I'm pretty disappointed about the advent calendar but I gotta admit I only really wanted it for Orko. The holiday versions and the tiny figures would be fun bonuses but Orko is the most important character that's missing from their lineup as far as I'm concerned, though I also want Ram-Man, a correctly colored Trap Jaw, Clawful, Hordak, She-Ra, and randomly enough Sy-Clone (I had the figure as a kid and I really enjoyed his look even though I don't remember seeing him in the cartoon). I'd also love a Thunderpunch He-Man, though that's not as important to me. But really, as long as Orko finds his way into my collection before this line dies, I'll be content. Oh, I'll still buy any other characters they make but those are the ones that are important to me. I'd also love an Attack-Trak and a Snake Mountain set. Oh and a Cringer that isn't just Battle Cat with his armor removed would be pretty nice too.
Cringer was teased as a pair up with the comic blue Prince Adam. It a was a smaller figurine piece than Battle Cat. But I think it was just a render and appears to be in the same state of procrastination as all the PowerCon 2020 announcements. Edit: Here he is. Of the repaintpalooza options, these are figures that I could actually enjoy because they at least require a little more than HeMan but now with yellow cuffs! Although, from what I have seen of the Mini figures of that other line, if all Anti-Eternia Masters figures are just black and red repaints, I would rather they get them out of the way in a big box set once the all molds exist. Better that than trickle them out, have the line if not Mega Brands die before getting a full roster of Anti characters. But watch it be an SDCC or otherwise unnecessarily difficult to obtain set.
How many people care about black and red repaints of every character? Unless you've been following the franchise religiously for 40 years, most fans don't know what that is. That seems like an insanely bad idea for an exclusive set. Then again, I don't understand the appeal of Shattered Glass either. An occasional evil doppelganger is a tried and true plot device. A whole universe of them is a huge yawn.
You left out the Buzz-Off they showed (same legs as Clawful and Whiplash, Whiplash torso, Clawful left arm). Lame that they didn't mock up King Randor, Jitsu and Clamp Champ when they would just be new heads with one new cuirass, one new forearm and one new weapon.
I think you misunderstand my comment. Since Mega does milk the repaints, it's seems likely that the Anti-Eternia could happen. And if it were to happen, I would prefer they not try to trickle it out with this character here and that character two waves later. And Ram Man maybe in a future wave if the line holds strong for another two years. Just box set the suckers and be done with it. Keldor, HeMan, Teela, Man at Arms and Ram Man put them all in one box. As for the canonical purpose for existing, meh. I can use them as main MotU Skeletor's demonic doppelgangers of the heroes and not bother with Anti-Eternia. The Keldor figure would be nice to have too as a pre-Skeletor, pre-betrayal representation. As for an exclusive, Battle Bones was a bad idea for an exclusive. All exclusives are typically bad ideas for exclusives for one reason or another. I was just making a pessimistic observation on how Mega operates. However, some would argue, Pixel Dan, that such a set is the ideal exclusive, available for those who want it, not a mainstream shelf warmer for those that do and, because it is an exclusive, likely to draw more attention because, "oh no, now that it is an exclusive, I have to have it" collectors do exist. But, again, I don't want any Mega Brands sets to be exclusives that just makes them harder to obtain. Eh, considering all these figures are still in limbo with no sign of release anytime soon, I think not seeing the others you mention is just a few less figures teased and impatiently waited for. I suppose I wouldn't be so impatient if I didn't see death on the horizon for Mega Brands entirely. Mattel seems to offer only the absolute bare minimum to support Mega and the while the fan demand is there for the lines being produced, the main stream interest and mass retail support seems to be lacking considerably. I think that, if Mega still exists in five to seven years, it will be the very basic, oversized building blocks that still get stocked in the toddler section of most retail.
I didn't misunderstand, I just think they shouldn't make them at all. There are maybe three people that care about all-black anti-universe characters. If they want to make money and keep the line going, they'll produce figures that people are actually interested in buying. I would argue that even the umpteenth He-Man repaint would sell better than all-black Evil-Lyn. Thus I'm not in favor of those as single releases because "meh", but a solid-black-figure box set would be a colossal dud. I would argue that Battle Bones wasn't a bad idea for an exclusive. It's interesting enough to get some attention, but it's not as essential to the lore/history as Battle Ram or Wind Raider (which would have caused massive meltdowns as exclusives). The part of the battle bones release that seemed to irk the most people was the damned little flocked MossMan. If they had included some other rando repaint rather than that guy, 83% less people would care that it wasn't a mass release.
I agree that Mattel is not giving Mega Construx enough resources. Once I got into Mega Construx, I loved it. The design, articulation, and size/scale are a huge win for me. If it wasn't for MOTU, I wish Hasbro would buy Mega. I try to buy 2 of each MOTU set and I buy some Halo and COD as well. I bought TMNT, Terminator, Aliens, Predator, and Heroes series. They definitely are not releasing as much as I'd like them to this year. So many missed opportunities with their licenses - the lack of more Alien Eggs, some Predator Helmets/Ships to go with the Halo Helmets/Skeletor Skulls, only including 1 new set in wave 2 of Skeletor Skulls, only 1 wave of MOTU Heroes. I hope the lack of 2021 product will be made up for in 2022.
