Mattel | DC Unlimited: Wave 3 Injustice Gods Among Us

More Leaks from Mattel!!!
Photos courtesy of ToyNewsi.com 

As we get closer to 2013 its a new year for toys, spoilers and previews. This week we get our first look at DC Unlimited Wave 3 with images of Aquaman, Superman, and Darkseid. Of course this line sees a growing departure from the "Classic" articulation we see at times with our higher end offerings. First is Superman from the Injustice line. I've got my issues with this figure already, some of it could be based on me not understanding what I'm seeing but I'm pretty sure I speak Mattel after all these years.

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SUPERMAN

I'm not sure what to say about Superman, He's been redesigned from the ground up which doesn't seem to be a sin in this time of great FLUX of New 52 and Man of Steel and creative rights being flung this way and that. Of course this is not built on our typical DCU buck, and for that we lose a certain quality of articulation. It seems that the knees and elbows as well as wrists have been brought to a ball joint. When done right these can be very nice, when done wrong, you get Green Lantern Movie Masters. The waist is a one point swivel. The hips look to still be a 90°/180° swivel as with all DCU Classic figures... just a cleaner concealment.

I know the Mortal Kombat Universe is an alternate dimension COMPLETELY, but I'm not totally crazy for this rendering of Superman. If only for the fact that we get ALL this armor and plating and texture and then we drop the DC Comics approved (circa 1950) Superman "S" dropped right in the middle. I don't know why I long for a new more complicated treatment within this context.

  
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AQUAMAN

We're not going to spend a lot of time here... So Aquaman just gets relined and not all crazy retextured and pantsless? So its that kind of party? This is the new 52 Aquaman, incase you got tired of the V-neck aquaman of old. Really it just looks like Aquaman #1 from way back with a Chris Hemsworth head. The gloves and belt have been a'tweaked and possibly the spear retooled for a more "SuperPowers" look but really I think this is just a throw in; Padding to keep slightly more desireable figures in the subscription fold... (tin foil hat) and what is not slightly if not flatly more desireable than another Aquaman figure? Maybe its my non coastal placement in the US but I've got no love for the Worlds Mightiest Icthiotrhope. I think I'll keep my clams on this one. 






 

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DARKSEID

Darkseid... "Aren't you a little short for a ruler of a parallel universe?" So Darkseid is only as tall as our averagest hero? With the melding of DCU and MOTU parts as a new tactic to generate new body forms we have an AWESOME Dark Knight Returns Batman coming, that was pure genius... Now meet his ugly friend, Frumpy McHandsTooBig. Using the same formula that made the DKR Batman a highly anticipated figure (IMO) we have this guy, and I just can't, I'm having trouble with it. It may fall heavier on the character design so possibly this isn't the goat to scape but, plainly I don't dig it. Is it Thanos of the Marvel Universe that is the volumetric counterpart to Darkseid? With the reds and golds creeping in with all this football padding and then he's down to tights in the bottom half, I find this guy to be a fail. So maybe Mattel said the same thing and didnt honor this character with a properly scaled figure. I applaud the corners you cut and I'll see you and raise you one full peg of these guys.
Collect and Connect was a really fun gimmick but I am happy to be released from that scenario, but hopefully DC Unlimited will live up to its name and find its rhythm and find itself releasing diverse and irresistible figures in the future. For right now, all I want is my Blue Penguin and a SP Kalibak. Feel free to throw in a SP BLUE BLUE Clark Kent anytime you like as well. 

That's the news for now!!


UPDATE!!!  1-28-13
Injustice Batman Surfaces on eBay

UPDATES: Man of Steel | First Look @ Prototype Figures!!!

Man of Steel figures are hitting eBay!!!

Well, its happened, the first glimpse at the Man of Steel figures… feast your eyes and consume what you will… This is it, I'm assuming the standard 3.75" figures we will be seeing come to market this spring. I was doing my usual ebay scan when I ran across this gem. Immediately I knew what it was. Have a look!!

