Mattel's MOTUC and DC SDCC Exclusives Revealed

After a false start last week, Mattel's SDCC Exclusives for the Masters of the Universe, DC Universe Classics and DC Infinite Heroes lines have been revealed on Attack of the Show. Here's the official video!

Game Reviews - E3 2010 - AOTS Exclusive

Most of the reveals have been teased or expected in some way, but we now have visuals and more detail.

The exclusives revealed and shown are:

MOTUC Mo-Larr and Skeletor Two-Pack - complete with Skeletor's Missing Tooth!

MOTUC Orko with Prince Adam "accessory". The SDCC Exclusive version of Orko turns transparent when dipped in water and has a spell book that reveals a SDCC logo when wet.

DC Universe Classics Plastic Man: deluxe figure with swappable limbs and a SDCC exclusive Plas-as-suitcase body.

DC Infinite Heroes Starro & The Justice League Set - HUGE Starro with five Silver Age JLA figures (including Aquaman!!) and a small Starro for each of their faces.

Also shown - Mego Style Ghostbusters!

This is very impressive set of exclusives, and best of all there's nothing Gleek-ish in the SDCC - only versions that is going to worry many collectors who have to buy to the web versions after the con!

Attack of the Show will have more reveals next week!

You can discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post to enter the April AFB Comment of the Month Contest!

Until next time!

DC Infinite Heroes Crisis 4-Pack: A Bit Warped

The “Crisis” theme for the first series of Mattel’s DC Universe Infinite Heroes has been loosely applied, so the idea of a pack straight from the pages of CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS was very appealing, and I happily placed my order when this became available at Mattycollector.com.

On first inspection of these in package, they look fun. On closer inspection, however, the thrill of having two of the stars of Crisis in their dead / nearly dead form fades a bit, especially due to the execution.

Psycho Pirate and Monitor are both basically well designed. Pirate’s mask doesn’t come off, which is understandable at this scale. I wondered if it was removable at first, because it protrudes from the face quite a bit, making it look a little more clunky than needed. Monitor is fun and much needed for a “Crisis” line. My only criticism here is that he appears to be a couple of sizes too small for his outfit because of the huge collar around his small head and neck.

Flash is straight out of the pages of COIE #8 – crumbling head and all. His right arm is at an odd angle – not sure if this is part of the whole crumbling body thing or what. I wouldn’t display my DCD 6” Crisis Flash with his crumbling head, and displaying this funky Flash doesn’t really appeal either.

I hesitated to open Supergirl, as the imagery of Superman holding her would be lost (he’s a picture on the card only), and once I did open her, I really regretted it. As well as just looking plain silly standing there all bloody and torn, her left leg has been seriously warped by the way it’s been packaged. She stands, but she looks ridiculous. Bummer, especially since I’m not buying the whole four-pack again to have another one to keep in package.

So, two out of four for this Mattycollector.com effort from me. Glad to have Psycho Pirate and Monitor, not so excited about the warped dead-ish plastic people.

You can check out more pics at Facebook, discuss this on the AFB Forum and comment on this post to enter the September AFB Comment Contest.

Until next time!

An Infinitely Good Find!

It’s the long weekend, and AFB is being a good husband by sending Mrs AFB away for some R&R and looking after the kids. I happen to like my kids, so there are worse ways so spend a weekend.

One of the jobs Mrs AFB left me with was buying presents for upcoming birthday parties, which means time in the toy aisles, but the pink ones (“No, darling, Mummy doesn’t like Bratz or Barbie. Choose something else.”). Naturally, I’m not going to put myself under that kind of sufferance without going to the boys toys aisles for a bit of comfort.

Ben 10, Ben 10, Ben 10, Go Go Crazybones (a plague on the house of whoever invented that craze….), Transformers, Ben 10…. my local Toys R Us has condensed the superhero aisle into half an  aisle to make room for all this other goofiness, so there’s not even much to trawl through anymore. I notice they have some Infinite Heroes, which isn’t new, because our TRU has had the Black Lightning / Dr Fate / Spectre wave for awhile, but then I notice there is a whole swag of new figures there, and the little fanboy in me gets VERY excited!

In all, I scored, Jay Garrick Flash, The Qwardian Weaponer, Alex Luthor, Wildcat. Question, Manhunter, Scarecrow and “Superman Prime”. This was quite an unexpected haul, and as excited as I was TRU nearly didn’t get my dollars due to one of the most unhelpful salespeople I have ever encountered (way too busy blowing up balloons to be of any actual assistance, etc.), but I persevered.

