Just found this guy at a Walmart. They also had the Hellbat (which I got earlier this week) and CW Green Arrow.
Anybody get the Bat Raptor? I absolutely cannot decide if I like it. Its dropping in price, like a stone, on Amazon. Some angles it looks cool, others... it looks boring.
If anybody can take a pic of Unchained and Hellbat with Odin/King Thor/Ares I would much appreciate it, and CNC Lobo, please and thank you.
Hooray! Hooray! It's a Harley-Harley-day! Did you know that there are toys out there that don't turn into cars? I didn't. I don't like it. Still, it could be a lot worse. Hello there Harley Quinn. I can't remember a time when I wasn't aware of superheroes in popular culture, and Batman has a large part to play with that, despite the fact that I was never really in to the concept at any point in my childhood. Perhaps it's more a case of superhero concepts being utterly saturated into wider culture, that they had, by the 1980s, lost a lot of the mystery and intrigue that they once had had. He-Man had an alter ego, so it couldn't have been weird to see Bruce Wayne have one. Hong Kong Phooey was around to send up both costumed vigilantes and the 70s martial arts craze. Hell, the Transformers disguised themselves as mild-mannered F-15s, so a guy wearing a mask to fight crime wasn't enough to turn my head. Not even the Tim Burton films were all that interesting to me aged 5-10. But Batman: The Animated Series? Oh, that was something else entirely. While it handily piggybacked off the popularity of Burton's films, BTAS owed more to the sheer brilliance of WB Animation during the 1990s. Taz-mania, Tiny Toons, Animaniacs of course, the criminally underrated Freakazoid (which took loving potshots at BTAS itself), all parts of a golden age of animation that those of us old enough to remember should consider ourselves lucky to have experienced. A golden age that afforded WB the freedom to break from the norm and use their resources to create a kids cartoon with a serious tone, deep, thoughtful stories, an easily-recognised visual tone with its art-deco retro-futurism, and crucially, not just created to sell toys. Yes, I'm aware of the irony of mentioning that in a toy review. Harley Quinn then. Among many near-perfect moves by the show was to introduce a permanent sidekick for the Joker, an equally-deranged woman who idolised her boss and could be more or less counted on for her loyalty to Mistah J. And that was pretty much all Harley was to begin with. The series would go on to explore what a relationship with a psychotic criminal would be like - one-sided and often abusive, but Harley was always going to be on Joker's side, and indeed, a sidekick. Now, nearly 30 years on, Harley has become almost an icon of surviving abuse, of moving on, of rejecting toxic relationships, and defining oneself on their own terms. And for being repeatedly shipped with Poison Ivy. I suppose that's why this figure feels a little out of place. A modern(ish) toy that represents Harley in her original form, and designed for the adult collector - the interchangeable hands, heads and complete lack of accessories is testament enough to that. But it's those same adults, the ones who have carried Harley from the early 90s to the current day, who are responsible for her myriad changes as a character. The fans that sympathised with her abusive past, who loudly supported every step she took away from the Joker, the DC writers and artists who listened and followed the trends and allowed Harley to breathe free as her own character on her own terms, even the shippers that desperately wanted to see her kiss a green lady... and then given this toy as a reminder of how much smaller Harley was back in 1993. It doesn't help that as toys, this entire series is somewhat lacking. I've mentioned with Transformers the idea of figures being articulated but not poseable, and ho boy does Harley fit this bill. Every joint is there, but the range of motion is poor, especially in her legs. She can't bend her hips far, her knees won't fold in properly, and it only barely matters anyway because good luck getting her to stand on those dinky little feet. Yup, screen-accurate to a fault, these figures. For Batman this means being basically an upturned triangle, but for pretty much every female character until Amanda Waller was introduced half a decade later, they might as well be stick figures with boobs and bums stuck on. And giant heads to muck up the balance even further. It's a relief then that the screen accuracy is so damn good. Yeah, forgive me. While I do love the fact that Harley is by now a predominantly emancipated character, I do still love this design. I know it's become symbolic of the Joker's hold over her, I know, I know. I know we're looking at a thoroughly damaged and abused woman here. But it's still a great design. Shut up. And the heads are downright hilarious, being a sultry purring face and a wide-eyed goofball. I'd prefer if she came with a mallet and hands to grip it, but let's be honest, she'd only fall over again, wouldn't she? I like Harley Quinn. I like that she's become defined by her ability to change, in a genre which so often traps characters and refuses to let them grow. I like that she's found fans who find her empowering. I like that she is such a fun character that Margot Robbie essentially pushed for the new Birds of Prey film because she loved playing Harley so much she didn't want the godawful Suicide Squad to be her only credit as the character. I kinda like this figure as well, but not for those reasons, more in spite of them. She looks kinda nice I guess.
Because im a glutton for punishment, I won the Beast Kingdom Tactical Suit Bats for $12.50 on Ebay. Thats probably what its worth. Mostly got it for the head. (Until I realized that it doesnt fucking turn.)
Was able to get a Batman Begins Mafex Scarecrow for a reasonable price on Ebay. He's a really good looking figure.
DC Collectibles has decided to go back to the DC Direct name. I gotta love their announcement for their entire lineup under the Direct name again. Batman, Batman, lots more of Batman, Joker stuff, Harley stuff, more Batman, some zombie Batman stuff, a couple Superman items, and then a few non-Batman figures that seem to be an afterthought.
sort of disappointed in the McFarlane WonderWoman84 figures...I expected better... Wonder Woman '84 - New DC Multiverse Figures by McFarlane Toys - The Toyark - News
What the hell? Looks like I was right in ordering mafex Batfleck last week, now I’m totally ordering mafex JL Wonder Woman today. Plus I don’t like the 7” MF scale.
This figure is so much damned better. The articulation is weird but, he looks cool doing vanilla. And he was $18. And *gasp* it looks like Affleck.
I had a similar reaction. I haven’t followed DC religiously for a while but a large part of the reason is all of the constant rebooting and continuity changes. I know I’m old school at this point but I just can’t keep up anymore. Multiple versions of every character - not just the main and sidekick - and IMO a dismissal of some of the legacy that became so strong in the last 20 years. I’d never wish ill will on anyone but I welcome this change and hope it leads to more defined direction for the brand and some much needed stability.
