Wendy's DC Super Heroes

Wendy's DC Super Heroes

Kid's Meal Toys

I couldn't even venture to guess the last time we got a Wendy's kids meal toy that wasn't at least half comprised of cardboard and stickers.  This DC Super Heroes promotion takes us back to days of old in more way than one.  Aside from getting our money's worth in plastic, these figurines are reminiscent of 80s/90s properties we love.  MUSCLE, CUTIES, Monster in My Pocket...sure they are cheap to produce, unpainted minis, but they are so much fun to collect!

The exaggerated, toony sculpt are right up my alley.  Refreshing to see an original take not tied to a horrible movie promotion.  Though, that's probably why I only heard about these through word of mouth.  (Coincidently while reading a retro article on Monster in My Pocket.)

You get three figures per box...three!  Unheard of value there!  Each set is a themed group with six sets to collect.  Well, to be a completist, you would be collecting 24 sets, as each set comes in one of four colors: red, blue, green, and purple.  It is a bit strange having a purple Flash...who do I look like?  Geoff Johns?!

Wendy's did us a solid by not sticking to true the "mystery box" gimmick.  There is a sealed box involved, but there is also a number and color for the set inside on the bottom of the box.  As an added bonus, there are mini trading cards for each figure!

I would like to see this theme return in the future.  The villains are way outnumbered and some DC staples are noticeably absent.  How about a whole Batman promotion to get a good chunk of his rogues gallery in this style?  

I imagine this promotion will carry on through Halloween. Don't sleep on these if you are a DC fan and/or fan of 80s/90s toys.  

Hellbat Batman and Superman Unchained

Hellbat Batman and Superman Unchained

DC Multiverse - McFarlane Toys

The corpse of the Mattel DC Multiverse is barely cold, and Todd McFarlane's new 7-inch successors are hitting retail outlets everywhere in early 2020.  His first lineup was revealed several weeks prior to release and...drumroll...boy, am I disappointed.  Well, not totally...maybe just indifferent?  The hopes of having a line that scales well with most of my DC collection completely disintegrated, the first assortment isn't even all that exciting.  A standard Bats and Supes was expected (too tall, lanky, and weird chest articulation), but animated figures (just recently exhausted by DCC), another CW Arrow (both done by Mattel and DCC in recent years), and a not-animated-but-animated-looking Harley Quinn?  This is just DC Collectibles Mach II with Multiverse packaging!

At the least, there are going to be some armors and larger-scale characters that I can fudge into my collection from the look of things.  Like Hellbat and Superman Unchained.  These look great and will fit into any Batcave and Fortress of Solitude display quite nicely.  Plus, since these are mass retail releases, they cost less than DC Collectibles.

Hellbat is mostly black, but different shades and shines here and there keep him from being boring.  The armor that dishes out the beatings (shoulder pads, knee pads, gauntlets) have a flat, weathered look about them, whereas the chest, legs, and helmet might have been polished with Darth Vader's woodoo hide.  There are lots of folds and lines to keep it busy, but not too busy and an accent of red to bring it all together.

The whole figure is much less fragile than I expected.  The spikes and fine edges look and feel much less brittle than older DCC and McF offerings.  The wings are the only concern, being flat and made with a less pliable plastic.  The metal pin makes folding them out a bit tight, so take your time.  They also port to the back kinda strange:  just plug into hexagon shaped holes.  There is no joint or ratcheting system to allow you to adjust these without straight up removing them.  If there is one weak point to this figure, that would be it.

Superman fares a bit better with his wings, but has failings elsewhere.  His wings are a more pliable plastic with a pegging ball hinge for easier posing.  They are a pain to get in there at first, but at least you don't have to remove them to switch things up.  Wait...why does Superman need metal wings?!

Yeeeeeeah...what a strange costume all around.  I haven't read the comic to put it into context, but it would still look a bit bonkers if I had.  Looking at the art its based on, I feel the figure looks more anime/Gundam Wing than it should.  It should be giving off vibes similar to Ares' armor or something Apokalyptian.  That, and there are some small details in the face of the helmet that are just plain missing.

Also missing is his energy hammer thingy and shield.  Must have been a cost-saving cut, which is a real shame.  Because of this, he has open, grip hands...if you couldn't do the weapons, could we at least have some punching fists?  Gripes aside, he's still a fun figure to play with.  The colors shine bright metallic, and you can get a decent amount of poses out of him.  

And there you go.  The new age of DC figures is here and it's "meh" at best.  If they were trying to honor the early days of Mattel with a glut of Superman and Batman figures, they're off to a good start.  Otherwise, the two armored figures are the best of the bunch by default.  Luckily, they are solid figures that can literally stand on their own.  You are getting a good deal with them, too:  Build-a-Figure sized figures at retail for $20 each.  You also get a trading card! 

