Mattel: DC Universe Classics

[amusedjester]

IC - here in Orange County, we saw a brief shower of wave 11 figures around the first two weeks of January. Which figures are you missing?

 

[SnakeDoctor]

Yeah, that thing is awesome. I think it sold for around $400 bucks when he listed it.

Haha. Well ... nevermind about the "wish I had known about the Ebay listing" thing. Its a slick figure ... but $400 is nuts. My guess is that DCD will have a similar one for $15 inside of a year.

As amazing as this figure is, I'd like Mattel to stick to the main DCU and get to as many characters as they possibly can.

I like that DCU does a wide range of figures, but I'm really only interested in the big names. The range of DCU leads to some really obscure characters ... I can't find an Orange Aquaman (not the weird blue one) to save my life, yet shelves are crawling with CleavageGirl and the a blue guy in a parka.

The DCD figures are often better quality (though less articulated), and less generic than the DCU ones ... DCD allows you to pick your characterization.

I think it just proves how much we need Arkham Asylum figures! DCD really dropped the ball. Hopefully with Arkahm 2 coming they will at least do figures for that game. I'd love for Hot Toys to add Arkham as their next video game series. They've only done the Resident Evil figures so its not much of a series. Plus it would give them a chance to do more comic book versions of Batman and Joker at least.

I'd love to see an AA video game line -- Joker and Batman are essentials. Croc would be great. The AA Scarecrow may be the best rendition I've seen. Harley. Gordon. Not sure who will be in AA2 ... but its a good bet TwoFace and Riddler will make an appearance.

EDIT: I did a little looking around ... apparently there are hints in the new AA2 trailer that Two Face (via a Two Face as Uncle Sam Billboard), Mr. Freeze (Iceberg lounge is referenced) and Black Mask will appear in AA2.

SnakeDoc

 

[Silent December]

IC - here in Orange County, we saw a brief shower of wave 11 figures around the first two weeks of January. Which figures are you missing?

All of them

 

[Buttmunch]

I'd love to see an AA video game line -- Joker and Batman are essentials. Croc would be great. The AA Scarecrow may be the best rendition I've seen. Harley. Gordon. Not sure who will be in AA2 ... but its a good bet TwoFace and Riddler will make an appearance.

EDIT: I did a little looking around ... apparently there are hints in the new AA2 trailer that Two Face (via a Two Face as Uncle Sam Billboard), Mr. Freeze (Iceberg lounge is referenced) and Black Mask will appear in AA2.

SnakeDoc

Actually the Iceberg Lounge is Penguin's club. Mr. Freeze's cell was in the first Arkham game (the place in the electric floor) so it is still possible he could appear in this one.

Yeah if Mattel made them, I'd say we need at least 2 waves because there are two potential C&Cs - Bane and Croc. I suppose Titans could be too, but I'd rather have those two.

Wave 1
Batman
Joker w/ Scarface
Joker Thug
Harley Quinn
Gordon
C&C Bane


Wave 2
Armored Batman
Poison Ivy
Scarecrow
Crazy Inmate
Aaron Cash
C&C Killer Croc

Gordon and Cash are probably pushing it, but you'd need at least 5 figures if not 6 for a Mattel C&C. Plus you could probably have a couple of variants of the Joker Thugs and Crazy inmates.

 

[Luis138]

Hi, I need some figures and/or the C&C pieces. As to not pollute this thread I posted them in the WTB section. Please let me know if you have any of them.

https://sideshowcollectors.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2359016#post2359016


Thanks,

Luis

 

[SnakeDoctor]

Actually the Iceberg Lounge is Penguin's club. Mr. Freeze's cell was in the first Arkham game (the place in the electric floor) so it is still possible he could appear in this one.

Yeah if Mattel made them, I'd say we need at least 2 waves because there are two potential C&Cs - Bane and Croc. I suppose Titans could be too, but I'd rather have those two.

Wave 1
Batman
Joker w/ Scarface
Joker Thug
Harley Quinn
Gordon
C&C Bane


Wave 2
Armored Batman
Poison Ivy
Scarecrow
Crazy Inmate
Aaron Cash
C&C Killer Croc

Gordon and Cash are probably pushing it, but you'd need at least 5 figures if not 6 for a Mattel C&C. Plus you could probably have a couple of variants of the Joker Thugs and Crazy inmates.

My mistake on the Iceberg lounge thing ... 50/50 shot.

They might be able to put a few AA2 villains in wave 2 (Penguin, TwoFace, Black Mask) to fill in some of the gaps that may be left if they skip Cash or a generic Thug or Inmate. I've actually never done a BAF becuase I rarely buy a whole line ... but, in those cases, I think I'd be in for the whole thing.

SnakeDoc

 

[swiftlikessharpthings]

I would totally go for some AA figures. Batman, Joker and Scarecrow for sure, and a huge Croc would be great, my favorite representation of the character.

Does anyone know how long CSC usually takes to get your order shipped out? I'm probably just being paranoid, but I ordered wave 12 Sunday (it said 'in-stock') and I haven't gotten anything but an order confirmation. I'm hoping they wouldn't have taken my money if they didn't have them on-hand to ship...

