Ghost Buster Ecto One going up on Matty

[Saroyan]

If you always wanted a Diecast Ecto One that would fit the figures:

http://www.mattycollector.com/store/matty/en_US/DisplayShopperDefinedBundlePage/OfferID.41337553509

[MIB41]

That is an absolutely insane price. But the GB circle contains some big fans, so it might sell.

[BlackKnight]

^^^^ Stupidest Price ... like ever.
& ..., People thought 70 for a Batmobile was spendy.
I can't wait to see em at Big Lots for 20.

[RickD]

If these hit Big Lots, i'm going nuts on them!

I agree this is a ridiculous price

[MIB41]

Pre-order cancelled since the offer got minimal response. Amen... common sense wins another round!

http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/official-mattel-update-final-count-for-2014-subscriptions-and-ecto-1-pre-order/

http://www.mattycollector.com/DRHM/store?Action=DisplayProductDetailsPage&SiteID=matty&Locale=en_US&ThemeID=1298800&productID=284632900

[Earth 2 Chris]

^The DC Club Infinite Earths didn't meet it's goals either, which may mean no more DCUC-type figures after this year. I struggled with subscribing, especially this year as they seemed to stick to a more classic theme than last year (too many multi-colored Lantern people I have zero interest in owning). But the horror stories of folks and the MOTUC sub kept me away.

I think the Big Lots incident really hurt their chances of getting folks on the fence to commit. MOTU sub DID go through, but I think the DC and Ghostbusters folks are less devoted, for whatever reason.

http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/official-mattel-update-final-count-for-2014-subscriptions-and-ecto-1-pre-order/

Chris

[palitoy]

I don't really have interest in the DCU line but I sure did hear a lot about it (especially that last day, enough already!). The feeling I got was Mattel wasn't addressing many of the concerns the subscribers had.

But the big lots thing was blood in the water, if you do close out on figures in a line, you lose a portion of your audience immediately. Their mentality is "I'll pick it up on clearance".

The Ghost Busters car thing? I saw a video where the Mattel dude explained and I just couldn't believe they were showing a block of wood for $215.00 and expecting folks to pre-pay.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I don't really have interest in the DCU line but I sure did hear a lot about it (especially that last day, enough already!). The feeling I got was Mattel wasn't addressing many of the concerns the subscribers had.

Yeah, they said that Damian/Robin would not be in the 2014 sub...and then he was announced in the last few days. I think folks just feel too jerked around. For more of that, see the confusing announcements on the 66 Batman line.

But the big lots thing was blood in the water, if you do close out on figures in a line, you lose a portion of your audience immediately. Their mentality is "I'll pick it up on clearance".

I can't see how this DIDN'T adversely affect the subs. Had the figures hit Lots earlier in the year, or after the sub, I'm betting the numbers would have been higher.

The Ghost Busters car thing? I saw a video where the Mattel dude explained and I just couldn't believe they were showing a block of wood for $215.00 and expecting folks to pre-pay.

Yeah. I don't get that. It really comes across as kind of insulting. The audio interview Daniel Pickett did with Toy Guru was kind of an assault on the fans in a way. Very bite-the-hand-that-feeds-you, in my opinion.

Why they didn't offer a car similar to the very nice all-plastic Batmobile is beyond me. Even if it ran $100, I think the hardcore GB fans would have bit.

Chris

[palitoy]

Yeah, they said that Damian/Robin would not be in the 2014 sub...and then he was announced in the last few days. I think folks just feel too jerked around. For more of that, see the confusing announcements on the 66 Batman line.

I remember some agida about 52 Shazam at SDCC, everytime I see a Matty announcement on FB I see all this grumbling. Every toy line gets kvetching, granted, but it seems like they had a much higher ratio of animosity.

I can't see how this DIDN'T adversely affect the subs. Had the figures hit Lots earlier in the year, or after the sub, I'm betting the numbers would have been higher.

It's a real blow to confidence when a company discounts a line. Sideshow created a real "wait and see" crowd.

Yeah. I don't get that. It really comes across as kind of insulting. The audio interview Daniel Pickett did with Toy Guru was kind of an assault on the fans in a way. Very bite-the-hand-that-feeds-you, in my opinion.

I didn't listen to the interview, so I can't comment on it.

I'm not a subscriber, never would be and I've probably only bought from Matty 5 times, mostly for my kids, but even I've heard that "Toy Guru" has alienated fans.

[Earth 2 Chris]

^He seems like a nice, enthusiastic guy, but he does come across as this "disappointed den mother" type sometimes. It's very off-putting, to me at least.

Chris

[MIB41]

^^^ This is why I'm not a big fan of Mattel or any other company that treats collector-related licenses as a gullible market for overpriced and cheaply manufactured goods. They want to make as much noise as they can to draw attention, then make a quick buck and get out. You can see there is no regard for the consumer here.

[palitoy]

^He seems like a nice, enthusiastic guy, but he does come across as this "disappointed den mother" type sometimes. It's very off-putting, to me at least.

Don't get me wrong, some of the stuff that levied against him is undeserved for a guy who makes himself so available. I've read blogs where the whole slant is that he's enemy and they inject snarky comments when he replies to their questions. If I was him, I'd likely pull back from those places entirely.

I've just watched or read the odd thing where I think "that's gonna get misquoted". It's the trappings of making yourself so approachable.

[Earth 2 Chris]

^I do give the guy a lot of credit for putting himself out there, when he honestly doesn't have to. I think that's kind of the burn though. The communications are often misleading, with some later backpedaling by Mattel. And there is the occasional semi-whiny "You guys don't really love this stuff because aren't buying enough" approach which I don't personally care for.

I wonder if Mattel would be better off going the Hasbro route and running silent for the most part.

Chris

[huedell]

The dude doesn't have to make himself approachable... but he does. Either way, he'll have to deal with what he has to deal with cause he puts himself there AND he's still got a job to boot. As far as the company he works for... my take is that it's the same mentality of Kenner with Star Wars during Christmas 1977 and their Early Bird empty boxes. "How far can we go to grab money?" No problem there, but, when it gets to the point it has with Mattel... some would say (including me) that it's a rotten thing to do from some perspectives... I mean, they take people who live and bleed for toys (one of the most unstable and vocal target audiences out there) and they borderline exploit them to the point of chaos instead of making more precaution to keep disappointment down and consumer morale up.