If you're a He-Man fan, and who isn't these days, here's the scoop from Comic-Con. In a departure from what you would expect from one of the major toy companies Mattel has confirmed figures will be sold from its web site, direct-to-consumer, for about $20 a pop. King Grayskull, on the other hand, will be about $30. Each figure is super-articulated (or as close as you're going to get) and feels big, chunky, and like a real toy. I got a King for my stash and I can say that it's almost a shame these won't be at retail. It feels solid, and despite being based on a character few fans are going to clamor for based on name recognition alone, it's a wonderful toy.
Starting this Fall, one figure will be released for presale (and presumably sale) per month. The line kicks off with He-Man, and will be followed by Beast Man and Skeletor. How long this will go on for is hard to say, and the direct-to-consumer market is really tricky to get right. But as one of the many fans who bought into the 2002 offerings who had no intention of attempting to collect them all, I can't deny that these are some of the finest figures I've had the chance to play with. I hope it lasts a while and performs well enough so that we can get to all of the important figures, which basically means I want new Trap Jaw, Orko, Hordak, and Evil-Lyn figures.
Important links:
Gallery at Altered States Magazine
Masters of the Universe at My Flickr Gallery
Matty Collector
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I'll be honest, here. I'm afraid that this new revival will go the way of the previous revival -- initial excitement then letdown then not enough sales then the line being cancelled.
I'm not a He-Man fan, but I sincerely hope that those who are and who clamored for Internet sales back when the '02 revival ultimately failed DO make good on their word and buy these figures. If this succeeds, it will show toy companies that this new business model has promise, and that can only lead to more experimentation. Toys that may not succeed on retail will now have a potential new home, meaning us toy lovers may get to see new and exciting things.
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