If he gives us a TNBA BATMOBILE before he’s done, I’ll forgive Todd for everything!
personally ,I was just in it for the vehicles, super powers and the odd armored character.
TNBA Batmobile is one of the most criminally underrated and overlooked designs.
It’s almost never given its due. I think it’s a much sexier design than BTAS batmobile, though less iconic.
I also wanted the 90’s “spaceship” batmobile for 7” scale or even for super powers.
@secondwhiteline ahhhh hahaha Scott “ToyGuru” Neitlich did indeed smear his mendacious, self-serving stink all over DCUC as well as MotUC. Even got a Red Lantern named after his self-aggrandizing, lying ass. One of the things I am most excited and optimistic about is Mattel NOT having Scottie N as their public bullshit artist.
What's his story? I've seen his youtube channel, but I'm not up to date on his shenanigans.
@therealsmallville ehh, most of his garbage is in the past (I’d never watch his YouTube channel, but I hear it’s mostly him doomsaying Mattel and MotU).
Back in the day, Neitlich continually positioned himself (or tried to) as the “celebrity point man” of Mattel’s action figure offerings, kind of a low-rent Todd McFarlane if Todd didn’t own his own company. It was . . . pathetic, especially since he self-inserted constantly, getting his lame childhood made-up MotU character “Mighty Spector” (a Deadpool knockoff with a spade symbol) shoved into MOTUC, rewriting MOTU canon to suit himself, getting his face put on an Eternian Royal Guard and his name on a Red Lantern. Not only did he ALWAYS make it about himself,just like spectacular narcissistic behavior, he also told massive lies CONSTANTLY and then did a bunch of corporate-speak shilly-shallying to bury his poop. They eventually fired him, and he tried to make “Spector Creative” a thing while getting fired from other toy companies.
To be blunt: he’s a damn scumbag, and exactly the kind of weasely schemer I despise.
All of the comments about McFarlane losing the line before it’s “finished” are forgetting context. We got the entire DCUC line (outside of MattyCollector exclusives) in less than the amount of time that Todd has held the DC license. All 20 waves were released between 2008 and 2012.
You have a funny way of saying that Mattel released the 20th wave of DCUC in 2012, after having the DC license since 2003, so it only took them 9 years. They've had 5 years of buildup before starting on Classics.
@mysticmanjrf I know it's not exactly comparable, but DCUC re-used a lot of parts. I'm sure the reason they could handle such a quick turnout is that they essentially just cycled through a handful of bucks, swapping out parts and paint where needed. A big part of my they did the Matty Collecter stuff was to introduce more deluxe figures with unique, one-off sculpts and characters that wouldn't necessarily have sold as well (even though most of the Matty stuff still re-used a bunch of parts). As lovely as a lot of Mattel's figures were, there was a bunch of "sameness" when lined up next to each other.
Condensed @joshsquash729 post for space, but all valid points. Including the QC stuff which was pretty horrific at points. I felt lucky getting a full set of 5 without gummy/stuck thighs.
Maybe it seemed like cherry picking to go with Mattel’s best 5 year run versus Todd’s only 5 year run, but I mostly wanted to make the point that the reason we have incomplete teams is not due to the amount of time McFarlane had the license, or the amount of figures produced. By the numbers McFarlane actually released way more unique figures than Mattel. It’s just that the character selection was much different and gave us way less world building.
To each their own on what you prefer - while the lack of world building was obviously really frustrating for me based on prior comments, I can’t look at an entire bookcase of Batmobiles and movie figures and act like I was totally unhappy with the product. But I’ve had enough of that stuff and I’m ready for more consistent comic figures.
@secondwhiteline ahhhh hahaha Scott “ToyGuru” Neitlich did indeed smear his mendacious, self-serving stink all over DCUC as well as MotUC. Even got a Red Lantern named after his self-aggrandizing, lying ass. One of the things I am most excited and optimistic about is Mattel NOT having Scottie N as their public bullshit artist.
