MattyCollector DC Update
 

This whole situation is a shame. In my particular case, the only two figures I had any interest in were Damian and the tier 2 Doomsday. Not worth subbing just to get those 2.

We'll see how the Total Heroes line works for them. I only have interest in two of them, and unfortunately they both turned out to be the site-exclusive Black Manta and Batman Beyond. Don't even know if I'll still be interested in them by the time their quarterly releases come around.

The biggest mistake he's making is by trying to sell the Total Heroes line as a collector friendly replacement for DCUC. It's really not. It's an excellent entry level line. I would absolutely buy a Total Heroes figure for my 4 year old nephew. I would not buy one for myself.

I know I feel the same. Well Mattel good luck on your current DC product.

Agreed. I think he would have been much better off if he had just not talked about Total Heroes in this statement at all. Save that info for a separate PR, because mentioning both in the same discussion is obviously coming across as salt-in-the-wound to some collectors.

Total Heroes =/= DCUC.

this whole thing smells of BS. Rising costs, yet the thing is Manufacturing costs in the US are plummeting while they rise in China. if they in-sourced their manufacturing it would have lowered the Price.

And they come off as blaming the whole failure of the sub on us not paying up. But truth is, they doomed with with Batzarro. Effing Batzarro!? Seriously!? That Rubbed people the wrong way. And their picks in those first 3 were ridiculous. Ice sure, but the other 2 should not have been the selling point figures. They should have had more indemand loved characters than Superboy and Hookhand Aquaman. let me name them, with little tooling. Batwoman, Weather Wizard, Killer Frost, Soranik Natu, Donna Troy, Circe, Speedy, Jade, Commissioner Gordon. If you took 2 of those, and sandwiched Ice, they would have sold Tier 2. They were lousy salesmen. End of Subject.

Absolutely. Does he really think that people are going to buy Total Heroes as some kind of replacement for DCUC? It's going to run 3 or 4 waves and then disappear just in time for it to happen again. This entire industry is addled with selective ADD.

Yeah, I can't imagine that many people will be willing to start from scratch with a whole new animation-styled 6" line.

I wouldn't even consider myself much of a DCUC collector, yet I've managed to accumulate quite a few of 'em. Don't think I'll be buying lesser versions of those characters I do own.

I'm gonna say is officially shooting himself in the foot. You all have heard my opinion on what will happen with Total Heroes. Scott continues to show how truly Ignorant he is. Whats more by what he's saying he expects those of us who spent thousands on the DCUC (mind you I am including the LEGION 12 pack) on Items that wont mesh with anything we currently have, to just move on to something different. Scott here's proof in the Last month I have bought 6 DCUC figures and 0 Total Heroes spending $50 on one but still DCUC is not viable

I think the key here is, not enough teen/adult collector driven people were buying these things at retail or in the sub to make a profit for the company. If it was making money, it wouldn't have stopped, period. The 6 inch Total Heroes line is designed to be primarily for kids (I hope), and maybe a bit for hardcore "I collect everything DC" collectors. That's why there are minimal, secondary characters (from a kids perspective) via Matty subs for Total Heroes right now.

If you are an adult, collector, the 6 inch detailed figures have shifted to DC Collectibles. Arkham Origins figures have an almost full range of articulation, paint, sculpting, etc. More are coming in that style. If you don't like, or don't want the DCC stuff, then that's it, it's done. You have time to go back and fill in DCUC figures from secondary market, or, shift your attention somewhere else.

That's not exactly a fair assessment, Tony. I couldn't buy many DCUC at retail because the distribution was so abysmal and I don't know how post-ToyBiz Marvel Legends copes with essentially the same problem. Flipping to a mystery all-in subscription model was never going to be the answer. Somebody smart would've sold a series of small giftsets through MattyCollector, solving most of the stupid problems (distribution, selection, extortion, etc). I'll indeed shift my focus; to where is unclear but all signs thus far point away from Mattel.

I am disappointed in the failure of the DCUC line, I enjoyed many pieces and made sure to get my subscription in for the Doomsday figure. I feel that it's still a strong line and that collectors would be willing to purchase certain figures if they are desirable.

