DC Toy Thread

[LordGigaIce]

Thing is it's better than it was. Even Todd's love of Batman doesn't reach 90s levels where like 95% of the DC toy aisle space was Batman, and 5% was Superman. MAYBE you'd see someone else, but only if they could work it into the Superman line. And women? Forget it. Kenner/Hasbro did make some Wonder Woman figures but IIRC they were all direct market releases meaning you'd never see them on retail shelves.

So when people today complain about the over-abundance of Batman I'm like "this is nothing."

 

[Steevy Maximus]

Thing is it's better than it was. Even Todd's love of Batman doesn't reach 90s levels where like 95% of the DC toy aisle space was Batman, and 5% was Superman. MAYBE you'd see someone else, but only if they could work it into the Superman line. And women? Forget it. Kenner/Hasbro did make some Wonder Woman figures but IIRC they were all direct market releases meaning you'd never see them on retail shelves.

So when people today complain about the over-abundance of Batman I'm like "this is nothing."

The late 90s was basically "taste the rainbow of Batmen". Feels like a LOT of modern collectors have either forgot or weren't around for it. Kenner DID do a few female figures...but you'd never see them because all the trading card/comic book speculators had jumped ship to toys by that point.

On a lark, I looked at the pricing for some Batman and Robin figures...and the female characters and secondary villains are easier and CHEAPER to get now than most of the Batman and Robin variants!

 

[LordGigaIce]

The late 90s was basically "taste the rainbow of Batmen". Feels like a LOT of modern collectors have either forgot or weren't around for it.

Yea. Like I was there when every new Batman got an almost infinite number of repaints that clogged shelves. Nothing today even comes close to that level of Batman over-saturation. So I find it hard to buy into the outrage some modern collectors have at McFarlane or SpinMaster, or Mattel.

I guess I find it funny that they thought Mattel WOULDN'T lean hard on Batman and it's like... lol no. If you're paying for the DC licence you're pretty much paying for Batman. Everyone else is just a bonus. And switching from Todd to Matty was never going to change that.

 

[LBD "Nytetrayn"]

I dunno, I just know that I've seen plenty of Batman-only toy lines over the years. All I'm saying is, if you're going to make 85% of your DC line Batman, then why not just do a Batman line?

 

[Steevy Maximus]

I dunno, I just know that I've seen plenty of Batman-only toy lines over the years. All I'm saying is, if you're going to make 85% of your DC line Batman, then why not just do a Batman line?

My take is…the current retail or management environment would only allow for single product line for DC, at least at the moment. Batman, while still quite popular, has cooled in the past decade relative to where he was in the late 2000s to 2010s, where the character was still receiving a steady stream of appearances in movies to maintain popularity (plus appearing on DC animated features and shows). A LOT of those initiatives have slowed, which I think has had the knock on effect of diminishing consumer momentum for the character on the whole.

When Spin Masters launched their DC stuff in 2020 with Batman, alone, it was fairly successful becuase, well, “Batman sells”. But the DC Superhero Spin off struggled to match that pace. To the point the line would get fairly hefty hiatus periods.

Mattel, with how they’ve shifted their management priorities over the past half decade, WANTS a line that provides a wide spectrum of characters at an accessible price point. After all, all those decades of DC films, shows and animated series are still floating around the myriad of streaming venues as well as Gunn’s more “open universe” perspective in the new era of DC films (2025’s Superman likely introducing many younger fans to Mr Terrific, Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, AND Metamorpho!).
But history shows that Batman MUST be the anchor. He (and his broader “brand family”) are what is going to maintain this segment to allow Mattel to touch on a wider variety of characters

 

[LordGigaIce]

My take is…the current retail or management environment would only allow for single product line for DC, at least at the moment.

We're just not in a spot where anyone's doing individual hero lines. Like the current Mattel line might as well be a Batman line, but even so it's branded as just a DC line. Todd had (well still has for half a year) DC Multiverse, DC Page Punchers, and DC Digital. None of which are specific hero lines.
Then you have Marvel, where Marvel Legends is likewise a catch-all Marvel line.

Marvel and DC sometimes will do individual sublines centred around a specific movie, but they're very much part of broader catch-all lines. No one is even doing totally independent movie lines anymore, much less individual character or character family lines. The business is all about mass catch-all company lines and some characters (Batman, Spider-Man) just get more rep then others.

SpinMaster, as you said, tried to separate Batman and the Batfamily off as their own line, and doing so tanked their "rest of DC" line.

 

[Steevy Maximus]

Marvel and DC sometimes will do individual sublines centred around a specific movie, but they're very much part of broader catch-all lines. No one is even doing totally independent movie lines anymore, much less individual character or character family lines. The business is all about mass catch-all company lines and some characters (Batman, Spider-Man) just get more rep then others.

Until they’re NOT like Spin Master last year with Superman and Batman Ninja and Hasbro Star Wars and Marvel stuff this year

Heck, even MOTU Core isn’t the same scale as Chronicles or DC Premiere. Kind of wonder what happened there.

 

[LordGigaIce]

 

[LordGigaIce]

 

[Steevy Maximus]

*nudge, nudge*

Saw that Amazon is restocking DC Premiere Mattel figures...at $19.9x a pop. At normal retail, I'd consider placing an order since they are still sparse in my area (local Walmart not stocking, Target has pegs but no product), but not at 50+% markup. FROM AMAZON!

