DC Universe Classics Archives - Page 108 of 118

Interview with Mattel Associate Brand Manager Scott Neitlich – Part 1

As San Diego Comic-Con was winding down, I got the chance to accompany the Fwoosh’s VeeBee to a chat with Mattel’s Associate Brand Manager Scott Neitlich, a.k.a. Toy Guru, in the meeting room built atop of Mattycollector’s store at the show. We had the chance to consider and talk about all of the lines he oversees, from DC Universe Classics to Masters of the Universe to Ghost Busters. Being the nice guy that he his, Scott let us pick his brain for quite awhile so we have a good-sized interview to share with you. Read on for Part 1 of conversation where you will get a glimpse at some of the day to day of his job, the challenges of bringing first-rate action figures to market, and maybe even a juicy tidbit or two!

This article is reprinted from TheFwoosh.com, and there’s a discussion thread here: Fwoosh Interview with Toy Guru!

Fwoosh: Scott, thanks so much for sitting down with us again today – it has become an annual event! Just to start off, how has the show been for you this year?

Scott Neitlich: The show has been absolutely phenomenal. We had some of the best exclusives that we have ever done. We had a great response to our improved buying process. Each year gets better and we are dedicated to additional improvements next year to make sure as many fans can purchase product as possible.

F: Were you surprised at the pace that things have been selling out at the show – I think the Wonder Twins sold out on Saturday.

SN: Yeah! For a $40.00 toy, that sold out very quickly. It is quite a Collectible!

packagelights — San Diego Comic-Con Exclusive DC Universe Classics Wonder Twins Two-Pack

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AFP’s Ask Matty Round-Up for 9/1/9

Here is the latest set of questions and answers from Mattel. Thanks to Mattel and Toy Guru!

DC Universe Classics

1. Now that you have a paint mask set up for the Romat Ru, what are the chances for a larger Sinestro? Any chance that Sinestro could be redone using the slim buck you created for Deadman?

We are looking at ways of re-doing Sinestro in the future.

2. You’ve described in the past how the team makes character pics for DC Universe Classics waves. How is the process different for retailer exclusive waves? How are the buyers from the retailers involved for those?

The process is the same for all waves: we discuss all waves or box sets with our retail partners, and we work with Mattel design and marketing, as well as our license partners, to choose the figures.

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San Diego Comic-Con – the Fwoosh Staff’s Best in Show – thefwoosh.com

I had to beg, borrow, and steal to get these lazy mofos (me included) to write something up, but here’s what some of the crackjack staff members at the Fwoosh (me included) had to say about what we saw coming out of San Diego Comic-Con.

At last, because no one demanded it and because the show’s been over for a month already, here’s the San Diego Comic-Con Best in Show review, by your friendly neighborhood Fwoosh staff.

via San Diego Comic-Con – the Fwoosh Staff’s Best in Show | thefwoosh.com.

DC Universe Classics Gotham City 5 – thefwoosh.com

You know, it’s killing me, seeing all these pictures of the Wal-Mart exclusive DC Universe Classics Gotham City 5. My wife caught me cursing at the screen the other day and took it upon herself to scour the local Wal-Marts – I say that loosely because the nearest is 45 minutes away. No luck. Damn you, Bay Area scalpers and collectors! Once again you’ve brought me nothing but tears!

So, I continue to torture myself with pictures. This latest set of fantastic pics is from the Fwoosh. VeeBee is considerably harder to please than me – out of the five figures, only Supes and Lex (of course) are making it to the prime spots on his shelf. C’mon, VeeBee! The name of the set is “Gotham City 5” and you pick the two guys from Metropolis?! 😀

If I ever get hold of the set, in addition to Lex and Supes, Bats and most likely Two-Face will get the nod. I never played the Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe game, so I have no special affinity for the modern Catwoman suit in purple.

Gotham City 5 - Batman, Two-Face, Catwoman, Lex Luthor, and Superman

Overall, I am pretty happy with this set. I get a new default classic Superman and my favorite version of Lex for my shelf. The Two Face is also a big winner, especially for the Bronze Age crowd. It seems that, so far, this set is flying off of the shelves and that is a really good thing in my opinion – I REALLY want to see more things like this in the future from Mattel. I will take the regular series, two packs, box sets, the whole deal to get as many new characters as possible as quickly as possible. This is a tried and true formula for success in a box set – the two heaviest hitters in the DCU accompanied by some demanded rereleased characters and a new version of a character.

Batman with Fists of Clay Bats

Two-Face with DCSH Two-Face

Catwoman with DCSH Catwoman

Lex with DCSH Battle Armor Lex

Superman with DCSH and wave 6 Supes

Lex with the Legion of Doom

Gotham City 5 – Batman, Two-Face, Catwoman, Lex Luthor, and Superman

I would really love to see Mattel take a little bit more a risk in the future with a five pack and give us some JSA, all villains or the FOREVER PEOPLE! Yeah, I know pipe dream but I won’t rest until I have them. This set is a great start though and I hope it will prove to the retailers that this is a viable execution for new product.

via DC Universe Classics Gotham City 5 Pack | thefwoosh.com.

DC Universe Classics Wave 9 Guardian and Wave 10 Forager

I am so psyched to have Forager gracing my Cosmic Cube (my affectionate nickname for my Cosmic Odyssey shelf) that I almost titled this article “Forager and another guy with a shield” – but that would be a huge disservice to comic fans who have been anticipating more classic comic characters in DC Universe Classics. Yes, they both have shields, but what makes this pairing special is that both the wave 9 Guardian and wave 10 Forager are creations of the great pairing of Jack Kirby and Joe Simon. These two also created another guy with a shield you may have heard of – Marvel’s Captain America.

A ginormous thank you to VeeBee of the Fwoosh (who omitted Forager from his First Look at DCUC wave 10 so I could have him) and Mattel for making this review possible.

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