How expensive is it to make a MMM figure?

[Tristan]

[IMG][/IMG] Since LEADWORKS had a cease and desist on making their ASTRONAUT, how much do you think it costs to actually make a MMM lookalike figure? Only reason Im asking is because if Mattel wont do it, then how would someone else step up and fill that niche market? Does anyone have an address or link for LEADWORKS? Ive done some looking but Im not coming up with anything. Someone over at EAGLETRANSPORTER.com posted pics of a MMM figure with 2001:ASO gear from a Madelman figure, it actually looked very cool.

[Zemo]

You would think there would be a lot of stock left. I love these guys.

[LordMudd]

I would think it would be easy to make your own, but not cheap. You would need an original figure you don't mind destroying. First remove the head, hands and feet. Set the arms out and the legs slightly apart. Now make a 2 piece mold. Select your wire for the armature, probably medium to heavy non insulated aluminum wire. Drill holes the size of the armature wire at the hands and feet points. The armature will set in these holes to keep it in position. Clamp the mold together and add silicon rubber. I would think any high quality mold making rubber would do. After it sets, clip the ends of the wire back. Make molds of the hands, feet and head. These I would cast in resin, even the head. You can make extra head molds from the other characters while needing only one mold for each of the other parts. Of course, the more you make, the more you reduce your cost per figure, and selling some can help offset that cost more. You can also find other in scale heads to use for more crew.

CCC.

[megojim]

making the figure isn't the issue . . . . Mattel protects their licenses like a mother bear. The reason the Leadwroks (they were out of japan or china) figure disappeared was Mattel filed a suit and probably won possession of all the figures and molds. This is one mama bear that you don't wanna poke with a stick! I was sent a cease and desist letter for making MMM customs and slip display cards. Tread lightly my friend . . . BTW here's a pic of the Mego MMM i made a couple of years ago.
mmmmegoback (401x800).jpg

[Gorn Captain]

making the figure isn't the issue . . . . Mattel protects their licenses like a mother bear. The reason the Leadwroks (they were out of japan or china) figure disappeared was Mattel filed a suit and probably won possession of all the figures and molds. This is one mama bear that you don't wanna poke with a stick! I was sent a cease and desist letter for making MMM customs and slip display cards. Tread lightly my friend . . . BTW here's a pic of the Mego MMM i made a couple of years ago.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]1801[/ATTACH]

Love that Mego MMM. It's in my display cabinet in my living room, with the rest of his (shorter) MMM friends...

[Tristan]

There is a niche market that wants these figures, I have no problem respecting Mattel's MMM line, only honoring it by bringing forth what that small market wants. Cool figures at a decent price. 2001 ASO figures were never made other than by Madelman. If a company like BIFBANGPOW can copy the megos and give folks what they want, then why not explore that option. Astronaut and scuba diver action figres would be pretty cool (thinking Sea Devils), I would really like to see someone (maybe BBP) do an anstronaut figure in the same vein that MMM was done. Mattel doesnt have the license that anything that is an astronaut and as long as it is 25% different, then the license isnt infringed upon. I do thank you for your perspective tho and the looking out.

[Timothy2251]

The problem is it can't LOOK exactly like MMM otherwise Mattel will step in, just as they did with Leadworks. Easiest way to do it is to lose the black accordion style joints - that right there should get Mattel out of the picture, but it won't quite be the same as MMM to a hardcore collector/fan. It's a Catch-22. The newly designed astronauts might sell, they might not.

Only thing I can think of to get new authentic MMM prodcuts is some company buys the license from Mattel, or works with Mattel on producing more. Or folks could beg Matty Online to carry limited edition figures for sale. Just a thought.

[megojim]

@ Tristan - Ok chief, have at it . . . . you were warned

[Tristan]

I hear you, Tim, my goal is to find a company or figure out what I can do to do it on my own. I work mon thru fri in the O.R. and have most weekends free. I have always been impressed with the MADELMAN 2001 ASO figure, I know there is a market for it as well as other astronaut figures-male/female, different colors. etc. I like the 6 inch figure and I think it can really do well. I have the Madelman SPACE LANDER and I was very impressed with the detail. I had hoped to construct something similar to the LEM and have the back open do you can see from behind the astronauts and have a working hatch. I start work on that tomorrow. The DC figures are great but no one is wearing a space suit. I like the idea of a ball jointed head that can easily be swapped out, it adds more feel for the figure. The GI JOE JOHN GLENN ASTRONAUT FIGURE has molded space gloves for his hands, another big advantage I like because the wrists are ball jointed. MEGO would be ideal, Ive sent some ideas to BIFBANGPOW, they do the mego-esque figures that are sold in tru. I would really like to see them get 2001 ASO figures in assorted colors-SILVER, BLUE, YELLOW and RED, possibly WHITE, BLACK, and some others. The 2001 ASO license should have the restrictions lifted off of the license for products related to the movie. That would be sweet.

