Showing posts with label DCUC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DCUC. Show all posts

Monday, June 11, 2012

"A look at what could have been....."

Hey people,
How was your weekend? Was it everything you'd though it be and more?

I didn't really do too much this past weekend myself. I was mostly lazy(as is usual huh Goo?)
Although I did manage to snatch up the Green Lantern Classic 3-pack(but more like 2-pack) of B'dg, Dex-Star, and Despotellis.

I admit that I mostly got these little guys because they were are on sale for $12, and the C&C Stel torso piece. So he's almost up and running, but is missing both arms, and a leg. Poor bastard!


Then friday, I broker down and bought Cheetah; again mostly for the part she had with her, namely Trigon's other leg. My K-mart had both the modern version w/black top and black pants, which does look good, but I prefer the original, so now I have one more OG member of the Legion of Doom.

I don't know why, but I have a funny feeling I might actually buy the modern one later as well. Don't ask me why, but I guess I'm just a masochist that way. Plus I saw online, how someone made a cool custom Tigra figure using the modern Cheetah base. Not bad either.
Here's the link:
http://kylerobinsoncustoms.com/toysoup/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=2079
 and here's the picture:

Speaking of, it's a shame to see the DCUC line end so prematurely. From what I've gathered from Itsalltrue.net, the line won't restart until next year. There are lots of reasons why the line was stopped for now, depending on who you ask, but it all boils down to consumer backlash over poor distribution and the last assortment of figures. Then the whole Club Infinite subscription-only  line began, and fan enthusiasm plummeted, especially after being told of the DCUC line being converted into an all-new All-Star line, and the NuDCU figures that were advertised . At least I think it is, because those figures looked craptastic. Well maybe not the Flashpoint Plastic Man, but that's just me.

It's a real shame the GLClassics and Batman:Legacy lines didn't last long either. I think I know why the GL line didn't last, and that was probably due to an over-saturation of GL figures. I know that sounds silly considering this was during last year's "Year of Green Lantern", but I think that, plus a poor economy caused this line's downfall.

Personally, I'd have loved to see two more waves. Think about it, we never did get a proper Parallax figure, and that could've easily been solved by using the GLC waves as a way of doing it. Just use the CSA's Power Ring head, and a new body, and there you go. And here's a thought; the Lantern Deputies of DCUC Wave 18 could've been  GLC Wave 3. Just think of the assortment of characters we could've seen instead.

And then there's the other villains that Mattel and Geoff Johns have seemingly forgotten. I'd fix that in these two waves, and add some other GLCorps members.


Wave 3:


1). Parallax.


2). Evil Star w/ small Starlings


3). Count Vertigo


4). GL Kyle Rayner( traditional 90's costume)


5). Arisa


6). Saint Walker


7). Indigo Lantern  Indigo-1?


 C&C: Hector Hammond

Wave 4:

1). Lord Sonar


2). Goldface


3). Major Disaster


4). Alpha Lantern, maybe Boddika?


5). Dr. Polaris


6). Red Lantern Bleez


7). Star Sapphire Fatality?


C&C: Krona or a Guardian


These are mere suggestions, but I imagine a good bit of these like the old school silver age villains such as Dr. Polaris, Major Disaster, Count Vertigo, and Lord Sonar would sell pretty well. I can only hope right?

Next up, is the Batman: Legacy line. Poor sales and poor character selection combined to doom this line to cancellation as well. If another 2 waves could have been squeezed out, we might have seen the rest of the more popular members of Batman's Rogues Gallery, and even a few heroic supporting characters as well.
I add more figures to the wave and the traditional C&C's to help boast the "gotta' have it" factor of the line. Here's how the line-up I'd make for Waves 3 and 4:

Wave 3:

1). NuDCU Batman


2). The Ventriloquist w/Scarface


3). Dr. Hugo Strange or Doctor Hurt


4). Jason Todd Robin


5). Talia Al Guhl


6). Batwoman

C&C: KGBeast


Wave 4:


1). Super Powers Penguin


2). Jason Todd Red Hood


3). SA Clayface


4). Batzarro


5). Ra's Al Guhl


6). Azrael(Michael Lane)


C&C: Killer Croc


With those out of the way, the next logical possible lines of figures, at least for me, comes down to Superman and Flash. More than the other JLA'ers(sorry Aquaman and Wonder Woman) Superman and Flash have the more recognizable cast of villains and heroes that would make up and ideal wave of figures, not to mention cover those that haven't already been made in the proper DCUC line.

Here's my suggestion for figures that would make up the two waves each of both respective franchises.

