In
the interest of time and so you don’t have to read it over and
over, just go ahead and mentally add “but for $30 dollars he/she
should have come with some more accessories/extra hands/extra head.”
Jay
Garrick- I liked Jay
and he was a needed figure for the JSA even though the ages of him,
Wildcat, and Alan Scott were off so they didn’t match. Also that
seam on the helmet was awful. This bare bones figure was almost all
reuse. Get ready for two years of the same body!
(Just
kidding, they used the suit body a couple of times too!)
Atrocitus-
He can’t hold his lantern. Seriously. How that ever got through
any stages of planning without someone pointing it out boggles the
mind. He was also too small. It’s a shame because the head sculpt
was really good.
Metron-
The exclusive for year one. The chair was done really well and the
figure itself looks good, it just would have been nice if some the
Kirby lines were sculpted instead of painted on. The hands on him
were done really well and I’m not sure that we even saw them again.
Looking back at him just reminds me that we will never get a Granny
Goodness now.
Starman
VIII- I really liked
this version of Starman in the comics. I guess he never existed now.
The rare figure to come with an extra head, this was a great example
of being able to take the basic body and make it translucent to make
it great. Should have come with an ice cream cone though.
Rocket
Red- The biggest
failure of the line. Announce a popular figure needed to complete a
popular team, then do the wrong version and make it the wrong size.
If any figure represents how Matty handles things, it’s this.
Seriously - nobody wanted the Geoff Johns version of Rocket Red. They
could have at least put in some stickers to make the different call
signs.
Mirror
Master- Then sometimes
they get it right. Mirror master shows that it is possible to add a
few new parts and make a great figure. The guns looked great and
came with different ends to show the guns working or not. The
holsters were a little big, but Id rather have them able to function
than not at all. I’m still not sure what that hood piece is
supposed to be though.
Black
Mask- SUIT BODY! If
there was a Matty drinking game the suit body would require a shot
every time. You would be wasted in no time! This was a fine figure,
nothing special. The odd part was the Batman cowl that came with him
and obviously at one point was made to have the knife go through, but
then at some point they just decided to not make that work. Matty is
truly a mystery.
Poison
Ivy- There was some
controversy (and by controversy I mean grown men arguing about toys
on the internet) about the choice of the green body instead of the
more classic Ivy. I liked the green and thought the use of the vines
was a good touch. I haven’t looked at her lately but I wonder how
she will look as the plastic fades.
Elasti-Girl-
To Matty’s credit, they did complete the teams they set out to
within the first year (as long as you don’t count Dr. Caulder,
Beast Boy in the correct costume, or Dr. Magnus). Elasti-Girl is
fine and it was good of them to include a miniature version as well.
Uncle
Sam- This is one of my
favorite figures of all the Mattel DC line. The problem though is
the use of a grey color instead of a clean white. ToyGuru again and
again said it was a design choice but I don’t think anyone really
believes this. More likely grey is cheaper or something. Dollman
was also included, which led people to think that Matty was going to
start on the Freedom Fighters. They did not do another member of the
team. That’s just the strategic planning you learn to love from
Matty.
John
Constantine – Not a
bad reuse of the Joker suit body where a change to the tie made a big
difference. The face scar didn’t bother me as much as some people.
The biggest problem with this figure is the lack of a cigarette for
him to hold. Matty gave excuses about tobacco not coming with toys.
You know - the ones in the boxes marked “Adult Collector”.
Platinum-
It’s a two-fer! We got both Platinum and Tin together in a
regular slot. Both look great but Tin is way too small. The head
sculpt on both were great and really captured both of the characters
well.
Lead-
Another team finished! Lead was a good size and like the rest of
the Metal Men, the 4 Horsemen really nailed the expression. The odd
thing about this figure is the back. He looks like he’s wearing an
apron. I have no idea why they didn’t just give him a full size
tunic instead of the low back. I’m sure it was a “design
choice”.
Saint
Walker- Hey look! A
Lantern character that can hold his lantern! The arms were made
longer on this figure which gave him a slightly different look than
just your normal head swap. Overall just an average figure but now
I’m reminded after all that they didn’t finish the Lantern
leaders. Damn you, Matty.
Phantom
Stranger- SUIT BODY!
SHOT! The highlight of this figure is the shading that was done over
the eyes to make the hat look like it was casting a shadow. Oh and
look there are the Metron hands again. Guess I was wrong. The
necklace was also great.
Elongated
Man- One of the most
anticipated figures in the line and needed to complete the Satellite
era. Then he came and everyone went “Eh”. There’s nothing
wrong with him, he’s just not the most exciting figure. The
working magnifying glass was a nice touch though.
Larfleeze-
It bothers me that I cant really get his arms into the cradling the
Lantern position that he is most known for. They used the extended
forearms again to make him look a little different, but in my display
I stayed with the DC Direct version.
Monsieur
Mallah and Brain- Year
two Exclusive. It’s a monkey with a beret and machine gun
accompanied by his brain robot who he is also in love with. If you
aren’t excited about that kind figure, I don’t think we will ever
be on the same page. I do wish he had been more brown than he came
out but over all it was a great reuse of the Grodd body.
Wally
West- UGH. It seems
this was at the top of almost everyone’s list for the sub. I had
no interest at all. Wally was just a repaint of the same flash body
we had seen again and again in the main line. And for some reason the
paint on the Flash symbol looked really cheap. What a waste.
Red
Hood- I really liked
this figure. It stands out of the shelf and is done really well
except he could have used some holsters to store the guns. Knowing
now that the sub was going to end, it probably wasn’t the best use
of a spot but overall a great toy.
Captain
Marvel, Jr. - Boring
but necessary to finish the marvel family. I’ve got nothing else
on him.
Fire-
I absolutely believe Fire was slotted here so that they could use
Ice as sub bait for the next year. We all saw how that worked out.
So now we all get to fight on sale day for Ice. It’s going to be
great - especially because the MOTUC subscribers get to order her
first in Early Access (so
do their friends).
Because that makes sense. Fire is an okay figure and should have
really come with two of the fire things for her hands. Also, the way
the waist joint lines up on her looks really bad.
Ocean
Master- Yeah for
getting an Aquaman villain! The mask was done really well, but man
is that a big collar. I can’t imagine that thing does well under
water. Also, wouldn’t a cape be a problem when you are trying to
swim?
Ra’s
Al Ghul- SUIT BODY!
SHOT! I’m convinced that they forgot to tell the poor factory
workers to paint the grey on his face. It just looks like he’s not
finished. Also that sword is insanely huge.
Batzarro-
And finally the end. This figure perfectly captures the club in
general. A figure no one really wanted with a body used time and
time again, that ends up okay. Nothing great. I do like the grey
inside of the cape. The upside down belt with the pouches all open is
also a nice touch.
So
due to crazy prices, the incompetence of Digital River, and really
just not having enough A-listers to keep going, the sub did not get
renewed. There was a lot of blame going around but really the line
lasted for around 10 years and made a lot of great figures. There
will always be figures that I can’t believe they never got to
(seriously - Vixen was on the package for years). We will get five
more figures over the next year or so. We can look forward to 90s
Aquaman, Ice, Damian Wayne Robin, Jeans Superboy, and Containment
Suit Doomsday at San Diego. I’ll probably pick up Ice if I can,
along with Doomsday although it’s obviously not the version
everybody wants. Even when the line ends, Matty figures out a way to
screw it up.
-Evil
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