New Tcats = 200x MOTU?

Masters of the Universe
1

After all the negative reactions to the new character designs and terrible Bandai products, does anybody think the new ThunderCats series will end up like Mike Young’s 2002 MOTU? I think thats the case. The new series will have 30 eps than get canceld along with the toyline and we will finally get what we want: a ‘ThunderCats Classics’ line and maybe a new cartoon based on the 80s look. I don’t know why companies don’t learn, I mean Mattel should be the model for this: Kids these days arent into action figures and action cartoons, its an 80s thing that mostly people in the age range of 25-30 enjoy. Modern Kids are into ipods and video games, not figures. So I say go the MOTUC route and make ThunderCats for adults.

Originally posted on the ThunderCats forums and moved here to the heman.org Masters of the Universe forum.

2

Except the Mike Young Productions’ Masters of the Universe had a good reception among fans. I know because I post at two different forums dedicated to MOTU, and there always only praises for that show.
Actually, the reasons for the discontinuation of the show are still a mystery… nobody could explain why they cancelled it.
But the consensus among fans, is that the series was excellent. Very respectful of the original, while at the same time filling in the blanks of a lot of things that were unexplained in the Filmation cartoon.

3

and the death of the toy line was attributed to over saturation of He-Man variations. nobody wants to walk in a store and see nothing but random swiss army knife He-Man figures all over the place

4

Really? Negative reaction? Seriously, I dont think you like ANY of the products coming out! LOL! Even the Jaga staction has a big head!? Dude, why so pessimistic? We have one image of them.

And I agree with the other posters, the new cartoon will be successful.

5

Chris here…

To be honest, I think ThunderCats will outperform MOTU 200X on both the toy aisles and in TV ratings, for these reasons:

  • Whilst we as adult collectors may not dig the new ThunderCats toys (although I think they look great), they are perfectly geared to the audience they’re targeted at - kids! :slight_smile:

  • The ThunderCats concept as a whole seems to have aged a bit better than MOTU (and I’m saying that as a huge MOTU fan).

  • WB and Bandai would appear to be much smarter at marketing and distributing their product than Mattel.

I’m not suggesting that the new ThunderCats is going to give Power Rangers anything to worry about in the action figure history books, but I think it will be at least a moderate hit. However, I will say I don’t think we’ll get more than three seasons of the show (at the most) before it’s cancelled, because this now seems to be the shelf-life of even the most successful modern-day cartoons… :frowning:

Take care… :slight_smile:

6

My point is 80s remakes don’t have to be fixed if they arent broken, Mattel learned this the hard way with MOTU200x, I mean nobody ever said to WB: “We really want Tcats to come back in a new style!”, no…we just want our beloved Tcats back, period. The only reason its rebooted is for money. MOTUC represents every figure collectors dream..A line with perfect sculpts aimed at adult collectors and hardcore fans from the 80s.

ThunderCats 2011 will have moderate success yes, but its almost a garuntee that it will be an after thought 3 years from now. Most hardcore Tcats fans are in the late 20s/30s, we dont want ‘Teen Titan Tcats’. If WB cared for the fans they would have chosen another company to make the toys. Bandai is one of those companies thats never paid attention to detail when it comes to figures, they could care less (compare the power rangers 2010 line to the new lion-o and you’ll see what I mean).

So why waste so much money on a new show and toys? Just make a simple ThunderCats Classics, this way the line stays alive, fans are happy, and companies are garunteed sales unlike new stuff which is kind of risky. Its bound to happen anyway.

7

A lot of the rumor as to why Bandai got the line is that they were the only major toy company willing to take on the license of both the 80s property and, what we now know as the WB cartoon.

I’ve linked it before and i don’t feel like digging it up, but a gentleman on another forum by the name of AnimeTed predicted, sometime around January of LAST year, that Bandai would get the rights to the line. His reason was as I’ve stated above. Both Mattel and Hasbro made a pitch for the 80s license, but didn’t want to have to spend resources producing figures for a new cartoon launch. This was a full 6 months before either the new cartoon or this new toy line was ever announced by WB. Once his prediction came true, I’ve got to believe the rest of what he said.

I do agree with Bengali that I think a 7" scale fig would be in much better hands with Mattel, and judging by the pic I posted in one of the other threads of Apocalypse from the Marvel Universe line, it would have been in phenomenal hands for a 3.75" scale line with Hasbro.

Separating the toy and toon line apart for a minute, I do think there’s genuine positive buzz for the new show, and I’m definitely shocked at myself, one of the hardest line supporters on this board for the old show and LJN line, at how accepting I am of most of the redesigns. That said, what we’ve seen from Bandai right now has been subpar.

