Charlee Flatt's New World Order

On August 4th, 1998, we were pleased to host Charlee Flatt's first on-line chat. Charlee's new company, Flatt World Figures, had just announced its first license and was on the verge of announcing several other exciting properties. Below is a transcript of that event. RTM edited the transcript for clarity and brevity. No questions or answers were altered except for correcting typos and minor grammar changes made to improve readability.

Enjoy!

Moderator: We're pleased to have Charlee Flatt with us tonight. Charlee's work has become world famous and has appeared in numerous magazines. Glad to have you here Charlee

Charlee Flatt: I'm delighted to be online with y'all! Who is dyin to know what? :)

Comedian: How long do it usually take for you to create one of your toys

Charlee Flatt: Oh, boy. From beginning to end it comfortably takes about a month and half,< or two months, maybe longer, to really fine tune it...Less time, if i've made the character before.

Exeter: On the gallery section of your webpage (where it shows your Space Ghost, etc.) who wrote the copy that goes with each figure?

Charlee Flatt: My cofounder with Flatt World and my unofficial biggest fan, Calvin Weaver. I found it amusing and flattering as well....!!

Comedian: Are there any new figures you can annouce at this time?

Charlee Flatt: Unfortunately not, but we will be in a position to make our NEXT announcement NEXT Week!!

Moderator: Moderator Question: What can we expect to see on display at San Diego?

Charlee Flatt: We will have a prototype figure of our Bela Lugosi as DRACULA,along with several other prototypes like those shown on our Gallery Pages,plus we will have a copy of the Lugosi Life Mask as well! In conjunction with our planned "NEXT" announcement, we will also have a prototype figure for our NEXT License.

MWC: What is the current pricing structure for your figures? How about Bela as Dracula?

Charlee Flatt: We're very excited to announce TONIGHT for the first time, that our prices have been LOWERED, below what we expected them to be -- Lugosi/Dracula is expected to sell for $59.95 retail - at least $10 under our previous estimates..!!!

Swift: I have to say, you've done a great job on those prototypes. Now, this is just a dream line, and I'm sure you've never even heard of it...but have you ever considered working on the Discworld license? Thanks!

Charlee Flatt: Swift, I'm afraid I've never heard of it. Please send some info to the email address on the FWF site, and we'll check it out!

GhostRider: What Line would you love to do or what have you been thinking of doing?

Charlee Flatt: Kingdom Come. Justice Society. I love my superheroes!!!

MWC: What accessories can we expect to see with Bela/Dracula?

Charlee Flatt: That figure will come in a fully detailed tuxedo costume, complete with cape, and he will be wearing his medallion as seen in the movie. Also, we are going to package him with a scale version of his Coffin, and also package him with a BAT and a Candle w/stand. :)

Comedian: Are there any plans for female figures in the future?

Charlee Flatt: ABSOLUTELY!!!!! Watch for at LEAST one early next year....keep your eyes on us, we're going to do some NEAT STUFF with female figures!!!!

Inky: I know this is probably just a pipe dream, but is there any possibility you could ever do super heroes like DC and Marvel for public release?

Charlee Flatt: Please pray to the toy Gods. :) Its something we'd very much LIKE to do, but its difficult to work things out because of Licenses they have signed, and the perceived conflicts that the toy companies see. We ARE working on it... but don't hold your breath!

GhostRider: What other classic monster licenses will you be doing? Or planing on doing?

Charlee Flatt: We're interested in more classic monster licenses, DEFINITELY, and are open to suggestions... Please send your ideas to the email address on our web site!! They are difficult to get, but we DO have plans!

Exeter: What was your first custom? Was it a deluxe Mego-style like your current efforts?

Charlee Flatt: Yes, it was Doctor Strange, made with a Bruce Wayne Head - I still have it proudly on display in my collection today!

MWC: When can we expect to get some of these figures into our hot little mitts? Dracula? The mystery license to be announced next week?

Charlee Flatt: Ask Santa Claus, and start hinting to your wife! The planned shipping date is December 1!!

