@jtmarsh I think the difference is that Wonka takes time to perfect the recipes and puts lots of care and imagination into things, whereas Todd kinda just throws things at the wall and sees what sticks. I don't think Wonka would be caught dead re-using as many parts and trying to pass it off as something new. Todd is more the Slugworth type.
I think the answer as to why we haven't seen and TNBA BAFs is just money. It's far more profitable to re-release a bunch of figures you already have and throw in some parts than to just make all those new parts and sell them on their own. And it's far cheaper than that to print a bunch of faux cels and call it a day. BTAS is generally looked at more favorably than TNBA; granted, they're basically the same thing, but when most folks think Batman The Animated Series, they think the first incarnation, so already there's more money to be made using those designs. Secondly, I'd argue that the designs fit Todd's aesthetic a bit more- big, bulky, muscle-y, cool looking characters versus skinnier, sleeker, shinier characters. I'd imagine those parts are probably a bit easier to make- cheaper, less chance of damage due to being a bit thicker, and slightly more potential for re-use.
Don't get me wrong- I'm glad to be getting these missing characters somehow, and it does give folks who didn't get the line before a chance to catch up. I think I only complain as heavily as I do because I bought into all the figures before, but from the perspective of a new collector, I'm sure it's a great choice. I suppose it's always possible that Todd moves on to TNBA characters if/when he exhausts BTAS characters as BAFs, but considering how many possibilities are still left, I doubt that'll ever happen. But maybe it's for the best; the BTAS BAFs are already arguably out of scale. I can't imagine how much bigger some of the TNBA BAFs would be, given the sleeker, smaller designs of a lot of the characters.
Has anyone ever asked McFarlane why they don’t do BAF characters from TNBA with the TNBA releases? I would much rather have unmade characters like Penguin, Mad Hatter, Clayface etc than pointless postcards. As such, I haven’t brought any of the TNBA re-issues as I have the originals and they offer nothing new. Where as I have brought each wave from TBAS despite having them already just for the new character.
Exactly the same here, I have bought the reissue BTAS figures for the new BAFs (sometimes keeping the reissue figs, sometimes selling them off) but I've entirely skipped the TNBA reissues since they offer no new characters when if they did I would buy them - but I have no interest in postcard/litho's they are including with them
@jtmarsh I think the difference is that Wonka takes time to perfect the recipes and puts lots of care and imagination into things, whereas Todd kinda just throws things at the wall and sees what sticks. I don't think Wonka would be caught dead re-using as many parts and trying to pass it off as something new. Todd is more the Slugworth type.
In fairness to Todd, I think his eccentricities and willingness to focus on what looks cool helps him more often than not, and I can appreciate his obvious natural talents. Without Stan Lee, comics hasn't had much of anyone to act as it's "ambassador" except for Todd, which I can appreciate to some degree. I love the new wired capes some of the figures are getting, and I've stated my appreciation to have gotten an 89 Burton Batmobile and (sorta) Keaton figure, when the thought of that seemed like a pipedream years ago. He does have his puzzling moments, like yesterday I walked by a display of McFarlane statues and it was all the same Spiderman sculpt in two different sizes. Literally looked like the same exact figure just doubled in size. I mean I get it, but it's just 2 scales for the same figure/statue? And the sideeye and artist proof "greys" I mentioned were annoying for the time they were prevalent. And the NFT's, I don't understand why these are still a thing. I know he says "well there are some that want digital collectibles but don't have room for a bunch of figures," okay let's assume that person exists and it benefits them. Fine. I've still yet to meet anyone who has ever described themselves like that to me. Plus he gets testy when you ask him about it. My biggest complaint now are the female faces don't look that great (however I had to buy Starfire and I don't even like that character because the figure looked great) and there are just too many weird classifications coming. Is it a collector's edition, no, is it a platinum or gold edition, no, so what is it, why it's a red platinum edition. What all does that mean or entail? Sometimes it works like the new Guy Gardner not having the 80s bowl cut, but at the same time, couldn't we just include an extra head for a buck or two more?
In summary I like that majority of what I've bought from McFarlane quite a bit, I just get annoyed with the fad marketing. Who would like to see POGs come back as extras in each figure's packaging? Slap bracelets? It makes about as much sense as my collection of never used DC trading card pedestals.
