Author Topic: Mattel DC Superheroes  (Read 87892 times)

Offline Mister Skeezler

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Re: DC Superheroes
« Reply #90 on: November 2, 2006, 12:39 PM »
So the best version of Supes for me to buy (that won't break the bank) is the Mattel DC Superman from wave 2?
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Offline Morgbug

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Re: DC Superheroes
« Reply #91 on: November 2, 2006, 11:48 PM »
Ok, we couldn't find the Superman around here before my daughter went to sleep.  She was willing to stay up and look, but I've a funny feeling she'd have looked for an hour or two and not found it.  Maybe tomorrow.  This is the Superman I have that's the Justice League Series 1 Variant.  He looks menacing in spite of the crappy picture:



The biggest problem I find with DC stuff is the various lines tend to relate somewhat poorly to each other in terms of scale. If you're only looking for select figures that fall into the Batman/Superman category and their friends and foes, DC Superheroes isn't too bad.  But if you're trying to mix a bit, take a look at this picture to see the variability amongst the scales :o




Hawkman, Green Arrow and Zatanna are all from the Identity Crisis Series.

The Batgirl and Joker figure are from the Unmasked series which is really well done.

Wonderwoman and Thrillkiller Batgirl are from the Elseworlds line.

The first (tiny) Catwoman is from the Long Halloween series and the second larger Catwoman is from a series I don't remember the name of, but I wasn't passing on that figure (pun intended).  Bane is from the same series as Catwoman. 

Supergirl is from DC superheroes and I put Kitty Pride in for reference of size.  So it's a good matchup between DC SH and ML by the looks of things, but DC's various lines are all over the map.  I thought the Bane from DC SH was undersized though, so I'm a big fan of this version. 


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Offline Mister Skeezler

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Re: DC Superheroes
« Reply #92 on: November 2, 2006, 11:55 PM »
Wow! They really are all over the place! That WW is huge. I'm hopiing the DC:SH line does well, because I'd love to get the main JLA characters in the same scale as ML figures. Even though I'd probably never display them together, it would be fun to take some shots of the two teams duking it out.

That Supes figure really is excellent though. Is it completely out of scale with the other figures?
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Offline Morgbug

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Re: DC Superheroes
« Reply #93 on: November 3, 2006, 12:08 AM »
No, Superman is actually good for scale to me. 

Each line is done in scale to the other figures in the line, so all the Alex Ross Justice League figures are in scale and I've been collecting them selectively since series one.  The problem with JL stuff is Ross' interpretation isn't always what I want to see, no matter how popular it is.  The regular Superman is crap, IMO and so is Flash from series one.  The latter burns me because I like Flash and don't have a single figure even remotely in scale to these. 

So that Superman is in scale to the Hawkman, Green Arrow and Zatanna from the picture above.  I believe it to be bigger than the DC SH line here, but if we can find my daughter's Superman, I'll open this and do a side by side shot.  I'll also redo the group shot and take out the outliers - both versions of Catwoman, Wonder Woman and the Thrillkiller Batgirl.  It'll look considerably better I think.  As I said above, I think of Bane as being huge so I think even oversized like that his scale is fine relative to the Justice League stuff. 

BTW, just looking at the DC SH stuff, it's better articulated than the other DC stuff for the most part: Supergirl is articulate at the ankles, knees, hips (minor movement), 'waist' (it's higher), shoulders, elbow and neck.  It's a nice compromise between standard DC stuff and ML.  I do think the new Supergirl looks better though, at least in pictures.
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Offline Mister Skeezler

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Re: DC Superheroes
« Reply #94 on: November 3, 2006, 01:21 AM »
You're right, Bane looks great at that size. If he was smaller, he wouldn't look very imposing.

The upcoming Supergirl looks great, so I'll hold off until that's in stores. It is a bummer that there's no good Flash figure available. He's a cool character (as long as he's not running around with Kid Flash), and it would be great to have him in the red suit.

I'm really hoping for a decent Wonder Woman. All the figures I've seen of her are either in the non-traditional outfit, or completely mannish. I know she's an amazon and all, but Linda Carter and Cartoon Network both manage to make her look appealing, I would hope either DCD or Mattel would do the same.
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Offline Brian

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Re: DC Superheroes
« Reply #95 on: November 3, 2006, 09:57 AM »
Thanks for posting that pic Brent.  The DC Direct lines really are all over the place with scale.  I had read that before, but that picture illustrates it well.  I was half tempted to pick up the Alex Ross figures as well, but held off because some didn't look quite right to me (like you mentioned) and the price sometimes keeps me away from the DC Direct stuff as well.  Out of curiosity, how does the scale on that line of figures compare to DC Superheroes/Marvel Legends.  There is a Green Arrow (Alex Ross) figure coming out (look like Feb 07), and I'd kind of like to have a nice GA figure if it fit in scale wise somewhat.  Maybe there is a better option than that one though, we'll have to see.