This being the 3.75" figure we wont see the complexities of articulation and such that we will be waiting to see with the Movie Masters line but we do have a very nice sculpt. It looks like at most we will have 2 ball jointed shoulders and the rest looks like cut/swivel and not that many. About as much as the later Kenner Batman figures plus elbows. It nearly starts to take on that look the more I look at the carving and linework. BUT any way... I know this line is going to be set out on its obligatory MULTI COLOR SUPER TEK 12 Shades of Superman tour BUT just seeing this simple unpainted "proof" is a great reminder of what we have to look forward to here shortly.

The sheild itself looks to be a flattened version so I guess the "S" will be printed after the fact to accomodate the number of symbols we should be seeing; since we already know that Superman and Zod (if not also Black Zero) wear similar bodysuits. I just hope this component averaging doesnt find its way into the 6" line. This new iconc "S" needs to be realized in sculpt, and NOT in different layers of pad print, so please Mattel, throw us a bone.

I'm a little confused on how exactly we are seeing this cape function. I'm not sure if we are looking at cape on the shoulders or undersculpting to attach possibly a sculpted cape top??? Something bugs me about that region BUT these are hardly my focus going in once these hit shelves. I'll be putting my sites on the 6" Movie Masters for sure.

While these are being slipped out per customary of China there is no doubt we will be seeing too many of these floating around as "Prototypes" but in reality they are mostly unpainted figures and usually toss outs… SO as you get ready to commit and hit "Buy it Now" just remember these may just hit the shelves before yours arrives from China and they will look MUCH better.

Thanks again China!!!

THIS JUST IN!!!!!!

A Second prototype has surfaced!!!

This one looks to jump straight into the gear mode. I'm assuming… or only hoping this piece would be more  common on the villain figures BUT we can only guess this is the first glimpse of the "TEK" filled Man of Steel line we've all… no… basically… Forecast calls for 2 summers of these little guys hanging out at your local WallyWorlds, hopefully in smaller droves… They just block my views of the Movie Masters' pegs. It's sad that the Nolan Batman is on its way out just as his guided Superman is coming up. Seems like it'd be a great time to connect the two over a toy line. World's Greatest… just missed it… Damn you Superman Returns… and Hopefully Thank You...

UPDATES!!! Zod Figure REVEALED!!!

CLICK HERE

For GeekSummit's take on Man of Steel Movie Masters:

CLICK HERE

And for a more "Classic" take on the Man of Steel:

CLICK HERE

And Special thanks to Daniel Pickett @ Action Figure Insider & ComicBookMovie.com for passing this info on to you guys!!!

GeekSummit | Michael Keaton Batman Movie Masters

DIY Movie Masters Batman
By GeekSummit

So I've done several Christopher Reeve Movie masters and even done a few tutorials on how I come about my figures but this time lets switch focus over to the #2 (IMO) Superhero Movie pioneer of all time, Michael Keaton's Batman. Plenty can be said for 1989's re-imagination of the classic character, but this look definitely has some major staying power. I've always loved the first 2 of the Batman movies, and I think plenty of people share in my renouncement of the following 3 movies. But let's not get caught up in bat-nipples and batskates. Let's celebrate what good came from it. The inspiration for this model. Michael Keaton Batman III. Here I'll give you a quick run through on the parts and techniques used to create this figure. Get out there and try for yourself. Make me proud!!!

 Let's Introduce our Players:

 First we have the very face of the the figure quite literally, a bubble gum container from back in the good old days. This has a pretty nice Keaton likeness as it should as well as a perfect belt made in separately molded plastic. These two pieces alone make this figure what it is. I work in multiples so I actually make a cast of the belt as well as the head. 

The base figure that we use is the Movie Masters Bruce Wayne in prototype suit,. There is not bat on the chest which is a nice start as well as the armor is very sleek and makes a nice accommodation to the Keaton Suit once we do some sculpting. The straps and belts and everything will come off. There is a "knot" in the back where everything comes together, along with a precision cutting of the belt in the back. These two moves will release the entire harness off very easily and keep it intact for any other uses. 

