MOTUC Q&A's From Around the Net (2/1/2012)

[TOYMAN65]

 

MOTUC Q&A's From Around the Net (2/1/2012)

 

 

Poe Ghostal:

 

Barbecue17 asks: What does Mattel consider a legitimate QC issue that would warrant figures to be delayed or exchanged in mass? For some figures who customers have perceived as having problems, these have been responses from some Mattel reps: “Mossman is not a bath toy.” “It’s not a big deal! Reviewers didn’t notice the backward shoulders.” “The figure is not defective, it just is not working as perfect as we will like.” Recently, we have seen widespread QC problems with Swiftwind’s legs. How defective or “not working as perfect as we would like” would a figure have to be for Mattel to take action on a QC issue? Missing limbs?

 

 

We don’t have a specific rule for this but we do replace any defective product so if a figure is assembled incorrect you can return it for a corrected item.

 

 

Elkk Thunder's Toyroom:

 

1- Are the delays in figures from December (Demo/BGEL) related to shipping from US to China, production delays or something else?

 

They were a combination of several issues hitting all at once. To resolve this, we will no longer ship or sell subscription product until the full quota is in our distribution center.

 

 

2- Any idea on how many Windraiders were missing the mini-guns on the under-side?

 

We do not share this information publically.

 

 

3- Has Mattel finalized plans for their Conventions for 2012 or at least where the Traveling Sorceress will be available?

 

We will announced this at NYTF in Feb.

 

5- Are the MOTU/GB figures that are planned to be for sale in 2012, original run stock or newly manufactured?

 

A combo of both

 

 

Kastor's Korner:

 

Kastor's Korner: The MOTUC Wind Raider was a smashing success, selling out quickly despite its price tag and lack of inclusion in the sub. Does this vehicle's success-- and the new online home of DC Universe with Club Infinite Earths-- change the previous precedent of no 6" scale vehicles in the DC Universe line?

 

 

Matty: The Windraider actually only performed "okay" for us and therefore we have no plans for more vehicles in the near future.There is just too much tooling involved that is a one time use.

 

 

Kastor's Korner: Digital River is requiring damaged or defective Wind Raiders be sent back before a replacement can be issued, but there are now reports that customers who return the defective product are being issued refunds instead of replacements, thus making their collections incomplete. Is there no stock allocated for defectives for vehicles, and will this lack of replacements for defects and damaged items be the same for all subscription products going forward? More to point for the Wind Raider, will it be offered again for those who were issued a refund instead of a replacement?

 

 

Matty: There are still customer service stock of Windraiders available if you have a defective one to send back for a replacement.

http://www.planeteternia.de/

 

 

Is there any possibility to give subscribers an option to decide whether or not they want combined shipments?

 

 

We are always working on improved shipping options but this is not available now.

 

 

You revealed that another Weapons Pak is planned for Fall 2012. Will that included only repainted accessoires, or completely new, previously unused sculpts as well?

 

 

That is still on the fence. We will have to see how the first few 2012 figures sell to see whether we can get tooling for this set or if it will be all repaints.

 

 

Will the lava on the Snake Mountain stands be just colored red, or is there still a change to produce them in transculent red?

 

 

It is not cast in clear but rather painted per the Horsemen's design specs.

 

 

 

Fans Choice Contest Question: You said that only Club Eternia 2013 subscribers will be able to vote for the final figure that's gonna be released next year. But there also are fans who didn't subscribe directly, but through friends or import shops who placed multiple subscriptions. Can they vote through their "middlemen"?

 

 

For every 2013 sub you buy you will get one code to let you vote in the poll. If you or a reseller wants to pass those codes on to friends or other customers to use and vote they are welcome to. But it is one code per sub bought. And the window to use the codes and vote will be limited to the time of the sale. Once the sub sale ends, the voting will also be closed regardless of how many sub holders use their codes and vote.

 

 

Another Fans Choice Contest Question: Let's say, an overwhelming majority of subscribers vote for one particular figure. Does that mean that we ain't gonna see the other candidates for a couple years?

 

 

Yes. We will only be doing the winner in 2013 but it is possible we could revisit other "non winners" in future years.

[Rollo Tomassi]

Q: So when fans overwhelmingly vote for RamMan as the Fan Choice Figure, will Mattel lie and say whichever figure they want is the winner?

 

ToyGuru: Yes. We've already decided which figure we are making in that slot (Hint: it's Snake Men Roboto!) but we enjoy giving fans false hope and then smashing it like a priceless Ming Vase. Haha! You #%$@s aren't getting RamMan. Haha!