This is actually a pretty good point. At the time, since MOTU Classics and DCUC were two of my favorite lines going, I excused a lot of Neitlich's nonsense and even defended some of his actions... but with the benefit of hindsight and especially with being able to see his subsequent behavior the veil was all the way lifted and I came to agree completely with this assessment of him.
It will be nice to see the DC line at Mattel completely unfettered by his nonsense.
@therealsmallville ehh, most of his garbage is in the past (I’d never watch his YouTube channel, but I hear it’s mostly him doomsaying Mattel and MotU).
Back in the day, Neitlich continually positioned himself (or tried to) as the “celebrity point man” of Mattel’s action figure offerings, kind of a low-rent Todd McFarlane if Todd didn’t own his own company. It was . . . pathetic, especially since he self-inserted constantly, getting his lame childhood made-up MotU character “Mighty Spector” (a Deadpool knockoff with a spade symbol) shoved into MOTUC, rewriting MOTU canon to suit himself, getting his face put on an Eternian Royal Guard and his name on a Red Lantern. Not only did he ALWAYS make it about himself,just like spectacular narcissistic behavior, he also told massive lies CONSTANTLY and then did a bunch of corporate-speak shilly-shallying to bury his poop. They eventually fired him, and he tried to make “Spector Creative” a thing while getting fired from other toy companies.To be blunt: he’s a damn scumbag, and exactly the kind of weasely schemer I despise.
Wow 🤣 that's...incredible lol Thanks for the info, I'd heard his name come up negatively a few times but I didn't know why.
His youtube channel has the spade all over it, and he does talk down about Mattel from what I've seen. I haven't watched many of his videos (they're very low-quality), but it occasionally pops up on my feed and I'll click the thumbnail before realizing it's him.
I'm hoping Mattel pursues a middle ground. Part of the sameness of DCUC is that most of the sculpts are super basic and untextured, and I'd like Mattel to pursue something with a little more detail.
I get what you are saying, but that also felt pretty accurate to the source material. I felt like often times McFarlane added texture where the source material showed none simply because he liked texture. The Green Lantern uniforms come to mind. There was no requirement for texture on any of those costumes but he added some anyway. I don't mind detail if it's source accurate - but detail for detail's sake bothers me a bit.
That's been Todd's M.O. since day one with his company. I remember reading an interview back in the 90s and he was trying to sell everyone on sculpt. Added details, intricate designs, and so forth because a lot of toys weren't doing that and it doesn't add cost to the figure. I think that sentiment is still prevalent with him as it seems like he's all about textures with his stuff. I can see the appeal in some sense, but I'm like you and a source material guy: if the suit isn't illustrated with texture, then the figure doesn't need it either.
That's been Todd's M.O. since day one with his company. I remember reading an interview back in the 90s and he was trying to sell everyone on sculpt. Added details, intricate designs, and so forth because a lot of toys weren't doing that and it doesn't add cost to the figure. I think that sentiment is still prevalent with him as it seems like he's all about textures with his stuff. I can see the appeal in some sense, but I'm like you and a source material guy: if the suit isn't illustrated with texture, then the figure doesn't need it either.
And Todd got famous drawing in an era where artists were redesigning costumes with tons of texture - all sorts of straps and pouches and seams and zippers and leather jackets and what not - but ironically the creations he's most famous for - Venom and Spawn - have smooth costumes with relatively little textural detail.
My biggest QC issue with Mattel isn't anything that anyone on here is complaining about. For the most part all of my DCUC figures are in excellent condition and have held up well over the years.
My biggest gripe is discoloration of Metron, Ultraman, the Legion of Superheroes, and Batman Legacy Mr Freeze in Super Power Colors.
I hope that this time around Mattel uses better quality plastic and revisits some figures that have not aged well. People complain about the unibody and outdated articulation, but before Dcuc, we did not have any highly articulated dc figures and so I was always grateful we got dcuc. Too much articulation makes figures look funky but if there is going to be articulation it should work and be functional.