Inky: Can you talk about how you do your costumes? Where did you learn to sew. BTW, I met you at the FX Con last year. You don't look at all like I expected. :)

Charlee Flatt: LOL Neither did you! I thought you looked COMPLETELY different! I learned to sew from my mom....she taught me the basics of the sewing machine, and then got out of my way and let me learn on my own. I'm ALMOST there now!

Inky: Hehehe.

Swift: Having seen the rather disappointing Famous Covers Dr. Doom, I must ask - if offered an appropriate license, do you think you would be able to make accurate *and* posable armor plating, or is such a thing night-impossible for an 8-12" action figure? Thanks again!

Charlee Flatt: Personally, I'd just make it out of Metal. :) Wouldn't that be the ultimate Doctor Doom? Instead of plastic, it'd be die cast! But, that's the ULTIMATE. It'd be very difficult to actually make it like that. Can you imagine our shipping costs?? :)

Swift: Yes indeed. I suppose I should have added "affordably" to my question. ;)

Comedian: Are accesories going to be a big thing for FWF when it comes to the figures as well as the outfits?

Charlee Flatt: The goal would be to present the figure with any accessories that they're going to need. When you do a solo figure, there are certain "character necessary" accessories! for example, with Dracula, you NEED a Coffin, you NEED a Bat - the candle is just an extra. So, I'd have to say it depends upon the character, but we'll do what WE feel will be best for each character.

Exeter: Do you look at other customizers' work, either on the Custom Corner or on their own pages? If so, are there any that stand out to you as, if not as complex as yours, still noteworthy?

Charlee Flatt: Absolutely, I LOVE looking at other people's work... people have sent me photos of their work, which I have in a photo album. I find it very motivating, and inspirational. As far as anyone that stands out, Scott Metzger does some work that's been motivational to me. I see other people's stuff and say "Wow, that's SO cool I'd like to do one of that character someday!" As an aside - As for web sites and stuff, I dont get much chance to get on the net but I love it when people send me pictures!

Moderator: Scott's work can be seen on the Customego section of the Mego Museum by the way. Awesome stuff.

Inky: Any plans for playsets of vehicles like the old mego stuff? Even though you probably can't be specific, can you tell us what kind of stuff we might expect?

Charlee Flatt: We'd like to do SCALE vehicles - there are some figures (use your imagination!) where vehicles are an integral part of what they do. As for playsets, if you look on our web site, you'll see that we're providing "an environment" for our characters to be placed in while this isn't a "playset" per se, its what adults enjoy - a place for their character to "live" and be himself! :) Those would be our stands, with background dioramas.

Weez: When will a pic of the proto of Drac be up on the web for people who can't see it in person?

Charlee Flatt: Probably immediately following the San Diego Show, unless you wanna come by with your camera and shoot a photo to post! :)

Moderator: Hmmmm... I wonder who might be able to do that? :)

Charlee Flatt: Are you volunteering? :)

Moderator: Sure thing.

Charlee Flatt: Permission Granted. :)

MWC: How many points of articulation will these figures have?

Charlee Flatt: Our figures feature a full TWENTY TWO points of articulation!

Inky: What about generic figures like Cops or Pirates or Knights? Any chance? No licensing issues right?

Charlee Flatt: We have some plans for UNlicensed characters like what you suggest, but you have to ask yourself, how many people are willing to pay $50 or more for a "cop" figure, even a super cool Flatt World Cop Figure? :) We have to be fairly selective.

Inky: I'd buy a cool Knight!!!!

Charlee Flatt: So would I!

Swift: Here's another style-of-design question, if I may. If articulation and accurate sculpting were at odds for a toy -- say, the Hulk, whose joints wouldn't be covered by clothing -- how would you balance the two? Full articulation at the risk of a character covered in grooves, or a perfect sculpt and lesser posability? The upcoming 12" "Slave" Leia seems to have taken a rather disappointing path...

