Grodd

This is the newest offering from the JLU line, bringing this long living line in closer to completion.  Grodd was one of the main bad guys on the JLU show and now we have him to add to the growing roster of villains for the Justice League to square off against.   

The main feature in this box set is the Gorilla Grodd.  Grodd was an ape who came in contact with a meteor during the 19^th century.  This gave him and his fellow apes both super intellegence and, in some cases like Grodd and his adversary Solovar, telekinesis and telepathy.  Grodd and Solovar clashed time and time again for the great Gorilla City.  When Solovar was captured by humans and brought to Central City, Grodd saw an opportunity to not only take over Gorilla City but also the world.  This plan put him in the scope of the Flash and brought Grodd into The Flash’s Rogue Gallery.  Over and over the Flashes of many generations would come to blows with this foe.  Over time Grodd’s abilities have grown, developing both his mental abilities as well as his telekinesis.   Most figures in the JLU line have issues standing, but like the other larger figures Grodd has no problems at all.  The figure has an amazing sculpt, really bringing to life the cartoon character.  The figure is well painted and the detail on his face brings that sly look of the criminal mastermind to life. 

The other new edition to this box set is the Red Hood.  This figure is a simple repaint of the Joker.  The new part of the figure is the addition of a large red dome and cape.  The largest problem is that you can not see the Joker’s face before you buy the box set.  After opening the set and taking off the hood this Joker looks like Crazy Eyes from Mr. Deeds.  Given a profile view the Joker looks great but if you look at this figure straight on his eyes are looking in completely different directions.   

Overall a solid set for both collectors and parents.  Hopefully this will not be the last, and Mattel will continue box sets to get us larger characters. 

         

 

I think I got my first SCOOP

UPDATE 4/20/07
Over on AFI Julius Posted that our Cyborg was delayed but not canceled.  Thanks for checking on this JM. 

Well after no news from Mattel for months finally got some information.  After getting a tip from a reader I did some research and found out that the Cyborg Superman we all wanted has been dropped from the line according to one source at Mattel.  After the recent shipping changes and lack of pictures at this years Toy Fair we were all wondering when we would get to see the figure.  Now I know that sources at Mattel change sometimes but this information seems to be current.  When i called about the figure a few months ago i was told it would be out and now has been canceled. I did some more checking another source said that the assortment was still active, the question is now what does that mean? 

Will the cases ship minus the figure or will we see those cases canceled? 

Will we see him later down the line? 

Will we get one in his new suit?

Or will we never see this great figure?

We have questions but will we get any answers before those of us who ordered cases open them to find no Cyborg.

I hope I’m wrong because it will really start to feel like MOTU all over again. 

JLU Mini Figures

I love these figures, and almost have them all. This is another line my wife thought were cute and bought the Batman for me but not not thinking I would want them all. They are like chips, you can’t have just one. So anyone have an extra Atom or Dr. Fate?

I’m Back

So, I have been gone for about 2 weeks and I’m getting a lot of support, thank you all.  We have had a few deaths in the family in the past few weeks and it has turned our lives upside down.  As things start to calm down I’m coming back to this blog.  Now the family issues are not the only reason I took time off.  The message boards have been a source of stress for me over the last few weeks, to the point that if I had to choose hunting for toys or going home, I went home.  I just wanted a break.  I have been working a lot on taking pictures and writing my ideas down some fun and some serious.  I have though long and hard and decided that if I want this blog to become my soap box, I have to voice my opinions even if others don’t’ agree with them.  After losing on Fwoosh and feeling alone on AFI I am coming back to talk about all that and toys of course.  So stay tuned it will be an interesting ride. 

Time off

Thank you all for reading this Blog and taking a look at the Hunt with me.  I think i will be back maybe soon maybe later im not sure yet so rory has helped me move it back in the closet, and the book cases are empty again.

 

What is going on?