I don’t mean any disrespect to Manny or Chris, but honestly guys go have a peak at the Apocalypse pic from the new 2011 wave (I think 13?) of the Marvel Universe line In this thread…same scale, and compare it to the Lion-O from the 3.75" line we’ve seen clear pictures from with Bandai and I don’t see how anyone can’t look at the two and wish Hasbro hadn’t gotten the license for that scale. I mean the level of detail on Apocalypse vs Lion-O is like the difference in taste between a cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory and a McDonalds apple pie.

I of course am speaking from an adult collector standpoint. These things may be a hit with kids, but if I’m a kid with no attachment to either Thundercats or Marvel Comics, and I see those two figures on adjacent peg hooks, I’m taking the Marvel Universe fig 10 out of 10 times.

If the toon can stand on its own legs I don’t think it will flop like Bengali is suggesting, but if its success is tied to the toyline…I just don’t see it lasting. Maybe this Thunder Lynx system does something pretty spectacular and they can sell it on that gimmick alone, but just from the figures…if I didn’t think these might be halfway collectible one day, I wouldn’t waste my dollars on anything but the Classics 8" scale line.

I’m in agreement with Bengali that I don’t think it bodes well for the show if its success is tied any more than marginally to this new Bandai line.

8

So to respond fully (now that I’m home):

The MYP MOTU series was a success; the toys, not so much.

In regards to Mattel getting the ThunderCats license…I would love the Four Horsemen to sculpt the figures, but at the moment, I despise Mattel’s management of the MOTU Classic line. For two years, people have had problems trying to buy these figures from the MattyCollector website because of the poor service of Digital River.

TWO YEARS! If it isn’t the white screen of death, it’s the inability to combine shipping (Vikor and stands). And don’t get me started on the subscription!

Yeah, the subscription eliminates the need to go through the terrible Digital River buying process, but then we are locked in for a YEAR and we have NO CLUE what figures we are locked in for!!!

Ahem.

I’m sorry – I’d rather have Bandai, who is making the ThunderCats license a HUGE deal, rather than give it to Mattel, who due to LOGISTICS cannot include a MOTU 200X stylized head because the upper management says so! Or they cannot include the 200X Skeletor sword because that “style is retired.”

Bandai is spending huge amounts of resources on the marketing of this brand so that it can be brought into retail and online stores.

The adult collectors may not like the look of the new WB toys, but may be that’s a good thing – because MOTU 200X was a hit with the older fans, but kids had no interest in them. So perhaps by focusing on getting kids interested rather than the fans, Bandai MIGHT actually be doing the right thing for the brand to continue on.

I’m sure Transformers and G.I. Joe fans haven’t liked every single incarnation those brands have gotten over the years, but the fact of the matter is…these toys are still relevant after 2 decades – and MOTU at the moment…is NOT.

That might tell you something.

Oh, and Bandai must be doing something right when they have a line that has been selling really well for almost 20 years (Power Rangers).

I love the Four Horsemen, but with Mattel’s management, the ThunderCats brand would be doomed from the start.

I haven’t even touched upon the topic about whether or not ThunderCats is a brand that is focused on the cartoon over the toys, or whether the toy sales will determine the success of the cartoon.

There are a lot of factors that we need to consider if we are comparing ThunderCats the “brand” to MOTU the “brand.”

I know the thread is in regard to MOTU 200X, but I think the ThunderCats news has had a lot more buzz than the MOTU 200X line simply for the fact that the internet is a much more socially connected place. ThunderCats as a trending topic on Twitter is a prime example of this.

This post is all over the place, but I guess I just feel sad that fans cannot be happy that ThunderCats is back! We’re getting new toys! We’re getting a new cartoon! We have statues! We have stactions! We have collectible 14" vinyl figures!

BE HAPPY! :thumbsup:

9

I’ve said it many times in the past,Thundercats have nothing in common with MOTU almost in every aspect. Never did or will in the future. There is no comparison.

Sorry, can’t vote.

10

Whilst I can see the comparisons, I’m sure WB have hind sight in their favour. There have so many aborted TCats projects over the years with the intention of doing the show justice. I believe it will be up there with other recent projects such as the DC movies and also Justice League and Teen Titans in popularity as they will reach multiple fan bases with the anime style and potential storylines!

11

Im not doubting the new cartoon one bit.. I know its going to be a massive hit with me as well as many youngsters out there.. I love ALL the character designs!

Its just what ive seen about the figures that disappoints me.. But hopefully, they will be much better in the flesh

12

I really liked the 200x MOTU cartoon and was sad to see it get canceled. I grew up on Thundercats and didn’t particularly enjoy the original MOTU cartoons. After liking the newer MOTU cartoon, I even bought the 80s MOTU on DVD and tried to like it, but I couldn’t get into it.

13

I thought the 2002 MOTU cartoon and toys were okay. Hated the He-Man redesign though. That horrible mullet and power ranger sword they gave him was ghastly.

