So I have to pay $10 extra for a blue Hawkman with no flight stand and non-posable wings...but they know we really want the classic version, so that becomes the chase variant...but they don't care enough to make that chase variant comic accurate...and who knows with their randomness if they'll release a better one later.
The definitive look for a character should never, ever be a chase variant. Seeing that Hawkman makes me feel dangerously close to how I feel about Marvel Legends...grimy about collecting them. Even though I know McFarlane has some great figures, the feelings of frustration are starting to be more constant than feelings of happiness opening them.
I have most of the characters I want from DC classics but I started collecting McFarlane because they were unique figures at a great value, and they were easy to get. It's starting to feel lazy, overpriced, and gimmicky.
platinum hawkman in classic colors
Oh, I hope that MTS opens that up for the drawing through that 3rd party vendor for an opportunity to buy. I'd definitely try for that. I got Dread Lantern that way but missed on the SDCC Knightfall Batman variant. I've already got the regular release of Hawkman but would much rather have this Platinum version! If I were ever lucky enough to see it in the wild, I'd buy it in a heartbeat - but the only platinums that I've ever see on store shelves were the artists proofs things that McFarlane did in the early days of the line - and even then I think the only one I ever saw was Zod (a couple of different times).
I had a feeling the variant Hawkman was going to be the classic colors, but I didn't know it was going to look that bad. It would have looked a little better with darker colors instead of the Super Powers comic book colors. Firestorm looks alright even though I'm not that familiar with the new 52 look. My guess is, Sinestro will either get his classic blue look or a Green Lantern look for his variant.
I've never been a huge fan of the McFarlane figures. Some are really good sculpts and paints and others are lazy. Lately it seems like it is more and more of repainting a different look on that same buck.
When they first came out, they were usually easy to find. They could be ordered online or found in stores. Last year they seemed so plentiful in stores, that they would go on sale or be on clearance shortly after they came out. This year it seems it is harder to find some figures unless you pre order them.
There seems to be a lot more Gold Label figures for Walmart & Target. I don't understand the distribution for these figures. My local Walmart might get a Gold Label figure and I've gone to Walmarts 30 miles away and they'll have a dozen Gold Label figures. I saw this recently with Captain Atom.
The Collector's Edition figures are the same figures but more money with nothing more to offer.
I have been a cherry picker with this line but I think it's going to be less or I might end buying these figures. For a guy who claims to be a huge fan of comic books and action figures, it sure doesn't show in his products. There are a few diamonds in the pile of crap that comes out.
McFarlane is way overdoing the platinum figures in a way that’s personally making me collect less of the line. I was pretty much being a completionist for the first year or two of the line when it was easy to collect them all, even the chase figures. Now that there are so many chase figures, it’s become not realistic to collect them all, which is making me okay with buying less of the regular figures, too.
I will say that after experimenting with preorders and watching prices:
Platinum CE seem to ship about 1/10 in solid cases of individual figures but may be much more common with some retailers.
I've now seen each wave 1 Platinum CE at least twice at Target locations and their ratios look to be 50/50 fresh on the shelf. The prices have significantly dropped on eBay as well.
Incidentally, I think one of these looks would have fit the mold better:
The Simonson version in particular doesn't require painting conflicting details. Just make the boot cuffs yellow.
I think the hair is the most jarring thing and the core problem is not just that only the 90s version has long hair (probably unavoidable with a straight redeco) but that the 90s version itself was seldom this long and that Carter Hall is traditionally blonde or brunette.
But if they'd kept the hair shorter, they could just deco it as the feathers sometimes seen on the back of the mask.
Doesn't look like cutting the hair off should be a problem.
The variant looks ok, about the same as similarly jarring Super Powers Freeze and people were loving that after the initial wave of critics crossed the socials. I'm sure it'll be the same once again. Most if not all of Hawkman's costume designs are straight up awful anyway.
Eh....repaint Hawkman is not working for me.
Someone mentioned "randomness" regarding this line and he's right, and it really works against it in cases like this. With the exception of Batman, who knows when or if you're getting another shot at any of these characters. So if, for example, you love 90's Tim Drake but he comes out as buff as Batman, well, you can take the buff Tim Drake, or gamble that a better one will come along. But it's probably going to be a long shot. Same goes for Hawkman here. Three years in and we're still waiting on most DC females to show up for the first time!
@shinigami-customs I think the difference with Freeze (and where Hawkman has more in common with Rebirth Superman or Parallax or non-chase AC 1 Superman) is that they painted against the mold.
It's not as noticeable on Parallax.
Where Mr. Freeze or New 52 Firestorm succeeded mostly was in being an homage that used the desired colors WITH the mold. They didn't keep the original shapes and color breaks in ways that broke with the mold details.
This would look much better IMHO if they had painted the boot cuffs yellow instead of forcing the pattern onto the armored boots and if they had less jarring colors for the gloves and hair.
As it stands, I think this figure will look substantially better out of package if people just take the gloves off and use Ultraman 2 pack hands.
For me, the big problem with McFarlane is that they don't seem to plan their redecos.
They've had probably around 6 uses of Infected Superman where the paint doesn't match the boots. If they'd planned better, that mold would have a smooth shins option.
I know there are issues you can have in dealing with somebody else's IP but one area where Transformers have gotten really sophisticated is that the designers now typically start off with at least 2-3 uses of a mold in mind and they design the original sculpt to "cheat" as a mashup between those 2-3 characters that paint can be used to determine which of those homages is most obvious.
Take Legacy Elita-1 and Minerva. It's actually kind of beautiful that fans of both characters argue over which character was the "primary use" and which was the redeco. The reality as I understand it from designers is that it was always both.
So, in this case, if you'd planned a retro Hawkman use, you'd probably have no fabric texture on the gloves so they could get a flesh deco and the boots would be sculpted like 90s Hawkman with retro Hawkman's talon design ALSO sculpted on and the paint would follow whichever design they wanted to emphasize.
It certainly isn't as if McFarlane hasn't added details to costumes before and they actually used this trick somewhat effectively with Hal Jordan and John Stewart by having both characters' details sculpted on.
Hawkman doesnt work me, none of them. Skin color on the chase is pink?
Just popping in to say that I got my Jokerized Scarecrow yesterday, and what can I say? I like him a lot (though with my bias, there's no way I wouldn't). A fun little series, and the smiley face on the mask just makes me happy to look at. Think I'm gonna keep him in the package for now- I really like all the Joker graffiti.
Of all the releases to get Jokerized, I think the Nolan figures work best. It ties in to the marketing for The Dark Knight perfectly. If these came out back then, we totally would've gotten the same variants, I think.
Wow! It’s like Christmas come early this week. Yesterday I got my figures from MTS, Hawkman, Firestorm, and Sinestro, and then I picked up Black Lightning from Walmart this morning.
I have to say I personally think that these are all some of the best McFarlane figures to date. I love 'em all! Especially Hawkman. Definitely in my Top 10 best DC figures. And even though he's got his lightning bolt belt over another belt, Black Lightning is freaking awesome as well! Here’s some pics.
I definitely agree that NO classic version of a character should be a chase.
Will be selling off Keaton and Batfleck...maybe Clooney toohey i'm interested in those figures you're going sell. what's your asking price?
Sorry for the lack of reply, I couldn't figure out how to send a PM and didn't want to bog down the thread. If you still use your instagram listed in your profile, send me a message @toycollector1992
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