FTC Limited Edition DC 2-Packs

[Vinny0026]

I'm buying the reissues for displayablity & playability, & customs!. Keeps my vintage ones nicer. But I'm looking forward to new characters,

I'm pretty much doing it for the same reasons.
I bought 1 set of wave 1 to leave sealed in their plastic coffins - forever. Will be great to look back one day as the set that started it all - the re-launch.

I bought a few sets for customs and my custom 2 packs.
I also bought a set for my twin 4 years olds. My daughter loves playing with Robin and my son seems to be a big joker fan (well the figure anyway) neither one of them seems to watch any of the shows or cartoons with me. My kids play ruff - so I did just pop the heads and cloths on the TYpe S bodies - really only because the arms and legs do full 360's So less chance of breakage. An I use the CTV bodies on my customs, or 2 packs. So it all works well for me anyway.

as far as quality - they continue to learn and grow (CTV) the understood the problems with wave one and the arms being to tight - that has already been corrected.
The sculpting seems to be improving as well. I see this line going strong for 5-10 years. They have the rights to make anyone in the DC world.

That means Death Stroke, Dead Shot, Super friends, Commish Gordan, Maybe a Perry White - **** I would even be in for Marvin and Wendy if they make them.

[m0redaniel]

So does that mean that they're going to make a figure of this guy Vinny?

[ThePlayerOnTheOtherSide]

I'm talking one on one...not as part of a larger conglomerate of Bat-Foes...

I really don't think that factored into them putting Joker and Penguin into a 2-pack together. Maybe it did, but I doubt it.

[ThePlayerOnTheOtherSide]

Dude, I'm not trying to be a jerk here but come on...what kind of "release pattern" would please you? Because that's all this is about. YOU not getting the exact figures YOU want when YOU want them.

Six waves of KISS figures, 8 inch and 12.

2 Dallas figures, 12 inch.

Dukes of Hazzard, 4 figs 8 and 12 inch

Evel Knievel, 2 figs 8 and 12 inch

Batman 2 waves, 4 figures each

SEVENTY figures that FTC has brought to market in what, the last 6 months?!?

If WGSH was the only figures they were working on and we'd seen 8 figures in a year, then I would worry as well.

[ThePlayerOnTheOtherSide]

No worries. I think what it comes down to for you is not release rates, but character selection---because they've only done reissues so far.

I can understand your anxiety that the line will fold before you see characters you want. We all feel that way to a certain extant.

Luckily, you have that vast collection of cool Bronze-Age customs to console you . I'm jealous.

I totally get not wanting to buy reissues, and understand many collectors have all of these figures so NONE of the reissues hold any interest.

But at the same time I do think it's a bit ironic that some say they won't buy any of the reissues, yet at the same time hope the company can afford to stick with the figures till they get to all the obscure 'new' characters which are the only ones they want. The ones that would only be made if the first waves of reissues sell well.

[ThePlayerOnTheOtherSide]

I'm pretty much doing it for the same reasons.
I bought 1 set of wave 1 to leave sealed in their plastic coffins - forever. Will be great to look back one day as the set that started it all - the re-launch.

I bought a few sets for customs and my custom 2 packs.
I also bought a set for my twin 4 years olds. My daughter loves playing with Robin and my son seems to be a big joker fan (well the figure anyway) neither one of them seems to watch any of the shows or cartoons with me. My kids play ruff - so I did just pop the heads and cloths on the TYpe S bodies - really only because the arms and legs do full 360's So less chance of breakage. An I use the CTV bodies on my customs, or 2 packs. So it all works well for me anyway.

as far as quality - they continue to learn and grow (CTV) the understood the problems with wave one and the arms being to tight - that has already been corrected.
The sculpting seems to be improving as well. I see this line going strong for 5-10 years. They have the rights to make anyone in the DC world.

That means Death Stroke, Dead Shot, Super friends, Commish Gordan, Maybe a Perry White - **** I would even be in for Marvin and Wendy if they make them.

So far the only complaint I've had is with the bodies, and all I've bought are the first two Batman waves. Several have said the tight bodies have or will be corrected in future waves, so we'll see. But the costumes have been amazing, Joker and Riddler were incredible.

This is what I've always wanted, replicas of the original Megos, plus adding a few characters that Mego should or wanted to make, like Green Lantern and Flash. The Mattel line just didn't do it for me, this one is.

Hopefully 3 years from now this board is full of people complaining about how they've done 4 Superman waves and still haven't done Ma and Pa Kent yet!

[jwyblejr]

Nah,my complaint will be how they've done all of these figures and haven't done guys like Ambush Bug and G'Nort.

