SDCC ’11 Armchair Coverage:
DC Universe & Ghostbusters

If you’re waiting on some overall Day 2 Coverage, it is still coming. We had a tremendous spike in traffic for DCClassics.Com & MOTUClassics.Com and I made the call to get those updated with the latest information. Still, I have some more Armchair Coverage ready to go for DC & Ghostbusters.

Ghostbusters is the smaller of the two, so I’ll start there. As I did with MOTUClassics.Com page, I’ve updated the Ghostbusters Checklist with all the information from the con and will add more images as soon as we get them from Mattel.

Here’s a quick rundown of what was added to the checklist:

  • Lab Coat Egon & Library Ghost (August) will include 3 PKE Meters with the “wings” in various positions.
  • Slimeblower Ray is still on target for October and includes the Cinema Ghost.
  • Vigo is now officially announced and will come with a lenticular version of his painting.
  • The 2012 Club Ecto-1 Subscription Figure is The Rookie from the video game. No Ghost, just gear.
  • Jan 2012 will be Lab Coat Peter with a camera and the Taxi Ghost
  • April 2012 features Dana Barrett as Zuul.
  • The much delayed 2pk of 12″ Peter & Winston is now scheduled for October. Egon & Ray will be in 2012.
  • AN 8″ Retro 2pk of Janine & Samhain will be at TRU this fall.
  • And finally the Ghost Trap will be on sale at Mattycollector in October for $135.

That pretty much sums everything up, even without pictures. Speaking of which, I still haven’t seen too much coverage of the booth once the new items were added. There is this Facebook Album from GB Fans slides from the presentation (the newer photos are at the end).

Some Ghostbusters collectors are requesting that the Rookie be given a proper upgraded Proton Pack from the game, but I haven’t had a chance to look into it. Dana is an interesting one because the prototype sculpt appears rather immobile, posed “sexily”, sitting on a slab of cement. In the twitter feeds, we were told she’d include a regular pair of legs, but details are scarce. If you take all that in, Mattel still isn’t loading us up on cool ghosts. The only new one announced was the Taxi Ghost. And he’s… odd. He was more of a zombie in the film and the version here features a nice sculpt – from the ribs up. Below that he’s a ghost stand. I’m not sure if I like that. Admittedly, I don’t think we ever saw him below the collarbone, but he did have to push the pedals… right?

Finally, we have the trap. (Do you guys want the props on the GB Checklist? I never really thought about it until today) It is awesome, but so expensive… I’d love to have it, but I don’t think I can find $135 in the budget. Still, it’s cool. I found this YouTube video on GBFans:

Yeah… anybody got some money to donate to IAT?? LOL

And then, there was the DC Panel…

After the MOTU panel, I was bouncing off the walls. MO2K Fisto. Draego-Man. Demo-Man. So much cool stuff. I tried to focus and work on updating the MOTU Checklist, but the energy of the panel was too great. I tried to explain them to my wife, but then she started adding it all up, so I called up Vault instead while I waited for the DC Panel.

I sat glued to ToyArk’s CoverItLive Plugin as well as VeeBee & Julius Marx‘s Twitter accounts.

I impatiently waited through some cool non-DCUC news – an Imaginext Joker Tank (via ToyArk), an Imaginext Jail with Bane (via ToyArk), some new Heroworld Figures, Fisher Price Little People, Brave & the Bold, Green Lantern, blah, blah, blah… (Toy Ark has all the slides from the panel.)

Then came Batman Legacy Figures and the official announcement of Batgirl, Catman, & Golden Age Batman (and yes, Bat-mite is an K-Mart exclusive pack-in… boo).

Then came Action League (ugh!) which is full of Flashpoint figures. Honestly, that filled me with a little dread – if anything never needs a toy, it’s one-off costumes from a summer event. What, I feared, was in store for DC Classics…

And then it began, DCUC 20 (via ToyArk) would be…

  • Green Arrow in his current look (snore)
  • Reverse Flash (yay!)
  • Hawk (heh, ok)
  • Dove II (makes sense)
  • Red Arrow (meh)
  • White Lantern Flash (shoot me…)
  • “Sinestro (Corps)” (uh, maybe a new Yellow Sinestro?)

Then came Nekron which we already knew about it. I’m still mad at you guys for voting for him, btw. I’m not sure on Nekron’s final height. If you look at this picture from TNI’s coverage, he appears to be as tall as the 2ups. Usually, we see the C&C actual size when display with the 2ups, so… how big is Nekron supposed to be? I don’t think he can be 1:1 because that would make him bigger than the “Mattel limit” (and personally, a Nekron bigger than the Anti-Monitor would be downright offensive). If he’s a 2up, then it would seem he’s not supposed to be a C&C at all and then I’ll really be mad at you guys for voting for him. I really don’t know what to think, so hopefully we can get that cleared up here soon.

