Yeah, based on the original concept we saw, I really thought the Snake Lair was going to be a bit smaller.  And therefore, I thought it would be a cheaper playset. Maybe something in the $200-$250 range.  This Snake Lair shown at SDCC is HUGE.  I don't know what this thing is going to cost.  Less than Eternia, but I'm still guessing $400.

I don't know that I am going to have room for this one.  I just did major carpentry and rearranging and diorama building to work Eternia and Super 7 Snake Mountain into the room plan (yes just now).  I was counting on this being smaller and fitting on top of a book case but it looks like it will have to be a centerpiece and there is no centerpiece room anymore.

It's a decent day to be me. Got Masterverse movie Blade on the way, and also MOTUO Rio Blast and the beginning of some more POP in Origins as well. Loving it. So excited to see Rio Blast. That figure puts me very close to being able to say that if we get no more figures in the line, I'll still be pretty damn happy with what we ended up with.

REALLY hoping we see the giants or Granny before the end of the weekend, though. That would seal it up. And Vikor. Gotta get a good Origins Vikor into the line since they're making Demo-Man.

They're deluding themselves if they think the fandom, in this economy, is going to buy overpriced massive playsets they've dreamed up, however nice they may be.

By the way, how does one buy a Necro Conda figure? Was that some blink and you'll miss it exclusive online sale situation?

@disneyboy You can pre order Necro Conda on Big Bad Toy Store or at Wal-Mart.com as part of their Collector Con.  He is still available to pre order at both.

Here's the thing, for me and my tastes, about the new playset: It's bad. Conceptually.

The Snake Men base is... fucking Snake Mountain. Isn't that the whole thing with Snake Mountain according to the mythos? Also, from a visual-collection standpoint, I don't need TWO snake-themed giant playsets for my Origins collection.

And yeah, when you factor in the price of this thing, with all the items it's up against to earn your dollars? I'm going to be pretty surprised if this funds easily. It will -probably- fund, but I can see it being a bit of a struggle unless there's some must-have figures included that push people over. And even then... I dunno.

It's just not a great idea, though. Should have either been the Attak Trak (something way different from what we have already on our shelves) or they should have offered an Eternos Palace. That would have been pretty incredible and actually worth making/owning, AND stylistically distinct from the stuff we have.

You make terrific points, Damien. I'm worried about how this one playset will affect the future of the line, honestly. Could it tank the chances of getting anything else on this scale?

Yeah, I thought I would get this playset for sure.  But now that they have made it so much bigger than the original concept, I really don't think I'll get it now.  The cost is one thing, then space is the other. Especially having Eternia.

I like the look of the playset, but KD makes a good point in the fact we already have a big snake playset.  And it's one of the most legendary playsets of all time, Snake F****** Mountain!

I really think for playsets all I want at this point is Fright Zone and Slime Pit.  I'd get the She-Ra Crystal Castle playset as well.

But this Snake Lair, I just don't know.  I'm kind of feeling right now like I'll pass.  Which is weird, because I had fully planned to buy and back this.

I’m all for the castle, I was surprised it was so big. I think there’s a tough call to be made, do you stay smaller and have people think it’s not worth the money or that they should have released it some other way, or do you go big and risk pricing yourself out of the market? It may be a situation where the difference in cost wasn’t as great as you’d think so they elected to go big and really “Wow!” people. I really hope it makes it, but I hope they don’t lock figures behind tiers that then vanish afterwards. I would gladly pay the extra $20 to get figures that don’t get unlocked as opposed to never getting them at all, I don’t know why it has to be all or nothing.

@supercamel-1982 I was also expecting something akin to CG and SM in size.   This thing is closer to Eternia than the other two.   That scares me on price and shipping.

To get Eternia to Canada would have cost me, after all was said and done, $1220Cdn!!!!  Part of that was the terrible exchange rate they use on MC, but also the shipping was over $200!!!   And Eternia was what?  $550US to start?

So let's say they manage to keep this down around $400US, that means I'll still be looking at probably close to, if not over, $800Cdn to get it up here.   Yikes.

I would have been good with a SM size playset with a few less bells and whistles and getting it closer to the $250US range.   Now though I am concerned about what this will cost and probably won't be worth it to get (for me).

Snake faction was never my bag. I only collected the ones in Origins that appeared in the original line. Only King Hiss in Classics. So the Lair is not something I’d even consider backing.

Man, I was just looking at the picture of the original concept art they showed us for the Snake Lair, and I like it SOOOOO MUCH BETTER.  Not just because it was a smaller CG or SM sized playset, which was great, but it just looked more MOTU and way cooler.

I don't know what made them go a different route with this monstrosity.

The channels I follow have been surprisingly quiet about the Lair.  I wonder if the reception has been lukewarm (or negative) everywhere.  Personally I think it looks pretty amazing but I do agree that the mockup that was pitched looks more MOTU, and the price will likely be a bit silly.

I don't know MOTU lore at all (I was only ever into the toys)... are the snake men important?  It seems like half of the Origins releases over the last couple years have been snake men.  Rattlor has been a favorite since I was a kid, and snakes in general are pretty gnarly and cool, but dang.  Do we really need this many AND a lair that will dwarf both Grayskull and SM?

I'll be passing on the Snake Lair. I always thought that was an odd choice for the fan vote and an even odder win. It showed me how out of step I was with what other fans apparently wanted. Not saying it was a conspiracy or anything, ha. Just saying it was always, in my mind, a case of:

"Mommy I want Snake Mountain!"

"We have Snake Mountain at home!"

The fact this was a winner of a fan vote makes this even crazier.  Fans voted and it won, based on that concept art picture.  And they totally did not deliver THAT playset.  A concept photo was liked so much it won a fan vote over Fright Zone and the Horde Tank, and instead of sticking to that concept art, they just went insane and made this ass turkey of a mega structure that seems like a makeshift custom playset.

I don't know what they were thinking.  If a photo wins a fan vote, you get your ass out there and make that playset look like the photo.  

It would have been smaller, more affordable, and what the people voted on had they just replicated the playset in the picture.  But no.  Let's make it as big as Eternia, but with the look and feel of a knock off D&D playset made by Lanard.

LOL, sorry.  I love Mattel and MOTU.  I don't know why I'm sh****** on this so hard.  But to sum it up, yeah.  This is a no buy for me.