@stephenwdavis I also ordered back on Oct 17. Wonder if it was credit card hold issue or changed preorder date that glitched orders. At one point, I also had that throne Darkseid ordered, but canceled. I still see it pop back in stock randomly. Obvious advantage ordering through walmart.com is it's direct from McF with the free shipping.

Did anyone order the Flashpoint 2 Pack today?  I pre ordered one.  I already have the first releases of these 2 figures/characters, but I like the fabric cape and new expression on the Thomas Wayne Batman, and I never got the original release unmasked version of the figure.  So, having a Thomas Wayne unmasked head portrait is cool.

Same with Reveres Flash.  it's nice getting the unmasked head portrait, and I like the different expression on his masked head as well.

For $40 there was enough new going on along with the accessories to merit me getting this.

Posted by: @stephenwdavis

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For some reason, Walmart seems to have cancelled my pre-order for the Snyderverse Darkseid with throne and the LOTR cardboard castle overnight. It's not a payment issue. It just says they had to cancel this previously delayed item. Maybe they took more orders than stock coming in? Did this happen to anyone else? It's actually probably for the best as I didn't really need either of these things. I was only getting Darkseid for the throne.

Ordering from Walmart's website is a crapshoot. They seem to be the worst at managing their inventory.

On 3 separate occasions I ordered the Lucious Fox figure from their online store, and every single time it was listed as "In Stock" and it let me order with no problems, and all 3 times my order was at first "delayed" and then "cancelled". So I finally just gave up. 😣 

@supercamel-1982 I ordered it as well. I have the unmasked Thomas and never got the masked version. I also have the Reverse Flash with the long antennae. I decided to replace both with this one.

Got shipping notices from McF for the silver age and Noel Batmans. 

On the comic book front, justice league Unlimited came out this week, I cannot recommend it highly enough. It is exactly what you would expect out of a Waid and Mora book, just pure fun with a great (if not super original)hook at the end.

There are some insanely good character choices coming based on that Instagram account.  Captain Cold, Power Girl, Guy Gardener, Adam Strange, Deadshot, Tempest, Nightmaster, Dr. Fate, Supergirl, Starman, Damage, Jade…with names like that, egregious reuse and chasing/overpaying for Platinum variants be damned.  I’m in.

@supercamel-1982 from pictures of the back I believe that is the original cape.

I’ve had such an on again/off again relationship with this line that I decided to take a trip through its history via dHunter’s reviews.

What I want from the line (or any DC line for that matter) are no frills, comic accurate, representations of a wide variety of characters from all corners of the DC Universe.  I grew up in the Bronze Age, but I’m not stuck there.   Golden Age, Silver Age, Bronze Age, 90s, New 52, Rebirth, Reborn, Dawn of DC…it makes no difference to me.  I just not a fan of alternate versions of characters that are story arc specific.

While watching the reviews, I noticed that the line had two distinct eras.

2020-2022 - Primarily alternate versions of characters that are story arc specific or multi-media specific.  Heavy on original sculpts, light on reuse.  Very Batman centric.

2023-Present - Much more balanced character selection from all corners and eras of the DC Universe.  Heavy on reuse, light on original sculpts.  Most releases contain at least some inaccurate sculpted  costume details due indiscriminate reuse of pre-existing molds and a odd refusal to, for example, mold new lower legs for the Blue Beetle and Jon Kent bucks that have been used multiple times.

Obviously there was some overlap during 2022, but if McFarlane combined the emphasis on original sculpts from 2020-2022 with the present day character selection, this would easily be my favorite line…domestic or import.  As it stands, it’s a near endless compromise between getting this bizarre hybrid of a lazy custom and a production piece of characters I love and likely won’t see again in figure form for years, or possibly ever again.

So two questions if anyone cares:

1.)  How do you personally deal with the inaccurate reuse and incorrectly sculpted details?  Does it not really bother you, is the rest of the figure and character selection good enough that you can overlook it, or is it a dealbreaker?

2.)  Why are we getting so much inaccurate reuse?  Why is McFarlane not creating some blank bucks or modifying existing bucks where needed?  Are these figures simply not selling well enough to justify the cost?   I guess I was hoping that the $30 price tag on the Collectors Edition line was there to pay for some of this new tooling, but it doesn’t seem to be working out that way.

Posted by: @xavion2023

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As it stands, it’s a near endless compromise between getting this bizarre hybrid of a lazy custom and a production piece of characters I love and likely won’t see again in figure form for years, or possibly ever again.

Well said - "hybrid of a lazy custom..." that's exactly right.

@xavion2023 

I sympathize with the on again off again relationship with this line.  When the line first started, I told myself I had so many DC Collections. I didn't need another.  But then, I started collecting this line anyways.  Just the comic book stuff.  No Movie, TV, or Cartoon.

