Evil Mattel [Archive]

zeedox

Dec 15, '09, 10:33 PM

C'mon folks Mattel is evil.
They just kinda threw mud right into the entire fanbase we share here.

And the way our good Doctor is out of the loop?

My real Green Arrow is sitting next to my computer laughing.

http://zeedox.com/green_imac.jpg

Cosmicman

Dec 16, '09, 12:33 AM

Not sure I want an exclusive Matty Green Arrow after all this ****. I'll wait a few years if he pops up on eBay and I'll get it then. Not worth building up mine and my kid's hopes to find out he is or never will be available.

Fools? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP7i9b-1Xtg) Not sure if I would drop that accusation just yet but it doesn't seem to look good. I have faith in Dr. Mego though.

MegoNutt

Dec 16, '09, 12:40 AM

patience...

30 years in the making.

what's a couple more weeks?

Werewolf

Dec 16, '09, 12:43 AM

Meule

Dec 16, '09, 5:26 AM

Evil!? Seriously, evil!? You've got to be kidding me.

I can understand people not liking some of the design choices or not being interested in the new figures and sure it is a little disappointing Green Arrow got delayed a whole week (the horror!), but this...this is just getting more than a weensy bit out there.

I'm not impressed with Mattel's professionalism (or lack there of), but calling them evil? That's going overboard. Gotta agree with Werewolf here

GUYx1

Dec 16, '09, 8:03 AM

Sadly nobody in the USA makes a repro that is a literate reproduction anymore.
Mattel is just corporate. They want a body they can mass produce and assemble wthout requiring a degree in Mego elastic stringing.
They are not so big on the interchangable parts thing. Never were.
Barbie, Sunshine Family, Heman - toylines that are solid and not strung together with elastic bands. If it breaks, you throw it away and buy a new one. Good business.

This new toyline does not appear to be marketed to specialty shops only.
Parents these days fly off the handle if the wrong paint is used.
Imagine if a child's toy snapped off and little HOOKS fell out!
(How did we ever survive these death traps in superhero clothing?)

Mattel is clearly not trying to cater to just the adult collectors.
If they were, the figs would cost highend Barbie priices like $25-50 on up.
If Mattel figures in the child factor, then they need something kids can play with that do not have the hazards of the 1970's toys.

How did we ever survive with all those metal parts and squishy heads laced with vinyl softening toxins?

bizzaro megomauler

Dec 16, '09, 8:04 AM

Matty should have an earlybird certificate for under the tree, like I got for the Star Wars figures when I was a kid.

palitoy

Dec 16, '09, 8:09 AM

Eight days delay equals evil? This is unreal.

trekman101

Dec 16, '09, 8:24 AM

If the delay of a week helps ease the bottle neck at Matty...then so be it.I have always found that things tend to work out for the best in retrospect.

Orion

Dec 16, '09, 8:36 AM

If the delay of a week helps ease the bottle neck at Matty...then so be it.

Good point. And from some of the reports yesterday, people were waiting around 45 mins to get their purchases in. I can live with the week's delay.

txteach

Dec 16, '09, 8:45 AM

How could someone be soooo utterly devastated over a delay. Don't worry, the dollies will get here.

EMCE Hammer

Dec 16, '09, 8:58 AM

I just heard from a reliable source that Mattel is going through huge shake-up as a result of the Green Arrow debacle. There are even rumors of an inquiry by the FTC. Men with dollies! Men with dollies! Men with dollies!

I can understand being disappointed about not being able to get one in time for the holidays, but "evil?" Sheesh.

boynightwing

Dec 16, '09, 9:06 AM

If Mattel were smart they'd not release everything in one day anyway. I was reading "Matty's" facebook page and people were freaking out. If they did one or two items a week it might be easier on the servers. I am now at peace with the delay but I did want GA for Christmas. I was hoping "Santa" would come through on that. :)

I'm not so sure Mattel is evil. They have good intentions, just bad distribution. I haven't seen a DCUC in stores since wave 1. Which is good for my wallet but bad for collecting. Bad for business too I think. I'm surprised DC lets them away with it. Hasbro makes sure the Marvel stuff is available everywhere.
The only people making money off DCUC are the scalpers and although Nightwing is my favorite I will not pay scalper prices for him. I've also given up all hope of getting Joker with the Walmart exclusive nonsense that never came to Canada Walmarts.

Nostalgiabuff

Dec 16, '09, 9:38 AM

the problem that comes up wiht action figures these days, is the scalpers get most of them before any of us ever see them on store pegs. then the only way to get them is on ebay.

