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@smitty-81 The only characters he conceptualised were Lieutenant Spector of the Palace Guards of Eternos and his powered-up alter ego, the Mighty Spector, who can travel through time corridors. All the other characters were simply used for these short stories, which he supervised. Unfortunately, MOTUC Classics did not live long enough to produce some of these figures, thus failing to complete this Preternian group.
@smitty-81 nice
Also Mattel I'm assuming really did people dirty by releasing that cartoon (mainly with the hairstyle) Teela variant in the vintage toy style and then literally a year later they come out with an actual cartoon accurate Teela
Actually that Teela with Zoar was supposed to be a 200X cartoon inspired Teela (hence ponytail), while the CC Teela is Filmation cartoon inspired…
They look different enough I like having them both, though I wish the Zoar Teela had even more 200X-like design. Don’t really want to get those boots from boring Snake 200X Teela.
Edit: There was a snafu with that one though, in a different way: in prototype images, she had a nice real gold paint. In the final figure, it was this very intense yellow with subtle glitter… but Mattel has been having real trouble reproducing gold with their current techniques, I guess. We’ve seen it time and again, with varying results.
@smitty-81 I suppose they could still rely on Gray, the more incognito version of He-Ro. According to a 2011 mini-comic published by Dark Horse, there were also a dozen warriors fighting alongside King Grayskull. Their names are: Sir Laser Lot, Gladiator, Beast Lord, Tytus, Veena (200X), Zodak (200X), Bandwidth, Mighty Spector and Moss Man. Enemies: Megator, Quick-Flick, Stretch-Neck (unused), and Serpentor (unused). There are lots of interesting designs, if you ask me. A few of them were exclusively created during a contest celebrating the 30th anniversary of Motu. This media definitely helped to make them more legit in a sense.
Before we get any SoH (which I also would completely love to get), we need the New Adventures characters to get made.
@onlyoneskeletor I think Mattel needs to set the bar lower.
There is a joke in here somewhere.......
>>>The Power of the Good and the Way of the Magic!<<<
[Skeptical mode on] Apparently, the Snake Lair crowdfunding campaign deadline was pushed back again. Any thoughts on this, guys? [Skeptical mode off]
[Skeptical mode on] Apparently, the Snake Lair crowdfunding campaign deadline was pushed back again. Any thoughts on this, guys? [Skeptical mode off]
My best guess is they aren't hitting their own projections for it, to them this is a 'low cost item' that also needed a tier thrown in, to recoup the OG set costs AND they've got a payment plan after people just got their salary that still didn't do much. There wasn't even a large final day bump.
That extra 8 days helped Mattel but not by much, 576 backers over the 6000 threshold. That's crap considering there was now a payment plan and people had just gotten paid before the usual last push.
I've seen quite a few people comment now about how damaging the early bird aspect is for the middle of a campaign, and they're right. While you get that initial surge you obviously hope will be inspiring it means there's a large dip in the graph afterwards as people wait to see what tiers they're getting from others for the crazy asking price. And an early bird only happens because you don't have much faith, let's be honest.
I'd actually love to know what the next crowdfund would be already because this one was such an unnecessary disaster! I honestly don't know what would be a surefire hit though. The Doom Tower would probably be their best shot? But honestly would enough people care for the crazy money they'd no doubt be asking?
@sketchyskeletor We're talking about the Filmation cartoon here, and apparently, the Horde is way more popular than the Snakemen. Add Mantisaur as a bonus—not the green Filmation version, of course, LOL—as its color would perfectly match the Horde headquarters. Major hit!
@sketchyskeletor We're talking about the Filmation cartoon here, and apparently, the Horde is way more popular than the Snakemen. Add Mantisaur as a bonus—not the green Filmation version, of course, LOL—as its color would perfectly match the Horde headquarters. Major hit!
I'm not convinced the Filmation stuff is the hit it should be tbh, I know a lot of people who didn't touch it after the vintage shitshow and it goes on deep discount on Amazon and Smyths across Europe almost immediately. I don't know about America though. And it's weird but part of it is the damn headsculpts, they're either ever so slightly off or different from what people think they remember! I mean so far the Horde have been good, but good enough to drop, what, 500 bucks+ minimum on yet another large playset? They barely cleared the Snake Lair after rejigging it a few times and it actually looked vintage.
Mantisaur should be available for everybody is my take. Mattel's crowdfunds are two for two pathetic anyway.
@sketchyskeletor "Should have been" is more accurate. Because, with all of Hordak's variants behind us, I can't see how this mount could be integrated at this point.
@sketchyskeletor "Should have been" is more accurate. Because, with all of Hordak's variants behind us, I can't see how this mount could be integrated at this point.
