Bereits zum fünften Mal beantwortet Masters of the Universe-Guru Jeremy Padawer von Mattel USA die neugierigen Fragen der Fans. Ohne jedoch zuviel zu verraten gibt er Antworten auf Deluxe-Figuren, zukünftige Playsets und den bisherigen Erfolg der Toyline.

Ganze vier mal hat sich Jeremy Padawer bisher Zeit genommen um die neugierigen Fragen der Fans zu beantworten. Die Fragen wurden von www.He-Man.org gesammelt und Jeremy Padawer überreicht.



Now that Wave 3 is out, will you show up images of everything due out in Wave 4 and tell us/give us clues what we will see in Wave 5, along with projected release dates?

Mattel: The cat is definitely out of the bag on this one. Wave 4, as you already know, includes Prince Adam, Martial Arts He-Man, and Sy-Klone. This wave should be hitting stores in the next few weeks. Wave 5 will include Ice Armor He-Man, Man-E-Faces, Buzz-Off, and Fists of Fury He-Man. Wave 6 will include Roboto, Zodak and a very cool He-Man and Stratos.

Are there any plans for future figures with voice chips like the Battle Sound figures?

Mattel: At this point, we do not have talking or battle sounds figures in the 2003 line. However, this can be altered for 2004 s Fall deluxe segment. What are your thoughts - should we go for the internal talking feature or have even cooler weapons and accessories?

We ve had the deluxe Battle Sound and Samurai figures thus far. Will you tell us anything about future deluxe figures?

Mattel: Absolutely... in Fall 2003 watch for the Battle Armor He-Man and Skeletor, with kick-ass armor and a combat feature. Basically, you will be able to battle with these guys a la Rock Em Sock Em style. Don t worry - as always we ve tried our best to balance the needs of the collector (cool sculpt) with the needs of our kids (awesome battle play). Not that we adults don t play with our toys... or at least I do!!

You ve mentioned that we shouldn t rule out mini comics in future waves of figures. Will you tell us any frame of reference how long we might have to wait until mini comics could possibly become reality?

Mattel: We ve definitely talked about the use of mini-comics in our 6 figure segment. This is something that we have not ruled out, especially as we move forward into 2004.

We already know of the Castle Grayskull with changes next fall, but will we be getting any smaller play sets in 2003?

Mattel: Absolutely. You will be getting the Battle Station playset in Fall 2003. The He-Man Battle Station Playset is a heroic, 2-tower playset which includes: 1) Opening drawbridge; 2) Break away siege tower - into three pieces; 3) Battering ram; 4) Catapult with 2 lauching boulders; 5) Spring-loaded siege tower missile launcher. You can play with it as a stand alone playset, or connect it to Castle Grayskull for ultimate battling action. This is a super cool, mid-priced playset.

Will any elements of "The New Adventures of He-Man" find their way into the new MOTU?

Mattel: Limited - I m sure Mike Young Productions wouldn t rule out the use of characters and some storyline.

Will there be any different packaging or exclusive items for Europe and/or the rest of the world?

Mattel: Local markets will run exclusive events. In the 1st year of release, we will definitely focus on the key figures and vehicles of the series... as we did in the US. One item will not be available internationally - the Bashin Beetle. I would recommend any major retailer that has an online store for that one. Instead, we are bringing forward the Land Battle Vehicles internationally for Fall 03.

Will you tell us how well MOTU is doing in terms of sales and cartoon ratings? (Particularly Holiday sales)

Mattel: Holiday sales were through the roof. Masters of the Universe was a top-10 brand for 2002 in terms of monthly sales. Overall, Masters of the Universe has been a smashing success. Regarding cartoon ratings, they started out strong and have become even stronger. As of now, Masters is winning every time slot in which it competes!

Will you tell us about any future store exclusive like the Wal-Mart figures w/videos, the K-Mart w/trading cards, and the Target 2pack w/comic?

Mattel: As you are already aware, TRU 2-Pack with "Courage of Adam" has hit the market running, and it is selling briskly. I don t expect this exclusive to stick around retail for very long!

Will you tell us when we might see an addition to the Masters line up who was not released as a figure in the original toy line?

Mattel: Absolutely! In the 2nd season we will be exploring the great battles of the _______. This will be followed by the return of _______ in season 3. You won t be disappointed.

Many fans would like to see Titus and Megator, who were not widely available in the original series, get the 4HM treatment. Is this likely?

Mattel: Potentially as a Con exclusive.

Many fans are still seeing similar case breakdowns as Wave 1 & 2 Heroes and Wave 1 Villains. While secondary characters are a little more common with the latest waves, they are still very hard to come by and shelves are still full of countless He-Man figures. With holiday sales over, is Mattel going to be adjusting case assortments to avoid too many He-Man figures on the shelves?

Mattel: I agree completely. As many of you noticed, we revised the mix from approximately 66% He-Man and Skeletor vs. secondary characters in 2002 to approximately 60% He-Man and Skeletor in Spring 2003. As we roll into Summer and Fall, watch for a 50/50 mix. This should address your concerns. Secondary characters will be more rare than the He-Man figure (as they should be), but the ratios will be corrected to reflect the excitement you have over the entire team.

Why did Cartoon Network change its schedule from a 6 day a week airing to a Saturday-only?

Mattel: I ll address one concern right off the bat... this was not a ratings issue. We were concerned that we would burn out the episodes by playing them too many times. As we get more episodes under our belts, watch for Masters to be on strip in the future.