Future of Elite Line... (Good read)

Actually, i am okay with the amount of figures because it gives room for 1 legend and a current superstar with a debut look. This i am fine with. The accessories on the other hand, shouldn't be the dumb molded rubber shirt and dull looking belts.

I don't think things are so bad with the Elite line. Also, the logic behind the premise of never being able to complete the roster is flawed in that it isn't counting the first 12 series. Mattel has already produced the majority of the roster. If they were just starting in 2012 with this new strategy, it would be different.

Also, the "less than a quarter of the roster a year" claim is off. Forgive me for being a bit OCD with the numbers (It's my job to be like this, heheh!)...But, as of today, the current male roster is made up of 51 Superstars. So 24 out of 51 is only barely less than half. I'm not counting Divas because they're made as Basics and I'm discounting the additional TV staff because, let's face it, an Elite Justin Roberts is overkill. I feel that staff characters, like Ranjin Singh and Theodore Long, would be best reserved for the Basics series.

Anyway, out of the current 51 Superstars, only 18 haven't been made or announced yet. Even if all of them were going to get made, which I doubt, this falls well within the 24 available slots for 2012 alone. At this point, Mattel should be able to keep up with any new acquisitions. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if a third slot is allocated to Flashback figures by 2013. I'd rather get more Legends than unnecessary multiples of Cena/Orton/Undertaker.

Regarding skimping out on accessories, I feel that some people are over-reacting about the belts. So far, the only dull belts in the Elite series are the WHC and the WWE Championship. On both occasions, Bill has already stated why they weren't vac-metalized and, to me, they were sound and acceptable business decisions. Also, both of those belts were already made available in their full, shiny, vac-metalized glory so we didn't lose out on anything. Granted, if you spent $50 on the TLC playset just for the shiny WHC, that's excessive. Bill already told us that this belt will be appearing again in future sets, though, so it's not like we missed our chance. Be patient; It took a year to get championship belts and they are amazingly well done...Even the dull ones!

Until the first figures with rubber shirts arrive, and I have a chance to see and test the final product, I'm not going to worry about them. Yes, the cloth shirts are cool but, honestly, I keep all my figures' shirts in a Ziploc bag. I can't display them wearing their gear for fear of permanently staining them. I'll only bring out the shirts for some quick pics and then put them back in the storage bag. Also, all the shirts I have are frayed or rough on the edges. If Mattel solves this by making rubber shirts that won't stain the figures, while still looking crisp and clean, can you really call it cheapening out on us? I think it's fair to see how this actually turns out before going on the offensive about it.

Finally, here's my take on the issue of rising costs; It's going to happen! Ever hear old people talking about gas being less than a dollar a gallon and soda costing a nickel? Well, it's our turn now. Anyone still remember 99¢ Whoppers, new video games at $29.99, or when 3.75" scale figures only cost $3? Well, guess what? The next generation will be dealing with action figures that will cost $30+ each! Hey, some of our European members are already dealing with those type of prices for their WWE collection...And they still want more than just 2 figures per series!

In conclusion, I'm not worried that it's all going downhill. Basic figures are now getting belts and accessories, Legends are being incorporated into Elite and Basic Heritage lines, headsculpts are getting better and better, we're still getting lots of accessories in the Elite series, and the MDT is actually interacting with us a lot on this forum. There's a lot to be grateful for and Mattel is still making great WWE figures for us!

No it was one wave every other month and they are released every other month. That doen't mean your local stores will have new sets every other month. It mean that they shipped them to the retailers distribution centers. After that it's up to the retailers.




No we are still getting the same amount. Just because there's 2 Flashback figures in each wave doesn't mean they aren't counted in the totals. Remember just because YOU only want the current roster there are plenty out there like me who would like 3 Flashbacks per wave as we mainly buy the Legends.





Many never cared about the stands (I don't think I ever used one) and Mattel said they needed to cut them to keep the details on the figures. Which they have. The prices are set by the retailers not Mattel. So that the retailers trying to milk as much as they can get out of them. Mattel still charges $15.99 on their website.

Shirts - I don't use them but everyone b1tched about them staining the figures. I never liked to use/display them because there were no hems on the sleeves and waist. So they give Orton a rubber shirt and now everyone is complaining about that. And Rey's rubber sleeve-less shirt actually looks much better than they cloth versions they gave HBK & the past Reys. Personally, I would have never given them shirts to begin with as they weren't needed.

The belts- Sure some like the WWE and tag tiles look better shiney, but the "duller" shade of gold they've used looks fine. And it's almost perfect for the World title. Not every belt in the WWE should be as shiney as vac-metal makes them. Plus people comlained that only the Elites got them so they give us a Basic 4-pack of belts. Sure it would hvae been nice if they were painted, but again they are Basics which Mattel had originally said wouldn't happen, because they are "Basic". And now we get rubber belts with the details fully molded into them that can curve around the figures waist and has extra set of stems in the back that make it tighter on the smaller guys like Rey & Bourne. Sure it would have been nice it the US belt had the white painted on it and the Would title had the rubys painted red.




We are still getting 72 figures planned a year with 60 being modern guys. Guys like Orton, Cena, Rey, Taker, Miz are always going to be there over Hawkin, Ryder, Santino, etc. Because they are the faces of the WWE not the other guys. They are the guys that most people will walk into the stores looking for so they are the guys that the WWE and the retailers are going to want on the pegs. If a Store had 50 figures of either Rey/Cena/ or Orton and another 50 figures of either Ryder or Hawkins on the pegs which figures do you think would move faster with the general public? We aren't the only people who are buying these and there's always new fans every day buying their first figures so there's always going to be more of the main guys.

We are still getting highly detailed and high quality figures. Sure things have changed, but they are still highly detailed. And there's still going to be many modern guys released throughout the year for you to purchase. Would I like as detailed titles as possible? Sure and I know some want the accessories, but I'd much rather the cost is still going into the actual figures (scans/tattoos/attire details) and not the accessories as I buy figures because of the figures not the accessories.(shirts/chairs/briefcases)

I didn't think so, either.

I wish Mattel announced some kind of elite line without accessories. Almost like the All-Stars, which are 2 elites for $24.99. A single elite for $11 or $12 wouldn't be bad. But that would probably negatively effect the basics. Too bad, they should never have released the basics to begin with, it should have been all elite style.

BTW, I want to thank We Have Mattel for starting a good topic rather than a whiny bitchfest about how titles aren't shiny.

Nice post and I hear ya...
Would have liked a Elite Masters, Carlito, Primo & Benjamin before they went but still hoping we get Barretta and such

Also worryed about the 1 Legend online every other month and the shipping costs that would cause.

Would like 2 every other month to make it more worth while and more Legends as I want every single one in the poll!

Kind of funny the elite line is still going as strong as it is considering it is supposed to be more for the collectors and one of the Bills said the collector market is only like %5 of their consumer base. Then again pulling two modern stars in favor of Legends when they couldn't support their own line is troubling. Changing the formula of a set from something that competes with the apparent juggernaut the Flex Force and Rumblers figures are could lead to trouble on the bottom line.

Generally, people will feel that more accessories justify the price tag. All of the accessories in the Legends and Elite line thus far have been character-specific, too. The only one I know of that didn't have anything is Yoshi Tatsu, which is fine because what could he come with anyway? But -- even with the detail on his tights -- that figure doesn't feel as worth-the-money as the other figures in that series, for me. I still bought it, of course, and it is a great figure.

Gone are the days when I can buy an entirely new wave because all of the figures in it are new. Not to mention, I don't have hundreds of dollars to shell out for an entire wave either.