Robin and Joker now showing Sold Out, Product Retired on FTC & CTVT sites

[TRDouble]

...After the denial, rage and eventual acceptance of the demise of DCUC, this line has me excited and hopeful that I will still be able to get my DC figure fix for some time to come.

I probably started from, "eventual acceptance," skipping denial and rage , but the FTC Retro line has me feeling the same way. And minus a few leftovers on Matty.com, with DCUC dead, including the Matty Subscription, I have the money to put towards these. If DCUC continued, I probably would not be buying many of these because I can't afford it all. While there are still many more characters and versions of characters I would have loved to seen made in the DCUC line, I am satisfied enough with what Mattel did put out and happy to fill the void of DCUC with DC Repros and ReMegos, especially since Megos were my first super-hero toy line.

[fatsal]

Cool, cool, cool! You're an icon to me---not many people like you existed way back when. I used to pine over the customs on your site for hours upon HOURS!
(On that note...) Not that we got all we wanted when DCUC started up/wound down, but who'd have thought back then that we'd have gotten what we did as far as Bronze Age DCU (albeit in a slightly bigger scale!)?
Apologies for thread-jacking to you and the others, but since your first Mego Museum post was acknowledged in this thread, I thought I'd give it a nod or two Welcome!
(And let's hope FTC can even do a QUARTER of the DCU characters that Mattel achieved w/DCUC!)

Thanks so much for your kind words. Customizing those figures was a lot of fun, as was learning how to create a website back in the early days of the "World Wide Web".

As for DCUC, it was an absolute dream come true for an old DC diehard like myself. For the most part, they served up the exact versions of characters I'd dreamed of in my misspent youth, and I collected them avidly. Their obvious devotion to the Super Powers Collection was especially sweet for me, although in truth, I never much cared for the likes of Golden Pharaoh, Cyclotron or any of the other non-comics characters.

It is my sincerest hope that FTC will go as deep or even deeper into the DC roster as DCUC did. I think they have a lot going for them and the product that Mattel didn't. For one, I think the combination of Mego technology and the more direct-to-consumer distribution model allows them to do smaller runs of more obscure characters more efficiently (if not cheaply) than Mattel could with the production quantities necessary to sell at big box retail and all-new sculpts (and the expensive tooling required for such). Also, I think the natural target market for FTC figures of the 30- and 40-somethings that have great affinity and nostalgia for this style of figure, as well as the novelty of recreating/reviving the Mego aesthetic mean we're more likely to see them stick to the Bronze Age more faithfully than other lines might.

At this early stage, it very much feels like FTC is consciously picking up EXACTLY where Mego left off. Its not hard to imagine that, had Mego survived into the mid-80s, they'd have produced stuff like the Nightwing and the New Teen Titans figures they've already announced. It's my fervent wish that they stick with that mindset until they've exhausted their options with Bronze Age characters.

After the denial, rage and eventual acceptance of the demise of DCUC, this line has me excited and hopeful that I will still be able to get my DC figure fix for some time to come.

[huedell]

I am (or rather, I was). That was many, many moons ago!

Cool, cool, cool! You're an icon to me---not many people like you existed way back when. I used to pine over the customs on your site for hours upon HOURS!
(On that note...) Not that we got all we wanted when DCUC started up/wound down, but who'd have thought back then that we'd have gotten what we did as far as Bronze Age DCU (albeit in a slightly bigger scale!)?
Apologies for thread-jacking to you and the others, but since your first Mego Museum post was acknowledged in this thread, I thought I'd give it a nod or two Welcome!
(And let's hope FTC can even do a QUARTER of the DCU characters that Mattel achieved w/DCUC!)

[tllgn]

the edition size for wave 1 not counting two packs and singles of batman & robin ,was 1250 cases,wave 2 was 625 cases ,three of each figure
in each box ,thats what was printed on the shipping boxs from figures toy company ,also classic tv batman was 1250 cases .and 666 cases of dukes.

[fatsal]

First post...hmmm. Are you the Super Powers customizer "Fat Sal"?

I am (or rather, I was). That was many, many moons ago!

[huedell]

As a lifelong DC fan and collector, I have to say that IMO, FTC is doing a great job with this line so far. I go all the way back to original Megos, and I can't recall another company that has been so forthcoming with new reveals as FTC. If what we know so far is any indication, they are in this for the long haul, and look poised to offer a very expansive range of our favorite heroes.

As for the sellouts, this can only be a good thing. A) it means folks who have been sitting on the fence will be more inclined to buy, B) they won't be cannibalizing their sales too much by having more than one version of any character available at the same time, and C) smaller runs should equal quicker production turnarounds meaning more new figures per year!

My first post!

First post...hmmm. Are you the Super Powers customizer "Fat Sal"?

[GhostLord]

I'm glad I got the first wave when I did. I'm so pleased they sold well.

[fatsal]

Good question in keeping all Waves the same size. I would think the first wave selling out was a signal to ramp up volume on future lines. I would guess the size of the first three waves was set regardless. If so, Wave 3 could sellout VERY quickly IMO.

I don't know if they should up their numbers just yet. It could just as easily mean that whatever the run for W1 was is exactly the right number (for now, at least). However, I suspect (or at least hope) that we are at the ground floor of what may be looked back on as one of the great superhero lines of all time. If so, we might expect a surge of new collectors to come in as teh buzz spreads.

Of course my personal enthusiasm may be biasing me a bit, but I can't recall any other DC line that was as forthcoming about their (big) plans as FTC has been so early on. Mattel sure did a hell of a lot with the DCUC line, but even then, having big box retail in the equation meant they weren't able to do some things I think even they wanted to. FTC seems to understand its collectors AND they seem to know their retailers too. That's a win-win for us, methinks.

[fatsal]

Question now that Wave 1 is "retired" - how large (in terms of actual units made) was Wave 1?
(and are all Waves going to about the same size ?)

Actual production numbers are typically closely guarded trade secrets, so I doubt we'll ever know for sure.

Suffice it to say, I think FTC may have found the sweet spot production-wise. Enough to satisfy the masses, but not so much as to have to have these clearanced out. While waiting for a lower price is definitely helpful to us collectors in the short term (and these babies aren't cheap), one has to remember the retailers play a big role in the long term success of this line too. The more they have to sell at a discount, the less inclined they'll be to keep ordering/stocking future product. I doubt FTC can make an order from the factory without commitments from retailers first.

[ThePlayerOnTheOtherSide]

Question now that Wave 1 is "retired" - how large (in terms of actual units made) was Wave 1?
(and are all Waves going to about the same size ?)

Good question in keeping all Waves the same size. I would think the first wave selling out was a signal to ramp up volume on future lines. I would guess the size of the first three waves was set regardless. If so, Wave 3 could sellout VERY quickly IMO.

[MIB41]

I think FTC has really hit a nerve with collectors all over in doing near perfect reproductions and starting lines that got overlooked. But like anything, I'm sure they are keeping production volumes in check, so they don't get stuck with massive overstock. Hopefully one day they'll get the Marvel license and recreate those lines as well.

[silveralex]

Question now that Wave 1 is "retired" - how large (in terms of actual units made) was Wave 1?
(and are all Waves going to about the same size ?)

[Iron Mego]

It might just be me, but I really enjoy the peeks into the factory almost as much as I do the reveals. I always wish they'd do a How It's Made on action figures.

I'll second that.

[fatsal]

What FTC is doing a masterful job of is using social media to keep us excited about what's coming...

It might just be me, but I really enjoy the peeks into the factory almost as much as I do the reveals. I always wish they'd do a How It's Made on action figures.

[ThePlayerOnTheOtherSide]

What FTC is doing a masterful job of is using social media to keep us excited about what's coming. Look at the difference between the Marvel Spidey/Pete set and any of the Batman Waves. FTC let us know up to a year in advance that these figures were coming, then along the way gave us a constant stream of new information and content to get us more excited about them, so we were at a fever pitch by the time they went on sale. With Marvel/Diamond they just spring the announcement on us, and then nothing. So there's nothing to talk about or stay excited about. FTC is doing the exact opposite.

Great marketing strategy, BTW.