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Answers to WTFWTK 2.12!

Toyguru has once again provided answers to your questions.
Check out his answers to your Round 12 questions!

1. It was previously said that Mattel would start making use of the newsleter on Matty Collector. But so far, most of the recent news updates have been posted on Matty's facebook account. Wouldn't it be better to not only post the news on Facebook, but to also send the news via the newsletter on Matty Collector as well as send the news out to all fan/toy sites, or at least to He-Man.org, to maximize Mattel's informative reach?We are working on getting Matty’s Newsletter going and will continue to use both Facebook and fan site posts to get news out. One of the great things about the Facebook page is that fans tend to re-post any announcements from this site onto other fan boards, so it really helps us get the word out rather then only posting news on just one fan site which may not be on everyone’s radar.

2. Who specifically is responsible for creating/writing the bios shown on the back of the MOTUC packaging and what all goes into creating a bio (details please; inquiring minds want to know!)?The bios are written by members of the MOTUC packaging and marketing team at Mattel who have VERY thoroughly researched the line. We have access to a lot of early scripts and concept work as well as all of the original toys and artwork. The members of our staff who work on the bios are huge fans of MOTU (such as Toy Guru and others) and we are very proud of the concepts they are including in the bios as a way to sum up a lot of otherwise contradicting stories. We also share the bios with the Four Horsemen as they move forward with sculpting to get there thoughts as well.

We do have a long term plan for the bios and have thought them out very far in advance. Stay tuned, we think you will love where we are going with them!

3. Demo-Man has been a controversial character, mostly because of his name and because he wasn't part of the existing MOTU lore known by the public. Has Mattel given thought to modifying his info any further to increase favorable opinion of the character, or at least change his name so it reads more like "demon" which the name is supposed to imply?The name is actually pronounced “Dee-Mo Man” so it does have a bit of a demon ring to it. (which is exactly as it was intended when it was proposed as Skeletor’s name in 1980!) We know fans are a bit polarized either loving or not liking the name. But we feel it fits in perfectly into a universe populated by characters named Ram Man, Mer-Man and He-Man and it pays homage to the original creation of Skeletor.

4. Is there any update on re-releasing King Grayskull?As announced at NYCC, we will look at brining him back as a single carded figure if sales justify double figures in some months. When and if we do we will change him up a bit such as a new cape color or perhaps battle damage to help preserve the collectablity of the original SDCC exclusive.

5. The original toys, mini-comics and MYP cartoon have all been confirmed as character sources for MOTUC, while the classic cartoons have been ruled off-limits.
But there is a variety of other character/story sources (eg: Golden & Ladybird books, Marvel/STAR comics, etc).
Are these also unavailable for use, and if so what are the actual legal reasons this material can't be used as it was originally created for Mattel Licensing?The Marvel and Star comics are not something we have access to at this time.

6. Will the packaging for 2002, NA and/or POP characters be different than the current MOTUC figures?All of the figures in MOTUC will have the same package, but certain teams such as th4e Horde, Snake Men and POP will get stickers on the blister to identify them as being from a certain sub segment of the brand.

7. What is the status on the "coffee table book", and if it's moving forward will it include previously unknown archival info like we saw with Demo-Man?This is something we are interested in, but right now our team has there hands full churning out all of the great figures each month.

8. Now that Mattel has MOTUC figures in production, which happen to include a number of the weapons that helped make up the original '80s accessory pack, is there any update on the possibility of releasing a MOTUC weapons pack?It is more likely we will include these weapons as additional weapons with figures. Man At Arms comes with both a pistol and a knife from the weapons pack.

9. It appears that the paint app consistency has varied on the three figures released to-date.
For example, both He-Man and Skeletor seem to have two different paint apps on their faces. A glossy finish version and a more matte finish version. Why is this?There is only one paint master for all of the figures. Each figure is painted by hand so what you are seeing here are subtle differences and human error.

10. It doesn't seem fair to fans outside the USA to have to pay twice for international shipping (to receive and then to return) for something that was Mattel's fault. Will Mattel provide a free-international-return-shipping for figures that are faulty or sent with/in error?We are activly working on ways to improve this as we move forward with customers service and Digital River distribution. We are also looking into setting up an online email customers service options as well. Stay tuned.

Well it's good to know that Mattel are at least intrested in making a coffee table book about MOTU! The further into development the new movie goes the more chance we might have of seeing something like this being brought to market.Fingers crossed!

Last edited by Angel-T; February 16, 2009 at 12:48am.

PRO CLASSIC POP TOY DESIGN ELEMENTS BEING USED IN MOTUC TO COMPLEMENT THE FILMATION DESIGNS!!!!

I FULLY SUPPORT THE INCLUSION OF ILLUMINA IN MOTUC!!!!!

IF YOUR SICK OF WAITING FOR A LIGHT TO APPEAR AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL, STRIDE DOWN THERE AND LIGHT THE BLOODY THING YOURSELF!!!!!!!

We do have a long term plan for the bios and have thought them out very far in advance. Stay tuned, we think you will love where we are going with them!

There's a LOT of controversy with them so far. If the new movie is based off them, I'm not sure I'll be too happy. Same with if they start a new TV series or DVD series off them. Somethings they have just don't fit right. I'll save judgement for when anything materializes, but for now...colour me concerned.

Take part in Illumina Day! Let people know who she is and help get her in MOTUC.

Still not liking the Demo-Man name (sorry Mattel- I love ya, but some things end up on the cutting room floor for a reason- I think this was material better suited for an interesting side note in a coffee table book). Using it as a homage would be nice if it worked well, but that isn't the case... (in my opinion). When a name requires an explanation on how to pronounce it- then most likely it isn't the best name to begin with, especially for a major character. Which is probably at least part of the reason why it wasn't used initially. It just doesn't read well. I get that it is supposed to suggest "demon," but it nonetheless still reads and sounds clunky.

