[thechris]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jmacq1

Now, you might not get all the remaining Metal Men in one year, but that's just good business to keep people coming back. Maybe you get Lead and Platinum this year, and maybe next year one of the the "oversize figures/multipacks" is Dr. Will Magnus, Veridium, and Tin, with Copper showing up in Year 3 for the uber completist. Just like you might get an oversized Elasti-Girl but wouldn't necessarily get a Mento or The Chief until next year. While it's in the interest of Mattel to please as many people as possible, it's also in their interest not to release everybody everyone wants all at once, because then there's nothing left for people to buy in the future. At the same time, it's in their interest to "fill out" at least one

Hey Jmacq1, no denying that it's good business. I think that most people are just concerned that the longer they hold out, the more likely it is that a line will die before the teams are completed. I'd have to agree with this to a degree. I've been burned in the past. For example, Mattel's DC Infinite Heroes line died before Teen Titans got a Beastboy/Changeling figure. He was pretty much the only Titan they didn't release. They just barely snuck in the Aquaman figure and he was packed in the expensive Starro SDCC exclusive, there was no Alan Scott Lantern figure.

The thing is, while a Superman or Batman figure has value on it's own without the rest of the league, you'd probably find it difficult to find any collectors who will buy a Dove figure if they knew a Hawk figure would never be made or if they made Leslie "Rocky" Davis and Matthew "Red" Ryan but then we didn't get an "Ace" Morgan or Prof Haley. Some collectors feel cheated when this happens so I can understand the hesitation. As with most of these sneaky tactics, people will get wise. Sooner or later, the manufacturer has to cave in and give a little.

For example, random packs used to be popular among collectors of miniatures like Dungeons and Dragons. They came in random booster packs of 8. Eventually the randomness and the lure of the hunt and gambling went from exciting to infuriating and people simply stopped buying. Wizards of the Coast caved in and started releasing less randomized boosters with "boss" characters visible in display and only "supporting" monsters were randomized. Hero characters weren't random at all anymore and were instead sold in blister packs. People don't like feeling tricked. It's like when someone has a juicy secret and at first, it's even a little cute, but eventually it isn't cute and you just don't give a damn anymore. Mattel probably had a feeling that fanboys everywhere would be absolutely pissed of they didn't at least give us Aquaman to finish the founding members of the League for DCIH (failed line that it was, it had it's loyal followers) so hats off to them for that.

I think I'm ranting again. Main point: I think most people are just worried that DCUC or any line, really, will die before their teams are completed. Admittedly, this is more frustrating when we get multiples of the same character (looking at you, Hasbro MU) instead of characters who don't even have one figure yet. I can't speak for everyone, but I could tell you for SURE that if MU died next year, I'd be a little frustrated with my 6 different Cyclops figures who belong to 6 incomplete versions of X-Men teams.