Every time with BBTS - hit send on that POL and stuff shows up within 48 hours. Hasn't happened to me with DC stuff lately but all my MOTU stuff ends up hitting the pile like that.
I think there's an interesting dichotomy between what folks are looking for in their DC figures and never the twain shall meet. I can see how Todd's stuff feels more shelf-serious. The weight of the plastic, the texturing, the bigger size. If they're for display as collectibles that totally makes sense to me.
But if you want more range of motion, more playability, that's not really this line's goal. I've got Daredevil in a full gargoyle crouch above my desk, Spidey in a three-point hero landing, Wolverine looking over his shoulder in the old Byrne art "my turn" pose... I used to do a lot of action figure photography so range of motion is really my focus point. That and durability. I loved DC Icons and Essentials a LOT but both of those lines were as durable as eggshells. It's like DC wants to make serious stuff for serious collectors and Hasbro, despite most of the buyers being old guys like a lot of us, are still making toyetic stuff.
Makes me wish there was room in the world for Todd to keep the oversized, 7-inch plus heavy plastic collectibles because there's a strong market for it, and also farm out more articulated but less detailed, lighter material action figures. I'm not asking for import level poses, either; but I can't get most of my Multiverse figures into a sitting position, or Green Arrow into a dynamic pose with his bow. (I was shocked when I picked up Hawkman last week that his wings are each one piece of plastic instead of two like other lines have done.) I'm sure there's a design logic behind the scenes that heroes don't need to sit down so that much forward motion in the hips is a waste of effort or something. I think Todd thinks very much and very intelligently about the static display lines and not much about the interactive aspect.
But hey, me and you always see eye to eye on DCUC's and MOTU Classics. So, we've got that. And PantherCult.......isn't that all we really need.
But hey, me and you always see eye to eye on DCUC's and MOTU Classics. So, we've got that. And PantherCult.......isn't that all we really need.
Absolutely. And I think it's genuinely interesting that those things that are a turn off for me are the things that you enjoy about the line.
I've accepted that McFarlane is never going to be my DC figure line... I just have to wait and see if eventually someone else does make the one for me. But that's the issue with the exclusive license thing. Until Todd is done playing in that sandbox, no one else gets to. I kind of envy TMNT fans at the moment since there are currently like 4 or 5 companies actively making Turtles figures, so you can choose which type works better for you.
Platinum Reeve hit BBTS for a split second. Sold out at $40.
Shazam hit my POL, I'm going to be patient for regular Reeve and 97 Gambit which both claim a January arrival. (If I'm getting regular Reeve this time around I would assume that's hitting soon since they got Platinum in just now.)
@panthercult I saw someone say the other day "how many versions of the four turtles could people possibly need?" But you hit the nail on the head. Everyone playing in that sandbox, you're going to find the format for the characters you love. Sure some folks are buying every turtle, but most have a preference. I know they've gotten better but I never liked NECA when I first bought them because I had so many breakage issues, but I've fallen head over heels for the Loyal Subjects 1/12 scale ones, especially because the scale well with other lines (Batman or Daredevil teamup on the shelf! It happens!). And the MOTU turtles are stupid fun. (Hey, there's another one: Origins vs. Masterverse. Or Storm Collectibles vs. Jada Street Fighter. Options are good!)
I bet there are folks who would love a McFarlane style Fantastic Four or Spider-Man rogues gallery. At least Marvel has the Select line, as limited as it is, for the bigger/heavier/more detailed figure collector. The exclusivity makes it hard because we're limited in our options. (Right now my favorite DC is the Mafex Hush line but my gawd I'm glad they only release 1 of those a year cos you can get five Multiverse figures for that price...)
@panthercult I saw someone say the other day "how many versions of the four turtles could people possibly need?"
That was me.
And now I'm fantasizing about the Mezco set......
@yojoebro82 The one that's almost 600 bucks? That's a thing of beauty. (I keep eyeballing those LingJiHun ones and wondering if I can find a freelance project on the side this winter to pay four 400 dollars worth of turtles.)
I'd take McFarlane over Hasbro any day of the week. Yeah, some of the articulation is not great, some sculpts could be better, but Marvel Legends have looked like kids toys for years.
To each their own but face sculpts and prints on Marvel Legends seem way better than McFarlane's, no? I don't get this critique.
Agreed. Personally, I prefer ML figures over McFarlane’s stuff.
I Disagree, ML has bad quality, 'gummy bear' plastic...if you cut it up with a knife, you can then sprinkle it on top of ice cream 😱 😱
The insta-rage seeing the plat sticker! 🤬
I personally like Captain Thunder and was glad to get him just don't have a use for two and especially not two of that platinum Red Hood.
