Masters of the Universe Classics

[Motuxmen]

Wonder how Mattel's CEO stepping down and Barbie tanking compared to the Frozen dolls, will effect MOTU in the future?

I would think the new brand manager will have a much larger influence. But given how things have been going at Mattel I don't think a change at top would be bad. When they say part of the new changes is to cut down on endless pointless meetings, and that going forward all meetings need a purpose, which would indicate that in the past they did not which I find asine, just seems like a change was required. At many levels.

Mattel still has a bad rep with some retailers because of how some older retail lines where handled. Including 200x. Despite what they have said publicly, they tried to get motuc in retail before Matty collector was created.

I've heard in house with motuc there was tension because of them limited resources given to motuc despite it being the tent pole for Matty collector. And that there was in fighting over how things where handled. All just rumors and gossip(except the wanting it retail back in 2007-08, that I know fro sure). I hope they look to companies like marvel, and hot toys and sideshow and neca. With Marvel they can see a once struggling company that was ten minutes from closing up shop that is now a major player in both print and digital media. Mattel could very well start a studio of its own. Bring motu in house or even go hasbros route with transformers and battle ship and go joe. Even if you don't like those movies, they make the company a ton of money. Which lets them take risks and chances on things they otherwise could not. I think motu is a rich enough property that it could be utilized as Star Wars is rumored to be. Or the LOTR. Maybe even marvel. I could also see motu guesting in dc movies to kick things off. Given the long standing relationship with DC.

Anyway, I think it's a property that needs better direction then it has had of late, and maybe this helps. I mean if a Lego movie can work you can't tell me motu would not.

 

[Is-rael]

Yeah, seems like they could do some imaginex crossover stuff with MOTU as well. They lack the vision those other company's you mentioned have with their properties. Gotta love that Honda is using MOTU in their commercials, I mean if Skeletor can sell a CR-V then MOTU should be able to succeed at some sort of visual medium, but Mattel can't even keep Barbie current and acceptable.

 

[SonOfHeMan]

Usually when there's a change in management, there's change in how things are run (sometimes just for the sake of change itself). Mattel definitely needs some positive change, but I don't necessarily think that shuffling around the Good Ol Boys at the top of the food change will necessarily do that. The new guys, I think I read that they don't even have experience with toys? I don't think they're going to "get" the brands, especially not MOTU. They'll just play golf and give themselves bonuses and hand down directives from on high. MOTU right now is small potatoes, but with the movie picking up steam, there will be more focus on the brand. The new execs could easily take one look at MOTUC and Mattycollector and can the whole thing if they don't feel like it's positive for the brand.

 

[Motuxmen]

Usually when there's a change in management, there's change in how things are run (sometimes just for the sake of change itself). Mattel definitely needs some positive change, but I don't necessarily think that shuffling around the Good Ol Boys at the top of the food change will necessarily do that. The new guys, I think I read that they don't even have experience with toys? I don't think they're going to "get" the brands, especially not MOTU. They'll just play golf and give themselves bonuses and hand down directives from on high. MOTU right now is small potatoes, but with the movie picking up steam, there will be more focus on the brand. The new execs could easily take one look at MOTUC and Mattycollector and can the whole thing if they don't feel like it's positive for the brand.

Yep, that's true. But they could also look at it and give it more resources. Goes both ways.

Like I said, the high up executives, ceo, board, ect will make a difference. I just think in the short term it matters more who the brand manager is then the ceo. But I also think long term the only way motu grows is with a smart ceo who sees past the problems and imagines a solution. This far that has not happens, and Mattel is bleeding talent to other companies.

 

[Zodach]

Maybe this is one of the reasons Scott left Mattel. I wonder if he could see the writing on the wall and wasn't happy about the direction the company was going. Mattel still has many big brands to be concerned about before they even think about MOTU though. We're talking about Barbie, Hot Wheels, Monster High, Fisher-Price, Thomas, DC Comics/Batman, and WWE. MOTU and Matty Collector are way down the list. With new management I could see them redirecting their resources and dropping the Matty Collector products. Keep in mind that they are well into production on 2015 and I don't see anything changing there, but 2016 could look very different. A MOTU movie would breathe some new life into the brand, but how long have we been talking about it? I'm not sure it will ever see the light of day.

 

[Eamon]

I've been collecting the line since day one and I am not 'burnt' out all.

Excited for Snake Armour He-Man, Ninjor and mostly Oo-lar.

I am very curious to see where things will go in 2015.

I am just dreading the Son Of He-Man line as these were mostly concepts that never made it...for good reason.

 

[teemu]

MOTU CLASSICS WARLORD!!! Zombihamma head,cape,sword kit together of my painting up a TP He-Man in Vintage Warlord colors...came out Amazing!

 

[evenflow]

Very awesome work on Warlord!