I have to say to this day I have never seen the Indiana Jones TOD line in stores.....not looking anymore anyway but just an example

JDeRouen

Dec 16, '09, 10:27 AM

I'm not thrilled about the legs and the way the head plugs into the body, but I'm still going to buy the things. It's by far the closest thing to Mego available on a national scale. And the one week delay just isn't that big of a deal. I, too, would have liked to have him by Christmas - GA was going to be a Christmas present for my son - but I'll like, and so will he.

Toy Talk

Dec 16, '09, 11:19 AM

One week, one month, one year... so what! I've waited this long for the rebirth of mego and up until a few months ago I had no knowledge it was ever going to happen.

Doc and Mattel still have my gratitude for pulling this miracle of toy collecting off. Take all the time you need guys, my wallet will be there waiting.

Werewolf

Dec 16, '09, 11:34 AM

I'm not impressed with Mattel's professionalism (or lack there of), but calling them evil? That's going overboard. Gotta agree with Werewolf here

Thanks, man. :smile:

BlackKnight

Dec 16, '09, 12:54 PM

.... The Title of this Thread Blows. Mattel's got the best Super Hero Toys on the Shelf Today, and thier MOTU line Rocks. I disagree.

megocrazy

Dec 16, '09, 1:22 PM

I won't say they're not evil, but not because of a week delay on an action figure. All corporations are evil period. :wink: But as for GA, until I rip one off the package and look at the body up close I'll judge for myself and decide on wether I think they screwed up or not. Toy producers are definately under more scrutiny now than they ever were before. The key is keep production costs low and try to create something with multiple uses. Also not to use lead based paint and such.

They definitly have been upgrading the MOTU line with some drastic sculpt improvements and new characters. If they can do that for the "Megoesque" stuff I think we'll all be pleased in the end. Either way we'll see at least three new characters produced and I'm guessing with the appearance of Batman on the card most likely a new villain and new sculpts of two long running charaters in Batman and Superman.

Even if it ended there I'd be OK with it.

Just keep reading the posts complaining about the delay. By the time your done it'll be time to order. :wink:

MegoScott

Dec 16, '09, 1:59 PM

Can we just go back to the days when we argued about repros? I could at least understand the apoplectic reactions that provoked. This GA thing is totally unreal.

TCM Hitchhiker

Dec 16, '09, 2:29 PM

The title of this thread, and all of this freaking out is absurd. People need to mellow out. The figures will come. If you don't like them, don't buy them. The vintage will always be around.

I have some nitpicks about the figure, but nothing has ANGERED me.

Does anyone really think Mattel didn't want to sell this figure when they announced they would? It is disappointing to them too you know. Some things are out of their control, and things get delayed all the time in the toy industry. It is frustrating for everyone, company included, but it is just something we all have to deal with and accept. There is no point in wasting energy freaking out about it, it doesn't do any good.

I don't think I will be entering anymore Green Arrow threads until I have one in hand.

dr_cyclops

Dec 17, '09, 6:39 PM

saildog

Dec 17, '09, 7:01 PM

dr_cyclops

Dec 17, '09, 7:09 PM

I hope you are kidding.Sorry to say saildog, I'm not.

saildog

Dec 17, '09, 7:14 PM

M is a designator that stands for, in the case of US Military rifles, "Model".

I'm sure Mattel has made parts for military weapons, but "M" standing for "Mattel" is simply not true.

The M-16 followed the M-14 which followed the M-1. The M-1 was used as early as 1936 and Mattel was not a company until 1945.

M is short for "Model" and nothing else.

EMCE Hammer

Dec 17, '09, 7:27 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by saildog I hope you are kidding.

Sorry to say saildog, I'm not.

And I totally believe you. "Mattel" means "sketchy" in Incan.

BlackKnight

Dec 17, '09, 7:32 PM

Orion

Dec 17, '09, 7:34 PM

Well, snopes.com calls the Mattel story an urban legend. I find that site pretty reliable for debunking myths. Check it out: http://www.snopes.com/military/m16.asp

dr_cyclops

Dec 17, '09, 7:46 PM

I'm sure Mattel has made parts for military weapons, but "M" standing for "Mattel" is simply not true.You are correct!
My only resource on this subject is what I've heard over the years from Vets. "You can tell it's Mattel, it's swell."
I am so sorry to have mis-informed anyone. Urban Legends reach people like me due to my occupation as a barber. I have nothing more than rumor/hear-say behind my claim. I wish now that I had considered my reply to your question more carefully.
"Everyone got to believe in something, I believe I'll have another beer."

saildog

Dec 17, '09, 7:48 PM

wow Dude..., Not knowing a thing about Guns,.. I found that refreshing and very Informative Bro.. Nice. :yes:

Thanks, Dude. I didn't go into the fact that the M-1 replaced the M1903, or Model 1903 ,because that was the point that they dropped the year (in this case, 1903) and simply went to a series number( M1).

