SDCC ’11 Armchair Coverage
Round-Up!

NoisyDvL5

As it has been in years past, the Monday after SDCC is a day for reflection, summary, and sleeping for about fourteen hours after this article. So, join me for a surely typo-ridden look back at the SDCC that was 2011 and then I’ll be off to finally get some sleep…

Well, it looks like we made it. The venerable toy reporters, and regular attendees alike, are making their way back home (and we wish them all safe travel) after a long weekend of reveals, panels, cosplay, body odor, and hopefully plenty of cool swag. As they return home, we’ll surely get a few more updates, more anecdotes, and other tidbits of info (like Battleground Evil-Lyn including a ‘powered-up’ staff, I didn’t see that reported anyway until yesterday), so the links below are by no means comprehensive.

SDCC ’11 Armchair Coverage – Preview Night

Preview Night seemed like a night like no other with so much stuff sitting out with little to no fanfare. Looking back, that might have been my first sign that thinks weren’t going to go well for DC Classics. The Ghost Trap (via Pixel Dan) & the Wind Raider (via ToyArk) gave way to some awesome panel reveals while the lack of a new DC item led to one of the more disappointing panels in awhile, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Anyway, our Preview Night coverage featured links to the items that were available in the display cases with teasers for MOTU, Ghostbusters, and DC Universe product (from Mattel, DC Direct, Lego, Sideshow, Hot Toys, and even Square Enix). Hasbro got into the game by displaying a bunch of new Marvel Universe figures and even had Marvel Legends Wave 1 and some other new 6″ Marvel figures just sitting out. The Four Horsemen (via MWCToys) got into Preview Night Coverage with their gorgeous Raven figure and new additions to their Outer Space Men license.

For all the links from Thursday night, click here to continue to our Preview Night Armchair Coverage.

SDCC ’11 Armchair Coverage – The MOTU Panel

Since MOTUClassics.Com is one IAT’s “sister sites”, we devoted a full article to the MOTU reveals this year and boy where their plenty: sixteen figures, a new sub-line (that you unfortunately can’t subscribe too), new Mini-Comics, figures based on newly acquired Filmation/Jetlag Rights, and a non-sub $80 Granamyr (red per the fan vote) are all coming next year. For more information, there’s our complete rundown, video of the panel (via AFP, about 15 minutes in), great close-ups in the booth (via MWCToys), and as always the MOTUClassics.Com Upcoming Releases Page (which now has most of the thumbnails added).

SDCC ’11 Armchair Coverage – Ghostbusters & DC Universe

After getting out MOTU site updated, I turned my attention to our Ghostbusters Checklist and DCClassics.Com. For Ghostbusters, I’d say that things were middle of the road. If you watch the video of the panel (via AFP, 10:50-15:00 minutes), there didn’t seem to be much applause compared to the other lines being announced. Still, there were some nice reveals and I’ve added an Ecto-1 sub for next year so expect those reviews to return to IAT (along with some older reviews to get our review checklist caught up). The biggest reveal is easily the Ghost Trap, but don’t expect a review on that as I surely will have to go without.

The DC panel was a bummer – there’s no two ways about it Mattel has done some damage control since then (check out this video from AFTimes) that is trying to cheer us back up, but the sky is still falling. While the panel did reveal DCUC20 (a so-so wave, the modern GA annoys me), it also said that Wave 20 would be the last at retail.

What we’ve learned since is that a new 6″ line will debut in 2012 and replace it. The new line won’t feature C&Cs, so they’re being moved (along with some fan requested regular figures) into a subscription program like MOTUC & Ghostbusters. But here’s the catch, unlike the other subs, this one is contingent on people signing up. If not enough buy in, then C&Cs are dead. I want those, so I’m going to tell you buy the subscription. I enjoy my MOTU one and I’ve already added the DC one in the hopes that it will succeed. So, if you want collect-and-connects, even – god forbid – Black Lantern Swamp Thing, you have to buy the subscription. Granted, I do think Mattel could do a little more to encourage our participation (though I’m ecstatic to hear the 10″ size limit doesn’t apply to the subscription C&Cs!) and I’m thinking about writing a Truetorial on it (and why I think DCUC Collectors should buy in) later in the week. We’ll see.

