He-Man, and also the Masters of the Universe

Steevy Maximus

Well known pompous pontificator
Citizen
Hey! Origins Rokken was posted to Mattel Creations this morning, did you get yours?
Probably not, since he appeared to sell out immediately.

It's just like the days of MattyCollector! :p
 

ZacWilliam1

Well-known member
Citizen
I was waiting and got mine easy.

Had to enter a bunch of payment info again so I wasn't super quick either.

-ZacWilliam, he must have lasted at least a few minutes.
 
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Steevy Maximus

Well known pompous pontificator
Citizen
Target is offering Mouse-Jaw in their big toy sale for $15. Free shipping at $35 and up, and I'm sure between there are other items to be found to add to the total.
 

NovaSaber

Well-known member
Citizen
Can also confirm that Mouse-Jaw is that price in physical stores. It wasn't marked in my local one, but it was $15 at check-out.
 

Steevy Maximus

Well known pompous pontificator
Citizen
Origins Sy-Klone will be available to order on March 21. Extendar has had in package samples leaked online, presumably for order next month, or something.

I’m interested in Extendar, I’ve got a soft spot for those unappreciated late line entries.
 

Caldwin

Woobie Destroyer of Worlds
Citizen
It sounds like Origins is going to online only. Is that right? Because wow, that would totally kill it for me.

I mean, if I can go through Amazon, I may pick up one here or there. But it definitely wouldn't be the same as walking around Target and being tempted into buying one I normally wouldn't look at. And if it's Mattel's website only, I really don't need yet another shopping site to regularly check up on. And if it's something I have to specifically sign up to some members only thing or buy an entire wave to get the one toy I want, they can hug right off.
 

Steevy Maximus

Well known pompous pontificator
Citizen
It sounds like Origins is going to online only. Is that right? Because wow, that would totally kill it for me.

I mean, if I can go through Amazon, I may pick up one here or there. But it definitely wouldn't be the same as walking around Target and being tempted into buying one I normally wouldn't look at. And if it's Mattel's website only, I really don't need yet another shopping site to regularly check up on. And if it's something I have to specifically sign up to some members only thing or buy an entire wave to get the one toy I want, they can hug right off.
Origins is…in a weird spot right now. Mattel has committing to “finishing the Vintage line” through Mattel Creations. Right now, the crux of their mass retail offerings are centered on 3 areas: ”Fan Favorites” (reissues), Cartoon Collection, and Turtles of Grayskull.

We’ll see what the Creations show this week reveals. My hope is that MotU, as a franchise, is in the midst of a reorganization. 2021 and 22 saw a LOT of push for the brand, but I’m not sure how well the response was. The Netflix show fizzled out fairly quickly, Masterverse brought competition, and Origins was severely hindered by some MAJOR pegwarmers.

My observation was that the BuzzOff/Sorceress/Jitsu Origins wave REALLY bogged down stores, with Rulers of the Sun, in general, being more of a liability than asset (I’m sure you can easily go out and find Pigmans out there). The vehicles haven’t been sterling sellers, Ollies (last I was there) had PILES of Windraiders, Landsharks, and both flavors of Cats. That said, Origins still seems to have strong online support (though I’m not at physical stores that actually carry the line to gauge any response there), and it’s harder for me to get Origins for retail than it is Masterverse.

Hopefully, Cartoon Collection will juice sales and support through the year. Retail (at least around here) seemed to skip the 2023 “Snake era”, so I’m hoping it meant some of the those languishing 2022 figures finally processed out. Fan Favorites has potential, there are A LOT of older figures (Roboto, Scareglow, Man-E-Faces, Fisto, Hordak, Faker) that would probably be welcome by the market.
And Turtles of Grayskull has been just so damn fun. I’m hoping this portends other cross overs in this style. I DO have to be prepared to skip some of the deluxe figures given Walmart’s involvement With some.

I don’t mind online sales at this point, simply because my local retail venue (a SINGLE Walmart) has cut back so far, if I had stuck with them, I frankly wouldn’t have gotten ANYTHING last year. BBTS, despite slightly higher pricing, has been a godsend for MOTU. Because Origins seems to have a strong resale market at the moment (despite reruns that SHOULD HAVE brought prices down on some figures).
 

Steevy Maximus

Well known pompous pontificator
Citizen
All that said, I still think Origins lost the biggest momentum when the price hit $18-20. With Masterverse (LITERALLY!) a couple dollars more (21-24)?
It’s the same situation Star Wars is seeing with Black and TVC- you have two lines, both basically targeting the same (shrinking) demographic, largely made of collectors, at nearly the same price point. There just isn’t enough buyers to go around, and I think Origins has suffered by being centered almost entirely on the pre-2020 figure concepts, while Masterverse has benefitted from the “neo-Classical” New Eternia and figures derived from current media. (I’d LOVE to see Horde Skeletor as an origins release, or a New Eternia derived Buzz-Off with the better head design, helmet, and chest harness. Turtles of Grayskull has shown you can take classic MOTU characters and give them fresher details without destroying the aesthetic)
Origins swept up a good bit of casual buyers at the old $15 price point. I’d love to see Mattel get back down there again, even if it meant a world-standardized packaging and removal of the mini comics.
 

