Ask Mattel April 2nd Edition (Masters of the Universe, DC Universe, Back to the Future, & More)

News, Top Story

Twice a month, Mattel is kind enough to answer questions around the web on its lines, including WWE, DC, Masters of the Universe, Ghostbusters & More. Check out the April Q&A session sorted out by catagory!

DC Comics

Q: What is the story with the All Star Line? Why the exclusion of Larfleeze? Now that he is no longer a part of that line, does that make him a prime candidate for the Sub?
A: Potentially. The All Star concept was a good idea but executed Band-Aid style. We’ve decided to hold tight until we can create the right line with the right packaging, etc… For now, we’re going to finish up DC Universe with one last wave.

Q: When willy you make a Batmobile for a 6″ Batman? Any 6″ Batman?
A: You should be excited by the new Batman line that we’ve created coming out with the movie….

Q: When are the last of the metal men comming out? Lead and Dr. Magns. and is there any hope of an Aloy figure?
A: We would like to get to them but no plans to announce right now.

Q: Thus far all five DKR Movie Masters have been unique characters… Will we see Movie Masters figure variants– like Bane with no jacket– either as chase figures (e.g. unmasked Batman from TDK MM), or as store exclusives/multi-packs?
A: Variants? What are variants? Maybe I should put my goggles down to have a better look at the figures… (PK’s Note: They are referring to Catwoman having a goggles on variant)

Q: If you’re not already aware, there are some amazing customisers out there using the DCUC bucks (figures) to create new characters, etc. Have you ever considered selling generic bucks on Matty?
A: Yes, we have looked into this but right now are putting all of our resources into creating new figures.

Q: Can Poison Ivy get a couple of open hands like the ones on the Raven figure (without the rings) or maybe Priscilla Rich? Either of these would be great for summoning plants poses. Fists don’t seem to fit Pam very well. She’s not much for punching, and plants usually do her fighting for her.
A: We did review this, but do not have time for the Horsemen to sculpt new parts.

Q: Most Mattycollector releases have appealed toward fans of traditional toy styles, for instance 6 inch, 12 inch and 3.75 inch action figure collectors. Will there be any Mattycollector exclusives that are geared toward more stylized toy collectors (Action League, or urban/vinyl styles?)
A: Always something we are looking into.

Q: Since Larfleeze recently got the boot from the first wave of DC All-Stars, can we count on him showing up in a later assortment? That was the figure a lot fans wanted the most!
A: Potentially. We tooled up most of the figures, so we’ll look to release them at some point in one form or another if possible.

Q: Matty, we still have not heard anything new about when and how that Super Powers inspired Penguin that was shown at the New York con will be released. Will you please let us know now? It has been several months since we were promised some news it and I want that figure!
A: For now, you’ll need to wait. Sorry. We have a spot for him in our 2013 line due to some shuffling around of characters.

Q: In last month’s Q&A, Mattel stated that the incorrectly scaled Rocket Red figure was approved by DC, but we’re not sure how that relates to why he can’t be fixed before release. Is Rocket Red being out of scale an error that Club IE Subscribers are just being asked to accept?
A: He is final and we can’t make changes at this point.

Q: We’re not sure if that many folks will armybuild Rocket Red since he’s an incorrectly scaled $45 figure, but was any thought given to including a sticker sheet with different numbers? That would allow for him to be “customized” by the consumer as opposed to locking them into one number with the tampo?
A: This is something we looked into but it was not working for the cost.

Q: Is Superboy prime the standard buck or does he use a new smaller buck?
A: He is based off of the teen buck with armor.

Q: Having now gotten the news that Platinum and Tin will be in a 2 pack, is Tin supposed to be Tina’s accessory, or, like the other metal men in the line, will they come with character specific add ons? Thanks.
A: For Platinum/Tin, no new accessory or clip on like previous metal men had. Tin is the accessory to Platinum.