Superman: Man of Steel:

Wave 1:


1). SA Metallo w/chest piece that opens up and holds tiny piece of glowing kryptonite


2). GA/Earth-2 Superman


3). Proper Guardian or Jor-El or Red Sun Superman


4). Pre-Crisis Supergirl


5). Modern Parasite


6). Turtle Boy Jimmy Olson


C&C: Modern Brainiac

Wave 2:


1). Business Suit Lex Luthor


2). Gangbuster


3). Emperor Joker Black costume Superman 


4). Lois Lane w/Mr. Mxylpltz


5). General Zod


6). Conduit


C&C: Doomsday


Now for the Flash wave of figures I'd suggest:


Flash: The Fastest man alive:


Wave 1:


1). Wally West Flash


2). Max Mercury


3). Weather Wizard


4). GA Johnny Quick


5). The original Trickster


6). Black Flash/Death Flash


C&C: The Turtle w/ floating turtle craft


Wave 2:


1). The Top


2). Heatwave


3). Abbra Kadabra


4). Jesse Quick


5). Bart Allen Kid Flash or Impulse


6). Zoom II or SA Captain Boomerang or Captain Boomerang II(Owen Mercer)


C&C: Girder or Solovar


Finally, if it ever came to this, I'd like to see a Justice League-specific line of figures. This would complete the rest of the popular silver age villains and heroes that never made or wouldn't normally be included in future DCUC waves.

Justice League:

Wave 1:


1). Elongated Man(Red and black costume/ w purple and white costume variant)


2). Vixen


3). Felix Faust


4). Chronos


5). Prometheus


6). Vandal Savage or Ocean Master


C&C: The Shaggy Man

Wave 2:

1). The Key(SA w/ MA variant)


2). Queen Bee (MA w/SA variant)


3). Dr. Light


4). Vibe 


5). Satellite Era Zatanna


6). Proper SOTA Atom or Fire or Ice


C&C: Proper Despero or Congorilla


Whew! So that's what I'd do if I was in charge of Mattel and had a lot more money to spend as far as materials and supplies go. I know Mattel claims they only have so much money to devote towards sculpting, accessories, etc. But it would be nice to get better quality figures to reflect the rising costs. I don't blame the 4Horsemen because they have to work with what's given to them, but it would be nice to see consistent double-joints/double-knees, etc, from now on with future waves.

Here's hoping DC/Mattel gets its shit together for next year, both retail-wise and subscription-wise, or else the same problems are going to pop up again. God I hope DCUC doesn't become on-line retail only!


Tuesday, October 4, 2011

"Welcome to the jungle baby, you're gonna' die!"

Hey folks!

Quick news bits:
  • Amanda Knox and her ex-boyfriend are set free. Prosecution has filed an appeal though, so she might have to go back to Italy again.
  • NJ Gov. Chris Christie is not running for President in 2012. So stop asking GOP!
  • NBA season still in doubt due to lockout. Wow, the life of a spoiled and over-paid athlete is real hard nowadays!
Alright, now who wants some HJA: Hot....Jungle....Action?

You didn't want it, but I'm giving it to you anyway(That's what she said!):



Monday, October 3, 2011

Making a mountain of an Ant hill....

And how was your weekend folks?

Mine was pretty damn good, so I can't complain! Especially since I brought home a new addition to the DCUC family: Indigo Lantern Atom.

Pretty cool huh?

Yessir, the action figure gods must be smiling down on me now that word of my imminent retiring from action figure collecting is nigh. That and pookie just wanted to make me happy, so there.

If you noticed, this an IL-ed version of his "Sword of the Atom" costume he wore for a few years back in the early 80's as seen here:


















And it even appeared in an episode of the Batman: The Brave and the Bold cartoon:
 

And here's what inspired the action figure; Becoming an IL in Blackest Night:


Alright guys, now for the obligatory skit featuring Ray and another shrinking doctor.....Hank Pym:








Everybody's a critic!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

"If wishes were fishes....."

Hey everybody,
just wanted to say how pleased I am by all the comments; it's nice to know sometimes that someone actually reads this crap. Just kidding, I love this stuff!

If you haven't already, you can head on over to either Toyark.com or itsalltrue.net for the latest pics and info on all your favorite toy lines, specifically on the ML and DCUC lines.

Yesterday I posted my wishlist of sorts for characters that should have already been made in the ML line. I'm pleased to see that I got to leave off Arim Zola since he'll be a BAF in Wave 2 of the ML relaunch next year. He'll be joined by Drax the Destroyer(he also was on my list), Cap Bucky, Ultimate Hawkeye, and I think Madame Hydra and Madame Masque. Those last 2 would really be a treat to see in figure form.