 

[Motuxmen]

I've been collecting the line since day one and I am not 'burnt' out all.

Excited for Snake Armour He-Man, Ninjor and mostly Oo-lar.

I am very curious to see where things will go in 2015.

I am just dreading the Son Of He-Man line as these were mostly concepts that never made it...for good reason.

I am not burnt out on the figures. I'm even excited for son of he-man. And snake armor...that's the one figure I've wanted since jump. I love that look. A lot. Lol
My issues have always been with the business side of this line/company. If there's ever a figure I don't like I either don't get it (if it's not motu...with motu I'm a completist) or it gets put on the shelf in a non prominent role. Lol but this line has been way to much work. When I have to fight with a company to get them to take my money that's a problem. When I sign up for a sub that I am not supposed to be able to cancel, and they cancel it for no reason, that's a problem.

I love the figures. The property. I hope they keep making them, and expand. But the management of this line has been awful.

 

[Nintenjoe]

So what's this about a Talon Fighter? Are they really making it?

 

[Battle Ram Man]

False. In comics, for example, there's been many, many times when the mantle has been successfully passed down to a new generation. Having someone younger from a different upbringing take on the powers opens a whole new world of story telling. Sometimes fans hate it, but if done right it can certainly be successful. It's not "always" weak, unless all you're looking at is crap like James Bond, Jr. Heck, He-Man himself is the "Son of Randor," does that make He-Man lame?

I think what really bugs a lot of people is the idea that He-Man would be going away entirely, but he's not. The only real difference we would see is in the MOTUC mini comics and maybe a few extra figures in line. He-Man would even still be there as King He-Man in a more Randor type role, and still get to kick ass every once in a while (and I suspect that a King He-Man would more of a battle king than Randor). Dare could be an interesting character, because unlike to Adam, the power isn't a total mystery. Also, Adam was forging his own path with the power, with no real precedent, while Dare would have He-Man's legacy to look back upon, while at the same time have King He-Man there for guidance (and casting a wide shadow over Dare). His personality and his struggles would be totally different from Adam's, and I think there's a lot of potential there for neat story telling and struggle while we watch how someone totally new deals with taking up the Power of Grayskull.

I don't think there's anything to worry about, it's not like He-Man is going away any time soon - the Son of He-Man story line would just be a way to push the MOTUC story line into the next logical step. Really, I see it as an excuse to make some cool new figures. A new generation of Masters, as well as new designs for old favorites (Ram Man, Man-E-Faces, etc). Any new media (movies, comics, TV shows, etc) would and should still be on Adam/He-Man. I just see Son of He-Man as something to flesh out for hardcore fans who have been wondering (potentially for 20+ years) exactly how the He-Man story line would/could continue after New Adventures. I think they should still have stories with He-Man, I think they should have stories about Powers of Grayskull era, and just the same I think they should keep pushing the timeline forward, and show us what happens after King He-Man takes up the throne.

The way SoH has been presented, it looks exactly like James Bond Jr.

He-Man having a father isn't exactly relevant. It's not like the brand started out as Randor and the Masters of the Universe and then Adam was a spinoff of that.

In any case, there is zero chance that anything substantive is going to happen with Son of He-Man. There might be a couple of figures produced, but there will never be a show or a movie or a toyline with that concept. There are probably fewer than a 50 people total who even want it.

When comic books "pass the mantle" the only way it's ever done successfully is if another person assumes the role of the same hero. The hero persona doesn't change, just the person behind inside the costume. And even then, such changes don't typically register with the general public.

 

[SonOfHeMan]

The way SoH has been presented, it looks exactly like James Bond Jr.

He-Man having a father isn't exactly relevant. It's not like the brand started out as Randor and the Masters of the Universe and then Adam was a spinoff of that.

In any case, there is zero chance that anything substantive is going to happen with Son of He-Man. There might be a couple of figures produced, but there will never be a show or a movie or a toyline with that concept. There are probably fewer than a 50 people total who even want it.

SoH hasn't really been "presented" yet, unless you're talking about show pitches from 20 years ago, then yes, those look pretty lame, but most kids shows made 20+ years ago are pretty lame. The idea is to take that and make it into cool figures, same way that they've managed to take the lame NA stuff and turn it into bad ass figures.

But let me just get one thing straight here, I'm not talking about any new shows, or movies, or new toy lines. If they make ANY new mass market media at this point, they should totally stick to the classic He-Man myth. I don't think anyone is going to argue that they should go directly to Son of He-Man.

The only place I think that (right now) they should explore the Son of He-Man idea is in the Classics line (or whatever it turns into in 2016). Mostly that means the story in the mini-comics/bios. I think they should also make a few figures from this era - Dare, Skeleteen, Kayla, and whatever else the Horsemen think would work as a cool figure. But I don't think it should dominate the whole line. Maybe 1-3 figures a year, kind of like NA, unless they somehow manage to sell in a mini-sub. I think that's pretty fair. Still leaves plenty of room for Filmation, POP, NA, whatever.