Q: Does Mattel plan on ever producing and selling any more individual 6″ figure stands and flight stands, for MattyCollector.com?
A: Yes, we do have some plans but are not ready to confirm details yet

Q: Are Movie Masters going to include strictly Dark Knight Rises designs, or is Ras Al Ghul and others like Ninja Bruce Wayne from Batman Begins a possibility?
A: We are looking into all 3 of the Nolan Batman films as inspiration for the future of the MM line. Only time will tell.Yes, we do have some plans but are not ready to confirm details yet.

Q: You guys have done Vertigo characters in the past with Sandman, Animal Man and Swampthing, any chance we’ll see other more well known Vertigo characters like John Constantine, Anton Arcane and the Unknown Soldier?
A: As long as characters are being used in the standard DC Universe we will gain access to them! All of these might be good candidates for Club Infinite Earth slots!

Q: We’ve seen your upcoming New 52 Batman, and noticed it lacks double jointed elbows and knees. So, if Dick Grayson, arguably a more flexible character than Bruce Wayne, were to be produced for the DC Universe line, could he be viable for double jointed knees and elbows?
A: Sure he could. But nothing to confirm right now.

Q: I wanted to know if it was possible for an over-size slot in the sub to be taken by a possible Rogue 2-pack each year if the sub continues? It would help people fill their villain needs much faster and would easily get more people to sign up. Maybe a 3-pack if the villains like The Top and Weather Wizard don’t require much tooling. Just imagine the excitement in the faces of fans. Is it possible?
A: Possible, sure. But I can confirm allow the oversized figures for 2012 are not multipacks.

Q: If the line doesn’t get picked up for retail (although I really hope it does), is there any chance that the prototypes that have mysteriously found there way onto eBay could be sized up slightly to JLU size and become a convention exclusive? It would be a shame to let the great sculpts go to waste and it would be a way for us JLU fans to expand our collection even more via a brand new line.
A: No. The ONLY reason we could do that for JLU was the tooling was complete and paid for. A GLA series line never made it to this milestone.



Masters of the Universe

Q: Recently, we noticed a figure named “Double Trouble” in the Skylanders toy series. Will this cause a potential problem with naming the Princess of Power character, like it did for Flipshot/ Icarius?
A: It is possible. We will have to cross that bridge when we come to her. It may be a case of a new name like Battle Fist vs. Fisto. But it will be the same character.

Q: We’ve known since Toy fair that we will see some kind of MOTU and DC exclusives at SDCC, but will there be a Voltron exclusive at this year’s Comic Con?
A: You will need to wait until April where we will announce all of our SDCC items!

Q: The final release Temple of Darkness Sorceress was confirmed to have Teela’s boots at Toy Fair, but is there a chance she can have Teela’s entire legs, including the hip swivel that is missing on the new v.2 female body? We have really been missing this joint on the newer MOTU women.
A: No. We are only changing the boots.

Q: With characters like Ram Man or products like the Wind Raider that require extensive tooling, has Mattel considered expanding the Masters of the Universe canon to provide additional opportunities for parts re-use? Snake Man at Arms, Green Goddess, White Sorceress and Battleground Teela and Evil-Lyn have brief and tenuous connections to the overall MOTUC mythology, but would a downed Wind Raider re-purposed by Tri-Klops break some boundary?
A: Certainly possible, but we don’t have any plans right now.

Q: With so many diverse toy lines out there, especially ones aimed at the collector’s market, what do you attribute MOTUC’s success to?
A: Passionate fans and a great bank of characters to choose from. In the end it is all the fans.

Q: If you make a Gwildor figure, what’s the over/under on him coming with a bucket of chicken?
A: Oh, totally must do the bucket of chicken!

Q: Will Mattel every pursue a Julie Winston figure? Just like the Filmation rights were once off the table, will that be something that you might eventually want?
A: Not while the 1987 movie rights are unavailable.

