Mattel DC Figures

I'm a bit curious on the source as well. Don't get me wrong- those all seem like pretty safe bets, but still. Seeing the lineup does make me sigh, however. No way to know for sure, of course, but it feels like it may be a while before we break through the big names to get to some of the more obscure characters again. Love him or hate him, it's been kinda fun to see Todd announce some people and to go "Who?"

I assume "Jorized Batman" is the "Jokerized Batman"?

6.5" seems like a nice compromise, but it's all gonna depend on the figure. Just because something is 6.5" scale doesn't mean it'll be 6.5" per se. I think that's gonna be my M.O. for this line, just like it is now with Todd's DCM- just gotta wait and see each figure individually before I judge. It all sounds pretty good on paper, but it could be a mixed bag in execution. I've never gotten a single wrestling figure, so I don't really know the quality- they look nice enough, but always feel a little off from some of the other offerings of that scale for some reason. Maybe it's just me.
 
joshsquash729 said:
I've never gotten a single wrestling figure, so I don't really know the quality- they look nice enough, but always feel a little off from some of the other offerings of that scale for some reason. Maybe it's just me.
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I've had a LOT of wrestling figures over Mattel's tenure with the WWE license. And I've had lots of Materverse figures.
Mattel is not good at making action figures. Everything always feels a little stupid. Everything is a little "why did they do it this way?" It sometimes feel like they got the sculptors/designers that couldn't quite cut it somewhere else.
Not BAD figures, but bafflingly less good than they should be with the most obvious and minor tweaks.

I'm hopeful for the new DC line, but I would be utterly unsurprised if the figures turn out very 'meh.' Especially after the shine wears off and it's not the new hotness anymore.
 
Yeah, I'm very mixed on Mattel. Most of what I collect from them anymore is Hammond Collection, which certainly has its fair share of flaws, but does seem to mostly be good now that they've worked out the kinks. A lot of their other offerings, like the Pixar stuff I'll cherry-pick, feels lower quality. Looks nice, and to be fair, it's definitely aimed at kids, and thusly made to be tossed around and such, but still. Hammond Collection aside (and even that in some cases), most of what I've picked up from them in the last 5+ years has just felt a little cheap. Ironically, the thing that seems the best quality are the Monster High things I've picked up for my Mom- feels like love and care goes into a lot of that stuff.
 
TheSameIdiot said:
That was my first thought, but isn't that a Todd original? Seems weird to steal a concept that McFarlane invented and subsequently beat to death.
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I can't say for sure who started it, but at this point it's been done by many different companies, and I think even in a few comics. I'm pretty sure the idea of "Joker as Batman" has been around for a bit- I remember even in The Batman cartoon from 2004, Joker wore a Batsuit, so this might just be Mattel's spin on the idea.
 
I'm going to hold off judgement until we get some official announcements and reveals, but I have high hopes.

I loved Mattel when the Four Horsemen were doing the sculpts for DCUC and MOTUC. I collect Masterverse and I feel they're a step back from MOTUC, which I sadly sold off my entire collection of. I only occasionally buy WWE, Jurassic World or MOTU Origins figures usually when they hit deep clearance prices and usually only to mix in with my other mostly comic-related lines.

If I was a company getting ready to reboot the DC collector's license, I'd likely also start with the heavy hitters and mix in more obscure characters maybe one per wave. You have to pull in people with the 'well knowns' generally to get them to buy the deeper cuts -- even though I personally would prefer to buy the deeper cuts.

I'm a Marvel guy primarily with DC being my second line, but I feel like my DC collection is already "more complete" than my Marvel line. I've got at least one version of every DC or Marvel character ever made by any of Hasbro, Toy Biz, Diamond, Mattel, DC Direct or McFarlane. I have fewer remaining wants from DC than I do Marvel with my biggest wants being mostly civilian and Legion of Super Heroes characters, whereas I have a crap ton of X-Men characters and civilians that I still want Hasbro to do for Marvel that have never been made.

I'm cautiously optimistic.
 
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joshsquash729 said:
Ironically, the thing that seems the best quality are the Monster High things I've picked up for my Mom- feels like love and care goes into a lot of that stuff.
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For what it's worth, my wife used to be a Monster High collector and she hates the new figures because the quality is completely in the toilet. Mattel basically changed everything about how they make those figures and now they look and feel cheap, and their features (like the rooted hair assembly, etc) are notably worse than they used to be. All according to my wife, at least.


Atomic Knight said:
Some trustworthy verification. Todd still holds the Multiverse name? Hmmmm? Curiouser and curiouser.
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Not really. He holds it until the end of 2026 almost certainly just because of how trademarks work. They don't immediately expire when you plan to stop using them. And if McFarlane is allowed to sell his products into 2026 (which he is), it naturally follows that all trademarks related to his products will remain valid until the end of that year. Definitely don't read into it.
 
Evergreen versions of figures? Core heroes and villians right away? Cool. Sign me up. Maybe I’ll be selling off my McFarlanes sooner than I thought.

I am also not discouraged by the lack of deep cuts in the first wave. They’ll get there if the line sells. Before we got DCUC wave 1 with Etrigan and Metamorpho, we had an entire DC Superheroes line of Batman/Superman figures. Guessing McFarlane’s variants/returns have discouraged some retailers from DC product.
 
Whether I jump in right off the bat just depends on character versions and such. If it's any form of classic trunks Batman, especially blue Batman, I might be in if the price is right. If Robin is Tim specifically, I'll buy him instantly. Will just have to wait and see.
 
I'm not familiar with Mattel's WWE lines to know if I should be excited about kids' versions vs. deluxe versions.

But I am encouraged by a list that has 6 out of 8 characters I want. I guess that's an easy bar to meet when you haven't made anybody yet, though.

I'm also very 80s in my costume preferences, so I'm interested to see how modern they decide to make their looks.
 
Fletch said:
I'm not familiar with Mattel's WWE lines to know if I should be excited about kids' versions vs. deluxe versions.

But I am encouraged by a list that has 6 out of 8 characters I want. I guess that's an easy bar to meet when you haven't made anybody yet, though.

I'm also very 80s in my costume preferences, so I'm interested to see how modern they decide to make their looks.
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Basics were recently upgraded.

Originally it was ball shoulders, single joint elbow, knee, and the old back and forth swivel leg.

They added ball joint legs.

They are also... budget savvy with paint like Legends does over sculpt.

Elites are what you'd expect from a Legend in articulation, thigh swivels , boot cuts, and you maybe get alt hands and a head. You tend to get better sculpts but they still cheat with the paint where they can.

Ultimates give you more hands, heads, accessories.

You tend to get soft goods with the elites and ultimates, too.

They also started experimenting with the Black Series/NcFarlane thigh swivel.

I think across the board you get swivel on the ankle, but sometimes not even pivot.

It's less about kids versions and how they keep some popular people evergreen or budget some talent into the line that probably is not deserving of the other two higher end approaches.
 
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