So much to talk about here . . . luckily, we’ve done quite a bit of talking since last week. So how about a recap?
First, the broad strokes: Mezco has been working, very secretly, on their One:12 Collective line since 2014. After showing the inaugural figure, The Dark Knight Returns Batman, Mezco revealed many licenses that could fall under the banner, and as of 2016 we’ve had Batman and his variants, Judge Dredd (plus variants), and the Mutant Leader from The Dark Knight Returns. Star Trek made a big entrance late last year, and while a lucky few (damn you, Crawford!) have a pre-release Mr. Spock, that line begins in earnest this spring. That was followed hot and fast by Superman and Batman from Dawn of Justice, which upped the ante considerably on the many options we have on figures from the movie. Those will be July/August of this year.
And then, in their pre-Toy Fair event, Marvel happened.
The fine details will settle in later, but for now we know about:
Captain America, in classic and modern variations. The modern variant is intended to have a slightly different, circular chain mail upper armor in final release. I suspect that means the classic, lighter blue will be the first release, expected for July as well. The variant will likely follow a couple months later.
Daredevil, in classic, Shadowland, and modern variants. It’s interesting to note that the classic Daredevil has a completely different suit, which makes for fascinating other variant possibilities down the line. He is slated for November, though I’m not sure which one is coming first.
Punisher, shown in classic and armored variants. A third modern version is also planned, presumably something like the Bradstreet look, I would guess. It’s worth noting the roughed-up head and standard head is actually included with both, so set your mind at ease there. He is expected in October.
But the DC line is certainly not resting on its laurels. In addition to the aforementioned movie figures, there will be a LED-lighted armored Batman, and he’s anticipated for July as well. Then there’s the 1/12-scale movie Batmobile — at this point, a giant, terrifying proof of concept. Likely to be next year, once the details are worked out.
And there were also four more comic characters shown, although not much is known as far as variants for these figures.
Flash, now looking much more like a finished product for September. Professor Zoom is shown as well, also listed for September, though I’m not sure if he’s considered his own release or a Flash variant.
Comic Superman is also looking more complete, but maybe a little overshadowed by the newer figures, at least to me. Still, he’s rounding out the year in December, so a lot can happen.
Shazam (Captain Marvel) snuck in out of nowhere, ready for action, though. He’ll be available in August.
And of course, Green Arrow, who turned a lot of people into One:12 collectors overnight. He is planned for October as well. Also, that hood? Wire framed.
As mentioned, Star Trek is also playing hard and fast in this line, with Sulu planned for June, and Captain Kirk himself in July. Just incredible.
And luckily Space Ghost and Frankenstein are not forgotten and are looking very ready to go. November for those guys, and it sounds like a lot of good opportunities for more Universal Monsters, just hard to say where and who.
There’s also some good news as far as what’s coming in the future: Spider-Man and DEADPOOL are teased via Twitter, so it’s pretty safe to say we’ll see them next year. A few concerns I had going into this massive expansion of the line have also been relieved: Keaton Batman is still something they can and would like to do, and so are the Mortal Kombat Klassic figures — not off the table, just looking for the right opportunity — anniversaries, not directly competing with other offerings, etc. And everything I’ve seen, read, and watched speaks to the Mezco crews’ unyielding love for G.I. Joe. God help us.
I can’t tell you what this means for you good folk as individuals, but I can say for myself this is a pivotal moment and a pivotal line in my many years in this hobby. I am essentially hitting the “reset” button on my collection, and from here on out, this is where my money goes.
Hold on Thunder, I’ll let you fin . . . oh you’re finished. Late to the party as usual. Ibentmyman-thing here to jump into DisThunder’s lovefest for Mezco to say a few things. After buying nearly all of the Mezco stuff so far and being very happy with all of it, I’m almost positive I’m almost all in. I say “almost,” but this line seems to have a sneaky way of making you want things you’re not sure you want but you end up getting anyway. Do I really need every version of Daredevil or Captain America? Hell, do I even care about BvS figures? Sure, I say I don’t now . . .
Some things shown really wowed me. Well, everything wowed me, but some more than others. I’m already super-excited about the Star Trek stuff. I’ve never had a nice set of Trek toys from the original series. I’m not a superhardcore ear-wearing Trekker, but I love the franchise and the amount of figures they’ve already shown brings us so close to a full bridge crew I can taste it. The fact that they’re mini-Hot Toys quality seals it for me.
Marvel was obviously a surprise, but then, Captain Marvel (sorry, he’ll never be just “Shazam” to me) really wowed me. I didn’t think he’d be among the initial DC figures at all. And beyond that, I think I’m most surprised at the Reverse Flash reveal though. The one-two combo of Flash and Reverse Flash is one of my favorite things outside of Superman and Bizarro, so to be getting that pair so soon knocks me out.
In the end, though, the weirdest thing is that this is a line I’m looking for a certain element from, that I feel like is a guarantee. I want a fun, good-looking toy line that’s all inter-compatible with each other, so I can have Batman fight the Punisher or Captain America teach Judge Dredd who the Law really is. Most toy lines are iffy. They start off at a level, and you end up paying them to improve and learn. Mezco seems to have figured their ish out before clearing the gate. That’s just weird.
And even a hint of G.I. Joe possibilities . . . yeah. I can dig that. I can dig the crap out of it.