Posts Tagged ‘Mattel’
Ask Matty February 1, 2012 – Action League Vehicles and the future of 3.75 Inch DC
Expecting some 3.75 inch love from DC at Toy Fair? Think again! But apparently we can expect to see what Dark Knight Rises toys! If you’d like to ask some questions, ask them over in the Ask Matty thread
1) Considering the number and variety of vehicles already produced for the Brave and the Bold line, is there any chance that some of these will be repurposed or re-released as part of the DC Universe line?
No, not at this time.
2) The DCU All-Star figures revealed so far have been an unusual combination of apparent repaints and figures requiring minimal tooling. Would larger waves allow more unique sculpts?
There will be some figures with more tooling and others with less depending on the best execution for each character.
3) Can we expect any news about the future of DC’s 3.75 plans at the upcoming Toy Fair?
No. We do not have a DC 3 3/4″ line planned at this time. Maybe down the road.
4) With Dark Knight Rises coming this summer, what product lines can consumers expect to see? 6 inch? 3.75 inch? Action League?
We will have this to announce at NYTF.
5) With a fresh slate of DC direct-to-DVD animated movies coming out this year, can we expect any Mattel tie-ins like either the Public Enemies line, or the one-off retailer exclusive figure pack-ins?
At this time, no we do not have plans for this in out 2012 lines.
Ask Matty December 15, 2011 – DC Universe Props, Action League
Will there be any props similar to the Ghostbusters trap for the DC Universe, or are those rights tied up by other companies?
We can definitely explore props for DC Universe. This would be a great execution for Mattycollector.com. So be on the lookout there for any announcements about future prop replicas!
Is there an estimated in-store date for the Flashpoint wave of Action League figures?
The Flashpoint-themed mix is scheduled to hit shelves around February 2012.
Is Mattel able to make Young Justice or YJ styled figures based on characters that haven’t appeared in the show (although there’s certainly enough actual appearances to choose from)?
Although this could be a possibility, our focus has been on characters that have appeared in the animated series.
With Wildstorm characters in the “mainstream” DCU right now, and Milestone characters appearing in Young Justice, are both available for Mattel action figures?
Yes, these characters are available for Mattel action figures, however we don’t have anything specific to announce at this time.
Hasbro has recently launched it’s own construction toy brand, Kre-O. Has Mattel given any thought to producing it’s own line of construction toys?
Sorry, Mattel can’t comment on any in development concepts or ideas!
Got any questions for Mattel? Ask Matty here!
Mattel Q&A May 1, 2011 – Voltron Subscriptions, Matty Collector Sales Gauge
1) As you know, there’s been some criticism of Matty Collector sales.
Collectors are told that future product hinges on sales, but no figures are ever given (of either actual sales or required sales) for business reasons and collectors get mixed messages about figure sales (product is pulled or “no longer available” to focus sales on other products like with the Cyber Monday Parademon controversy).
Have you considered implementing a “thermometer” or other way for fans to know when sales have met, or are failing to meet, expectations without giving away concrete numbers?
Actually yes, this is something we are looking into for the future!
2) Has Mattel looked into cross-packing Action League, Buddies or Rumblers with other lines? For instance, including an Action League version of a character with their DCUC version?
No, there are no plans for this type of mix and match between lines at this time. Cool idea though!
3) There hasn’t been a Fourth World figure in DCUC since Desaad in Wave 12, there were no Fourth World figures at all in DCIH, DC Universe Action League has so far been Green Lantern dominated, and the only place to find Kirby’s signature characters recently have been in the soon-to-go Justice League line. Can we expect more New Gods any time soon?
We do have more New Gods planned. You’ll just need to hang in there. They are coming!
4) Continuing our quest to ask you about every toy possibility: Is there a chance we’ll see Ghostbusters in an Action League or Buddies style? So far you’ve had 12 inch, 6 inch and retro style figures, but don’t you think they’d lend themselves to the more animated designs of a Buddy?
This is something we have looked into. No plans right now but maybe down the road, especially when and if there is a new film!
5) With SDCC coming up soon, will you be announcing any new toy line subscriptions?
Yes, there will be a Voltron subscription program. We will have details at SDCC.
Mattel Q&A April 1, 2011 – Toy Story Buddies, 3.75 inch SA Hal and more!
Toy Story fans rejoice because there will be as many as 8 all new characters in the Toy Story Buddies line this year! Head on over to the Ask Matty thread to pose your questions for the next Mattel Q&A.
1) Now that Toy Fair has come and gone, can you give us more insight into the future of the Toy Story Buddies? Other than a Dolly and a grimacing Lotsa, not a lot of new product was shown, leaving fans to wonder if the line is nearing its end and whether there will be product related to the upcoming short films.
We love the buddy segment and will be supporting it in 2011 with tons of new characters. As I am sure you know, in 2010 the line was focused exclusively on TS3 characters. In 2011 we will be introducing as many as 8 all new characters, including one of Sids toys and a Spanish Buzz! We will also be going back into the archive to pull out characters that were not available last year!
2) Will we see any other Disney or Disney/Pixar properties represented in a Buddies or Action League format?
Right now we do not have any to announce beyond the Toy Story figures from the Disney team. Stay tuned!
3) Many 3.75 inch collectors have waited patiently for DC related news only to be disappointed in the less articulated Green Lantern figures. Is there be a more collector oriented line of 3.75 DC figures, either Green Lantern or not, coming?
The collector line for GL is in the 6” scale. The 3 ¾”line is our kid line and to keep the SRP at $6.99 we had to go with kid style articulation. But we are working on trying to find a way to do at least one really great SA Hal figure in this scale down the road. Toy Guru is determined!
4) With Young Justice figures that ship with a veritable mini-playset, and Green Lantern Classics having a three-pack of smaller characters, can we expect the DCUC line to experiment with multiple smaller characters for instance, including Brain as an accessory or Gizmo or Damian Wayne as the alternative to a BAF piece?
Yes, this is something we are looking into, but nothing to confirm right now.
5) DCUC has recently unveiled the “Super Friends”, and of course Batman Beyond and the Public Enemies styling have been represented previously, so does this mean that other DC Animated styles and original characters are possibilities? For instance, characters or designs from the Teen Titans animated series, or Justice League?
We do have access to these, but right now our animated line will focus on Young Justice.
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.
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!