Other than that- no more gripes for the time being, lol- . The figures are looking great so far and that is what matters at the end of the day. Enjoying the Q & A's.

T5. The original toys, mini-comics and MYP cartoon have all been confirmed as character sources for MOTUC, while the classic cartoons have been ruled off-limits.
But there is a variety of other character/story sources (eg: Golden & Ladybird books, Marvel/STAR comics, etc).
Are these also unavailable for use, and if so what are the actual legal reasons this material can't be used as it was originally created for Mattel Licensing?The Marvel and Star comics are not something we have access to at this time.

So this means Ladybird and Golden are available...?

Anyhow, I'm liking Demo-Man now that I hear it's "Dee-Mo-Man."

This is how I pronounced it the first time I saw it... doesn't mean we have to like it still.

When a name requires an explanation on how to pronounce it- then most likely it isn't the best name to begin with, especially for a major character. It just doesn't read well. The figures are looking great so far and that is what matters at the end of the day. Enjoying the Q & A's.

Agreed. And my feelings on the name are pretty neutral, but when I read 'demo' it makes me think of demolition, like he's master of blowing things up.

And I love ya Matty, but ya need a quick grammar lesson on the different spellings of "there"!

I hope they won't turn the King Grayskull re-release into a battle-damaged version. I'd rather like to see him being colored differently on the belt and arm guards - something subtle that still clearly distinguishes him.

I hope they won't turn the King Grayskull re-release into a battle-damaged version. I'd rather like to see him being colored differently on the belt and arm guards - something subtle that still clearly distinguishes him.

Or make this version fit more with the current heman, giving him the same vest (with cross) and lion cloth the current heman has.
200X He-man, when released, would look more like the current KG we have.

Mattel are gonna want to offer a KG that will sell to both those who already have the SDCC version and those who do not.
So it's gonna have to be something a bit more than a few different colours!

Somehow, I doubt many would buy a battle-damaged KG, either. I can't imagine that most collectors would want a "battle-damaged" figure, anyway (I know I don't...they just don't mesh with the rest somehow). And, seeing as I'm sure most missed the opportunity to get KG at SDCC (since not everyone in the world lives near San Diego or has the money to plane-hop there, especially in this economy), I'm sure a KG with a different colored cape or no cape at all would sell just fine.

Besides, I'm sure only the MOC collectors and scalpers truly care about being the only people on their block to own an SDCC KG. I mean, I was one of the lucky ones to get a Skeletor and I know I really wouldn't care if they re-released him with the same package and all (seeing as he's loose, and I'd never intended to resell him anyway--I'm a child-like collector, but I'm not childish and therefore don't mind allowing others to have the chance to enjoy the fandom as much as I).

Just my two-cents. Make KG different if you must (though, honestly, a different package would be enough to sell out, I think), but don't make him so different and so specialized (like "Plumber King Grayskull", "Doctor Funtime King Grayskull", or, yes, even "Battle-Damaged King Grayskull") that he looks out of place next to the other figures. To further illustrate, an exchange that I can imagine happening in reality:

GF: "Wow, nice to see you finally got your He-Man collection up. They all look great...but what happened to this one?"

Me: "Oh, that's King Grayskull. He's He-Man's predecessor/ancestor."

GF: "Why does he look like he just got mugged?"

Me: "Oh. He...um...he kinda got his ass handed to him by Hordak, who is right here--"

GF: "And no one else did? Hordak wasn't even damaged at all in teh fight?"

My main imput I guess is that I really wish they would do something to differentiate the POP figures packaging, such as use the exact same stone/castle design, but instead of green, make it dark purple (or similar). Because although It makes sense to have horde, Snakemen etc on MOTU cards because they were always an offshoot of MOTU, but POP was a totally sepearte card and line. It would be nice to have that recognised.

And I want Skelcons! Come on, Mattel, those would be eben quite easy to do!

And I certainly wouldn't want a battle-damaged King Grayskull.

Agreed, and agreed. Skelcons would be awesome! All they would need is a new head, and the tunic w/hood. Even though they had no leg armor, I think Skeletor's legs would look good for them. And no BD Grayskull for me, or Snake Armor for that matter..

There is only one paint master for all of the figures. Each figure is painted by hand so what you are seeing here are subtle differences and human error.

Okay, why does Mattel keep giving answers that confuse me? As far as I know, mass produced figures aren't, for the most part, painted by hand (the last major action figure line I can attest had hand painted pieces was Captain Action). Paint masks are used for details. Now, I'm not sure exactly the process involved in things like washes or airbrushing, but even that isn't really hand painting, even if it isn't done by machine. As for the matte versus shiny finish, it's likely just whatever paint was available at the factory at that particular time.

A minor point, to be sure; I'm just mostly curious about the process here, which I thought I had a pretty good handle on. Am I mistaken?

"I will use this power for all the good that can be done, to work for peace, to encourage virtue, and above all, to preserve life in all its forms..." Superman

Personally I want a regular king grayskull. Between all the people who never got one, All the NEW people to the line who never knew about him at the time, the international people who couldn't get him, and all the ones that broke..... I don't think they would have any trouble selling him out.

I like the idea of changing loincloth material and whatever improvments were made to the ankles and put him in a normal container. If you need to change the color of the bracers.... fine, but i'm not big on battle damaged. The only battle damage i want is Battle Armor He-man. IF they can't make the armor "heal" then i want a few slashes on it.