I thought Mcfarlanes rubber diaper, big ball joints, and ring around the armpit butterfly shoulder looked horrible. I can't understand how some can look at a Mcfarlane figure and think that it looks better than a dcuc figure. But that's just me and totally does not apply to that power girl figure which is way better that the dcuc version.
And Todd got famous drawing in an era where artists were redesigning costumes with tons of texture - all sorts of straps and pouches and seams and zippers and leather jackets and what not - but ironically the creations he's most famous for - Venom and Spawn - have smooth costumes with relatively little textural detail.
Was Todd a pouch guy? I always felt like that was mostly Liefeld and others. I know Jim Lee is the "bomber jacket / trenchcoat" guy. Todd always struck me as more the "skate by on questionable anatomy" guy so long as it looked cool. Which as a kid I was fine with. Todd's things seemed like big ornate capes to me, which even as a kid I thought were a pain to draw after a while. I know J. Scott Campbell mentions his simultaneous love of putting in a lot of detail but having to hold back because it becomes a beast to draw it into panels over and over. Spawn's ornamentation seems to be spikes and straps, and obviously having to draw the giant M on his chest in every angle. And the chains, good grief the chains, it looks cool, but chain links get monotonous over time to draw everywhere.
Was Todd a pouch guy? I always felt like that was mostly Liefeld and others. I know Jim Lee is the "bomber jacket / trenchcoat" guy. Todd always struck me as more the "skate by on questionable anatomy" guy so long as it looked cool. Which as a kid I was fine with. Todd's things seemed like big ornate capes to me, which even as a kid I thought were a pain to draw after a while. I know J. Scott Campbell mentions his simultaneous love of putting in a lot of detail but having to hold back because it becomes a beast to draw it into panels over and over. Spawn's ornamentation seems to be spikes and straps, and obviously having to draw the giant M on his chest in every angle. And the chains, good grief the chains, it looks cool, but chain links get monotonous over time to draw everywhere.
No, you're right - Todd never veered into the "tactical gear, pouches and straps" mode that his contemporaries loved, he was just at his most active at the same time that stuff was at its peak.
That's sort of what I was getting at. In an era where his peers were adding as much extra doodads to costumes as possible Todd still kept things relatively simple - though the capes got a bit over the top.
So it's kind of funny that when it came to his DC action figure line he went the opposite way - adding texture and ribbing and stuff to costumes that never had it drawn on the page
What I would like Mattel to keep from McF:
- Vehicles (maybe even playsets/environments)
- Volume of releases
- Artist-specific figures
What I would like Mattel to add/change from McF:
- Greater diversity/breadth of characters, with an eye towards completing teams/'eras' (e.g., Satellite JLA)
- Consistent scaling
- More updated articulation formula (pinless joints; no more 'diaper;' articulation points that work with, not against each other)
- No chase figures
I'm agnostic on scale; would be fine if Mattel went to 6", but no issue if they continue in 7" (though I do get the argument about wanting to mix & match with Marvel Legends)
What would you guys consider a happy medium when it comes to the smooth, simplistic sculpts of the DCUC and the at-times overly intricate sculpts of McFarlane? For me, I don't need a ton of texture and levels and panels and knick-knacks and paddywhacks, but a few here and there can be nice. Heck, even sculpting the look of fabric and folds here and there can go a long way for me- that's part of why I personally prefer plastic to soft goods (most of the time)- the soft goods are often too big and pillowy, or because of how it's cut, it's smooth where it should be rippling or what have you. Granted, a lot of the classic heroes are in spandex or spandex adjacent suits, so even those little folds and such wouldn't be necessary, but I still want to feel like some effort went into things, you know?
