Wow! We have had a lot of First Looks at a lot of cool new stuff, eh? Even a giveaway! Well, the train has not pulled into the station just yet and we still have a few more things to show you. Up now are the next couple of Toys R Us exclusive repainted DC Universe Classics figures – Green Lantern and Flash! The black and gray Batman is briskly selling in stores around the country and these two guys will be showing up soon (with a fourth, yet to be revealed, figure coming later in the year).
Back when the Toys R Us Batman showed up in stores, he took a lot of people by surprise. We had not really heard anything about this figure and while several people were skeptical of his selling power, he has really been holding his own (I had to check stores pretty regularly for a couple of week before I found mine due to his selling out). Well, Matty and Geoffery are banking that you are going to like newly painted versions of Hal Jordan and Barry Allen as well.
For the figures themselves, they are EXACTLY the same as the previously released versions of these characters with the exception of new paint jobs. Oh, and each one has a 75th Anniversary Collector Button. However, don’t let that be cause for an automatic dismissal, both of these guys really pop on the shelf.
I want to say this up front – neither of these figures represent the last we will see of these decos in the future. Yes, we are getting a Hal Jordan in his modern costume with sparkly paint here, and we are getting Barry Allen is a very Wally West-esque costume, but I am positive we will be seeing different versions of both of these incarnations in the future. The Green Lantern movie comes out in the summer of next year. Don’t think for one minute that we aren’t going to be seeing Hal EVERYWHERE. I think there is plenty of room to get another modern costume figure down the line, possibly with a new head sculpt. Also, Mattel is not going to try to pass this shiny Barry off as Wally. Don’t worry West fans, we will get Wally eventually and with due dedication.
However, until we see more in the future, these are really fun figures. I know a lot of p folks have been pining for a modern Hal for a long time, so I know this figure will be welcomed into many a toy shelf. For those that consider Hal the ultimate Green Lantern, the shiny paint deco will really make him stand out amongst the rest of the Corps. He also has his trusty Lantern with him and figure stand. I am predicting that this figure will sell just as well, if not better, than the Batman currently in release. This is a highly desirable repaint that fans have been requesting for a long time. Plus, as mentioned before, Mattel and DC are going to have Hal out there EVERYWHERE so get used to seeing him.
Going perfectly with Hal one of his best buds and fellow brought-back-from-the-dead Blackest Night co-star – Barry Allen. Like I said before, this figure elicits more thoughts of Wally West than Barry Allen to me, but it is clearly meant to be Barry (blue eyes, Barry belt and, the obvious bio on the back of the card), and he does capture a bit of an Alex Ross air to him (your like or dislike of that fact will vary) but he does make for a striking figure. The dark and shiny red works very well with the deep gold color on the accents and boots. This might also be a trend toward modern coloring in the comics for this character. There has been a recent movement from yellow to gold in a lot of modern colorings and Barry is all over the DCU right now so this figure just might be a preview of things to come, but we will have to wait and see.
Overall, I think these are both fun figures and will be welcome additions to many collections. I predict Hal to be the bigger seller because of the timing and overall desirability of his repaint, but hopefully Barry will sell, ahem, fast as well because I am interested in seeing the fourth figure and anytime more stores want DCUC exclusives, the better it is for the line overall.
*Thanks for reading and thanks to Toy Guru for sending these guys along!
Additional Links
