The Rumor Buster

Mattel Q&A – Giant Infinite Heroes, Missing Titans, Metamorpho-no,

And catching up with Mattel Q&A’s…  wait… IF the Infinite Heroes line continues?  On with the Questions!

1) At Toy Fair we saw that Ravager (and unless we’re mistaken, Wonder Woman from the Starro pack) has the new articulation. Are there any plans to give any other female characters in the DC Infinite Heroes line the new articulation?

As we get to new figures in this scale we will incorporate all levels of current articulation and continue to always improve!

2) With the IH numbering discontinued for the 75th Anniversary packaging, will we ever find out who Figure 41, Figure 44, Figure 50, Figure 55, and Figure 57 were?

We’ll try to publish a full list of released figures in the near future.

3) Since we know that a 12″ Tytus and the C&C DCUC figures are possible, will we ever see a larger scale IH figure? More specifically, will we ever see a larger scale humanoid IH figure? Since we know (and are psyched about!) Starro will be offered at SDCC this year.

If the Infinite Heroes line continues then this would be a great way to get out some new news for the line!

4) The Action League Metamorpho is packaged as the Element Man. Is that a result of the name being trademarked, and if so, have you considered an approach like Marvel’s (i.e. calling the figure “DC’s Metamorpho”)?

The name “Element Man” was the name DC provided for this figure in package.

6) So far we know that a couple different teams are only missing a member or two, like Beast Boy/Changeling for the New Teen Titans, Kid Flash for the Flash family, Alan Scott for the JSA, Captain Cold for the Rogues, and Superboy (although he might be unavailable due to legal issues?) for the even newer Teen Titans/Young Justice. Have these absences been intentionally planned out or have they just sort of been victims of happenstance where no “right time” arose for these characters to be released?

All of these are just happenstance. No one has been initially left off the table and we do have plans to finish off these teams as soon as we can. Definitely don’t read into anything!

Now off to the message board to discuss!

Ask Matty 4/15/10

We just got a new round of answers back from Mattel and here they are!

1) Any chance we could see some more obscure villains in the various DC lines? For instance, a Catman would be great!
Catman would be great, but we can’t comment on unannounced figures. We do have plans for a lot more villains in the line.

2) Even though Music Meister only showed up in the Brave & the Bold TV show, would it be possible to see him in DCIH?
Sure, but not likely in the near future.

3) Is the current similar style of the Toy Story Buddies and Action League Minis a style that is being planned to carry over into other products as a sort of in-house “Mattel Mini” style? Will we see it again?
Yes, this is a “form factor” we are interested in exploring.

4) Have you considered re-releasing repaints of complete C&C figures on Mattycollector or shop.mattel.com so that collectors of different scales (ok, just IH) can get bigger characters without having to pick up other figures?
This all depends on how the DCUC Wave 5 re-release goes. It is our big test to see how re-releases do.

5) Several Brave and the Bold figures such as Solomon Grundy (“Zombie Hitman”), and the individual Metal Men have been given name changes. Can you give us some insight into why some figures get name changed?
There are several reasons for this including, comments from our licensor partners, kid testing, and trademark issues for using a name on a toy.

Well, there you have it! Now, if you want to discuss these answers, or post some questions of your own that you want us to Ask Matty, then head on over to the board!

Attack of Show to have Mattel SDCC reveals!

After causing a mild quandry on the Matty Collector forums, the airdates for the G4 Network’s Attack of Show Mattel SDCC reveals have been revealed: April 12 and 15! Mattycollector.com says there’s 4 reveals each night, with bonus reveals on Friday, April 16th when “we’ll have the complete list of SDCC products with images PLUS a couple more reveals!” No clue what’s going to be revealed, but they did drop some hints:

a couple of hints… 1) a DCU item will have a ton of accessories, and 2) we have an Avatar™ item that, for the first time, combines a 3-3/4″ figure and a 6″ figure in one package.

Head on over to the message board to start the speculation

New DCIH on Ebay

You might want to check out your local store becuase Deathstroke, Mr. Terrific, and others are appearing on ebay.

Ask Matty 3/15

We just got in the newest round of answers back from Mattel and here they are!

1) Why do some characters in DCIH get treated with the old body while they were previously treated with the new mold? For example: we got multi-articulation Flash (Barry) & Psycho Pirate in the Crisis 4-pack only to later be released in single packs with the old mold instead of multi-articulation?

