AFP Ask Matty Round-Up for 4/1/11

Matty assures us that despite today being April Fool’s Day, these answers are completely legit! Thanks to the Mattel team for this round of Ask Matty.

1) We’re excited for MattyCollector.com’s Collector Appreciation Tour this year – it’ll be great to give folks who may not be able to make it to San Diego Comic-Con a chance to see the upcoming collectibles in person at C2E2, WonderCon, DragonCon, and New York Comic Con. Are you planning to have new reveals at each of these shows? We’ve gotten a close look at what you had on display at C2E2 – any surprises in store for WonderCon?

We will have some reveals at each show but it won’t be as much as we have at NYTF or SDCC and there won’t be reveals for every line. More like one or two figs for one or two lines per show.

2) You’ve said that the plans for the first vehicle for Masters of the Universe Classics are shaping up well for a release in 4th quarter this year. We know you won’t reveal it until we’re closer to release (is the plan to reveal it at SDCC?), but can you give us any hints?

Also, since you traditionally offer the Club Eternia subscription during Comic-Con, does that mean if the vehicle performs well, that it wouldn’t be part of an all-in subscription, if you offered one for 2012?

We can’t give any more hints now except that yes it will be shown at SDCC and the package will feature all new box art. We won’t know how it will  perform until after it sells so for now (and into 2012) vehicles will remain outside of the subscription. Maybe they will be included one day, but the soonest might be 2013 (if they continue)

3) By the same token, if the Weapons Rack is successful in your 4/15 MattyCollector.com sale, would the intent be to include future items like it in the Club Eternia sub?

We actually want to keep these outside the subscription so we can be flexible on how many we make per year. For the subscription, we need to be upfront with exactly how many skus are included in it.

4) We’re glad to see DC Universe Classics eventually return to MattyCollector.com with the Legion of Super Heroes colossal set. Not including Comic-Con exclusives, what opportunities are there for other mass market-oriented properties to make their way to MattyCollector.com, for example, WWE?

Sorry, but the WWE team was unavailable this week to answer questions, but anytime we can do something different and produce a set or figure for Mattycollector.com that isn’t the norm we will try to do it.

5) From time to time we ask about adding managers and valets to the WWE line – in particular, to the Legends line, since those types of characters were more prevalent in the past. What’s the latest on bringing in folks like Bobby the Brain Heenan, Miss Elizabeth, Mr. Fuji, and others?

We don’t have anything to announce right now but we know this is a request from the fan community.

Here’s the other Ask Mattel Q&As from around the web (to be updated as they surface):

• ActionFigureInsider.com
• Cool Toy Review
• CriticalMess.net
• DC Hall of Justice
• Experience the Wonder
• Figures.com
• The Fwoosh
• Infinite Hollywood
• ItsAllTrue.net
• JoeAcevedo.com
• Kastor’s Korner
• Kord Industries
• MOTUCFigures
• Pendragon’s Post
• Poe Ghostal’s Points of Articulation
• Pop Culture Network
• The Rumor Buster
• SuperHeroTimes.com
• Toyark.com
• Toy News International