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Post by Vamp55 on Jan 25, 2020 3:39:52 GMT -5
Thanks as always for the interaction... it appears the Ultimate Edition line is treated a little different to Mattel’s previous high end offerings (Defining Moment / Entrance Greats).
It’s seems there is a very deliberate selection of talent, a very controlled release and perhaps a lower production number? I assume you can’t say too much, but can you confirm that there is indeed a different approach to this line and how it is being marketed, then we have had before???
Also, I was hoping you might be able to give some indication of how many series of Ultimates are currently in planning. I suspect we will see series 5 at Toy Fair (or axxess for both 5 & 6), safe to assume to we might have through to series 7 or 8 at least penciled in?
Cheers as always...
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Post by Action Figure Attack on Jan 25, 2020 12:59:40 GMT -5
Are there any plans on doing another fan vote on WWE.com for future elite figures? I think the last one was what helped birth Elite Sexual Chocolate Mark Henry. I always loved participating. If the stars align it’s something that could return. Like anything, it just comes down to the right opportunity.
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Post by Action Figure Attack on Jan 25, 2020 13:15:12 GMT -5
Do you think we will ever see announcers such as Greg Hamilton or Mauro included in the 2020 line? -why is basic 105 Paige being advertised on Ringsides website as (GM) Paige but she’s in her wrestling gear was this the original plan? -will the target NXT line be refreshed? As that was a cool line which offered some cool talent and flashbacks? -if Bianca is scheduled for release soon what attire would YOU STEVE like to see her released in? -do you think with liv morgan & Paige being hard to find as retail exclusives we can see them released again at some point? - what happened to the entrance stage that was shown at I believe WM35 AXXESS? Is that still in development or can we see an new updated entrance stage sometime this year?? - can we see superstar specific side plates on championships going forward like how E73 Daniel Bryan is? Announcers and other backstage talent....just working for WWE does not automatically mean those people have merch deals. If anyone is signed, we will totally try to make them as a figure where it makes sense. A GM, manager or Backstage Paige is possible in the future. Wasn’t in the cards this time around. The NXT while loved had some timing issues. Talent would be reserved for that line and any delays in retailers taking new waves would hold those up in limbo. I personally think including them in mainline Elites and Basics is going to get them out to you guys even faster. You may have now seen that a Bianca fig is coming very soon. My preference is the black gear with red lips. That’s doesn’t mean this will be the look of this figure though. Paige and Liv can be revisited. The entrance stage had a good reception and we just need find the right way to deliver such a large expensive item like that to collectors. I don’t foresee specific side plates being a common thing as I believe the side plates are in the same tool as the center plate and that tiny detail would require an entire new tool. I’d personally rather dedicate that tooling budget to new parts or heads for figures.
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Post by Action Figure Attack on Jan 25, 2020 13:17:04 GMT -5
Action Figure Attack Once again, Thank You so much for answering all our questions. I have one more. Before the target NXT line was canceled, there was a Basic Roderick Strong that was planned to be released but wasn't. Is there a chance for that figure to be repurposed for the main Basic line or is that figure not going to be released? It could but it’s honestly pushed down the priority list. I’d rather find a way to get out the cancelled NXT Elite first.
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Post by wrestlingfigsIreland on Jan 25, 2020 13:32:40 GMT -5
Action Figure Attack
Can I ask what measures (if any) you guys scale each elite figure. Recently more than usual figures are either taller or smaller than they should be.
Vince Mc Mahon elite 71 and there is a thread about the elite 74 Natalya being smaller than Alexa. Have noticed it with Aleister Black too as he seems small. I know its prob down to the parts used for each figure but as these figs are 6" can some figures be 5"11 etc?
