Mattel Will Gladly Give You Masters of the Universe Next Year for Dollars Today
Between their approach on the DC Universe Club Infinite Earths subscription (mentioned here) and yesterday’s Masters of the Universe Classics news (see he-man.org) it seems as if Mattel seriously wants you to buy subscriptions for 2012.
1: First off, yes, we are no longer going to be doing a second run of figures. This will start with Queen Marlena and move into Man-E-Faces and the other fall figures. We still have some older figures already slotted for line time and a second run that will be offered monthly(ish) in 2012. But starting with the July/August figures there will no longer be second runs of newer figures (at least for now, anything could potentially change down the road). So if you want Marlena, now is the time to buy!
Additionally, in 2012 we will be reducing our production of all figures above and beyond the subs. We will still have product on sale day for those who do not have a sub, but in general there will be a bit less. Your first, best and most reliable way of getting the figures you want is to sign up for the sub (and the only way to get Shadow Weaver–our first Filmation character!). This will be the case for all subscriptions, not just MOTUC.
So that Man-E-Faces coming later this month? Well, buy him now of prepare to dump your cash on eBay. And by “now,” of course, I mean when the toy goes for sale later this month and forces the Matty Collector site to choke as every single one of us wants a Man-E-Faces. And the drop of second runs combined with reduced order quantities means only one thing: the Masters of the Universe Classics series is currently being over-produced for Mattel’s tastes.
What does any of this mean to those of us who don’t subscribe and only try to pick up a few specific figures throughout the year? Well it means we had better subscribe . . . or else! I suspect that one of two things will happen in 2012:
- Mattel kills Masters of the Universe Classics around August or so and 2012 is the last year of the series.
- The reduced run and lack of second runs of figures leads to five minute sellouts in 2012 and Mattel increases the 2013 price to over $600 by cramming more obscure and unwanted figures into the line . . . and then complains in 2013 when those figures don’t sell well.
This thread at he-man.org shows fan response to the news.
Well, if nothing else that pushed me over the edge on ordering Captain Glenn. Probably be crazy expensive on ebay.
Still $40 with tax and shipping.
I’m so stupid. Maybe I can part out the Queen Marlena bits and Cringer?
Ouch. That’s rough. I thought Mattel was trying to kill DCUC to put the 4H on making MOTUC constantly but now it seems like they’re just spinning the chamber and praying for a bullet on ALL their collector lines. What gives? I thought Mattycollector was insanely successful, but every time you hear from Mattel it’s about how crappy the fans are and don’t buy enough. Isn’t a sellout on every figure you’ve ever put up considered success?
I can’t wait to read the book ‘How to isolate your fan base and force people to hate you’ by Mattel
I think the argument about subs gets blown way out of proportion by the twelve regular posters over on He-Man.org.
Let’s put it this way – are the majority of MOTU Classics figures sold through subs, or non-subs? After reading the pages and pages of arguments on .org, I would have to say that it is through the subs.(plus this release over on TNI from 2010 about Adora and Trap-Jaw: http://toynewsi.com/news.php?catid=13&itemid=15497)
Meaning that a majority are all-in. They don’t care what Mattel offers up as “MOTU”. Personally, I don’t. Give me POP. I want NA. Filmation – whatever. I’m satisfied knowing I get between one and four items per month from MOTU. I just don’t want to have to fight the Matty site to get my fix.
I know this sounds INSANE, but I have to praise Mattel for being realistic in their approach to MOTU. Outside of the mystery packs (which seemed to be a mechanism to clean out extra Tytus, Moss Man, etc), they sell through everything MOTU. No piles and piles and piles of Zhu Zhu Pets, Stargate, Gi Joe Movie figures, or other famous clearance kings leftover forever. No running to the apocalypse-esque TJ Maxx/Marshalls-type stores looking for the Roboto that was wave six and never shipped to real stores! If I want to be guaranteed all* the figures, I can get a sub; if I want just Optikk, all I have to do is go to a certain website on a certain day and I have as much a shot as anyone else. This is miles better than the half-year I looked for Wreck-Gar in local stores.
*my only complaint is about the additional items they create for the MOTU brand, in regards to subscriptions. I have already told Mattel that I will guarantee them $600+ of my money. YOU DON’T HAVE TO INCLUDE EVERY ITEM! Just give me a pre-order link when you have an additional item so I don’t have to fight the site! Is this logic so difficult?