Mattel x TMNT.

I was cautiously optimistic about the Jesse Ventura / Blain figure that Mattel is releasing shortly, but after seeing it, I'm not sure Mattel has really come that far. Perhaps turtles will be easier, but I'm not holding my breath.
 
Mint In Boks said:
What the Hell are you talking about?!?! Why do you think the AvP V DC two packs were con exclusives released during the transition from Mattel to McF?! Why do think the yearly Christmas “miracle figures” “buy two DVD’s and buy this figure! (But you don’t have to buy the DVD’s wink)” promotions stopped?!

Mattel definitely told DC “why are you letting them make figures when we have a MASTER LICENSE?!” NECA got spanked, and Mattel made those okay-but-not-good DeVito Penguin, TV show Flash and Wonder Woman, and Klimer (I think? Maybe Clooney? Not Keaton for sure) Batman to show “look! We’re making collectors figures so back off!” And that ended NECA’s experimental dance with DC loopholes.

Looking forward to Mattel slamming their dick a door cutting them off from not only Turtles but also DC Toony, which seems like such a small victory they pried from defeat and you know it’s getting ripped away before they can even get the Robin they showed years ago out…


If we don’t get this… what are we even doing here?!
Click to expand...

NECA was able to keep making that stuff all while Mattel had the license. Notice it had to stop when McFarlane got it? Mattel wasn't throwing a shit fit, they were just keeping to their own lane. They've had no issues with doing things with the MOTU license, and I sincerely doubt DC will be an issue either.

They figured out they can do the 18" stuff still, and Toony, they'll be fine.
 
Last edited:
Speaking of Hasbro, as curious as this news makes me, it does make me a little sad that it definitively kills any chances of Hasbro doing Next Mutation figures that could mix in with Lightning Collection.

(This was probably never happening anyway, but just let me dream)

I always assumed that Hasbro obtained some level of ownership over those looks with the acquisition of Power Rangers, but I could also just be making things up in my mind.
 
RichardSimmonsRobot said:
I was cautiously optimistic about the Jesse Ventura / Blain figure that Mattel is releasing shortly, but after seeing it, I'm not sure Mattel has really come that far. Perhaps turtles will be easier, but I'm not holding my breath.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't necessarily use just the one line as a full metric of what we might get, though. I find that any and every long time "top" line for companies tends to just stagnate in comparison to any other smaller & newer line at the company. Marvel compared to Classified. WWE compared to Masterverse (and now Chronicles and KPDH). We'll just have to wait and see.
 
Well my reason for doing so was largely because so many point to the WWE stuff as the symbol of improvement on Mattel's part. I personally just don't see it, but I think making characters that mostly just look like normal people with a few clothing-based accents probably isn't the best metric on the whole.
 
RichardSimmonsRobot said:
Well my reason for doing so was largely because so many point to the WWE stuff as the symbol of improvement on Mattel's part. I personally just don't see it, but I think making characters that mostly just look like normal people with a few clothing-based accents probably isn't the best metric on the whole.
Click to expand...
I think you're looking at this wrong.

Most people were pointing to WWE as the (apparent) -release model- for DC product. That is; having higher articulation, higher detail 'adult collectible' figures that are otherwise within the same scale, style, and feel as the lower articulation, lower detail 'kids' figures. Allowing a lot of cross-pollination of the two lines depending on your tastes and budget.

I think people also tend to hold WWE up for the improvements Mattel have made in face-printing tech - which is totally fair and legitimate. Some of their faces really do look good these days.

But for improvement overall, I think most people right now are pointing at how good/articulated the new MOTU Chronicles figures look to be as something that's potentially exciting for TMNT/DC.
 
Having some time to marinate in this for 24 hours, I am particularly excited to see what, if anything, Mattel can do for the adult collector as far as goes for Mutant Mayhem in particular. The line from Playmates was lacking big time.

As far as what this means for other license holders...I mean, sure, it sucks if they lose the license. But the NECA stuff has only been going on for the last decade, really. Less than that for 7 inch scale offerings. If they can hit some of the leftovers before the license is up this year (again, if this is indeed the case), then I can happily retire with a complete collection and not feel any disappointment.

And to me, to feel complete, we are looking at a few Archie characters like regular Turtles and Leatherhead, maybe Ninjara, if they can, and Cuddly.

Mirage? I'm good.

87 Toon Tempestra.

2012, as long as I get Splinter, Casey, April, Slash, and MAYBE Bebop, Rocksteady, and Rahzar, I am okay. I'm good.

And for Last Ronin, that version of Shredder is all I'd really need.

The only regret/disappointment is the Kitchen Playset. That will be the biggest "What if" ever. I wanted that more than Donnie's Lab.

That said, I went 34 years with Playmates dogshit being the only option. This is nothing to scoff at. This collection is MASSIVE. And it was fun to collect (for the most part).

Anything else outside of NECA, eh...

Super7 lost me a while ago, I'm becoming indifferent to Fury Toys offerings of Turtles Not Turtles, Mezco pretty much did anything I'd want to see from them, and JoyToy's tenure on my shelves is shaky at best being a scale I don't collect.