So here they are as a group with Supes and Bats, and also here’s a glimpse of the collection to date.

After eBaying the first few figures from Wave 1, I knew I could get addicted to this line but decided not to pursue it, because of the costs, exchange rate at the time, the doubt they’d ever reach Oz and also seeing that Marvel Universe was clearly going to overtake these in terms of detail and articulation. Then I found a few at retail here and couldn’t resist buying them, which got me on (off perhaps) the wagon again, and I ordered a whole swag from Mike of Mike’s Comics N’ Stuff. The ones I found this weekend fill a number of the holes of what Mike was out of stock of, so I am on the verge of being up to date with the collection so far. (I know I am missing Nightwing, Lex Luthor, Mary Marvel and a few others).

Articulation and detail wise, these aren’t Marvel Universe, but the character selection and the rate they’re being pumped out means you can amass a pretty impressive collection quickly which is fun. Aquaman, Martian Manhunter and Zatanna are glaring holes in the line-up, but hopefully this speaks to the depth of the line. We’re covering lots of bases in terms of JLA, JSA, Titans and the Batman, Superman and Flash villains. Some Legion would be great in this line, hint hint! I’ve yet to see any real signs of the “new articulation” that Mattel have spoken about, however when I look at them next to the Marvel Universe figures I have to say they are easier to pose and take up less space on the display shelf, so I guess there are pluses and minuses. The one thing Mattel needs to work on is the balance for the caped characters, as Superman and Batman have to be posed in rather awkward (shall we say compromising?) positions to stand unassisted. Still, these are much easier to pose that JLU, as the only two figures in my entire display that won’t stand on their own are Starfire and Raven. Wildcat is a bit wobbly for some reason, but it’s the MA version, so hey, the guy’s like 100, right? Gotta cut some slack there.

So, mark Infinite Heroes down to another line I swore off and am now collecting. Why we’re getting these here at retail in Oz and not DCUC is a bit beyond me, but if they keep showing up then I guess I’m along for the ride!

There are more pictures at Facebook, you can discuss this post in the Infinite Heroes thread at the AFB Forum and don’t forget that by commenting on this post you’ll be entering the June AFB Comment of the Month Contest!

Until next time!

DC Infinite Heroes in Oz!

The true tragedy of having such a drought of retail based superhero toys here in Oz is that when you see something, the chance to experience “the find” can cause you to buy stuff that you normally wouldn’t. Kind of like a dog licking up the crumbs under the table when their dinner dish doesn’t get filled.

And so it was, as I was racing the aisle of my local Toys R Us trying to tick items off the birthday list of the youngest AFB-ette, that I did a double, well triple-take as I spied some DC Infinite Heroes on the pegs. I’ve seen these imported in comic shops, but not at retail.

And so it is, that after buying a few of these and swearing them off due to distribution, eBay costs and lack of articulation, I now own four more: Black Lightning, Spectre, Dr Fate and Green Arrow. I also now have a hankering for more. Curse you, Oz toy drought , creator of the hunger of the chase!!!

It’s very hard not to evaluate these tiny chappies against Marvel Universe, and in many respects they don’t come off well. These four I picked up are still the older articulation I believe, and they are very static - much more is needed to make them as dynamic looking as the MU figures. Having said that, in some cases the amount of articulation on such light plastic in MU can make the figures a bit unwieldy, whereas the DCIH Heroes are certainly firm on their feet.

Other complaints: accessories are basically non -existent with this line, although Green Arrow does come with his bow. Paint wise these pale to the MU figures – my Dr Fate is particularly sloppy.Also, this line is certainly all about the Modern Age, and it’s a bit of shame to get MA Dr Fate, Atom and Spectre (not to mention ANOTHER MA Black Lightning!!) without their more classic counterparts – perhaps these will come eventually, but there have been some odd choices in the start-up of this line.

Regardless, I now have a big enough batch that I feel compelled to add to the gang, and particularly check out some female figures to see how they fare against the Marvel Universe Ms Marvel when I get my hands on her (in the collector’s sense, of course…)

I’m certainly not in with this line boots-and-all in the same manner as Marvel Universe, but this unexpected find has resurrected my interest somewhat, so I’d say you’ll be reading about some more DCIH purchases in the near future.