Offline Mister Skeezler

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Re: DC Superheroes
« Reply #96 on: November 6, 2006, 11:57 AM »
Has anyone had any luck finding the Batman and Batgirl 2-pack? I'm holding off buying a series 3 Batman because this set is so damn cool. I heard this is still shipping, but is there a DCPI number or anything?
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Offline Brian

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Re: DC Superheroes
« Reply #97 on: November 6, 2006, 11:59 AM »
I think its still shipping, and hasn't even been found in a lot of places yet (I know all we have around here is Superman/Bizarro).  So hopefully there will still be more on the way.  I don't know about a DCPI number, but someone else might have a better idea.

Offline Mister Skeezler

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Re: DC Superheroes
« Reply #98 on: November 6, 2006, 01:31 PM »
Hmmm...well hopefully it will be at least as plentiful as the snowspeeder, which was pretty easy to find. I really want to get this set!!!
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Offline Morgbug

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Re: DC Superheroes
« Reply #99 on: November 6, 2006, 03:31 PM »
Out of curiosity, how does the scale on that line of figures compare to DC Superheroes/Marvel Legends.  There is a Green Arrow (Alex Ross) figure coming out (look like Feb 07), and I'd kind of like to have a nice GA figure if it fit in scale wise somewhat.  Maybe there is a better option than that one though, we'll have to see.

Is there any particular figure you'd like to see a comparison between Brian?  I have most of the Legends so I could pair up the GA figure I have there with them.  I can pop out some of the earlier Ross figures from the same series for a comparison so you can get a good idea.  I had originally planned on getting only a single GA figure, but I'm a bit disappointed in that one because of a lack of ability to hold the bow or arrows :-\  It's a really nice sculpt, but you can't do much with it really.  Kind of pales beside Hawkeye really. 

We found the other Superman figure, so I can get that picture up beside the Ross Superman and with the Supergirl for size comparisons as well also. 

Another case of Series 3 showed up at TRU again locally and the Batman from that series is pretty nice, but seems undersized.  Walmart is carrying them too, but has only had series 1 in stock ever.  I'm hoping they leap to series 4 or the twopacks in time for Christmas. 
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Offline Morgbug

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Re: DC Superheroes
« Reply #100 on: November 8, 2006, 08:06 PM »
Uh, Houston, we have a problem.  The issue here seems to be to Ross or not to Ross.  The DC superheroes figures seem to be a tad small, relative the the Ross versions and the Marvel Legends as well. 

I used the Kingpin figure from Marvel Legends because he is a relatively large character, as I think he should be, but I'd expect Superman to be roughly the same size:



Maybe not :-\  I think the scale between the Ross Superman variant and the Kingpin is ok though. 

The scale within the DC SH line seems ok too.  Brian, is that the series 2 Superman?  This is the one I pulled from a Mattel two pack that had a Batman (color variation of the zipline version).  It makes me think I'll be needing a new Batman to go with the larger Ross figures :-\



And below there is a definite discrepancy between the DC and Ross series' of figures.  The sculpting is nice in both though I prefer a meaner, more PO'd Supes myself. 



Brian, I think if you're looking to display a Green Arrow with your Marvel Legends stuff, you'll be happy with the size of the Ross version that's coming out (or the older GA from Identity Crisis).  I couldn't find Hawkeye, but I think they're roughly the same size.  If you're looking to display it with the DC Superheroes stuff, there's going to be an issue, unless GA was hanging out with Giant Man in the Marvel Universe and something was slipped into his cocktail :-\

I think the DC Direct Infinite Crisis series 2 Superman has some promise, it's supposed to be about 6.5" tall, so more in line with the Ross version I think:


I'm ordering the Batman and Wonderwoman from this series as well.






Oh and btw, like Brian I'm much more of a Marvel guy as well, but I'm just filling out the DC side with some neat stuff.  I tend to think the ML stuff is going to suffer under Hasbro's guidance, as evidenced by some of the more recent pictures so that spending should slow, hopefully.
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Offline Brian

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Re: DC Superheroes
« Reply #101 on: November 9, 2006, 09:28 AM »
Thanks for the pics Brent, I really appreciate it.  That Supes is from the Mattel 2 pack (I have that one as well), and is the one that is currently shipping in Series 4 of DC Superheroes (with Lex, Brainiac, and Darkseid).  Thanks for the advice with the Ross figs.  I almost started collecting those from the beginning, thinking it would be neat to set up a Justice League with those, but price kept me away.  I'm hoping to pick up Green Arrow, and maybe eventually try to get Batman, Flash, and possibly Superman as well.  We'll see.

I'm kind of in the same boat as you Brent.  I'm definitely more of a Marvel guy, but I like to have a few DC things here and there as well.  And, as much as I like the Marvel Legends line, I think I'd be ok with fizzling out there as well.  I'm just at the point where I have more characters than I probably would have imagined from that line, and I'd be ok if things started wrapping up a bit.  I mean, I could always just stop, but that's of course easier said than done when you see the pics or the figures at retail :).  Plus, like you mentioned, the recent pictures might be indicating a bit of a change in the ML line once Hasbro takes over.  We'll see if that holds up.

