Ask Mattel 11/30/2012: How Many DC Characters Does “Unlimited” Mean & More

Mattel has returned a new batch of answers to close out November.  This round, we get some new details on where you can go for WWE’s Miss Elizabeth, how many waves of DC Unlimited figures we should expect in 2013, and we dare to bring up the likelihood of Snake Mountain (already!)  Read on for all this month’s answers…

Kastor’s Korner:  Was Miss Elizabeth moved to a regular retail assortment versus Mattycollector.com as originally intended, or will she be available through both outlets? I voted for her hoping she wouldn’t be a retail release, as a MattyCollector online purchase makes her much easier to purchase than chasing her down at retail.

Mattel:  She will still be made through other outlets.

Kastor’s Korner:  Given how well Mattel did with Castle Grayskull preorders, are Snake Mountain or other playsets being considered now, or not until after Castle Grayskull is released and final orders and payments have been tallied?

Mattel:  Not at this time. We are putting all our energy into the Castle right now.

Kastor’s Korner:  Why was Cy-Chop’s studded belt fully painted underneath when it was completely covered with an orange belt? Couldn’t that paint application cost be applied to lost paint applications like Frosta, or is each figure individually costed out?

Mattel:  Each figure is individually costed. Losing paint from one fig does not give it to another. Each figure has to hit their financial targets.

Kastor’s Korner:  The WWE Diva figures still use the same base body with sculpted line work that doesn’t tend to match their painted outfits. Can we see a more generic– and possibly less-muscular– blank body in the future to better translate their unique outfits?

Mattel:  Definitely something we will look into!

Kastor’s Korner:  So far we have seen two assortments each for DC Unlimited and Batman Unlimited, all scheduled for early 2013 release. Is the plan with these lines to continue releasing smaller figure assortments with more frequency, or should collectors only plan on seeing 3 to 5 waves per year, like we saw with DC Universe Classics?

Mattel:  3-5 waves per year is about the same for retail lines.