Simple is sometimes better, no doubt, but if it feels like they just took the exact same parts, threw a little different paint on it, and a different head, that feels almost too simple. Take, for instance, NECA (which we could start a whole other thread about NECA and their shenanigans, but I digress). I collect the horror Ultimates, and they re-use those sort of Michael Myers coveralls a bunch- for both Michael and other figures. Yet there's still enough of a difference with releases that it can still manage to feel different enough- painting a different color, some added blood or damage, different hands and shoes, a belt or other overlay, etc., not to mention the different accessories. Compare that to the old Mattel DC suited body that we saw used however many dozens of times, and it almost always felt the exact same, just in a different shade. There were almost never any new parts aside from the heads, and sometimes even those skewed a little too close.
At the end of the day, everyone is gonna have different opinions on what is and isn't worth it when it comes to figures. I'm neither a shill for Mattel or for McFarlane- it's a moment-by-moment thing for me on any toy company- sometimes they make me happy, sometimes they piss me off. I also realize that, at the end of the day, if I want the product, I'm gonna have to put up with the shenanigans of the company. The toy industry is always changing and evolving, and something will always come along to make other companies look bad or cheap.
My biggest annoyance in all this is just the feeling that I'm gonna have to start all over again. It does feel like, even though it took ages, Todd was starting to listen to some of the gripes that fans had (while doubling down on others, granted). Mattel will undoubtedly do things that McFarlane already did- perhaps even better than them. That's only natural. I truly hope that they have evolved in the time that they didn't have the license- they paid attention and learned what worked for McFarlane and other companies, and what didn't. And I hope that they don't have to check so many boxes or please certain people, which could lead to a subar product or something too close to their previous offerings. I know McFarlane touted a benefit to him producing the figures was that he was his own boss, and didn't have to please as many higher-ups. How true that is is obviously up for debate, but there is a point to it.
All in all, I wish them well with the license again, I truly do. I don't need or want them to re-invent the wheel, I just want them to keep up with it.
What would you guys consider a happy medium when it comes to the smooth, simplistic sculpts of the DCUC and the at-times overly intricate sculpts of McFarlane?\
Honestly I'd like if McFarlane could continue his line, but either make them exclusives or limit the number of figures released per year by him. It's obvious that Mattel isn't going to make a giant grotesque Clayface, Bane, ManBat or Killer Croc anywhere near what McFarlane can, and I don't know that they're even interested to. Having a "signature" line for older collectors and a standard line for everyone else makes a lot of sense and it would allow me to stay engaged with DC figures I actually enjoy instead of dropping out. The artist specific figures could also be an avenue where I think Todd could offer value in ways that Mattel likely isn't interested in doing.
I realize it likely wont happen but I would like to have both sides get what they want, and DC not to lose out on fans because things have to be one way or another. Folks like Marvel Select, even though it's not my thing, it doesn't mean I think it shouldn't exist for those who genuinely enjoy the aesthetics.
Honestly I'd like if McFarlane could continue his line, but either make them exclusives or limit the number of figures released per year by him. It's obvious that Mattel isn't going to make a giant grotesque Clayface, Bane, ManBat or Killer Croc anywhere near what McFarlane can, and I don't know that they're even interested to. Having a "signature" line for older collectors and a standard line for everyone else makes a lot of sense and it would allow me to stay engaged with DC figures I actually enjoy instead of dropping out. The artist specific figures could also be an avenue where I think Todd could offer value in ways that Mattel likely isn't interested in doing.
So, in all honesty, I think this is where Todd having stepped in to take over DC Direct could factor in. If DC were so inclined (and his buddy Jim Lee is still in charge at DC) there could still be a DC Direct avenue through specialty retailers only - and perhaps with a more limited release schedule - that would allow McFarlane to do things like you've described. There's at least a plausible scenario where he gets to do a few more Batman 66 releases, or an oversize "monsters" line that touches those Bat villains you describe and maybe even the occasional special Batman release. Obviously his Multiverse line won't get to continue as it has, and I don't know where the barrier would fall on the Super Powers homage line... if Mattel were not interested it might be possible DC Direct could be allowed to continue limited releases in that format.
But I do think there's at least a chance that the DC Direct relationship could possibly give McFarlane limited access to produce some kind of DC product. It honestly depends on how restrictive the language is in the Master License agreement Mattel signed.
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