Offline Mister Skeezler

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Re: DC Superheroes
« Reply #102 on: November 9, 2006, 11:17 AM »
I'm pretty much the same as you guys. I'm more into Marvel, but I like the key players in the DC universe (i.e. the Justice League and their main villains...which I guess includes the Batman villains). Those DCD figures are cool, but I'm looking for more ML style DC figures, so I'm going to ride it out and see how DC:SH does with releasing other characters. So far, I'm happy with what I've seen.

Brent, if you get a chance, can you take a pic with Supes and one of the characters that would be around the same size (i.e. Colossus, Capt. America, etc.)?
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Offline Morgbug

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Re: DC Superheroes
« Reply #103 on: November 9, 2006, 01:11 PM »
I had originally planned on getting only a single GA figure, but I'm a bit disappointed in that one because of a lack of ability to hold the bow or arrows :-\  It's a really nice sculpt, but you can't do much with it really.  Kind of pales beside Hawkeye really. 

Or does it?  Oops.  I've been so busy packing things up that I never really looked at Hawkeye or Green Arrow side by side.  First, GA will hold his bow, but not an arrow, so grant a point to Hawkeye.  But pulling it out reminds me that the loose joints on ML can be annoying and the figure is remarkably small.  I'll get more into it later, but ML isn't without it's scale issues as well.  I'm also noticing a dramatic difference in accessories.  DC Direct stuff is pretty sparse, but when it is present, it's a very hard, stiff plastic whereas ML is quite pliable. 



Incidentally, I threw in the Ross version of Green Lantern, in case Jeff is being forced to follow along at home.  It's a great figure, but I think a bit larger than the GL series of GL figures. 



Brent, if you get a chance, can you take a pic with Supes and one of the characters that would be around the same size (i.e. Colossus, Capt. America, etc.)?

LOL, you have no idea what you were asking, I really had to dig these boxes out of the bottom of the pile.  The figures, en masse, are so heavy I had to put them at the bottom of the pile of other figures.  Either way, I dug them out.  I apologize for the picture quality btw, I know it's poorly lit, but the computer room doesn't lend itself well with the lighting in here.  I find the flash washes out the image worse than the crapppy yellow texture of this lighting, so it's a compromise. 

Alright, to start off, I stumbled across the Batman that came with the Superman from the twopack and the scale of those, with Supergirl, is really nice.  I think the Mattel stuff (DC Superheroes) is pretty nice, but I'm also pretty sure they have only the license for Batman and Superman so they can't do the other JL figures at all.  Ever. 




So those look just fine together to me.  But you asked for Colossus or Cap.  Well, how about both?  First Colossus and I left the Mattel Batman in there for sake of comparison:



I guess it depends on what you think the size of Superman relative to Colossus should be, but the Ross version (btw, there is a non-variant version that's fairly inexpensive from series 1 if you're leaning that way; the variant tends to sell for about $30 USD).  I don't think the DC versions match up too well personally.

As for Cap, well, there's at least five versions of Cap that I know of from ML: Series 1; Series 8; Series 8 variant; two pack version; two pack version unmasked.  I only own two of those and if Scott's reading, maybe he can tell us if the Series 8 version is larger than the others.  Below is the Series 1 version (on the right) and the unmasked version that came with Strucker (on the left):



I think of Superman being taller than Cap, but that much?  I'm not sure.  If indeed series 8 Cap is larger, it might be a better pairing.  And speaking of that difference, since I've been plowing through these figures lately, I'm noticing that ML isn't quite as perfectly in scale as it maybe should be, considering it's only a single line as opposed to multiple DC line.  The discrepancy isn't as bad as between the two Catwomen in one of the initial pictures I posted, but it's still notable:



The Thor on the left is from series 1 (I think, it's the first release anyway) and it's great.  It's also larger and IMO a better sculpt than the one from the Giant Man series.  It's just a meaner, more godly looking figure.  If I didn't have the first, I'd be ok with the second though. 

Anyhoo, again my apologies for the yellowish, blurry picture quality.  I'd like to spend the time to get better pictures for y'all, but for now those will do just fine for the comparisons that are necessary. 
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Offline Morgbug

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Re: DC Superheroes
« Reply #104 on: November 9, 2006, 01:14 PM »
One other thing, I'm a bit more of a fan of the DC Direct line simply because they look better to me.  But equally important is the fact I deal with a guy in a comic shop that sells them for only $12.99 CAD or about $11 USD which is a big bargain when I look online from US shops.  Other places locally they retail at about $19.99 CAD which is more in line with the usual $15.99 USD price I see.  Add to that TRUs price of $12.99 for DC Superheroes and it's really a no brainer for me. 
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