Ask Mattel > July 15

July 15, 2008 | Poe

Another month, another round of Mattel Q&A! Just a few questions this week.

Our astute reader EL noticed, in the press photos for the Movie Masters Batman/Scarecrow two-pack, that the gauntlets on both the regular and demonic Batman appear to have been accidentally reversed (that is, the gauntlets have been placed on the wrong wrists). The “grid” should be on the inside, not the outside, of the gauntlets. Was this just an error with the prototypes or test shots?

Good eagle eye! Yes, this was just a pre production shot and will be fixed when the toys hit shelves.

[Poe’s note: From the photos posted online by collectors, the initial shipments of the second wave of Movie Masters figures appear to have this error. It’s possible it will be corrected as a running change.]

Aside from the Joker’s knife, why weren’t any Batarangs or other in-scale accessories included with the Dark Knight Movie Masters figures?

Including extra accessories might be a great choice for re-releases of these figures!

In the interest of making sure DC Universe Classics has a long healthy lifespan, does it make a difference whether collectors buy the figures at their local Target, Wal-Mart or Toys ‘R Us or order a case from an online retailer?

If you truly want to support the line, buy triples of each figure, one from each retailer! Seriously though, we are proud that so many retailers and online dealers are supporting this line.

Odds ‘n Ends > Per Edition

July 15, 2008 | Poe

ODD: CornerStoreComics gave an update yesterday on shipping for DC Universe Classics and Movie Masters; Mattel “should be shipping” DCUC3 “toward the end of this month.” In my grumpily pessimistic view, that means I’ll receive my figures sometime around August 15. Dwaltrip, it looks like you’re gonna win. I’d be very happy to be wrong, though!

END: Sadly, it seems Random Happenstance will be closing for the time being. Googum has some of the best figuretoons out there, and he will be missed. (more…)

For Four

June 14, 2008 | Poe

Today marks the four-year anniversary of the day Mrs. Ghostal-to-Be and I started dating. This will probably be the last time we really celebrate this date, since, well, she’ll no longer be Mrs. G2B come August but just Mrs. Ghostal (actually, she may want me calling her “Dr. Ghostal,” since she’ll get her degree in biochemistry next month. Busy year for us!).

But I wanted to pay a small tribute to Mrs. G2B on this occasion, as she has always been not only tolerant but supportive of my hobbies. Our first toy-related interaction that I can remember came before we were dating, when we were just roommates (with two other people as well–long story). Anyway, I had managed to string up my DC Direct Superman on fishing wire, making it appear he was hovering, and in attempt to be friendly (I won’t degrade the concept of flirting by calling it that), I made a point to show her. She was clearly unimpressed, but as she later told me, it wasn’t because she couldn’t believe this guy was showing off how he’d made one of his little toys look like it was flying, but because she’d been thinking, “Yeah, well, of course you used fishing wire–how else would you have done it?”

Mrs. G2B met me just in time for my years-long obsession with Hellboy, though she’s been privy to fads for Lord of the Rings, horror films, Halo and, most recently, Batman and DCUC since then. And she’s always been supportive–as some of you may recall, she even knitted me a Batman doll.

That’s not to say she won’t use my love of toys as a source of endless personal amusement at my expense, but it’s all in fun. I think.

Four years ago, I took one of the most important steps in my life. And I think I knew it, even then, but I’ve certainly become more and more sure of it ever since.

OK, end OT sappiness…

Poe’s Point > DCUC and retail distribution

May 29, 2008 | Poe

Mattel hasn’t always had the best track record when it comes to action figure lines in recent years–at least, not when it comes to keeping collectors happy. Their 2002 Masters of the Universe revamp died out as collectors gave up trying to find that one Evil-lyn amongst the racks upon racks of Spin Blade He-Man. Their 2003 Batman line suffered from many of the same problems–four of the best figures, Bat Signal Batman, Attack Armor Batman, Bane and the Scarecrow were initially available only internationally, and the villains that were available in the U.S. were often shortpacked in favor of the umpteenth Batman in some bizarre outfit.

There’s lot of evidence Mattel has learned from their mistakes as the Batman line has morphed into DC Superheroes and then into DC Universe Classics. So far, every buck reuse in DCUC has been to create a look or another character who has appeared in the comics, rather than giving us, say, Arctic Shield Batman.

Still, action figure collectors aren’t known for being a particularly patient lot (and I definitely include myself in that characterization), so it’s no surprise that, as they see shipments of DCUC wave 1 fill the pegs at their local retailers while DCUC2 remains scarce, fans have started to worry the line will soon follow the fate of MOTU.

Never mind the fact that Mattel is bringing MOTU back this fall. Never mind the fact that, arguably, Mattel’s 6″ DC line has been in continuous production since the first Batman figures were released five years ago, albeit under various titles. Never mind that Mattel hasn’t even canceled the JLU line (which hasn’t had a cartoon to support it for two years), but have worked to keep it going as a Target exclusive.