What is going on?  That is the question that no one can seem to answer about Mattel’s DC Superheroes.  The next question that should be asked is “Why not?”. This is not some top secret project from the government, we are talking about toys.  Nowadays we are used to knowing what is going on, so being in the dark in this information age is a very frustrating feeling.  Now I don’ t know about you but I’m on a toy budget and like to plan out at least a few months in advance what I will buy.  I have had cut back a lot on my collecting over the years and have become very selective in my choices.  Well Mattel has put us in the shadows and only more confusion and frustration follows.  While the blame of the lack of DCU characters is due to DC, the lack of information for those of us who like to plan is Mattel.  It has not been so long since some of us were burned by Spin Blade He-man, DCSH is staring to look the same.  I know many people with more information are saying just wait, and you will see there are big things coming. But in a market where rising prices, repaints and reissues are the norm, how long can the average collector wait for answers. 

I have been following a thread on AFI that is in support of possibly quitting the line and it is more then the usual gripe about a figure’s paint job.  There is an overwhelming concern over character selection, case pack outs, and customer information.  While I love figures’ the sculpts from the 4 Horsemen, and the great characters classic looks, this line has died once.  The first line was a specific Batman line which went across the pond to finish up and made up 75% of the current Batman waves of this line.  Of the last 10 figures 8 of the 2 Batman waves were re-releases, while the Superman waves (3 in a row, what happened to every other wave) has suffered bad case packing.  I understand the need for a Superman in every wave, what Mattel has done is down right ridiculous.  In 4 wave of DCSH a 12 figure case was broken down to 1 Darkside, 1 Lex, 2 Braniacs, and 8, yes I said 8, old( from the dead batman line) Supermen.  If there were 4 I would say ok but 8 that makes no sence.  I know normal collectors who have not seen original figures since wave 3 and we are now on wave 5 or 6.  The next big slap in the face was when we finally saw the new purple packaging many of us found cases with only Supermen and Bizzaros, figures which we have seen in DCSH wave 2 and in the Target 2 packs which still seem not to sell in my area.   Now this is getting off on a bit of a rant (feel like Dennis Miller), but I really think the normal amount of information would be acceptable.  

I decided since we were not getting any real answers on line I would just call Mattel.  The first call I made got me only sorry that information is not available.  Again I say what issue of national security does knowing what figures are in the current waves of toys in the stores now.  I was told to go online and I could find out about thier lines and thier lineups thier website.  I checked and the line is not even listed, though Batman and the JLU are, but unclickable.  So I hang up being nice as I can and think for a moment and decide to call back.  This time I would ask for anyone who could give me the information.  And again I hit a wall, because I’m not a retailer I’m not allowed to know information about their product, but I did not give up.  I explained to the very nice woman on the phone that I did not want future information and only wanted to know what was out now so I can budget and save time. I explained that I shop mostly at local stores and if a product which was shown on the box was not part of this wave I would not waste time looking for them.  To that she understood and took the item numbers for Mongul, Supergirl, and Steel.  When she came back she had more information then I knew what to do with.  So I asked her about the Black suited Superman and Cyborg Superman which was on the newest package.  She looked them on her list and said they were to be released in March and April respectively.  Then she went on to say the Supermen figures were part of an assortment and not necessarily a “wave” so this was a multipart wave(Steel , Mongul and Cyborg).  She also told me that there were 28 figures (not characters, thanks Julius for the reminder) scheduled for this year.  Now at Toy Fair we got the number of 22, now we are at 28.  So I decided to ask one more question since Two-Face was on the CSC list for soon to be released.  Her answer was he was part of the 2006 line, which means his wave is probably not part of her list of 28. 

So what does all of this mean?  It means not a lot of information is being put out for the customers.  The company’s main focus is kids not necessarily collectors.  Our ability to get information is limited because of our position in the consumer food chain.  I understand issues 2 and 3 but issue 1 is unnecessary.  I know I may seem like a rabid collector but I’m really not, my drive has been diminished recently.  As I get older I become more patient and I think my main reason for this rant is just blowing off some steam over recent frustrations.  I’m not calling for a boycott of a product or to pester Mattel for answers, but I think our voice should be heard and our frustrations should be addressed with more then wait we will tell you soon.

So I put it to you those in the know…. What is going on???

The New DCSH Wave 5 or 6?