ML for me is the best action figure line for quality and availability. The BAF and deluxe figures also have great articulation. The best thing for me is I have no issues pre-ordering every figure in the wave online at multiple sites when pre-orders drop and the same if it is an exclusive for Walmart or Target. McFarlane is being controlled by Walmart and Target for his exclusives for them and that's never a good thing for collectors.
unique textures on the attires, variety of plastic and cloth goods capes, the articulation, and paint apps on McFarlane DC Multiverse figures just do it for me.
It's so funny because so many of those things that you view as positive I see as negatives for the line. I hate some of the idiotic texture choices Todd includes, just because he seems to think that smooth surfaces are boring. There is so much extraneous and invented texture added it makes my head hurt. Like the preivous Green Lantern figures - why are their outfits textured? Why? And that's not even mentioning the asinine times where he just paints over texture or costume seams on a reused body part that has no business on the new figure it's included on. Oy.
I tend to despise cloth capes because stitching cannot be scaled down, so the stiches used to sew the costumes are still 10 to 12 times too big for the cloth product they are on and I hate how that looks.
And saying the articulation on McFarlane figures is superior to the articulation on Legends is a bit baffling. There are a lot of bizarre articulation choices, some of which - the mid foot cut on virtually every figure - lead to problems getting the figure to stand in any sort of natural pose.
As for deco. Sometimes the paint apps are good and sometimes, again, as Todd is often want to do, there is just extra. And some of his faces... oof. The faces on Geo Force fore example, are nightmare fuel. They are hideously awful and so many rungs below most of Hasbro's current output (Classified Falcone not withstanding).
And while it's definitely gotten better - the leg length issue has ruined so many McFarlane figures I would have otherwise really liked. Poor Static, I was legitimately excited to get that character and then couldn't get away from the figure fast enough when it was 2/3 leg. Why does he want their legs to be so unnaturally long on everyone?
Anyway - I'm glad you enjoy it. It's cool to like the things you like. I just thought it was interesting that you highlighted things as specific strengths of the line that I definitely see as weaknesses. Goes to show how different people's perspectives are. Eye of the beholder and all of that.
Agreed leg length on McF Multiverse is maddening. Hoped against hope that Cassie Cain Batgirl could be fudged into my 6" collection but she is very little but legs. The other big detriment is the diaper. Hate how it looks, how it limits articulation, and how - especially with some BAFs - it causes legs to pop off when articulating the figure qt the hip. Just awful, I say as I buy yet more McF figures because I just really like DC.
I think @panthercult and @ibmmt have mostly broken down my frustrations with the line. A combo of not liking the figures and being unable to attain the ones I want made me pump the brakes on my McFarlane collection.
The best ones are amazing but it’s been quite some time since we’ve gotten figures with both proper scale/detail and good paint apps. The Metal figures and Shriek were years ago at this point.
McFarlane in a nutshell to me - the JSA has a too young Jay Garrick that towers above the other figures, Alan Scott with the ring on the wrong hand and inaccurate boots, Mr Terrific classic is a platinum on the short body and the jacket doesn’t say fair play, and Wildcat has too many problems to list. Hawkman classic is an inaccurate chase variant. But wow that Power Girl coming up looks amazing…why bother though? Zero chance of a decent JSA unless I’m customizing or making excuses.
I’d prefer Hasbro, Jada, etc. because their figures are clean and consistent. For McFarlane it seems like everything has some small issue, even the Reeve Superman that is sculpted pretty well has the wrist cuffs, big blue wrist joints, and is shiny.
Used to love their figures and feel great about the new sculpt, price, customer friendliness, etc. A few years later it’s the total opposite. Trying to sell off old figures and I can’t get rid of them and I’m seeing the values of older figures go down…I guess others are feeling the same way.
Hasbro would deliberately screw up Batman for a year, make minor improvements and shove him into $70 multipacks you don't want, then release those versions solo with "features" you don't want (like Captain America's shield with holes, cracks, or whatever nonsense), for years. I'd still probably buy one or two of them, just for fun, to fit in with my Legends, but it would be annoying. Kind of like collecting Multiverse!
I'd love to be able to find some of these newer McF figures. The only new one I've seen in a month or so is Orion. I want the Noel Batman Plat and the Armored Batman Movie Plat but I don't expect to find them. Maybe I'm just early, or maybe I completely missed them. I never know with this line.
I've bought two of the Platinum Simon Baz figures (still don't have and haven't seen the normal version yet) and both have really bad green paint from the costume all over the lower right arm. Have I just had bad luck or have others ran into this as well?
Still haven't seen any of Geo-Force, Orion or Wildcat at Target. I have yet to see any Lightning Lads at Walmart (just looking for a Plat version). My Gamestop is where I'm tending to find the newest figures but they seem to strangely only get one in at a time rather than as a case. Then a few days later they'll get one more single figure. It's very strange. That's where I found Grid, Swamp Thing of Rann and one of the platinum Simons.
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