McFarlane DC Multiverse

Atomic Knight said:
I’m not gonna argue over what a “deep cut” is. Suffice it to say that we don’t agree on where to draw that particular line.
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Fair. I was really referring to characters that casual non hardcore fans wouldn't necessarily know, but honestly you could make that case for probably anybody outside of the Top 50 or so DC characters and likely less. That's not at all what I would personally consider obscure, but I was trying to think of casual fans in the toy aisle.

In this case, maybe best just to look at who made what that the other 2 companies with the opportunity didn't. No, Todd hasn't had as much time as the other two - but 5-6 years is still enough time to understand what he prioritizes and what he doesn't. Same is true for the other two companies, if they didn't make something in all the years that they had the opportunity then they certainly didn't prioritize it either.
 
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Schizm said:
Female characters.

Hey-o, easy shot. Also - accurate.
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Fair enough. But let’s not pretend Mattel did a great job either. Out of over 300 figures made during the DCUC era, less than 50 females were made. They just made the “right” versions of the primary female characters up front.
 
Anyone else remember when Mattel lost the license and people were saying we'd never again see the likes of obscure figures like Killer Moth, Gentleman Ghost, or Kamandi? I think we all worry it'll be Batman/Superman heavy, and it definitely will. But I'm sure they'll dig into the catalogue from time to time. It's the same guys approving these figures at DC, and they know there's interest in first-in-plastic figures and lesser known characters.

For my Bat-collection, Todd gave me some great additions like Ragman, Geo-Force, and Kite Man, but you have to remember that before Mattel, we never even got the likes of Catman, Bronze Tiger, or Reaper, even from DCDirect, the company that was supposed to be comic book fan-focused. Todd focused on a lot of modern newbies like the Batman Who Laughs, Punchline, Mr. Bloom, and Ghost Maker, but only just recently got around to classic obscure characters, at least to my eye.

As for scale, the longer I collect, the more I realize the scale that makes me happiest is the Super Powers scale. 3.75 is too little and 6-7 too big, despite the insane number of figures I've accumulated. I think my dream scale is a line that can fit in with Kenner's output but include updated articulation (plus lots of vehicles and playsets). Todd's Super Powers has been a blast to collect, even though the figures don't hold a candle to the plastic quality/action features of toys made over 40 years ago. A truly updated line of 4.5 inch figures would really be the only thing that would get me all-in, rather than just picking and choosing.
 
Yep, scale matters. I consider myself a 1/12th scale collector who buys some 1/10th scale figures. Todd changing the scale when I'd been collecting for many, many years and 100s of DC figures was a betrayal that I just will never forgive. It will be interesting to see what Mattel does - they're going to alienate large portions of the community no matter what. There's absolutely no way to make everybody happy at this point - but I consider that to be fully Todd's fault. If he had just continued the 6" scale, it would be a non-issue.

I went heavy on the 3 3/4" stuff when Hasbro did their Marvel Universe and Mattel was doing whatever they called their version of that scale of figures (Infinite Heroes?). Still have all of those from both companies, but they're put away in totes. I bought a ton of Marvel 12" stuff too - but that would just be too expensive to do today other than the ultra-cheap 5 POA ones that are still being done by Hasbro and Spin-Master.

The one scale that I never really bought was the 4.5" - 5" (other than some Toy Biz stuff that pre-dated Legends). I have a good friend who only collects the Super Powers stuff and that makes him happy, but just not my thing. The closest that I can get to that is the Super Powers and Secret Wars figures that I had as a kid growing up.
 
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RexMason said:
Anyone else remember when Mattel lost the license and people were saying we'd never again see the likes of obscure figures like Killer Moth, Gentleman Ghost, or Kamandi?
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I thought from the very start that Todd could've knocked a Gentleman Ghost out of the park. So surprised he never got around to him- seems right up his alley. Killer Moth too, whether he wanted to go the sillier normal route, or the more monstrous Charaxes route
 
Sure, it’s nice that we got Steve Trevor and Question…but personally, I never found them at retail. Look at how many of us missed out on Max Shreck despite checking early in the pre order window.

Obscure characters are nice, but it would be great if they were more available, or they were lesser known characters that actually complete teams…like Cyclone or Stargirl or Jakeem Thunder to complete the 2000s JSA. Zauriel and Barda for the Morrison JLA.

I’d argue that they leaned too heavily into weird/obscure stuff early on, which is why the line was refocused into classic figures and movie figures. There’s a difference between Ambush Bug and Metal Duke Thomas. One is a weird C list character for niche collectors, the other is obscure without an audience.

It’s why I find myself in the constant love/hate relationship with McFarlane. Mattel was never giving us any of those Burton and Schumacher Batman figures, that Batman Beyond Batmobile, etc. I love a lot of my McFarlane collection and don’t plan on selling it. And then I stare at those Batman Forever figures wondering why we have a BAF of a giant bat instead of Bane from Batman & Robin. And where are Green Arrow and Black Canary?

My dream for Mattel is a line similar to the WWE deluxe figures. At this point I just want to buy one updated version of a character and be done with it, and replace/sell any older versions.
 
mystic_man said:
Sure, it’s nice that we got Steve Trevor and Question…but personally, I never found them at retail. Look at how many of us missed out on Max Shreck despite checking early in the pre order window.
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Again, the preorders NOT on the the MTS site are up to the other retailers. If there were issues, go after GameStop for not putting them up at the announced time or making it easy to find on the site/app.
YES, all the rainbow platinum garbage is annoying as hell, but we've ALL dealt with Walmart and Target screwing up announced preorder launches due to the ineptitude of their online teams.
 
