Mattel - New for 2023

[Shane]

S @Shane The Jurassic World Evolution one doesn't quite look like the film animal, or the concept art even. Many people have requested the model be updated, and others took it into their own hands and created mods to "fix" it. It lacks the gentle sloping neck posture, and has a short tail, compared with the longer whip like tail seen in the film. Not sure the head looks quite like the SWS maquette either? Though it is like a generic diplodocid head.

I'm glad they referenced the SWS maquette for the figure, but something about it still looks off to me? Might too cartoony? Might be helpful to have a straight side profile view of the head for a better idea, because the angles it is shown at could be throwing it off. I find it amusing they also referenced the JWE model too.

That said it is really nuts they actually made this one that had only a few seconds of screen time. Between this and the Corythosaurus folks can finally complete their film species collections if they so desire. I'd love to get it, but I'm in no position to do so. Maybe next year if I'm lucky.

I did see another picture of the actual Mamenchi figure from a different angle. Looks like a promo target shot. The neck is much more prominent. I saw it on Discord though so not sure how to share here.

[Prehistory Resurrection]

[Shane]

That's the one! I think it looks much more Mamenchi-like there. Thanks @Prehistory Resurrection !

[Carnoking]

It's just a shame we're back to those overly stocky legs and feet. I actually don't mind the figure until I see those thunder thighs. Oh well, at least it's not as proportionally disastrous as the apatosaurus but this is still one I'll pass on until clearance.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Has anyone actually tried to order it today? It was supposed to be up 8am central, so far I keep getting an error message when attempting to add to cart.

[Shane]

Has anyone actually tried to order it today? It was supposed to be up 8am central, so far I keep getting an error message when attempting to add to cart.

Target preorders are notorious for being glitchy like this.

In other news, the gate has now put everything but the Buck Rex and Lex w/ goat in the 5k backer tier. Buck unlocks at 6k and Lex/goat at 8k.

I don't know if this will reverse the tide at this late stage, but there may be a surge in backers to help it along.

The paddock markers appear to have been completely scrubbed due to not meeting the early bird cutoff.

[Carnoking]

Does this mean they didn't actually need 10,000 backers to begin with and just hoped 10,000 people would be on board?

[Shane]

Does this mean they didn't actually need 10,000 backers to begin with and just hoped 10,000 people would be on board?

Of course they didn't. That's part of what most peoples' issue was from the get go.

Regardless of backers, the items (stretch goals included) had to have been budgeted in the $250 price by Mattel. It's a big part of why people considered the initial offering to not be worth the buy-in.

[andrewsaurus rex]

yeah the updated crowdfunding was mentioned on the previous page......it's a good move by Mattel.  They just need to give more time until deadline and I think they'll reach 5K backers, especially with the bull available at 6k backers now.

If the Mamench is based on Seismosaurus, then it's kinda small.   Seismosaurus is basically a really long diplodocus and at 'only' 49 inches, this isn't as long as their Apatosaurus.

I also don't like the design of it, screen accurate or not.   The skinny drooping neck is a throw back to the 1960's, the time of erect standing, tail dragging dinosaurs. 

I may change my mind when I see a review of it, but for now i'll be passing on it.  Very disappointed, i was quite excited about this announcement.

[Shane]

yeah the updated crowdfunding was mentioned on the previous page......it's a good move by Mattel.  They just need to give more time until deadline and I think they'll reach 5K backers, especially with the bull available at 6k backers now.

You're right, I totally missed that.

So far it doesn't seem like it's moving the needle very much at all. Either Mattel hasn't done enough to get the word out, or this is too little, too late to remove the bad taste fans have from how this was handled.

Over 3k backers needed for a 5k funding goal in a week is a pretty astronomical task, even with this drastic change.

[Faelrin]

@Carnoking Probably that. Like they really wanted over $2,500,000 USD here for everything earlier (last stretch goal that was at 10,000 backers). Even putting it down to needing 8,000 backers for all stretch goals, it still shows they want over $2,000,000 USD for everything to be included. Surely they don't need that kind of money for something like this as a multi billion dollar corporation? I mean they didn't need a crowdfund for this year's brand new Hammond Collection Brachiosaurus, Mamenchisaurus, etc. In fact this year also has the most new species so far (24 currently), short of last year, which mind you was also a film year (also 24 total), and 2018 back when they got started (30 total), so they are clearly doing very well enough to not need so many repaints and retools in the line, to offer this much new stuff within their mainline. We're also only like halfway through the year, so I would expect more waves before the year is over, which will likely push it to over 24 total in that case. Like we already know they have more Hammond Collection on the way (though depends if they actually release this year or next year, with how slow Target, etc has been of late).

