Mattel DC Figures

[Xavion2025]

Once I decide to follow a figure line, all the quiet, subtle details have already been addressed in my head. IP, scale, style, articulation, price point, etc. One factor remains and that is character selection. It’s literally what makes it fun for me.

I’m having more fun with McFarlane’s current character selection than I’ve had with any other line in years, and I think that’s part of my problem. It makes it difficult to have reasonable expectations for Mattel’s character selection when you’re getting deep cuts like Blackhawk and Vigilante (Greg Saunders).

The ironic thing is that one of the main reasons we’re getting those deep cuts is that McFarlane can use pre-existing molds that were specifically sculpted for other characters with a minimum amount of new tooling. The end result is something that falls between an accurate production figure and a lazy custom…which is my pet peeve with the line.

Also, it took six years to get here with McFarlane. I bought very few McFarlane DC Multiverse figures during the first four to five years of the line.

 

[TheGillMan]

Part of the DCUC collapse was the absurd distribution issues that were hobbling the line from the start (hands up, everyone who never managed to build Giganta).

I managed to build Giganta, but I still have a Chemo that is missing a leg, and a S.T.R.I.P.E. that is missing several parts.

 

[Stoopid_Sandwich]

Once I decide to follow a figure line, all the quiet, subtle details have already been addressed in my head. IP, scale, style, articulation, price point, etc. One factor remains and that is character selection. It’s literally what makes it fun for me.

Unfortunately for me, my taste isn’t informed by the top characters, but the middle to the bottom. I % understand that without Batman and Superman, this doesn’t happen. However I don’t really have a favorite character anymore. Gun to my head, I’ll say Jack Knight. Mainstream, I’ll say Wally West. But that’s not the real picture. I love the JSA. Omnibus view. Pre Crisis, post Crisis, SSoV, Freedom Fighters, Infinity Inc., the Blackhawks, the Marvels, and all the other stuff Roy Thomas wanted to drop on us. I love 70’s Kirby. I love the Titans/Young Justice. Also omnibus view. That is my mainstream.

But I also like a lot of more niche stuff. Kingdom Come, Flashpoint, Gotham by Gaslight, Red Rain, DCeased, and more. All the stuff that’s gonna take a long time to get to. If ever. I’m Tom Hanks on the island except I don’t even have Wilson with me.

Batman, Superman, and GLC isn’t much fun for me anymore. I’m at the point in life where if it’s not fun, I don’t wanna do it.

I need to pick your brain when it comes to these selections. Even though you typically love non mainstream characters, does that flow chart ever change when it’s dependent upon the eras you are the most familiar with. Or are those few key players stationary and it’s the outlying characters that tend to shift the most spaces around them?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Reno]

I believe that I was fortunate enough to complete all of the Mattel DCUC Collect to Builds and believe that I have quite a few spare parts from extras. I also still have a fair number of unopened DCUC extra figures still in the package that I bought when I found them discounted. When I have some time I'll look to see if I have any spare parts for Chemo, Giganta and STRIPE in particular. I don't recall extras of those specifically, but off the top of my head I know that have extra parts for Arkillo, Darkseid, Kilowog, Trigon and Validus at minimum.

 

[PantherCult]

I like that the parts for Arkillo, Kilowog and Validus are all mostly interchangeable... helped me kitbash some customs without having to complete one entire Baf

 

[Atomic Knight]

I need to pick your brain when it comes to these selections. Even though you typically love non mainstream characters, does that flow chart ever change when it’s dependent upon the eras you are the most familiar with. Or are those few key players stationary and it’s the outlying characters that tend to shift the most spaces around them?

A little background is that I’m old.

I started out as a Marvel fan from the time I could tell the difference. Around 6 or 7 years old I think. That shifted slightly in 1980 with the New Teen Titans and slowly continued with All Star Squadron, Legion of Superheroes, and other similar books of that era. 1985 came around and I was all in on Crisis on Infinite Earths. By the time the Byrne Man of Steel title came out in 1986, I had fully converted to DC. Who’s Who got me up to speed with what I didn’t know as well as History of the DC Universe. I slowly learned a lot. But I had a basic familiarity to start. Lifelong comic fan that I am.

JSA is my sweet spot. Even before becoming a convert, I’d seen the JSA on JLA covers and immediately recognized that they were a lot cooler than the more familiar JLA characters. That was baked in when I made my jump in 1986. I do love the seminal characters. That largely extends to the Quality characters and somewhat to Fawcett. The legacies and families built from these characters are also favorites of mine. The foundation of the DCU is also the foundation of my personal fan story.

In the 50’s and 60’s DC started to explore the concept of legacy. But they also started experimenting. Phantom Stranger, Martian Manhunter, Captain Comet, Adam Strange, Deadman, Metamorpho, Metal Men, Doom Patrol, Creeper, Hawk and Dove and many more came about with no connections to the Golden Age. I know it’s subjective, but it makes Marvel of that time look a little pedestrian. Even with Marvel on the rise.

The 70’s brought us Warlord, OMAC , Kamandi, the New Gods, Claw, Shade the Changing Man, two different Starmen, Richard Dragon and many more. The 80’s gave us Blue Devil and Booster Gold. The 90’s gave us Bloodlines. The 00’s gave us DiDio attempting to revive some of these characters and genres, as well as comic creators hip pocketing their new characters for a later date. More recently we saw the New Age of Heroes.

So to answer your question, no. My personal brain algorithm doesn’t shift around certain characters or eras. I tend to like them all. Phantom Stranger and Captain Comet are the same as Loose Cannon and Sideways to me. JSA will always be up front, but DC has great stuff in every era.

And it’s not like I don’t want the mainstream stuff. I’m world building as deep as Todd allows. I do want a proper Azrael before we close out. I do want a classic Clark/Superboy before the end. GLC is the exception. I’ll only buy Earth human Lanterns, and mostly for various Justice League lineups.

Ironically, and not the good irony, we’d probably be close to this type of character selection if Mattel had made better decisions starting in 2008. The only chance I have for this stuff now is that I live to 100, remain healthy, and don’t blow my retirement money on other stuff. And Mattel holds onto the license for the next 30 years.

Hope that helps.

 

[Damien]

I’m having more fun with McFarlane’s current character selection than I’ve had with any other line in years, and I think that’s part of my problem. It makes it difficult to have reasonable expectations for Mattel’s character selection when you’re getting deep cuts like Blackhawk and Vigilante (Greg Saunders).

The ironic thing is that one of the main reasons we’re getting those deep cuts is that McFarlane can use pre-existing molds that were specifically sculpted for other characters with a minimum amount of new tooling. The end result is something that falls between an accurate production figure and a lazy custom…which is my pet peeve with the line.

Also, it took six years to get here with McFarlane. I bought very few McFarlane DC Multiverse figures during the first four to five years of the line.

There you go. Kind of says it all in one post.

Even after six years, McFarlane only usually gets to those characters in the laziest 'I guess this works' kind of way. Look at fucking Nightmaster. Literally like.. four deco hits to create the 'impression' of mail armor on a blank body (and don't get me started on a single gripping hand on the left side). Utterly lazy bullshit designed just to be able to say 'we made this character - look how fan-focused we are.'


Also, it can't be understated that even McFarlane's best figures are kind of shit unless they're monsters or something.