I tend to see both sides of this, but I would agree. There is a difference between Ambush Bug and Metal Duke Thomas. I have both. I hate the character of Ambush Bug, but I’m glad to have him as a world builder. I detest almost everything about him. But mostly I hate breaking the 4th wall. Can’t stand that shit no matter the medium. My intention is to build as much of the DCU as I can in the time we have left. I’ll continue buying characters I don’t like to achieve that end.

As for Metal Duke, I also happen to love the DC Multiverse and the special he appeared in was quite good. I’ve also got the “real” Duke Thomas. I like that figure as well although the character seems to have fallen on tough times.

Anyway, at this point, I see that the priority should be to the mainstream characters and the MIA big names like Black Canary and such.
 
Since I don't know how many of you visit the customs thread, I'm putting this here too.

Does anyone here have a DC multiverse rubber crotch cover, male sized? Need it to cover a neca gargoyle. I'd actually like 2 as I'm making 2 customs. Preferably plain. If so, please hit me up and let me know how much for it (or them).

Thanks!
 
For me, a lot of collecting is done at a subconscious level. Once I decide that I’m interested, I’ve made most of the decisions already. Scale, style, QC, engineering, accessories, and the like are the baked in part for me. The only conscious consideration for me is character selection. I want it deep and wide. I also want it interesting and fun. Clearly that’s all subjective.

When I refer to stuff like a Scare Tactics box set, I’m not joking. I’d buy it given the opportunity. I’d participate in a kickstarter if that’s what it took. When I speak of the mainstream DCU, I’m talking about the Justice League, Justice Society, and the Titans. Members, associates, reservists, and even adjacent teams like Young Justice, the Outsiders, and the Freedom Fighters. Even dedicated villains play into this equation. A few hundred characters with lots of interconnections that reach out to the edges and corners of the DCU. None of which I consider too obscure for action figures. So I wouldn’t call Commander Steel a deep cut.

I saw a shop copy of the New History of the DC Universe #3 the other day. As I thumbed through it, I saw a character I haven’t thought about in years. Will Payton/Starman. What a cool figure that would’ve been. Mattel wouldn’t touch him with a 10 foot pole. Todd might’ve. In time. That’s what I’ll miss most about Todd.
 
Reno said:
Now the vehicles, that's another story. It will be interesting to see if other companies try to emulate him on that, and I'm not talking about just Mattel. Todd chose to make large, cheap and fairly low quality vehicles that still fit with the collection and looked good with them -- Hasbro too should maybe take some consideration into that rather than trying to make them too detailed and expensive. Do a scale accurate vehicle for under $100 and people will buy - it doesn't have to have a ton of bells and whistles. Hell, I just paid $100 for the damn Duck, of all things. I've bought every single vehicle Todd has done and I'd love Hasbro to do something similar in their Legends line - but not at a $350 price point like that HasLab Hellcharger.
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I sold myself on the Duck-mobile by rationalizing that if the Penguin was a $35 figure (it clearly isn't) then his oversized duck is only 65 bucks, plus I can always sell the duck if I decide I really don't have room for it. Then the Duck 2pk sold out on Gamestop later in the day and I thought to myself, "alright, maybe it wasn't the worst decision to get it." Rationalization and self-delusion can sometimes work to your benefit. I wouldn't be surprised if some of that "go with your gut" dynamic has helped Todd get to where he is. Certainly it can backfire majorly, as with his various legal/financial dustups. But while I would say he can be a big of an egomaniac, some of us can probably see the benefit of having such a personality around when it's in your corner and is the only one willing to give us what we're pleading for. For all his faults, I will always appreciate the figures he gave us that I just never would expect from a corporate source. It's like having a crazy uncle who always gets you the best Christmas and birthday gifts primarily because he's not like the other adults, actually listens to what you're always talking about, and is mostly viewed as "crazy" because he's eccentric and still a bit of a kid himself.
 
Man, stupid silly question, but what are you all considering a fair price for Steve? I'm tired of trying to find him on a store shelf and gonna just make a reseller's quota and buy him. The last few figures I'll overpay for figures at his point are Trevor, Zatanna, and Black Canary if we get one, so I might as well spend the money.
 
Not sure how to answer that. I got Trevor from Canada. $49.95 plus shipping IIRC. Saw him in GameStop a few days later. Of course. Only saw him once. But then again, I generally don’t hunt too much.
 
Atomic Knight said:
The only conscious consideration for me is character selection. I want it deep and wide.
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Here's something that we definitely agree upon.

Although, unlike Marvel Legends where I still have hundreds of characters that I want after 20+ years of collecting - I have most of the characters that I really want from DC. Unfortunately, just because I have figures of the characters doesn't mean that they look good together on a shelf. 20+ years of figures from DCD, Mattel and McFarlane make for an ugly collection when intermixed. I'd really prefer them to look more standardized across the collection in terms of both scale and style. Even a lot of the stuff from DCD doesn't look good with other DCD.

The characters that I don't already have figures of that I want the most are primarily civilians (Ma & Pa Kent, Amanda Waller, Iris Allen-West, Martha Wayne, Lara Lor-Von, Etta Candy, Morgan Edge, Maggie Sawyer, Vicki Vale, Joe Chill, Steve Lombard, Linda Park West, Cat Grant, etc) or unmade Legion of Super Heroes characters (Phantom Girl, Lightning Lass, Duplicate Girl, Shadow Lass, etc). There are others like Jesse Chambers, Weather Wizard, Congorilla, Johnny Thunder and Zatara though also.
 
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