Mr. Rant asks “Are DCUC Fans Second-Class Collectors?”

“Why are Moss Man’s ears fuzzy,” was the cry of many a teary-eyed MOTU Fan on the .Org and at the Facebook page last week. Me? I don’t really care either way. I know how the industry works in regards to prototypes and my subscription was submitted months ago. Some version of Moss Man is coming no matter what and personally I don’t care if I can see his ears or not. I was surprised at how much flocking Mattel had been able to load him up with. This, as I recall, was what fans wanted when we first heard there would be problems. But instead of being grateful that Mattel was able to deliver an almost completely flocked (and very vintage) Mossy or reasonable that it would be an easy fix, the noisiest among us MOTU fans tore their clothes and gnashed their teeth because his ears had disappeared under a layer of flock. Always a classy bunch.

Mr. Rant’s Post Holiday Complaints

Waiting, waiting, waiting is all I seem to be doing lately. I ordered a case of DCUC11 from Matty on December 23rd. I realized when I ordered them that it was too close to Christmas to expect them anytime soon. To Matty’s credit, they had them ready for shipment rather quickly, but UPS dropped the ball. The tracking number told me my figures arrived in my hometown on New Year’s Eve’s Eve, and there they sat, until yesterday. Apparently UPS didn’t feel obligated to deliver residential stuff so close to either holiday. And picking them up myself would just be too easy for them to allow. So there they sat, a few miles from my home for six days.

Sometimes I have a need to get my toy fix by buying a little something, even though I know more will be here soon. This usually happens in the few months that exist in between waves. Even though I knew my toys would be here soon, the junkie in me demanded something to tide him over. So, off I went to the local stores to see what I could scavenge after Christmas clearance.

Mr. Rant likes his women to have articulation

Originally, my plan had been to take off until next week, but I've been drawn back early by the news from Mattel yesterday. For those who are unaware, many collectors have been having problems with their Goddess figures. I have. In fact, all the ones that came to IAT last week were affected. The problem is the neck peg is incredibly loose in it's socket. Basically, if you hold the figure by the head, you can shake her body like a rattle. Or, if you prefer, she's a bobblehead.

Now, this is annoying on a toy that costs over twenty dollars. And when people began to complain, Mattel responded with this:

Mr. Rant wants his DC Classics to look up and down…

Well, another “Ask Matty” has come and gone and an important issue to fans has gone unanswered again. The last few waves of DC Universe Classics have had a glaring and consistent problem: they can only look from side-to-side. Though all the parts are there for a working ball-joint, nearly every figure from waves eight through ten have lost the ability to look up or down. Earlier figures in the same toyline had a great range motion with this same joint. They weren't relegated to left and right. They had full up-and-down motion, some figures could even tilt their head sideways for some truly great poses. When asked if the ball joint was left out by design or by accident of quality control, Mattel’s response was this: “It’s handled on a figure by figure basis”.

Mr. Rant’s “5 Reasons You Should Buy R.E.B.E.L.S”

Ok readers, listen up. I was going over the sales figures for DC comics recently and noticed a grave injustice. The book R.E.B.E.L.S. is one of the worst selling DC titles. Now, you may ask, “Mr. Rant, why should I care about such a thing? That book doesn’t have a Superman or Batman or Hal Jordan, so who cares if it goes?”

Well, Johnny Comic-Book-Reader, I care. And if I care about something, so should you. Why else would you be reading this article? So, without further adieu, the top five reasons you should be buying R.E.B.E.L.S.

Mr. Rant’s “Bad Haul Day”

I feel defeated today. It’s been a busy week and this is the first time I’ve had a chance to sit down and open last week's Matty figures.

Now, I don’t expect perfection. That’s an impossible order. But I do expect equal pay out for the amount of money I spend. These Matty toys are supposedly a “collector’s” line. But I’m not even sure if Mattel knows what that means sometimes