[Tony_Bacala]

Splitting this off to a new thread. 2+ weeks to go, some stretch goals and early bird offerings since we last updated.


WWE Ultimate Edition New Generation Arena Crowdfunding Update

[VashTS]

Looks great, but not for me. But I do like Macho and Doink...sigh

For those who do not know, I am hearing Mattel will try to "compete" with Hasbro and raise their prices also.

I know we want things, but much like Hasbro, I think I am done soon enough.

[Road Pig]

Very cool! Glad to see this being covered here. Hopefully this helps them reach their goal.

[cjflan32]

Translation: Campaign is going nowhere.

A playset from a very unpopular time in WWE history isn't selling well. What a shock.

[Comedian]

This will make it pop now.

[Dmoney]

I would hate to go into my boss’s office and say my initial plan for our first crowdfunding project was a total failure. I’m going to have to give away $50 + of free product to sweeten the deal. Curious to see how this turns out…

[Archangel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cjflan32

Translation: Campaign is going nowhere.

A playset from a very unpopular time in WWE history isn't selling well. What a shock.

Diesel was pretty popular.

I agree though. Titaintron and Attitude Era would have had this backed in a couple days.

[deecee4]

Yeah, looks cool but not an era I watched and have any nostalgia for.

[goliathfasa]

Not a fan of WWE and don't collect these, but for people who are into these Mattel figures, is this "playset" at all interesting enough to necessitate a crowdfund campaign?

Looks to my (ignorant) eyes that it's just a standard ring stage, of which Mattel has produced many over the years, some still available on the market, and an entrance thing which they could've just sold by itself for $20-50 depending on demand and how nice the LED turns out to be.

The figures are just figures...nothing special compared to their retail figures.

It doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Do people who collect the line see something I don't?

If you compare this to Haslab, it'll be like if Hasbro started a project that's just a variation of one of the many ML Riders vehicles they've put out over the last few years, say the Punisher/WWII Cap bike, with a different deco, included a 6" figure, some accessories (a side-car with LED lights?) and tried to charge people $200 for it. And when people aren't funding it, they throw in another figure.

Am I missing some critical details?

[cjflan32]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Archangel

Diesel was pretty popular.

I agree though. Titaintron and Attitude Era would have had this backed in a couple days.

In later years Kevin Nash became popular. Fair or unfair the character he played-Diesel-was champion at a very low point in company history. Some say Nash is the lowest drawing champion in company history but (assuming it's true) I don't think it's fair to pin that on him.

I will say this: Your WWE collection would probably be incomplete without a mid-90's Diesel. Obviously I will not argue the popularity of Randy Savage.

An Attitude-Era themed ring with an Austin that included middle fingers would probably have been a better choice to begin this crowdfunding venture.

[cjflan32]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dmoney

I would hate to go into my boss’s office and say my initial plan for our first crowdfunding project was a total failure. I’m going to have to give away $50 + of free product to sweeten the deal. Curious to see how this turns out…

Correction: "I’m going to have to give away $50 + of free product to sweeten the deal. But only for a week."

Never change Mattel.

[cjflan32]

Quote:

Originally Posted by goliathfasa

Not a fan of WWE and don't collect these, but for people who are into these Mattel figures, is this "playset" at all interesting enough to necessitate a crowdfund campaign?

Looks to my (ignorant) eyes that it's just a standard ring stage, of which Mattel has produced many over the years, some still available on the market, and an entrance thing which they could've just sold by itself for $20-50 depending on demand and how nice the LED turns out to be.

The figures are just figures...nothing special compared to their retail figures.

It doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Do people who collect the line see something I don't?

If you compare this to Haslab, it'll be like if Hasbro started a project that's just a variation of one of the many ML Riders vehicles they've put out over the last few years, say the Punisher/WWII Cap bike, with a different deco, included a 6" figure, some accessories (a side-car with LED lights?) and tried to charge people $200 for it. And when people aren't funding it, they throw in another figure.

Am I missing some critical details?

A to-scale ring (different from the smaller sized ring) probably costs at least $100, a figure $20-30. Don't know what an electronic Titantron display goes for. And obviously a markup because quantities are limited.

As stated before this is based on a very unpopular time in WWE, so even to the hardcore fans this could be a stretch. Tossing in Macho Man is an obvious Hail Mary, you're right about that. They could have tossed this on Ringside Collectibles as an exclusive but this way if they don't get the minimum they're not obligated to produce it.

[GizmoTron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cjflan32

A to-scale ring (different from the smaller sized ring) probably costs at least $100, a figure $20-30. Don't know what an electronic Titantron display goes for. And obviously a markup because quantities are limited.

