Archive for the ‘Mattel’ Category:
Ask Matty 12/1/10 – WWE Rumblers, Action League, MOTUC
Lots of good answers today, including a rundown of the WWE Rumblers launch assortment, why we won’t be seeing Orko for a while, and what’s stopping the Batmobile. Head over to our message board to discuss!
1) The WWE Rumblers line appears to have a nice mix of figures and
playsets/accessories. Can you give us a run-down of what sets are going
to be available at launch?
Available at Launch:
Rumblers Two-Packs Assortment:
John Cena and Sheamus
Triple H and Shawn Michaels
CM Punk and R Truth
Rey Mysterio and John MorrisonRumblers Figure + Accessory Assortment:
Ladder Match Playset with John Morrison
Casket Match Playset with UndertakerRumblers Figure + Deluxe Accessory Assortment:
Steel Cage with Rey MysterioRumblers Blast & Bash Battle Ring with John Cena and Sheamus
Rumblers Singles Assortment (Alternate Channels Only):
Undertaker
Kofi Kingston
John Cena
CM Punk
Triple H
Rey Mysterio
2) Now that we’re getting closer, can you tell us who’s in the first
wave of DC Universe Action League?
This was announced at SDCC. The first wave will have Superman vs.
Bizzaro, Firestorm vs Deathstorm, The Flash vs Captain Boomerang and
White Lantern Sinestro vs Hal Jordan.
3) Several of the unreleased Batman: The Brave and the Bold Action
League figures were very show-specific, using looks from specific
episodes or aspects of the show (Green Lantern Batman, Solomon Grundy,
mutated Batman), so how would figures like this be incorporated into the
DCU Action League?
DCU Action League will not be based on the show Batman: Brave and the
Bold, but rather on the comic look from the monthly issues out on racks!
4) Any news on when Orko and Prince Adam might be re-released?
Likely not for awhile. He just had a major release at an international
convention and we will want to rest him for some time. He will likely be
back in time.
5) What has to happen before Mattel will commit to a DCUC scale
Batmobile, assuming of course, logistics regarding Batman’s cape could
be worked out?
It is more of an issue of tooling vs. how many units we could sell.
Based on the current sell-through of standard 6-inch DCUC figures, the
audience (customer base) is just not large enough right now to justify
the large amount of tooling an item like this would take. Maybe one day!
Ask Matty Q&A for November 1, 2010
Masters of the Universe Classics, Green Lantern, Generator Rex and more are all touched on in this week’s Ask Matty Q&A. As always, head over to the Ask Matty thread on the message board to ask your questions for Mattel:
1) MOTUC items are often re-released for sale on the website. MOTUC SDCC characters (post-event versions) have been said to be available for future re-release. An old DCUC wave was available as an online re-release. So what are the chances of the Color of Fear 2-Pack and the SDCC Lobo being resurrected for a second go? Lobo is ALWAYS an exclusive figure and so always hard to get, and the Color of Fear set sold out pretty quick.
No plans right now for more Lobos. Color of Fear was on sale for several weeks so fans had more then enough time to pick it up!
2) With the upcoming Green Lantern 3-Pack of B’Dg, Dex-Starr and Despotellis having the usual figure price, and the upcoming King Hiss selling at normal figure price point even though he has almost two bodies, could a 2-pack of new figures (not repaints) around the size and complexity of Orko make it into the $20 MOTUC price point, and thereby theoretically be part of the monthly sub?
No. We lost out shirts a bit on King Hsss, but that is our way of doing something special for the fans.
3) I appreciate that the upcoming GL line will be using swappable heads/hands to give us more characters, and the smaller figure pack is very cool. Many of the most iconic GL aliens, however, are roughly human sized but very drastically inhuman in shape, and for this reason have never gotten action figure treatment even though some have been around for 50 years. Will this line be including Corpsmen like Chaselon, Larvox, Charqwep, or Galius Zed?
There are plenty of characters in the DCUC world that are 100% sculpts and these GL members are great options next time we have a 100% sculpt slot open!
4) For the Generator Rex toy line, what is basic line called and which characters and Rex variations will be appearing in the first wave?
The line is called “Generator Rex”. Wave 1 will include Rex with several of his nanite powered attachments as well as Agent Six and a Providence Trooper. The exact versions of Rex in Wave 1 have not been locked down yet.
5) Have you, or would you ever consider adopting the Action League style for the Generator Rex property?
If the line is popular enough with fans and collectors we’d love to look into something like this. Time will tell.
Ask Matty October 15, 2010 – Green Lantern, Attitubes, Infinite Heroes and Comic Packs
1) It looks like the Infinite Heroes Kingdom Come Captain Atom is a Toys R Us Exclusive, at least according to the sticker seen on eBay auctions, but what’s the status of the new Captain Marvel action figure also seen on cardbacks?
There are a few IH figures that are a bit in limbo right now waiting for retailer commitments. As soon as we have confirmation of retailers interested in taking product we will announce them to fans!
2) New Infinite Heroes female articulation was shown on Ravager and Wonder Woman, but will we be seeing elbow joints any time soon?
We are looking forward to getting more articulation for both male and female figures but, again, we need retailer commitments before moving forward with more product.
3) You’ve shown the Attitubes a couple times now, but do you have any update on when a line might be available for purchase?
So far, there has only been lukewarm interest from fans. If there is enough interest we would love to move forward with these fun guys! What say you fans?
4) We already know that Green Lantern is going to be getting a 6 inch line, and at SDCC you mentioned that it’ll have a 3.75 inch presence, but will that be it for Mattel’s Green Lantern offerings?