 

[karamazov80]

I wouldn't buy 6 inch toys from that game, but figure others would. Unfortunately, DC Direct is run by a bunch of idiots who wouldn't know a good idea if it punched them in the face, and their execution. . . Their 1/6 scale figures suck, their 6 inch figures have failed to keep pace with the market in terms of articulation, their statues suck, and they killed their Minimates line in lieu of freakin' Blammoids!

Yeah, I'm bitter.

Arkham Asylum Hot Toys figures, though probably never ever going to happen, would be a really great idea, because they straddle the line between looking cartoony and realistic. I'm not sure how well Hot Toys could do truly comic-looking figures, but the AA characters are so realistic looking that I think they would look fantastic if sculpted and produced by those guys.

 

[SnakeDoctor]

I wouldn't buy 6 inch toys from that game, but figure others would. Unfortunately, DC Direct is run by a bunch of idiots who wouldn't know a good idea if it punched them in the face, and their execution. . . Their 1/6 scale figures suck, their 6 inch figures have failed to keep pace with the market in terms of articulation, their statues suck, and they killed their Minimates line in lieu of freakin' Blammoids!

I'd bet they'll move forward with an AA Video Game line. They're doing a Batman B&W from the Video Game already, and there was an AA line from the comic book already released as well ...

The AA video games also give them the opportunity to fully exploit a line where Batman and almost all of his villains appear in one compact storyline ... an opportunity they haven't really had since BTAS (unless you count The Batman or Brave/Bold). Plus, the AA video game is likely much more popular and well-known than any individual comic rendition of Batman. There's too much money in it to skip it.

As for your complaints about DCD, I'm pretty happy with their 6" lines. In many cases, I prefer the DCD 6" to the DCUC 6" figures. I am usually willing to sacrifice some articulation for appearance. DCD figures aren't articulated very well -- but they're not as toyish or generic as the DCUC figures either. I don't really play with them ... so articulation is somewhat less important to me than quality. The DCD Last Son Superman is still my favorite 6" Superman figure by a longshot.

I have a DCD 13" Superman, but other than that, don't really do the 1/6 line ... and I've never been into minimates, and don't even know what a "blammoid" is ... so I can't really comment there.

SnakeDoc

 

[sfa]

^ I agree with you SnakeDoctor. I love a lot of DCDs 6-7" figures and they definitely have more of an angst/gritty/real world quality to them than the DCUC figures have.
If anyone is going to make AA figures I would prefer it to be DCD - I really think they could do the designs from the game justice in terms of size, grittyness and sculpt uniqueness.
I just really can't see the AA designs being made by Mattel. They would need completely new sculpts for a lot of the characters and they'd likely end up looking too 'clean' so as to fit in with the rest of DCUC.

 

[amusedjester]

I have my Dc direct line and Mattel line. If I want better sculpts, I go to dc direct, if I want better articulation I go with Mattel. When I buy Mattel, I'm not looking for game specific or artist specific designs. I don't think I'll ever get rid of these because of some really great sculpts but I've pretty much stopped buying Dc direct except for some blackest night figures..
Here's my dc collection.

My Mattel collection needs to be transferred to better shelving since they are just overrunning it and soon their numbers will be enough to have a Earth-DC Vs Earth-Mattel take down. Bwa-ha-ha-ha

I know, I need to get out more often.

 

[Buttmunch]

Since we are showing off our collections:

 

[SnakeDoctor]

I have my Dc direct line and Mattel line. If I want better sculpts, I go to dc direct, if I want better articulation I go with Mattel. When I buy Mattel, I'm not looking for game specific or artist specific designs. I don't think I'll ever get rid of these because of some really great sculpts but I've pretty much stopped buying Dc direct except for some blackest night figures..
Here's my dc collection.

Holy crap. That's quite a group.

Since you have such an extensive DCD collection, and I'm just getting started -- any recommendations? Anything I should look out for? I'm generally Superman/ Batman focused, and wouldn't mind a good lineup of Batman villains either. Any recs for good Supermans (aside from Last Son) or Batmans (aside from the battle damaged Infinite Crisis, which I just bought)?

SnakeDoc

 

[amusedjester]

Buttmunch - I hope to do something similar to your Sinestro war setup with some of my DCUC. The problem with my setup is there's no breathing room for the figures. It may be impressive to look at as a bunch but the figures kinda disappear in the mass.

SnakeDoctor - The thing with Dc Direct is that it has a bunch of options for all types of collector. Artist driven, sculpt quality and even good range of articulation - depending on the waves.
My favorite Superman figures (not by rank)
Justice Superman - Because I love the sculpt.
Silver age Superman - Perfectly captures Silver age.
Superman action figure - Great articulation and looks like Jurgens'
Batman Hush 2 Superman - A Jim Lee version of Evil Superman.
Kingdom Come Superman - This figure started my addiction on DC Direct figures.

