Any Photos Of Retro Heroes Wave 3 Yet?

[Krypt0nite]

Dark Knight (movie) and Dark Knight (Frank Miller) would make great Matty exclusives, though.

[The Bat]

Still biting Tongue.

[drogge]

Mego

I perfer the Mego charm, but in the end it is about branding. However crowding the market will turn buyers away, our pockets are only so deep. Besides a lot of the characters are fairly the same they were 40 years ago.

[trekman101]

The people will decide when this lines ends, not Mattel, if people don't buy it, it will end regardless of what number Mattel may have in their head. If customers don't buy it this line will end tomorrow, profit is bottom line period no matter what. Saying Barbie and Hotwheels will make up the slack in any kind of profit is nonsense, if this line isn't making one it will be dropped like a hot potato for one that will and guess where the money will go? Back to a line that will make profit. It is all $$$. If neither of those lines were making profit the plug would be pulled or temporally shelved for another that will.

Lynn

First of all....do you really think the money spent by consumers on the "retro line" even if they were to buy every figure made would come any where close to a small percentage of the money earned by barbie and hot wheels for Mattel...come on...do you really think you ..me and the average buyer has any control over a multi-million dollar company..... the investment made by Mattel to produce the retro line is small compared to the many other toy lines that Mattel makes.....the retro line is a product that is generating interest for Mattel in the action figure market.....they have planted a seed.....they will nurture it.....hope it flourishes......and when some time has passed...they will decide if it worked or not...and not by how much money it earned but by how much excitement it generated.....then they will worry about it's earnings.....and if you haven't already....why don't you ask some of the people who are involved with Mattel on these type of products just how much Mattel cares about these lines in the short term...you probably won't like the answer you get.

[trekman101]

The more I think it, the more I believe some of these more iconic heroes and villains in the Batman universe are getting saved for the next Batman film. Think about it. What will Matty have to promote in the line, if they show them all now? Who's to say they won't do a Batman-themed release before that next film arrives in theaters? It would seem to make sense, especially with the tie-in promotion for the Green Lantern. At this stage, my faith in the line up is where I had always hoped it would be, so I am not worried. I have faith these characters will get their day in the lime light. The timing just has to be right.

I totally agree with you

[Lynn TXP 0369]

First of all....do you really think the money spent by consumers on the "retro line" even if they were to buy every figure made would come any where close to a small percentage of the money earned by barbie and hot wheels for Mattel...come on...do you really think you ..me and the average buyer has any control over a multi-million dollar company..... the investment made by Mattel to produce the retro line is small compared to the many other toy lines that Mattel makes.....the retro line is a product that is generating interest for Mattel in the action figure market.....they have planted a seed.....they will nurture it.....hope it flourishes......and when some time has passed...they will decide if it worked or not...and not by how much money it earned but by how much excitement it generated.....then they will worry about it's earnings.....and if you haven't already....why don't you ask some of the people who are involved with Mattel on these type of products just how much Mattel cares about these lines in the short term...you probably won't like the answer you get.

Yes, us consumers ultimately have all the control of these lines in terms of our $$$ spent for them, if they don't sell well, they will be dropped and canceled.
I have no idea where or why you would even think that Barbie or Hot Wheels would have any bearing or relevance what so ever for the Retro-Action line. Those lines have nothing to do with what kind of dollars earned to the RA line as far as profits or breaking even.

Mattel knows what it cost to make these and Mattel knows what it will be to call it a "success" in terms of $$$ to say that they at least broke even or made a profit. If they break even, we probably gotta good chance the line will flourish for a long time, it isn't breaking even at a minimum, it will go.

It is all about the dollar bottom line, period. If you think for one minute they will continue to feed a dieing horse only to prolong the same out come or one that is not going well, then you gotta a lot to learn about business.

Mattel is making a gamble on doing these figures in hopes the line will be a success, If it isn't making money or breaking even, it will go away as fast as it came.