As stated before this is based on a very unpopular time in WWE, so even to the hardcore fans this could be a stretch. Tossing in Macho Man is an obvious Hail Mary, you're right about that. They could have tossed this on Ringside Collectibles as an exclusive but this way if they don't get the minimum they're not obligated to produce it.

Making something that is considered a stretch is exactly what crowd funding should be used for. I mean if these companies think they have a guaranteed seller, then they should just release it normally because it is a guaranteed seller.

[goliathfasa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cjflan32

As stated before this is based on a very unpopular time in WWE, so even to the hardcore fans this could be a stretch.

Ah ok. So at least the cost isn't completely off and I guess most of the ring playsets I've seen over the years at retail are on the smaller side and not to-scale.

[manic mailman]

Mattel has botched every scale ring they’ve done. They’ve never released a good one in the 10+ years they’ve had the license. This ring is definitely needed. The entrance stage is awesome. The figures are amazing. But they’ve clearly mishandled this launch.

And new gen was a low point ratings wise but the ring can be used for any early wwf era

[Axonrey]

It seems like a solid project, but I think the marketing has been poor. My buddy, who only collects WWE and collects it thoroughly, didn’t know about this until a week ago and heard about it from me because of ToyArk

[an99]

I love that Mattel is throwing in a Randy Savage figure, bit I'm still on the fence. If it was a classic mid 80s WWF ring, I would've been all over it.

[an99]

Oh, and I don't care about Diesel or Doink. I like the Wrestlemania 2 skirt though.

[themadbubbler]

The figures involved in this are all "Ultimate" figures, which are $30.00 each normally.

I think Diesel, who they've done several figures of before, is much less interesting than either Doink, or announcer Macho Man. I know Diesel was champ, but having a more interesting figure as the "main" figure might work better.

I will probably back this, but will sell Diesel, and maybe the entrance way.

[Sniper1]

I already own two rings, one from the Jacks Hell In A Cell and a second from Mattel. At this time I only want a customizable Titantron, heck it doesn't even need to be from the current setup just something that fits. This campaign just seems "meh", gimme attitude era right out the gate!

I have been loving all the huge playsets lately but more than the price I just don't have the space. Lego, Hasbro, Mattel, have been cranking them out but where to put it all?

[manic mailman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by an99

I love that Mattel is throwing in a Randy Savage figure, bit I'm still on the fence. If it was a classic mid 80s WWF ring, I would've been all over it.

What’s the difference between this and a mid 80s ring?

[ShabbyBlue]

With 2 weeks left and not even at the halfway mark, I don't see this thing hitting its target goal, let alone any stretch goals. I don't think e-tailers like BBTS and EE are ordering a bunch of these either to flip, compared to the Marvel and Star Wars Haslab stuff, so I doubt any hidden numbers from them are suddenly going to push it much higher near the end. I also don't see the FOMO factor pushing this past the goal in the last couple days either.

So yeah it's going to be embarassing for Mattel when it fails. This isn't the first time a Mattel kickstarter failed to meet goal. I'm still hating that the 1/12 scale Ghostbusters Ecto-1 Mattycollector kickstarter failed years ago. We're probably never going to get one in that scale. Now would have been the perfect time for it with the new film coming, but Hasbro hasn't indicated any plans at doing one for their 6" figures even though it could easily sell well at retail and help encourage sales of the 6" figures.

[GizmoTron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShabbyBlue

With 2 weeks left and not even at the halfway mark, I don't see this thing hitting its target goal, let alone any stretch goals. I don't think e-tailers like BBTS and EE are ordering a bunch of these either to flip, compared to the Marvel and Star Wars Haslab stuff, so I doubt any hidden numbers from them are suddenly going to push it much higher near the end. I also don't see the FOMO factor pushing this past the goal in the last couple days either.

So yeah it's going to be embarassing for Mattel when it fails. This isn't the first time a Mattel kickstarter failed to meet goal. I'm still hating that the 1/12 scale Ghostbusters Ecto-1 Mattycollector kickstarter failed years ago. We're probably never going to get one in that scale. Now would have been the perfect time for it with the new film coming, but Hasbro hasn't indicated any plans at doing one for their 6" figures even though it could easily sell well at retail and help encourage sales of the 6" figures.

Is it embarrassing though? It is the point of kickstarters that they are not a sure thing. Some things just don't have the support, and it's probably less embarrassing to have this not go through at all rather than the old method of sinking millions into a big playset only to have it collecting dust on clearance while all of the extra unsold stock gets dumped off at Ross or Ollie's.

Also Matty not having enough support for Ecto 1 is likely the exact reason Hasbro isn't going to do one that big.

[an99]

I think this will reach the 1/2 point today and a number of people will order before the Savage early bird deadline expires on the 13th.

[an99]

Quote:

Originally Posted by manic mailman

What’s the difference between this and a mid 80s ring?

You make a excellent point. Ok ... sold 🙂