I'm looking forward to more armors and vehicles, but anyone picking up the torch with these figures should have put a little more effort into bridging the gap with long-time collectors.  I'm never going to go all in on the seven inch scale...well, I suppose I would have to fudge a classic Trickster, Mr. Bones, and ridiculous-McFarlane-cape Batman if they ever get around to those.  Never say never, I guess.

Fortnite Crackshot and Rabbit Raider

Crackshot and Rabbit Raider

Jazwares - Fornite Legendary Series

I have never played Fortnite, but Jazwares' 6-in line is an action figure collector's dream!  Since I have no connection to the characters, this line offers a multitude of goons, lackeys, and henchmen to my DC and Marvel Legends collections.  I have several Skull Troopers for the Scarecrow,  Wild Cards working as a stand-in Royal Flush Gang, and random thugs and mercs here and there.  At first, I was gonna pass up this cool looking nutcracker guy, but then I remembered something...the Terrible Toyman!  I got two of these Walmart exclusives to go with my DC Universe Toyman and his oversized marionette from DC Direct.  And right in time for a Christmas review!

Each Legendary figure comes with swapable faceplates, so you can have something different on disply with your multiples.  Crackshot also comes with a candy cane staff, a rifle, a balloon, a bundle of dynamite, and a "wooden" cuckoo bird that fits on his back.  Toys with toys!  The articulation on these are over the top, probably because some folks from the Toy Biz Marvel Legends days work on this line.  The old-school hand and toe hinges are as unnecessary as ever, but man do they ever look great!

I also threw their Rabbit Raider figure in the mix because...well, duh!  It's freakin' Ralphie from "A Christmas Story!"  I gave him one of the nutcracker's more lethal rifles to him as an upgrade from the Red Ryder.  Now he's Toyman's right hand cheermaster!

This line is super expansive and so much fun, even if you have never played the games.  I hope Jazwares keeps the goods coming.  They are certainly leaps and bounds above the McFarlane 7-in line...cheaper, too, at around $18 at Wally! 

The Strange Lives of Batman

The Strange Lives of Batman

DC Multiverse - Mattel

SDCC exclusive set

Another San Diego Comic-Con exclusive?!  Ugh!  Oh well...I've said before that I'm alright with character variants being offered up as exclusives, but not character exclusives.  Then Batman comes along and makes me a damn hypocrite.  I can't pass up Silver Age shenanigans, even if it's paying for what is essentially the same Batman figure four times over!

Four Batmen in one helluva box!  Another box "keeper" here...making me more of a hypocrite, dammit.  But it looks just like one of those bonkers, 80-Page Giant covers!  (I'm not just being a hipster here...I have 80-Page Giant # 1, 15, 16.)  It's got a semi-translucent, plastic slipcover that comes off to reveal the figures in comic panel recreations:  Negative Batman, Zebra Batman, Rainbo Batman, and a standard Batman with multiple accessories.

They all look great.  This Silver Age Bats is slimmer, but more articulated than Mattel's previous effort.  The paint on mine are clean for the most part.  The only complaint I have here is that the capes on Zebra and Rainbow are a flimsy, almost paper thin plastic.  Negative Batman is actually translucent in spots, which is a nice demonstration of the gimmick.






  

The accessories included are alternate heads and face plates to recreate even more crazy Batman variants from gimmicks past:  Alien Batman, Rip Van Batman, and Robot Batman!  The mouth area of all the Batmen can be removed to plug in the beard and robo-chin.  And the heads pop on and off with ease for the Alien look and...saving the best for last...a standard Bruce Wayne head!

So long, Ben Affleck noggin, comic Bruce is finally here.  I think it looks fine on the suited WWE body I have been using for his daytime attire.  If only there were a matching, unmasked Dick Grayson head as well.

I won't detail the background on these oddball looks, but I will provide links for those scratching their heads "why?"  To further answer "why" I needed these...well...I have a Batcave and a problem.  Of course I need Batman variants to stand around as alternate suits or trophies of his past!  It's a no-brainer!

Zebra Batman

Negative Batman

Rainbow Batman

I, of course, did not go to SDCC to get these.  Mattel had a ridiculous online preorder for pickup at the show only.  And then they "sold out" at the show.  If you believe that, Gleek.  I paid about $40 over the asking price in Ebay blood money/shipping.  I gritted my teeth in doing so, but I don't regret it now.  Seeing all the Bat-suits on display in my cave was worth it.

Anyway, enjoy a look at said cave.  It's made up of Mattel's massive BvS playset (the one good thing that came of that movie), various figures (from Mattel's Batman 2003 line, DC Superheroes, DC Universe Classics, DC Multiverse), multiple accessories (batarangs, Batmobiles, Batcycles, Batjets, 1966 Batcomputer), and some custom additions (smaller Batcave section from a kiddie line, Jurassic World massive T-Rex, printed giant penny, Joker Card, blueprints, posters).