Atlas or not to Atlas?

[ODBJBG]

I'd probably pick one up in store if the price was right, but none of these excited me enough to jump through hoops, no matter how minimal and pay shipping etc to get them.

Word on the street is that many Walmarts are rolling Megos back out (mostly old stock monster stuff) and that could be a good sign for availability in the future. As has been talked about at some length in other places, Mego doesn't actually ship directly to Walmart, there's like a third party thing that oversees the "collector" stuff, not unlike how NECA is stocked, so there may just be some kind of logjam in there, or that outfit may just be burning through old stock with no intent to order more. Only time will tell.

[palitoy]

As has been talked about at some length in other places, Mego doesn't actually ship directly to Walmart, there's like a third party thing that oversees the "collector" stuff, not unlike how NECA is stocked, so there may just be some kind of logjam in there, or that outfit may just be burning through old stock with no intent to order more. Only time will tell.

Mego does ship directly to WM's warehouse but not individual stores; a third-party company doesn't physically bring it in but is in charge of merchandising/planning in that entire entertainment section. It's sent to the store, received and then the outside merchandiser comes in. It's similar to the greeting card companies.

I have a colleague/client who works closely with the US entertainment buyer. He ships to their DCs weekly. He's got his own people for other sections of the store.

If the Atlas figures don't hit retail, I can't see them being that popular as a web exclusive.

[wise guy]

my pre order of Phoenix from Walmart was updated to 2-3-25 today

[shaunaconda]

I received a delay notice. But it does say 2/1/25.

[wise guy]

my order now says delayed with no date on it. Good thing I really don't care about Atlas just wanted one Phoenix but not a big deal

[PNGwynne]

Walmart, the king of delayed exclusives and order cancellations. Such a joke retailer.

I'd like Grim Ghost and the Dragon, I'd certainly grab them if found in the wild or available later online.

I've seen some older Mego monsters trickling onto their "collectibles" section, too.

[Krypt0nite]

That’s interesting. I’ve seen shirtless Frankenstein monster and muddy Christopher Lee Mummy at several Walmarts in the last few days.

[palitoy]

Sometimes, I think you want to fail!

[toyman]

I’ve seen the monsters in the last week also at WM

[powersthatbe]

I saw killer klowns,noferatu and a couple others that filled a peg(meaning I think it was newly stocked) last week. I still want to know where a lot of the 50th wave,that was behind glass case at WN fpr a while suddenly dissappeared to.

[PNGwynne]

Not to derail the thread, but those Frankenstein shackles look terrific on the Hammer Monster figure.

[Earth 2 Chris]

Yeah, those Mego Monsters are showing up in WM stores in my area that NEVER carried any Megos. Shirtless Frank, Glow Nosferatu, and Muddy Hammer Mummy.

[B-Lister]

I'm not tryin' to pee in anybody's Corn Flakes. I just want to see stuff for everyone out of Mego. And it seems like that's not happening anymore. Unfortunately the only solution I can think of that could reverse course won't be a popular one.

If you like the Atlas figures, buy 'em. Love 'em. I'm happy they're your cup of tea. And yeah, this is a no risk thing for Mego if Walmart and Atlas ponied up the dough for it. But that's the short term.

What about long term? This further associates Mego with obscure and dormant properties. Sure, they've also pursued, and acquired some really GOOD licenses. When it's something like Marvel and DC they'll pull out all the stops. But my fear is seeing brand dilution. People will see a lot of bad figures and assume that's all Mego is good for. I know a Target that STILL has five Tooties on the peg at full price.

Could you imagine tho, if they had pursued the Wicked toy rights? Instead of just looking back, they need to think forward. I know they have done this but they could really do more. I know, I've been told before it's all about what sells, and I agree. And there are tons of IPs out there. Mego can't do it all, nor can it predict the next big thing (which was part of their demise in the 70s), but a fan poll wouldn't hurt. Online sales (and exclusives) won't hurt either. Club Mego perhaps?

Super 7 seems to be doing well. Maybe Mego should model their brand toward that demographic. There's a lot of crossover, perhaps a collaboration would be in both companies' interests?

[Earth 2 Chris]

There seems be a scramble among toy/collectible companies to gobble up any possible nostalgia IP out there and get new product on shelves. A nearby Walmart has had the full range of the Nacelle figures (Sectuars, Robo Force, etc.) since mid-fall. I don't think a single one has sold. These IPs may be of some value to a VERY niche market, but I don't think they have enough cache to sell at regular retail stores. As B-Lister said, Mego was approached by the owners of the Atlas characters and Walmart, so I understand why they went ahead with it. But based on the lack of success with other obscure IPs, I wonder how this venture is going to go. I find the history of Atlas more interesting than the comics and characters themselves, personally. The figures do look nice, but there are too many other things out there vying for my dollars to jump in on these. That's just me.

[palitoy]

That's an interesting point, I'm such a fan of niche toys but these seem to be catering to people who already collect them. I'm not sure how that's going to work at mass retail......