in its death throws. Voltron lasted one year. For the number one toy company in the world, they sure don't seem to foster anything beyond Barbie and Hot Wheels - and since they own Matchbox, too, it's not like there's a lot of competition there, either.

So every year it comes down to the same deal. Begging and scare tactics to try to drive sales. Seriously. If Matty didn't suck so badly, they wouldn't have to beg people to buy their product. The guaranteed sales/sub model only keeps the price higher since your profit margin has to be greater due to less volume in production. Not revisiting core cast members even if only to make Filmation repaints/remoulds stops growth from new fans. Refusing to cater to 200X fans isn't that bright, either. Heck, 200X deco'ed core cast members is another great way to keep the line accessible to new comers. 200X options broaden your buyer base. Fisto scratched a lot of itches with this versatility.

This isn't the golden age of toys (80's) anymore. This is an adult collector's line run almost exclusively on nostalgia. You have to market your stuff more intelligently, Matty. You have to push the nostalgia buttons while simultaneously growing your brand. Stuffing the line with doofy Mary Sue characters isn't the way to do that. Draego-Man was awesome. I'm glad to own him. Sir Laser-lot? Not so much.

But never mind all of that because it'll totally be the fans' fault when the line finally fails/dies.

I like how you say all this stuff, and then mention "This isn't the golden age of toys (80's) anymore." Because that basically both explains and contradicts everything else you say. No, it's not the 80's anymore, and guess what? "Developing" your product requires interest, and right now? Interest isn't there. Virtually no company "develops" product without some kind of media tie in (either direct or indirect) unless it's a brand that's managed to keep a presence at mass retail for years.

Yet for some reason you expect Mattel to buck the trend and just put out product in a vacuum? Cartoons require studios to produce them, and networks to air them (by paying Mattel/the studio for the privilege), and millions of dollars in money. If there's no network interest, a cartoon is dead in the water, and given the performance of the 200X cartoon...nobody's likely to be chomping at the bit to pay for the privilege of airing a MotU cartoon anytime soon. Mattel isn't like Hasbro, who has their own network to put this stuff on.

At this point, the live-action movie is pretty much Mattel's only real shot at reinvigorating this franchise, and they can't do diddly about that being stuck in development hell, that's in the studio's ballpark.

TommyGoth, on 06 February 2013 - 07:43 AM, said:

Part of me wants this line to end just so I can stop hearing the name Scott Neitlich every day. I want my Rio Blast, Horde Troopers, Tung Lashor, Strong Arm, Icer, etc. The line will contine in 2014. If there was really any danger of it not continuing we would have heard about it by now. Like everyone says, this is just another scare tactic to get everyone ready to buy more subs than they need next year. However, if the line really did end I'd probably only feel bad about it for about a day, then be relieved that I didn't have to hear Neithlich's name anymore.

Until they made a new Masters line and I bought into that one too...

Whatever happened to that blog he was supposed to write about the old Mattel MOTU product information he found after digging through boxes? He made like one post and then stopped. I guess they decided he should focus his attention on scaring up more subscribers.

So wait..."If there was really any danger of it not continuing we would have heard about it by now?" Uhm...you do realize that we apparently HAVE heard about it by now, right? I mean...yeah, you know what? Forget it.

Lemme hit you all with a painful dose of reality: If this line were selling like gangbusters with absolutely no concern over whether or not it could get dropped without Mattel batting an eye, "we would have heard about it by now." That, and Mattel/Scott would have no need to resort to "scare tactics" to sell subscriptions.

But thank you all for reinforcing the notion of adult toy collectors as a bunch of whiny, impossible to please man-children. I know for an absolute goddamn FACT that no matter what "Toyguru" says, he's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't because I'm pretty well sure that if the solicited subscriptions last year/this year, and then a month later said "Sorry, didn't get enough, not happening" with no option to try to get more, you'd all be bitching even louder than you already are because "He didn't say anything to try to warn us!" or "Mattel should've brought it to peoples' attention so they could've tried to avert it!" Or better yet: What are you all going to say if/when we get to SDCC and Mattel says "No MOTUC in 2014?"

Oh wait, I know, you'll all claim there was no warning. That Mattel didn't even give it a chance, etc.... Because somehow you refuse to believe that the line is less popular than you believe it is, and because god forbid we don't cast every single action a toy company takes in the worst possible light.

The fact that this line exists at all is a minor miracle. If it ends, it ends...it's idiotic to blame a business for not spending money to produce a product that's not popular enough to turn them a decent profit, but the hilariously childish reactions to every bit of information "ToyGuru" puts out never fail to amuse. There probably isn't a single major retailer brand on Earth that has a brand manager that communicates directly to the fanbase as much as he does, and whether he's being truthful or not (and let's be honest with ourselves, none of you REALLY know for sure, and if you do, feel free to show us the Mattel internal balance sheets you managed to get your hands on), all he basically gets is #$## on for it. Is it any wonder that most other toy companies basically stopped communicating outside of conventions in light of that?

And people wonder why adult collectors have such a poor reputation....

I'll grant you this, though: It won't be the fans fault if the line ends...it isn't the fans' fault if the brand isn't popular and profitable enough to stay afloat, but that knowledge should be tempered with the fact that Mattel is and always will be a for-profit enterprise, and expecting them to lower their standards for profit margins (assuming they haven't already) and pour money into a marginal brand just to please a dwindling (and impossible to satisfy) fanbase is an unrealistic expectation.

