Mattel DC Figures

[PantherCult]

Remember, hating Todd doesn’t make Mattel magical. They lost the license for valid reasons. Have those reasons even been addressed?

Who knows... the figures are at least a year away. But I can give them the benefit of the doubt. McFarlane still has a ton of annoying issues five years in so its likely Mattel's line won't be perfect either.

 

[tenzilkem]

I guess everyone has their preferences, but I see all of the toy manufacturers as the same. They make a product. Some like it & some don't. Sometimes it's 100% right and other times it's about 85% or less right. Distribution can be good or bad. Some figures are easy to get and some are not. I don't think one company is better than the other, they all do the same thing.

When Mattel had the license, I was fine with it. Of course I wasn't on forums listening to other people talk about action figures until later. Looking back I found most figures in stores. But I do remember getting some figures at toy shows because I couldn't find them in stores. Then I would order some waves from Matty Collector to make sure I got everything. I know I bought Gentleman Ghost on ebay because I never saw it at retail. But when people couldn't get the Metallo wave, it was available on Matty Collector. When the LSH sold out, they offered it again. Some things were good and some things bad.

When McFarlane took over, I wasn't exactly enthused. I think mainly because the size was different. Then after a while it just seemed dark & boring with all of the Batman & Metal figures. It didn't seem like a lot of variety even though they made comic, animation, live action & video games figures. There wasn't much color & it didn't seem fun. I remember in an early interview with Todd, he said he wanted to make cool looking figures. He did that but I realized he didn't care about world building, which Mattel did. I decided to cherry pick & still do. If I had to get rid of all of my McFarlane figures right now, I would not miss them except for maybe the green & gold Geo-Force.

During the first year there was product on the shelves or online, but some things were still hard to get like all 3 Robin Crow figures. During the second and third year it seemed like a lot of product was peg warming. Maybe it was the selection, but I remember Target & Gamestop having sales every so often but not so much anymore. Then things changed. There were more character selections along with various Batman versions, but it was harder to find figures in the toy aisles & pre orders would sell out. Did the stores complain and not order as much? Are they making less product & increasing prices because of the reduction? Did he make platinum figures because of the 90s mentality or was it an agreement with the stores to try an increase foot traffic?

When I heard Mattel was getting the license back, I was actualy happy. I think mainly for the fact of trying to acquire figures, like red platinum. I was hoping McFarlane would be done mid 2026. I hope Mattel does something new. It doesn't make any sense to me to pick up where they left off, either DCUC or their DC Multiverse. I don't know why anyone would want them to go backwards. I think they should do a size that is similar to their previous products. Why make new product compatible with McFarlane. Also, I don't collect other lines, except for certain Marvel figures, so I don't think they have to be compatible with figures from other lines like Marvel, Star Wars, TMNT, Transformers, etc.

I have no problem if McFarlane continues their retro line or Super Powers line. I feel the 7" figure should end, regardless if they are sold as Page Punchers or Phygital. I wish in the final year they would offer the hard to get figures again like the Collectors Edition Wonder Woman or the Page Punchers Shazam. There are a few others I missed out on, but I would not pay scalper prices for these figures, i just do without.

 

[Atomic Knight]

All I know is that in 2019 when the news broke about Mattel losing most of the DC license, it was met with jubilation. The hated Mattel was finally done. When it came to light that the 7” scale would be used, there was more jubilation. At least on thefwoosh.

Now Mattel is back. The 6” scale is the going assumption on most of the internet. Now I’m trying to figure out where everyone is. All the Mattel haters and 6” scale haters. They’ve all gone radio silent.

And for what it’s worth, I wasn’t for Todd or the 7”scale back then. I’m a full blown convert. All my problems with Mattel are in hindsight. I’m pretty sure I don’t have it in me to change scales again. The product is going to have to be spectacular, and heading into semi retirement, I’ll have to reassess finances assuming I don’t win the lottery.

My greatest fear is that it’s going to be boring. I don’t want to just get the usual suspects and I don’t want the DCU as seen by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez or even Dan Mora. Character selection needs to be wide and deep. Sculpts need to be interesting, not just technically well done. Vanilla is not OK. QC will have to be better, as will distribution.

