Mattel held its annual Collector Night at New York Toy Fair yesterday, and we were on site to take pictures of the latest and greatest figures to be revealed across their collector-oriented lines. We’ll cover most of that over the next few days, but I did want to post what we has spawned from one of our favorite lines – DC Universe Classics.
So in this update, I’ll be covering the DC Universe Club Infinite Earths subscription, the retail-based DC Universe All-Stars, DC Universe Classics 2-Packs (Toys ‘R Us exclusive), Batman Legacy, and the 6-inchers revealed from the Movie Masters line for The Dark Knight. If you’re a fan of 6-inch DC action figures, there’s still plenty of stuff coming our way this year!
DC Universe Club Infinite Earths
I’ll start off with the 6-inchers they had on display. Atrocitus, Jay Garrick Flash, and Metron looked to be production samples, while the packaging looked like a mock-up. I’m sorry to report that Atrocitus is still on a regular-sized buck – he looks taller in some of the group shots simply because Flash’s legs are bent. The shoulder pads and large head will help in some regard, but I still wish he was bigger. But that’s water under the bridge already – I wasn’t expecting it to change.
I suspect we’ll hear some mixed comments with regards to Flash’s vac-metallized helmet. It’s growing on me, but I wonder if the money spent on it would have been better used elsewhere. Metron and the Mobius Chair look awesome. Hagop pointed out that he has hinged wrists to make his poses while sitting in the chair look better. Very cool! And I think Mirror Master looks spot on – very cool to finally get another one of the Flash Rogues
For 2-ups, Mattel had Starman (seen previously) and new reveals for Platinum and Tin, Black Mask, Poison Ivy (who had been previously announced but not shown), and Rocket Red. Tin will essentially be a pack-in for Platinum, albeit a pretty big one. He’ll just have three points of articulation, though.
Black Mask was probably the least compelling of the announced figures for me – he looks good, but personally I’m not really needing him for my Bat’s rogues gallery. Poison Ivy, on the other hand, looks stunning, and while I know some folks will have wanted her with a normal skin coloring instead of the green, I thought this was a good compromise in that they could have gone all the way with the costume made completely out of leaves. Toy Guru said she’ll have a third vine (for her other arm) but that it didn’t make it to the show.
Rocket Red will be one of the oversized figures in the sub this year. JLI fans, I hope you take this as a good sign that Fire and Ice may eventually make it to the sub.
DC Universe All-Stars – Wave 3
For the retail-based All-Stars line, Mattel showed three of the four figures from wave 3 – Flash and Superman in their updated New 52 costumes and Supergirl in the black costume that folks at the show couldn’t agree where it was from. The missing figure from the wave is a re-issue of Steel.
Toy Guru made some pretty interesting comments during the Q&A portion of his presentation (I will be posting that on YouTube this afternoon) – the first two waves of All-Stars were pieced together from figures that were in the works for future waves of DC Universe Classics when Mattel got the word to change direction on the retail line. Wave 3 is more representative of what we’ll see moving forward at retail, and he even referenced the DC Super Heroes line that focused solely on Superman and Batman several years ago.
The sub will be where we’ll get B and C listers – and it’s a bummer that as a result we’ll get fewer characters than if the line had continued unchanged at retail. On the positive side, I think the stable of bucks that Mattel has to leverage is much better than it was in the days of DCSH – hopefully we won’t see figures that aren’t from the Four Horsemen at retail like we did previously.
DC Universe Classics 2-Packs (Toys ‘R Us exclusive)
No big news here – these will continue this year, and hopefully if they go beyond these the choices will be a little more inspired.
One fall-out was the Super Powers colored Penguin we saw at New York Comic-Con. Retailers did not pick up the assortment that he was destined for (I am guessing another 2-pack) but hopefully he’ll find a home in the line eventually.
Batman Legacy
No big news here either – Harleyand Nightwing from Arkham City should be hitting shelves soon, and the Batman and Catwoman 2-packs (one colored, one black and white like the promo materials for Arkham City) should soon follow. After that, the line phases out when the toy lines from The Dark Knight Rises hit shelves this summer.
The Dark Knight Rises
Mattel showed the first three reveals from their Movie Masters line for The Dark Knight Rises. Bane, Catwoman, and (of course) Batman were on display, as well as the *working* Bat Signal that you will be able to construct if you buy all six figures in the Movie Masters line. If the three yet-to-be-revealed figures are as good as the first three, I think it’ll be an easy choice.
Bane and Catwoman both look outstanding. Somehow, seeing them in toy form has gotten me to like the movie designs more – it’s as if seeing them in this form has helped me appreciate how they fit in the movie world better. Of course, these are still hand-painted prototypes as far as I can tell – so I hope these make it through the production process unscathed.
That’s it for now. They had more 6-inchers in the Young Justice line, but I’ll cover that, Action League, and JLU in a post later in the week. Here’s excerpts for the products in this update from the announcement Mattel made on the MattyCollector.com site:
DC Universe Classics 6″ 2012 2-packs at Toys ‘R’ Us
- Yellow Lantern Hal and Blue Lantern Kyle Rayner
- Red Armor Azrael and Knightfall Battle Damaged Batman™
DC Universe Club Infinite Earths Subscription Figures at MattyCollector.com
- Poison Ivy: date to be announced!
- Black Mask: date to be announced!
- Platinum and Tin: date to be announced!
- Flash 1: Available 4/16 2012 only at MattyCollector.com
- Metron with Mobius Chair: Available 4/16 only to subscribers of Club Infinite Earths
- Atrocitus: Available 5/15 only at MattyCollector.com
- Starman: Available 6/15 only at MattyCollector.com
- Mirror Master: Available 7/16 only at MattyCollector.com
DC Universe 2012 Figures
- The Flash (JLA)
- Superman™ (JLA)
- Supergirl
Batman™ Legacy Singles, 6″ Scale
- Batman™ (“first appearance”)
- Catwoman
- Harley Quinn
- Nightwing
Batman™ Legacy 2-Packs, 6″ Scale
- Batman™ & Catwoman
- Batman™ & Catwoman (black & white ad campaign redeco)
The Dark Knight Rises™ Movie Masters® Figures, 6″ Scale
- Batman™
- Catwoman
- Bane
I am so glad the sub is coming through looking so nice. Metron, is so perfect and the wait for Platinum and Tin will be killer. Thanks for the great pics, ron.
any idea when the 2 packs will be hitting toys r us? and what about the young justice 6″ figures? Thanks