LEGO is announcing three new Justice League sets for release on August 1st. You’ll be able to visit Atlantis, build up your armies of Parademons and Atlanteans, and add new Batman vehicles to his already impressive armory.
Aquaman (with a new deco), Batman, Cyborg, Flash, Wonder Woman, Steppenwolf, and Superman are among the mini-figures included in these sets. Wait a minute! Isn’t Superman dead? Dun dun dun!
Continue reading “LEGO Unites the League with Justice League Sets Due August 1st”
I have been a fan of Square Enix’s Play Arts Kai line for some time, but with price creep pushing single figures to the $100 range and more, I’ve curtailed my purchases somewhat. I may have to go hog wild on some of their newest reveals though. Most notably, Square Enix expanded their DC license to include Batman v Superman, revealing four figures – Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Bats in his armored suit. While I’ve been particularly disappointed by what some licensees (ahem Mattel) have produced, these are the first to really pique my interest.
While Street Fighter has seemingly gone to the wayside, they’ve continued with their mainstays. DC continues with more Arkham and variant figures. The newer Marvel variants add Black Widow and Captain America. And there’s Final Fantasy, Tomb Raider, Metal Gear Solid, and Halo, to name a few more.
The DC Comics booth at SDCC is dominated by a gallery of their live action costumes. I took some pictures of the Batman v Superman costumes. Previously, we had seen lots of the “regular” Batman suit with Superman and Wonder Woman. This was the first time seeing the armored Batman from his confrontation with Supes.
So far, all the BvS collectibles we’ve come across are based on these four suits – no Aquaman or any of the other characters rumored for the Dawn of Justice movie. Warner Bros. has been keeping a very tight lid on how information is being disseminated for the movie.
Continue reading “SDCC 2015: DC Comics – Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Costumes”
Mattel is putting 4-inch scaled DC figures on hiatus in 2016, and 6-inch scale is back in. And I’m wondering if there was some press release I missed, or if this change just happened and they didn’t really announce it. (Mattel has got the traditional Mattypalooza panel, but no DC panel at SDCC this year.) Both scenarios are possible – I am not actively seeking news. But if I tell myself there’s no way I would have missed a change this dramatic (as far as drama goes in toys), then it stands to reason that Mattel doesn’t want to acknowledge any questionable decisions they’ve made handling their DC license in recent years.
You could even say that they’re still putting some distance between what they’re doing now and what they did so well under the DC Universe Classics brand. For one, even though the Four Horsemen are back on DC, it’s not the same one to one relationship; Mattel is utilizing other design shops. If I had to guess, from the look of it, it’s Gentle Giant expanding beyond their work on WWE.
Second, they’re sticking with the DC Comics Multiverse brand name. And third, the line is rooted in modern, not classic character looks.
Back when Mattel announced their Mattycollector exclusives for SDCC, many of us were surprised that they didn’t have any DC-related exclusives to show us. Surely, with Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice being promoted heavily, they wouldn’t miss out on that. Surely not. USA Today had the exclusive reveal today of Mattel’s BvS offerings for Comic-Con and beyond. For sale at the show, they’ll have a 2-pack of Batman vs Superman (natch!) in 6-inch scale and a Hot Wheels Batmobile, both from the upcoming movie. At $30, the 2-pack is well-priced for two 6-inchers, but I wonder if it’s indicative of what we’ll see for DC products from Mattel after the Four Horsemen era.
And for display, they’ll have a Wonder Woman Barbie based on Gal Gadot’s character from BvS, and a life-sized Hot Wheels Twin Mill car with graphics inspired from the movie. The Barbie and diecast toy version of the BvS Twin Mill will be available next spring as part of two new BvS product lines. I’ll admit, I do wonder what the Barbie versions of Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck will look like.
Continue reading “SDCC 2015 (and WebSwipe): Mattel Batman v Superman Exclusives – USA Today”