PrimalxConvoy

NOT a New Member.
Citizen
Origins is…in a weird spot right now. Mattel has committing to “finishing the Vintage line” through Mattel Creations. Right now, the crux of their mass retail offerings are centered on 3 areas: ”Fan Favorites” (reissues), Cartoon Collection, and Turtles of Grayskull.

We’ll see what the Creations show this week reveals. My hope is that MotU, as a franchise, is in the midst of a reorganization. 2021 and 22 saw a LOT of push for the brand, but I’m not sure how well the response was. The Netflix show fizzled out fairly quickly, Masterverse brought competition, and Origins was severely hindered by some MAJOR pegwarmers.

My observation was that the BuzzOff/Sorceress/Jitsu Origins wave REALLY bogged down stores, with Rulers of the Sun, in general, being more of a liability than asset (I’m sure you can easily go out and find Pigmans out there). The vehicles haven’t been sterling sellers, Ollies (last I was there) had PILES of Windraiders, Landsharks, and both flavors of Cats. That said, Origins still seems to have strong online support (though I’m not at physical stores that actually carry the line to gauge any response there), and it’s harder for me to get Origins for retail than it is Masterverse.

Hopefully, Cartoon Collection will juice sales and support through the year. Retail (at least around here) seemed to skip the 2023 “Snake era”, so I’m hoping it meant some of the those languishing 2022 figures finally processed out. Fan Favorites has potential, there are A LOT of older figures (Roboto, Scareglow, Man-E-Faces, Fisto, Hordak, Faker) that would probably be welcome by the market.
And Turtles of Grayskull has been just so damn fun. I’m hoping this portends other cross overs in this style. I DO have to be prepared to skip some of the deluxe figures given Walmart’s involvement With some.

I don’t mind online sales at this point, simply because my local retail venue (a SINGLE Walmart) has cut back so far, if I had stuck with them, I frankly wouldn’t have gotten ANYTHING last year. BBTS, despite slightly higher pricing, has been a godsend for MOTU. Because Origins seems to have a strong resale market at the moment (despite reruns that SHOULD HAVE brought prices down on some figures).
That's annoying as they're not for sale over here in Japan, which is to be expected... :(
 

Steevy Maximus

Well known pompous pontificator
Citizen
How are the prices? I wouldn't mind having a wind raider.
I recall them not being THAT impressive. Like, $15-odd for some of the deluxe figures they had (saw Clamp Champ and Battle Armor He-Man), $20-ish for the vehicle assortments. Cheaper than full price...but not overly impressive for an outlet type deal. Not when you have Marvel Legends or Star Wars Black being blown out for $6-8. BBTS has the Wind Raider for $25, and I would much rather support My Independent Toy Retailer.
 

Steevy Maximus

Well known pompous pontificator
Citizen
While the Mattel Creations preview isn’t until Thursday (11:10 am PST), they HAVE gone onto Instagram and shared a few teases from the assorted product lines, including:
Masterverse Emperor Hordak and Snake Sorceress Teela
Cartoon Collection Evil-Lyn and Adam (with barely viewable tease of Cringer?)
Turtles of Grayskull Mikey and Skeletor.


Between Mikey’s hair and Skeletor’s radioactive Oni thing he’s got going on, ToG is still doing a solid job at keeping my interest.

In addition, next Tuesday will feature Mattel revealing the full product catalog for the fall of 2024.
 

Steevy Maximus

Well known pompous pontificator
Citizen
More teases of Turtles of Grayskull before today's presentation, including promo shots from waves 3 and 4 and a look at Target's wave 4 deluxe 2-Bopsteady.
No promo pics of EVERYONE, but enough for a tease.

April has a nifty Sorceress vibe going on, while Casey Jones is vibing as an accessory pack with a TON of nods. Though, I think it might have been more appropriate for him to get Fisto's fist instead of the Jitsu chopping hand. Still fun to see Triple H's Sledgy (from Masters of the WWE) joined by Ram Man's battle mask on Casey.
Splinter has some Beast Man in his tooling base, while Stealth Ninja Leo is a nice take (and I'm eager to see better pics of Stealth Ninja He-Man). Hordak is a fascinating offering, with some Princess of Power/Filmation colors mixed with a splash of Shredder.
I'm really impressed with the deluxe offerings as well. Splinter is a bit...light for a deluxe, he looks solid, while Walmart's offerings (Leatherhead and Merman) are just tickling my affection for the Snakemen. 2-Bopsteady is pure joy.

If nothing else, this line is a WONDERFUL pool of parts for some lazy customs (I'm already eyeing MerMan's armor to plop onto a traditional origins figure).
 


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