World's Greatest Heroes! New "Series 2" Full-Page Ad

[thunderbolt]

Would the 22 of the 9 out of 22 be DC Comics characters? Just guessing. It does seem like they only have the rights to produce Batman TV-series characters at this point.

At first all they had was Bats, later they nailed down the rest of the DC characters. So, that is why the first offerings are bat related, since they started off with just the Batman license.

[haggis]

Would the 22 of the 9 out of 22 be DC Comics characters? Just guessing. It does seem like they only have the rights to produce Batman TV-series characters at this point.

[Brown Bear]

I'm happy to see these figs and hope they do extremely well despite the negative critics. No matter WHAT remego line is released, these toy companies are constantly bombarded with collectors pointing out what they did wrong. At the end of the day they ARE releasing these guys and we're not. If we don't want to buy it, don't buy it....but throwing them under the bus before they even get wave 1 on shelves is a bit much.

Best of luck to FTC for bringing lines I thought I'd never see.

[imp]

Troubling misconceptions abound!

This thread is fascinating, but I'm reading a lot of misconceptions.

First, the market size:
Folks 'round here desperately want to believe the Mego collector community is larger than it is. In reality, it's incredibly small. Like, high hundreds to low thousands SMALL. These are horrible numbers for any manufacturer attempting to court this demographic. My awareness of this is first-hand.

Accordingly, FTC and other ventures courting this market need to appeal to a much larger base. FTC realizes this by virtue of partnering with Diamond/Previews. They hope to tap the comic book-reading fan base who see these figures pegged in their local comic shop and experience the a-ha! moment of nostalgia… enough to plunk down $25 - $100. Well guess what? That AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN by offering two proven peg-warmers (Catwoman and Penguin) and two random, generic guys in ugly suits that virtually NO ONE owned as a kid.

Secondly, this load-carrying expectation:
Comments like these:

Even though all I want is Batman & Robin, I will support there waves and buy them all.

I'm gonna support everything they release to help make the rest of the DCU happen.

Batman characters comprised a big chunk of my childhood WGSH! So, I don't mind Batman leading off new WGSH!

We know the other DC Megos by heart, and we know what should be released, but we must step back and take personal feelings out of the equation.

I really want to support this line… I'm in for at least a single set of wave#2, but I'm really disappointed that Batgirl didn't make the cut.

Not thrilled about the wave…but again I'll support it if it helps keep the line going.

NEWS FLASH: You cannot make consumers buy a bunch of crap they don't want, on the hope and promise they might some day get the chance to buy what they really do want. This is COMMERCE, not POLITICS.

Whether WB/DC or FTC is responsible for this woeful Series 2 assortment is irrelevant. Sure, there are a few of you who will carry the burden, as evidenced by the quotations above. But I guarantee you, there are fewer than one hundred such hard-core collectors. Not large enough to overcome bad choices by the manufacturer/licensor.

Finally, this accepted notion that it will take three waves of Batman-related figures to "test the market" is preposterous. Trust me: If FTC doesn't sell enough Series 1 Joker and Riddler figures, sales aren't going to increase with Bruce and Dick man-dolls.

[VintageMike]

Not thrilled about the wave, especially since I already have DM made Bruce/Dick repros but again I'll support it if it helps keep the line going.

[Figuremod73]

Maybe Tarzan and Conan will be released around the time Wave 2 finally hits, that will be a little variety at least.

Wave 2 doesnt look bad to me since I dont have either villain. The SI figures should sell pretty well but I would have liked to have seen Batgirl get released sooner as well.

Heres hoping all the lines do well so this will continue!

[hedrap]

There was zero cost put into AE Wayne. They already had every piece, before getting the license.

So every Wayne bought covers the cost of another figure.

Now consider how many parts they been manufacturing for years - shoes, oven mitts, bodies, colored hands, - and subtract that from the startup cost.

We're looking at all initial costs in heads and fabrics, so these waves are the lowest risk vs return to gauge the real market size.

Then again, I'm with Thunderbolt. Only way I would buy a replica is for my kids to bang up, but since this is CTVT, lord only knows the durability.

[madmarva]

Toys R Us does carry specialty items that may be ordered from Diamond Distributors, which sells to comic book stores and other novelty stores. From time to time, I've seen DC Direct items that weren't mass marketed in TRU from time to time, but considering their exclusive deal with Mattel's reMego figures didn't go so well, I could see why TRU wouldn't allocate space for these figures. If the figures were more realistic in the sculpting, maybe. TRU might have more interest in the 66 Batman line, but maybe not since it is the exclusive mass-market retailer for the Mattel 66 Batman line.

[smonte00]

Are there any plans to sell these at toy stores, like the DC Retro figures? It was so cool to see those on a peg like when we were kids. My son is getting to the age where he's starting to like megos now and I just think its a nice experience for him as it would be for others. At least he's getting the chance to rip open the packages. That's part of the fun.

[GlobalObserver]

Second only to Action Jackson, that Bruce Wayne head sculpt is just about the ugliest thing Mego ever produced.

[enyawd72]

Bottom line: NO.

I already pre-ordered the entire Series 1 set. All four of 'em. But I won't be getting any of Series 2. Sorry.

I wasn't referring to you personally...just making a general statement. As you say, collectors want variety, and you're right. Variety is coming...we've been told up front what CTVT's plans are for this line. The sky's the limit. BUT, if the first few waves don't sell, you can kiss all that variety goodbye.
I really don't think it'll be a problem anyway. SI and RC are some of the most expensive hardest to find originals there are. I can't imagine these won't sell like crazy.

[madmarva]

Unless you're on the inside and know all the hows and whys, it's difficult to hazard a guess why Figures.com opted for the characters in the second wave. I can see the logic behind it, but I also understand why it's being questioned, too.

Some think it's a good selection; others don't. It's not a particularly attractive wave to me b/c i never liked the head sculpts on Bruce and Dick or the version of Cat Woman Mego made. But I also know if anything were altered with the figures, there would be complaints about not duplicating those figures exactly.

If it does prove to be a bad choice, hopefully Figures.com can forge on and make better educated selections in the future.

I too would like to see a Superman wave as well as mixing in some new characters, but I'm most eager to see the final versions of the first 66 wave after seeing the peeks we've been given. I would love to see figures of Jimmy Olson, Lois Lane, Perry White and ect.

A true love wave would be fun for Valentines with Lois Lane, Col. Steve Trevor, Selina Kyle and Mera.

A Halloween wave could include SwampThing, Deadman, Spectre and Phantom Stranger

[GlobalObserver]

I ordered a 12-figure case of wave#1 because I really want to support this line.

I'm in for at least a single set of wave#2, but I'm really disappointed that Batgirl didn't make the cut.

Batgirl has a removable cowl, so I suppose it makes sense to pair her up with removable cowl/mask Batman & Robin.

I'm really curious to see what mystery figure rounds out wave#3. Assuming it's a completely new addition to the Batman family of figures, I sure hope it's Mr. Freeze. Possibly with removable helmet/dome.

[thunderbolt]

I'm passing on all these and saving my money for the Adam West series. If they do some new figures that weren't from Mego or covered by Mattel recently I'll get those, too.

[Jason73]

I don't own any of the original versions of the wave 2 assortment so I am all in on these.