I think I know why people have it in their minds that Mattel made the M-16.
DIAL B for BLOG - THE WORLD'S GREATEST COMIC BLOGAZINE (http://www.dialbforblog.com/archives/353/)

I won't get into a debate on whether Mattel "did or didn't". That would be too exhausting and if you are predisposed to believe in a conspiracy, there is no reasoning on the matter. However, I will let the fact stand that M was used as a designator 42 years before Mattel ever became a company. The progression of labeling rifles as "M" was in in place before Harold Matson or Elliot Handler were even born (The "Mat" and "el" in Mattel).

MightyMegs

Dec 17, '09, 7:50 PM

Why not just say 'Evil Mego' for going out of bussiness in the first place.

saildog

Dec 17, '09, 7:53 PM

You are correct!
My only resource on this subject is what I've heard over the years from Vets. "You can tell it's Mattel, it's swell."
I am so sorry to have mis-informed anyone. Urban Legends reach people like me due to my occupation as a barber. I have nothing more than rumor/hear-say behind my claim. I wish now that I had considered my reply to your question more carefully.
"Everyone got to believe in something, I believe I'll have another beer."

It's cool, Doc. I know how these things happen and I have let a few go myself.

I only pipe up because I like to save people from the same inglorious fate that I myself have suffered: Letting one of those slip out, matter of factly, at a social gathering only to have someone rip you to shreds. Ooohhhh.........is that ugly.

Orion

Dec 17, '09, 8:12 PM

I always thought the "M" in M-16 stood for Mego.

:smiley1::smiley1::smiley1:

dr_cyclops

Dec 17, '09, 8:16 PM

It's cool, Doc. I know how these things happen and I have let a few go myself.

I only pipe up because I like to save people from the same inglorious fate that I myself have suffered: Letting one of those slip out, matter of factly, at a social gathering only to have someone rip you to shreds. Ooohhhh.........is that ugly.Thanks for calling me out on this one. Sometimes I can't remember what I've heard as opposed to what I've read or seen in a movie. When you challenged me, it brought the memory back to the point where I knew just where the info had come from. OMG it was "word of mouth rumor".
It's true, dr_cyclops love things like "true crime" and "conspiracy theories"!
And just to set the record straight, the Loch Ness Monster's book was wrong. Bigfoot does not exist! Now the Yeti on the other hand........

Did I cover that up pretty good? :wink:

Werewolf

Dec 17, '09, 8:19 PM

dr_cyclops

Dec 17, '09, 10:10 PM

Like Saildog and Orion pointed, the M16 urban legend is totally false. Before making toys, Mattel made picture frames and doll house furniture. Not exactly the background needed to manufacture fire arms for the US military. :smiley1:

Anyhoo, Mattel stays in business because they are still very profitable making toys. Especially Barbie which they still make a small fortune off of every year.It's true! I have nothing here! I'm just caught in a Urban Legend. That's how they work. You hear them enough that they gain history and the illusion of truth. Thanks for your understanding. I really never meant to offend anyone. Where the truth is in this rumor, I do not know. I thoughtlessly posted it here, as I had heard it. So let's see what I got here, a rumor? Yeah that's it.
Now as punishment for having talked out of turn, I will now start a new internet rumor, Did you know that the Lunar Landing was totally faked on the surface of Mars. They just used a black and white camera.

saildog

Dec 17, '09, 10:48 PM

Hey, that only has legs because there is a slight connection to reality. It is easy to believe that a toy company could have manufactured the M-16 if you lived in a time when a weapon went from an aesthetic looking wood to an anaesthetic plastic. The M-14 was a work of art....the M-16, in comparison, looks very "corporate".

On a related note: If anyone ever tells you that the popular Zebco 33 reel you had as a kid was a retooling of a bomb mechanism, you better believe them. Zebco comes from a retooling of the ZEro hour Bomb COmpany. ZEBCO.

Zebco. . .America's Favorite Fishing Reels (http://www.zebco.com/historicalzebco.html)

This fact makes urban legends more believable.