Then after a year or so, I got sick of it and quit.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe because of the countless other DC lines I have collected, partially because of how certain things looked like the big round balls for the ankles or wrists.  I'm not sure if it was any one thing, I just was sick of it.

But, as time went on, I'd see things I liked.  And I'm a huge Batman fan.  So, I decided just to by the Batman related figures I wanted.  After a while, I quit again.  Started Batman collecting this line again, quit again.

Always different feelings and thoughts as to why I quit.  As years went on, Todd's Platinum figures, or things only offered on his site were added to the list of annoyances.  

Then, recently, I started collecting Batman again. So many cool figures out, and so many coming.  Be it the Riddler or Penguin, the Silver Age Joker or Earth 2 Robin.  I just got back in.  But this time, instead of stopping, I went the other way.  I started getting ALL the comic book characters.  I was seeing Green Arrow, Simon Baz, the Atom, the Wal-Mart Hal Jordan Green Lantern and Superman, and because I thought they looked great I grabbed them. Breaking my Batman only rule.  That made me want to get the others I missed, so I went back, and started picking up stuff I missed.  Kyle Rayner and Killowog, The Collector's Edition Green Lanterns, Black Lightning, Firestorm.

Then, as much fun as I was having, I hit that wall again.  I didn't want to buy another one of these figures ever again.  I felt like it was a hassle, and I felt done.  I don't even know why.  Again, maybe because I felt like, I have so many versions and different figures of these characters, why do it again?  Maybe because I collect other stuff, and if anything could be cut to save some money, this is the one? Maybe because I hate all the Platinum, Chase, and jumping through hoops bulls.

I don't know.  But I slapped myself and said "you are obsessing over this one way or another way too much!  This supposed to be fun.  Just buy what you see and feel like you want, and don't buy the rest."

Like I do with Marvel Legends.  I have a lot of Marvel Legends, but I don't get them all.  I collect all X-Men stuff, then get any characters I feel would be fun for my X-Men to fight or team up with.  So, I just applied that here.

I don't know why I kept feeling it had to be all of something, or nothing at all.  It's just whatever I feel like. Whatever is fun, whatever is easy to get or I'm willing to put in money and effort to get.  But like I said, it was almost obsessive.  But I do have OCD on an Omega Threat Level.

As to your questions, my problem has never really been with inaccurate reuse or incorrectly sculpted details. Every once in a while, I'm sure I feel like "Jeez, that's wrong", but as long as the character looks like what I think of the character for the most part, I'm good and I can overlook it. 

As far as why we get the inaccurate reuse from Todd, I'm sure it's costs.  Just whatever he can do to keep costs down. To make the figure look the best he can, the easiest way he can with what he's got and still make a profit.

At the end of the day, it's all about profit.  But like you, I thought $30 Collector Edition figures might offer a little more premium execution on the figures.  But it's just fancier packaging, fancier figure stands and cards, and maybe a bit more accessories or extra hands/head portraits here and there.

That's the thing, I guess.  There are a lot of reasons, whether you're a whacko or not to quit this line lol.

Inaccurate reuse
Inaccurate sculpt
Weird rubber diapers for the crotch sometimes
Having to chase Gold Labels, because why not make everything exclusive
Having to chase Platinum's
Having to pay more on Ebay for Gold Labels and Platinum's you never find
Having to watch Todds site for exclusives
Todds God D Collector Club and what awesome DC figures might or might not be part of it
The fact there are literally 100 other DC lines past and present to collect that would be easier

But at the end of the day, we are DC fans.  We see these representations of the characters we know and love, and we want them. Perfect or not.  And I like a lot about Todds figures. 

I like the size of them.
I think they feel sturdy and quality
I like the different textures he uses on figures for the attires
I like the articulation.
I like both the plastic capes and the fabric capes
I like the sculpts and paint apps

They aren't perfect, but they aren't bad in any way.  It's supposed to be fun, so, I shall try to have fun.  

(I will hate this line and quit it in 2 months.  I will comment again then.)

Well, i pretty much feel the same way. I sometimes can't stand the direction of this line and sometimes I don't mind. That being said, Justice League Task Force Bundle Set (4) w/Darkseid Build-A-Figure, Swamp Thing (Planet Rann)/Batman (Detective Comics #587: Night People) Gold Label Bundle, Batman & Batmobile (Batman Beyond) Gold Label Vehicle w/Lights and Sound and Batmobile (Batman & Robin) Vehicle w/Lights and Sound are all shipping from McFarlane. I have to pick up the DC 7-Inch Action Figure and McFarlane Digital Collectible Wave 3 Case of 6 from UPS today that arrived from EE and the DC Multiverse Wave 20 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice 7-Inch Scale Action Figure Case of 6 is processing from EE.

Here are my thoughts on McFarlane Multiverse regarding character selection, and weird reuse, etc.