To me it seems clear it isn't just a mere matter of refusing to take such a financial risk, they clearly want it to be (very) profitable on top of it. Like I said before if they were aiming for something far less, like 1,000 backers and just opened up pre-orders they would have likely had a better chance if they truly actually cared about wanting to get this made, but like gotta have that corporate greed get in the way of things like this. Again much of the tooling was done for the stuff in this set (including stuff in the stretch goals), with only the gate, fences, signs (which appear to have been nixed), and goat truly needing new molds, and a few minor parts for the buck T. rex, and kids, so assuming it was fully funded, including the stretch goals, aside from the new stuff needing tooling, where is the rest of that $2 million going, other then straight to their pockets? I mean how much of it is also going back to the sculptor(s) and other employees here, which were presumably paid prior to anyways?

This is why I bring up David Silva's most recent fully funded Tyrannosaur campaign to compare with. He's no multi billion corporation, and yet he didn't even need half a million to get all of his stretch goals funded, only $530,000 (for the last, the Albertosaurus), and I'm sure some of that is profit to help him continue keeping this as a full time job now since he no longer works at NECA like in the past (at least since the last time I talked with him in person, in 2021 I think).

I really do appreciate some last minute listening to feedback, and changing this up, and again I would have liked to help get this, if I could afford it (but yeah that's the other issue. Lots of people also can't afford this, even if they do want this). but the large numbers they are still asking for, and ultimately that $2 million dollars plus for everything, is just not going to be there.

[andrewsaurus rex]

with the gates project, I can understand Mattel wanting all that money up front.  To tool the gates,  is no doubt a very expensive proposition (plus production, packaging and shipping such a large item).  And they most likely will have no 'repaint' potential, in that they will never likely appear at retail and thus no opportunity to make money from this tooling in the future.  So all costs have to be recovered up front and all profits have to be made up front, or there is no point in Mattel doing the project.

The bull rex, new figures etc could possibly be slipped into retail packages some day, so there is an opportunity to make money from them again and again......just like on repaints of all the dinosaur figures Mattel makes.  But the actual gates and fences will probably never get that opportunity to be sold again.......so all money needs to be made up front.

I really doubt Mattel will make a big profit from the gates project even if it goes to 8k backers.  I think a project like this is as much about keeping the fans happy (and thus buying more Mattel dino toys in the future) and causing a buzz of excitement about the whole JW line.

[Shane]

I really doubt Mattel will make a big profit from the gates project even if it goes to 8k backers.  I think a project like this is as much about keeping the fans happy (and thus buying more Mattel dino toys in the future) and causing a buzz of excitement about the whole JW line.

I think you're giving Mattel too much credit here, a bit. They're one of the top toy companies, a huge corporation, their only goal is to make money. I don't think they're going to be taking a loss on this. I'm sure the backer numbers were calculated by the number crunchers to ensure a healthy profit for Mattel.

Now, the caveat here is the team that put this project together is not necessarily the same as the people who determine how many backers it needs to get funded. I've no doubt that there are folks in the Jurassic franchise team creating these projects that genuinely have the fanbase in mind and know what fans want and try to give it to them.

But let's not pretend that the gates project was some act of charity from Mattel. The entire reason they went the crowdfunding route with this project is so they have 100% control over the money spent and money earned. There's no way Mattel set this up to NOT make them a tidy profit.

[andrewsaurus rex]

well, I didn't say it was an act of charity.......I simply said that I believe Mattel won't be making a  big profit from this project.  Certainly not as big as many believe.

Hasbro, many times has done Star Wars releases, particularly the big vehicles like the BMF and 2 foot tall AT-AT that they did not make much money on........but they did it to make the fans happy and keep the Star Wars line exciting and vital, so that those same fans would keep interested and buying the smaller figures, vehicles and accessories for years to come.

I believe the gates project is similar for Mattel.  Even if Mattel grosses $2 million, which I doubt they will, they will probably only get 5k or 6k backers at best, the tooling cost of those fancy electronic gates alone are huge, let alone production cost of 5k units, packaging, shipping etc.  Then there are the costs of the fences, the new figure)s) and the bull rex costs.  They'll make a profit but not a very big one and it won't significantly effect Mattel's bottom line in any meaningful way.  Not directly.  But if it keeps the JW line vibrant and collector interest high, it should pay indirect dividends for years to come.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Has anyone actually tried to order it today? It was supposed to be up 8am central, so far I keep getting an error message when attempting to add to cart.

Target preorders are notorious for being glitchy like this.

In other news, the gate has now put everything but the Buck Rex and Lex w/ goat in the 5k backer tier. Buck unlocks at 6k and Lex/goat at 8k.

I don't know if this will reverse the tide at this late stage, but there may be a surge in backers to help it along.