[Werewolf]

There are already many educational toy lines out there that fill the small niche of realistic or historical astronaut toys and figures. But anything actually close to MMM is going to seriously tick off Mattel and I can't imagine anyone, like BBP, wanting to risk it.

[Tristan]

That small niche of realistic and historical astronaut toys really dont do all that well because, well, they suck. ASTROSQUAD figures are great, detail is nice but they are crappy when it comes to articulation. I bought the CMDR WOLF figure, had to shave off part of his hair at the top, had a 50s doowop going on and had to glue the helmet on because it just wouldnt stay, he cant hold any of his accessories of which there are like 6 and nice ones too. Its a great looking figure but very limited. Playmobil makes a nice figure but its toyish and simple and small. Thats great for small vehicles and such, but they are beyond doing anything remotely related to realistic space. Its all future stuff or spy stuff there. Hasbro made a FF BEN GRIMM astronaut, not bad, but the articulation was meh, looked hunched over, couldnt take off the back pack or the helmet. Close but no cigar. Hasbro also made a GI JOE FLASH GAMBELLO of a comic 3 pack and 30TH ANNIV ACTION PACK --figures are the same but FLASH is in a white suit, not silver, these are on the money, removeable helmet with flip up visor and black/white headcover on the figure. I would buy them by the pound, but they are made by Hasbro, not Mattel. I doubt we will see a re-issue on that one. The various astronaut figures I have seen from DR WHO line--got decent reviews, Power Rangers--dont really move all that much they just stand, very limited articulation. FP ADVENTURE PEOPLE had astronauts that were of three types, glass cylinder helmet, looks like Flash Gordon, ST TMP Space suit with built in binoculars and some sort of Mining Astronaut with a huge helmet looks like HAZMAT. Mattel should get on the ball and test the waters. The bendy figures cant really cost all that much to make, especially now that they have the ones from LEADWORKS, run 5000 and see what happens online. Im sure they are waiting for the movie to really start thinking about doing anything before making more figures. They could always test the waters with preorders on MattyCollector.com which they have yet to do anything. I like the idea of a company that says hey, its just an astronaut figure, change the helmet and some of the features and lets see what happens. Link it to Discovery Channel, Nasa gift shops, online education and information and see what comes down the pike. Mattel may own MMM, but not the space program and all the ideas and concepts that came from the evolution of this new frontier. Besides, if Mattel doesnt step up, someone with balls should. GI JOE has made great 12 inch astronauts, so has ACTION MAN and MADELMAN, there is alot of potential to have some fun and make some money. I personally would like to see BIFBANGPOW make a go of it. They are doing BSG classic figures of CYLON, APOLLO and STARBUCK in mego scale as well as DR WHO with playsets. They could kick some serious *** if they got 2001 ASO and a SPACE POD, HAL-9000 sound chip on a motion detector, that would funny as hell. Lets not forget DAVE BOWMAN, FRANK POOLE, BLUE ASTRONAUT SUIT and CLASSIC SILVER all with a MONOLITH on the background of the card. that would be cool. At least to me anyways.

[LordMudd]

I could do customs as I described, I have the skill. I just don't have the money, or the interest. I prefer 1/18 scale. Now some MMM figures in that scale and I would be all over it.

CCC.

[Tristan]

Hasbro has the only astronaut that is even close. Its an O ring figure but it fits the bill. I put a few pics in my album. Madelman DID make the astronaut that goes with the SPACE LANDER. Whether it made it to the US or not and just sold in SPAIN or Europe I dont know, but there are pics of it in the same album.

[Tristan]

http://megomuseum.com/mmgallery/showimage.php?i=21342&catid=member&imageuser=4392

Hasbro did re-issue it as part of a three pack in 2004

Here is that version.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/200820691384...=p5197.c0.m619 as you can see, this would totally work with a 1/18 scale line.