On the DCUC front, I recently learned that Wave 20 will be the last of the line, before being retooled to accommodate the recent rebooted DCU starting this September. There's more to the story, so again, head on over to itsalltrue.net and learn what's going on over on that end.
Wave 20, whenever that actually reaches stores, includes the following line-up:








  • Professor Zoom, the Reverse Flash(yesss)
  • Arsenal(or red arrow)
  • GA Flash Jay Garrick(about time)
  • Thom Kallor Starman
  • Red Lantern Atrocius
  • Hawk and Dove(not don, but dawn, so still cool)
  • Modern look Green Arrow
  • C&C Nekron
So not a bad  assortment of figures overall, but should've included a Elasti-Girl C&C instead of Nekron.
I don't think the line needed another GA figure, and if they were going to make Roy, why not go with the Speedy version so he could complete the Teen Titans along w/ an Aqualad figure too.

Alright, I guess I'll go ahead and be unoriginal and present you all with my Top 10 DCUC Hero and Villain wishlist:

Top 10 Villain list:
  1. Abbra Kadabbra- He's was thorn in both Barry and Wally's asses, so why not make this "magician" from the 64th century, to cause trouble for the Flash again?
  2. KGB Beast- How hasn't this monster of a man not been made yet? He could be reg. size or a C&C like Bane.
  3. Dr. Polaris- I just want to see this guy in his Silver Age attire please. Yes, the one with the magnet on top of his head. At least it looks better than his current 90's inspired crap look.
  4. Prometheus- He should be made just we can all crack Cry for Justice jokes. At least he was cool when Grant Morrison made him. Should come w/ a removable helmet,  and maybe a spare damaged one.
  5. The Top- I'll admit it; I just like his odd green and yellow outfit. But he did have cool powers before being killed by Captain Cold.
  6. Chronos- I've seen a kick-ass custom that looked like the real thing, so I know DC and the 4horsmen can play ball on this cool guy.
  7. The Shade- He could either look closely like the JLU version, or the straight up comic version. I'll take either one. Should include his cane, removable or not top hat, and some shadow demons to scare the other guys with.
  8. Poison Ivy- Why hasn't she been made yet? Are they waiting for Maxie Zeus or The Ventriloquist yet? Put her in her traditional look and watch the sparks fly.
  9. Jason Woodrue, The Floronic Man- If made correctly, this guy could look so damn creepy, even the Joker would say damnnnnnn!
  10. The Key- You could go either way with this guy; one version is the orange and brown suit, the other the Morrison version. Either one could be a variant, but I confess to really preferring his JLU look. He should come with a giant key, a key-droid, and maybe a lock...idk.
Some 2/multi-packs:
  1. The Rogues- It' simple really, just squeeze 5 of the best rogues not already made into a box set. Set should include: Weather Wizard, The original Trickster, Mirror Master, Pied Piper, and Heatwave. Or instead of the PP, you could re-paint Captain Boomerang to his original outfit and there you have it.
  2. Ra's Al Ghul and Talia Al Ghul 2-pack: What better way to stick it to Batman than to create this 2-pack for an instantly emotional and physical challenge for the Bat-God. Could include little Damian if they wanted to.
  3. The Extremist 5-pack: How cool would this set look like? I'd go with the recent Countdown versions of this villainous DC take on familiar Marvel villains like Doc Ock, Doc Doom, and Magneto. Included inside: Gorgon, Tracer, Dreamslayer, Dr. Diehard, and Lord Havok. Forgot what they look like?

Top 10 Heroes list:
  1. Elasti-Girl/Woman- Again, it's waaaay past time Rita was made so that we can all complete the Doom Patrol. She'd be a C&C of course w/ her red and white outfit.
  2. Aqualad- Sure he gets less love than respect than his mentor/father figure Aquaman, but that doesn't mean he should be excluded from this line. Plus, he serves(alongside Speedy) as the means to round out the classic Teen Titans.
  3. Speedy- Yes, there's going to be an Arsenal figure in the line, but wouldn't it be cooler to have a Speedy instead? He'll go nicely w/ the TT and the classic GA and Black Canary figures.
  4. Modern Doctor Midnight- I have the GA version, and wondered how come the modern version hasn't been made yet. Let's change that by making Pieter Cross, and giving some cool accessories like a medical bag/kit, some blackout bombs, and a new owl.
  5. Mera- Fans have been demanding her since Blackest Night and Brightest Day came out. She was planned to come out in the Wave 17 roster, but never made it due to "budget issues." It's time for some Mera please.
  6. The Unknown Soldier-  If DC can put out a Jonah Hex or Kamandi figure, than they can also find room for this cool guy. He'd have 1 or 2 fake faces to wear, just like Cobra's Zartan does.
  7. Sgt. Rock- See above; also who wouldn't want him, the unknown soldier, and Nick Fury to hang out w/Cap America and talk about old times? Hell yeah!
  8. Fire- They're bringing the ol' JLI back, so now's a good time to see this figure done in the DCUC style.
  9. Ice- See above; also now Guy Gardner would have his old girlfriend back to keep him company.
  10.  The Ray- I'd love to get the GA version of this guy, and then they could make his son, the modern version, as a variant.
Some 2/multi-pack ideas:
  1. Earth-2 box set- Finally we'd get to see some Earth-2 goodness. Set would include: Earth-2 Superman, Earth-2 Batman, Earth-2 Wonder Woman, Earth-2 Green Arrow, and either Earth-2 Aquaman or 
  2. Modern Hourman and Mod Liberty Belle 2-pack: Yeah sure LB's been going back and forth between this identity and her Jesse Quick one, some make Jesse quick a variant.
  3. Doom Patrol box set- Okay, stick Elasti-Girl/Woman in as the C&C, then pop in The Chief and Mento and you'd have the dream DP figure set. Mento would have his removable helmet, and the Chief would be similar to Prof.X, just not in a x-shaped wheelchair.
  4. Silver Age Hawk & Dove 2-pack: They made the other Dove, now here's the 1st one and brother to Hank Hall, Don Hall. It could be done, and it would look awesome.
  5. The Challengers of Doom- They were the precursors to the FF, so why not honor Rocky, Red, Ace,  and the Prof with there very own 1st time ever action figures?
  6. The Blackhawks- They seem to be forgotten or ignored when it's time to make figures, so why not just release a collector's box set with all of the original members in their original outfits.
  1. The Creature Commandos- Since DC's bringing 'em back, it'd make sense to put out action figures of them right? Let's see Frankenstein's monster, GI Robot, and the rest.
Alright I'm outta' here.......

Monday, April 18, 2011

...And Amazo was his name-o!

I recently snatched up a re-released DCUC Wave 5 Amazo figure from Amazon.com, and I must say he looks pretty damn good!
I know this is old hat by now, but I like him. I do wish the 4Horsemen/ DCUC would've sculpted or included some accessories or something for our favorite JLA android threat. He has GL's ring hand, but I would've liked to see him with WW's lasso as well as a GL construct or two to help really sell the figure. On the lasso, I think I'm going to make a custom one for him, out of either metal wire, or fabric. I'll post the finished results so you can see how it went.

You know Amazo's been around for a longgggg time. He's been around since the early '60's, June 1960 to be exact; and yet I feel like Amazo hasn't really had his time to shine yet. Sure he was the main villain, or at least one of the main villains recently in then JLA writer Brad Meltzer's initial storyline A Tornado's Path. He's had numerous sporadiac appearences before and since, but for some reason I don't think he's really had his due.

He came close in writer Mark Millar's guest issue of JLA during Grant Morrison's run. In that one, issue 27(Vol.4) March 1999, Millar has Amazo absolutely own the JLA! He takes out main seven, then takes down the reserves, and then after copying Firestorm's powers, he really lets loose taking out every other superhero that comes after him. It's not until The Atom shows up does things start to go up from there for the JLA. He tells Superman to disband the League, and somehow that makes Amazo stop in his tracks and he's suddenly defeated. Yeah I don't like how the story ended either, considering Millar really built him up to be virtually unstoppable, and then just by Superman yelling "The JLA is officially disbanded!" Amazo just freaks out and shuts down. Not a credible ending, but this was basically a one-shot by Millar before Morrison came back next issue for his 4-part take on the annual JLA/JSA meeting, So I guess a more satsifying conclusion to the fight probably wasn't possible. Still, makes you wonder if Millar was able to continue the fight next issue, what really could've happened.

I think this fight and maybe the one between Amazo and Batman and Nightwing, as well as the Red Tornado/Amazo storyline have been his best showing so far, but he's better than that. Remember how he was portrayed in the JLU cartoon? Unbeatable and totally bad-ass right? Not to mention writer Dwayne McDuffie's turn on him battling the JLA. He owned them until they were forced to teleport him far of in space somewhere.
Seriously think about it for a minute; Amazo's got all the powers of the original seven JLA members, not to mention he can replicate any other super-power he comes in contact with, how is he not a more credible threat than how he's usually written? Just as hard and tough as Despero is when you fight him, so should Amazo be. That's my opinon though, what do I know?

This is how it should be: