Ask Mattel 8/30/2013: The Fate Of 2013 Overstock & More

Mattel is back before the long Labor Day weekend with another round of answers to some big questions!  This time, Matty addresses updated plans for 2014, as well as what will happen to the Customer Service overstock for 2013 figures… Get all the answers here!

Kastor’s Korner: Can Glimmer have the boot cut joint and injection molded ankles sorely missing from our new female figures with unique tooling? Castaspella and Octavia would have benefitted greatly from this, so can Glimmer and other females with unique boots get what most male characters have been enjoying?

Mattel: We will certainly pass this comment to design.

Kastor’s Korner: It’s both exciting and bittersweet that the Imaginext line gets the likes of Bizarro, Grodd, Darkseid, Ch’p, LOD and Super Powers Lex, a Batcave, an Invisible Jet, a Wonder Woman with an actual working lasso, and Black Manta sub, and a Javelin that holds many (4+) characters. Will we see the same level of depth and scale in the new 4″ scale DC line? The pre-schoolers are getting the toy line and character selection many adult collectors have dreamed of!

Mattel: The Imaginext line is certainly doing a great job, although all of the characters you cite were included in the 6″ DCU line over the past few years, and several are currently being looked at for other lines. The vehicles that you mention are a little trickier, owing to the larger size of the 4″ scale figures and the fact that the vehicles would be much larger and, consequently, more expensive. That said- the new 4″ line is being developed as a long-term collector line, and although we’re launching it as strongly as possible by celebrating the video games and movies, we will certainly move it beyond that to include the larger DC Universe (this is the same design team that worked to complete the Metal Men, so this is no idle threat!) And vehicles are being explored as part of that, though no Manta Sub… yet!

Kastor’s Korner: The head sculpt on Superboy (Conner Kent) has been universally panned, and Aquaman’s hair looks dynamic but awkward standing statically for display. This early in the design, what are the chances of the Superboy head being re sculpted and/or Aquaman hair relaxed the same way Firestorm’s head was resculpted back in DCUC wave two?

Mattel: At this point, if we even CAN release these figures due to only hitting 63% of the min for tier 1, there will not be any changes to the sculpts. It will take us a few months to look into whether or not we can indeed have any 2014 releases at all.

Kastor’s Korner: Would it be at all possible to re-sculpt Two-Bad’s left hand as a grip instead of a closed fist? He needs have the option to hold either weapon.

Mattel: No, he is already in production at this point.

Kastor’s Korner: What is the fate of the Customer Service stock of sub-exclusives Clamp Champ, Sea Hawk, and Fang Man? You had to have set a few aside for replacements… What happens to them if they are unclaimed? Can they be made available for Black Friday or maybe Power Con?

Mattel: If any is left, the small quota will likely go on sale as an EA item sometime in 2014. But that is a big if.