@joshsquash729 your experience with TNBA Scarecrow really just sums up this line for me. It's a cash grab with little though, effort, or oversight put into it. It's honestly a little embarrassing, but I guess they're making money. I just continue to be disappointed that the BTAS and TNBA license is stuck with McFarlane seemingly cut off from someone else doing something with it. The Mondo stuff is pretty cool, but I don't have the money or space to go down that rabbit hole.
Yeah, I give Todd a fair amount of crap. Not as much as others, but certainly more than I probably should. But at the end of the day, I do admire the guy. He's very clearly doing what he loves to do, and doing it his way. His love of darker, angstier things has led me to get probably more versions of Scarecrow than I'd ever get otherwise, and for that I'm grateful. A lot of his output isn't for me, but then again, a lot of any company's output wouldn't be. I'm a Batman fan first and foremost, so that'll always win out, and a big fan of Green Lantern and those wacky, crazy alien designs. On the Batman front, Todd's got me covered, and I appreciate that. I don't have to get any releases I don't want to, and by releasing all the other stuff I'm not interested in, it saves me money. Any company is gonna get flak for their output- with as broad a property as DC, someone's always getting the short end of the stick.
My main frustration is mostly from the re-releases. I get that Todd didn't do the initial figures, but I'm also of the belief that he should still handle any re-releases with respect- both for the fans, and the previous folks who made the figure. There's always gonna be fans who missed out the first time around, for whatever reason, and I think they deserve as good a figure as we got before, not cut corners with missing accessories, misprinted cels, or what have you. But I suppose such is the game- with as many different outputs, something is again gonna get the short shrift. Todd has no shortage of imagination- with things like the Jokerized figures, yeah, it's not for everyone, but it's a clever thing to do, and felt like some thought went into them, whereas the BTAS re-releases haven't had much care, and that sucks, because for a property as influential as BTAS, it feels like it deserves better.
I did recently open the Pandora's Box of getting into the Mondo line, and while it is definitely pricey (and it's gonna be a heck of a time playing catch up) that's the line that I really wish Todd's BTAS line was- it's clearly made by super fans of the show, with a lot of thought and care put into every little detail.
My main frustration is mostly from the re-releases. I get that Todd didn't do the initial figures, but I'm also of the belief that he should still handle any re-releases with respect- both for the fans, and the previous folks who made the figure.
Bingo. They may be old DCD figures, but at the end of the day his name is on the box. You would think he'd want that to stand for something. It's too bad that Marvel and DC both seem to operate on these big, exclusive, deals with manufacturers. I just look at how many companies are making TMNT these days and, man, it would be awesome if DC and Marvel were that open.
I did recently open the Pandora's Box of getting into the Mondo line, and while it is definitely pricey (and it's gonna be a heck of a time playing catch up) that's the line that I really wish Todd's BTAS line was- it's clearly made by super fans of the show, with a lot of thought and care put into every little detail.
I have all the Mondo BTAS stuff. It's far from perfect. Honestly, the quality is not much better than DC Direct's original BTAS run, just on a larger scale. Given the price point, I expect better. (And Mondo parts have a tendency to break right out of the box.)
@casimir That's fair! I'm still discovering the negatives of the line, having only the 1 figure so far, but I've heard similar things from others. Then again, alot of the old DC Collectibles figures used to break pretty easily too (though that was an easier pill to swallow, given the price point). I think my point is that the Mondo stuff at least feels specially curated by fans for fans. Yeah, it's a much higher price point, and just as fragile, if not moreso, but none of the figures have felt like just easy, thrown together releases. Yeah, some of them come with more than others, but each one of them comes with things that feel perfect for that specific character, and a lot of them come with something that would please the diehard fans more than the casual fans (Scarecrow's first mask, Clayface's puddle/Batclaw head, Man Bat's half-transformed head, etc.). They could just as easily give only swappable hands and a stand and charge rougly the same amount and a lot of fans would still bite, but they take the time to try things, go through the episodes and see what would make cool inclusions and try to include them, even if it means extra work for them to try and figure it out. Just hearing them talk about Clayface in the video above is in a whole different ballpark than Todd talking about the re-releases (and, granted, a lot of other companies; Hasbro's Star Wars Team comes to mind). You can tell they're actually passionate about the release, not just reading talking points off cue cards. So I guess that's what seems to be the difference for me- Todd's re-releases are missing the passion and the fun of it.
