In my efforts to get caught up on my backlog of reviews, I thought it might be a good idea to throw December’s Club Infinite Earths offerings into one big review. It seemed only naturally since Mattel chose that month to (nearly) complete the Metal Men with Lead, Platinum and sorta-Tin.
Being a fan of the deeper rosters found in comics, the Metal Men are one of my all-time favorites. When it comes to DC Archives, you won’t find Batman or Superman on my bookshelf, but you’re sure to run across Metal Men or Doom Patrol. I’m not entirely sure why that is – I do love the big characters too, but I’m drawn to the lesser known guys quite a bit. As you can imagine, that’s left me rather frustrated when it comes to toy collecting. That’s why the arrival of the December Mattycollector box was a pretty glorious day. Overlooking a few concessions which I’ll cover throughout the review, I finally have the Metal Men on my toy shelves. It’s not something I can explain to those that wouldn’t understand, but it makes me very happy. I waited a long time for this.
I’ve already talked about the Metal Men’s back story in my Gold, Mercury, & Iron reviews, so I’ll leave you those links if you want to read more about the team and jump right in to December’s figures. I do have to apologize for the lack of Tina pics. I still think reviewing these together was the way to go, but Lead does sorta steal the show.
The first thing any Metal Men fan will tell you about Lead is that he’s way too damn big. In a perfect world, Lead really needed his own wide, squat buck. As such, I’d disappointedly written him off for the subscription. I had no idea how Mattel could finish the Metal Men given the subscriptions limitations and I was pretty sure we wouldn’t be getting him any time soon. So, when they showed him using the C&C Darkseid buck… I was floored! The use of the Darkseid buck was off, but smart I thought. I wish I had thought of it.
I’m going to tell you right off though that I don’t care one bit about his size. The Metal Men are all shape shifters, so even though there is a clear scale that is clearly being violated here, I can wrap my head around it just fine. What’s more, I think Lead looks great as the big guy on the team. In the comics, Iron was intended to be the big guy, but Lead always pulled his weight and often (literally) shielded the team. This switch in the roles just feels right to me, so I’m fine with it. Besides Iron still looks plenty tough as the team’s muscle.
Next to Darkseid, the two don’t appear to share as much as they do, but all that’s been added is the new head, the tunic (that’s unfortunately backless), new gloves with bolt details, and new legs from the knee down. Thankfully, the 4H retained the craggy look of the reused limbs on the new lower limbs for consistency. 4H/Mattel also got rid of some the height by shortening the calves which does look a little odd, but the figure hides it well. Altogether, I think it’s a great representation of the Metal Man.
The best part of the whole figure though might just be the head sculpt. He’s happy and it makes me happy to look at him being happy. Facial expressions can be tricky on action figures, but many of the Metal Men were a bit too stoic for my tastes. Lead helps change that up with that big grin. Continue to Page 2…
I got to say that Lead is awesome. It seems on most Forums that Lead is pretty well received and some have even apologized about complaining. Platinum has one of the nicest DCUC female faces and lets face it, It was great more or less completing a team.
Completing a team is a satisfying thing, let me tell ya. (Though I’d still happily take Magnus)
And Lead’s size does seem generally accepted. I’m glad for that!
Something tells me that it was less the amount of plastic going into the Tin figure than it was the extra steel in the mold and the additional time someone would have had to spend tooling a larger figure. I could be very wrong there, but that’s the gut feeling that I have…
Entirely possible. As long as I don’t ever find out that is was due to some weird Mattel rule about it needing to be under 3 3/4 or something, I’ll be okay with it… LOL
Enjoying mine and they have a spot all therw own but, I still need to get Gold and rebuy Iron. Ugh mad a myself there cause at the team did not see these guys and gal coming. Had Lead wearing Zatanna’s tophat at New Years time. Lookes good on him.
Tin wish coulda been a tid bit taller as well as maybe shrunk down dcuc articulation but he’s okay to me. Think how cool that woulda been though. Matty sure doesn’t see this.