Lynn

[LOU]

I see no problem with doing more current (post mego era) versions of characters as long as they stay in the 8" clothed format.

I do see a problem with this...these are "RETRO" heroes, "post-Mego" and "Retro' are two completely different things in my mind. I will pass on any character and/or outfit change that is made that didn't exist in the 1970's. That's the charm of this line. We don't need 80's characters or the same characters with different outfits on. Stick to the 70's incarnations of the characters only. The whole point here is to pay homage to Mego. Mego would not have made a <cough-cough> Guy Gardner for obvious reasons.
A shame because these could have been 4 new characters. The craftsmanship on these new characters is mind-blowingly good, I just hate the character choices themselves and will be leaving my set on Matty.com.

[trekman101]

Yes, us consumers ultimately have all the control of these lines in terms of our $$$ spent for them, if they don't sell well, they will be dropped and canceled.
I have no idea where or why you would even think that Barbie or Hot Wheels would have any bearing or relevance what so ever for the Retro-Action line. Those lines have nothing to do with what kind of dollars earned to the RA line as far as profits or breaking even.

Mattel knows what it cost to make these and Mattel knows what it will be to call it a "success" in terms of $$$ to say that they at least broke even or made a profit. If they break even, we probably gotta good chance the line will flourish for a long time, it isn't breaking even at a minimum, it will go.

It is all about the dollar bottom line, period. If you think for one minute they will continue to feed a dieing horse only to prolong the same out come or one that is not going well, then you gotta a lot to learn about business.

Mattel is making a gamble on doing these figures in hopes the line will be a success, If it isn't making money or breaking even, it will go away as fast as it came.


Lynn

I understand your point but you are not understanding what I'm saying......Mattel spent money to create this line(tooling /R and D)...they will not drop it if it doesn't make profit in the short term (this has been said by people who know what Mattel's goals are for this line....NOT by me)...wave one quote "exceeded expectations" what ever that means (not necessarily profit wise but who knows )....look at the SDCC pics with Doc standing in front of all the retro figures (19 plus 2 more matty exclusives and many more in the works)...do you think Mattel is worried when only 9 figures have been for sale....I think not....As far as thinking hot-wheels and barbie have nothing to do with other lines...the fact that both of these lines bring in MILLIONS of dollars of profit(and the point that the consumer has control does apply here ) enable Mattel to break even on other lines short term.....Mattel is a toy company...if they worried about every toy making short term profit for them...THEY WOULD HAVE NO NEW TOYS TO PRODUCE.....Mattel knows how to make money and that's by having vision and being patient.
As a foot note...if you check out what Doc Mego has said at SDCC ....2011 production schedule wraped up....2012 in the works....Mattel and DC behind this line ALL THE WAY.

[wonderfan32]

Okay. I know some are not pleased with the choices but I don't know where some are getting the idea of this line being a homage to Mego meaning 70's characters only. I believe it was said in the beginning that this was also being treated as if Mego really never left the toy industry. Having said that, with that being the M.O., don't you think it makes sense for them to also do characters from the 80's and beyond? I'm sure that's what Mego would be doing had they still been in business. Now we get other characters that we've always wanted in addition to the ones back in the day but weren't able to get. I say it's a good thing.

[Lynn TXP 0369]

I understand your point but you are not understanding what I'm saying......Mattel spent money to create this line(tooling /R and D)...they will not drop it if it doesn't make profit in the short term (this has been said by people who know what Mattel's goals are for this line....NOT by me)...wave one quote "exceeded expectations" what ever that means (not necessarily profit wise but who knows )....look at the SDCC pics with Doc standing in front of all the retro figures (19 plus 2 more matty exclusives and many more in the works)...do you think Mattel is worried when only 9 figures have been for sale....I think not....As far as thinking hot-wheels and barbie have nothing to do with other lines...the fact that both of these lines bring in MILLIONS of dollars of profit(and the point that the consumer has control does apply here ) enable Mattel to break even on other lines short term.....Mattel is a toy company...if they worried about every toy toy making short term profit for them...THEY WOULD HAVE NO NEW TOYS TO PRODUCE.....Mattel knows how to make money and that's by having vision and being patient.
As a foot note...if you check out what Doc Mego has said at SDCC ....2011 production schedule raped up....2012 in the works....Mattel and DC behind this line ALL THE WAY.