When comic books "pass the mantle" the only way it's ever done successfully is if another person assumes the role of the same hero. The hero persona doesn't change, just the person behind inside the costume. And even then, such changes don't typically register with the general public.

The person inside the costume is the whole POINT. That's what makes it interesting. That's what allows for good story telling. Changing who has the powers changes the kind of stories you can tell. The name or how they get the powers doesn't matter, it's the human struggles they go through that matter. Getting caught up in a name is just dumb. Kyle Rayner's story is totally different from Hal Jordan, for example. As is Connor Hawke's. As is Wally West's. Those three took up the mantles of their respective heroes, and there were a lot of cool stories that were told that just weren't possible with the previous heroes.

 

[teemu]

something BIG may be coming in a few weeks (this isn't the actual set)

 

[Zodach]

That thing is like 2x the size of Castle Grayskull and they are still sitting on overstock of it for $300. I can't see them doing Snake Mountain, especially at the price they would have to make it. I could see a smaller Skeletor's throne room diorama though. What are you hearing Teemu?

 

[fart jokes]

something BIG may be coming in a few weeks

So at Toy Fair?

 

[SonOfHeMan]

A Snake Mountain would be an amazing way to go before a rebranding, I just have no idea where I would put one.

 

[Battle Ram Man]

SoH hasn't really been "presented" yet, unless you're talking about show pitches from 20 years ago, then yes, those look pretty lame, but most kids shows made 20+ years ago are pretty lame. The idea is to take that and make it into cool figures, same way that they've managed to take the lame NA stuff and turn it into bad ass figures.

He appeared in the recent mini comic. I think it's a safe bet He's going to look like a NA He-Man repaint.

The only place I think that (right now) they should explore the Son of He-Man idea is in the Classics line (or whatever it turns into in 2016). Mostly that means the story in the mini-comics/bios. I think they should also make a few figures from this era - Dare, Skeleteen, Kayla, and whatever else the Horsemen think would work as a cool figure.

IMO, all of those look lame, but to each their own.

But I don't think it should dominate the whole line. Maybe 1-3 figures a year, kind of like NA, unless they somehow manage to sell in a mini-sub. I think that's pretty fair. Still leaves plenty of room for Filmation, POP, NA, whatever.

I think 1-3 figures a year is way more than what's demanded. A few dozen people want to see Dare & Skeleteen at best.

The person inside the costume is the whole POINT. That's what makes it interesting. That's what allows for good story telling. Changing who has the powers changes the kind of stories you can tell. The name or how they get the powers doesn't matter, it's the human struggles they go through that matter. Getting caught up in a name is just dumb. Kyle Rayner's story is totally different from Hal Jordan, for example. As is Connor Hawke's. As is Wally West's. Those three took up the mantles of their respective heroes, and there were a lot of cool stories that were told that just weren't possible with the previous heroes.

The general public has no idea who Kyle Rayner is, though. But that's not really what we're talking about here. Dare isn't the next He-Man. He's He-Man Jr. It's a silly idea.

 

[MagpieMad]

After moving to a bigger house I was finally able to pick up Castle Grayskull a few months ago and like everyone else I think its fantastic. Despite that I wouldn't pick up Snake Mountain, as amazing as it may be. With 3rd party mp transformers coming thick and fast, as well as Hot Toys Star Wars, my figure budget/shelf space is getting very tight!

Just saw that Ninjor will be available to all us dirty rotten cherry pickers in February sales

EDIT: the only figures I'd pick up from the last mini comic are the fan design with multiple arms (Raja?), Adora in Horde armour and Dare. Main reason I want him is I don't have NA He-Man displayed in armour so Dare would look somewhat unique on my shelf.

 

[teemu]

After moving to a bigger house I was finally able to pick up Castle Grayskull a few months ago and like everyone else I think its fantastic. Despite that I wouldn't pick up Snake Mountain, as amazing as it may be. With 3rd party mp transformers coming thick and fast, as well as Hot Toys Star Wars, my figure budget/shelf space is getting very tight!

Just saw that Ninjor will be available to all us dirty rotten cherry pickers in February sales

EDIT: the only figures I'd pick up from the last mini comic are the fan design with multiple arms (Raja?), Adora in Horde armour and Dare. Main reason I want him is I don't have NA He-Man displayed in armour so Dare would look somewhat unique on my shelf.

Dare is highly likely coming at the end this year and I'll be offering mine for cheaper than Matty

 

[MagpieMad]

I'd be happy to take it off your hands, provided the reveal looks good and you're willing to ship to the UK