Continuing with the MOTU Day theme, it is that time of year again: Mattel is getting ready to announce all the toys you will be fighting tooth and nail for at SDCC this year. We already know that Doomsday is coming for the DC sect, but the announcement of the Masters of the Universe Classics exclusive (exclusiveS?) is always a big deal. As we move further and further into the line, the choices for logical con exclusives become more and more pointed, so there are really only a handful of possibilities (in my eyes) before things start getting a bit derivative. Now, we know that Toy Guru is focusing on finishing off the vintage line and all of the A-List cartoon and New Adventures figures, so I can say with (pretty much) complete certainty that the exclusive will be drawn from one of those areas.
ROTAR vs TWISTOID
Many people have been speculating on just how the Energy Zoids will be released. Heck, there was even talk for awhile about whether or not they would be released at all. However, Toy Guru has assured us that they are in the plans over the next couple of years, and due to their unique qualities, that puts them in prime position for a con exclusive. These guys are like no other figures out there; in fact, they are really only “half” figures. In the vintage line, their action feature was a ripcord spin effect, so these guys don’t have legs. Thus, they would probably require a lot of new tooling. Heck, Rotar is noted as being an amputee, but Emiliano Santalucia did a great mock up of them with removable legs. I think that would be a cool combination, especially for a SKU that would have a higher price point. These guys will need to be released in some form, and since they are new, part-heavy, and not quite a requirement for everyone, SDCC might just be the place. Though not being popular characters might limit their viability based off of past exclusives. Odds: 20-1
LASER POWER HE-MAN vs LASER LIGHT SKELETOR
These guys, well, these variations have gotten quite a bit of play lately, especially for being the most esoteric versions of the vintage He-Man and Skeletor. See, the “Laser” figures did not come out until the very end of the vintage line, so many He-Fans never even owned them as kids. That has made them pretty rare and they are traditionally some of the most sought after, hard to find, and expensive figures in the MOTU market. So they have that going for them as the Classics versions would be the first time many of us would get a shot at owning them. Plus, these costumes just had big roles in the latest mini-comic, so the contemporary media support is there. Finally, it is He-Man and Skeletor — you don’t get any bigger in terms of name cred when it comes to MOTU. It would be really neat to see how the Horsemen would make the laser effects happen, or if they would be attempted at all. Odds: 10-1
NEW ADVENTURES/CLASSIC TOY SHE-RA
2014 is the 30th anniversary of Princess of Power, so what better way to celebrate (aside from, you know, getting a whole mini sub?) than to have a nice presence in San Diego. I know there is always pressure to support the brand as a whole, but if Mattel decides to do more than one exclusive, I hope they would consider She-Ra, even if they would not make her the primary focus (and unfortunately, I don’ think they will). The Fall of Eternia mini-comic gave us our first look at what would be described as the “New Adventures” She-Ra, and not only did her addition to that story line get a lot of support among fans, her costume did as well. It really is the perfect counterpart to He-Man’s togs and there are A LOT of great homages to the Classics-neglected vintage toy look. I wonder if they could make it a deluxe set and have parts to make both the NA She-Ra as well as the classic toy version. I think that would play quite well. Odds: 30-1
ROBOT KNIGHTS 3-PACK
Poor Skeletor, the Lord of Destruction and main MOTU antagonist is the major faction leader left without his “army builder” figure. There are actually a lot of really cool options for him with the Soldiers from the MOTU movie and the Skelcons from the Ladybird books, but the most in-demand army builder for Snake Mountain has to be the Robot Knights. A staple of the Filmation cartoon, these hover bots are multi-functional and are small enough that we could get a multi-pack with three figures and all kinds of swappable parts. Plus, they make that A-List for Filmation characters, so they lend themselves to the road map. Having an army builder as a Comic-Con exclusive is kind of cruel, though… Odds: 50-1
METEORB MULTI-PACK
Okay, honestly, I am just being nice to the tried and true, yet small group of die-hard Meteorbs fans. I have to be honest, I really don’t see these guys as much of a possibility at all for making it as a convention exclusive. Heck, I am not sure we will even get them in the Classics line at all. It would be a fun addition, but I don’t think most collectors are ringing them up as essential, let alone leading a charge for them. I suppose if they WERE to see a release, they would probably be non-articulated giveaways at the sales booth for Convention attendees. I am not sure how they would be changed in terms of improvement for Classics, so they will probably be more of an afterthought, I am afraid. Odds: 1000-1
“FILMATION” HORDAK & IMP
Okay, if I am going to head out to Vegas to be a betting man for what will be the 2014 SDCC exclusive, I would bet on “Filmation” Hordak and Imp. From a big name standpoint, Hordak fits the bill, and in the eyes of Mattel, he can be considered POP as well to help support that 30th anniversary. Plus, getting Imp will cross (arguably) the biggest Filmation name still undone off the list. I can see Mattel and Horsemen taking the approach to Hordak as a hybrid of his cartoon and Buzz Saw variant to make a post-Skeletor battle version where he’s more machine than man. I think the aforementioned Emiliano did a great mock-up design for the figure, and let’s face it, the blue Hordak has just as many fans as the vintage version. He could then come with the standard version of Imp as the pack-in figure. So that set could be sold at the show and then later on Matty Collector. To follow the pattern, though, Con attendees could be treated to a an extra set of non-articulated Imp “disguises” so there would be a show incentive. He has been all kinds of things from an apple to bullhorn, so the Horsemen could go nuts. Yep, I think this release fits perfectly, so this is where I am putting my money. Odds: 3-1
So those are our odds on some possible exclusives. What is your favorite from the list? Do you think it will be something else? Let us know!