The only one that would disappoint me is Mety, but my wallet and wife would not be too burdened by this loss.
 
RicksNerdLife said:
The only one that would disappoint me is Mety, but my wallet and wife would not be too burdened by this loss.
Click to expand...
ricky-bobby-talidega-nights.gif
 
Detrimental Fig said:
NECA was able to keep making that stuff all while Mattel had the license. Notice it had to stop when McFarlane got it? Mattel wasn't throwing a shit fit, they were just keeping to their own lane. They've had no issues with doing things with the MOTU license, and I sincerely doubt DC will be an issue either.

They figured out they can do the 18" stuff still, and Toony, they'll be fine.
Click to expand...
This is my recollection of events (with some Googled dates):
  • The Superman vs. Muhammad Ali direct release in 2016 was intended to be the first of many DC two-packs from NECA.
  • The Alien/Predator releases were shown around the same time and intended as the next releases.
  • That plan was quickly scrapped when someone intervened, very similar to what happened after NECA’s first TMNT releases. Implications from Randy at the time via Twitter and/or interviews is that it was Mattel. I admit, I don’t remember the details around this, just the impression that sticks with me after all this time,
  • Four years later they finally negotiated the release of the Alien/Predator sets as convention exclusives during the transition period between Mattel and McFarlane/Spin Master.
Of course NECA wasn’t going to be allowed to produce directly competing figures in the same scale once the McFarlane license kicked off. However, I think the read that McFarlane is the cause, beyond being the beneficiary of a new license agreement, is off. That ship sailed during Mattel’s reign and NECA was given some form of dispensation to release the final, already produced figures, during the transition period. I would add that there were also rumors that Mattel wasn’t happy with DCD/DCC releasing DC Icons, which they considered direct competition to DC Multiverse when they decided to jump back into 6.5” collector figures.

I would imagine 18” was carved out as a separate license. The Toony figures came about during the McFarlane/Spin Master era when the license was already split multiple ways. Whether any of this survives the new deal, who knows…

Disclaimer: I have no insider information and I’m sure someone will correct me.

Edit: I just realized I’m in the TMNT thread and not the DC thread and this is way off-topic. Sorry…
 
RicksNerdLife said:
Having some time to marinate in this for 24 hours, I am particularly excited to see what, if anything, Mattel can do for the adult collector as far as goes for Mutant Mayhem in particular. The line from Playmates was lacking big time.

As far as what this means for other license holders...I mean, sure, it sucks if they lose the license. But the NECA stuff has only been going on for the last decade, really. Less than that for 7 inch scale offerings. If they can hit some of the leftovers before the license is up this year (again, if this is indeed the case), then I can happily retire with a complete collection and not feel any disappointment.

And to me, to feel complete, we are looking at a few Archie characters like regular Turtles and Leatherhead, maybe Ninjara, if they can, and Cuddly.

Mirage? I'm good.

87 Toon Tempestra.

2012, as long as I get Splinter, Casey, April, Slash, and MAYBE Bebop, Rocksteady, and Rahzar, I am okay. I'm good.

And for Last Ronin, that version of Shredder is all I'd really need.

The only regret/disappointment is the Kitchen Playset. That will be the biggest "What if" ever. I wanted that more than Donnie's Lab.

That said, I went 34 years with Playmates dogshit being the only option. This is nothing to scoff at. This collection is MASSIVE. And it was fun to collect (for the most part).

Anything else outside of NECA, eh...

Super7 lost me a while ago, I'm becoming indifferent to Fury Toys offerings of Turtles Not Turtles, Mezco pretty much did anything I'd want to see from them, and JoyToy's tenure on my shelves is shaky at best being a scale I don't collect.

The only one that would disappoint me is Mety, but my wallet and wife would not be too burdened by this loss.
Click to expand...

Yeah, a lot of TMNT's offerings from NECA have fully ran their course outside a few key missing things. Mirage only really just needs Unmentionables Casey and April, and that's all that really stands out to me. There's plenty more I could ask for, but I really just don't like NECA's figures, especially when compared both the source material and what may be on the table with Mattel. A Masterverse/Classified-esque TMNT is all I really want at this rate, and those would probably hit the "Mirage" mark better than any comic-specific version ever would.
 
If this does affect the current slicencing then I think NECA and Super7 could use this year to get out the core figures they need to if they don't renew.

S7 - vintage is sadly dead but Baxter would complete the major season 1 characters, Karai would complete the main Foot characters.

NECA - can't think of much for OT. Ninjara, Armaggon, and a set of Allen Turtles would be nice for Archie (or a set Future Turtles would also be cool). Mirage just give me Complete Carnage and Radical, Image Leo, Mikey and Pimiko (and if time Lady Shredder). Live Action a Next Mutation 5-Pack but that's a pipe dream I think. 2012 has the most life left and sadly there will always be gaps there if they can't continue beyond this year but they can probably get the main leads out this year (certainly up for order if that's a loop hole in any way).

As for Mattel, the 2 obvious collector lines are an Origins style line (starting with designs similar to the original line and expanding from there) and a Classics that mashes up everything into a cohesive whole. I don't want to start anything over but both of those could be tempting
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top