We will now get on to some simple modifications, adding armor to our stock suit. I go after the gauntlets first just since they are very simple. I take a ball of mixed Apoxie Sculpt and make two smaller sections and flatten them inplace on the forearms of the figure. I try to make them wide enough to cover half the forearm (TOP) and then make my indentions and then trim to a smooth shape. Then I follow with two small tabs on the backs of the hands and then cut to shape and add my seams for that "sporty leather" look.  Also we need to add our shin guards and chest armor. These are a little trickier.

I lock the abcruncher joint with a dab of hot glue in the backside of the joint. That keeps things in place while I sculpt. Its easily removable when ready and shouldn't affect any other part of the figure. With everything locked in place I'm able to sculpt the entire abdomen as one piece. I'm still aware of the separation of the two pieces of plastic but I don't have to worry about them as much. I smooth on a layer of apoxie and get to sculpting.

I've found that while sculpting muscle a couple of tricks come in handy. I work with dry Apoxie to get my area covered but always come back with water to soften edges and such. BUT while making the indentions for muscles like the 6 pack here, I use a sheet of plastic like a Ziplock bag (nice and durable) and use it as a tension layer over the top. This makes your tool marks less intense and leaves a nice rounded edge. That way you don't have to go back and smooth over with a dremmel or other burnishing tools.

The Shin Guards are done as one solid layer of Apoxie. Nearly just as I do the gauntlets I use the same approach on the shingurads. First I start with a ball of mixed Apoxie, separate into two even balls and then dry apply them directly to the shins. I push it around to cover the fronts of both shins and then cut it into shape. (make sure to leave the top edge pointed in the middle). I smooth it over with water with my forefinger and thumb to make a nice sharp frontmost edge. I go ahead and segment the armor plates but I don't go all the way to defining them, I do that once the apoxie is dried. That way i can actually use my exacto to carve the apoxie to shape. This makes for VERY nice tight lines and clean edges... a very UNsculpted look.

With nearly the whole figure assembled at this point I am left only with creating the belt. For this I use that cheaper simpler Mold Making Putty which is like $12 @ Hobby Lobby. This lets you make a quick mold of an object when you don't want to build up to the whole 24+ hour letdown of pouring a bad silicone mold.

Anyway. I take the original belt form the bubble gum container and separate it from the black plastic (not always easy) and I fit it to the intended figure in place. Now I take my Mold Making Putty and simply surround that area with it to make a form fitting mold that accounts for the piece to be cast as well as its placement on the figure. You'll see this mold accounts for the groin and legs so nothing moves while casting. just mix a tiny amount of resin and pour into the mold and place your figure in the mold as well to bond the two pieces. (takes about 5 minutes) There may be a little cleanup from overflow but it usually chips off pretty easily.

For the head since it needs to fit to another body I actually take the head and sculpt and smooth the cowl base onto the intended figure. The only problem is we need to put our fabric underneath that cowl eventually so my process has evolved a little to account for that necessity. This process still takes one sacrificial figure but it is SO worth it to me since I like to revisit projects and try new things. This head is actually cast in a similar fashion to the belt. I take the intended figure and sculpt the cowl base and blend it into the head. Now I have head, neck, and body set as 1 piece. I make a mold including all 3 of these elements so that when I come back to cast my working model I use a sheet of plastic (saran wrap) to separate the cast piece and original model. THIS way the two are separate pieces that fit together perfectly. This will allow me to place the fabric cape inbetween these layers for our finished Keaton cowl/cape... PERFECTO!!!

GeekSummit's CUSTOM NECA ROBOCOP | The Helmet Project

Chapter 3: SUCCESS!!!

When we left toff last week we had our head manicured down to a pretty nice Peter Weller likeness if only in passing. Still some things needed to be done to bring it up to the bio-mechanical look that needs to reside under the helmet. So on to more sculpting and sanding and fitting. The plan was always to make a solid 1 piece sculpt of the head. So we made a mold and cast a couple versions. Here appropriately we are using the Battle Damaged Robocop. The head and neck post were replicated so with a little bit of dremmeling it pops right into place like a stock piece. Though this newly created head would not fit back in the original helmet, a scheme was cooked up to still use this head with a cast of the helmet without making any further adjustments.