I can't argue that because I don't know where the overlap between Mega MotU collectors and any other MotU collectors is, nor do I know where the Anti-verse appeal is. But I still think it's something that, if they approach it, it needs to be one did and done package. Not a thin trickle sewn into something like the Heroes or build sets. Slime Pit HeMan, certainly needs to go with the Slime Pit and Hordak but there really are limited options for a Anti-HeMan but making one will generate a want for at least a Keldor. It could be another idea for a two-pack, maybe. Still, that they are making them in other lines suggests someone thinks there is an appeal there. On the matter of slime versions, if a Slime Pit happened there's no reason to not offer those easy variant repaints as pack-ins as well. Hordak, Slime HeMan, Slime Zodac, Slime whoever. Give folks four or five quick and easy repaints in one set instead of also spreading those out over Heroes waves. [I know, I realize I am only encouraging more repaints.] And it's not the worst example of cheap repaint crap with the MotU brand attached to it: The problem with any exclusive is that it makes people who want it go without or pay inflated prices to own it. And the Battle Bones set itself is another "vehicle" type set that many collectors still want and ask for a reissue of. The flocked Moss Man added to the set seems like salt in the wound. And, again, the way they handled that set was just silly. Preorder online, force folks to attend a show for no other reason than to confirm your order in person, wait until October to have the set shipped to your home. No where in there was the trip to San Diego necessary. If they wanted to make it an online exclusive, sure. But the set was essentially made to order despite their claims that they can't do such a thing.
I concur that I don't like exclusives, but if you're going to do one, I don't think Battle Bones was a poor choice (yes, their method was unnecessarily convoluted). It's desirable, but not so awesome that people are going to rage-quit if they miss out. Imagine if something more important had been chosen... I don't know, I never had a battle bones back in the day b/c I thought it looked dumb. Inside the narrative, no self respecting hero or villain would be caught riding in that thing into battle. And as a toy/carrying case, it was terrible b/c you're practically guaranteed to lose all your weapons and accessories along the way if something bumps or touches it. My apathy goes so far that I bought the set and haven't bothered to build it. I guess I paid the piper for fuzzy moss man. Those Super7 figures... ooof. I don't understand why anyone outside of vintage Kenner SW folks would ever buy a 5 PoA figure. There is nothing redeeming about any of them. They look like crap, and you can't pose them... and that's the two main things action figures are supposed to do.
I think the single most important thing to consider in regard to Mega Battle Bones set is that it isn't the static carry case of the original effort. It has a really good range of articulation and is on par with the GoT dragons and Alien Queen. It's not so much a lame vehicle as an undead beast more like the original mini-comic intended. They made it really good set with at least two desirable figures and then made it impossible to collect reasonably. And didn't need to. I agree that they could have left it as an exclusive but they should have made it a one-time, made to order release that it essentially was omitting the entirely pointless trip to SDCC so this guy could own one. And yet, when you point out that they created a made to order set preordered in, I think, April or May, shipped in October, they will tell you that they didn't and that they lack the capacity to do such things. And when you point out that the trip to SDCC was pointless for everyone including them, their most loyal sycophants will tell you that SDCC draws attention to the brand and the exclusive is the bait to get visitors to the booth. But the exclusive wasn't even there and you had to preorder the set two or three months before the convention. As for the Super7 stuff, I agree. But someone is buying it because they keep making it. And if they are buying those oddball translucent figures, it isn't a stretch to figure Anti-Eternia or "slime" variants won't have their appeal too. Translucent Spartans used to be the sought after blind bags in the better days. [Remember when we got two figures in a pouch?] A whole cast of translucent green Masters would probably do all right.
Easy pass for $50. Sad they put their resources into this and we can't get a 2nd MOTU Heroes wave in 2021 instead.
Yeah. And nacho thought the Anti-Eternia was a bad idea for an exclusive because of low fan appeal. That said, I think this is perfect. I don't want it, you guys don't seem to want it and so we won't worry about never owning it if it should sell out stupidly fast.
Yeah, they're really incompetent. They expend resources on this rather than trying to get another item to retail. They cancel a Christmas for insufficient retailer orders two weeks before a new cartoon to market MOTU. No wonder any line less popular than Halo is dying.
I bet they could have made the advent calendar their Mattel Creations exclusive, set it up so that anyone interested could buy the set off the site and done pretty well with sales. And not have to pay some celebrity artist royalties for using their IP to make a themed bunny bank.
JFC....meanwhile Haslab announcing a ~3 ft Galactus. I guess I'm glad they're not doing this type of stuff yet because money, but I don't know. Mattel feels so out of touch with their fanbase. Who gives a shit about an fart sniffing artist collab other than people that don't collect their product? That set would be good for MOTU parts and that's about it.
