Production Captain Action Iron Man and Wolverine

[enyawd72]

Wish I had the money...I'd take over the Cap line myself. I think I have some pretty good unlicensed ideas, like Monsters of Legend.

Cap as The Vampire, The Werewolf, The Mummy and The Monster.

[MIB41]

Regarding Castaway, I saw the comments, but took those as mostly centered around the fact their license only applies to 1/6 figures, so going down the 8" scale again wouldn't work and they are focusing on 12". Also I know a number of C/A collectors that purchased the Castaway sets and never got them because of the issue there, and Ed and Joe caught a lot of flack over that as well.

Then you also know how Castaway had no control over that situation either and are likely still paying the bills from that theft. I'm not understanding why you feel inclined to defend Ed here, since he knew the situation and (per David) sales were extremely good until the factory derailed everything. I don't see where the scale played a role in any of that. Also Ed's remarks regarding licensing were made after his opinion was offered on the eight inch scale from which he stated "making uniforms & masks for that size doesn't really translate as well". So it was very easy to see why David would take offense, since Ed essentially discounted all the work that went into that line and the success it enjoyed. Plus I'm pretty confident David would happily trade his factory imposed debt for Ed's ego battered flack any day of the week.

The collectors bug the crap out of Joe and Ed about what's happening and what's going on, so maybe they are sharing too much. Personally I like the transparency of the design process, but it does potentially set us up for being let down. A good example is the Rocketeer, they talked about it, and people were excited, but they couldn't secure the license. The Tony Stark masks for Iron Man, another example, but that was killed off because of the lower price point they have to be operating under. The DC license was announced practically the day they got it I think, and everyone was thrilled, but again, funding for that line was based on sales, which have dropped at TRU, which set everything up for what we are seeing today.If they could switch into a direct sales type of deal, or a subscription deal, get 4 figures a year or something like that it might help.

There is ABSOLUTELY no mystery as to why Joe and Ed get "bugged" by collectors about this line. That Facebook page they started is nothing but a daily exercise in frustration. They constantly take polls, and showcase other products made by other companies in an effort to associate themselves with a bigger marketplace than what they share. They're always profiling themselves as this company working on "big projects in the back room" which they know (full well) amps up their base. The problem is it's hype devoid of any real substance. And the people who participate in these polls are led to believe the company is working on an offering from these lists. But nothing ever comes from it and the company never even offers a followup to let people know if they were ever serious about it to begin with. In short, their Facebook page is glorified lip service to pacify fans with a flood of innuendo backed by nothing but broken promises. I don't see any transparency in what they are doing.

And if we're going to talk about "transparency", let's add a few other terms to give it proper scope in this business. Let's add the words "dependable", "trustworthy", "reputable", "grateful", and possibly the most important term, "friendly". I don't see any connection with those terms when I think of Joe, Ed, or anyone I've met from Round 2. They're verbally stand offish. They're arrogant in their failures. And they don't remotely act like people who operate with any sense of accountability for what they say or do to others. Their actions indicate people who are single minded about just getting the next product out. And anything they can say, right or wrong, to advance that agenda, they will do it. And if it means rolling someone under the bus that helped them along the way, so be it. That's what they walk. Everything else is talk. Consumer trust DOES matter in this industry. And while licenses like DC and Marvel will always enjoys a healthy consumer base, not every company that buys the license will reap the same rewards off the product they make. The company has an image to sell as well. And CA Enterprises is taking a pretty good beating right now with their big talk and little action reputation.

I just posted the only Wolverine picture I've seen on a figure, and it's not the one I would have preferred to see, too close. Iron Man I haven't seen aside from the one in the box. We've all asked to see more pictures, no idea why we haven't seen them yet. Considering they will be selling them this weekend, we should see some pictures soon.

I don't have anything to do with CAE, or Round 2 personally, but have talked with Joe and Ed both. I also started the Captain Action email list back in 1998 or so and a lot of collectors are on there. The C/A line died in the late 1960's, and again with Playing Mantis and I'd prefer to not see it go away again as I think it's a pretty cool line.

