Another reason for MOTU fans to be angry

[Earth 2 Chris]

http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/main/hordak-gets-spirited

There has been a lot of negativity on this board lately, and I hate to add to it, but I find this just ridiculous. MOTU figures are hard enough to get WITHOUT Matty throwing in a "secret" figure. Now, they may offer truck loads of these things later, but I can't help but feel that the damage will already be done by then. Playmates 1701 figures, anyone?

Chris

[MIB41]

I hate it when companies mess with the consumer and short pack or short sell figures they KNOW everyone wants. Mattel probably does this more than anyone. That's why I'm always pleased when I don't have to do business with them. Their site is always trying to bait me to come back with discounts and special sales, but I stay away. Mattel is a cancer in this hobby.

[enyawd72]

^Couldn't agree more. I was all in with MOTU classics from the beginning, and after five years, I had over 90 figures, beasts, and oversize figures. Sounds great right? Well, the fact that QC was so bad I usually had to buy two of each figure to cobble together one good one was bad enough, then there were the backwards shoulders on not one, but FOUR figures, the fact that I had to buy characters I didn't want or care about while Mattel kept holding several key characters hostage, the constant threats of the line may come to an end, blah, blah, blah. I couldn't take it anymore. I cancelled my subs and sold everything.

[BlackKnight]

I have about 60 or so MOTU Figures ...
I was a Collector Since the Begining with King GreySkull then Later He-man & Beastman Launch ....
I never , ever had a Problem with Quality Control ...., the Figures I have, R Fantasic ... and some of the Best Toys on the Market.
The Constant "Fight" Every Month for a Figure on thier Site Drove Me Away ... with the "Mis-Leading Sell Outs" . Small Runs of characters Like Sorceress and Shadow Weaver And Rediculous Scalper Prices ...Sent my Bags Packing for the Most part .... U Should Never be allowed 10 + of a Figure , That "sells out" in Under and Hr.
I never got a Subscription ..., cuz in my Line of work ...., I can't commit to something of that nature long term .... I dunno what I am doing next week.
.... so in the End the Burnt out Nature of the failed Site Purchases just Tired me ...., I haven't gotten a new figure for so long ...., I just enjoy the 1's I have.
.... This " Surprise " Figure would upset me ..., if I were still collecting . I hope they don't do it with Club Infinite Earths.

[huedell]

You guys might think I'm kidding, but this thread is one of the most depressing things I've read in a while.

I only own about 15 of the MOTUC figures, but the MOTUC line, and it's longevity and cool sculpts with unique ecclectic character choices, is something that keeps me excited and hopeful about the entire "action figure industry" overall.

When I read this unanimous criticism of the MOTUC line, it just bums me out.

I know I'll get brighter again once I re-read some of Michael Crawford's raving MOTUC reviews... but still... you guys are my definitive action figure peeps!

[torgospizza]

That would definitely tick me off if I had been collecting this line. I understand wanting to create buzz, but people have jobs, for crying out loud. Not everyone can sit there all day refreshing a page in case something like this will pop up.

[Earth 2 Chris]

^Yeah, I can't think of anyone who would be happy about this, save for the few who lucked into.

Again, I don't mean to be negative, but it seems Mattel sometimes goes out of their way to honk fans off.

Chris

[Werewolf]

Yet another reason I'm glad I stopped collecting MOTUC and I had collected MOTUC from day one with King Grayskull. Didn't resub last year and haven't ordered a thing off of matty since my sub ran out. Beyond tired of dealing with digital river's so called "customer service," Matty Collector's "sellouts" and getting stuck with so many figures I didn't want just to get the few I did. Haven't missed it. Don't care what exclusive they offer I will never deal with Matty Collector again. Not worth the hassle when toy collecting is supposed to be my fun time.

[Figuremod73]

It's past time that the early figures get "tested" at retail. Why not, the molds should be paid for now, right? Those 2 packs with DC heroes dont count, IMO. I no longer understand Mattel either after MOTUC and Retro-Action.