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Post by Action Figure Attack on Jan 25, 2020 13:49:18 GMT -5
Thanks as always for the interaction... it appears the Ultimate Edition line is treated a little different to Mattel’s previous high end offerings (Defining Moment / Entrance Greats). It’s seems there is a very deliberate selection of talent, a very controlled release and perhaps a lower production number? I assume you can’t say too much, but can you confirm that there is indeed a different approach to this line and how it is being marketed, then we have had before??? Also, I was hoping you might be able to give some indication of how many series of Ultimates are currently in planning. I suspect we will see series 5 at Toy Fair (or axxess for both 5 & 6), safe to assume to we might have through to series 7 or 8 at least penciled in? Cheers as always... There is definitely a strategy behind these and all our lineup which I’ve talked about bit when discussing ideal lineups. Where Entrance Greats were an Elite figure with a musical base and Defining Moments were simply an Elite figure in deluxe packaging, Ultimate Edition figures were specifically designed for collectors who enjoy posing whether that’s for social media, their shelf or just for the fun of it. We added fully poseable entrance gear across the board and swappable parts for lots of expressiveness and storytelling. If you’re the type of person who keep them in package or just stands them army style on your shelf, these are still just as appealing. Release cadence is pretty much the same but we made it an assortment to eliminate the staleness of just one character on shelf for months at a time. We’re sticking to more widely recognizable talent now, one contemporary and one Legend, as this of course helps with sell through and ensures the continuation of the line. That doesn’t mean we couldn’t go deeper into the roster in the future if demand was clearly there for it. We also rarely use product shots on figure packaging but in this case we include some action figure photography/edits to help not only sell the coolness of the figure but to get the creative juices flowing for taking pics and posing. These shots are also used for promotional purposes and social media. We have long term plans for this line as long as you guys keep supporting it. I have figs penciled in through 2021 and ideas for many more beyond that. There will be more figures shown, possibly at NYTF but definitely at Axxess.
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Post by Action Figure Attack on Jan 25, 2020 14:03:25 GMT -5
Action Figure Attack Can I ask what measures (if any) you guys scale each elite figure. Recently more than usual figures are either taller or smaller than they should be. Vince Mc Mahon elite 71 and there is a thread about the elite 74 Natalya being smaller than Alexa. Have noticed it with Aleister Black too as he seems small. I know its prob down to the parts used for each figure but as these figs are 6" can some figures be 5"11 etc? Parts come into play. You’re mixing and matching and if someone has a 1 or 2 inch height difference, that can be tough to nail. The new Natalya’s height has been discussed a few posts back and it’s actually pretty accurate, just a hair too short. If anything, Alexa is too tall. Vince...we caught that but were unable to effect production. Was definitely bummed about that one.
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kaleb9
Superstar
Joined on: Jul 15, 2019 16:52:02 GMT -5
Posts: 611
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Post by kaleb9 on Jan 25, 2020 14:16:22 GMT -5
What determines a figure to be in a series is it tv time or what or nothing
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Post by Action Figure Attack on Jan 25, 2020 14:45:17 GMT -5
What determines a figure to be in a series is it tv time or what or nothing Are those my only three options?
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Post by Action Figure Attack on Jan 25, 2020 14:53:51 GMT -5
I’m gonna go with “or what”.
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ElsaHosk
Mid-Carder
Joined on: Jan 13, 2020 12:13:02 GMT -5
Posts: 381
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Post by ElsaHosk on Jan 25, 2020 15:00:18 GMT -5
I know this is a crazy idea, but, since Gargano is the first NXT Grand Slam... Gargano with all 3 titles he won? Obviously would have to be some sort of exclusive. But, is it even possible?
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FFK
Main Eventer
FEED ME MORE!
Joined on: Sept 6, 2010 19:27:38 GMT -5
Posts: 3,156
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Post by FFK on Jan 25, 2020 15:08:50 GMT -5
Any reason why true fx wasn’t used Ultimate Edition HBK? The head scans look off as well as the hair color. The basic 100 HBK head looks great so not sure why the mark was missed on the UE. Unless it looks much better in hand than the proto pics.
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kaleb9
Superstar
Joined on: Jul 15, 2019 16:52:02 GMT -5
Posts: 611
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Post by kaleb9 on Jan 25, 2020 15:17:40 GMT -5
I’m gonna go with “or what”. Guessing I’ll never know.
