Ask Mattel 10/15/2013: Prototypes To Production Details

Mattel is back from NYCC, and ready to answer an all new batch of questions.  This time, Matty offers insight into the upcoming Seahawk and Glimmer designs, the future of DC Universe and more.  Keep reading for more!

Kastor’s Korner: With the Jet Sled released, can we finally see a vehicle flight stand?  A stand with a plug for the Jet Sled or an alternate cradle for Battle Cat to pounce or Swift Wind to fly would be fantastic!

Mattel: At this time we don’t have plans for a flying stand. We are putting all of our efforts into putting out as many figs as we can to complete the A list characters.

Kastor’s Korner: If preserving the ab crunch is the reason why Modulok’s pelvis can’t separate from the torso, why have the ab crunch at all? Is this point of articulation that essential to this figure to be worth losing part of his action feature?

Mattel: Ultimately this was a choice made by design and it is final as the figure is now in production.

Kastor’s Korner: Seahawk’s molded shirt is supposed to be roomy and loose, but the figure ended up looking chunky, almost fat, unlike Fisto and virtually every armor wearing Master that came before him.  Is Seahawk’s look simple the result of trying to create a looser-fitting chest piece on the figure?

Mattel: This may be an example of fans misunderstanding what Classics is all about. Sea Hawk is not based on his animated appearance. He is based on what a hypothetical Sea Hawk figure would look like had he been released in the 1982 MOTU vintage line, updated with modern articulation and deco. Much as Man-At-Arms, Clamp Champ and others are buffed up, so is Sea Hawk. Had he been avail in the vintage MOTU line he would have been bulkier and the Classics line is an update of this.

Kastor’s Korner: Issues such as Glimmer’s leotard, raised at SDCC this summer, were ignored after being acknowledged at the Mattypalooza panel. What is the best way for fans to communicate such impressions in a meaningful way, to avoid future outbursts like what occurred at Power-Con? The fans feel like Mattel isn’t listening when it comes to Princess of Power.

Mattel: It is not a case of not listening, it is often a case of fans asking for figures to look like the unarticulated prototypes which is not physically possible. Changes must be made when transitioning a figure from a proto to a real working figure made of plastic.

Kastor’s Korner: It seems one of the challenges of DCUC as a sub line has been how varied the source material can be– some fans may not want Golden Age characters, while others would die to complete the 90s JLA… Have you considered running a figure-by-figure preorder, instead of an entire 12 figure sub?  If you did this for DC Universe, fans could preorder the figures they want, which could get made only after a certain production goal is reached.  It seems like a strategy that would at least make the most fans happy as possible.

Mattel: While a cool idea on paper, it is just not possible right now. The DCU 2014 sub was the best way for us to continue to offer 6″ 4HM figures and we did not get enough support to continue it at this time.