Platinum is one nice looking fig and do like her face sculpt.
2 mors for me to finish them.
LOL I’ll have to try out the top hat when I unpack wherever Zatanna ended up.
The head sculpts on Lead and Tina did not disappoint. It’s great to have the gang together at last. Now for another plainclothes repaint which can hopefully give us Doc Magnus.
I hope they do find a way to do Magnus. I certainly wouldn’t mind him in the sub, but I can just hear the complaints…
Probably my favorite set in DCUC, and I’d never even really heard of the Metal Men before we starting getting figures of ’em.
Kinda wish they could invent new character so we could get a few more. 😀
(I have since learned of Alloy, which I suppose could make a cool C&C if they could make it big enough…)
Well, there is now “Copper”, and she(!!) is the team’s accountant or something? She was created a few years ago, I believe. Not sure if she’s still around in the nu52?
There was also the brief period where Gold was “killed” and Doc was turned into the green “Veridium” or something like that? I think this was the same mini that claimed the MM were real people who had their personalities copied into the responsometers, then killed in a lab accident that first activated the team?
Nice! No clue who they are but I’ll take ’em! 😀
These just make fun and visually awesome action figures!!
I wouldn’t be opposed to a Copper. Veridium is prolly best left on the cutting room floor there… 😉
You guys are back with a vengance!
great job!
Thanks, Doc!
Good stuff, Noisy. Right there with ya on the D-list character lovefest. I never thought I’d see the day when I would own Metal Men action figures (of course, I didn’t really think I’d still be doing this at 37 years old, so…). But as a comic book and toy collector, how cool is this? And in a perfect world we would also someday get the Global Guardians, the Extremists, The Elite, etc., etc.
I agree with you on Platinum and Tin. She turned out very nice, but he is just too damn small. But I’ll take it. Like you said, they’re shape-shifters, so it’s better than no toy at all. Plus, scale kind of went out the window with these 6-inch lines waaaaay back when they made Sinestro the same height as your average 8th grader. I think Lead is passable, the height issue doesn’t bother me at all with him. But he should definitely be huskier. God love him, but Lead is a chunky-boy. He’s downright portly. I’d like to see a customizer slap that big, round, grinning noggin on the Brimstone buck, maybe, just to see what it would’ve looked like. But again, I’ll take it, and it’s not even that big of a deal. Nice review, as always. Keep ’em comin’!
Thanks, TC! D-Characters are just awesome, there’s no denying it!
Great review. I definitely agree with you – I have no problem with Lead being this size. It might have been cool to see him more Ram Man-sized, but he looks great as is. I think it helps that Gold, Lead, and Mercury are also taller than the average figure (although this makes Tin look even smaller).
Platinum’s hip restriction is a little disappointing, since the rest of the teamm can get into some cool poses and she has to pretty much stand straight up, but she still looks great.
Getting Tin was definitely a good choice over getting a construct for Platinum, but how cool would it have been to have a couple of wall pieces that could clip onto the bottom Lead’s arms if he held them out straight?
I’d love to get some big Lead attachments like you mention. That would’ve been cool!!
And thanks!
granted, i’m watching drag race right now, so my phrasing and thinking is skewed a little, but i can’t help but make two observations: that last panel, lead and rorschach, that’s a dirty joke all day. but even dirtier is tin staring into platinum’s love muffin w/ that nose… that’s not even a stretch to observe that that is overly suggestive. y’all are dirty over there! and i like it. 🙂
I don’t know what you’re talking about…
Piss poor contestants this season. Even Alaska
What, no Alexander Luthor to pose with Lead? or more letter-themed heroes for Scrabble night? 😉
Mattel did say during the lead paint fiasco that they would look into the “issue” with his name, trying to find some way around it, but when I asked about it in the monthly Q&As right as they announced him, they denied ever having a “problem”.