14

I have to disagree with this statement. All my 10 year old little brother wants for his birthday every year is Star Wars action figures (or Legos). Okay, and he’s also way too into video games, but my point is that he ALSO likes action figures, so I wouldn’t count out the 10-year-old-boy market or action figures just yet.

As far as how well received the new series will be to this market, he and his friends are all big fans of Ben 10 and Avatar:TLAB, which are both action/sci-fi/fantasy cartoons. I’m hoping he likes The new Thundercats series.

Because I’m going to force him to watch it.

15

I for one cant wait for the new cartoon and toys to come out. I think the new version will do well, even looking forward to the new Voltron series as well.

16

Really glad to see most of us are taking an optimistic approach to the new series. There is so much we have yet to see, and hopefully everything turns out great.

One thing I wanted to say in particular –

ThunderCats 2011 will have moderate success yes, but its almost a garuntee that it will be an after thought 3 years from now

If the toys and cartoon last 3 years, I think that would be considered a success. Each Transformer era only lasts a year or 2, so if ThunderCats last just as long, if not longer, I think in this day and age, that is considered a success. What will be interesting is if WB continues to reinvent ThunderCats just like Hasbro does with most of its properties :slight_smile:

17

As long as somewhere along the line the reinvention involves the following two things, I’ll be happy:

  1. An Adult Swim, adult oriented offering with RBTC inspired designs…whether it be a mini episode turned movie ordeal like Resolute, or 16 episode mini series, or a full fledged series that goes 2-3 seasons…that would really hit the spot show wise.

  2. A Side Show 12" figure line.

If we just can see those two come to fruition, then I’m happy to support whatever other reboots WB thinks is necessary for the franchise.

Runner ups would be

A. Some anniversary re-release collection of the original LJN figures
B. RB show digitally remastered on Blu-Ray, so I only have to swap out 4 discs for the whole show instead of 24 :slight_smile:

18

I had to vote ‘wait and see’

I am optimistic about the cartoon but I am a classic MOTU fan who really liked the 2002 version…and was puzzled by the cancellation as well. So it’s hard to say how these decisions get made!

Not much of a figure buff or collector so I won’t comment on that. But I am happy Tcats is finally getting their comeback and can’t wait to see what the new show will be like. The new designs are different, as I figured they would be, but they’re not all bad. I anticipate the new eps and it’ll be fun to see where they take the story.

:thumbsup:

19

I have to agree with the rest here who are either saying it’ll be a success or “Wait and see.” Personally, from what I’m hearing, I think it will be leaps and bounds better than the old show. I always thought Thundercats had the potential to be something truly epic and sweeping with a lot of great mythical inspiration; like a modern day retelling of King Arthur or a new generation’s Lord of the Rings. And I was disappointed that it never tried to live up to that. So I’m glad that the show’s producers are really embracing that concept and running with it. I can guarantee that we can expect some great things, then.

As for MYP’s MOTU, Mattel had no one to blame but themselves for that. Like others have said, the toy line was sabotaged by too many He-Man variants and not enough of the supporting characters. When sales were anemic, Mattel was mystified, even though they were the ones who thought up the idea in the first place (poor shipping also didn’t help). CN also shuffled the show around the schedule a bit too, which further muddied the waters. When the sales tanked, Mattel probably saw no reason to justify the cost of helping to produce the show and pulled the plug. It’s a shame, too, because I really liked it. And both the televison and toy landscape are poorer for it.

20

I’m among the ones who loved the MOTU 2002 series, they were jsutb great. I was a fan of the show back in the 80’s, but it was to infantile. The 2002 series had a thing that was appealable for bigger demographics.I tink MOTU 2002 was better in both the animations and the stories, as they took time to tell a better story and dedicated each character at least one episode. They even had plans to introduce new characters had the show went on (Clamp Champ, Spikor, the Evil Horde and Adora). It’s a mistery why they cancelled it.

As for the new TCs show, I’m excited about it as well, but share some worries with Bengali. I’m not sure how it will satisfy old fans (I’m not crazy about the charactres redisgn), and don’t know how it will attract new fans, as kinds nowadays seem to be in a different frequency. My niece likes th old series, but won’t seat to watch a whole episode (it might has to do witht he fact the main charactres are cats, which she loves lol).

I do like the idea of the 3-parts first episodes where they will explain the beginning of it, but I expect and hope they show more of the charactres after that, not only Lion-O’s growth into maturity/adulthood and becoming the Lord of the TCs, but also show some more insight and character growth for the others as well. But I’m really skeptical about it; I kind of think it won’t last too long, maybe 1 or 2 seasons.

I hope me wrong :wink:

And of course, I expect the new series to do Tygra more justice.