Luckily while pouring my head mold, I had enough excess silicone to pour a small helmet mold. So I filled the helmet with modeling clay and stuck it to the bottom of a 2oz to go sauce containter. Then I took a fast food ketchup cup cut the bottom out and flipped it over and hot glued it to the bottom of the sauce container. this allowed me to have an water tight seal and keep everything in place. I let everything sit for a couple hours and there we go we had a mold for a head and neck as well as a helmet. I had much more complicated plans for casting the helmet but this chance made mold seemed to do the trick just fine.

I took the head and took a small section of hobby vinyl. I heated up the vinyl until it became "gooey" or very stretchy. I pulled it over the head to create a "tent" over the features that would give us a fitting but not too tight.  I let it cool and mixed up my casting resin for the head. With the head poured I took the remaining resin and poured it into my helmet mold. I took my wrapped head and lined it up with the helmet and submerged it into the resin. I held it in place until the resin turned color and then I let it sit for a few minutes. When I came back I was immediately pleased to see that the helmet had poured great so wet to cleaning the bottom edges. Now with my cast head and now second layer cast helmet I began to twist OH so Gently....

POP!!! 

 So now I have a cast head with fitted helmet. Too much you say? NEVER!!!

  

Success!!! My extremely short term dream realized!! 

The head and neck are cast as a single piece, so once trimmed and cleaned it pops right into the socket on the original figure. matching paints will be a new challenge for me. I'm more of a primary man myself but this time I'll be dabbling in blue/silver I guess. I may have a few tricks up my sleeves to handle the finish of the paint. I may work in layers of clearcoat and silver to give it a little inner shine.

The helmet was an amazing feat. This first version is a little brittle because the hobby vinyl folded over itself creating pockets of resin with "pleats" inbetween  so it is a sensitive piece but it definitely shows the ability to cast the helmet "live" on the figure to create a perfect fit. I'm excited.

Things have worked out pretty nicely. I am really nervous about which part of this process is going to go wrong honestly. It has been such a simple and near flawless trip so far that I just can't imaging what will go wrong. We've suffered no proportion loss, the helmet fits perfectly, the little bit of mouth that shows from the bottom is just enough and not far from the original (nearly more realistic). And of course the overall paintjob on these figures have been imporved. With the number of variants of the Robocop figure produced only this year, this is a GREAT step in the right direction.

It's actually a nice piece to solve all kinds of issues:

• Corrects the "nosey" original version of RoboCop where his nose pokes out.
• Brings new life to the Battle Damaged 25th Anniversary figure
• Adds Even MORE BadAssness to the Spring Loaded Holster Version
• Is simply the only remaining version to be seen... (unless you count RoboCable*)

*Which I wouldn't be opposed to, and if you know who that is... God bless you and if you don't know who that is, its a character from a series of SciFi Channel Produced Robocop films shot on a porno film budget.

 

Unmasked Robocop makes for the perfect battle damaged version from RoboCop I

 Thanks For Looking!!!

 

GeekSummit Presents:

GeekSummit is Expanding!!

We're making the most of this free virtual elbow room and expanding into yet a second blog.

Pol•y•mer•phe•lia will become a virtual collection of those playthings from yesterday. Currently in the works are Hi-Res photo archivesof my own personal collection. The good, the bad and the ugly will all be in attendance. Be sure and drop by as we pull everything together to hopefully create the largest high quality photos of our favorite immortal heroes and villains!!

For our immediate collection we will be highlighting:

Super Powers Collection

Masters of the Universe

Star Wars

  

Other collections may make their way into the fold but for now I am focusing on these lines that were the hub of my childhood. Updates may be slow in the works but we'll be sure and bring all that news here to GeekSummit for your effortless consumption.