Q: How difficult was it in selecting a winner in the MOTUC Create-A-Character contest and will the characters submitted by the runners-up be shown?
A: We had 8 different judges from 4 different areas of Mattel, Design, Packaging, Marketing and the Franchise group. Each judge could bring there top favorite to our final judge off and than each judge could vote for two figures but it couldn’t be there own. The winner was clear very quickly from that! But it was up to each judge to pick their single candidate from all the entries to bring to the final judge off. There were a lot of great entires and it was hard for each judge to only bring one entry to the final judge off! In the end, each judge brought the entry that “spoke” to him or her the most for a variety of reasons.

Q: Do you have some pictures of the updated Frosta deco from the Four Horsemen yet? We are excited to see the improvements made!
A: Not yet, but we hope to soon!

Q: We understand that all of Mattel figures are subject to the same safety standards regardless of the ‘adult collector’ label, but do the Snakemen teeth have to be so rounded/dull? Is there anyway to make them appear more fierce and stay within safety guidelines?
A: Yes, we do have standards. Although these are adult collectables out of the box they work as kids toys so we have to apply that standard.

Q: Since MOTUC relies upon tool re-use, has Granamyr been thought out/designed as dragon “buck” body so that characters like Sorrowful (the cowardly dragon from the Filmation She-ra cartoon) could be made from the same mold?
A: Yes, we have thought about other uses including a green repaint if the red one sells well.



WWE

Q: I love the fact Arn Anderson won the Fan Choice poll. Was the figure shown at Toy Fair the final product? Because no offense to “The Enforcer;” but he’s never been what one would call thin and the figure displayed was made using the lightweight body. Will the figure be released with a stockier torso? The Iron Shiek/Nikolai Volkoff one would work well.
A: We are still working out the details for this figure but will have more to confirm in the near future!

Q: Does King Kong Bundy have a new fat body mold? He looked a bit skinny in the recent NYTF reveals.
A: Yes.



Back to the Future

Q: Can the BTTF line of props be expanded beyond the hoverboard, ie Flux Capicator and other items?
A: It is always possible but nothing is planned right now

Q: What figures is Mattel aiming for the 6″ BTTF Hoverboard to be compatible with? Mattel describes Movie Masters, DC Classics, and MOTU Classics as 6″ lines, but one hoverboard won’t work for all of them. Which of those lines do you intend to be most compatible with the hoverboard? Basically, who gets to zoom around? Venkman, Batman, or He-Man?
A: It will work with a variety of 6″ figures. We hope to have some comparison shots soon!

Q: Will you guys go with the light or dark green stripes? Please say light green as IMO the dark green looks horrible since it would be the only out of place color on a brightly neon colored board. Also I hope you guys go with the actual velcro for the stripes instead of vinyl stickers.
A: We will make the board look as close to the movie as possible. I don’t have further details but once all of these details are locked in we will share. Ideally we will have a working model at SDCC to show off.

Q: Just an idea, would like to see sound kick in when the board is held inches over the ground instead of activating when placed on the ground.
A: Not sure if that is possible but I’ll pass it along. Who knows, maybe that is what the engineers are already doing. We are way far from testing anything. All I know for sure is we have a whole team working to make this as magical as possible.



Voltron

Q: The Red Lion for the start of Club Lion was fantastic! Is the rest of the sub on track? How long will it take for us to be able to build a complete Voltron?
A: Yes. All five Lions will ship before the end of 2012!



Ghostbusters

Q: With continued talk of a GB3 movie, would we see more product if a movie happens
A: At this time there are no plans for GB3 product. We will have to wait to see if the movie happens! But we sure would love to.



Credit:
actionfigureblues.com
actionfigureinsider.com
elkkthunderstoyroom.com
infinitehollywood.com
itsalltrue.net
kastorskorner.com
mintconditioncustom.com
pendragonspost.com
toyark.com
thefwoosh.com
therumorbuster.com

I like Comics, Wrestling, Super Mario Bros & Dead Space. Oh ya, and Scott Pilgrim.