Many times something like this is the case of an older toy being released later then expected even after newer versions of a character have been available through other channels.

2) Is the theme for DCIH this year going to be the 75th Anniversary or is there going to be a more story-specific theme like last year with its Crisis theme?

Yes, the theme for Infinite Heroes in 2010 will be DC 75th!

3) In your 2009 MOTUC round-up, you mentioned having a roll-out through 2016. With DCIH and DCUC being tied to developments in the comic books, how far ahead are those lines planned out?

The DC lines are currently planned through 2011. We will start working on the 2012 line later this year.

4) For MOTUC, the upcoming figure stands apparently have a modular element to them (a piece of rubble that snaps into the stands); will additional modular elements, for instance larger wall panels, be created?

We are looking into ways of expanding scenic offerings, but nothing is set in stone right now (no pun intended!)

5) There are extra entries on The Secret Saturday’s Cryptipedia for Komodo, Duah, Tapire-Iauara, and the Amarok. Coincidentally, these are the same cryptids featured in the TRU exclusive pack, however the pack comes with the same cards as the single non-exclusive cryptids. Could we get an explanation as to why this is?

This was simply a issue with what cards were available to use when this customized item went into production. No other secret there!

There you go! As always, you can head on over to the board to discuss.

Ask Matty 3/1/10

Mattel just sent the newest round of answers to us, so here they are!

1) With the huge popularity of miniatures, are you considering making JLU miniatures?
We will continue to offer DC characters in the Action League line, if that is what you are asking. There are no plans for a separate JLU mini line.

2) Does Mattel have any plans on adding holes for pegs in the feet of the Brave and the Bold Action League figures? Many of the figures like Batman, Aquaman, and the Top suffer from difficulty standing.
Yes, we can confirm future figures will have holes in their feet!

3) Now that the suggestion has been “passed along” (in another Q&A) for the inclusion of Music Meister in the BatB lines; due to the episode’s and character’s popularity, is there any chance of also considering making him in a few of his different ensembles? The Action League line has not said no to doing repeats of characters before, and our beloved maestro of villainy just begs for it.
At this time there are no plans for Music Meister, but if he does get into the line we’d love to do some of the exciting outfits he had! Which ones would fans want the most?

4) The Batman Action League figures that are in a running position are extremely hard to stand up. Most of them end up lying on their backs after a few minutes. Collectors and kids alike have expressed their frustration with this issue. Can this leg pose be retired? There are many leg sculpts that work great.
We will certainly look into addressing this for future figures!

5) It was last stated that there are no new plans for The Secret Saturdays. Is it possible to provide us a list of the items that have actually made it to retail? The Griffin Attack Jet Vehicle that appeared last month has advertisement for Fiskerton and Piecemeal as well as other figures due out in “April 2010″ leading to confusion of their fate. Are these items still slated to come out in April?
Yes, these items are still on tap for this spring.

There you have it! As always, if you want you can go discuss it on the board.

Ask Matty 2/15/10

Mattel sent the latest round of answers to our questions.

Will we be seeing any more Action League multi-packs like the Toys-R-Us 6-pack?
Only time will tell. Nothing to reveal quite yet.

Will any other Pixar, Disney, or Mattel properties (such as Masters of the Universe) be getting the “Buddies” or “Minis” 2″ treatment from Mattel?
This is something we are looking into but we’re not ready to spill the beans quite yet!

While fans of some lines like DCUC are lucky enough to get a heads-up about what figures will be in upcoming waves (and when those waves will hit), fans of Action League and Brave and the Bold figures generally have to wait until the figures are spotted at retail. Any plans to start giving those fans more of a heads-up about upcoming figures?
These lines are handled by a different group from the DCUC team and we are working with them to make sure all collectors’ needs are met!

What DC property are you most excited to bring to DCUC and Infinite Heroes this year?
We can’t wait to get to some of the current Blackest Night characters, but it may need to wait until spring of 2011 due to new developments.

Each Action League 2-pack comes carded on a cool background. Is there any chance you’ll put the backgrounds online so fans can print larger versions for their displays?
That’s a cool idea, but nothing is planned at this time.

As always, you can head on over to the board to discuss.