For the complete rundown, you can check out our Armchair Coverage for links to pics or simply watch the AFP Video. You can also go directly to Mattycollector and vote for the club exclusive and/or buy in.

SDCC ’11 Armchair Coverage – Day 2 & Day 3

I struggled to keep up with Days 2 or 3 as was I busy with getting our checklists updated and when I had time to start amassing links, there was plenty to do. That article features links to the Hasbro Marvel panel and the onslaught of Marvel product coming. The big news was about Marvel Legends coming back and made for a nice mirror on the sad state of affairs with DC Classics. There’s not much room in my budget for Marvel Legends, but Hasbro made their case well. Some awesome character selection (Wave 2’s BAF is Arnim Zola) with some ingenious new ideas – variant/running change figures will include variant/running change BAF pieces so you can make the BAF figures differently. It was an awesome panel. I want to do more with Marvel Legends, and that only encouraged me to find a way.

In addition to our Hasbro/Marvel coverage, check out our Day 2 & 3 Article for links to images for Action League, Cars, Dark Horse, DC Direct, Diamond Select, Funko, Ghostbusters Booth Images, Kotobuyika, Lego, Mezco, Minimates, Monster High, Neca, Square Enix, Star Wars, Super7, Tonner, Triad Toys, WWE, Voltron, & Young Justice.

Okay, I think that’s a wrap! If there’s anything that you haven’t seen, but haven’t found or something that you know of that I missed, please post in the comments section below and let me know. I plan to add a few more links to this article after I catch up on some sleep. Even though the Convention is over, some of the coverage will undoubtedly spill into the coming days. For now, a huge thanks out to the contributing websites from this year. There are plenty of galleries and videos at the links below if you’re still looking for news about your favorite line!

Thanks again to: ActionFigureInsider, ActionFigurePics, AFTimes, ASMZine, BattleGrip, Brothers-Brick, Cool Toy Review, CriticalMess.Net, Figures.com, Hiss Tank, Jedi Temple Archives, Julius Marx (via Twitter), Marvelous News, Mattel on Facebook, Michael Crawford (via Twitter), MWCToys, OAFE, Open Your Toys, Pixel Dan(via Twitter), PopCultureNetwork, Poe Ghostal, Raving Toy Maniac, TFW2005, TNI, & ToyArk.

NoisyDvL5

15 thoughts on “SDCC ’11 Armchair Coverage
Round-Up!”

  1. Well, looking at MattyCollector right now… it ain’t looking so good for the DCUC sub. Hardly a dent in the damned thing.

  3. I think for that DCUC sub to move, they need the full list of characters. I already have dc direct atrocitus and can live without that Flash. Show us who they have on tap, and people will buy in. Matty is too iffy for folks to trust them in a situation like this. I was hoping for some civilians like Alfred, commissioner gordon (both easy repaint on joker and question with new head sculpts) and Lois Lane maybe even a vehicle.

    1. Yeah but folks have proven that they’re willing to go all in blindly on MOTUC, so why not DCUC?

      If we give it a chance, I’m sure they’ll throw us some bones. Look at JLU. This avenue for DCUC needs to happen.

  4. DCUC wave 20 looks ok.Upcoming Ghostbusters movie figures looks great especially Vigo and Dana Barret Zuul Im getting those as well Ghostbusters 2 slime Ray.I still need to complete my GB team.Upcoming Motuc figs looks ok.Ecto 1 club figure looks awesome nice choice!!

  6. I think you’ve got to do whatever you can to sell anyone on the DCUC sub. I’m surprised there aren’t more posts and message board topics pushing people to sign up. It doesn’t look good at this point. Got to have to sub to finish the Metal Men and Doom Patrol! I don’t know what the future holds for the relaunched line, but I hope enough people jump on the subscription though I doubt it at this point.