So I finally got my hands on most of the new DCSH wave 5 or 6.  Now though most of us are frustrated with the current lack of information from Mattel, these figures are amazing.  Though I don’t know what to call this wave, but I  hope we get the rest of what is shown on the boxes.  Of course Rory will start us off with the first picuture from the wave. 

The first figure is Steel who also has a variant.  The regular on i think is the shinny silver S on his chest.  The figure has an amazing sculpt.

 

Next is Kal-el, who is a simple repaint with the new head sculpt.  I had a hard time finding one with a good paint job but over all a great figure.  I would have preferred the red was also metallic but over all its a great figure. 

  

Bizzaro again is another repaint but he has his nice little stone name tag.  I think the new colors really make the figure fit in with the villains and make him really stand out and differ from Superman.

   

Now one of the first new villains from the wave is Parasite.  The figure is very simple but the sculpt and paint are great. 

 

 Mongul is another new character and a great addition to the Superman villains.  His paint job and sculpt is amazing, another great job by the Four Horsemen.  He also is a great size when standing next to the other characters.  I know most will say this is the size Doomsday should have been, and maybe Mattel will take note and redo him for us. 

 

Finally some group shots of the old and new. 

    

 

Toy Fair

Well it’s TF07 and will we see anything to blow off our socks…. i don’t know check out all my links in my side bars for stories.  Also these have pretty good pic folders for the show.
SuperHero Times
Toynews I

 So to add we saw 2 new figures fomally for DCSH ManBat and Clayface, and got a hint that we will see 22 new figures( not all new sculpts). 

Here is what we know:
1.clayface
2.manbat
3.kal-el
4.sups(black costume)
5.cyborg sups
6.bizzaro(dark)
7.darkside(dark)
8.Batgirl(cassie)
9.twoface
10.catwomanok and we know the two-face wave has a repaint 11.joker, and 12.bats
and not sure if the steel wave is counted in 07( 13.steel, 14.parasite, 15.blue SG, 16.cheetos DD, 17.Mongrul) if so then we are up to 17 so what are the other 5????

Blah…..

                  I’m bored in general with comics today.  There is not one story line that I can’t wait to read.  Why?  Have I out grown comics?  Have I immersed my life so full into them that I don’t find them exiting, but rather the most normal part of my life? Are they no longer magical because of my age and more a quick fix to end boredom for 5 minutes?  I don’t know really. I think part of the problem is the lack of focus from the comic companies in general.  Between the relaunches (how many times can we see “new #1 issue), drawn out stories (can anyone say the crisis of 52 identities), and late shipping (the real civil war was quicker to unfold) how is one supposed to be excited about this medium. 

                   I was excited when the idea of Civil War was introduced but after waiting months for the books to come out on time, my interest in the story is no longer there.  Part of that problem was reading other books set in the same continuity and same universe not handling the same story.  I mean how Wolverine can be in one book doing one thing and in 5 others doing something different.  I mean if you going to plan an event of this size shouldn’t they make sure all their books line up?  I have to say my favorite publisher DC is guilty of the same crime, with 52 and One Year Later.  I have so say now that the initial phase of OYL later is over all the mystery and excitement is gone.  Most books feel the same and the same old stories all over again. 

                    Another problem is the ignoring of continuity in the comic universes.  I mean I know death is nothing in the superhero world but still what happened to not over using a foe or idea.  I’m right now reading the Watchmen for the first time (yes I know it’s a crime), and I see the same types of characters and story lines that are part of my current pull list.

I ask myself over and over why do I keep reading the same books that bore me.  Well for the first time in many years I have canceled things on my pull list.  Both X-men main titles were getting too confusing and the revolving door of characters was to the point that I would read them in 3 minutes and never even care pay attention to the story. 

                   I know that this will all change and I will be back into comics like a rabid fan but for right now I’m in a comic lull.

Though there are 2 books that I do love.  One is canceled as of April and the other is one which is loved and hated in the comic world. 

 Firestorm– I think the character is well written and the only book to pull off One Year Later. 

 Ultimate Spiderman– I think it’s a fresh look at Spidy and does what Rami tired to do now 3 times and failed( I hate the Spidy movies almost as much as I hate Burton’s Batman).