@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.
Not that McFarlane uses entirely unique sculpts all the time- far from it- and they certainly rely on overlays a lot of the time (though it kinda feels like they've cut back a little bit in that area), but the unique parts should be taken into consideration, and definitely help a lot of the figures feel more unique. They also release (or re-release) a wider array of product than DCUC- they have the Multiverse, Multiverse Megafigs, the BTAS line, the Batman 66, Page Punchers, etc. Sure, a lot of those are re-releases of old DCC/DCD figures, and you could certainly argue that, if they'd kept their focus a little smaller rather than spreading it so wide, they could probably have released a lot more figures by now. Not to mention the price of materials has undoubtedly gone way up since the start (and even end) of all Mattel's offerings, and Todd certainly does use more plastic; he's also starting to do more cloth capes, which, while not breaking the bank, certainly costs something.
This isn't me trying to be a McFarlane shill; lord knows I have more than my fair share of complaints at some of the baffling decisions, but it's not entirely fair to compare the two. For all the problems that McFarlane has, DCUC wasn't perfect either- so many of my figures came out warped, I had a few break on me, etc. Even McFarlane's most basic offerings feel a little more deluxe than the old DCUC, and sure, I know a lot of that is just due to the overall changes in the toy industry since Mattel had the license, but still. Neither company is perfect, and at the end of the day, both companies will do what's best and most profitable for them.
As lovely as a lot of Mattel's figures were, there was a bunch of "sameness" when lined up next to each other.
I know this isn't a popular opinion with the McFarlane fans, but for me that was a feature not a bug.
In this context I'm not sure what exactly you win. The figure line you love is over a year from now and I get to look forward to figures I might like again - so that seems more like I win, actually.
You know what's funny... since this site has been rebooted I have received seven "dislikes" and six of them are from you Nightwolf, keep up the good work.
Says the guy who buys and comments frequently in the McF thread. You like them too, you're not good at this 😆 😆 😆
Yep, I have bought less than 25 total McFarlane DC figures - and I use them to display alongside my Classics/Ultimates/assorted 1/10 fantasy and sword and sorcery figures. So yeah - I've bought some.
I've also bought a handful I hoped I would like and threw away - the god awful Worlds of War Superman and the hideous Static Shock figures spring immediately to mind. Literally the only McFarlane figure that made it into my DC display was his Antimonitor.
That doesn't make me a hypocrite, it means I can make informed commentary about the figures because I do own some and honestly don't love most of the ones I own.
But hey... you got me 😉
If McFarlane had the sales numbers to keep the line, DC would've renewed the contract.
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.
Would you agree that the toy industry was in a different place in 2003 and 2020? The Toy Biz-level of articulation hadn't exactly become mainstream by 2003.
If I were Todd and I intended to keep the license long-term, I would've hit the ground running.
I can't believe you guys have me defending fucking Mattel.
Does anyone have their iconic Batman/Superman figure that isn’t kitbashed?
Exactly. Even the most evil corporation known to man, Hasbro, has been better about delivering great figures of iconic characters than McFarlane.
We all know the business model is to sell slight upgrades of the same famous characters ad nauseam. Hasbro has regularly given us figures that could be considered definitive for their time. Pizza Spider-Man, Amazing Fantasy 15 Spider-Man, Renew Your Vows Spider-Man, and now Maximum Spider-Man could all be considered great for their time. They do the same with Snake Eyes, etc. in GI Joe. This is anecdotal, but I've never heard that level of happiness from Multiverse fans with Superman or Batman.
Obviously, Mattel (like McFarlane) can do whatever the hell they want to with scale as it concerns a new DC line. They're not beholden to anything and their only obligation is that there is a consistent scale within their own line and that Batman looks appropriate next to Robin. However, I don't think it's exactly a big assumption to assume the majority of collectors would prefer their super hero lines to scale relatively well with each other. Should Mattel go more in a 1:10 direction, I would have to assume it's either to keep the scale consistent with what McFarlane did and build off of that assortment to some degree, or just for the sake of being different which isn't going to have a positive impact on sales. It probably won't have much of a negative impact either because DC fans are going to buy DC figures if they turn out well enough, but I would be willing to bet that if you polled the action figure community the majority would be in support of the main DC line scaling with the main Marvel line. And since Legends is far more established than any DC toyline at this point, it makes the most sense for that approximate scale to be in play.
I know you're just spitballing, but I think there's basically zero chance DCUC is 1/10 rather than 1/12. They'll be more concerned with making their new product fit in with DCUC than McFarlane's stuff.
I don't think we really know enough to say what scale it's going to be in. Isn't Masterverse 1/10? Feels like it's possible a new DC line would be roughly in that style.
Who was heading up DCUC? Was it Scott Neitlich like with MOTUC or someone else?
As lovely as a lot of Mattel's figures were, there was a bunch of "sameness" when lined up next to each other.
I know this isn't a popular opinion with the McFarlane fans, but for me that was a feature not a bug.
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. If McFarlane's line had been planned out better, they could have used the earlier, more stylized material to provide workable reuse for later characters, and that way everything could have had a sharpness to it. I genuinely think one of the biggest reasons for them diving into a lot of wanted B- and C-listers is that so many of them have been ancient characters with extremely simple costumes. The best argument for the JSA is that they work cheap.
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.
@panthercult We're at an impasse, because I actually liked that approach. Which is not to say the other way is wrong. DCUC was generally faithful to style guide looks and I know a lot of fans understandably love that. I just think that if I'm getting a 3D version of a 2D thing, I want it to take advantage of the format to deliver something that the art can't always feasibly do on a monthly schedule.
That's fair, I suppose - not my taste, but fair. But, I struggle a tad because how far is "too far" in that reinterpretation... if they start adding seams and zippers and padded areas that weren't drawn that's not using the source material that's creating something else. Which again - fair game, I guess, but not what I'm here for.
And... I have to acknowledge the irony - because with MOTU I love the Classics line where they re-interpreted the vintage action figure style into a modern look - even for a lot of the cartoon only characters... and I really, really didn't like the extremely cartoon faithful looking figures - they were too simple and silly looking. So I definitely understand where you are coming from...
I am definitely in the camp wanting simple spandex costumes to be recreated simply. I don't and would never own a Green Lantern or a Flash with segments and panels and all that.
I got the wrong Robin- annoyingly pointless Platinum Damian Page Puncher- and had to wait a couple of months by taking a punt on Amazon from the US to the UK, and got lucky. I took a recent punt that ordering two Electric 90s Superman JLA figures would get me a Blue and Red, and managed to get lucky. I'm now on my 2nd JLA Aquaman, both times with the (again) pointless platinum variant, and hoping to try for a third time.
There are times I just want to stick two fingers up at this line- I don't need this bull****. But man do I have no love for ML, nor Hasbro's Star Wars line. I am much more into Mattel's MOTU Origins and Masterverse, but even then they do feel much more like toys and the Mattel Creations website has just screwed over international collectors too many times now. I also thought every DCUC figure was garbage, and have constantly been disappointed every time I've dipped into their WWE line.
For all its faults, except Mezco, Jada and various import lines, at least in my subjective view, McFarlane on its day makes better products than Hasbro and Mattel. Gutted for them to lose the line- I don't need to be a completist (its the only reason I ever have for ML products these days). I'll keep an open mind on what Mattel does, but I'll also keep (the small) hope that McFarlane might be allowed to carry on the line as a comic shop exclusive collector line.
@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.
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