Charlee Flatt: I believe that there is a way to articulate figures AND make it attractive enough that its acceptable, at least by my standards. I personally consider poseability to be the more important of the two, only because that's one of the joys of life - posing a figure different ways! To me, that's the "escapism" of a figure, and of what I do. It'd be nice to find a balance, and I believe one exists -- with this new playground that we have to work with (FWF) we have an opportunity to find a way!!!

Swift: I agree. Thanks for the info!

Inky: Are you interested in other superhero licenses not by the big two? Do you read comics? If so what are some of your favorites?

Charlee Flatt: Yes, we are certainly looking at other superhero licenses...! I am an avid comic reader, and have really enjoyed The Avengers recently. I've got a year's worth of comic books here to catch up on, but things are so busy, its tough to make the time. As for superheroes in general - if someone is wearing spandex and a cape, it sounds like fun to me, I just love superheroes! :)

Bobbi: Will the figures be scaled, as in 8" equals 6 feet, or will it be rough scale, as in Dracula is taller than Igor but not to scale?

Charlee Flatt: Our plan is to meticulous scaling. It gets tricky, though - partly due to the cost of parts and molds, and partly due to who's definition you take for who's how big.... as an example, Chris Reeves was fortunate enough to be six foot four - but if Michael J Fox played superman (for some reason) the CHARACTER would still be over six feet tall..!! Just not the ACTOR.

Weez: Has FWF made any attempts to negotiate with the estates of Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney or others to possibly expand to a group of movie monsters to join bela?

Charlee Flatt: Certainly we are interested in doing more horror characters to join Bela, but it takes more than one party to secure most character rights. We are proud to start with The Master, and we are certainly not finished! :)

Inky: What do you think of Toy Biz's Famous Covers and other recent efforts that certainly seem inspired by your previous work?

Charlee Flatt: I think they're great! Lets see some more eight inch figures!

MWC: What can we expect from the packaging? Will they be window boxes? Lotsa art or basic design?

Charlee Flatt: We are using window boxes WITH lots of art - and, our packages are "collector friendly" packages that you can open, enjoy your figure, and put it back in the package without ANY damage! After all, toys are for fun - we want people to open and enjoy these things!!

Exeter: Would you ever put an action feature on your figures or playsets (or, rather, displaysets)? I'm sure I'm not the only collector who enjoys those sort of play-oriented additions.

Charlee Flatt: We're open to suggestions... but we don't want to do anything that would restrict our costuming and detail, or lose our poseability. For example, if we could find a way to do a character with "light up eyes", and wouldnt impact on the figure, we'd look into it! :)

Inky: What about appropriate "action features?" Any chance we'll see character-derived action features with your features? If so, like what?

Charlee Flatt: We really don't have any plans like that at the moment. We feel that the poseability IS the action feature. :)

Bobbi: You mentioned that no one would want a $50 generic figure, but what about a lower-cost, less-detailed figure?

Charlee Flatt: Well, that's not out of the question... but its nowhere in our early plans. It may be something we could do in a relatively simplistic way later, at a lower cost. Send your ideas and suggestions, we consider all input! Someday, we may just offer something like that!

GeneralZod: Charlee, any hope of doing Michael Myers from Halloween or Dr, Sam Loomis? Are the rights holders interested in licensing their franchise?

Charlee Flatt: With the new movie, that might be very tricky... But its something we'd like to do. Its difficult, though, to consider doing a given property without being able to do all of the characters FROM that property. Dr. Loomis without Jamie Lee? Tough to imagine!

GhostRider: What made you do your Mego Custumes? and why is your Scarlet Spider so Damn Good!!

Charlee Flatt: SS was a labor of love. :) A friend of mine & I have been reading comics together for a long time, and unlike a lot of people we were ENJOYING the Scarlet Spider line.. If you think he looks THAT good, its because of how much i was enjoying making him!

Exeter: This is a comment, not a question, about the possibility of generic figures. I'd love to see some generic terror-stricken Drac victim. Maybe with limited articulation or detail.