The Whitening: Vintage Stormtrooper Restoration

How to whiten, brighten, and lighten your yellowed vintage Stormtroopers

I recently bought a HUGE lot of vintage Stormtroopers from a guy who was thinning out his collection. From what I picked up, honestly I'm scared to guess how many stormtroopers he's still got. But anyway, best wishes Stormtrooper hoarder and I thank you for your reasonable auction and fast shipping.

So since I've got my hands on this plethora of my favorite Star Wars character, I'm finally trying something I've been kinda scared to do with my existing collection: I'm going to whiten some stormtroopers.

I've seen a few tutorials on other blogs and sites and DerpTube on how to whiten specifically stormtroopers as well as other objects. So since I've done my first batch I think I'll take a look at a few methods or steps of methods.

Recommended materials are:
• Hydrogen Peroxide - I just bought mine at Wal-Mart for $0.88 for a huge bottle (bought 4)
• OxyClean Powdered Detergent - or relative substitute I bought SUN brand (it was cheaper) 
• Rubber gloves - for handling Hydrogen Peroxide (if its so bad for you why is it so TASTY????)
• Clear container - This is because sunlight will come in to play in getting the Hp to do its job. ( I bought a 4-pack of tupperware left over containers with blue tops not thinking. BUT that's ok because I turn them upside down so the clear side is exposed.) - Ziplock 24oz disposable tupperware containers.

CONTROL GROUP I - CGI:
Hydrogen Peroxide ONLY

Since I have such a handful of these guys I am breaking them up into sets of 4 and trying ONLY Hydrogen Peroxide (further called Hp) first. I don't want to mix until I see that Hp won't do it on its own.

• I take a tupperware container and lay the stormtroopers in a single layer and pour in the Hp.
I fill it up to the rim (You may want to do this step in your sink*)

• When putting the lid on there will be some overspill (sink*) as you lock one corner on press down on the lid as you seal it around the perimeter, this will let out any air bubbles. (the stormtroopers will float so this helps keep everything submerged completely)

• So I took my stormtroopers and placed the tupperware upside down on an East facing window ledge. (make sure your tupperware is sealed so it doesnt leak on you throughout the day) I let it sit there from sun-up until about 12:00 pm so that's about 6-7 hours of daylight give or take. I came home for lunch so I took a quick peek and I was surprised how well they had done.

• After initial inspection I took each figure out and flipped it to expose the un-sunbleached side and then   pressed the lid on just as I did before eliminating all air bubbles. I then placed it on a stump on the other side of my office again for nearly 6-7 hours.

The Results:

BEFORE

AFTER

So, for a first effort I am pleased. The process didn't turn back time so much but it clearly has an affect on the yellowing that we all know and hate. These photos were taken under identical lighting scenarios so there shouldn't be a wide degree of photofoolery. This is a pretty honest assessment of effort #1.

So to recap this is 14 hours even sunlight with Hydrogen Peroxide ONLY.

RATING: C+

These figures were the worst of the worst… filthy. Yellowing has been relieved a noticable step. Dirt deposits definitely fell to Hp. 

____________________

CONTROL GROUP II - CGII:

Let a little SUN Shine in…

Hydrogen Peroxide ONLY was a surprising result, and definitely a method for possibly a final push once things have been brought to their optimum white. For Control Group II we used figures of equal yellowing so as to not shift the qualities of yellowing from group to group. Now I will say that the figures from Group I were simply nasty and should have been scrubbed before the Hp test. So alot of the filth and color that was taken from them was possibly dirt deposit along with the anti yellowing effects of the Hp itself.

For Control Group II we added the SUN Oxygen cleaner to the mix, literally. I only used a Quarter Table Spoon. I mixed it in with the Hp in the bowl itself  before pouring it into a Ziplock 24oz disposable tupperware container with the 4 figures. The stuff is pretty gritty so you'l want to be sure and stir it in good so that you don't notice a whole bunch floating about. It just seems lime it won't do much stuck to the bottom.

So the process is basically the same from here:

*FIRST, give figures a good scrub, you'll be glad you did.

• Mix 1/4 Table Spoon of SUN Detergent with a half full pan of Hp. and stir to your best ability to make atleast half of the detergent dissolve. (*I didn't see any trace of it when I opened them at the end of this trial.)

• Take a tupperware container and lay the stormtroopers in a single layer in mixed solution and then pour in the Hp to fill it up the rim (You may want to do this step in your sink**)

• When putting the lid on there will be some overspill (sink**) as you lock one corner on press down on the lid as you seal it around the perimeter, this will let out any air bubbles. (the stormtroopers will float so this helps keep everything submerged completely)

• Place the tupperware upside down where it will get plenty of morning sun. (make sure your tupperware is sealed so it doesnt leak on you throughout the day) Let it sit there from sun-up until about 12:00 pm so that's about 6-7 hours of daylight give or take. Its time to flip the hotcakes!!! 

• Flip each figure to expose the un-sunbleached side and then press the lid on just as before eliminating all air bubbles. I place it in an area that gets plenty afternoon sunlight 6-7 hours.

The Results:

BEFORE

AFTER

So, I'm definitely please with the results of Control Group II. The 3 figures on the right were VERY yellowed when they went in and they cleaned up in a pretty clear 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place. The figure to the left that was completely yellowed was an impressive feat of its own. I believe in the next section we will take up the SUN content a bit… possibly quite a bit. So.. stay tuned for section 3…

Rating: B-

Yellowing has been greatly relieved. Would still like to see just 1 come out 100% consistent.

____________________

Control Group III - CGIII:

It's Becoming a System

I find it helpful to set everything up the night before. I don't get up before the sun… even for science. That way the experiment doesn't have to be put of for a day. I just mix this job up and set it out on a window sill. I have east and west facing spots in my yard to these are good spots to catch as much sun as possible on this experiment. You may see lessen results if you don't make sure these stay in constant sunlight.

Getting started this control group will show a 200% increase in the SUN detergent content added to the Hp. I feel like we saw distant enough results between CGI and CGII that I really feel like increasing its presence will show a continued added benefit. 

Once again follow the dancing dots •

*FIRST, give figures a good scrub, you'll be glad you did.

• Mix 1 Full Table Spoon (see picture) of SUN Detergent with a half full pan of Hp. and stir to your best ability to make atleast half of the detergent dissolve. (*I didn't see any trace of it when I opened them at the end of this trial.)

• Take a tupperware container and lay the stormtroopers in a single layer. Then pour in the mixed solution and fill it up to the rim with pure Hp. (You may want to do this step in your sink**)

• When putting the lid on there will be some overspill (sink**) as you lock one corner on press down on the lid as you seal it around the perimeter, this will let out any air bubbles. (the stormtroopers will float so this helps keep everything submerged completely)

• Place the tupperware upside down where it will get plenty of morning sun. (make sure your tupperware is sealed so it doesnt leak on you throughout the day) Let it sit there from sun-up until about 12:00 pm so that's about 6-7 hours of daylight give or take. Its time to flip the hotcakes!!! 

• Flip each figure to expose the un-sunbleached side and then press the lid on just as before eliminating all air bubbles. I place it in an area that gets plenty afternoon sunlight 6-7 hours.

The Results:

BEFORE

AFTER

A great whitening result has been seen here. These 4 figures had nearly equal yellowing and they have for the most part come out identically improved. #4 (right) showed the least whitened, but it was a little crowded in the tupperware I guess. we should probably expect to see one be the runt of the litter.

*Additional note, to day was the beginning of daylight savings.. BOO!! so the 12:00 milestone for flipping and repositioning showed to be a flawed regimen going into this weekend BUT, I would still say we have gotten quite an upward improvement in our whitening.

Rating: B-

Despite time inconsistencies, yellowing continued to improve. Would still like to see just 1 come out 100% consistent. 

Conclusion:

For all 3 variations of chemical treatments improvement was seen in Stormtrooper's yellowed plastic being whitened. BUT time may be the one factor that cannot be ignored. 

Perhaps the resurrection of this experiment will expand those efforts to a 48 hour time table.