Hardly! There will be a ton of great GL product in 2011 including some Retro Action figures announced at SDCC for Mattycollector.com. More will be announced as we get closer to the film.
5) You’ve heard it before, you’ll hear it again: what’re the chances of comic packs for any of your lines?
Always something we are looking into and an execution we did offer in the DCSH line in 2006 and 2007. No plans to revisit right now, but you never know. Stay tuned.
Mattel Q&A for 9/15/10 – Bad News for Action League, Zombie Love
No new Mattel DVD pack-ins to announce, Bronze Tiger, Deadman and Robin are MIA and other Mattel news in today’s answers. Head over to the message board to pose some new questions and talk about this latest round of Mattel Q&A‘s.
1: Can we expect future Mattel pack-ins with DC’s Direct-to-DVD releases? The DC Direct PVC figures are ok, but the IH figures were very welcome.
Right now, we do not have future DVD pack-in figures planned but you never know what the future will bring!
2: Can you explain to collectors what the difference is between Mattycollector and shop.mattel.com and how shop.mattel.com interacts with Mattycollector’s occasional sale of retail product?
Shop.Mattel.com sells Mattel retail product online, Mattycollector.com sells exclusive product available nowhere else as well as some collector retail product such as DCUC box sets.
3: Do you plan to release the previously seen Brave and the Bold Action League figures (Grundy, Robin, Bronze Tiger, Deadman), or will they be folded into the new DC Universe Action League?
Right now these figures are MIA but we hope to get them into the line in due time.
4: The DC Universe Action League figures feature “kid friendly” sculpts of characters recently involved in somewhat mature storylines, for instance, Blackest Night where zombie heroes ripped the hearts out of friends and teammates, or Green Arrow and Prometheus. Who do you see as the target market for this line?
But don’t kids love zombies? At any rate, we know these are collector driven figures as well.
5: Marvel briefly explored digital content tie-ins with its’ Marvel Universe figures, and many mass toylines have found success with virtual worlds and unlockable content. Will any Mattel products be exploring these options, for instance, unlockable MOTUC secrets or DCU bios?
This is something we have looked into. Nothing to announce now, but anything is possible.
Ask Matty 8/15/10 – Action League News, a Tytus Re-Release and more!
Lots of great answers in this round of Ask Matty, as we plumb the depths of Mattel’s mind:
1) One of SDCC’s big reveals was the DC Universe Action League figures. Do you have estimated release dates or information on what will be in the first waves?
DC Universe Action League will be out in late fall 2010.
2) Back in August 2009, in a Q&A with AFI, female figures were discussed, but now a year later we still haven’t seen any. Are they still on the slate for either Brave and the Bold: AL or DCU:AL?
We will not get to females in the Brave and the Bold Action League, but do have plans to do so in the DC Universe Action League line! A female has already been sculpted!
3) Infinite Heroes fans and collectors have been getting mixed messages about the line: some Q&As suggest that the line is in danger, some Q&As suggest that big things are coming. Now that SDCC has come and gone and no new figures were shown, what does that say about the future of the line?
As announced at our SDCC DCU fan panel, the 3 ¾” line will continue in 2011 with a Green Lantern theme. We need to wait until we have retailer commitments before announcing further details to fans.
4) Regular MOTUC figures have been re-released, but will the weapons packs or larger figures like Tytus ever get re-released?
Yes. Battle Cat and Tytus have been scheduled for a re-release as have the Grayskull stands. No re-release plans for the Ultimate Battle Ground Weapon Pak yet, but maybe in time.
5) Now that we’ve got Action League style DC figures and WWE figures, can we expect to see the Masters of the Universe license get the Action League treatment soon?
Definitely something we’d love to do. Time will tell! .
Now head over to the Ask Matty section of the message board to help us come up with some new questions!
DC Universe Action League Figures
We first started talking about the new DC Universe Action League figures earlier on the message board (not a member? shame on you, it’s good fun!), but haven’t had a chance to front page it. For those that have been fans of the Batman Brave and the Bold line that Mattel has released over the past year, you know the deal. Super Hero Squad-esque figures featuring the best and brightest Brave and the Bold, and now the DCU in general, has to offer, but all pointy.
There are pictures aplenty at Toyark and Toy News International but here’s the rundown:
- Firestorm vs Black Lantern Firestorm
- Flash vs Captain Boomerang
- Hal Jordan vs White Lantern Sinestro
- Green Arrow vs Prometheus
- John Stewart vs Atrocitus
- Tomar Re vs Low
- Batman vs. Joker
- Superman vs. Bizarro
Now, I know what you’re saying… heroes packed with villains. Specifically, heroes packed with villains they face. Featuring costumes based on recent, popular stories. And edgy ones at that! Green Arrow and Prometheus are coming off the recent Rise and Fall storyline, which leads into the even more dark and stormy Rise of Arsenal storyline. Low, Atrocitus, Black Lantern Firestorm and White Lantern Sinestro all played prominently in the recent Green Lantern books, especially the zombie-tastic Blackest Night. Even Captain Boomerang has a Blackest Night/Brightest Day tie-in!
Edit: We’ve got updated information for the DC Universe Action League figures in this post.
Mattel’s WWE, Done Action League Style
ARBCOtoys made an awesome discovery with Mattel’s new Action League style WWE figures. I can’t quite make out the sign behind Undertaker, other than the Toys R Us logo, but if you can help ID these figures or the line, head over to the thread linked above and join in!