Still hoping for some sort of a carve out. Even if they can’t use the Multiverse terminology. Even if they can’t sell on the toy aisle. The 7” scale should survive in some form. Through DCD if nothing else.

 

[RicksNerdLife]

Well, in that time, Mattel has evolved and shown a willingness to listen to the fans a smidgen more.

WWE are some of the best mass market figures out there.
Masterverse and Origins are showing a willingness to blend nice sculpts, good paints, and decent articulation coupled with fan service.

You have to understand, we were coming off of the same Four Horseman buck days, with Scott Neitlich still lurking in the back of people's brains, laziness (due in part to I'm sure losing the license), and overall questionable character choice--especially towards the end.

People were ready for something different.

And Todd of 2019 wasn't the Todd of today. People were excited because McFarlane still seemingly gave a shit. He had stuff was still good to great. And again, it was something new. Since then, he's become lazy and complacent, and people see that he brings nothing new to the table. In 5 years, the same formula for every figure in the line. He's following the same patterns Mattel did towards the end. Sure, he still has some gems (just got in Max Shreck today, and it's incredible). Throw in these God damned chases, and people are ready for something different yet again.

That Mattel is not this Mattel, so people are excited to see what they can do. Especially if this Kyle rumor is the gospel.

 

[AceofKnaves]

Yep, the biggest draw for me with Mattel is that *neither* Todd *nor* that worm Neitlich will be involved.

I am waaaaaay beyond done with the self-aggrandizing “personality” approach. Just make cool toys. Not interested in a cult of personality.

 

[Atomic Knight]

Eh. I’ll take Todd over some faceless corporate tool. Being anonymous is the stepping stone to being unaccountable. If no one’s in charge then no one is responsible. At least in public. I really don’t see McFarlane as leader of some personality cult. And I’m certainly not a member. I just like the product and don’t wanna see it go away.

I see Todd as Frank Perdue or Dave Thomas. He’s in charge, but also the face of the company.

I wonder at this point what communication will be like with Mattel being that Neitlich had it so effed up at the end.

 

[Niko (protozoalord)]

My greatest fear is that it’s going to be boring. I don’t want to just get the usual suspects and I don’t want the DCU as seen by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez or even Dan Mora. Character selection needs to be wide and deep. Sculpts need to be interesting, not just technically well done. Vanilla is not OK. QC will have to be better, as will distribution.

I overall get and understand this, my most wanted DC characters for figures are OG Azrael (Not Azbats), Ragman, and 90s The Ray, all characters best for oddball wave picks and con/online exclusives. Plus my biggest complaints about Marvel Legends are usually when figures aren't evocative of the artists from the runs those figures are based on, but are instead based on really popular current cover artists. (JSC, Adam Hughes, Alex Ross, Ed Mcguinness, etc)

But so long as they release good figures of iconic designs on a decent schedule, there's no world where I can consider it boring. We've NEVER had that. There's never been a truly great domestic line of super-articulated DC action figures, only ones that excel at one or two things, never the whole picture.

 

[AceofKnaves]

He’s in charge, but also the face of the company.

I don’t want a “face”. I want personality taken entirely out of it. There can be oodles of accountability without having to pin anything on “one guy”.

And Todd is absolutely trying to cultivate a cult of personality. He named his toy company after himself, I mean come on now. He’s *always* put his name and himself out there like that, his whole career.

I feel some Emily Dickinson coming on, something about “how public like a frog, to tell one’s name the livelong day, to an admiring bog”.

 

[Reno]

All I know is that in 2019 when the news broke about Mattel losing most of the DC license, it was met with jubilation. The hated Mattel was finally done. When it came to light that the 7” scale would be used, there was more jubilation. At least on thefwoosh.

This is not what I remember, but I also liked Mattel more than most so I may have had blinders on and I may not have been "Fwooshing" during that period. I was a huge fan of the stuff that we got from Mattel and the Four Horsemen on DCUC and MOTUC. After the Four Horsrmen moved on then we got Mattel DC Multiverse that seemed to mostly be focused on live action figures (which I don't generally collect) and many of those live action figures were absolutely horrendous. I wasn't really buying a lot anymore at that point. However, I thought that last comic wave with the Killer Croc CTB was really good and I was looking forward to Mammoth (that never got made).

