Wait, I thought we lost the Civil War.
Is that one of those Blue State/Red State thingies?

~sigh~

Can't believe we've become so desensitized to the loss of life that we can equate it to the incidental destruction of civilian property (i.e. collateral damage.)

...you guys are killing me, you know that.

As a consumer, Mattel's stocks and profit, bottom line, etc mean nothing to me. I don't care about the logistics of their business. The only thing I care about is a quality product. I'll pay what ever it's marked at, so long as I get my money worth...

...I guess that means I have some kind of entitlement complex.

Castle Grayskull is only selling well because the fan base HAS TO have it. It completes their collection. Mattel knows that most will eat this up mainly because of the sculpt, which is why they chose to downgrade every aspect of it. Some fans aren't letting the size bother them because the look of it outweighs the size apparently. Fans have to have it because it's the focal point of the entire property. Mattel knew that most fans will get it no matter what. They also knew that their would be a backlash, which is why they offer the refund.

Some of us feel that for a $300 play set, it makes more sense to actually be able to play with it if we choose to do so. With CG, you really can't play with it comfortably. The figures BARELY fit on the floors, through the doors, on the tower tops, etc. Add the fact that they are cutting some accessories and putting stickers where paint apps should go. Simple action features like the throne opening the trap door will be eliminated because they don't want to tool another tiny little piece. And from a display view point, the figures look pretty silly next to the castle, period.

And again, if it's that big of a deal for you, why not cancel your pre-order? You have an out. You don't have to pay for it. Problem (or supposed problem) solved.

But I guess it's just more fun to complain about it.

I don't have room for a CG. But I'd certainly make room for one (in my wallet and my home) if it was properly scaled. That was my only concern from the beginning. I pretty much knew it would be under-scaled, even at that price point. I'm somewhat disappointed, but I'm nowhere near the hardcore MOTUC collector that a lot of you guys here (and especially on the org) are. So I've already gotten over it.

It is a big deal. I already cancelled my order, and I hope thousands more do the same.
Yeah, I do like to complain... Does that annoy you? .... good!

Actually, It would seem more people on the org are Princess of Power fans than He-Man fans. LOL! And for every 1 person who dislikes the castle, there's like 20 people who love it just the way it is. But then it's just one big happy go lucky family over there with Val being granny goodness,

I for one, am glad you cancelled Why!
I truly hate to see people spend money on products they don't like. Always vote with your dollars, folks!
That said, I'm sure the castle will sell out quickly, and hopefully those who do purchase enjoy theirs! I didn't order, because I'm just a fringe He-Man collector, and only buy the few pieces I really want. That said, so far I think they've done an amazing job with Grayskull, and it's incredible in this day and age that Mattel is even willing to consider the investment this this demands. It's a tribute to the fan base.

Yeah, it's the whole "play sets don't sell" theme.

I figured Mattel would simply do a big facade a la the Hall of Justice and call it a day. They probably should have just done the front with the Jawbridge and made it bigger so nobody would complain about the scale.

The best part about CG is its front, anyway. Ah, well.

The downside is, with all the controversy there's probably no chance of a Snake Mountain type set ever seeing the light of day.

See now I also would've much preferred a facade that was bigger over just a two sided play set that has height restrictions due to cost. End of the day I'm only ever going to display it as a backdrop to my figures. That's why, I'm now more than likely going to cancel.
I figure I can either paint a decent backdrop or sculpt one that's a better fit, and save the cash I was going to spend for the Batman 66 figures.

Exactly... They should have made a one piece, big ass monster facade... it still could have been a playset too, ala "The Hyve". With one piece, it could have had everything!

1st floor- Doorway (8-9" high), Dungeon, robot, computer, ladder to 2nd floor.

2nd floor- Trap door (over the dungeon), throne, elevator.

3rd floor- Elevator, main computer, ladder to laser cannon, etc.

top floor- Elevator, laser cannon, flag pole, etc.

Forget that stupid, useless orb chamber.

Then there wouldn't be any restrictions due to having a "clam shell" design, wouldn't need a WR pie piece. Would have actually been cheaper to make I'll bet... They really didn't open their minds up to the possibilities and instead locked themselves in the "has to look like the original" box and threw away the key.

Why - here's the Castle Greyskull you always wanted. And it's a lot cheaper than Mattel's version too!

http://tinyurl.com/d3m4fqk

I'm not so much. While I do still believe the castle is too small, I think anyone not happy should at least wait until after SDCC to see the final product. I'd hate for anyone that was very much looking forward to it end up not getting one because they canceled before problems were addressed. No matter how Grayskullian (I kid I kid) small the chances of changes for the better may be.

After all the fighting and accusations that's been going on, I do hope that Mattel at least has a serious discussion with whoever was responsible for the original cost estimate of it. Grayskull is no Hover Board debacle, but somebody, somewhere screwed up.

I'm getting the "castle of power" ... I'm really looking forward to it.

http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/marxblog/?p=710

Great photo, Daniel! You really should try that with Mo-Larr's head...