    1. the problem w/ the sub is, there’s no guaranty that you’re getting the rest of the doom patrol or the jsa or the metal men or whomever… so “selling” people on the sub could turn into a complete balls up. there in lies the problem w/ these blind subs… if, for example, i was a motuc fan, and had been buying subs for the same of ram man, i’d pretty damned pissed about now, wouldn’t i? and eventually, i’m going to hit a point where i don’t care, i didn’t get the guy i want, so i drop the sub, and am left w/ $400+ of toys i didn’t so much want and not the $20 toy i did.

      mattel tried their hand at selling people on these subs, and they suck at it… are you really than enthralled w/ the line that you’re willing to do their PR work for free nicholai? knowing that you could very well come up short yourself?

      it’s unrealistic to expect enthusiastic responses to a subscription service where people don’t know what they’re buying. if i get a subscription to the wall street journal, i know damned well i’m not getting the omaha world herald. the problem w/ the mattel subs is, you truly don’t know what you’re buying… to use the above example, you’re only guaranty is, you’re getting a newspaper. that’s a rough sale.

      1. Yes I suppose I’ll do their PR for free and hope this site does a post for the sub too. It was mentioned at the Matty panel that any hope of completion of the Doom Patrol (oversized Rita most likely) and Metal Men would be in this sub. I already know I’d get Jay Garrick and Starman which are both figures I’d love to add to my collection and any of the choices besides Black Lantern Swamp Thing would be a good addition.

        I did sign up for the MOTUC sub the first year and was left with several figures that I could care less about, but I knew that going in. In fact I still need to unload the ones I don’t want. It’s the reason I stopped my sub for the second year because I already had a big enough proportion of my favorite characters and didn’t want anymore Chief Carnivus type figures. People are enthusiastic about the MOTUC sub and you don’t know much of what you’re getting in 2012. Of course, the cost of DC licensing is undoubtedly a big factor compared to He-Man being in house for Mattel.

        While we don’t know the numbers needed to make this successful compared to something like MOTUC, I think it shows that lines like JLU and DCUC just don’t have the level of hardcore collectors out there that other lines do or at least they don’t proportionally for how big JLU and DCUC are. I see so many complaints online about our lack of finished teams and characters like Jay Garrick, but I’ve got to wonder how many of those people who complained incessantly about that signed up for the subscription.

        1. where i’m failing to see your logic here is, “how many of those people who complained incessantly about that signed up for the subscription.” and i ask “how many of the people who complained are willing to sign mattel over a blank check w/ ZERO promise you’ll get anything other than what you’ve already gotten.”

          in other words, in 20 waves, they haven’t completed those team rosters… why do you think they’ll complete them in another wave or two?

  7. I think a big issue for me with the DCUC sub is that the DC universe is 1000’s of characters compared to the MOTUC. I was willing to go in on the MOTU sub blind cause I loved the look of the toys and figures I would take any characters they sent our way. And for the most part, I assumed they would make the most well known characters first to keep the line going and subscriber happy with a few variants of Heman and Skelly thrown in.

    With DC, they could pick a bunch of obscure characters that I have never heard of and still not fill the rosters that have gaps. I never really felt that with MOTUC.

  8. See, here’s my thing.

    I’m an obsessive enough collector that I wouldn’t mind getting figures I didn’t really care about as long as I was getting those I did want. No, I’m not the kind to ‘flip’ the unloved to eBay, if I buy it I own it for good or bad.

    But there is no promise whatsoever that figures I want are even going to be in the mix.

    Off the top of my head, I want a Paul Kirk Manhunter (with a full load of weapons thankyouverymuch) and the key supporting cast including a clone, I want the entire ’70s Legion of Super Heroes roster, I want every character from Kirby’s Fourth World (including Jimmy Olson), I want all the Metal Men with Doc Magnus and the round flying barcalounger they tooled about in, I want an Aparo-style Batman, I want an Adams-style Batman, I want a decent Superman, and for fun the silver age Justice League.

    Tell me that even 1% of that is likely.

    Yeah.

  9. One wonders what happens to the three announced figures if the sub fails to launch. I need that Attrocitus somethin’ fierce.

    I actually wish the line DID die at retail so I only had to worry about affording the sub.

    Metron winning is a given, yes? I mean…it has to be, right?

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