One question I have is how much would it be to produce the Doomsday figure as a SDCC exclusive and sell the extras on MattyCollector? I know I might have to pay more, but throw it in nice packaging as a farewell to the line and I still think collectors would pay in the $40-$50 range, maybe more. I get the need for volume sales and that not having retailers carry the line hurts, but where is the marketing department?

Now your going to see back alley deals happen with people who have Early Access

Yeah ok Scott, let's blame the people that pay the electric bill on the failure of the line and the company.

The problem though is that people will still buy the stuff and kiss his rear end while heralding him as a hero that both brought MOTU back to life and sustained for several years after.

Ugh---give me a break.

Costs are going up and up and up yet they clearance tons of stuff to rock bottom prices, send them to Big Lots etc.

My favorite part is how they raised the prices on figures like He-Man, Skeletor , Battle Cat and more for the essential collections portion that were already paid for, tooled etc.

He must take the customers buying for friggin idiots.

First, wow. Are we seriously blaming the death of the line on Batzarro? Dude, he was a symptom of the illness, not the cause. I'm not going to claim that I know exactly what did kill the line, but I guarantee that one figure didn't.

As for their choices... to be honest, I gave zero craps about Ice, not even to complete the Fire & Ice set (especially since Fire's appeal was so limited for me that I sold her). Superboy and Hook-Hand Aquaman are what made me sign up for the 2014 service. I mean, it sucks that they were mining characters that had already had figures released previously (and in Arthur's case, multiple figures), but they were still pretty awesome front-runners.

I don't know what could have saved this line, in either retail or subscription. Retail distribution was spotty by the time I got into collecting them (got a good chunk of my collection from Ross, Marshall's, TJMaxx, and Big Lots), and they were really doing hit-or-miss with the 2013 sub figures (Good god I couldn't get rid of Ra's al Ghul fast enough, and I had been looking forward to him big-time). Big-box retailers do seem to be dropping collector-oriented lines in favor of smaller or wider-appeal figures, while even with a devoted fanbase, online-only is still a bit shaky for a variety of reasons (yes, even to a company like Mattel).

I don't really know where I'm going with this, so I guess I'll end it thusly: with Aquaman and Superboy, I'll be done buying DC stuff from Mattel, and fill the holes in my collection via the aftermarket when possible. My wife's Monster High habit already gives Mattel enough of our money anyway. :lol

Mattel will never blame themselves. The problem is they think they know the DC Fans when clearly they don't. I cannot wait to see the Monitary loss, I bet it is going to be huge. The Majority of the DC figures sold out, as a matter of fact all but Batzaro did so. Does Scott's baby sub MOTU do as well, Probably not. I'll say this when MOTU hits 75 will anyone actually care the way we did when DC hit 75 or even when DC turns 100?

Toy Pupu, how do you even have a job? Why can Hasbro do something so right and charge a decent price, while Mattel does everything wrong, charges out the ass and thinks collectors want a stupid animated line.


Newsflash for you Pupu, parents aren't going to buy a 15 dollar toy that they will just forget about in a week, and collectors aren't paying 15 dollars for a stupid animated looking figure.

Figure it out.

there were plenty of Nails in the coffin and I would say Batzaro was the final. You can only BS people for so long before you lose them and MOTU Guru needs to be at the Unemployment office in Rome in History of the World Part 1 claiming to be a Stand up Philosipher (how ever it's spelled).

Another thing, the DC Multiverse line Vs MU. The figures have LESS articulation than MU, but at my Target, they are a whole dollar more.


Wat?

Ugh Matty sucks.

I'm not a DC fan but would've bought two of those Unleashed Doomsdays. I have no idea why they can't just figure out what he would cost for them to produce and then put up preorders for him and see what happens.


Ah well, money saved.

Well they did say Containment suit Doomsday will be the SDCC 2014 figure, but there is always hope that DC Direct will make a Doomsday. I mean if they can make all the Oversized Arkham characters and Darkseid, I would hope a Doomsday is in the works.

And so ends any hope for a good modern Raven figure without the cloak being "up" like she should constantly be flying...*sigh* This sucks, but hopefully DC Collectibles can step up to give us some real DC figures. Hell, I've been tempted several times by the 6 inch Pandora just by her look alone. And I'm going to be hard-pressed to pass up the Power Girl/Huntress 2 pack.

I'm with you on the Phantomcrow.. One thing I expect the Custom market is going to be huge