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Odds ‘n Ends – Imposter Edition

May 13, 2008 | Pete

ODD: Where is Poe? Is he truly on vacation, or has he been moved to an undisclosed location for…safekeeping? Will he ever return, or has my evil plan finally been realized!? I now present…PETE’S POINTS OF ARTICULATION!

…crap, that doesn’t flow nearly as well. I guess Poe has to stay.

END: And quite a literal one, I might add, for my Movie Master Batman figure, which was just horrendously savaged by my puppy/engine of destruction, Esry. A moment of silence if you will. (more…)

Bat Wheels Leading the Way

May 13, 2008 | Pete

Poe, ever the magnanimous tip-dropper that he is, took a few minutes off from his vacation and popped off an email asking me to let you guys know about Mattel’s big news regarding their popular replica of the Batmobile from thr 1966 TV series. Read on for more info and pics! (more…)

Odds ‘N Ends > Iron Edition

May 6, 2008 | Poe

ODD: Yes, I saw Iron Man over the weekend, and yes, in the parlance of my home region, it was wicked good. Or at the very least, it was an entertaining blockbuster action flick with no pretentiousness, pretty good pacing, good acting, some great humor and good characterization. I’ll probably see it again, since Mrs. Ghostal-to-Be wasn’t able to come along this time. Incidentally, somehow I completely missed the fact that there was a post-credit sequence; if anyone else was that oblivious, you can see it here. (more…)

A Dark and Stormy Knight

May 5, 2008 | Poe

Over the weekend I picked up the Dark Knight Batman from Mattel’s “Movie Masters” line. For those who don’t know, Mattel has two action figure lines for the movie: a five-inch scale, kid-oriented line and the MM figures, which were sculpted by the Four Horsemen, are about six inches (roughly–see below) tall and feature DCUC-style articulation. I paid $11.97 for the figure at Wal-Mart, which seems overpriced, especially when you consider the lack of any real accessories. But this may just be the new reality.

While the lack of accessories is disappointing, the figure is not. This is one of those figures, like the DC Superheroes Superman or Batman, that I can’t put down. I keep picking it up off the shelf and fiddling with it. (more…)

Poe’s Point > 5 figures I’d like to see in DCUC–but (probably) won’t

May 1, 2008 | Poe

It’s safe to say DC Universe Classics is my favorite toy line of the moment–and for the foreseeable future. Some have hailed it as Super Powers redux, and with its excellent renditions of the SP-era Lex Luthor and Brainiac, it’s hard to argue with that logic. But DCUC is more than a nostalgia line; with Lightray, Black Lightning, and Amazo already on the way, it’s clear Mattel and the Four Horsemen are committed to a very diverse mix of characters. And with Lobo as the SDCC exclusive, it would seem the sky is the limit.

However, there are a few characters I’m pretty certain we won’t see–but I’d like to, anyway. In the list below, I run down five characters I’d like to see in DCUC and why. Before anyone gets worked up, I should clarify that I wouldn’t want to see these until after all the A-listers and most of the B-listers have been produced. They’d be best sold as exclusives, since they’ll have absolutely no household recognition and even very little fan recognition.

(Thanks to ToyOtter for the use of images from his excellent website, the Super Powers Archive. Also, most of the “Who he is” text was swiped from the characters’ Wikipedia entries.)

SAMURAI
Background: The third wave of Super Powers figures included three characters who had never appeared in a comic book. One of these was the rather unimaginatively named Samurai, though he had an edge on the other two because he’d appeared fairly frequently as a member of the Justice League in the 1970s Super Friends cartoon. I’m not sure why someone as obscure as Samurai got an action figure in Super Powers when there were plenty of existing DC characters to choose from, but I suppose his appearances on the kid-targeted Super Friends make him a decent pick for a toy line.
Who he is: Toshio Eto was a history professor. One day, Eto was struck by a beam of light sent by the New Gods of New Genesis, who were trying to create more superheroes to defend the world from Darkseid. Although Eto briefly ran wild with his new powers, the New Gods explained their intent to him and he vowed to become a superhero.
Why I’d like to see him in DCUC: Since he has never officially been introduced in the comics, Samurai is ripe for an innovative, unique Four Horsemen re-interpretation. The Horsemen went wild with their redesigns on the 2002 He-Man line, and I can only imagine what they could do with someone like Samurai, who is obscure enough to allow the Horsemen to do whatever they want with him. I can see this is as a great exclusive–something that will appeal to collectors and fans of Super Powers, but one more casual fans of the DCU can pass up.
Suggestions for a DCUC redesign: If their work on MOTU is any indication, the Horsemen like to take small, odd details on the original toy and amp them up. In the case of Samurai, I think the strangest trait is his weird sword; I can see the Horsemen developing it into a huge, sweeping serrated monstrosity. Other than that, though, there’s really not a lot to work with here.

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