I didn't have any problem with the McFarlane announcement UNTIL the 7" news hit and then I was SEETHING - and to this day I've still not gotten over it. I will likely always dislike McFarlane for this fact alone. He was never going to win me back. Now I think everyone is completely sick of how hard it is to get the figures that people want to buy that they're mostly just done and ready to move on. I can't think of one single Mattel figure that I wanted that I couldn't easily get my hands on. The hardest was probably the convention exclusive Gleek - but Toddy Mac has taken things to another level entirely. I remember people hating the Matty Collector site and subscriptions but that never bothered me because I was ordering everything online by that point anyway. Brick and mortar retail around me had already become unreliable and has only gotten worse since then.

What Todd does have going for him is that he's not the big corporation held accountable to stockholders. For that reason alone he was more likely to take chances and do what he wanted to do without really having to answer to anyone. That probably allowed for more creativity and broader character selection than the big 2 toy companies would be willing to do. However it also allowed him to lean into his worst biases, impulses and indulge his "chase" mentality.

I have figures that I love from McFarlane, and I'm sure that there will be more that I will really enjoy over the next year - but I'm also completely ready to move on. If Mattel does go back to 6" then I will probably sell the vast majority (but certainly not all) of my McF figures bit by bit and not look back.

 

[RicksNerdLife]

Eh. I’ll take Todd over some faceless corporate tool. Being anonymous is the stepping stone to being unaccountable. If no one’s in charge then no one is responsible. At least in public. I really don’t see McFarlane as leader of some personality cult. And I’m certainly not a member. I just like the product and don’t wanna see it go away.

I see Todd as Frank Perdue or Dave Thomas. He’s in charge, but also the face of the company.

I wonder at this point what communication will be like with Mattel being that Neitlich had it so effed up at the end.

But this will be a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.

One of the biggest problems people had with the original Mattel DCSH/DC Universe Classics was Scott Neitlich. There was a face. And he deservedly got the brunt of the criticisms, and did not respond appropriately. He was lying, sniveling, condescending little weasel. Remember the "Killing teh line" t-shirt that he thought was so charming?

Many of us just wanted the product without someone demanding we worship at his altar. And that was Scott to the letter.

Same applies for Todd. And while he's nowhere near the level of Scott, he still tries to be bigger than the product. It's not DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys (egotistical to have your company brandishing your name in the first place). But rather, he really comes across as Todd McFarlane's DC Multiverse, if that makes sense.

And the constant videos from him...

I don't need a Todd warbling through shitty explanations of his offerings. Because again, it's not about the product, it's about him--and I get half-assed explanations while he sniffs his own farts. On every. Single. Product. Release.

You clearly do want to see him. Many of us are over it. I think general consensus is that we are over it.

You'll notice it's different with how Dwight and Dan handle Legends. They are accepted and beloved, and they pop in every, what? Bi-monthly? It feels like friends catching up and talking about the hobby and showing cool stuff.

Same goes for the WWE team of Steve and Magic.

Many of us are fine with people telling us about the product they've worked on. It's how you go about it. And when you try to make yourself bigger than the product, that's where you lose people. Like Scott. Like Todd.

 

[Niko (protozoalord)]

I got an incredibly different impression of the reaction to Mcfarlane's DC Multiverse for the first few years. It wasn't ever enthusiasm, it was always directly questioning Todd directly about the 7-inch scale, the lack of proper scale, the articulation, the ugly joints, the ugly sculpts, the side-eyes, the terrible character selection, the lack of female characters, etc. And Todd always responded with what boils down to "I feel like doing it this way."

 

[Damien]

All I know is that in 2019 when the news broke about Mattel losing most of the DC license, it was met with jubilation. The hated Mattel was finally done. When it came to light that the 7” scale would be used, there was more jubilation. At least on thefwoosh.

Clearly we were on different Fwooshes because LOTS of people were definitely not happy about the switch in scale. If anything, there was ambivalence because a lot of people were like 'good, means I won't be tempted to add to my collection.' Plenty of people, at least in the moment, were prepared to call their DC collection 'finished' with the change in scale.