The rest of the wave is meh. I’d rather have Connor Hawke or Wally West (who?) than a second Green Arrow. And Red Arrow is even worse. I’m content with Hawk & Dove and I so happy to finally see a Reverse Flash (though I wish he were more angry or crazier). And we didn’t get to see pictures of White Lantern Flash or what is presumably a Sinestro Corps Sinestro (or a GL Corps one?), but I really don’t want either. Particularly after what came next…when reality melted away…

From Julius’ Twitter: “wave 20 is final wave at retail”

WTF! Hours later, this is still the most confusing part of the panel. The corresponding slide to this moment in the panel even says “DC Universe 6″ figures will still be available at retail, but for the most fan-demanded characters, team builders, collector favorites, you’ll need to subscribe”

As near as I can figure going off of various reports of the people there and a healthy dose of speculation, there will be a new line – edgy, fresh, and with less words. Okay, I made that last part up, but, basically, Mattel is giving the DC Classics line a “new #1” so to speak. The Fwoosh has this post that more or less confirms that speculation. I have mixed feelings. I will read some Relaunch comics, but I don’t want the toys. The DC Line, like 30th Anniversary MOTU, like the Ghostbusters not based on two decades old movies, like much of Marvel Legends & Marvel Universe, trades on nostalgia. I don’t think this new hybrid line is doomed to fail, but that line will need Jay Garrick’s to survive not just chin-strap Barry in Wally West outfits and Hal Jordan #12. Worse still, if I have to buy Chinstrap Barry to get an old school C&C… I’m not going to be happy. Sigh. I could go on, but there’s little point. Anyway, the earlier MOTU Panel and the MattyCollector Leak already tells us “grumpy, old” fans where to go: the Infinite Earths Subscription.

Which *might* kick off with Jay Garrick, Atrocitus, and Thom Kallor Starman. I say might because it requires interest – if enough people don’t subscribe, it doesn’t happen. Think of it like a Kickstarter program and note how fragile the whole DC License seems when you think of it like that (which is entirely DC’s fault, by the way). The subscription *might* kick off in April and should include an exclusive sub-only C&C, followed by a mix of 9 regular figures shipping once a month with three quarterly oversized figures. That roughly means $15 a month, but every third month will be $45 (all plus shipping, of course).

I want this subscription to happen. And while I understand and have reservations like many of you, I’m still going to subscribe. I know you’ve heard the horror stories of Mattycollector.Com and some grumbling about the MOTU subscription, but I haven’t had any subscription issues in two years. The figures charge, ship, and I don’t have to do anything except have a credit card and an address. I did have once incident late last year because my card expired, but Matty Customer Service patched me up without missing a figure. Other than that, smooth sailing. In fact, my biggest issue with the MOTU subscription is what’s NOT in it. Mattel continues to add figures and other items to the MOTU line without adding them to the sub. I hate that. The whole point of the sub is to spare me Mattycollector drama. Luckily, the DCUC is truly an all-in subscription, so that one complaint doesn’t apply. Anyway, if you’re interested, if you’ve liked the DC line so far, then you should consider subscribing. Both Vault and I are in and that’s the best endorsement we can give.

To help encourage collectors to buy in, Mattel is letting collectors to vote on the sub exclusive figure. The choices are Shaggy Man, Rocket Red (why does Mattel think he’s so big?), Metron w/ his chair, and Black Lantern Swamp Thing. I’m okay with three of those, but, seriously, if you guys vote for Black Lantern Swamp Thing, I’ll lose my mind. Personally, he shouldn’t even be on the list – it makes me seriously question Toy Guru and his team’s sanity, but hopefully smarter DC fans will take care of this for him and pick any of the other three.

Okay, this seems particularly long for covering one dead toy line, huh? Well, Ghostbusters did lead off. I’m for my nap. I’ll be back tomorrow (later today, ha!) to take a look at what else happened on Day 2. If you have anything you have questions about or are looking for, let me know in the comments section below and I’ll try to answer…

NoisyDvL5

16 thoughts on “SDCC ’11 Armchair Coverage:
DC Universe & Ghostbusters

  1. I guess it remains to be seen what kind of DCUC-esque figures WILL be at retail, and what kind of mainstream appeal they’ll carry.

    While I personally don’t buy any DCUCs out of nostalgia, I AM interested in iconic representations, and flash-in-the-pan costumes of the moment is kind of the exact opposite of that, so if that’s the road they choose, I’ll likely pass wholesale, as I did with the Rainbow Lantern Wave.

    I highly doubt I’ll subscribe, not because I don’t think it’s a cool idea or think the figures are cool (the old school Flash is particularly awesome!) but I’m just not a completist collector with DCUC anymore.

    I dunno, we’ll see . . . it’ll be interesting to see the progress of sub sales.
    If it seems like it’s make it or break it, I’ll definitely consider signing up to help it happen!

  2. I really hope people put up for the subscription. It would be so horrible to not finish teams because enough people wouldn’t get on the subscription and instead are hoping others will do and and plan to cherry pick.

    1. No, it’s so horrible that after 20 waves Mattel has barely completed a single team, and is now asking fans to buy into a subscription service to possibly have the potential to maybe complete some teams. Maybe, because they haven’t really told us who’s scheduled for this line beyond the first 3.