Justice Batman - Again a great sculpt all around.
Silver age Batman - Perfect silver age
Justice Armored Batman - Sleek, great design.
Killing joke Batman - My most favorite rendition.

I recommend the killing joke set, If you loved the book you will love the set.
As for Batman villains: you have to check out Secret files series 1 and 3 Batman's rogues gallery. The sculpts are amazing and the Manbat and killer Croc are both just supremely terrifying.

 

[SnakeDoctor]

Buttmunch - I hope to do something similar to your Sinestro war setup with some of my DCUC. The problem with my setup is there's no breathing room for the figures. It may be impressive to look at as a bunch but the figures kinda disappear in the mass.

SnakeDoctor - The thing with Dc Direct is that it has a bunch of options for all types of collector. Artist driven, sculpt quality and even good range of articulation - depending on the waves.
My favorite Superman figures (not by rank)
Justice Superman - Because I love the sculpt.
Silver age Superman - Perfectly captures Silver age.
Superman action figure - Great articulation and looks like Jurgens'
Batman Hush 2 Superman - A Jim Lee version of Evil Superman.
Kingdom Come Superman - This figure started my addiction on DC Direct figures.

Justice Batman - Again a great sculpt all around.
Silver age Batman - Perfect silver age
Justice Armored Batman - Sleek, great design.
Killing joke Batman - My most favorite rendition.

I recommend the killing joke set, If you loved the book you will love the set.
As for Batman villains: you have to check out Secret files series 1 and 3 Batman's rogues gallery. The sculpts are amazing and the Manbat and killer Croc are both just supremely terrifying.

Good suggestions. I looked up most of them and will be putting them on my lists. The Hush 2 Superman looks especially awesome, and the Justice set has been on my list for a while.

I briefly looked at the Secret Files Villains series -- love the Manbat, Croc, Freeze and Penguin (I've been looking for a good hardcore looking Penguin). I'm hoping an AA line is released that'll look really good.

I did want to ask if you had any separate recommendations about Two Face and the Joker specifically. I actually haven't seen many Two-Face figures out there ... any particularly good ones to look out for? I tend toward the realistic (as opposed to cartoonish) with regard to Batman villains.

Also ... what did you mean by "Superman Action Figure" on your list?

Thanks for the help.

SnakeDoc

 

[amusedjester]

dc direct produced a superman line that had Superman, bizarro, cyborg, doomsday and supergirl and Brainiac. Aside from the Supergirl, all the figures looked awesome.
Now those twos don't get no respect, I tell ya'! You'd think there would be more figures about them.
If you want a realistic looking Joker then the one from the Justice is the only one. If you don't like Joker in the tux, they are re-issung him in his regular outfit in the Mad Love set with Harley Quinn. Not a lot of Two face done. The best that I know of is from the Rogue's gallery, though I really hate the loud costume. I wasn't a fan of the Long Halloween version.

 

[karamazov80]

I don't disagree with SnakeDoctor regarding DC Direct. But their decisions are still questionable, IMO. Yes, there is an audience who like the range and quality of the sculpts on their toys, but it doesn't even come close to approaching the level of interest in DCUC figures. Maybe they don't want to compete, but the truth is that collectors of 6 inch toys (broadly defined) won't really accept toys with minimal articulation anymore, and I think DC Direct needs to step up if they want to compete and survive in the current environment (when they started up, they were the only game in town for anything beyond toys for 10 year olds, now that has changed). Same with their PFs relative to Sideshow, or their 1/6 figures relative to Hot Toys. . .or hell, even relative to Sideshow or Medicom. They are making in-roads (sculpted muscle bodies and better sculpts on the 1/6 scale toys, more arm articulation on their 6 inchers) but they seem to be stymied by an unwillingness to listen to good sense.

Being a Minimate fan, that is where my focus has really been re: DC Direct, and they just blew it with that license. Their last few waves were filled with wacky, b-level characters that ensured they weren't going to move sets, and they never got around to doing some of the more essential, recognizable characters that you need to release alongside the b-listers if you want to move toys. Mattel has a pretty good understanding of how this works, so you get your Deadshot and Guardian alongside your Green Arrow and Black Canary. Their Minimates went waves with maybe 1 semi-popular character, and so we never got the complete Golden Age JSA, or the Teen Titans. We never even got Martian Manhunter or Atom. But we did get S.T.R.I.P.E., female Question, and Red Son Wonder Woman.

These are the Blammoids:

 

[Silent December]

I've been to a few walmart's as of late in my fruitless effort to find anything new and I'm beginning to see a disturbing trend. Walmarts around here are going through resets and have the reset plans taped to pegs and none of them have a spot for DCUC. Just what the heck is going on here? Target has also shrunk their DCUC spot from 3 pegs to a single spot on the lower shelf. I'm no retail expert but this does not bode well

 

[karamazov80]

Time to give up on the hunt and move exclusively to online orders and pre-orders, I think. Hunting is a waste of time and energy, in my experience.

 

[amusedjester]

What do Blammoids do? Are they like golf balls with corners in superhero outfit?