[ctc]

>it seems Mattel sometimes goes out of their way to honk fans off

Well.... I think it's more they're trying to appeal to collectors over fans. Stuff like this makes the instant collector's item commodity figures that drove the toy market in the 90's, and it looks like they're still playing to that crowd.

Don C.

[Anarchy]

I also like BlackKnight rarely if ever had a problem with quality control, my original heman shoulders are reversed but geez you can barely if even at all tell. I have been really lucky with that and have read horror stories from people regarding realy bad QC issues. I did have alot of issues with adding a new credit card on their site but it was dealt with by their new office in the USA.

I did get a subscription and my only complaint are some of the character choices they chose but overall I love this line. With that being said i dont have an issue with the spirit of hordak I did get two but if i didnt, i really couldnt care less, i have a regular hordak which is good enough for me. If anyone wants my extra spirit of hordak, i will sell it at cost once it arrives, send me a pm if your interested should be around $33.00 total shipped give or take a buck.

[Earth 2 Chris]

^I've never understood that. They don't get one thin dime from aftermarket sales, and it totally divides their fanbase...or more likely ticks them off.

Again, this is what happened with Playmates Star Trek line. The ill will the exclusives caused eventually eroded the support for the line.

Chris

[palitoy]

It's weird this stuff still goes on considering it's largely proven that it can lead to alienating your customer base.

[Earth 2 Chris]

^Yes, that's the odd thing. And the company, and this line in particular, goes to the efforts of interfacing with fans through this Scott ToyGuru guy, who seems to sincerely love this stuff. It's like this arm of the company has a split-personality. Baffling.

[Harbingerboy]

I guess I'm gonna be in the unpopular opinion camp, but...I thought this was brilliant marketing and FUN. And I didn't even get one! I still think it's a fun concept, and I look forward to trying to catch one again at some point in the future, but I'm not sweating it or hating on Mattel lol. I actually find the surprise factor fun. I'll be the first one to say dealing with Matty/DR over the years has been no pic-nic, but I believe the problem in this case is an 'I want it now / I want it all' entitled collector mentality. People need to relax and look at this from a perspective other than "Matty f***ked us over again!!"

All the hype, the low production numbers, the exclusivity, the sub drives, the faux sell-outs, the secondary market prices, and now THIS surprise pop-up sale...all of this is sales and marketing gimmicks, and Scott & co. are brillz at it frankly. They are well aware of the collector drive and mentality and take advantage of it to the fullest to hype and sell their product. But that's the job of sales and marketing. People who feel misled or bamboozled are really taking things way too personally, it's not that deep, and I feel that's where the entitlement rears its head at times. Customers aren't entitled to knowledge of companies' marketing techniques and production numbers, or to a business model that caters to their own individual tastes and purchasing habits. I just feel this is another case of those who didn't get what they (didn't even know they) wanted and are crying foul and scare tactics and other Matty shenanigans again, rather than taking it for what it is and focusing on all the communication and awesome MOTU merch we do get.

And by the way, does anyone believe this figure, Spirit of Hordak, was high on ANYONE'S wishlist prior to this? People want it now mostly because of the hype and the 'scarcity' attributed to it by this marketing ploy. Now this 'repaint' no one asked for is an instant sell-out every time it pops up. Bait, set and trap. If Matty had included this figure as a quarterly variant for Hordak, it would've made the hell they caught from He-Fans over Snake Man-at-Arms look like a quinceanera. Likewise if this pop-up figure had been a much-desired Filmation Hordak. It's a fine line between ****ing off their target market and feeding collectors' addictive compulsions, and Matty knows that. They may not always succeed in walking a straight line, but so far it's kept MOTUC going for five years with multiple yearly subs and Castle freakin Grayskull - can't have ****ed too many off that badly I guess. Sorry, but from a marketing standpoint, Matty's taking all the trophies this time.