As for Lead’s body, I still think they could have used the DCSH Darkseid buck, or even the Mongul, which does have some metal deco, but not the ones necessary for Lead, here.
Tina – is it possible she uses the now abandoned Miss Martian body? I don’t recall at the moment if that had a skirt for her stealth/s2 look? not much else to say about her other than she’s silver with only three paint apps on her head. :/
Tin – even less can be said here. He’s an accessory, unfortunately. I do agree that he is unnecessarily out of scale, but most smaller characters are. Take Marvel’s Puck. In the old 5″ Alpha flight sub-line, he was too small for even that and now that he’s coming in MU, he’s too tall for MU scale, but looks to be close to ML scale. Can’t win them all, I guess.
(and yeah, I didn’t get mine, as DR won’t acknowledge my new card. I’m thinking I should set up a new account, but without having an opportunity to sign up for the DC subs, why bother right now? Still hoping yours go to your new address, not the old!)
I think it’s going to be awhile before I can pull out all the figures I need for the reviews. The Rorschach pic came about because he was nearby. 😉
They could’ve used the smaller Darkseid to be sure, but I think I’m happier this way.
The 4H might have been economical with the MM parts for Tina. I don’t think it would’ve happened at the Mattel stage.
The Mattel subs are annoying just having had to switch the card this last time. They double dipped from my Paypal account for January and then had to refund me the money. Well, they have no control over where it goes back to apparently. My parents had bought Granamyr as a gift for me (using my login) and Matty refunded the January money back to their credit card instead of my subscription card. It was great.
I haven’t shifted the address yet. I’ve been having UPS hold onto it at their customer center and picking it up. Seems safer that way!!! 🙂
well, good luck when you do ask them to make the switch! I’ve heard some people have changed addresses and wound up getting a refund when the item was returned/”unable to deliver”, leaving only (more) anger for DR.
and your parents like you enough to keep buying you toys, even tho you’ve long moved out on your own and married? must be nice. dad always referred to my Joes/TFs and “that Star Wars $#it”. when he was being nice, that is. :/
😉
Great review!
I have Tin sitting on Lead’s shoulder in my collection, so it masks his shortness a bit more. I’m really glad to have this gang together.
When Mattel announced the end of the DCUC line, I was almost ready to give up on the massive collection I had gathered. Mattel promised with the CIE line to finish up the teams that had been started. Sure we don’t have everyone, Doc (and maybe Copper)for the Metal Men and Mento and Chief for the Doom Patrol, but we have Elongated Man and Capt. Marvel Jr. coming this year so they are trying.
I know I’m dreaming, but it would make me extremely happy to see the completion of the Legion that they started with the 12 pack that came out. Then there is the Freedom Fighters, Outsiders, Flash Rogues gallery, the list goes on.
I hope to see many more reviews like this showing other completed DC teams.
That’s a good spot for Tin. I’ll have to try that.
I’d buy all the ones you suggest… The sub has been somewhat disappointing in execution, but the character selection has kept me happy.
don’t forget Mento for the DP!
I LOVE METAL MEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Me too!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Did a Magnus custom, but this also shows that, as Tom above mentions, Tin looks great on Lead’s shoulder. Somehow it balances him out a little.
Ehh, sorry…wasn’t sure if that would show up in the comments section, but if anyone wants to see the pic I guess it can just be pasted into one’s address bar.
Rod, nice job! Who did you use to make Magnus? I might have to do that. Hope I have a steady hand for that pin striping.
Thanks Tom! It’s a re-worked Matter Eater Lad head, of all things. Early on I saw that cranked mouth expression as being useful for capturing the ‘holding a pipe’ look. The rest of the body is just Black Mask, with MM Harvey Dent hands. There are more pics at Critical Mess.
Great job on the Magnus, Rod! MAL was a great head choice.
(I turned the BB tags to HTML so the image would show!)
Yay! Metal men, complete at last (give or take)!
… So Secret Six must surely be next, yeah?