[Vinny0026]

So far the only complaint I've had is with the bodies, and all I've bought are the first two Batman waves. Several have said the tight bodies have or will be corrected in future waves, so we'll see. But the costumes have been amazing, Joker and Riddler were incredible.

This is what I've always wanted, replicas of the original Megos, plus adding a few characters that Mego should or wanted to make, like Green Lantern and Flash. The Mattel line just didn't do it for me, this one is.

Hopefully 3 years from now this board is full of people complaining about how they've done 4 Superman waves and still haven't done Ma and Pa Kent yet!

I'm only guessing here - But I'm pretty sure I bought the most figures here to date from CTV
Mostly cause of all the customs I make. Out of 20 batmen I bought only 2 had the broken arms.
I never had an issue with robin and bought the same amount. My guess - is he had short sleeves so less tension to get his clothes on.

I grabbed about 10 each of riddler and joker. Had 1 and 1 with broken right arms.

For the people keeping them on card there were no issues. for people just displaying them loose on stands I do not think had an issue.
For people posing them or kids playing with them - I can see an issue with the first wave that hit. The arm hook was like a cheese grader cutting right through the arm socket. But again this problem has already been fixed.

I agree that the suits are just about perfect. I like the fact that batmans head, cape boots and gloves are all pretty much the same color blue (cape is off just a pinch)
butover all the suit displays awesome, way better than the original that the cape, gloves, head and boots were all different color blue.

from a business point of view it made sense to go with batman wave 1.
but again not everyone will be happy with the order. People just looking to get remakes of the originals they had as kids wish they made all the originals first.

People who have all the originals just want new stuff first.
again not everyone will be happy with the order they come out in -

for me I could care less about who's in each new wave - Just as long as we keep getting new waves.

haha Pa Kent! well if you think about it - they made him already
if you want a smallville J. Kent - just grab a Duke boy and change his clothes. I mean it is the same actor. So there is your papa kent

[Vinny0026]

Nah,my complaint will be how they've done all of these figures and haven't done guys like Ambush Bug and G'Nort.

or no wonder dog LOL!

[huedell]

Six waves of KISS figures, 8 inch and 12.

2 Dallas figures, 12 inch.

Dukes of Hazzard, 4 figs 8 and 12 inch

Evel Knievel, 2 figs 8 and 12 inch

Batman 2 waves, 4 figures each

SEVENTY figures that FTC has brought to market in what, the last 6 months?!?

If WGSH was the only figures they were working on and we'd seen 8 figures in a year, then I would worry as well.

What you just listed comes off as typical FTC mentality/strategy. "Let's throw stuff against the wall and see what sticks." "Let's corner the market on basic franchise characters."
I'd think they'd have better success if they focused on fewer lines... and I'd rather they'd tighter marketing ideas FOR those fewer lines. Quality control? That's a given.
Again, it's recognized that I'm talking about preference towards WGSH... but WGSH has always been THE flagship franchise of vintage Mego-style figures.
So that "watering down of DC license in the tried/true WGSH focus" plus their overall track record makes me think I'm justifiably worried.
Could I be wrong to worry? Yeah. But I don't have a time machine/crystal ball and while that list above that you made of franchises makes you feel comfortable, it makes *me* feel that things seem fishy as usual at FTC.

[huedell]

I totally get not wanting to buy reissues, and understand many collectors have all of these figures so NONE of the reissues hold any interest.

But at the same time I do think it's a bit ironic that some say they won't buy any of the reissues, yet at the same time hope the company can afford to stick with the figures till they get to all the obscure 'new' characters which are the only ones they want. The ones that would only be made if the first waves of reissues sell well.

It's because we don't throw away money on things that we're not really sure that we want. And, some of us (not me) flat out don't want them.

All we're saying is that they'd get that investment you're finding ironically held back if they stepped up the new characters from ONE BUTLER in three waves....four waves if you count the Titans.

Personally? I can see myself buying their WGSH Bat-reissues, but ONLY after I see some more new characters.

Buying the reissues without new characters doesn't seem fun enough for me right now. I have my vintage ones... and I also have other versions of the same characters in my home collection. Like the vintage CAHs and the modern DCUCs which had a LOT of Bronze Age characters/costumes included in the line.

I also have the VERY Mego-like (but not quite) NEW charcters from Mattel Retro Action: Manta, Cold, Cheetah, Martian Manhunter, Luthor etc. etc. etc.

[thunderbolt]

Well, that settles that, I guess. If I say 'I want to be included too." you can take that as sincerity... I'd prefer not be pitchfork vilified (as opposed to "healthy kibitzing")... and apologizes if I've made myself open to being treated like that. As I've tried to say repeatedly---it's "all in good fun here". (Especially when I have nothing to buy from FTC at the moment... at least I can debate about 'em!)

