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A message from the He-Fans and She-Ravers of Facebook: Keep It Classic, Mattel!
MattyCollector: Keep It Classic!
To the team at MattyCollector.com,
The final years of Masters of the Universe Classics have been exciting and eventful to say the least. Who’d have thought we’d ever see an adult collector MOTU line that not only includes He-Man, Skeletor and She-Ra, but Flipshot, Madame Razz and Geldor too? What you have given us is largely amazing.
So, thank you.
We understand that MOTUC is ending, but that a new line using parts from MOTUC figures will be offered. Our request is that you keep this new line ‘classic’ – not ‘Masters of the Universe Classics’, but ‘classic’ in its nature. We hope you continue to produce plastic versions of previously unreleased characters we have nostalgic connections with and have been wanting for 25+ years.
Our Concerns: Too Many New Characters And Not Enough Females?
As fans look forward to learning what awaits us in 2016, we hope for:
• More Filmation characters (from both the MOTU and POP series)
• More minicomic characters
• Vintage POP variants
• More New Adventures characters
Some of us, however, are concerned that the 2016 line will include too many brand new characters and forget many of the fan-favourite females.
The Evidence:
The He-Man.Org 2016 Fan Poll revealed that:
• 8 of the Top 20 most requested remaining characters are from the He-Man/She-Ra Filmation cartoons
• 5/20 are from the 200X cartoon series
• 3 are New Adventures toys
• One each come from the Jetlag (New Adventures) cartoon, vintage minicomics and the new DC comic respectively
Some characters from this list have already been revealed (Lizard Man, Skeletor’s Robot Knights) and others heavily rumoured (most of the 200X characters), leaving fans hoping to see the likes of Granita, General Sunder and the Horde Wraith in 2016. With 500 people voting in this poll, it’s a pretty good benchmark for fan demand.
Handle The ‘Son of He-Man Era’ With Caution
Some of us are concerned that the 2016 line will unwisely focus on the ‘Son of He-Man era’ characters created for the MOTUC minicomics. None of these characters – including Bandwidth, Gladiator and the Great Black Wizard – featured in the He-Man.Org Top 20. There is nothing wrong with including two or three of these characters in a year to ‘expand the mythos’ but focusing on any more (or slotting them late in the year when subs have been pre-sold) would be a grave mistake that could cost Mattel dearly. Certainly a 12-month subscription with 5, 6 or more of these characters could cause fans to abandon MOTUC’s successor altogether.
It may be worth noting the frustration felt by many fans when unexpected characters such as the Fighting Foe Men, Nepthu and Vykron were given priority over fan-demanded figures. Another of these ‘questionable’ figures has been rumoured for 2015. We hope these rumours are false.
Fans Want Females!
We also fear that Matty will ignore female figures almost entirely in 2016, similarly to how they were handled early on in the line (remember the 11 month wait between She-Ra and Catra back in 2010-2011?).
As the He-Man.Org poll shows, 5 of the Top 20 are female - and none of them are She-Ra, Teela or Evil-Lyn variants – they’re original characters. Nobody’s expecting another Club Etheria, but the balance of eight males and four females in 2014’s Club Eternia felt like a minimum standard. Please don’t let Crita, Hunga the Harpy and Kittrina slip through your fingers.
It’s Not Too Late...
The line’s previous brand manager has stated that he had a hand in developing the 2016. It’s for this reason that some fans are concerned, given he effectively designed and named the new minicomic characters and ordered action figure mock-ups of some of them to be presented at 2013’s San Diego Comic Con.
Without knowing the toy industry as well as you, we suspect a lot can happen in a year. If plans have been made to cram 2016 with lots of these characters - as has been rumoured - these plans can be changed. As hardcore fans, we’re happy to pay up for figures of characters we’ve always wanted. Please listen to our demands and you’ll put MattyCollector streets ahead of other adult collector brands.
So, we wait in earnest for the reveals to happen, presumably at San Diego Comic Con in July. In the absence of Masters of the Universe Classics, we hope you keep the new line ‘classic’ at its heart.
Thank you for your time.
He-Fans and She-Ravers of Facebook
To the team at MattyCollector.com,
The final years of Masters of the Universe Classics have been exciting and eventful to say the least. Who’d have thought we’d ever see an adult collector MOTU line that not only includes He-Man, Skeletor and She-Ra, but Flipshot, Madame Razz and Geldor too? What you have given us is largely amazing.