Gottcha... I hope this goes all the way, with Wave 4 it will be right around the halfway point of what Mego produced and it would be great to see it surpass what Mego did.
Lynn

[CrimsonGhost]

I can't. The Dark Knight (great movie BTW) doesn't fit in the retro line, simple as that

Just curious to see if you are saying Dark Knight figures wouldn't fit in with the other retro heroes or if you are saying they don't fit the retro style?

If there were Matty exclusives that were Dark Knight themed or styled after the live action versions, do you think it would work? Perhaps if it had a new title instead of "worlds greatest retro super heroes" and it was "Worlds greatest retro movie heroes"?

Just wondering, because I think it could work.

[Zatarasson]

I guess that, for me, I'd prefer this line remain true to its premise. These are retro/classic toys, that are an homage to the Seventies Megos. They work for kids, they work for collectors. i'd prefer not to see character choices stray into "Dark Knight" or Frank Miller territory. The old Megos represented a different age with a far different sensibility, and it was reflected in the toys. Heroes were heroic, noble and kind...villains were diabolical and crafty. But heads weren't getting ripped off, and the books weren't taking their cues from the "Saw" film franchise. There are lots of toy options for people who want the darker, more nihilistic, and more morally ambiguous characters. Can't we keep this one line for the simpler pleasure of sweeter heroes and less monstrous baddies? That way, it works for everyone. Parents can buy these for their kids, and collectors can buy them for the nostalgic and sentimental joy they bring.

I guess I have mixed feelings about the exclusive Matty.com toys. I'm happy for Green Lantern fans, though I also wonder if maybe GL fans might not have liked seventies GL characters? They'll be able to get modern GL toys everywhere. But wouldn't a seventies Star Sapphire Mego have been incredible for both collectors and GL fans? How about auxiliary Green Lantern John Stewart with afro? (!!!) With a little imagination you could have made both collectors and GL fans happy.

[MIB41]

I think the concern over mixing 'generations' is a moot point. The style the figure is being produced in (8 inch scale with cloth outfit) is the "retro" effect. Whether the character was big in the 70's, 80's or later is really of no importance. And let's be honest folks. If Mattel makes a good Teen Titans line from the 80's are you REALLY going to split hairs over whether it was the 80's or the 70's? REALLY? I think not. Your going to grab that puppy and exclaim, "MINE!"

[Zatarasson]

But it's not just about "mixing generations". It's also about mixing the different sensibilities of the different eras. The original Mego toys came out at a very different time, in terms of the core definitions of these characters. That's why the retro Wonder Woman is smiling, instead of pouting seductively, and isn't coming with a sword accessory. I don't entirely disagree that anything could "look Mego", if it's done in that style. But classic Mego is more than just a style. It's about the sensibility that accompanied this style. I'd really rather not see "rapist Doctor Light" as a Mego.

I agree that eighties Teen Titans would probably please people. But I think folks might want the classic seventies Teen Titans first? I also think there's a big difference between Dark Knight Batman and eighties Teen Titans.

[Zatarasson]

And...just to add...I'm not entirely disappointed in the Matty GL exclusives. But I think it might've been cooler to offer 4 Seventies GL figures instead...that way , GL fans are happy and classic Mego fans are happy. There are going to be tons of modern age GL toys to accompany the movie...do they need mego style toys too? Wouldn't a Seventies Star Sapphire have been a great idea, one that would have appealed to everyone?