Mattel DC Universe Classics Behind the Design – Cyclotron

Here’s a great feature from the MattyCollector.com store. Bill Benecke, Mattel’s Lead Designer on the DC Universe Classics line, tells us about his hunt for the figure that inspired the upcoming Cyclotron figure.

Behind the Design

The Cyclotron Story with Designer Bill Benecke

From the moment I first laid eyes on the print ad for the Super Powers figures (in an issue of All- Star Squadron, I think), I fell completely head-over-heels in love with the line. I collected most of the first two series over the next two years, calling every toy store in a twenty mile radius on a regular basis (daily, when I was trying to find the Red Tornado, my Holy Grail, for nearly a year!), then riding my bike over if they happened to have one of the guys I was looking for. The cross-sell photos on the back of the package were a constant source of wonder for me, as they not only showed incredible figures of my favorite heroes (The Flash, Green Arrow, Aquaman), but introduced me to brand new characters (Steppenwolf, Mantis, Martian Manhunter Robot)… I was on a mission!

Eventually, though, I’d found all the characters I’d been searching for and the idea that they might actually produce MORE of these guys seemed too much to hope for. As the months drifted by, I continued to scour the toy aisles in any store I happened to be in, but I resigned myself that more Super Powers probably weren’t in the cards. At least, until I was on a car trip with my parents to Northern California, and we made a stop at a toy store along the way…
	Walking down the action figure aisle, looking to see what strange and wonderful figures I might stumble across in this new and unfamiliar territory, I was floored to see a character I was COMPLETELY unfamiliar with, sitting amongst the other Super Powers: Cyclotron! I couldn’t believe my luck! I had never heard of this guy (and would learn later that he was created for the toy line, which explained why I’d never heard of him), but his yellow and green costume, red goggles, and removable face plate got to me immediately — what a cool toy! Even better, the back of the package showed an entire new series had been produced, full of an odd mix of supporting heroes, semi-obscure villains, and original characters… wow!
I spent the rest of the trip carrying Cyclotron in my pocket, and he has remained one of my favorite figures in the line to this day (yup, alongside Red Tornado). More than any other character, Cyclotron represents the “wonder” of childhood to me — the magic of meeting a strange new hero for the first time, the excitement of exploring the DC Universe, the passion for collecting that the line created in me, and the pure joy of a really cool toy — Cyclotron sums up all of that pretty eloquently, I think. And hey, he’s got a removable face! 🙂

Bill Benecke

via MattyCollector.com Online Store.