Batman V Superman Dawn of Justice Movie Masters Figures Announced for SDCC 2015

Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman are going to loom large at Comic-Con this year — and in toy boxes.
The superheroes of the upcoming movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (in theaters March 25, 2016) are bound to be a central component of the Warner Bros. movie panel at the San Diego Convention Center's cavernous Hall H on July 11. Their action figures will also be on display and available for fans to take home as Comic-Con exclusives during the convention that begins next Wednesday.

Mattel is selling a movie-inspired BvS two-pack ($30) with the likeness of Henry Cavill's Superman and Ben Affleck's Batman. Each of the 6-inch-tall figures comes with fabric capes, display bases that combine to form the film's iconic logo, and lights-and-sounds packaging teasing one of the big moments from the upcoming movie.

 

** Photo corrected from Mattel's botched release to USA Today

 

 

A special movie action-figure two-pack at Comic-Con features Henry Cavill's Superman and Ben Affleck's Batman. (Photo: Mattel)

Fans of the Batfleck's new Batmobile can also pick up a Hot Wheels edition ($25) of the superhero ride, featuring a die-cast chassis and body, rubber tires and neato machine guns and missile launchers — all encased in limited-edition packaging.

 

 

Hot Wheels is making a die-cast toy version of the "Batman v Superman" movie Batmobile. (Photo: Mattel)

Mattel has a new Barbie line coming in the spring, and at their booth the company is showcasing a doll based on actress Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman from Dawn of Justice. Standing 12 inches tall and featuring a sword, shield, tiara, bulletproof bracelets and her signature lasso of truth, Wonder Woman is part of the Barbie movie collection along with Superman and Batman.

 

 

A life-sized Hot Wheels build of a car celebrating "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" will be on display at Comic-Con next week. (Photo: Mattel)

And the Mattel booth is slated to display a life-sized Hot Wheels build of a Batman v Superman Twin Mill car designed to celebrate the film. Graphics on the car are inspired from the film suits of both heroes, and a die-cast toy version of the vehicle will be on sale in the spring as part of a movie-inspired Hot Wheels line.

Source USA TODAY

DC Collectibles: Batman the Animated Series figures, SDCC More on the way?

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...

Man of Steel | Bootlegs Emerge on Ebay

Faster than a speeding bullet!!! More generic than Soda Cola... Able to mimic major brands to a negligible degree... IT'S.....

BOOTLEG TOYS!!!

These gems surfaced this week as I was shaking ebay down for new releases and checking regional distributions. I went in looking for Zod but came out having seen the very depraved edge of toy copydom.

 

This beautiful set features the Man of Steel himself in his classic colors, Zod in his trademark black, and Superman in his dream sequence black costume. What is peculiar about this release is that the actual Black Suit Superman is only hitting markets just as recently as this week so it is quite the coincidence that this makes its appearance when it does.

 

First we'll take a look at Superman. At first he looks like a pretty faithful copy of the original we are seeing in stores. On closer inspection the details start to betray the figure as we loose about 50% of the articulation. It appears that we are left with swivel hips, waist, and neck, along with hinge elbows and knees. I would not count on these figures featuring balljoint necks or shoulders.

The "S" Glyph as it will now be referred tois also a smoothed version without all the texturing that we see on the legitimate model. a peculiar change being that may have actually required some extra effort outside of simply recasting the figure. But hey... bootleggers can take pride in their work as well I guess.

 

Second we have our Superman in Black Suit. This is quite a treat since of course this figure is being released currently so that means this effort was underway for quite some time. Pointing towards factory insiders who may find themselves privy to paintmasters or paint schematics. This doppleganger even features the blackened "Heat Vision" eyes that were included with the official release for some weird reason.  The same articulation applies here as the body is identical to the original version.

