DC Universe All-Stars - Wave 2 preview

Over at Comicbookresources.com, Mattel has announced the 2nd wave of their new retail DC Universe All-Stars toy line which is due to be in stores early 2012.  This wave is a little less randam than the DCU All-Stars wave 1 and focuses on the mainstream characters, but specifically the DC New Universe version of these characters.

First we have the new Superman supporting his red belt and trunkless tights.  Not a big fan of the head sculpt.  I think the DC Direct DCNU Superman head looks better.  I could be wrong but the "S" symbol appears to be raised but other than that, the body sculpt looks pretty much like the previous DC Universe Classics Superman (right)

 Next up we're getting the Flash.  Hmmmm....two main Justice League members in the same wave?  Unheard of in the DCUC waves.  Okay, well as you can see the main differences between the new DCU All-Stars Flash and the DCUC Flash are his boots and the lightning bolts across his forearms and waist.  Again, his chest symbol looks to be raised in the DCNU version.  Those seem to be the only differences here.  The head sculpts look almost identical. 

 The next DC Universe All-Star action figure is Supergirl (left) which is a complete repaint of the DC Superheroes Supergirl (right) that came out in 2007 and then again in a two pack with Lex Luthor in the DC Universe Classics toy line.   

 And the final DC Universe Classics All-Star action figure is the only real original of the bunch, Red Robin.  A pretty good likeness.  The head sculpt looks like Batman without the horns.

So there you have it, you can expect to see these toys in stores, online and at your local Target, Wal-mart, etc, early in 2012.  Also, Mattel will soon be announcing the next Batman Legacy 2 packs so as soon as that news breaks, I'll post it. 

Batman Legacy - Golden Age Batman

The DC Universe Classics toy line may be coming to an end after Wave 20, however, Mattel still plans on giving us a certain level of these great action figures under different toy lines.  They will have their online Infinite Earths club, their DC Universe All-Stars retail toy line as well as their current Batman Legacy retail toy line which is up to its 2nd wave.  Today, I'm going to review one of those Wave 2 action figures - Golden Age Batman

So clearly this action figure is based on Batman's early years, Definitely pre Frank Miller stuff.  Look how happy he is!  If you're comparing Golden Age Batman to other DC Universe Classics Batman, you won't notice too many differences...well......because that's because there aren't that many.  More on that later. 

First, here's a look at the packaging.  Slightly different than the DC Universe Classics packaging.  As you can see, this Golden Age Batman does NOT include the K-mart exclusive Batmite action figure.

As you can see, other than the new head sculpt, Golden Age Batman pretty much supports the same Batman sculpt as DC Universe Classics Batman from Wave 1

 

 So whats different about this Batman besides the head sculpt?  Clearly the Bat symbol on his chest.  From there its just small differences.  (See above), the blue along the side of his underwear is something we don't see on any of the DCUC figures.  After that, the paint job on the Batman Legacy action figure is a mix of both DCUC wave 1 Batman is on the right and Gotham city 5 pack Batman on the left.  It would have been nice if Mattel would have maybe changed up the belt sculpt a little.

Below is a close up of the head sculpt.  A very classic looking Batman.  Its pretty much spot on to the Golden Age look.  Also the paint job on this action figure is fairly good.  There aren't any nasty spots or blotches to speak off. 

Unfortunately, as far as accessories go, the only things that come with this Batman action figure is a mini-poster and a golden age action figure stand, which quite frankly does not securely support the action figure in any way.  As mentioned above, if you bought the K-mart exclusive, then you would also be getting a little Batmite action figure as well.  No batarangs or grapple hooks or anything else.  Not even Bat Shark repellent!  (you tube it).  Fortunately I have enough of Mattel's Batman action figure accessories that its not a big deal to me but beginner collectors may feel a bit jipped here.

Articulation has not changed in this Batman figure compared to any of previously released Batman action figures (Wave 1, Wave 10, Gotham City.....)  You have all your standard joints which are all in fine working condition with the exception of the swivel waist joint.  it seems very tight and i can't get it to turn.  I didn't want to try too hard and break my new toy but i thought i should mention it.  I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that someone else had the same problem. 

So overall, well, if you're a Batman fan, like me, you're gonna wanna get this action figure. But if you're ho-hum getting tired of seeing Mattel give us a new Batman action figure with very little changes, this one might not be for you.  Quality wise, it ranks right up there with the DC Universe Classics action figures, the only decision is whether or not you need another Batman to add to your collection.

It will be interesting to see how much longer Mattel keeps this Batman Legacy toy line alive.  Hopefully longer than the Green Lantern experiment.  I personally would like to see it keep going and have more characters covered that the DCUC line did not get to.  Ra's Al Ghul, Scarecrow, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy....this list goes on.  So far, for Batman Legacy Wave 3, we know that a "First Appearance Batman" and a Golden Age Catwoman will be included along with a Batman Arkham City Harley Quinn and Nightwing action figures.  No announcement on the NYCC 2011 "Super Powers" Penguin action figure and where he fits in on all this.  I wouldn't be surprised to see him as the 3rd Wave 3 figure and the two Arkham City action figures be sold separately as a two pack but that is pure speculation on my part.   

To find Batman Legacy action figures on eBay - click here