For the most part I have very little to no complaints about this line. It's currently my favorite line to collect in fact. Sometimes we get near perfect figures like The Question where the reuse is spot on, and then at the same time we get weird decisions like Commander Steel where they painted thin silver lines down his arms and legs over mismatched sculpted details.

But the way I see it is that if not for them reusing existing sculpts we wouldn't even get characters like Commander Steel at all. Or other characters like Ambush Bug, Black Lightning, Atomic Skull, and etc. So I'd rather we get some more obscure selections with some questionable reuse rather than not get them at all.

I don't know how difficult or costly it is to go back in and alter an existing mold, like smoothing out some details to make a more generic buck out of a current sculpt. But I have to think that when McFarlane made the Blue Beetle / Booster Gold 2-pack, and the Speeding Bullets Superman, they probably weren't really thinking about reusing those molds for reuse on future figures or they likely would have not added all the character specific details in the first place.

My guess is that later on they decided to start making a larger variety of characters and were like "How can we make this more cost effective?" Then someone suggested reusing some of their existing bucks and they chose the ones that were close enough to work. That's my guess anyway.

@ninjak I think it’s funny that you bring up Ambush Bug because he’s a perfect example of how random/arbitrary everything in the line is.

For some reason they sculpted new calves on Ambush Bug but kept the rest of the inaccurate Jon Kent mold with the torso detailing. Not a single figure released after Ambush Bug that uses the Jon Kent mold has those smooth calves. Even characters like Lightning Lad that would be better served with sculpt they already have get inaccurate sculpt and, in the case of the platinum, the wrong colors and paint details as well.

There is absolutely no rhyme or reason to anything that’s done in this line. And as such there is no consistency between chase, platinum, collector edition, page puncher, pricing, accuracy, etc. Sometimes you get a Question but most of the time it’s Blue Superman with wrist cuffs. They had us believe they could make Zod and Duke Thomas Batman for $19.99 but now for $3 to $10 more per figure we can’t even get the smallest bit of new sculpt to ensure accuracy. They couldn’t re-sculpt the speeding bullets mold without side details a single time and re-use it like a Marvel Legend?

They are lazy and don’t care. And the way they spoke at SDCC about their platinum/chase figures being hard to find on the secondary market means that they know what they are doing on that front as well.

My thoughts on McFarlane are very simple. I don’t like them and don’t want to spend my money on them. They are not customer friendly nor do they care about simple things like scale and accuracy. It’s been 5 years and we don’t have a proper Green Arrow or Black Canary, and we get two versions of Geo Force without actually giving us the iconic version. My Silver Age Joker has knees colored so differently from the rest of the pants that it looks like a mistake.

But when a Batman Beyond Batmobile or aforementioned Silver Age Joker is released that I’ll never get from another toy line, I’m going to buy it. Because I can understand I’m never getting these again despite how much I dislike the company. Not a great place to be in as a collector though. 

Posted by: @jayjonah

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Well, i pretty much feel the same way. I sometimes can't stand the direction of this line and sometimes I don't mind. That being said, Justice League Task Force Bundle Set (4) w/Darkseid Build-A-Figure, Swamp Thing (Planet Rann)/Batman (Detective Comics #587: Night People) Gold Label Bundle, Batman & Batmobile (Batman Beyond) Gold Label Vehicle w/Lights and Sound and Batmobile (Batman & Robin) Vehicle w/Lights and Sound are all shipping from McFarlane. I have to pick up the DC 7-Inch Action Figure and McFarlane Digital Collectible Wave 3 Case of 6 from UPS today that arrived from EE and the DC Multiverse Wave 20 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice 7-Inch Scale Action Figure Case of 6 is processing from EE.

@mysticmanjrf No doubt there are some very strange and head-scratching decisions being made around the MTS HQ. And, just like you, I wish it was a lot better in many regards, but on the other hand it is what it is.

Meanwhile, it doesn't really bother me as much as it does some people. I've been collecting action figures in one form another basically all my life and I have never seen a line that didn't have its flaws. From all the way back to the original days of MEGO Superheroes they did such things as give Captain America no white sleeves and no gloves. Even as a very small child that bugged the hell out of me, because I knew better, and I felt they should too.

Also, with a smaller company like McFarlane Toys, that is solely owned by a somewhat eccentric millionaire, you are bound to get some seemingly odd decisions that are the personal choices of said owner. And not to mention that such a small company does not have the kind of influence and clout that a huge publicly traded company like Hasbro does. So it's probably not as easy to complain and send something back to the factory when it shows up with flaws (like the color on the Classic Joker knees being off). BTW, the elbows are also the wrong color. Maybe they make the joints at a different factory from the rest of the figure and they don't compare notes. They just guess at what the correct shade of the color is supposed to be.