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Q and A #9 was sent off to Richard at EM and the resulting answers are posted below.  Don't forget that you too can have your say, just register on the forum www.superherofigurineforum.com and make your wishes known

Hi Steve,

Here are my answers to Q&A 9, hopefully they're as useful/informative as Alan's were.



1 - With the flyer in recent issues of the CMFC, the community is quite excited about the positive response for the collection. In the last Q&A, it
was mentioned that an extension to 120 was being considered and that Baron Zemo and Enchantress were strong possibilities. Has 120 become official yet and if so, have any characters been confirmed. Are any of the characters we set up in our polls slotted for production? And we know Alan championed Nighthawk, but is there a character you are currently championing that you are hoping to see made?
I can confirm that 120 has become official and let you know that the following characters will definitely be included: Baron Zemo, War Machine, Hobgoblin, and Taskmaster. Sorry I can't confirm the rest of 101-120 but we're still debating which ones we want in, as well as looking at the list of characters you guys on the forum have thrown out at us. So I guess that kind of answers part two, as in yes, some of the characters you guys set up in the polls will be made. The only character I really want made, that is unlikely, (due to size) is MODOK. He's such a ridiculous villain, the little arms kind of remind me of a T-Rex. He could be a special but I think there are other characters ahead of him in the list.

2 - A lot of questions the members are asking are in regards to Eaglemoss expanding on popular teams or areas in the Marvel Universe that have not been addressed yet such as Alpha Flight, New Mutants, Western Heroes (Phantom Rider, Red Wolf, Two-Gun Kid), Guardians of the Galaxy, Invaders, International Heroes, Generic characters (Hydra, Shield, Brood, AIM) etc. Have any of the characters being considered for possible expansion been from an area in the Marvel Universe that has yet to be addressed?
Dan (designer) and I are constantly discussing the next 20 figs and we'd really like to touch upon all aspects of the MU but I think once we get to 100+ figures it all comes down to personal preference, most of the big figures will have come and gone already. I really like the idea of generic characters as it allows you to collect a few and build up an army, although it would cost a small fortune. Not really sure what I would do with 20 AIM agents but it would definitely look cool. So basically we are discussing these ideas but as Marvel's universe has well over 5000 characters I don't think we're ever going to do all of them, plus would you guys really want 500-1000 Marvel figures? Dusting them would be a pain in the butt.

3 - There was talk about specials after Rhino and Original Iron Man, being Abomination and Man-Thing. Have they been confirmed and have any other choices being discussed? Also, has there been any discussion on potenial upcoming variants?
Abomination is confirmed and the Man-Thing will definitely feature at some point but I'm not entirely sure when. I think personally I'd like to get another mega special out after Abomination, perhaps a Sentinel or Watcher can't confirm either yet as we haven't started to sculpt them.


4 - There has also been a strong indication that Eaglemoss might consider producing double-packs for certain characters. Has this been confirmed and will this be treated like a special or would a double pack be considered the two figures shipped per month?
Double packs are most definitely a possibility, I'm currently trying to get a few ideas together to prove these will be worth while. My favourite is obviously Cloak and Dagger but there are a few other possibilities, maybe we can tag-team a couple of weaker (but popular) characters. I can't confirm how exactly we would do the double packs but they're likely to be sent out as specials.


5 - In previous Q&A's, we know Eaglemoss cannot share sales information. But would like to ask since Galactus has been released, have the sales numbers been successful enough for Eaglemoss to entertain doing other super-size specials like a Sentinel or Watcher?
As you may have gleaned from Q3s answer, mega specials are most definitely part of our plan at the moment. Whereas I don't have sales figures, I do know that Galactus sold well and that I'm looking to get one in after Abomination but no promises.


6 - Why are certain figurines that are on general release not mentioned on the EM website ex. Marvel / Phoenix variants and the Grey Hulk?
I will check this out, I'm not sure why this happens at the moment.


7 - Has Marvel made any recent requests that a character be added to the collection? Or do Marvel just have the final say on whether they are happy at a certain figure to be released?
Marvel have not specifically asked for characters to be added or taken away, we are allowed to make any Marvel character we want. However, throughout the sculpting process Marvel make sure the figure meets their standards and is technically correct, ie Spider-Man isn't 9ft tall with wings. Occasionally Marvel do ask that characters are in certain outfits/costumes.


8 - A lot of members have been using Games Workshop paints to do touch-ups on a lot of characters. Would is be possible for you or Eaglemoss to provide a listing of colors used on characters, maybe on the website or as a downloadable PDF?
I'm definitely looking into something related to this but can't say too much, I really don't want to disappoint anyone or promise things that I can't deliver. All I can say is that at the moment we are not going to put any colour guides on the website.


9 - There are a lot of characters that are discussed and one thing that is mentioned a lot if that they may not be able to fill a magazine. With the
information gleaned that the new Iron Man Special will have a less substantial magazine, does that mean other characters that lack the criteria
for a character to be able to fill a magazine will now have the opportunity to be produced?
I understand that the collection is very much figurine orientated but I think it's very important to put out a decent magazine alongside these great figures (and I think Marvel agrees with this). As such I wouldn't want to cut back on the regular magazine, it's also a bit difficult in our business to have a 20-page mag one week and a 12 page the next. In the case of the Iron Man Special we've already covered his comic story in the first Iron Man mag and as the content is all film related we are a bit confined as to what we can and can't put into the magazine. More importantly do you guys really want a figure of a character that has little or no history? Maybe you could set up a poll of the minor characters that wouldn't fill a mag but the fans really want. If you guys forward me the results I'll chuck my two cents into the ring and let you know if I think the character could support a mag (I don't promise they'll be in the next 20 figs though). I can't think of that many especially when I consider that some of the better known figures would have to go.


10 - Has there been any further steps taken to link to the forum from the EM home page or FAQ page; ie in the FAQ. "Are there any other sites where I can learn more about this collection". ............."Of course, try www.superherofigurineforum.com or www.marvelcustoms.com"
Ok, I have spoken to the chaps in the internet department and have been told that Marvel do not want us placing any external links on our website. So I'm afraid we can't put them up, sorry about that but my hands are well and truly tied.

I just want to add a big thanks to everyone on the forums, we really appreciate the feedback.

Oh and here are a few images of some sculpts I don't think you will have seen yet but let me know if you have.

And I promise I'll have some stuff to give to you for a prize in a comp soon.

Many Thanks,

Richard

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