[TOYMAN65]

Q: So when fans overwhelmingly vote for RamMan as the Fan Choice Figure, will Mattel lie and say whichever figure they want is the winner?

 

ToyGuru: Yes. We've already decided which figure we are making in that slot (Hint: it's Snake Men Roboto!) but we enjoy giving fans false hope and then smashing it like a priceless Ming Vase. Haha! You #%$@s aren't getting RamMan. Haha!

 

 

 

This was the fans choice poll where He-Man.org could choose their character and the german fan site picked theirs and these two get entered into a contest for a unique or obscure character. The org overwhelmingly chose Illumina mout of 30 characters in a month long vote. So if she wins the SDCC vote they make her in 2013.

[CaptainTriumph]

Thanks for posting.

[tuga viper]

Can someone post pics of the missing guns under the Wind Raider please?

 

Thanks for posting Toyman.

 

 

EM

[BigBot84]

If you go here http://www.poeghostal.com/2012/01/review-wind-raider-masters-of-the-universe-classics.html

 

you'll see the two guns on the underside are missing in the last pic of the review.

[Hordak Rules]

I can't believe that they think the Windraider only performed "ok" because it sold out in three days instead of one. That's the kind of thick-headed executive thinking that ends toylines. The Windraider SOLD OUT. PERIOD. They put out a higher priced item at CHRISTMAS, at a time when people might have already spent a fair bit and it took a couple extra days for it to sell. And of course their backwards thinking has them believing that vehicles won't sell. Take a damn chance on your product.

[Eric]

Take a damn chance on your product.

 

They would claim otherwise, but Mattel won't take many chances with this line. They're so against taking chances that they now have to have guaranteed sales in the form of subscriptions to keep it going. And they still complain about not enough sales and the cost of materials and all that. It's just so dang hard to manufacture toys these days that we should be happy they're still offering MOTU figures that are 90% parts reuse at $22 plus $10 tax and shipping each.

[Buzzchuck KJ]

I think what they mean is that if it doesn't sell out in a few hours it's not a sure bet the next vehicle (100% new tooling) will sell out at all. I don't really understand why it matters so much to them about the speed though. If they make X products and sell them all they should make Y money. As long as Y covers the costs and enough extra to keep inventors/corporate happy things should be good. Do they loose money based on how long the stuff is in storage? If it's at DR for an extra day does that make Y less? (Sorry for the algebra terms)

 

I wonder what will happen with Gramamyr.

[Eric]

I'm sure that is their thinking, Buzz. It's pretty shortsighted, though. Like someone said, they offered it at Christmas time with a ton of other stuff. There are lots of factors that come into play. It's not so black and white.

 

Are they going to judge 3-packs based on the Star Sisters? "Looks like no 3-packs will ever sell because the first one we did, even though it was insanely obscure with three females that looked ridiculous and only a handful of people on He-Man.org wanted it, didn't sell out in a matter of hours." @smilepunch@

[Buzzchuck KJ]

At least there aren't really too many 3 packs people are looking for. Were as there are a lot of vehicles people would be interested in. Oh well. I guess they will just have to stick to things that are reused by the good and bad guys like Night Stalker and the other Robo Horse. I still think they should have started with the battle ram. They would do then entire vehicle in blue for the good guys and release the entire thing, or just the sled in green for the bad guys to make extra money off the tooling. If they don't turn everyone off to MOTU in a year or so they could put out the windraider in a different shade of green and sell it again or make new fins and repaint it as a bad guy ship. We'd probably buy it,

[shokker]

i know what mattel wants to say that it sold okay. it just makes enough money when they can reuse the whole thing again and again. since a vehicule can just be used once it made a little money for them and it wasnt worth that much for them. yeah well, if you read toygurus statement how the whole motuc idea came to be then you can notice that everything has to be reused or it would not make sense to the guys in suits. you can even notice that they dont have a clue what fans want to see, they dont even care. wind raider was just pocket money for them and they cant buy a new car with that.

[CaptainTriumph]

The Wind Raider would have been a sell-out in under a day if they would have released it any other time.

 

They had too much other stuff on sale at the same time.

 

Do they really think that they don't have a lot of customers that buy items from multiple lines?

 

I bought 4 that day but I almost didn't buy any because of buying two Legion sets and 2 each of the JLU sets.

 

My wallet is still hurting from that day.

[Nguyen_Dragon]

It seems like Mattel is not giving much room for error with this line... Maybe Scott is under a lot more pressure than we think... The sellout time they are expecting is outrageous...

[CaptainTriumph]

It seems like Mattel is not giving much room for error with this line... Maybe Scott is under a lot more pressure than we think... The sellout time they are expecting is outrageous...

To any rational, realistic person, yes.