R.I.P. CoD :|

Well like I pondered the other day, since COD is changing hands to Microsoft I wonder if Mega will be able to get the license back once the whole sale of Activision/Blizzard is finalized. I could suggest that Mega could go after some anime licenses, the popularity of anime is at an all time high, plus it could open up the Japanese market for sets.

They would do very well to target a lower price point. Not necessarily Dollar Tree stuff, though that wouldn't hurt, but any of the themes that Gramps mentioned, with small sets priced under $5. Other than blister packs and those very nice little $1 construction vehicles, when did you last see $5 Mega sets on the shelf? I think it's been years. Heck, when did Mega have any consistent shelf presence at all?

Say what you like about the 2 1/2 aisles full of LEGO at every Walmart in the country: Mega totally owns two feet of the top shelf in a back aisle of many Dollar General stores!

No matter how cool the design, most shoppers aren't interested in dropping $60 for a tank made by a "LEGO knockoff" that boasts that it "works with other brands." Sure, zealots like us will buy stuff like that, but it's hard to prop up a company on a niche hobbyist market. And who's going to buy a $250 Tesla truck that's almost as ugly as the real thing?

There's a lot of untapped potential for Mega in their existing and retired lines. For one thing, I don't see why they can't leverage more Mattel properties, and why not revisit and update old lines? I'd love to see a modern take on Alien Agency, or another swing at Xtreme Sports, or a new line of mechs like the excellent Warriors series. And Mega has a huge catalog of parts for which the molds almost certainly still exist; why not design a bunch of sets primarily with those existing elements, to minimize cost?

Why not a girl-targeted line other than the misbegotten troll-like Barbie figures that are currently in production for some reason? Barbie's been a top seller for six decades; how do you fail to tap into that market with your own product?!?

I know that I rant about this stuff from time to time, but it's really baffling that Mega has struggled to find its stride for so many years. Halo's been a terrific cash cow, and with the new series maybe they'll see new interest, but only if those sets actually wind up on shelves. If they only exist online, then practically speaking they don't exist at all.


Ever hopeful, but sometimes less optimistic.

Personally I think Mega/Mattel just needs to fight harder and get better licenses, make better sets, use the resources they have with Mattel (aka. Barbie, etc...), and ultimately stop trying to just be number 2 and take the lead.