Mattel DC Figures

I'm still very excited to see what Mattel offers for DC. Both in the kids and adult collectibles.
Collecting Masters of the Universe Origins and Masterverse I honestly wish they'd make DC figures in both of those styles.

But I'm interested in whatever they do. I've collected so many DC lines from various companies at this point though, for me to be all in on anything Mattel does, it's going to have to really wow me. But I'm sure no matter what I'll be buying some of both their new kids and adult collectibles.

But how deep I go will really depend on both Mattel, and what they offer, and myself and if I really feel it's necessary to have an entire other collection of DC characters. Which the answer is NO. I DON'T! But you know how it goes. You see the shiny new Batman, you piss your pants a little and clap, and next thing you know your 200 figures deep in a new line.

I don't have the whole movie roster, but I do have the Forever version of Batman and the bat signal from that multi-pack. And, despite the Toddisms, I like them well enough to keep them. Batman Forever is my favorite Batman movie, so I'll always be glad that figure got made.

I hadn't thought about Mattel doing Origins versions of DC characters. That would be a turn off for me.

yojoebro82 said:

Well here we have it.

I'm highly critical of Todd and I'm guessing that's not going to change in the next year. But when the license goes away and we're taking stock of how things went overall, one of the things that was a big BIG deal for me personally is getting these figure sets: Batman Returns, Batman Forever, and Batman and Robin movie figures. You aren't going to get these figures from any other company any time soon. I love these and I am glad to have them. Seeing these makes me think about calling it good on DC Multiverse. This is pretty much my personal DC peak.

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I haven’t collected these but it is surprising they exist in a mass market toy line and the likenesses also don’t suck.

Chooch555 said:

I hadn't thought about Mattel doing Origins versions of DC characters. That would be a turn off for me.

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I'd add a few DC characters to my MOTUO collection. It definitely isn't 'the thing' I want from a DC line, but I wouldn't say no to a few in addition to a legit 6" line.

I do feel like the smart move for Mattel is to do something kind of like marvel legends.

I think hasbro still has plenty of problems with pricing, the joints are still gummy on a lot of the figures, etc. I am not hardcore ML guy though, and really only pick up certain figures I like, usually only if I see them on sale.

When I compare ML to old DC Mattel even at the time, I think the ML were just better all around in all aspects. The articulation, paint, sculpts, and accessories were all better on ML.

Masterverse I think is a lot closer of a call and I can’t really fault anyone for liking one over the other. Generally I think hasbro still has an edge on the articulation, but Matell is say generally I like the paint better, I think I like their accesory selection better, and their figures often have little touches that are a nice surprise like a hinged jaw or the gem eyes. The bucks are less articulated I think, but also they have a lot more armor and stuff that blocks the articulation.

Tbh, Jada clears them all, but I suspect that Jada can only do what they do at the cost they do with licenses where the cost isn’t adtronomical. I’d love to see a Jada line with a major comic company but I don’t think they will be able to keep the same level of quality at that price point with that license and also keep the amount of custom work in each figure with pushing nearly as much product as a marvel or dc line demands.

They gave Penguin a normal left hand. That shit is lazy and inexcusable.

When it comes to MOTU Origins style DC figures, I'd just want them to make them straight up DC figures. Not like a DC/MOTU crossover, which I'm sure they'll do. But I just want straight up DC characters on those style bodies. The same way Mattel does the WWE Superstars line. Yes, they made a WWE/MOTU crossover line. But then they just made legit, non-crossover WWE characters on the Origins bodies in the Wal-Mart exclusive WWSE Superstars line.

I think DC figures on the Origins bodies would be a lot of fun. Just a straight up Batman, Superman, Green lantern, Flash etc. And then like a Deluxe Darkseid. And maybe they could even do vehicles like the Batmobile, or a playset like the Batcave or Fortress of Solitude.

RicksNerdLife said:

There are reasons--and not all of them are the fault of who he's working for.

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Sage life advice. If you're routinely fired from jobs, dumped by romantic partners, or ghosted by friends, it might be time to look internally.

Two or three instances might be bad luck. More than that, and it turns out you're the toxic one, Linda.

Mr_Saver said:

I do feel like the smart move for Mattel is to do something kind of like marvel legends.

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They'd be kind of stupid not to, right? Marvel Legends has been going strong for almost 25 years. No DC line has that longevity.

Can the higher-ups at Mattel—who were probably the same higher-ups when they lost the license—admit that? The "look internally" thing is universal.

We keep harking back to Mattel losing the license but did they really. DC was doing nothing outside of failing on the comics front rebirth etc no spectacular box office successes and just generally low generic appeal. Is it a coincidence that they are interested again when the brand has reinvented itself with James Gunn? Mattel had the money but lost interest in the brand and saw little to gain whilst DC continued its internal issues as it struggled to find itself. IDK - probably crap but a different perspective. And yes - Marvel Legends would be the way to go- will they … I expect a cautious Superman /Batman heavy approach.

Super Camel said:

I'm still very excited to see what Mattel offers for DC. Both in the kids and adult collectibles.
Collecting Masters of the Universe Origins and Masterverse I honestly wish they'd make DC figures in both of those styles.

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I'm 100% with you, I'd probably have the standard DC line be a little smaller than Masterverse and less hardcore stylized, but I like the figures at their core well enough. They're a good base. Also just not taking Marvel Legends into account has been idiotic.

For an origins-esque line, maybe something *similar* to that where they take the formula and play patterns of Superpowers figures but add modern standard articulation. The old stuff has a great playfulness to it that I want to see evoked, but I'd love to have that with the play value current toys have, rather than just "here's new stuff in that old style".

I don't want just Marvel Legends but DC, as most lines outside Marvel Legends have moved onto newer and better toys, but the formula is there and proven. Just gotta put it into action.

Bananaman said:

We keep harking back to Mattel losing the license but did they really. DC was doing nothing outside of failing on the comics front rebirth etc no spectacular box office successes and just generally low generic appeal. Is it a coincidence that they are interested again when the brand has reinvented itself with James Gunn? Mattel had the money but lost interest in the brand and saw little to gain whilst DC continued its internal issues as it struggled to find itself. IDK - probably crap but a different perspective. And yes - Marvel Legends would be the way to go- will they … I expect a cautious Superman /Batman heavy approach.

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Don't forget that Absolute Batman has really caught on fire. People are really responding to it in a big way.

RicksNerdLife said:

Don't forget that Absolute Batman has really caught on fire. People are really responding to it in a big way.

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To each their own. I picked it up and found the interior art to be lackluster. McFarlane wanted his own Batman, which is why we have Spawn. Now they're trying to make Batman more edgy by making him more like Spawn. Apparently Frank Miller Batman wasn't enough violence-wise for the world's greatest detective. It reminds me of when it was mentioned that "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" is just "Papa Can You Hear Me" from Yentel in Deadpool 2. I don't see Mattel experimenting with "Absolute" stuff for a while, it'll be evergreen stuff for a couple years I imagine. Corporations tend to be risk averse and money proccupied. DC fans will be lucky if Mattel doesn't launch into some sort of DC / MOTU crossover figures, or Ninja Turtle hybrid agreement when it comes to the experimental stuff.