[megachickmagnet]

Well, I'm glad I for one have the ability to spot a phony when I see one. And I for one, will never appreciate a brand manager that is so wrapped up in himself to always feel the need to be in the spotlight. The guy has his own page with his face on the mattycollector site, he has a MOTUC figure with his likeness, and a second figure who is essentially him. Are those not signs of arrogance? Even his screen name suggests it. Yes, he does communicate with the fans but... what good is his communicating when all he gives us is BS and snarky replies. He flat out lied about the zig-zag shipments. Fans provided proof that toys were being shipped to Sweden and yet according to TG, it never happened. That's just one example. My philosophy is: if your going to be part of the corporate structure and manage a brand at a toy company, being a liar and knowing how to bleed money from fans is a prerequisite... However, why not just keep it on the down low. No reason why we even have to know they exist. The less we know the better... and we'll have nothing to complain about. Brand managers can do their job without the need for prestige.

[shokker]

I have nothing against toyguru. I think he is the reason this line even excists. He tries to help but there are guys in suits who dont share his vision. Just read his blog entries how some figures came to be. Management gives him a hard time. A lot goes wrong with this line and a lot feel that toyguru should take each and everyone to heart and if he doesnt then he is bad. Everybody makes mistakes on a daily basis and so does he. As for him having his face on a figure, i must say that he isnt the first to do it. All our favorite franchises have them. He is just the most famous manager ever and thats why so manny know his face. No one would bother if he wouldnt be in public that much.

[Monkey_Shuttle]

Whoa there, slow your roll, Cowboy. You say that my 80's comment contradicts my entire post? No, it's meant to emphasise the fact that you have to push to develop and sustain properties in an economy that simply can't survive on some random mom picking up Battle Armour Netossa for her kid, forever endearing it to said kid, and thus starting that child's collection from there on out.

Wah-wah, Hasbro has a TV station. Guess what? Hasbro's a smaller company than Mattel so why *doesn't* Mattel have their own station?

Not that it matters anyway.

Again, this not being the 80's anymore, brands have to find new and innovative ways to thrive. Look at Hasbro. They are rapidly turning into an IP company > Toy company. And even still, they're having problems making projected profits - but there's diversification and effort there, nonetheless. Moreover, they also have blockbuster movies coming out (whether they suck or not is a different discussion entirely). Hasbro still makes homage figures from 30 year old designs, but they're also treading new ground, attracting new fans, and sustaining brand loyalty that might pay off dividends in 10-15 years to come. So you're going to tell me that a smaller company like Hasbro can develop and grow and Mattel properties can't? Poppycock.

And you say it's a miracle this line even exists? No, it's really not. This line still exists because it still turns a profit. It still turns a profit because enough "whiny, impossible to please man-children" with disposable income keep throwing their money at it. Some even ridiculously so with multiples of subscriptions to "savvor teh lien!" or whatever. But even we MOTUC gluttons for punishment have our limits, and those limits keep being further encroached upon every year. I waited until the last day to subscribe - not because I was on the fence about subscribing, but because despite being a total whore for MOTUC, I still wanted to make some sort of statement that the scare tactics, poor offerings, and generally idiocy that pops up now and again was getting ridiculous. I wanted to do my part to try to give Mattel some pause.

Ultimately, it won't accomplish anything, but remember - whore + glutton for punishment.

I don't envy Neitlich his job at all, but I also feel that he's his own worst enemy. If you're going to develop a personal relationship and become the spokesman and poster child for the brand, you need to own the role. That means, you gotta have charisma, an on-screen presence, and the ability to inspire confidence in your market base. Oh, and spend a little bit of money and buy a decent digi-cam (holy f&#@). And if you can't produce those qualities on film, at least have the presence of mind to have someone else do the talking for you. I'm not saying hire a professional actor. Hell, get an intern - they're cheap. Make him/her the face of Mattel. Whatever it takes to come across as competent, confident, and passionate about what you're selling. And please, don't pick someone so sycophantic, that they look like they're drinking from the same Kool-Aid bowl.

Neitlich has passion, I'll give him that, but instead of inspiring confidence, he sows seeds of doubt, mistrust, and fear. That might work in the short term, but eventually, people just stop caring. And regardless of whether it works or not, it really produces a negative outlook on the company and brand you're representing (not to mention yourself, even).

I don't know Neitlich, but sometimes I get the feeling that there's a great deal of conceit that prevents him from improving in simple matters. He seems to *want* to be the face of MOTU, even if he has to settle for notoriety over glory. The fact that he comes across as a cowering wuss on screen just makes matters worse.

All nonsense aside, the current Mattel model for MOTUC can't sustain it much longer. It'll be a real shame to see it die again. I'm not sure how many lives the ol' Battle-Cat's got left.
As brand manager, for better, for worse, Neitlich's going to have to step up his game, stop listening to vocal minorities for ideas, and just hope that it's not too little, too late.

[Eric]

There's interest in MOTU, jmacq. The brand is expanding to all kinds of things we've not seen since the '80s. There's a story on the front page about Pop Culture Shock doing statues. There's an ongoing DC comic series that's been announced after a mini-series that's coming to a close shortly. Funko is making multiple kinds of figures. There's an app/game available on iTunes. We've seen tumblers, too. And oh yeah, there's a major motion picture (do they still call them that?) in development, too. There are other things I'm sure I'm missing. The point is, there are MOTU products out there and on the way that seem to refute your assertion that "interest isn't there" when it comes to the property.

And just for the record, it might have been a minor miracle the line exists, but it's because THERE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE INTEREST THAN MATTEL ANTICIPATED. It was to be a few figures and nothing more. And people bought enough figures that they turned it into an ongoing toyline.

Thanks for your self-righteous, holier-than-thou post, though. It was a real ray of sunshine here among us poor man-children.

[Eric]

Oh, and the phrase is "champing at the bit," not "chomping."