Ask Mattel 12/14/2012: MOTUC’s Two-Year Roadmap, Weapons Pak Details & More

We’re a little late posting the latest round of answers from Mattel.  Yesterday’s tragedy in Newtown– less than 30 miles from Kastor’s Korner HQ in Southington– made it very difficult to focus on writing about toys and movies and geeky stuff.  Our thoughts go out to all our CT neighbors suffering in light of this terrible tragedy.

Now let’s get back to toy talk, with some all new answers from Mattel:

Kastor’s Korner: Has a strategy been discussed about how to release less-desired characters that would require extensive tooling? Characters like Extendar and Blast Attak come to mind… is it possible these lower-tier figures could be released in smaller numbers at a higher price point, or as deluxe figures to account for the additional tooling costs?

Mattel: We are looking into a 2 year road map to finish the “essential” figures by the end of 2015 that would include as many of the vintage line figures as we can get to, both demanded and less demanded. Whether or not we will get to them all depends on how many slots we get for both year.

Kastor’s Korner: Given the poor reception of the wing drums on The Sorceress, and especially in light of the throne room in Castle Grayskull, does this warrant a second look at making a “Sorceress V.2” quarterly variant? This way, folks could make an ultimate Sorceress by combining parts (like She-Ra), and we can also have a Sorceress whose arms let her sit down.

Mattel: No. As explained in great detail by Terry on Roast Gooble dinner, there was no other way to create the Sorceress and ensure her wings stayed on. While the “drums” may not have been supported by every fan, per Mattel’s safety regulations there was simply no other way to construct her. It was not a design choice buy a safety requirement.

Kastor’s Korner: What was the reason behind the slight color change on Clawful’s club in the Great Unrest Weapons Pak? Was this similar coloration intended to be a correction to the figure’s original accessory?

Mattel: It was a creative design choice from the Mattel design team.

Kastor’s Korner: Hip articulation under the MOTUC loincloths and dresses has been considered “ugly,” especially with the female figures… meanwhile your WWE Divas and WWE Elite Superstar figures have much more aesthetically pleasing engineering, without coverups… Have you considered using a similar approach for any newly-tooled bodies in the MOTUC line?

Mattel: We are always looking into other Mattel toy lines for inspiration on what works and doesn’t work. There usually isn’t one universal way of doing anything that works for all brands.

Kastor’s Korner: The latest Weapons Pak included many new and previously-cancelled accessories, so does this change the possibility of seeing alternate/ unreleased heads in future Paks, or as their own set? It seems like it would go a long way to sell additional Robotos, Buzz-Offs, Grizzlors or Clawfuls for fans who would like to display both classic and modern versions.

Mattel: It is highly unlikely we will include extra heads in a weapons pak. Occasionally we are able to offer them with figures like we did with Demo-Man and Strobo, but this is not something that will be a focus. Especially if the “reason” for a second head is to have a “200X look” we do not have any plans for in order to have one cohesive look for Classics.