People were definitely happy Mattel was losing the license. But that was because Mattel deserved to lose the license and had drastically mismanaged the line for the last few years. People were fed up. Doesn't mean they're not allowed to be fed up -now- with Todd. And it also doesn't mean, to be entirely fair, that this Mattel is the same as that Mattel (also doesn't mean it's NOT the same Mattel - time will reveal).

All the Mattel haters and 6” scale haters. They’ve all gone radio silent.

The former certainly haven't. Lots of people are saying what I just said; Mattel at the close of DCUC sucked. This is a chance for them to do better based on their generally better performance in recent years on collector lines. They're certainly not silent.
And I don't know anything about 6" haters. As I said, most of what I saw back then were people more than happy to not even collect the new line and one of the biggest complaints right up front was the scale change, so....

Eh. I’ll take Todd over some faceless corporate tool. Being anonymous is the stepping stone to being unaccountable. If no one’s in charge then no one is responsible. At least in public.

I don't see how it matters, to be honest with you. Todd is not faceless - but what accountability has there been? His figures still kind of suck, and still do some of the stupidest possible shit over and over again that people don't like. Where exactly is the 'accountability?' Public face or faceless corporation; none of them give a shit what we think so it's kind of the same either way.
I'd prefer a faceless corporation that makes a good action figure over whatever the hell Todd is currently doing. Ideally, if Todd were making great stuff, I'd be here for it. I think his brain is in the right place on some things - like not having anyone to answer to for his profits so being able to accept lower profits to make a cool toy people can afford. I love that about him. I just wish the toys were actually cool.

I wonder at this point what communication will be like with Mattel being that Neitlich had it so effed up at the end.

I expect it'll be a lot like MOTU -- i.e. basically no direct fan interaction anymore.

 

[Atomic Knight]

Again I like the product. Todd is an egomaniac for sure. But he also feels like he’s the best salesman his company has and he’s not wrong. Enthusiasm sells and is contagious.

Todd is the product of a happy accident that happened 30 years ago centered around a character he no longer has access to. Angela. He didn’t paint on the underwear beneath her armored skirt saving a few pennies in production. What happened on the secondary market rewired his brain. “Party Angela” changed everything and affects him to this day. Sadly. His opinions on female figures are documented to be wrong. Painting over sculpted details is just lazy. I’m fully aware of all his many shortcomings. And I’m not making excuses for him.

I’ve got a litany of complaints starting with Alan Scott and his ring on the wrong hand. Hourman and that horrific reuse of the Spectre. Mr. Miracle and that awful plastic cape and more. I could go on. I don’t like exclusives either. But the good still by far outweighs the bad for me. I’m in til the end.

 

[altcunningham]

I remember people being hostile to the loss of Mattel. The scale change had some really vocal haters on Fwoosh and Reddit. I remember tantrums and doomsaying from a few people.

Even when he course corrected, Todd did shit like Side Eye, the females don't sell comment. I appreciate how experimental he got with the articulation and line. I don't think his articulation or diapers are bad ideas (other companies do it better), but he's never really just dialed in on a solution and aesthetic. I just wish he didn't experiment on some flagship characters and debuts. I remember hearing in Year 2 that the factory cut the ankles and wrists to jam the ball joint in, and it took time for them to decide to "texture" it in for a subtler transition.

Even when he does things right, he finds a way to make it an obstacle and not a service.

But I do like how he wanted to capture artist versions and storylines. I know many like cohesive compatible lines, but for a lot of Metal I appreciated the vision. Then it didn't translate (for my eye) to the Knightfall and other series.

I think McFarlane DC is the epitome of "It's crooked, but it's the only game in town". Maybe you can argue that with Marvel Legends, but they at least made people happy with scale and compatibility. To this day I still don't feel good about my Trinity, looks and size wise. But even if you dabble in Mafex, they haven't given us a Diana either, so... It's crooked, but.

 

[Damien]

It obviously depends on what you want from a line. For me, basically everything I REALLY want from a DC line Todd fucked up and made something I wouldn't buy on clearance.
The only thing I have from him that I genuinely like is Forever Batman. And even then.. I stopped at Batman and never bothered to get the rest of the movie cast or the Batmobile (that was tempting, though).