Action Figure Woes: Nobody's Perfect!

Like the song says: ♪Everybody makes mistakes! Everybody has those days!♫ It looks like it's one of those days for Mattel...

Roboto came out Last 15th of October. (I couldn't get one due to Logistics...)
But that's not the important part. Roboto has his shoulders Backwards (due to the pieces being mislabled) One day after the sale Scott Neitlich (The Brand Manager and also MOTU fan) Mostly known as Toyguru in various Toy forums posted this on Mattycollector:

Well there is no way around it. Roboto did get assembled with his shoulders swapped.

What can I say. These things happen. I could mention the hundreds of things we do catch and correct before going to production, or all the time we spent making small tweaks based on fan comments such as Skeletor's purple feet or trying to see if both Roboto's arms could be detached (which we didn't have time for but we really tried on!), but none of that changes that in the end a mistake was made.

Luckily in the long run this is not (I hope!) Earth crushing to most. By definition the only change is the pattern of tech on the shoulder. The toy itself functions 100% correctly and is not defective. (that and combined with the fact that the whole production is done means we can't exchange your Roboto for a corrected version, at this time there are no "corrected" versions.)

It doesn't mean we won't try to find a way down the road to correct this. It took almost 4 years but we finally got Sinestro's height corrected in the DCUC line (check out the 2 pack coming to TRU next month with a ton of yellow and green constructs!).

I'd personally like to find a way to fix this but it will take time. We don't have a reissue planned right now but it doesn't mean it is out of the question. I'm sorry for those whom were counting on the tech detail pattern on the shoulder going the other direction. I'll take the fall on this one and just let you know we continue to be vigilant on getting the best collector product out there. Sometimes we hit a problem. But the important thing is we will try to correct this one day. It just won't be in the immediate future.

Oh, and while I have everyone on the line, a few updates:

Jan 18th:
Bow (2011 sub figure)
Shadow Beast (2011 sub quarterly beast/multipack)
Palace Guards (2010 item delated slightly)
Castle Grayskull stands (reissue)
Evil Lyn reissue

Feb 15:
Vikor (2011 sub figure)
Other reissues to be announced
(and ideally Preternia He-Man will ship with the map)

March 15:
King Hssss (sub figure)
Battle Armor Skeletor (sub quarterly variant)
Other reissues to be announced

April 15:
New Male Masters of the Universe member (to be announced soon)
Panthor (quarterly subscription beast)
Weapons Rak ($15.00) (not part of subscription)

Alright, have a great weekend and I'll catch you all after El Segundo Toy Fair.

TG

What can I say: It kinda sucks the way this "defect" is ignored so easily. Don't get me started on She-Ra not being defective just not working as perfect as she should... or the Hyperbreakable Green Goddess. That's just MOTUC... DCUC has its share of Horror stories. Exploding butts, leg joints fused to the pelvis, etc.

But it's OK they catch hundreds of even bigger blunders... (Now that scares me... With all the blunders that slip through Mattel's "Eagle eyes"; I'd hate to see the blunders they catch.) GOtta admire Scott for trying to put a nice spin on things like getting Purple feet on BA Skeletor... But the best bit is:

It took almost 4 years but we finally got Sinestro's height corrected in the DCUC line

"It took almost 4 years but we finally got Sinestro's height corrected in the DCUC line"

ALMOST 4 YEARS!? Sinestro has been released how many times already and NOW you guys found a way to fix him!? Looks like Roboto might be fixed in 2020...
but it's OK... Sinsetro was fixed in 4 years and he's coming in a two pack with tons of green and yellow constructs...(Probably with yet another reissue of Hal Jordan.)

I ADORE the nice ending to this half-hearted apology. "Look! New toys!"

The January Item list was changed: The Shadow Beast moved to February... In order to soften the repeated blows to the fans wallets. (Nov 15th, Cyber Monday, December and January...) Kinda like Fighting Ivan Drago for 15 rounds...


If you check the link regarding the wrongly tooled shoulders you might see cracks on Roboto... (Green Goddess part deux) Only Time will tell.

I don't want to do Mattel related rants, but they pretty much give me a ton of material to rant about... I love a couple of their products... including their TwiBarbies... and my Favorite Mattel Product involves a dude who runs around in furry underpants... I rant because I love MOTU... Now Mattel, get it right!