You can chat about this fabulous find at the DCIH thread at the AFB Forum.

Until next time!

Wonder Twins Powers Activate!

The announcement that Mattel would be making Wonder Twins Zan, Jayna and Gleek in the DCUC line was met with a mixture of joy and derision in the online collecting world. Superfriends fans were delighted, those that wanted DCUC to be comic characters only were not so happy. Superfriends was ultimately responsible for my love of comics, so while I won’t go so far as to say I was in the joy group, I’m definitely happy.

Mattel’s made it official today with the unveiling of their SDCC Exclusives, which include the Wonder Twins as the DCUC exclusive. It’s a great set, which also includes a pail of water with Zan’s face in it and Jayna in the form of an eagle, plus Gleek.

Go to Matty’s Facebook Photo Albums to see the rest, which include a JLU Green Lantern 3-pack including a civilian  Hal Jordan, Infinite Heroes Anti-Monitor and a MOTUC He-Ro!

Great news about the exclusives is that they are going to be available online after SDCC, except for Gleek. If you want the purple monkey, you have to get him in the SDCC pack, as the Wonder Twins set on mattycollector.com will be primate-less. I’m actually happier for buy a set without him, but if this fills you with a sense of outrage, just search “Gleek”at your favourite engine to find hysterical fanboys shrieking about this everywhere.

“Form of, a big baby!”

Can’t wait for my Zan and Jayna!

You can discuss this at the AFB Forum!

What’s happening for you in the 3 3/4”(ish) World?

After having been firmly in the 6” and 1:6 Scale World for years apart from a bit of JLU dabbling, I now find I am collecting a bunch of tiny critters: JLU – Batman: The Brave & The Bold and Marvel Universe, with a bit of dabbling in DC Infinite Heroes.

I’m awaiting a few figures from the Wolverine 3 3/4” line (the comic accurate figures only) an d really looking forward to Series 3 (not one but two Ms Marvels!), and thought this was a good subject for the latest AFB Poll – which 3 3/4”  (or thereabouts) lines are you collecting ?

Click over to the right to have your say!

Marvel Universe to tower over Infinite Heroes?

If the test shots of the upcoming Marvel Universe figures from Hasbro are anything to go by, it’s safe to say they’re going to be giving Mattel’s DC Infinite Heroes line a run for their money.

I’m a big fan of the 3 3/4” scale and a fan of the Infinite Heroes line (although I’m way behind in my collection as it’s all eBay for me – there’s no DCIH distribution to Oz), but the detail and articulation on the MU figures really looks like they’re going to leave DCIH choking on their dust. I know that Mattel is boosting the articulation on the newer releases of DCIH, but the detail on faces, etc and the individualisation of the sculpts still looks far superior on the Marvel Universe figures.

I’m definitely going to be collecting these, especially if they get distribution to Oz, which is quite possible. I just hope they don’t put too many nails in the coffin of the DCIH line, as the last thing we need is to end up with another pocket-sized DC line with limited character selection gathering dust at the bottom of our collections!!

By the way, I am now truly converted to Windows Live Writer – it’s very user friendly, has sorted out the photo problem (as far as I know – please let me know if you’re still having trouble) and talks easily to Blogger. I highly recommend it.

Until next time!

More Infinite Fun

Since it seems doubtful that the Infinite Heroes line will ever reach Australian retail stores, I'm stuck eBaying them since I decided I was addicted. Thankfully I've been able to find them as Buy It Now items at reasonable prices with cheap shipping - they are small after all, not that that would stop your less scrupulous eBay seller from ripping off a poor international buyer on postage prices....

My latest additions are Shazam! (golly I wish we could call him Captain Marvel again...), Guy Gardner, Adam Strange and Professor Zoom. I have a separate package with Atom (why Ryan Choi??) and Black Hand coming soon. These are my first single figures and I really love the whole hand packaging - very fun and innovative.

Photos I have seen of these just don't do them justice, and mine probably don't either. The detail on these are just fantastic. The faces may not photograph well but they really are very good. Shazam / CM and Guy in particular are excellent. The paint apps are spotless and the detail on things like Guy's vest and Shazam / CM's cape are very impressive.

Impressive also is the fact that we've already seen two never before made characters, Weather Wizard and Zoom, made in this line. I only hope that the interesting character selection doesn't dampen sales for lack of a "name", because I intend to collect these little buggers for as long as they're made.

Until next time!

Like I need another addiction.........

