Ahoy there DC Fans! Continuing with our DC/Mattel week of reviews we are switching gears a bit from the Classics style to the tried and true DC Animated flavor. That’s right, the JLU line is still chugging along several years after the show has left the airwaves. It is the spirit and dedication of the fans that have kept the line going for so long, and thanks to sets like the Shazam Family and Legion of Superheroes the lexicon of characters is unmatched by any other DC toy line. Well, the worlds strangest heroes are joining the throng. Thats right, the Doom Patrol! Come on and check them out!
I am on Robotman cloud nine. Not only is Cliff Steele shipping in the Wal-Mart exclusive DCUC series 10 wave, he is also coming to www.mattycollector.com this fall in the JLU line, and he is brining his Patrol cohorts with him! This four pack features the aforementioned Robotman, along with Mento, Elasti-Girl and Negative Man.
While this crew was never actually featured on the show, Mattel has shown a commitment of expanding the boundaries and the Doom Patrol is a great team to do that with (let’s hope all of the team gets attention across other lines as well!). I want to hit just a few points before I get to the pictures (I know why you are really here).
First, I am happy to say that compared to several of the more recent JLU offerings, these figures are made of a stronger and more rigid plastic. That means that they are not rubbery. That means that most of them stand up just fine on their own. Yay! Granted, Elasti-Girl is still hard to balance, but I once you have her standing without the stand, she looks like she will stay there. I am sure that will make many a fan rejoice.
Also, the paint work seems to be a step up as well. All of the lines on Negative Man are mostly clean and Robotman has an almost shiny quality to him. Both are very nice touches.
Finally, I will leave you with this – the life of JLU is in YOUR hands. In order for JLU to continue into 2010 the rest of the year must be a success. The good part is, doing your part and picking up this set will be easy as the Doom Patrol is one of the best set of figures delivered under the JLU, and the characters a awesome too!
*Thanks for reading and thanks again to Toy Guru for sending this set along. Check back soon for more Mattel DC coverage!
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If JLU depends on me buying random characters who were NOT on the show, then let the line die. I don’t want THESE characters, I want ones that actually appeared on the show or mentioned throughout the DCAU (like Plastic Man, the DCAU Teen Titans, or Hardware). Robotman? I scoff at this figure. I’d rather have S.T.I.P.E, at least he appeared in the show!
No wonder Matty is suffering they’re making characters no fan of the animated wants. Sure the first 2 sets (Gotham villians and Legion of SuperHeroes) didn’t have A-Listers that the stores need, but they had fan requested characters who actually appeared in DCAU animation. Super Woman, OMAC, Comic accurate characters,: Isn’t that what the DCUC line is for?
Almost a year without new JLU at Target is not the fan’s fault. I for one flat out REFUSE to buy extra figures of ones I already have. And I don’t mean reissued figures in packs, I mean buying those exact same 3 packs that I’m sure everyone knows by now. And when those same old 3 packs were gone, they were replaced with MORE of the SAME 3 packs! I just found new 3 packs today with Amanda Waller, General Eiling, and Blackhawk but STILL never seen the Future Leaguers or Injustice Gang packs. Could you PLEASE re-release those? I mean don’t you think we deserve those figures after nearly a year with NO new JLU 3 packs and all that driving around us collectors had to do?
Speaking of those new packs WHY do we get SuperFrieds characters? They had SuperFriends-esqe characters on JLU called the Ultimen, we should have gotten Juice, Long Shadow, and Wind Dragon instead! And if that SuperFriends set HAD to be made we should have got El Dorado instead of Samurai.
And finally, I want to mention the outrageous complaints about the Eclipso 6 pack. When Mattel mentions that we FINALLY get new JLU, some people STILL find something to complain about. Now they’re saying they don’t want to buy the Eclipsed 6 pack because we get only one new sculpted figure and 4 variants (I’m pretty sure Flash isn’t Eclipsed). Are you kidding me? Sure we’re getting 4 variants but they actually appeared in the show! This is MUCH better than the Grodd set because we get figures that aren’t the EXACT same. The variant is actually intened for the older fans (yet they still gripe) and are kid friendly as well. If they could make neon variants of the main leaguers a few years ago, they cam make variants of the main leagures that actually appear in the show. Plus they’re getting the main leagures out there which will attract more novice buyers (like parents or grandparents) because they are more likely to buy something with Superman or Batman. This is genius what Mattel is doing with the Eclipsed set, they should try to do something like that more often and you know… actually ship the JLU merchandise.
I would have preferred the Grant Morrison Doom Patrol, but this is still pretty cool.
My hats off to AnimateTed. You Hit the nail on the Head, Mattel I hope you are reading AnmateTed’s Comment. I have a strong feeling many Matty collectors feel the same way. Myself included.
I have no idea who the heck these characters are. And frankly I’m peeved that we’ve gotten them before characters that were ACTUALLY on the show. BUT… that said, I love this line. I have every figure released so far, and will do what I can to see it thrive.
HOWEVER – It is NOT solely up to us! If Mattel wants the line to succeed they need to do some of the work too! After all it’s profit for them and they cannot take their fanbase for granted!
Here’s an idea, list items on the website with ample notice! Many customers do not read these sites. (The Shazam set was listed on Mattycollector.com 3 days before it went on sale. And when the email newsletter arrived for the months purchases (a day late mind you) The Shazam set was NO WHERE to be seen!
The debacle with Target was in no way the FANS fault, But we were made to carry the brunt of the reparation. WE were asked to clear away old stock to make way for new. AND when we did buy old 3 packs on sale… they were replaced with MORE old 3 packs. WE ARE STILL waiting for the Cheetah/Batman Beyond wave originally due in February/March.
Here is the bottom line (and this is been bothering me since the whole Gleek debacle was deemed a “Success” by Mattel in their monthly ask replies) WE DO NOT NEED THESE TOYS!
We like them, yes, we want them, yes… but we do not need them to survive. They are a distraction for us, a hobby, a commune with our children, but without them… we will survive.
MATTEL NEEDS ITS CUSTOMERS. IT NEEDS ITS FANS TO SURVIVE. Without US they will have nothing. They will be stockpiled with bad ideas and carrying on with just Hot Wheels and Barbie. If you alienate, frustrate and anger your customer base and your fan base to the point where this hobby is no longer worth the money in these hard economic times… they they are only killing their own lifeblood.
They need better brand managers. They need better customer service reps. They need better public relations statements, because Mattel, while they have been making better product, has been damaging it’s relationship with its customers.
Holy hell I CANNOT wait for these!!! I do not own ANY JLU figs….but THESE….THESE I MUST OWN!!
Josh!