And, my horrid manners aside, it still doesn't negate that we disagree on FTC's concerns about "quality", which I think are a far second to them "maximizing their stock" (a SPLENDID "business" attitude, but not at the expense of overall integrity). T-bolt mentioned earlier about about such staggered releases being helpful to wallets... having all the current WGSHs being based on old Mego molds, or re-packaging of the same figures... or amalgams of those parts in order to milk this line notably theoretically (especially in the case of these 2-packs) isn't helping wallets, I'm thinking.


I hear ya on all counts!

All respect to your theories... and our mutual interest in this line!

Buuuut... I'm editing to add that the way vintage lines utilized retooling/re-use is TOTALLY different than what I'm referring to here.

Do I really need to explain this? It's 2014 and FTC is doing exactly what Mego did back then, and THEN some as far as these things.

If ONLY FTC were only re-using their own bodies, and if only every new FTC WGSH release was an "Alfred" (i.e. new character).

you do get that even with the repro figures FTC is starting from scratch with molds, patterns etc? The only done easy is the prototyping, just buy a vintage Batman and blammo instant prototype. Again, I seriously don't think that two waves of 4 figures each in less than a year is slow, just not good enough for Hue. As far as the Repros not appealing to you, wahhh. EMCE did straight repros of Star Trek for the first few waves of its line and they did just fine, even leading to a Gorn, Sulu, Chekov, Pike, Salt Vampire and Khaaaan!! You even mention Mattel failing at this, didn't know 21 figures in a limited appeal line is a failure. The only thing I agree with you on is the "buy these or you won't get those" mentality.

[PNGwynne]

EMCE did straight repros of Star Trek for the first few waves of its line and they did just fine, even leading to a Gorn, Sulu, Chekov, Pike, Salt Vampire and Khaaaan!! You even mention Mattel failing at this, didn't know 21 figures in a limited appeal line is a failure. The only thing I agree with you on is the "buy these or you won't get those" mentality.

Yes, maybe I'm naïve but I truly feel this community supported Emce TREK and Mattel RetroAction, which is particularly notable considering (IMO) Mattel's design & distribution shortcomings.

[Vinny0026]

What you just listed comes off as typical FTC mentality/strategy. "Let's throw stuff against the wall and see what sticks." "Let's corner the market on basic franchise characters.".

Look I do not want to seem like I'm picking on you and do not want to come off that way. But a few questions here:

If you were starting a new line of figures today - do you think you would start with what you think would sell? or what you know would sell?
These first waves were super important - to get people on board. Had these first few waves tanked out of the gate there would go the whole line.

Do you think never produced figures would have sold more? Like Alfred, deadshot, lois, and say I don't know bizarro? Than what they made now?
I mean look at Mattel - they tried it your way - and by wave 3 they were done. No one wanted Darkseid, Blackadam, No one wanted all the lanterns or Captain cold or cheetah - all were peg warmers and all caused the line to tank. So history shows you can't go with non main stream figures. Why would they repeat Mattels Mistakes?

I'd think they'd have better success if they focused on fewer lines... and I'd rather they'd tighter marketing ideas FOR those fewer lines. .

But you realize these other lines are funding your WGSH right?
Kiss is a huge money maker for them. I bet at least 50% of the people buying kiss do not buy any of the WGSH. If it was not for that line - odds are they would not have gone after this line.

plus their overall track record makes me think I'm justifiably worried..

You keep talking about their history
They have evolved so much since the problems they had using factories in India.

They have improved every step of the way - every item the release the quality has gotten better. They have not tried to ignore that happened. They took responsibility and moved past it. They have grown in every way.

They lost a major income when they lost rights to make some WWE stuff. That would have killed most companies.

They re-invented their website and infused us with tons of new gloves, Female heads, Male heads belts weapons and parts. Stuff you may not use but a ton of us do.

Again I do not work for them, I do not want to come across as I'm defending them. But you have to be more open minded.
These guys have grown and continue to do so - give them credit when its due.

Stop bashing them or complaining just because you do not see the stuff you want (Yet)

I will leave you with one last question:
If you had your choice right now of wave 6/7 (because wave 4 and 5 are already set and maybe even wave 6)

Who would you want in there to make you personally happy?

[nobody]

I've only got the Riddler because I needed him. The originals are the starting point to expand on or why buy new figures if you don't have the Core. I think the 2 packs are neat. My only issue is why 5 batman 2 packs. I will open mine so no need for great packaging, they look glued on. I would have prefered say Batman/Bruce.....Robin/Riddler....Joker/pengy.....Catwoman/Batgirl......etc. If I did collect them carded I wouldn't want 5 carded Batmans in my collection. My 2 cents. Post your best 2 pack suggestions. Vinny is the expert...whatcha think Vincenzo?