We're on the home stretch and apparently we're a bit low on the numbers. This worries me for a couple of reasons. I scratched the surface back in 2013, when I suspected that a POP sub was coming. (but I tried to stay positive)
Why is Club Etheria Important?
It helps fill out waves 1 and 2 of POP (not complete them, but fill some slots)
It has Madam Razz and Light Hope: 2 of the Three Others that Share Adora's Secret. (same way Orko, MAA and Sorceress do so for Adam)
Light Hope: For the First Time Ever we get a Physical Manifestation of Light Hope! He looks badass to boot.
Light Hope is fetching $100 on the Secondary Market in preorders. That's a lot more than the last Mini-Sub Exclusive, Sea Hawk. Hell I got mine for $45 Madame Razz is going on $50 for a preorder. If he is the Sub Exclusive with the lowest numbers yet, he could fetch even more on the Secondary Market.
Light Hope also has a lot of Customizing Potential... More Gold Paint and a Skull face and you could kitbash a God Skeletor
Aside Light Hope Neitlich let it slip that a figure will NOT Get Day of Sales... Madame Razz, Light Hope and this figure might even out the price of admission for resellers.
Maybe Someone at Mattel wants POP to fail...
Think about it. To some people at Mattel, POP seems like a burden... Id guess Ruben from design cause he's a bit of an a-hole. I also point my Accusatory Finger at one Toyguru... His mismanagement of the character roster is what lead us here in the first place.
IF the POP Sub fails, this gives the Vintage Purists, Enough Ammo to bitch, moan and gloat for 20 more years.
Now, before some Vintage Fans complain about the term Purist: I'm referring to the people who do't simply prefer Vintage MOTU but respect the other branches of the brand, even if they are not fond of them. I'm talking about the selfish a-holes who claim that MOTU was only the Original Line (the mroe radical ones just believe that waves 1 and 2 are the only good thing worthy of being called MOTU) and that everything that came after is crap that sullied the awesomeness that is MOTU.
Well those folks will be cheering if the POP sub fails.
HERE COMES THE SERIOUS PART: You can take off the tinfoil hats now.
IF The PoP Sub fails, MOTUC May be doomed. Think about it: For years we've hear the whole "We have to team up to get the sub through. Don't worry, your POP ladies will make it!" or "We plan to complete MOTU and POP by 2015." Well, if the POP sub fails, we've hit a snag.
We WON'T Complete MOTU AND POP by 2015 and no, there was no mention on relying on Additional mini subs to do so... no matter how much time dickery ♠ does, he never flat out said that we needed a mini sub to do so. The numbers also made it look like we didn't NEED an Additional sub to complete the lines. Just 2014 and 2015 on their own.
24 Main figure Slots
8 Large Scale/Variant Slots
2 Sub Exclusives
2 SDCC items (one figure or Multi pack per SDCC)
2 Travelling Con Items
2 Chase Figures
1 to 2 Holiday Items (this one would depend on 2015's sub numbers going beyond the threshold)
Before 2014 we had 15 Vintage Figures missing without variants
We had 9 POP Ladies Missing (Loo-Kee would be the 10th figure) without variants
From NA (who we already knew was getting the short end of the stick) we had 3 missing ULTRA CORE CHARACTERS. (Hydron, Flogg and NA Skeletor)
15 +9 +3 = 27 figures missing (no variants minus NA Skeletor)
Modulok and Multibot are Large Scale items. So that brings the count down to 25 figures.
Rotar and Twistoid can be made into a Large scale item so that brings down the count to 24 Figures.
NA Skeletor is a variant so that brings us down to 23 normal figures.
So, 23 main figure slots and 4 Large Scale and Variant slots occupied. That still would have left 1 main sub figure slot, 4 Large Scale and Variant slots free to use, the 2 sub exclusives, 2 "chase" figures, 2 travelling con figures AND the 2 SDCC Items. that's plenty of space to add Filmation and MYP's most wanted. 14 to 15 free slots... Things like Battle Lion, Madame Razz, Goatman and Light Hope would still have slots available for them to use.
We had no reason to believe that a Mini-sub was needed to complete both POP and MOTU, but I have no idea what Mattel is planning. Point is that according to them we NEED the Mini-Sub.
If the POP sub fails, Mattel breaks their promise... (and passes the blame to the customers) What incentive does a POP fan have to subscribe? POP is pushed to the unlikely to happen 2016 while MOTU is done by 2015. If the POP sub "couldn't make it" in 2014, then what gives Mattel the idea that the 2016 sub WILL Happen? Without Club Etheria making it, PoP fans are being screwed over.
2015 is on thin ice due to the upcoming price increase. If the POP sub fails, then the line may be in an even greater danger. Some Customers who happen to be POP fans are considering quitting MOTUC if the POP Sub fails since basically the line will end on 2015 and they'd be screwed out of Queen Angella (a super important POP Character not to mention mai waifu's mother and the missing Wave 1 Figure) and whoever are the other 2 figures that were not in Club Etheria.
If the POP Customers quit in 2014, there will not be a 2015. It's that simple.
Some people are likely to call this "hypocrisy", I say they are wrong.
Do Vintage fans only get 1-4 MOTU Figures a year? Did they need a Mini Sub to complete their roster?
We're scraping the bottom of the MOTU Barrel, while POP and NA are struggling to get their main characters. SOME Fans of the Original MOTU could walk away easily on 2015 (some walked away after Ram Man). The CORE Characters for the Evil and Heroic Warriors are Done. The Core Horde is done. There is only ONE of the Snakemen MIA If the rumors of getting a Snakeman in 2014 are true. The line loses a percentage of subscribers each year. Right now Losing on the POP Fans will KILL The line.
Club Etheria NEEDS to go through! If we want to complete both POP and MOTU we need Club Etheria to go through. United we stand, divided we fall.
It all could be another "scare tactics" thing from Neitlich, but on the other hand there is Club Ecto-1 and Club Infinite Earths as a grim reminder that Mattel CAN and WILL Pull the plug. MOTUC has lasted 6 years. We need for it to reach the 7th year so we can complete both MOTU and POP. I hope we make it through this one and 2015 because I hate this Sub Period Anxiety.
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