I've been checking the mail with some eagerness every day at the moment waiting for my Mattyonline parcel to arrive (come on Giganta!) so I was pretty stoked to finally get a parcel notice yesterday. Waiting for a parcel at my local Post Shop is a real labour of love because it's always so crowded after work, so I packed my water bottle, muesli bars, extreme weather gear and a porta potty (this game is not for the faint hearted, brothers) and braved the queue.

The only fun thing about going to the Post Shop after work is that they lock the sliding doors at 5pm and then one of the workers has to stand there and be abused by all the people who were running late and stand there pointing at those of us who are inside still being served and shout and spit and stuff, while we stand there smug in our on-timeness and eat and drink our well prepared waiting provisions and pretend we can't hear their vain protests.

In fact there were so many abusive and pointing people yesterday that I was so busy being smug I nearly missed my number when the computerised voice finally called it, so it was a breathless trip to the counter to hand over my parcel slip to the gum-chewing attendant who was just really ready to go home. My first indication that perhaps Mattyonline hadn't come through was the size of the parcel she brought out: right away I knew it wasn't long enough for a JLU 10" figure. The whole time I was signing for it I was trying to think about what it could possibly be - it was from the US but the address meant nothing.

It wasn't until I opened the box that I remembered I'd decided to try Infinite Heroes and made an eBay purchase on the weekend, which means that my parcel got from the US to me in around 5 days. My Mattyonline parcel was apparently shipped on 2 August, but I'm not getting nervous. Yet.

My deflation turned to excitement as I had a look at my eBay score - the Flash / Mirror Master / Weather Wizard Infinite Heroes 3-pack. It has "Crisis" on it which I'm not sure I get, unless it's referring to the state of the DCU, but that's okay.

So, to the figures (that was a longer than usual "How we got the figures" riff, sorry!). I'd taken in from scale pics I'd seen on the web about how small these fellas are, but I was still surprised by just how small they are! These are not JLU size, they're a peg down from that.

I like the packaging of this line. It has similar features to tie it in to DCUC but it's own feel, and I like the "universe of figures in your hand" or whatever the tagline is with the little plastic hand behind the figures - it looks classy and is carried over in the 3 pack as well as the singles.

The early prototype pics of these figures had alot of us worried about the quality of the line, but if these three are anything to go by, that was for nothing. The detail on these little dudes is amazing. Little details that you might have expected to be painted on, like the sticky-out things on Mirror Master's helmet, glove and belt ridges, and the wings on Flash's feet, etc, are all sculpted.

Paint apps are also very solid. Flash's chest symbol is a well applied decal. Mirror Master has a small paint rub on his left hand that seems to have some from the packaging. There is perhaps a tiny bit of bleed between the green and yellow on Weather Wizard's gear but you have to look very close to see it. There is just an impressive amount of detail for figures this small. The articulation is also impressive with arms, legs, elbows, knees and the ever useful 360 degree waist twist.

One little complaint is that the hands all seem sculpted to hold accessories yet none of these figures have them - Mirror Master's guns are sculpted into his belt. I guess it's the most cost effective way of casting the standard body so that accessories can be held when they are included, but I found it made posing limiting. For instance, when I wanted to pose my little guys with their arms flailing in the air in horror of the giant Flash, Weather Wizards's open fist ended up in front of Flash's groinal area in one shot, and it looked just.. well, wrong.

The joy in these, if you are to take to them, of course, is in the universe building, and after this trial I am on the road, in fact have already ordered the singles I can find on the web (if only Mattel would distribute these to Oz!!). After the disappointment of the premature death of DC Minimates, with the stench of the corpse of DCD Pocket Heroes still in the air, one would be forgiven for being gun-shy in investing emotionally and financially in yet another line, but if the dedication to line completion Mattel has shown to JLU is anything to go by, even a cynic like me can feel reasonably confident that this line will be around in some form for an enduring run. There is already a very impressive list of characters in the pipeline.

For me, these are a much unexpected but happily received hit, and I expect they'll find a niche not just with collectors but at retail as well as they look very accessible to a range of ages of kid. The combination of singles and 3-packs is also appealing, and here's hoping this line gets some Web Exclusives so that we add some more obscure characters to the field.

Mattel just seem to be hitting a six on every ball (which is Cricket terminology for "hitting every ball out of the park" for you baseball fans) at the moment. Thanks again guys, and here's to a truly Infinite Universe for Infinite Heroes!