 

We've seen the good.. we've seen the bad... now we have the fungly. Zod is the most special of this set as the bootleggers chose to use a blackened Superman torso instead of a new mold for the Kryptonian baddie. Times are tough... cut corners. Zod features all the same articulation of the other 2 figures but atleast features his own unique head cast. This is a funny set to have run into and I'll probably order a couple for novelty sake. If there was a rating system for bootlegs I would give it 4 out of 5 Derps.

While identity is key in this set, I'll let the SuperZod slip. The casting thus far seems to be pretty faithful though it will be subject to the pitfalls of EXTREMELY CHEAP manufacturing as seen in most bootlegs. While I have been schooled countless times on the difference between bootlegs, fakes and reproductions I will always call unofficial mass produced figures and products bootlegs.

SDCC 2013 Reveals Wishlist: Superman the Movie

GeekSummit's SDCC 2013 Reveals Wishlist  

Dark Knight... Batman '66... Green Lantern... Man of Steel... GHOSTBUSTERS!!!

But what about the Reeve movies?...

 

What if???...

Diddly Doo! Diddly Doo! Diddly Doo!

An entire progressing line covering all 4 yes all 4 Christopher Reeve Superman Movies could be slated for release in the mix of the Man of Steel Mania taking hold this summer. 6" Movie Masters "Classics" would be designed for ALL headliner characters including:

• Marlon Brando as JorEl in black AND a white variant both with various crystal accessories.

• Lex Luthor with Kryptonite chain and a cigar (no word on removable wig status)

• Clark Kent with removable glasses and hat with overcoat over arm accessory.

• Superman authentic designed costume with newspaper dispenser.

  What, no Lois?

• There seems to be a teaser in the bottom left corner of an emerging 3-pack of the of the Kalamity from Krypton; Zod, Ursa, & Non.

Could more second tier characters be on the horizon? I would certainly think so being the first 2 movies use all the same characters… Hooray!!! a Two-Fer!!!

Diddly Doo! Diddly Doo! Diddly Doo!

With high hopes for an awesome Superman Legacy line from Mattel ala Batman Legacy (not bad) I could only hope with the most sincere delusion that this has crossed the minds of Mattel if not for the 75th anniversary of the man himself then the 35th anniversary of the first movie... Well, I can't make it happen myself but I can throw this blood in the water and hope someone wants this as bad as I do…

Man of Steel | NECA Quarter Scale Superman Revealed

Shots released a couple months ago showed us our first glimpse of the NECA quarter scale Man of Steel Superman figure coming this summer. While I AM excited to see this coming over the horizon I am also hoping that this is the beginning of a major MAJOR partnership between DC and NECA. Their sculpting is second to none. Their attention to detail and really just their responsiveness to what fans want to see is uncanny.  While this first shot does leave us witness to the prototype process as far as likeness and color the facial likeness sees more detail in the unpainted versions seen above & below.

The properties that they find license with are awesome (Predator/Alien/Terminator/RoboCop)... NECA is who I'd like to give all my money as a Mid-High end collectible company. Mattel has been at it for years with their DC license slowly ascending to giving us awesome movie property toys but NECA was already at the top of that mountain years ago. This unpainted version definitely gives me confidence that NECA has got this figured out.

I can only hope that we will see NECA use this as their foot in the door to do 6-7" DC figures, or at the least be sought out by DC Collectibles to do their figure sculpting. I love Tim Brukner's work but up until lately for all he and other AWESOME sculptors have done, DCC really shits the bed on articulation.

Man of Steel | SDCC Exclusive Revealed

Mattel has released images of the 2013 SDCC Exclusive Man of Steel 2 Pack

Every year, Mattel has one of the largest toy presences at Comic-Con, and they’re again bringing a host of cool exclusives, including a special ‘Man of Steel’ box set ($50.00).

They’re battling it out on the big screen, but Superman and General Zod bring their fight home in the two-pack. (And Zod comes packing with a steel girder! Look out, Supes!)

