Masters of the Universe Classics Fang Man for Subscribers Only
Fans of Mattel’s Masters of the Universe Classics series (Amazon.com search*) who did not subscribe will be forced to pay fairly high prices for Fang Man since Mattel has announced:
When the subscriptions went on sale last year, we mentioned that some figures would not be sold on the day of the monthly sale, and that’s the case with Fang Man™. He will only be shipped to subscribers of Club Eternia®.
This is annoying, but it’s a cost I guess I have to pay since I just wanted interested in subscribing last year. In the comments to Poe Ghostal’s post on the subject some speculation comes up that Fang Man will be available on Black Friday this year and I can totally see that happening.
There’s also speculation in the comments of Poe’s post that the reason Fang Man isn’t available is to sway some to sign up for the Filmation subscription at Matty Collector. How sad is it that Mattel’s fans went to this almost instantly? I think that says something about Mattel’s PR efforts and fan experience with Mattel and the Masters of the Universe Classics series.
I’ll keep my eyes open for a Fang Man at a reasonable price, but I’ve gotta agree that the timing on this announcement feels a little convenient for Mattel. If I never get a Fang Man then so be it. I like the look of the figure, but I’m also a bit thankful that I don’t have to try to use Matty Collector to buy the toy.
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I agree that it says something about the PR/collector experience, but it also says something about the collectors too.
After the sub sales dropped by a third, we should’ve all suspected a downward adjustment on the day of units. Usually, it’s been the other way around – the sellout times expand after the March/April figure because Mattel has more solid numbers to go on. This year it’s contracting, though to zero is extreme.
That said, the timing is obtuse at best. I think the production numbers are dictated by market forces not monkey business, but the PR as usual makes it look worse than it is.
@NoisyDvL5 – I think it’s that there have been too many Black Friday sales with “they’re gone!” figures and too many odd statements from Mattel for anyone to instantly believe any more “all gone now!” announcements from Mattel.
We’ll know for sure (about Fang Man’s status) in about a year I suppose.