DSTZach

Coming to any forum where people are free to talk about what they love and hate about a line I am becoming increasingly protective of is always gonna bum me out 50% of the time, but then I think about the fact that this site even exists, and I get happy again. "Meh" away, you princes of 'Mates. I promise not to let it get to me. But even if you don't count Lang as a new Avenger, or Sentry because he's a new Avengers villain, I think the reason we went with this line-up is pretty clear, given the movie Avengers line-up. These are the characters people are gonna be excited about this summer. Nobody's gonna walk out of the movie craving a Dr. Druid. Plus, there'll be some other Avengers stuff this summer, too, with a couple more new characters we haven't done yet. I'll let you know about those as soon as I can.

I also survived that haircut. The follies of my youth.

I actually addressed that three pages back. Toys R Us has requested we not ship until May.

Chris handles customer service, conventions and retail accounts, which means New York Toy Fair has him doubly busy with his other responsibilities. I'm trying to take some of the burden off of him, but working in NYC it's tough. Sorry it's been a few weeks, but it might be a couple more. Maybe drop him a follow-up, if you haven't. ...Wait, your KARR was missing a tire? Like, the entire tire? Not sure what happened there, but I believe we talked to the factory about it. We'll see how The Kingpin turns up. I have an extra set, I'll pull BRB's shirt/cape for you, since Chris seems to be out. Let me know what they say. Again, give it some time.

I might have a Beta Ray Bill I can cannibalize for you. Let me know what you need.

No, you're right, not every Mate is for everybody, which is why some people don't like the characters they don't know in this wave, and some don't like the characters they know TOO well. But if you like the look of them, and may buy them, why "meh"? If you don't know who these two guys are, then I'm assuming we make a LOT of Marvel 'Mates you don't know, so this can't be an unusual occurrence. Just seemed like a overtly negative comment to make, is all. Any figures in this wave you WOULD like to see more pics of? Yikes. Is there a thread for people who are looking FORWARD to Wave 44? Maybe I'll start one. Clearly, I am too close to the source material. I'm taking a "meh" like an attack on my children. I'm like the mother of a reality show contestant, who goes on the show's message boards and gets in arguments. :tongue:

I love the Old Ghost. So, so much. I'd push for him to be totally translucent. Maybe the rare variant... Thanks for the "meh," TM2. It means a lot. Seem he was more "meh" on the character choices, than themates themselves. Maybe it would help for TM2 to know this is the 616 version of the robot the Kree sent Earth and fought the Avengers and Captain Mar-Vell in the EMH episode "459". And that this is the guy who took over the Ant-Man identity when Pym finally gave it up to play Yellow Jacket. Oh, I know what he was "meh" on. I just figured we were beyond character criticism and had moved on to focus on the Mates themselves. I have read maybe two Sentry stories, but I still think he looks great. That said, if people want to pretend he's a Sentinel, they're welcome to.

Thanks for the "meh," TM2. It means a lot. Shot on the train platform: Great balloons, by the way, MiniMyte.

These are the only two I have so far, but if you'll let me, I'll gladly throw Hulk and Iron Man propaganda at you as well.

That was the plan. I didn't get one today, but I can't see that changing. Hair pieces are kinda de rigeur, as far as I can tell. I hope so, too, to prevent thong issues. The front-of-the-leg tampo extends past the boot, as well. [in his haste to devour a jpeg, Zach bangs head on monitor, blacks out, dreams of jerky.]

Out of curiosity, why do you send a "sample case" to TRU.com a couple months early? Is it really just so they can get the figures into their database, or is it also to stir the pot a bit amongst us rabid site watchers?... Be honest. I don't believe they're intended to be sold, per se. I think they're intended to give the store a heads-up on what will exactly be coming en masse later on, and to be used for photography or store review or what have you. But they can do whatever they want with them, since they paid for them. They may be baiting you, I have no idea. They may be testing to see how fast they'll sell!

Actually, that's Uriel's monitor. I use his desk when I shoot stuff because my desk is a mess. I also borrow his mouse. (Shhh.) Just realized that you guys probably care more about what's underneath, so... Sorry they're so big. Again -- early samples, but probably pretty close to final.

Got these in the mail today. Not the coolest thing in the box, but I can't tell you about the other stuff, so I figured I'd try to get you guys excited for this wave a little. Early samples, so probably not completely final, but there you go.

The feet are removable, so you can hide them behind things.

Imagine explaining music to a deaf person. Now imagine explaining Greg Capullo-era X-Force to someone who's never read it. Or any X-Force, for that matter. Same thing. By the way, you all know her pants say "Boomer" on the side, don't you? Just FYI.

Care to comment Zach? has there been a change made? They've left China, but this may be another one of those delayed-shipment-to-TRU deals. Not sure what's going on. Sorry to put incorrect info out there, whichever proves to be incorrect. Sorry, Jeff, to give you bad info, if it is bad. Assumption just confirmed with product manager. Both translucent.

Main shipment hasn't been sent yet, don't expect it in TRU's hands until late Feb./early March. By then, we hope to have fixed those name issues, though. Working on it now.

NICE.

If you can afford to buy Hot Toys online, but not Minimates, I have no sympathy. Well, less. But yes, support your local comic shops, everyone. I'd like to see a Custom KITT, with the flames, but I think there's a lot of modifications to do to get the look right.

I think it was just a placeholder when we were selling the figures to Toys R Us, used by someone not as familiar with the game to describe the figure to someone even less familiar with the game, and it stuck. Look at what happened with the Series 2 names on the site, although those are just typos, as far as I can tell. There are more thorough forms we use now to provide info, and I tried to be accurate on the packaging. We call him "Zero" there, anyway. The SDCC set I take no responsibility for.

You think I'm snickering? I just want to cheer you guys up. I tease to give hope, not to torment. If I told you ONE of those four guys was happening this year -- JUST ONE -- would you be happy, sad, angry or satisfied?

I believe TRU will be taking it, but there may be some changes made to the line at first to get the ball rolling. I think there are a couple more name pirates in Wave 2, but also some cool period-specific 'Mates I think you all will dig.

So you're going after internationally-beloved properties, then not selling them internationally... harsh. (just teasing, Zach...) I think the minute we get any sort of sizable order from an international buyer, we will start on the expensive and rigorous testing that that country or union of countries requires. But the orders aren't there. Maybe KR will help. Massive German order in 5... 4... 3... 2... KITT actually went undercover a LOT on the show, and I'm pushing for one of those. KARR had a couple of versions, as well, believe it or not. People want Goliath and Juggernaut, but I think those are unlikely. Where are you located, Two-Face? No ordering online for you?

Except there's no such thing as one-and-done. We still need to get the license for the property, and that is usually for a couple of years. We'll need to make a few different KITTs and KARRs to make the KITT tooling cost-effective, and we're also doing electronic vehicles and license plates to get our money's worth out of the license. Magnum has never come up, because there's one car, and while flashy, it's not particularly distinctive; Dukes is distinctive, but I can see the reluctance to build a merchandise line around it. (And neither is internationally beloved like Knight Rider.) Likenesses are another factor (are they included?), as well as each show's rights to license the car itself. Licensing from car companies can be pricey. Someone should Ask DST about Scooby Doo, though! Could be a couple lines there. I'm not a fan myself, but I know the appeal. There've been some great toys already, though, and Minimates might not be able to capture the different character styles.

I had no idea TRU.com shipped internationally. Is this new? Has nobody here ever tried this before? Do orders get cancelled? Please, somebody order something, and let me know if it works.