Superman looks intense usually but when he really needs to take charge he breaks out the heat vision. Push a button on the back of his figure and his eyes light up to add drama to a fiery situation.
San Diego Comic Con takes place 07/17/13 – 07/21/13

Via USA Today

GeekSummit Summary:
While I nearly figured that all of these features would be included I'm surprised that Zod is not the character getting the heat vision feature and Superman a more deluxe looking fabric cape. While I am always a fan of fabric over vinyl the cape does betray scale a bit and I HATE those rubber tops. The transitions are always made to be blocky and there's no good way to do it via Mattel.

Also is this possibly the only way we get bearded Zod in the Kryptonian skin suit? Would we have rather gotten Superman/Zod with ab crunch and fabric cape options?

So what do you think?

Man of Steel | TARGET 5 PACK REVEALS NEW CHARACTER: SPOILERS….

While strolling through target this afternoon I couldn't help but notice the huge silhouette of Justice league characters at the endcap. HOORRAYY!!! They finally bulldozed of that pile of TMNT and IronMan peg warmers!!!

While perusing the DC/Man of Steel display I looked down and saw this HUGE figure in a target Exclusive 5 pack. The 5-Pack includes Superman in standard presentation as well as Kryptonian Armor, Jorel in Armor, Zod, and then this King Daddy towering over the rest of the characters.

His name is Namek… Who? You know… Namek… YOU KNOW… Name… K… Kryptonian Name… Did I solve this Lucasian Anagram? Probably not as I hope it has a much deeper meaning.
Anyway Namek appears to be either Zod's right hand or possibly his boss. there's no telling really at this point. Having seen the newest trailer (#5) there is a HUGE pari of hands pinning Superman down. this could possibly be Namek himself about to take some fire up his nose.

Google won't turn up much for you but I'm assuming this is an all new character conjoured up to unlevel the playing field a bit. this could also possibly be the HUGE character we see bounding upwards towards Superman from the very first trailers. Either way… entertain your curiosity and try and dig something up on this guy!!!

Man of Steel | Play Arts Jor El & Faora

New shots out of an asian collector even show is the first shots of Play Arts Kai Square Enix' Man of Steel line of figures. This round we have Jor El & Faora coming soon!!!

Man of Steel | Movie Masters : The Ab Crunch Project

SUPERMAN with CUSTOM AB CRUNCH ARTICULATION



After the first release of the images of the Man of Steel Superman & Zod figures it was clear that the ab crunch articulation had been done away with. Whether it was in preservation of the torso detail or simply a corner cut in some interest it was the ONE joint that seemed an inexcusable loss to the running caliber of Movie Masters figures. The Dark Knight/Batman Begins figures were awesome with very little to complain about (lack of accessories) and the Man of Steel figures looked to be equally impressive but that ONE DAMN JOINT... Come on Mattel. 

 

So not being one to sit back and let my toys suck... i took to the shop armed with a bagfull of Man of Steel Superman figures to see what I could pull together. There were a few drafts but I am pleased to say a standard has been set!!! How do I do it? SIMPLE!!! I'm an obsessive hobbyist!!!

 

The first thing usually do is to affect the articulation of the stock figure. I deepen the insides of the elbow joints as well as the knees for a tighter closure. I also trim off the lowest band of the belt region. It seems to restrict the leg movement quite a bit and once its gone it is not missed.

I also add a notch to the back of the neck allowing the head to rock all the way back for a better flying pose. The figure comes stock with a ball joint head but it is restricted internally from being able to flex all the way back. I drill out the lowest section of neck peg which then releases the head to move much more freely. Also of course we added the fabric cape for balance and weight purposes. Now the Man of Steel can flex and pose in any orientation horizontal or vertical and the cape doesnt weigh him down. 

So how do we do it? We can't tell you but the answer may surprise you!!! In the mean time check out this diopanorama!!! We will return with a tutorial on converting YOUR figure into the specimen seen below!!!