The paddock markers appear to have been completely scrubbed due to not meeting the early bird cutoff.

It's still not up lol That's a BIG glitch. 

It doesn't help if you try to say anything supportive of the project anywhere you are ridiculed on a lot of forums and groups. 

[Shane]

well, I didn't say it was an act of charity.......I simply said that I believe Mattel won't be making a  big profit from this project.  Certainly not as big as many believe.

Hasbro, many times has done Star Wars releases, particularly the big vehicles like the BMF and 2 foot tall AT-AT that they did not make much money on........but they did it to make the fans happy and keep the Star Wars line exciting and vital, so that those same fans would keep interested and buying the smaller figures, vehicles and accessories for years to come.

I believe the gates project is similar for Mattel.  Even if Mattel grosses $2 million, which I doubt they will, they will probably only get 5k or 6k backers at best, the tooling cost of those fancy electronic gates alone are huge, let alone production cost of 5k units, packaging, shipping etc.  Then there are the costs of the fences, the new figure)s) and the bull rex costs.  They'll make a profit but not a very big one and it won't significantly effect Mattel's bottom line in any meaningful way.  Not directly.  But if it keeps the JW line vibrant and collector interest high, it should pay indirect dividends for years to come.

I mean, that's a lot of assumptions. But if the set got the minimum 5k backers, that's 1,250,000 in revenue. I can guarantee the tooling and manufacture for this set did not cost anywhere near that much.

The fact that they reduced the amount of backers needed for the stretch goals is a pretty solid indication that they wanted more backers to make more money. If they had a "buffer zone" of 8k backers that is now 6k backers, that's something of a hint of how much profit they were trying to make with the initial offering.

[Shane]

It's still not up lol That's a BIG glitch. 

It doesn't help if you try to say anything supportive of the project anywhere you are ridiculed on a lot of forums and groups. 

It's pretty incredible that Target still has no idea how to manage preorders for things; they've been doing it long enough.

As far as the gates, I've never tried to ridicule anyone personally (I know you're not necessarily referring to me here, but still). I've made it clear that if anyone feels it's worth their money, then by all means back the project.

I've actually been seeing a lot of the opposite. People posting how ungrateful and unreasonable the fans are being for not backing the project, with a lot of focus on the folks who are apparently mad at the idea of Mattel doing a crowdfund at all.

I genuinely believe that argument is .. not exactly a strawman, but not the majority of people disappointed by this project. It's clear the way it was presented didn't resonate with fans, and I think that has far less to do with the idea of a crowdfund (Mattel has done several, so has Hasbro, it's a normal thing for companies to do with large projects), and more with the idea that it was just poorly managed, and seemed like a cash grab (the fact that they've significantly lowered the backers needed for the stretch goals kinda indicates that the original, very ambitious stretch goals were motivated largely by profit).

I think the people who are disappointed by this are justified in feeling that way.

But like I said, I don't hold it against anyone who feels it's worth it. It's their money to spend. Lord knows I spend money on stuff that other people don't deem to be "worth it" all the time, so I'd never judge.

What I do take issue with is people trying to shame and guilt people into backing (not necessarily something I've seen here, but there was a very lengthy post on the Jurassic Wiki that was very guilt-y and shame-y).

The way this all turned out can't be blamed on the fans. If Mattel had managed it right, it would have been funded. That's really the bottom line.

[Flaffy]

All these reviews and in-hand pics of the HC Brachiosaurus are making it awfully tempting... UK prices for the big beaut are set tp be ~100 GBP, almost $130...

S @Shane especially when big influencers in the community like Collect Jurassic are guilt tripping people into backing this project. It has to be emphasised that expensive crowdfunding projects like these are usually announced months in advance to generate hype, and to allow ample time for people to save up for the campaign.

[Shane]

All these reviews and in-hand pics of the HC Brachiosaurus are making it awfully tempting... UK prices for the big beaut are set tp be ~100 GBP, almost $130...

S @Shane especially when big influencers in the community like Collect Jurassic are guilt tripping people into backing this project. It has to be emphasised that expensive crowdfunding projects like these are usually announced months in advance to generate hype, and to allow ample time for people to save up for the campaign.

The more I see of HC Brachiosaurus the more I regret not preordering it. I hope it shows up in Target stores in decent numbers, it actually looks great. I have NO room for it but that won't stop me.

And yes, I think you touched on it. The "influencer" community of the Jurassic franchise fans really seemed to get miffed that folks weren't backing the campaign. The overall vibe from the content creators of the Jurassic fandom seemed really angry at people who didn't want to back it, with a few exceptions.

Much like I'd never want to shame someone for backing it, I think it's wrong to shame people for NOT backing it.

[Carnoking]

That Jurassic Wiki blog post was something else.