Finally just bit the bullet and splurged on the Maxie Zeus BAF. Didn't wanna go through the hassle of tracking down all the figures, buying them, then offloading them, even if I made a couple bucks back. Just wanted it over and done with, and I ended up getting him for a few bucks less than all 4 figures would've cost anyway.
I like him. He's well made, and he stands out on the shelf (the bare skin tone really helps- not a lot of tan) This is another one I don't mind being a bit bigger- it helps add to "Greek God" aesthetic (even if he isn't really one), and without the armor or backpack of Lock-Up or Condiment King, he feels a little smaller and more human-sized. Don't know if it's because I got the figure secondhand, but the joints on this one feel better than the other new BAFs. They feel both pretty sturdy and tough, but also loose enough to move without fearing they'll break. I would advise being careful with the lightning bolt, though; his hand did not wanna open up, so I had to snake it in from the end and just shimmy it up his hand (you heard me). I can easily see someone snapping the bolt if not careful.
Looking forward to the Bruce Wayne BAF next, and seeing who's after that. Hopefully either Clock King or Red Claw (the latter would be my first choice, personally). Though, I have the shelves separated by BTAS and TNBA, and adding Maxie to the BTAS shelf only furthers the uneven lineup. I know the BAFs have only solely been BTAS-related up until this point (and there were more episodes of BTAS in general, so more to draw from), but I wouldn't mind if Todd gave us a TNBA character to switch it up.
My local Target has had a sale for the figures at $15 each for the past two weeks. The other Target in town did not have this price, so it must be a unique store sale. Today I found the whole Maxie Zeus wave for the first time at this store. Score! At that price I bought them all including that terrible Batman repaint.
Even as a twelve-year-old I thought the Batman repaints were stupid, so I was disgusted with seeing this as a requirement for a collector line build-a-figure. When my 8 year-old saw it though, he called it a “really cool-looking Batman.” So maybe those designers back in the 90s had a good idea of how to design for kids.
@danman - I also didnt like the majority of the variants in the Kenner line - but I got Lightning Strike Batman for my birthday as a kid and loved the wraparound cape - so much that he (and the cape) would be used along with Combat Belt Batman as my "main" Batman's when playing with friends
I would have loved it if the McFarlane Lightning Strike Batman had done a version of the wraparound cape to use on the newer animated figures
@jag2045 Now that you mention it, I'm surprised more companies haven't done any sort of wraparound cape or big spread, wing-like cape. Especially after DC Collectibles did their BTAS Ra's, which, while not 1:1, is probably the closest we've gotten to a true wraparound cape (has anyone tried fitting Ra's cape on the BTAS Batman to see if it fits?) Heck, we've only ever gotten a windswept cape a handful of times too. Maybe they're afraid that a wraparound cape might hinder or hide articulation, or a windswept/spread cape might be a bit topheavy? I don't think a lot of fans would necessarily mind, though- it's more about the display possibilities for a lot of folks.
@jag2045 Now that you mention it, I'm surprised more companies haven't done any sort of wraparound cape or big spread, wing-like cape. Especially after DC Collectibles did their BTAS Ra's, which, while not 1:1, is probably the closest we've gotten to a true wraparound cape (has anyone tried fitting Ra's cape on the BTAS Batman to see if it fits?) Heck, we've only ever gotten a windswept cape a handful of times too. Maybe they're afraid that a wraparound cape might hinder or hide articulation, or a windswept/spread cape might be a bit topheavy? I don't think a lot of fans would necessarily mind, though- it's more about the display possibilities for a lot of folks.
Good point, they did some alternate capes in the Batman Expressions pack
But agreed I'm surprised they never did a wrap around cape for Batman (either hard plastic like Ras al Ghul or cloth)
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Heck they could have dne a shaded out Batman head as well
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Unfortunately, the larger cape in the Expression pack was dropped before release.
May I ask which Target that was?My local Target has had a sale for the figures at $15 each for the past two weeks. The other Target in town did not have this price, so it must be a unique store sale. Today I found the whole Maxie Zeus wave for the first time at this store. Score! At that price I bought them all including that terrible Batman repaint.
Even as a twelve-year-old I thought the Batman repaints were stupid, so I was disgusted with seeing this as a requirement for a collector line build-a-figure. When my 8 year-old saw it though, he called it a “really cool-looking Batman.” So maybe those designers back in the 90s had a good idea of how to design for kids.
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