Yup, I'd have assumed Hurricane would have been perfect there. But they can still do it as a Cretins release. Even that godawful Panthor sold out, so... and we're getting Swifty which is probably a minor miracle in Mattel terms.
@sketchyskeletor I just can't let you say that about Panthor. It was an impressive upgrade from the MotU version and even the questionable Battle Cat from Revelation. One thing we'll probably agree on is that, once the cats and horses are released, Mattel tends to wash their hands of the rest. It was a real miracle to see them finally give the massive Night Stalker a shot, even with a subscription. P.S. I wouldn't mind seeing the Origins replica of the aforementioned reference vanish from their online store as well because we urgently need that type of signal to reasonably start hoping for further development of MOTU items in that category.
@sketchyskeletor I just can't let you say that about Panthor. It was an impressive upgrade from the MotU version and even the questionable Battle Cat from Revelation. One thing we'll probably agree on is that, once the cats and horses are released, Mattel tends to wash their hands of the rest. It was a real miracle to see them finally give the massive Night Stalker a shot, even with a subscription. P.S. I wouldn't mind seeing the Origins replica of the aforementioned reference vanish from their online store as well because we urgently need that type of signal to reasonably start hoping for further development of MOTU items in that category.
It looked awful and I won't be swayed lol.
Yeah, classic Mattel, wildly overproduce stuff that's 'mid' for many a collector but not enough of, say, Ninjor. I mean they don't even replenish stuff that sells out in 2 days.
The issue with the vehicles/mounts is not one has been handled right (usually overproduced). The Sled had an Adam figure you either didn't care about or wound up with multiples of. Battle Cat/Panthor are still around. Same with Stridor and the Ripper (putting Mekaneck in there and removing the ripcord was SO DUMB). And so on. Just make them to order! My god, if you can't figure out your fanbase numbers between crowdfunds and Club Grayskull anyway...
@sketchyskeletor Mind you, I mentally replaced my endless anticipation for Mantisaur with the giant lizard that recently guarded the Fright Zone. For me, it was probably the innovation of the year. In my opinion, the rubber replica is no longer suitable for the current customer base. Not to mention its inability to withstand the test of time. To elaborate further, I love that each camp has its own weapons of mass destruction. The Rattle Trap would be an ideal addition to the Snakemen empire. However, I've grown tired of citing many other references (Spydor, Fright Frighter, Monstroid, etc.). Anyway!
I really don’t want Mantisaur as a bonus for the Doom Tower… I will not be able to shell out hundreds of dollars… so then I wouldn’t have a Mantisaur.
If they have to, they can improvise another Hordak variant for a Creations release of the insect mount. Buzz Saw Filmation, Filmation with Transformable arms (they are giving us a reworked basic She-are for Swiftwind). Or better yet, a grey Hordak with some extra arms or even in Ted Mayer design.
I like the Doom Tower but it’s like paywalling Mantisaur behind it. Poorer fans should have a shot at him, too.
@OnlyOneSkeletor I much agree about the FZ dragon creature! He really put me over the edge to order, even though I swore off Playsets due to 1.space and 2.money. But $100 is much different from $300, and FZ was always my favorite!
@cosmic Battle Armor Hordak or Laser Something Hordak?
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Snake Lair ended with 6,576 backers. I was waiting for Mattel to do something to encourage new backers.
Snake Lair ended with 6,576 backers. I was waiting for Mattel to do something to encourage new backers.
Adding the rattle trap would have helped.
Masters of the Smittyverse
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@smitty-81 I suppose Chimera must have snatched its slot at the last minute. A scenario I despise, actually.
@smitty-81 I suppose Chimera must have snatched its slot at the last minute. A scenario I despise, actually.
When you think of it both crowdfunds have had creatures people got enthused about, I'm reminded of Lego realising that just putting a tiny animal in a set was a mental tipping point for purchasing.
$300 for a playset that should've/could've been a BBTS/EE/Amazon exclusive for between $80-$125 MAX! I would have ordered one for under $125. But $300 just makes me wanna punch someone. Or maybe everyone?
@sci-fitsunami I think $125 would have been my max as well.
@sketchyskeletor That FZ dragon was my tipping point to get it, for example. Absolutely. And I would have loved that Chimera, much more so than that awkward Rattle Trap. And I’m envious of anyone who has Moaty, not as much as Eternia. Because I have no room for the play set. But a cute little moat dweller… ❤️
I’ve even considered getting one of these faux, non-articulated Moaty’s from eBay. If they only came with some simple, improvised packaging I’d be all over it. 😂
I don't really see much different between Snake Lair, Grayskull, Snake Mountain & the Fright Zone. They're all around the same size.
And they just repainted Grayskull. That means they can repaint Snake Mountain & the Fright Zone in the future. But what about a repainted Snake Lair? Maybe if it wasn't a stupid crowdfund.