Charlee Flatt: Hey, that'd be NEAT! I like it! :) But we can't label a figure "victim"

Swift: At the opposite end of the spectrum from Bobbi's question (and my apologies if this was asked while I was offline), if you could pick one "perfect" toy to make, from a license of your choosing, with as high a price point as you could possibly want, what would that one ultimate Flattworld toy be?

Charlee Flatt: Wow, the Ultimate, huh? thats a tough one... There's NO possible way I could pick a single one. I would hate to leave so many OFF the list....

Exeter: The "Ultimate" would have to be life-sized.

Charlee Flatt: Hawkman is one I would LOVE to do, to make his wings with actual feathers... the labor would be consuming, but its one I'd love. Ultimately, I'd love to make an AVENGERS versus JUSTICE LEAGUE CHESS SET, all made from our figures...!! Feel free to send YOUR favorite ideas in. We consider Every suggestion!

Bobbi: Will the figures have hollow bodies like Megos or solid bodies like Famous Covers? (I am looking at the overall sturdiness here.)

Charlee Flatt: Most of our pieces will be solid injection molded plastic. They will be VERY sturdy! :)

Inky: Outside of the big two companies, what are some of your other favorite superheroes?

Charlee Flatt: I love Astro City. I like the WILDCATS. Spawn is very cool but not too likely! ;)

Inky: Follow up: What are the chances of you doing a property that has already been licensed to another company, but in a different format. Like MAC has the little figures and ETP has the dolls for Buffy TVS?

Charlee Flatt: Pretty good, depending on the property. :) There are many ways to slice a License that leave room for us, or for other companies. We come in on the high end for most things, while most other companies are making toys.

Bobbi: Any chance of a "customizers pack" for lazy people like me? With lots of body parts, hands and heads, so we could assemble our own figures? (generic body parts, that is)

Charlee Flatt: Bobbi, what a great idea! We'll have to talk about that!

Exeter: Have you ever made any figures that you immediately threw away upon completion? I think all customizers know the experience of hating at least one of their works.

Charlee Flatt: Oh, yeah. :) My first try at Superman REALLY sucked. :) I tried to make The Vision once, and went thru a lot of tries to come up with one I was happy with. Black Panther too!

Swift: Well, there's a thought -- would you ever tackle action figures (i.e. smaller, less-articulated, all-plastic)?

Charlee Flatt: Swift: probably not, unless it was an accessory figure.

Weez: The impending license announcement- is it for a license invloving a group of figures or a single fig like drac? just to end the night with a teaser..

Charlee Flatt: Yes. :)

Weez: Yes a group or yes a single fig?

Swift: Now THAT'S a teaser!

Charlee Flatt: I have to say, "stay tuned" - you'll be impressed, and other folks will be Stunned! :)

Moderator: We'd like to thank Charlee Flatt for coming out to chat with us this evening. Everybody give a big thanks to Charlee and Flatt World Figures!

Robb: Thank you

TheAmazingAnteater: %) thank you Charlee Flatt

Starscream: Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay Charlee

MWC: Thanks Charlee!

Moderator: And look for news on upcoming FWF offerings on RTM!

Robb: Good luck

Charlee Flatt: It was an honor to spend time with you, and to hear so much excitement! :)

Starscream: You go fella

GhostRider: Thanks for coming Charlle.

Swift: Thanks, Charlee! Best of luck!

Starscream: Don't let the man keep ya down

Inky: Thanks!

Starscream: I want an invisible man

Charlee Flatt: So do I

Charlee Flatt: Gee, that was fun! :) We'll have to do this again!

Robb: Feel free to drop by anytime

Starscream: Cool

GhostRider: C'mon back any time,bud!

Moderator: Good Night Folks! We now return you to your regularly scheduled open chat. :)

Charlee Flatt: G'night, all!! :)

Starscream: bye

TheAmazingAnteater: bye bye

Robb: bye, Charlee

Starscream: See ya on the flipside