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Post by Vamp55 on Jan 25, 2020 15:22:59 GMT -5
Thanks as always for the interaction... it appears the Ultimate Edition line is treated a little different to Mattel’s previous high end offerings (Defining Moment / Entrance Greats). It’s seems there is a very deliberate selection of talent, a very controlled release and perhaps a lower production number? I assume you can’t say too much, but can you confirm that there is indeed a different approach to this line and how it is being marketed, then we have had before??? Also, I was hoping you might be able to give some indication of how many series of Ultimates are currently in planning. I suspect we will see series 5 at Toy Fair (or axxess for both 5 & 6), safe to assume to we might have through to series 7 or 8 at least penciled in? Cheers as always... There is definitely a strategy behind these and all our lineup which I’ve talked about bit when discussing ideal lineups. Where Entrance Greats were an Elite figure with a musical base and Defining Moments were simply an Elite figure in deluxe packaging, Ultimate Edition figures were specifically designed for collectors who enjoy posing whether that’s for social media, their shelf or just for the fun of it. We added fully poseable entrance gear across the board and swappable parts for lots of expressiveness and storytelling. If you’re the type of person who keep them in package or just stands them army style on your shelf, these are still just as appealing. Release cadence is pretty much the same but we made it an assortment to eliminate the staleness of just one character on shelf for months at a time. We’re sticking to more widely recognizable talent now, one contemporary and one Legend, as this of course helps with sell through and ensures the continuation of the line. That doesn’t mean we couldn’t go deeper into the roster in the future if demand was clearly there for it. We also rarely use product shots on figure packaging but in this case we include some action figure photography/edits to help not only sell the coolness of the figure but to get the creative juices flowing for taking pics and posing. These shots are also used for promotional purposes and social media. We have long term plans for this line as long as you guys keep supporting it. I have figs penciled in through 2021 and ideas for many more beyond that. There will be more figures shown, possibly at NYTF but definitely at Axxess. Thank you for your response, very detailed... I really appreciate it, and I for one will continue to support the UE line while ever you guys keep making them.... I owe you a beer (or your chosen drink) should we ever cross paths... 🍻
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Post by LK3 on Jan 25, 2020 15:33:38 GMT -5
I know this is a crazy idea, but, since Gargano is the first NXT Grand Slam... Gargano with all 3 titles he won? Obviously would have to be some sort of exclusive. But, is it even possible? Triple Crown 2-pack of Adam Cole and Gargano to commemorate their 2019 trilogy. Could have 4 different belt since they held different versions of the tag titles.
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Post by Glorydaysofwrestling on Jan 25, 2020 15:37:46 GMT -5
Action Figure Attack Vince...we caught that but were unable to effect production. Was definitely bummed about that one. Is it likely that we’ll get another 80/early90s Vince with corrected height or is he pushed down the priority list because he just got a fig?
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Post by Action Figure Attack on Jan 25, 2020 15:41:44 GMT -5
What determines a figure to be in a series is it tv time or what or nothing A combination of things go into deciding the lineups. TV time, past sales performance, design options, timing of previous figures (if any), licensor input, contract length if known, and more. On top of this we have to place educated bets on who will be popular a year or more from the time the decision to include them is solidified.
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Post by Action Figure Attack on Jan 25, 2020 15:43:23 GMT -5
Any reason why true fx wasn’t used Ultimate Edition HBK? The head scans look off as well as the hair color. The basic 100 HBK head looks great so not sure why the mark was missed on the UE. Unless it looks much better in hand than the proto pics. True FX was used. Check out the figure in person before passing final judgement. It’s much better than it seems in the pics that have been released.
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Post by Action Figure Attack on Jan 25, 2020 15:44:42 GMT -5
I know this is a crazy idea, but, since Gargano is the first NXT Grand Slam... Gargano with all 3 titles he won? Obviously would have to be some sort of exclusive. But, is it even possible? Maybe, if 3 titles could be afforded with a single fig.
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Post by Action Figure Attack on Jan 25, 2020 15:46:01 GMT -5
Is it likely that we’ll get another 80/early90s Vince with corrected height or is he pushed down the priority list because he just got a fig? Maybe we can revisit but it won’t be anytime soon.
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