Obviously I don't speak for Mattel (Although at times I probably should), I think it's time we discuss some of the things that they're doing right with their Masters of the Universe Classics line, as well as some of the things they're doing wrong. Let's start with the bad, since that's the easiest.

Online Service a Pain: One of the big selling points of the MOTUC line for me was that I'd be able to easily collect all the characters. I trumpeted this from the beginning when everyone else was crapping on the line. I HATE having to search 500 stores for product and let's face the facts, Mattel can't get any of their lines to the store, so why should He-Man be any different? Unfortunately getting them online has been a pain in the butt too. It takes anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes to order any figure. With most figures selling out in an hour or less.

One a Month: One figure per month is a pretty good ratio in my book, but as of now NO figure has been re-released. This is a problem because as I mentioned above, figures sell out in about an hour. If you miss out, you're just plain out of luck. Supposedly more are on the way, but we're nearly 8 figures deep and we've yet to get one re-release. It's hard for people to jump into the line late, which ultimately hurts Mattel and limits the MOTUC fan base.

Body Reuse: Honestly I personally think MOTUC has reused bodies perfectly, because I'm a fan of the all buff He-Man figures. But there are some that disagree, so I'm listing it as a negative. But seriously, that's so minor.



And now the positives...

Patience: Chances are if you are there on the day a MOTUC figure goes on sale, you will get it. I have yet to miss out on a MOTUC figure. Sure, some of the times I've ordered it's been a real pain. I've been confused if an order went through, etc... But unless you massively screw up, if you're there at noon, you get the figure. It's just a headache.

Great Figures: Not that this bares repeating, but these are the best He-Man figures ever made. It's not even up for debate, so don't try. Mattel has done a great job working with the Four Horsemen to update the designs but still keep them classic. Most of the figures feature form and function. It's great. These figures are loved across the board, they have a home run so they need to make sure people can get them.

Subscriptions: A lot of folks don't like the subscription service. If you aren't looking to buy ALL of the MOTUC line then subscriptions aren't for you. But for me the subscriptions are a god-send. Of course, we've yet to see the subscription service in action... So it could turn into a typical Mattel disaster.



So what can Mattel do to improve the state of MOTUC? Here are a few simple suggestions that would make the experiance better overall.

Give Definative Re-Release Info: Let us know who is coming back around. At this point everyone has sold really well except for possibly Zodac. So let us know who is coming back out and when. This will help people get into the line, stay in the line and relieve a lot of fears.

Keep Subscriptions Open Longer: So you missed out on the subscription date? Why can't Mattel keep the subscriptions open for a longer period of time? Or forever? By offering a legitimate pre-order system they could get more subscriptions and more people buying into the line.

Increase Production: Whether they're making 10,000 figures or 100,000 figures, it's not enough. They ramped up production but Hordak still sold out in about an hour and 15 minutes. Zodac took three or four days. That means that Mattel is still off the mark by a decent margin. They should take their current increased number and bump it up one more shipment. That should be enough.

Anyone else got any ideas to improve the MOTUC line? Obviously Mattel won't fundementally change their current philosphy with the Masters of the Universe Classics line, but they could tweak their business plan a little. Apparently there is a ton of news coming at SDCC regarding this line, so maybe they'll listen to some of the fans concerns and work them out.