      If anything, fans (like myself) are reluctant to buy in because we’ve long since stopped being DCUC completists because the line has lost some of its appeal, given the drastic price hikes, not getting the versions of characters we want, not getting many of the characters that one would assume would have been made after 20 lines (plus exclusives), having to buy undesired characters just to complete desired C&C figures, rampant quality control issues, and, yes, having a line that’s 20 waves in and still having very few complete teams. With the release of Martian Manhunter, that fills in a few JLA iterations, but even that took 15 waves.

      In short, don’t blame the fans who’ve become disillusioned with this line if this plan doesn’t pan out. If this were a few years ago, when my interest in this line was running high, I’d be all over this subscription. Now? I’m not about to hand Matty a blank check for a bunch of toys I haven’t seen and might not want. I only really want 2 out of the 3 figures shown so far, and Metron’s really the only “fan vote” character I’d want, so the odds don’t look good that I’d be happy having to buy every single figure in this wave (especially if they’re no longer required to get the bigger figures).

  3. This year I’m definitely signing up for Club Ecto-1. The Voltron stuff really surprised me and I’m seriously considering that sub as well. DCUC is the one that has me sitting and thinking a lot. I would love to have that Metron C&C, but he’s not guaranteed and not much else is. I know that’s the same with MotUC and GB, but I only casually collect MotUC and GB is only 6 figures a year.

    Some of the wording Mattel used makes me believe they’ll be completing some teams via the sub (i.e. Metal Men, Doom Patrol), but I’ve had my fill of Lanterns, thanks to Mattel & DC Direct (I don’t need Matty’s sucky Nekron or Atrocitus!). What I’m most curious about is if the sub doesn’t happen, will they still release the announced figures? Or are those only being produced for the sub?

    1. Wave 20 (with the line-up listed above) will be the last wave at retail, so it sounds like these figures shown would only be produced if the subscription plan goes forward.

      Of course Mattel wants you to think they’ll be completing teams, but will they? If they could tell me right now, for example, that the line would definitely include at least one each of the Metal Men, Titans, Grant Morrison JLA, Lantern Corps. generals, New Gods, etc., per year, then I’d be a little more interested.

  4. I want Rocket Red as a regular club figure so that I can buy multiples. I won’t vote for him to be the EXCLUSIVE ONLY figure. I think that should be Metron.

  5. you know, when hasbro dropped marvel legends, a lot of fans thought that was pretty crappy (and it was) but dangling the figures before your eyes, with no guaranty that you’ll actually get them, at an inflated price… that’s just flat out cruel. seriously, why doesn’t matty just take payment in the form of equine placenta and wampum to really put the screws to you guys? that dc sub, to me, is a slap in the face of dc fans (and dcu customers) in favor of “dc zeitgeist”… cuz that retail line has ZERO legs. the problem w/ tossing out 80 years of history is tossing aside 80 years worth of fans who’ve kept the money rolling in.

  6. Okay Mattel:

    that was just a stupid idea by dropping one of your most popular lines and it will be impossible for the average fan like most of us to get dcuc in mattycollector and you even havent finish half of the majoraty of the teams even after all this years the fans have given money for the dcuc.

  7. I think I said something about this very possibility a couple of posts back, and I’m sad to see I guessed correctly.

    This is what comes from cherry-picking. by feeling the need to constantly re-visit some of the core icon characters and concentrating on what are thought to be the ‘most wanted’ figures, complete groups are shafted.

    Of course a Dr. Magnus figure would be less popular than Gold, but he’s part of the team, really. And from a marketing perspective, of COURSE with Doom Patrol the C&C should be Elasti-girl, right? but no, no, that makes too much sense.

    Argh.

    Mind, I am jazzed that one of the choices for the club is Metron and his chair. I bet he gets shoved aside because internet polls are rife with fraud and lies.

  8. The trap is better than I could have imagined. If I don’t have the money for it when it comes out I will cry.

  9. I’m neither a big Mattel nor a big DC/DCUC fan, but it seems to me Black Lantern Swamp Thing is probably being put forward as an option because there will be people complaining about not being able to get Swamp Thing because he was an SDCC exclusive, and this is a way to make him more available. Just sayin’.

    1. That’s one thought. Another might be a fear that all the ‘innovation’ that went into putting a rubber skin over a blank buck might end up eating into development, so logistics put forward this idea to spread out the cost factor and increase the ROI.

  10. I signed up for Club Infinite Earths despite not having bought a single DCUC since Wave 15. I’m sick of having to track down figures at retail and it became way too expensive to justify 6-7 $15 (or higher) figures at a whack. Club figures come out once a month and the sub has them shipped to my house without me having to deal with retail at all (at least until they go the MOTUC route and start scheduling tons of non-sub stuff).

    I don’t recall exactly but I don’t remember the entire year’s figures being spelled out for the first MOTUC subscription. Folks just seemed relieved that they didn’t have to fight it out on release day.

  11. I signed up for the sub for DC because DCUC is close to the only thing left I still collect (now that JLU is dead). What scares me is that with only 9 days left it is only at 20%

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