The shelf space required for the SM shown isn't much different than what would be needed for CG fully opened lengthwise IMO. SM really doesn't appear to be as big as people are exaggerating it to be.
Shelf space is finite, and after 8 years I am extremely selective when purchasing MOTUC. I've only bought 4 figures this year and that's probably all I'll get. I only have the front of CG displayed as that is the most iconic in my eyes. I will definitely be displaying both halves of SM though. The only space big enough for it in my office is 95cm high by 120cm wide. Any bigger than that and I'm out!
I think what really confuses me is fans have amassed this huge MOTUC collection for the past 8 years or so, and gladly have them on display taking up multiple square feet of a room or basement. NOW suddenly they claim to have no more room, and demand that a play set be made smaller as if it's really going to make a huge difference. AND people are suddenly worried about price after spending thousands of dollars on a toy line for the past 8 years? Really?
You're also right that this line has been going for a long time. I was 24 when it started, living at my parents house with no dependents or serious financial commitments. It's now 8 years later and my situation has changed a lot. Plus as I already explained display space is finite, the more stuff you have the less room you have for new purchases. That's common sense.
This line has never really been international fan friendly in terms of shipping/customs, etc. International collectors should already expect to pay high shipping costs for such an item after 8 years. Reducing the size of SM isn't going to make international shipping significantly better.
The size of the item actually makes quite a massive difference to the cost of international postage. Again I agree with you that shipping costs are higher than they should be but that is a topic which has been discussed in this thread ad nauseam over the last 8 years, so I wont go into that
I think the reasons given are more of a personal preference or opinion, and don't have anything to do with the play set's practicality. People want it smaller because it better suits their display plans. They want it smaller because for some reason they think it will be cheaper to ship.
That is a practical consideration for me though. I think we have different opinions about what constitutes a practical consideration. The vast majority of what people say and post is subjective, why do you need to point that out?
Bigger product = bigger cost. Bigger cost = fewer buyers. I think Mattel said at SDCC that they would need to do a presale for this. Will there be a meter with a minimum threshold to go into production? That I don't know, but if there is a lower price point it will be within more peoples' budget. Let's just say as an example this would be priced at $400 at the prototype scale, but reducing the size by 20% would also lower the price 20% to $320. That is a big difference. I know these are not exact numbers, but Mattel needs to keep this at a reasonable price or it could be dead in the water without enough customers willing to buy it.
I'll be honest my first reply to you took me over 15 minutes and I get the feeling this could go back and forth for a while if I get caught up. So very quickly:
Everything is finite, you cant have infinite space. This is not an opinion, it's a fact!
I explained my situation as you couldn't understand why people are suddenly saying they have limited space or funds.
You said I should be used to having to pay high shipping costs after 8 years, which implies that I have been paying them already. So, whether intentionally or not, you did comment upon shipping costs.
You've been seeing the "Size is not practical" excuse from lots of people, including me, because it affects a lot of individuals. If it affects enough and they choose not to buy it then SM wont be made.
I want a SM no taller than 1m, if it's taller than that I'll move on and spend my money somewhere else, probably HT Star Wars dioramas.
Hmm. I'd actually like something like this, personally.
View attachment 198670
(Sorry for the bad Photoshop job. ) If you've got to carry over the face from the Mattel Playset, make it a bit larger and put it on the back. The closer to the Filmation version, the better for me. (Even though the toy was my Holy Grail as a child.)
Whatever Mattel wants to do is okay by me, since I would prefer not to waste energy needlessly raging on the toy forum about changes that are never going to happen. But to each their own.
A word of advise my friend
You'll find out that whatever people are commenting on, he'll just state the opposite to antagonize and be condescending...
The fact is SM will be smaller, my guess is that they'll reduce the left (snake) side, as the right size looks to be about the same height of Castle Grayskull.
I trust the 4H, so I am not worried about how it will look.
Enter your email address to join: