DC Direct - DC New Universe (DCNU) Action Figures from the SDCC 2011

With the new DC Comics reboot of 52 different comic book series coming up in September 2011, we can't help but wonder what this means for action figure collectors.  So far, Mattel has been pretty quiet about their intentions.  They have indicated the the DC Universe Classics line will be stopped at the retail level after Wave 20 and you will need to joint their online club to get any further DCUC action figures (if enough people subscribe).  They have hinted at starting a new toy line featuring the new rebooted line up but little details have been given so i guess we'll have to wait on further news from Mattel. 




Meanwhile, DC Direct didn't waste any time as they showed up at SDCC 2011 with action figures of the revamped Justice League.  The knock, in my opinion, against DC Direct action figures, it their lack of articulation.  They are sometimes missing valuable joints in the abdominal, hips, legs and arms that give you a little more range of motion.  My other gripe is that their action figures are not always in scale with different DC Direct sets. I wish they were more in scale with Mattel's DCUC toy line as well.  But the bottom line is DC Direct does produce some really good looking action figures and they have a bigger variety of characters available so they should not be overlooked by collectors.  Lets check out the new look Justice League. 

A lot of negativity surrounding Wonder Woman's new outfit but I like it.  Gone is the short shorts and replaced by pants.  Less Gold and more silver makes her outfit look more modern in my opinion.  Thumbs up here.

 Little change with the Flash's look.  He's supporting a chin strap and the lightning bolts are going up his forearms instead of around his wrists.  I still say Thumbs up here.

I can't say I'm a fan of this version of Aquaman even though it is still fairly close to his classic look.  I'm not liking his hair or the shade of green used on his pants and boots.  He is probably my least favorite of the group.

 Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) looks pretty similar to his classic version as well.  The only visual difference i see is the detail in his shoulders.

Very little change in Batman's look as well.  Most noticeably is the lack of underpants (lol).  It actually makes his outfit look a little plain.

Superman's new look is also taking a lot of heat from fans.  Gone is the red underwear (DC doesn't like underwear anymore i suppose) and he now support a red belt instead of yellow and his collar goes right up to his neck.  Also, the design of the costume makes it look like Superman is supporting some kind of armor.  Why?...i have no idea but I actually quite like this new look. Sorry to the die hards out there.  Thumbs up for the new Superman. 

Missing from the DC Direct Justice League action figure line up was Cyborg.  He's seems to be promoted as one of the main members but a Cyborg action figure was M.I.A. at the SDCC. 

These action figure will be available later this year so be sure to keep your eye out for them.  As usual, I'm a bigger fan of eBay and make the bulk of my collection purchases from there.  There is always a deal to be found.  To see eBay's selection of DC Direct action figures, click here

Hopefully Mattel comes out with some new information surrounding their intentions with the DC New Universe reboot.  For those of you who are still big fans of the DC Universe Classics - eBay also has a very large variety of Mattel's cool toy line - click here

DC Universe Classics - Batman Legacy (SDCC 2011)

Originally the Batman Legacy toy line was announced by Mattel back in March at the 2011 Toy Fair.  It is a 'new' toy line that will celebrate the Dark Knight's rich history.  You will see a variety of different versions of Batman characters from movies, video games as well as from different eras.  These action figures will be released in the stores soon but you will actually be able to find some of them online on various websites as well as on eBay.

For the most part, SDCC 2011 did not reveal too much about the Batman Legacy toy line that we already didn't know.  So, lets take a look at what may be the more interesting figures fans will want to get their hands on.  

Above is the Batman / Two-Face two pack.  These action figures are based on the upcoming Batman: Arkham City video game, set to be released later this year.  Compared to the DC Universe Classics toy line, these action figures have a much darker and grittier look and ....i guess the best way to describe it is....they are a little more realistic than comic book looking...

Next we have images of Harley Quinn (above) and the Joker (below), also from the video game, Arkham City. I quite like this version of Harley compared to her comic book version.

For those of you interested in purchasing the Arkham City video game, if you purchase it from Toys R Us, you will also get the chance have your very own Arkham City Batman action in his 1970's outfit (below).  You will not be able to purchase this anywhere else but I'm sure people will try to sell them on eBay for twice the value. 

I'm really impressed with what i see so far with the Arkham City action figures.  HOPEFULLY, we will see more like Poison Ivy and Killer Croc! 

As mentioned, Mattel is also releasing the Movie Masters action figures, based on the Christopher Nolan films.  See my Toy Fair 2011 post for more info.   You can get a Gordon/Batman prototype (from Batman Begins) two pack or a Honor Guard Joker and Batman two-pack (from Dark Knight).  Personally, the Movie Masters are not my favorite and I will probably skip.  I might go for Gordon though if Mattel does not release a different version.

So for the remaining Batman Legacy action figures, are more to what the DC Universe Classics fans are accustom to.   First we have Golden Age Batman which is basically the same body and cape as Batman from DCUC Wave 1 with a new head sculpt.  Also the bat symbol on his chest is different as well as Batman is supporting black underwear instead of blue.  Apparently, this version will come with a "Batmite" accessory

Then we have Golden Age Joker.  Basically a mismatch of parts previously used and the head sculpt IS new compared to DCUC Wave 10 Joker.  Accessories appear to be similar however.

This is a repaint of the original Batgirl action figure from the DC Super Heroes toy line back in 2007-08.  It was re-released in a two pack with Azrael in 2008 i believe......Anyway, the only difference in the sculpt is Batgirl's belt.  In my opinion, this is definitely a chance for the better compared to the older version.

Next up is Catman.  A completely new character which we have not seen yet in the DC Universe Classics toy line.  Why Catman, i have no idea.  There are maybe 10-15 other characters from the Batman Universe I would love to see, and we get Catman....Ok, well at least its someone different.  Lets be positive.

This Mr. Freeze is a repaint of the same action figure that Mattel has re-released as a repaint probably 4 times before.  In my opinion, the best version is the 2007 NY comic con version.  I believe this new re-painted version is suppose to represent a silver age version of the character. 

And finally, we have a modern age version of Batman, which is essentially the body of the DC Super Heroes Batman from wave 8 (which is still, today, my favorite Batman action figure) and the head of the DC Universe Classics wave 15 Sinestro Corps Batman

An image has been released of the Robin actiono figure from Arkham City video game. Can't say I'm a big fan of this one.

That's covers basically the first two waves of the Batman Legacy action figures.  Since it appears that Mattel will not be releasing anymore Green Lantern waves in the near future, hopefully we'll see more waves of these Batman Legacy action figures in the near future.  And hopefully it will include some of the main characters that we've been missing in the first 20 DC Universe Classics waves thus far.  Since Batman is the backbone to the DC Universe, I think its reasonable to expect a few more waves before Mattel moves their focus on to something else (Superman perhaps??).