DC Collectibles has announced the expansion of their 6" Animated Batman figures. This looks to be a nice set of figures, especially with DCU dropping out of retail, this is a nice continuation to what could have easily been done by Mattel.
Just today we were introduced to the Joker, Robin, & Poison Ivy. Two Face and Mr Freeze's debut was a few months ago if only in sketches. This brings the total to 7 figures in an already unreleased line-up. Simply amazing. We're sure to see more at SDCC this summer as well.
Who's next?
Superman the Animated Series anyone?
Seeing how these are being handled definitely makes the mind wander. Seeing such a push into a territory with the idea that there will be more lends to the thought that this could be a new era approaching for DCC. Mattel finally bowed out of the 6" game for DC characters leaving Marvel Legends to run the toy isles. Meanwhile DCC is putting out some of the best looking figures right now that we may have never come to expect from DCC, Formerly DC Direct. It even looks like we are hijacking Mattel's T Crotch/Hip assemblies anyway.
Points of articulation have been a point of articulation for years in action figure collecting. Do we need it? Does it diminish the look of the figure? What's more valuable, posability or awesome sculpts? Has anyone seen Figma? These people have been doing AWESOME beautiful Japanese characters, and when they get to do familiar pop culture characters, they blow it away!!!
Anyway, I think its been pretty clear that DCC is looking to pick up the slack left behind by Mattel. Could we be stepping into the world where the figures we wanted to see from Mattel will come from DCC in our current scale? Imagine the result of DCC getting behind supplementing our appetites for Mattel product we'll never got?
Superman Movie Masters anyone?
I've been kicking around this Kit Bash Christopher Reeve Superman Movie Masters for years just hoping that I would see it bested by Mattel. But they led us astray… 2" off course. We finally get a Christopher Reeve retail figure and he's 4" tall? or less? No thanks, why is it that Mattel has decided to get out of the 6" game? or have they? Will Movie Masters ALWAYS be on the horizon while the 3.75" figures are our ballet boxes for what properties get the 6" treatment? Will Mattel catch on to Hasbro's strategic success? Will they be there for us when the next superhero movies come out? How can they ignore a 6" hero figure market or force us to re-buy in an inferior scale and quality? I guess they'll find out. Or maybe they've still got something big up their sleeves?
or maybe not...
There are a few stinkers in Hasbro's isles too but for the most part they are sought after characters to varying degrees. Star Wars alone in its 3.75" line can detect the demand for more characters in its own line, they've been doing it for years. Regardless, if we're not going to get them from Mattel, why not accept one from a company that can do every bit the diligent justice to a property like this?
I'd love to see DCC take over Mattel's former command of awesome DC Characters in 6" but actually do them AWESOME!!! I loved the 4 Horsemen line, there are still few true gaps that will never be filled from my DCU collection… I'm looking at you Gold Superman and Mxyzptlk… WTF? And the C&C couldn't have been a proper version of SP Kalibak? Can we atleast Mail Away for our Blue Suited Clark Kent figure? Please update the DCSH Sculpt though… he looks pretty weak, eeven for Clark...
But I don't think it was the Horsemen who killed the line… the line killed the line… the bottom line… jerks…
Thanks for reading, come for the news, stay for the rants...
