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Tuesday, February 15, 2011

DCUC Wave 18 Revealed - Thoughts?

So, now that we know that Mattel's DC Universe Classics Wave 18 is the much-rumoured Super Friends-themed wave (many thanks to Matty's Facebook Page for the photos), what's your reaction?

If you happen to have been under a rock for the last 48 hours, Wave 18 has been confirmed as:

  • Samurai

  • Black Vulcan

  • El Dorado

  • Toyman

  • Bronze Tiger (swappable heads)

  • Captain Boomerang (Brightest Day Digger Harkness)

  • Apache Chief Collect and Connect

The presence of Super Powers and Super Friends characters in DCUC has been a bone of contention with many since the early days of the line, so in a sense it's a relief to see these announced, since it really was inevitable.

While I would have preferred the line to stay more strictly centred around comic-based characters, I am one of those who does have a strong childhood love of the Super Friends gang, and now that they're being made, I'm certainly looking forward to having them.

As for the figures themselves? I have to say that the Four Horsemen have pretty much nailed the whole Super Friends crew. I'm not entirely sold on El Dorado's headsculpt, but that's the only reservation I have at this point. I'm interested in elements of Samurai and Apache Chief's costumes which seem to be cloth-based, and will be keen to see if this survives into the retail versions. I like the inclusion of some power bolt constructs for Black Vulcan (the guy's gotta have something to compensate for short pants, right?) and would love to see more of this in the future.

It's worked well for Mattel's Green Lanterns, and there are many other characters whose powers and abilities could be demonstrated in similar ways. Toyman also looks to be a winner with some fun accessories to boot.

I have no idea what Bronze Tiger and Captain Boomerang have to go with the rest of their wave-mates, but they are welcome additions to the line. The lack of a Classic Captain Boomerang variant is a stunning omission - to me he has to be one of the most glaringly overlooked characters from DC's Bronze Age yet to be made in 6" scale by any company. The Brightest Day version of Digger looks to have turned out much better than I might have expected, however. Bronze Tiger is the real excitement here, especially with the inclusion of an extra unmasked head.

After the drastically different structures for Waves 17 and 18, I am very keen to see if Wave 19 will continue the trend of themed waves or go back to the more eclectic structure we grew accustomed to, and which I much prefer. I'm also not liking waves without female characters when they are already so under-represented in the line. Most importantly, will we see the completion of teams like the Metal Men and Doom Patrol? Questions I'm keen for answers to.

So what about you? Do the recent changes in DCUC waves excite or concern you? Are you buying Wave 18? Comment and let me know!

You can see pics of all of Wave 18 at Matty's Facebook page, and comment on this post to enter the February AFB Comment of the Month Contest!

Until next time!

15 comments:

Stephen said...

I'm in favor of it. I've always been a fan of the Super-friends cartoon and been looking forward to seeing these guys since the Wonder Twins were released.

As for the randoms (Boomerang and Tiger), I don't really care for tiger and like you, I wish they'd included a classics costume for Boomer too (though, given how hard it is to find a classics aquaman it's probably best they didn't do that). That said with Deadshot from Wave 6, it looks like we're starting to get a Suicide Squad release. So maybe that's why they've released them?

Scott Bryan said...

Very happy about this wave. I like the accessories too. Of coure my Black Lightning is going to mug Black Vulcan as soon as he gets out of his package and steal his lightning.

The rumors for waves 17 & 18 are true. That means 19 and 20 are probley true too. It's 19 I'm the most excited about. GA Flash, GA Atom, GA Sandman, Stargirl, Vandel Savage and Shade. C&C STRIPE.

ryanlb said...

I'm pretty ambivalent about this wave. I only ever so vaguely remember the Super Friends show or Super Powers toyline, so there's no nostalgic value for me.

However, the Four Horsemen sculpts are great, I'm a huge fan of THIS line, so I'll probably end up getting them all, as I will with 16, even though I only really want 3 figs from that wave.

Bronze Tiger, Captain Boomerang, and Toyman's awesome Spiked Yo Yo are what I'm most interested in.

chrismandesign said...

i’m not a Matty guy actually, the DC Direct figures r more interesting for me (& the only kind i try to get complete sets/waves)... nonetheless some specific figures catch my attention & the articulation features r something to bear in mind... this particular wave doesn’t move my floor but i think it will b a great addition for Matty fans...

fishmilkshake said...

I'll get them all. Bronze Tiger is shaping up to be one of the best DCUC figures ever!

Unknown said...

Am pretty excited by this wave actually and it is going to be great to see the Super Friends in stores. : )

Mario! said...

I cherry pick this line, and Toyman is the only one that I'll potentially be picking up. I'll have to see him in person before I decide, though.

Tom Freak said...

Ah, the "not every hero we have is caucasian, right? We have... y'know, the guy with electrical powers, c'mon, the one that doesn't wear any pants..." wave.

I like it, even if the card says "Black Vulcan" and not "Super Bolt", but y'know, it was Aquaman's idea. I still think he should have been called "White Fish".

Anyone got that reference?

Bill White said...

Y'know, I was a faithful viewer of the Superfriends way back when, and I can't for the life of me, remember this El Dorado guy. When was he on the show?!

I am disappointed with this wave. Like you, I have been waiting for the classic version of Captain Boomerang to show up as a DCUC figure. This version is a big let-down for me. As is Bronze Tiger. Was ANYONE waiting for this character to be a figure? If we're getting tigers, I'd rather have Mr. Tawny!

Anonymous said...

Bronze Tiger has been on my Top 10 list for awhile now, and I've seen him on several other people's lists as well. The Suicide Squad is a phenomenal team and I'm thrilled that with Bronze Tiger & Deadshot we finally have the beginnings of that team. Count Vertigo, Enchantress, Nightshade, Rick Flag, etc. can't come soon enough for me.

I do have to confess to disappointment that Boomer is the newer version, as the classic look really has to be made for fans of the Rogues & The Squad, but hopefully he'll be along sooner than later. Still, the modern look isn't a horrible one and I'll likely pick him up too.

I'll also pick up Toyman, though only to round out my collection. I've never been a particular fan of the character.

As for the rest? I'm still deciding. I do have some fondness for the SF, and most of the characters turned out pretty well, but they're not really necessary to me.

dj jimenez said...

not overly excited. which is a good thing because then i can save monies for the next waves which look much more promising.

bigraj said...

The inclusion of Bronze Tiger ensures that I don't completely skip 2 straight waves of DCUC figures. While I loved the SuperFriends toon when I was five, that love didn't last into puberty and I have a certain hatred for the Super-Stereotypes. Won't be getting them, of course, and will probably pass on Boomer. The only reason I may get him is that this'll probably be the only version of old Digger Matty will make. No love for Toyman, so he's a likely pass, as well.

Highskull´76 said...

I´m starting to be tired of seeing the same molds over and over again. What can I say? As a Suicide Squad fan I would get cpt.Boomerang and Bronze tiger.

demoncat said...

being a fan of super friends and also liking the attempt with Samurie and Apchie chief to try and diversify the team. i like this wave. espcially being closer to completing my lod with toy man. plus bronze Tiger and Boomrang has be thinking maybe Mattel is going to target the suicide squad as a future team to do .

slangards said...

I'm really intrigued by this set. I know nothing about any of the players, but that Apache Chief CNC is gorgeous. I'm just very wary about the growing price on these. I know it's been said before, but the lack of accessories, the relatively huge price tag, and the fact that it's so hard to find ALL the figures of a wave at retail really kills my enjoyment of this line.

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