I’m not going to discuss what happened with the various exclusives and so forth–Rustin has promised a rant later in the week, and I’m sure that will cover it all and more.
Instead, I’m just going to list the things that interested me the most.
Masters of the Universe Classics
Photos: AFP
Lots of interesting stuff here. Battle Cat looks great, and the price tag of $30 is surprisingly cheap. The display stands look awesome, too–I’ll definitely be getting a few sets of those (depending on price, of course).
Trap-Jaw looks great, but the optional head and arm to create Kronis is what makes him a likely 5-star figure. Here’s hoping we get a green-skinned repaint (for some reason, I’m really fond of that look).
I’m a wee bit less impressed by Scare-Glow, but that’s only because I was really hoping for that translucent Blight design that I nonetheless knew would be too costly. However, I’m still psyched to get him, finally. And I’m really curious what the story is behind those odd accessories.
I’m also pretty psyched for Wun-Dar. I know some fans aren’t, but I just like the notion of a more Conan-esque He-Man. I’ll definitely be taking off that armor, though. Personally I think they should have given him a 2002-style harness.
King Randor does look like the Burger King, but he’s still cool. And while I’m not that much of a POP fan, I know Dr. Mrs. Ghostal will be happy to see another female action figure added to my collection.
As for the bonus figures, Green Goddess, 2002 Zodak and Battle Armor He-Man: I’ll probably skip GG, and I’m 50/50 on Zodak and BA He-Man.
DC Universe
DC Universe Classics
Pics: AFP
While I don’t regret my decision to trim my DCUC collection and cherry-pick in the future, Mattel is certainly offering a number of treats for those who stick with it.
The Joker looks great, but we already knew that. The 5-pack is even better than expected, so here’s hoping you can actually find it in stores. And as a great supporter of a black-and-gray Batman with a black bat symbol and pouch belt, I’m looking forward to the Public Enemies Batman (I’ll have to do a head swap, though).
Movie Masters
Pics: Figures.com
Kneel before Zod’s 12″ inches! Sorry, couldn’t resist.
I’ve never collected 12″ figures, but the head sculpts on these are pretty nice. Not so sure about the bodies, though.
I’m glad we’re finally getting the remaining Dark Knight Movie Masters, though why they couldn’t include the Ghoul and Bruce Wayne unmasked variants is beyond me. In any event, I’ll be getting Jailhouse Joker and Two-Face for sure, and perhaps Bank Robber Joker and Asylum Scarecrow.
World’s Greatest Superheroes
Pics: Figures.com
Wow. Who saw this coming? I’m a shade too young to have any nostalgic fondness for Mego figures, but kudos to DC and Mattel for recognizing the growing popularity of this particular figure type.
DC Infinite Heroes
Pics: Figures.com
These are definitely getting better, and may even be able to compete with MU in the near future (check out the articulation on this Batman).
Ghostbusters
Pics: Figures.com
They got the Bill Murray likeness rights. All is right with the world.
Somehow, despite my flagging interest in DCUC and enthusiastic-if-not-obsessive interest in MOTUC, Mattel has managed to produce the one line I’m really excited about right now.
And then they made Walter Peck. I’m going to own a Walter Peck figure. This is the end times, people! Watch your dogs and cats for signs of cohabitation!
Miscellaneous Toys
I’ll admit to being lukewarm to Queen Alluxandra and her retinue, but Scarabus and his variants look great, especially this incredibly badass Anubis version. Heck, they all look good–this could be the first time I buy the whole set.
There are going to be Battle Beasts Minimates. “Wait–what?!” you say. It’s true! And awesome. What’s more, DST actually now has ownership of the brand, not just the license, so the sky’s the limit in terms of what they can do with it.
(On a side note, I’m considering covering Minimates more on PGPoA. Would people be interested in that…?)
Rustin attended an information session with NECA, where we got the story behind the second series of TMNT. As we all guessed, Playmates’s deal with Mirage is preventing NECA from being able to sell their TMNT figures at Toys ‘R Us. But you say: why can’t they just sell them in specialty stores? As it turns out, the problem is with international sales. While the four Turtles in the first wave sold very well domestically, sales were virtually nonexistent overseas due to lack of recognition. Non-U.S. fans knew the classic blue, red, orange, and purple Turtles from the cartoons and movies, but the comic-based Turtles with their all-red bandannas just didn’t sell. Therefore, NECA barely broke even on the line.
Therefore, the plan now is to sell a figure, see how it does, then try the next figure. The first will be April in green and yellow variants in the fall, and if she sells well enough, Shredder will follow. I understand why we’re getting a yellow April–NECA’s hoping that figure, which resembles the cartoon version, will sell well overseas. But why the green version? It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to sell the comic-accurate blue version as an exclusive at SDCC, then sell the green and yellow versions at retail–it should be blue and yellow at retail. In any event, fingers crossed that April’s numbers merit us a Shredder. I already plan to pick up a couple Aprils for friends and family.
Bonus question: What would an SDCC wrap taste like?