So, thank you.
We understand that MOTUC is ending, but that a new line using parts from MOTUC figures will be offered. Our request is that you keep this new line ‘classic’ – not ‘Masters of the Universe Classics’, but ‘classic’ in its nature. We hope you continue to produce plastic versions of previously unreleased characters we have nostalgic connections with and have been wanting for 25+ years.
Our Concerns: Too Many New Characters And Not Enough Females?
As fans look forward to learning what awaits us in 2016, we hope for:
• More Filmation characters (from both the MOTU and POP series)
• More minicomic characters
• Vintage POP variants
• More New Adventures characters
Some of us, however, are concerned that the 2016 line will include too many brand new characters and forget many of the fan-favourite females.
The Evidence:
The He-Man.Org 2016 Fan Poll revealed that:
• 8 of the Top 20 most requested remaining characters are from the He-Man/She-Ra Filmation cartoons
• 5/20 are from the 200X cartoon series
• 3 are New Adventures toys
• One each come from the Jetlag (New Adventures) cartoon, vintage minicomics and the new DC comic respectively
Some characters from this list have already been revealed (Lizard Man, Skeletor’s Robot Knights) and others heavily rumoured (most of the 200X characters), leaving fans hoping to see the likes of Granita, General Sunder and the Horde Wraith in 2016. With 500 people voting in this poll, it’s a pretty good benchmark for fan demand.
Handle The ‘Son of He-Man Era’ With Caution
Some of us are concerned that the 2016 line will unwisely focus on the ‘Son of He-Man era’ characters created for the MOTUC minicomics. None of these characters – including Bandwidth, Gladiator and the Great Black Wizard – featured in the He-Man.Org Top 20. There is nothing wrong with including two or three of these characters in a year to ‘expand the mythos’ but focusing on any more (or slotting them late in the year when subs have been pre-sold) would be a grave mistake that could cost Mattel dearly. Certainly a 12-month subscription with 5, 6 or more of these characters could cause fans to abandon MOTUC’s successor altogether.
It may be worth noting the frustration felt by many fans when unexpected characters such as the Fighting Foe Men, Nepthu and Vykron were given priority over fan-demanded figures. Another of these ‘questionable’ figures has been rumoured for 2015. We hope these rumours are false.
Fans Want Females!
We also fear that Matty will ignore female figures almost entirely in 2016, similarly to how they were handled early on in the line (remember the 11 month wait between She-Ra and Catra back in 2010-2011?).
As the He-Man.Org poll shows, 5 of the Top 20 are female - and none of them are She-Ra, Teela or Evil-Lyn variants – they’re original characters. Nobody’s expecting another Club Etheria, but the balance of eight males and four females in 2014’s Club Eternia felt like a minimum standard. Please don’t let Crita, Hunga the Harpy and Kittrina slip through your fingers.
It’s Not Too Late...
The line’s previous brand manager has stated that he had a hand in developing the 2016. It’s for this reason that some fans are concerned, given he effectively designed and named the new minicomic characters and ordered action figure mock-ups of some of them to be presented at 2013’s San Diego Comic Con.
Without knowing the toy industry as well as you, we suspect a lot can happen in a year. If plans have been made to cram 2016 with lots of these characters - as has been rumoured - these plans can be changed. As hardcore fans, we’re happy to pay up for figures of characters we’ve always wanted. Please listen to our demands and you’ll put MattyCollector streets ahead of other adult collector brands.
So, we wait in earnest for the reveals to happen, presumably at San Diego Comic Con in July. In the absence of Masters of the Universe Classics, we hope you keep the new line ‘classic’ at its heart.
Thank you for your time.
He-Fans and She-Ravers of Facebook
)? Did they have so many more detractors, or sell worse and linger on Mattycollector as long as say Netossa? Yes, there were detractors of the FFM and Vykron, but those detractors weren't shouted down the way anyone who showed displeasure with a POP character (and there's no way anything in this line that gave as many fans as much frustration as the Star Sisters). So if you're going to compare the hate for Vykron and FFM to characters like Neitlich's pet project of getting Skeleteen his version of Dare into the line, then you damn well better include the Star Sisters too.
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