McFarlane DC Multiverse

Xavion2025 said:
The one thing I can’t seem to get pest with the DC Multiverse line is McFarlane’s unwillingness to invest in blank bucks if they’re going to reuse them ad nauseam. I mean, I get it now that the license has reverted back to Mattel, but this started a few years ago.

I thought Mirror Master looked great, but upon closer inspection, there’s that damn Speeding Bullets body with it’s character inaccurate sculpted details.

I’m not against reuse or even repaints if the costume details are correct. I like the Marvel Legends FF She-Hulk just fine. However McFarlane just painting over or pretending like the sculpted details aren’t there bugs the bejezus out of me. Maybe I’m just anal, maybe that’s just my pet peeve when it comes to action figures, or maybe I’m just plain nuts, but I will never understand how so many collectors are okay with that.

The main reason I’m looking forward to Mattel getting the license is that I feel like McFarlane simply can’t afford the license. If McFarlane had been able (or willing) to invest a little more money into the line, it could have been spectacular.
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I think this just shows that the company never had a real plan. They started off with everything being uniquely sculpted. When they decided to switch to reuse, presumably due to cost, all they had available were a bunch of parts that were never intended for reuse. If nothing else, you’ve got to figure that Mattel is going to enter into this with a plan.
 
Secured Bones and Obsidian during a lecture on structured settlements custodial accounts and special needs trusts...

It was smooth and pain free.
 
Yeah did the $20 coupon last week on the Superman/Godzilla set. I wasn't buying that at full price.
 
I bought Kite-Man, pre-ordered the Bones/Obsidian bundle and finally backed the Batmobile/BatSignal campaign today.

I also ordered the Tommy Merlyn Platinum from figurineforall.com, but was mad at myself for missing the Plat Mirror Master. I have the regular version pre-ordered, but really want both since they are two different characters (just like the Dark Archers).

My biggest pain points with this line continue to be the scale and how hard some things that I actually want to buy are to get. I still don't have a James Gordon, for example - and have had to pay way over retail for other stuff (like Geo-Force and multiple Platinums). I don't always love the proportions and I struggle getting many figures to stand. I don't have a problem with re-use, but the choices are crazy whack sometimes. DC will always be second to me to Marvel so I'd really like my DC figures to be able to fit in well with my much larger Marvel Legends collection.

I still love quite a bit of what McFarlane has done. I have both figures and vehicles in my collection from them that I enjoy and am very happy to have acquired. I'm super excited for that Mr. Bones! However, I'm still one of those that is celebrating that the line is moving back to Mattel. However, we'll all have to wait to see how that plays out. I'd have no problem personally if both companies were allowed to continue to do their thing as some have suggested, but feel that's beyond unlikely.
 
Lack of resources didn’t prevent Todd from making a fleet of vehicles. Or oversized figures. Or multi-packs. Mattel is notoriously cheap. And secretive. Do you think we’ll see any leaked lists from Asia of Mattel products? Doubtful.

So maybe Todd didn’t save the DC toy brand. Maybe he did. Only history will tell us. What Todd did do is bigger than all of that anyway. He forced the evolution of the American Toy Industry. He gets little credit for that. Doesn’t make it less true. Without Todd and Spawn, Hasbro doesn’t upsize Legends of the Dark Knight. DCD doesn’t exist with the initial bold character selection they had. And most importantly, Toy Biz doesn’t re-engineer everything we know about action figures. Todd was the catalyst. Todd lit the fuse. Without him, we’d still be looking at 10 points of articulation. Max.

What we do here for fun, is directly attributable to a guy who is a little bit hard to like at times. His arrogance is off putting. His opinions are interesting, and way off base at times. Much of what he does is counterintuitive, yet works most of the time. And even if he doesn’t get credit for it, he is el Patron.
 
Gardner Grayle said:
he is el Patron.
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Eh, I don’t put *any* human being on a pedestal like that. He’s just a guy, no better or worse than any other guy, ultimately.
No need for a cult of personality.
Actually, there is *never* a need for a cult of personality, ever. That’s something I will be quite glad to be done with when Todd is gone.
 
Didn’t mean for it to come across as hero worship. It’s not. But the fact remains, Todd and Spawn started the evolution of the industry. From children’s toys that adults collected, to adult collectibles that kids and parents might pick up. All the websites and message boards dedicated to our pursuit are a direct or indirect result of Todd’s actions 30 plus years ago. Mattel, Hasbro, Playmates, and the rest would never have evolved without a push from outside. NECA, Super 7, and so many other boutique brands wouldn’t exist.

He is just a guy. With a big ego and a bigger mouth. But he’s the guy that got us here. He did it by swimming against the tide. The tide being Hasbro, Mattel, and the rest.
 
I mean, sure, I guess so.

But what he did in the 90s isn’t particularly relevant to what he should or shouldn’t be doing now. In fact, being so doggedly connected to that decade and old ways of doing things makes him a liability, in my view. He’s stuck in the past of his “championship season”, but we shouldn’t have to be. And I don’t think we “owe” him anything. Most of us have literally paid him lots of money over the years.

I guess a lot of this just sounds like the mythology of “great men” in general. And of course all of that is just that: mythology.
 
I don’t disagree. Variant covers nearly killed the comic industry in the 90’s. Todd participated in that at both Marvel and Image.

With the figures, it’s different. Trying to save a few cents per unit, the Angela action figure in the Spawn line had an unpainted crotch piece beneath her armored skirt. Henceforth known as “Party Angela”, it seemingly reset Todd’s brain. This was unplanned by Todd and completely spontaneous on the part of fans of the day. Todd has been chasing that scenario ever since. Manufactured scarcity of all these exclusives, and feeding the scalpers is my biggest problem with what he does. Retiring or sending your kids to college by selling your action figure collection just isn’t going to happen. I’m not worried about “maintaining value”. Truth is, I think Todd gets a kick out of going to ebay and seeing what some of his stuff sells for. His real job is selling more units.
 
Found Steve Trevor at Target tonight. I was ecstatic. I wouldn't go as far as to say it's one of my favorite McF figures, but it's a good one!

Picked up a Platinum Superboy as well. I don't think I even knew that was a thing in the black and red. Must have missed that when announced.
 
Off topic, and sorry if it's already been posted, but Todd did an episode of David Dastmalchian's Grave Conversations a couple weeks ago, which I just found last night. Interesting format for a talk show, admittedly, but very up David's (and I suppose Todd's) alley. Doubt the convo will sway anyone's mind who isn't already a fan of Todd, but he has a few moments of charm. If nothing else, it's kinda nice seeing him talk about things that aren't just business all the time. I'd say it's worth a watch if you've got 20 minutes to kill.

 
Did find Steve Trevor and regular Metron at a Target a few towns over yesterday - there with Nightmaster, a couple of Batman figures I didnt pay attention to and a Tempest

At the WalMart in that same town they had Deathstroke and Platinum Adam Strange hanging on a shelf with clearance figures with a giant yellow sticker and the $25 price in bold. Love when WalMart tries to pretend something is on sale without actually putting it on sale.
 
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