I'm a big collector of Captain Action figures. I bought everything from the Playing Mantis line when it originally came out and still have it all. And this new line I enjoyed so much it played a big role on my gift list over this past Christmas. Round 2 got my support... in spades. I even contacted Joe and told him they needed to start bringing product to sell at Wonderfest where Round 2 has a booth every year. Mind you this is a convention attended by thousands (all with disposable cash in hand). But they wouldn't do it. They wanted to treat it like a trade show and just advertise, so they missed out completely. Now that they're in financial trouble, guess what? They're finally bringing product to a convention. So I played my role. I did my part. Both as a consumer and someone familiar with the convention business. It's sad that it took them this long to wake up to it. So I understand and share your desire to keep the line going. But they've made some really poor decisions and hurt a number of good people along the way. Irregardless of whether a product sells, you can't make excuses or blame others who took the venture with you. Because you never know when you might need to call on them again. And with CA Enterprises once again staring into the void, now is not a good time to be offering condescending remarks to fellow business associates or consumers who desire your product.

[enyawd72]

^If they fail to deliver me a Red Skull costume as promised, I shall douse them with beef gravy and unleash a pack a ravenous Chihuahuas upon them.

[MIB41]

^If they fail to deliver me a Red Skull costume as promised, I shall douse them with beef gravy and unleash a pack a ravenous Chihuahuas upon them.

I want pictures!

[MIB41]

Here's are some shots of Cap in his Iron Man outfit. Not full on, but at least there is some indication. The suit looks descent (from what I can see). Not crazy about the fit of the helmet. The face piece extends too far out making the ear pieces look like their on the back of his head. Will probably look better without the head turned in a profile shot.

[thunderbolt]

Looks like they used the FC helmet as a reference for that Iron Man head.

[MIB41]

^^^ BINGO! Well said. I was trying to figure out why it looked familiar to me. That's exactly it.

[Earth 2 Chris]

The whole face looks too small and low-down on the overall helmet. It's not bad, but the rest of the suit looks much better.

A two-part helmet would have worked better, I think, ala the Phantom.

Chris

[enyawd72]

Yeah, the head seems a little...egg shaped? I think the eyes and mouth are situated a little too low on the face, making the forehead area appear larger. I'm sure it will look better in person.

[Robin NY]

oh man Shell head's helmet looks awful, Wolvie looks decent, think my IM will be holding his helmet...maybe I'll paint a goatee on CA's face

[warlock664]

A two-part helmet would have worked better, I think, ala the Phantom.

Chris

Yes! I daydreamed about an Iron Man CA set as a kid in the late 60s, and I always figured the helmet would be 2 pieces, exactly like with the Phantom set. That would have made perfect sense, as the pieces could have been molded in different colors, and would have looked and fit much better than what I see in those pics.

[MIB41]

Things must be getting bad. Here's a "Convention Exclusive"... A Dr. Evil figure, which you can go into any Toys R Us store and buy discounted for $15.00, in a variant box. Ed will gladly mail one out to you for the special price of...drum roll please... $91.50! Ahem, that includes shipping. Jesus... Having trouble keeping the lights on at CA headquarters? That's one heck of a inflated price for what amounts to reduced packaging. Supplies are "limited", but then again so is the line to pay this price. They need to do better than this.

[EMCE Hammer]

I want that Joker

[enyawd72]

Things must be getting bad. Here's a "Convention Exclusive"... A Dr. Evil figure, which you can go into any Toys R Us store and buy discounted for $15.00, in a variant box. Ed will gladly mail one out to you for the special price of...drum roll please... $91.50! Ahem, that includes shipping. Jesus... Having trouble keeping the lights on at CA headquarters? That's one heck of a inflated price for what amounts to reduced packaging. Supplies are "limited", but then again so is the line to pay this price. They need to do better than this.

Ninety-one fiddy?! DAYUM! Dr. Evil better jump out of the box and dress himself for that much. What's the convention price? How much is that coloring book, fifty bucks?

[MIB41]

Ninety-one fiddy?! DAYUM! Dr. Evil better jump out of the box and dress himself for that much. What's the convention price? How much is that coloring book, fifty bucks?

Convention price is $79.50. Here's a full body shot of Iron Man and the completed Hawkeye figure...