[DESTRO]

Filmmaker James Cameron has topped himself. The sci-fi blockbuster “Avatar” has passed the global box office gross of “Titanic,” the previous world-wide record holder at $1.843 billion. So how can Mattel have failed to provide a product worthy of the film?

Looking back at the pre-movie hype, a lot of people did not know what to expect of the film. I know I had no clue what it was going into the movie, and I came out amazed at how good the film was. So my question is did Mattel go to conservative with the investment in tooling up the line?

IMO the action figures of the "Na'vi" are done well, and they fit into what I feel are a high standard. They could have been done of slightly bigger scale, but they look good for the scale chosen for the movie line.

With that said, the major issue I had was with the "Play Sets" that Mattel created for the action figures. The main characters in the movie were not only the humans and Na Vi, but the creatures of the planet.

In the movie the Banshee were super articulated flying kings of the sky. Then you go and buy one of the toys and you get this stiff model that sits on a stand and has just about Zero articulation.

The Thanator is one of the few figures that has articulation but the design, size class, and how it moves in toy form is just not where it could have been.


If the creatures were redone, at a larger scale and better designs, I really think Mattel could have given Transformers a run for it's money. But as it stands, the AVATAR line looks to be mostly on hold and on sale at Family Dollar.

This could have been one of the best toy lines of all time with the star power to back up better investment in design, and size class. I really hope Mattel goes back and takes a second look, at what they have, before its to late. My guess is....... that ship has sailed.