MEGOMAN

Dec 17, '09, 10:54 PM

Ok, so we have gone from waiting excitedly for GA to getting ****ed off at Mattel to talking about M-16's!!! I love this forum!!!!:googly:

saildog

Dec 17, '09, 11:06 PM

Ok, so we have gone from waiting excitedly for GA to getting ****ed off at Mattel to talking about M-16's!!! I love this forum!!!!:googly:

It goes to show you that while passion on a particular subject can exist, there is a general tendency for most to just want to get along and relate to individuals that are mostly of a similar mind, experience, and temperament.

It's never worth it to split over the .01%. Acknowledge it, deal with it, move on, but never let it become anything divisive if it is in your power to keep it nothing more than a bump in the road. Opinion always differ....camaraderie is what makes the center hold.

That philosophy is generally employed on this board and that is what makes the place interesting.:cool_y:

fallensaviour

Dec 17, '09, 11:11 PM

I could care less I just want the suit and head.As long as the head is interchangeable.
I aint paying $30 though... :googly:

dr_cyclops

Dec 17, '09, 11:42 PM

I could care lessMe too. I just open my original secret wars Daredevil and the black paint is coming off the head and limbs. I don't think I'm feeling so well. My head seems to be spinning. Evil Mattel.

Ivaniski

Dec 18, '09, 1:57 AM

I could care less I just want the suit and head.As long as the head is interchangeable.
I aint paying $30 though... :googly:

Word around town is that the head is not interchangeable with Vintage Mego bodies nor Doc's Mego bodies. :ugh_y:

trekman101

Dec 18, '09, 2:30 AM

Word around town is that the head is not interchangeable with Vintage Mego bodies nor Doc's Mego bodies. :ugh_y:

They're not

Meule

Dec 18, '09, 4:53 AM

Nope, they're not, they'll only fit on the Big Jim style neck plug on the new Mattel bodies :wall:

fallensaviour

Dec 18, '09, 6:33 AM

Nope, they're not, they'll only fit on the Big Jim style neck plug on the new Mattel bodies :wall:

Okay then that totally is a complete deal breaker for me.I'm no longer going to give it a second thought.Thanks for the heads up meule!!!
I thought that was the case but wasn't sure.

megocrazy

Dec 18, '09, 9:16 AM

Word around town is that the head is not interchangeable with Vintage Mego bodies nor Doc's Mego bodies. :ugh_y:

The Lex photos in Mego Buzz lead me to believe differently.

Meule

Dec 18, '09, 9:33 AM

The Lex photos in Mego Buzz lead me to believe differently.

You'd think so, wouldn't you? But the fact is, they are NOT interchangeable

bizzaro megomauler

Dec 18, '09, 9:50 AM

No, really Mattel is evil. Can you say "government weapons contracts"? Guess what the "M" in M-16 stands for? I can tell you it doesn't stand for Magnum.
Ever wonder how Mattel can miss out on the most popular toy license of the year and still be around to produce toys year after year?

This whole mess started back in Vietnam, when soldiers were upset that the guns they were issued actually had PLASTIC STOCKS. It made the gun lighter and easier to haul on long trips into the boonies. They then adopted the old "You can tell it's swell if it's Mattel" slogan. No more, No less, there's the point of association.:smiley12:

dr_cyclops

Dec 18, '09, 10:16 AM

This whole mess started back in Vietnam, when soldiers were upset that the guns they were issued actually had PLASTIC STOCKS. It made the gun lighter and easier to haul on long trips into the boonies. They then adopted the old "You can tell it's swell if it's Mattel" slogan. No more, No less, there's the point of association.:smiley12:For a point of association, yes. But the rumor grew from there. I only repeated it, as I heard.
Wow, I believed that story for well over a couple of decades.

Ivaniski

Dec 18, '09, 11:57 AM

The Lex photos in Mego Buzz lead me to believe differently.

I strongly believe that the Lex and Sinestro Photos were Prototype Resin heads made to fit the Doc Mego body,... Just to show comparable height and overall body type samples. :yes:

thunderbolt

Dec 18, '09, 12:06 PM

Mattel's only quasi-evil.

Werewolf

Dec 18, '09, 12:57 PM

Mattel's only quasi-evil.

They're the margarine of evil. The diet coke of evil. Just one calorie, not evil enough. :smiley1:

MightyMegs

Dec 18, '09, 12:59 PM

They're the margarine of evil. The diet coke of evil. Just one calorie, not evil enough. :smiley1:

:grin:

zeedox

Dec 18, '09, 1:14 PM

Well it looks to me that the whole mattycollector thing grew from folks watching the success over at sideshow toys. I even get the feeling they buy the tissue paper that wraps in the boxes from the same place.

I'm real excited for the new heroes on the way I only wish they gave emce more involvement after the design process.

I hope we get a book about the Neo-mego era.