 

[LordGigaIce]

Saw that Amazon is restocking DC Premiere Mattel figures...at $19.9x a pop. At normal retail, I'd consider placing an order since they are still sparse in my area (local Walmart not stocking, Target has pegs but no product), but not at 50+% markup. FROM AMAZON!

The Mattel DC kids line is excellent... for the sub-$15 price tag they go for at retail. The most I'd pay is $15. Anything above that and you're entering Marvel Legends territory in terms of pricing and if you're going to pay Marvel Legends money you should get Marvel Legends levels of paintwork and articulation.
As good as these Mattel DC figures are, they aren't at that level. And no one should have expected them to be.

This just sounds like Amazon hearing there's positive buzz around this line and price gouging. Give it time and they'll show up in person.

 

[Steevy Maximus]

Walmart is most famous for it, but Amazon also engages in "dynamic pricing" for popular items. Joker is still $12.99, but the rest of the figures are also 19.95. DC Premiere has been rather popular among the fan channel. I also noted over in the MOTU thread, it is nigh impossible to get a Core Skeletor for its proper $9.99 (or close to it) retail at the moment online. The Chronicles Skeletor is only a little bit better in terms of availability.

 

[Steevy Maximus]

With lackluster retail offerings for my birthday, I ended up going to Target and found the first wave of DC Core on pegs. Not sure how much I’ll be “into” this line, but I’m always game to sample things when we have a major license or design shift like this. Obviously, I got Batman (gonna need these accessories for the Bane pack Batman).

LordGigalce hit most of the major points on their postings:
For $13, it‘s a very nice product. Not on par with Marvel Legends or comparative collector range…but this also isn’t COSTING in that same range. The usage of sprue accessories (and the included armory rack) offer everything I feel someone would want or need with a Batman figure. I still LOVE the decision to integrate a few pegs onto the utility belt, it just adds so much to the figure so simply. Articulation is still real impressive, but the fact we got multi-joint WRISTS actually surprised me. I like the decision to mold the gauntlet “spikes” to a separate piece is a novel idea. Not only does it seem to open up part reuse (smart design/cost move), but it allowed the spikes to be cast in softer plastic so they are FAR more defined than I think I’ve seen on a basic Batman figure in a long time.
Sculpt is well done, and I approve the way they sculpted the elbow cut to give a really nice range of motion with a simple ball joint. The RANGE of movement the head joint allows is better than most collector lines. The cape is an improvement over Spin Master’s. Where as Spin Master seemed to use “paper cloth” for capes, Mattel is seemingly actual fabric. The denser material combined with increased size allows a better flow to the cape.

But I also have some design/QC quibbles-
The legs are bafflingly over-designed. The mid-thigh cut still looks ugly, and is more noticeable at this scale. A QC issue I seem to have (and have seen other report) is the the double jointed knees seem fused at the top, or REALLY tight. I’m a bit baffled that Mattel went this route when a simple bend and swivel joint (like the elbows) would have been MORE than sufficient, and probably function better.

I’m not a fan of the cape attachment area. This isn’t a Mattel issue, but a “kids Batman” issue I’ve held for years. I would have liked to see the connection point moved to the fore of the shoulder area. But I’m also partial to larger cape coverage so there might be some personal bias.

One of my utility belt connections is a bit wonky. Combined with the soft plastic of the accessory sprue, there CAN be a bit of fumbling getting all the stuff to work together.


All that rambling aside…most of my recent purchases, in so far as “kids” toys, have been Hasbro’s product for Transformers, Star Wars, and Marvel. The extent of my Mattel purchases have been MOTU Origins, which is more collector skewing. In that context…I think Mattel has a winner here. It’s not perfect, but you’d be hard pressed to find much better for less than $25. In a number of areas (particularly accessories) I think this figure exceeds most collector offerings. QC is always a roulette (and might be an issue since I don’t think Mattel is using pins in many of the joints, likely for cost), but for a casual DC fan on a budget?
Batman certainly hit most the points I want for a Batman, and it looks like other figures do as well. It’s just a nice Batman action figure in the truest sense of the word.

 

[LordGigaIce]

cape is an improvement over Spin Master’s. Where as Spin Master seemed to use “paper cloth” for capes, Mattel is seemingly actual fabric.

Minor point of order, SpinMaster switched to fabric for the tail end of their 4 inch kids line run. Shame it was so late in the line's lifespan because the paper cloth capes were probably my biggest issue with them prior to them fixing it just before it ended.

But I also have some design/QC quibbles-

I think, if you take it on the whole, Mattel, Hasbro, and McFarlane about even out when it comes to QC issues.
That being said... Mattel has been the culprit of some of the weirdest QC issues I've had recently. I picked up one of their new 200X Prince Adams, and the head began to discolour within an hour of taking it out of the package. I also got a new 200X Skeletor, and the two halves of his sword couldn't peg together because they'd moulded pegs into the orange half instead of ports.

As for this line, I had to pick up a second Batman because the first one I got had mis-moulded cowl ears, and my Robin has a random dried glue glob on his cape. Thankfully these guys aren't too expensive if I want to pick up another, but recent leaks show that Mattel's DC collector's line will be priced on par with Hasbro's Marvel Legends... so I hope they can get QC a bit tighter for that.

I’m not a fan of the cape attachment area. This isn’t a Mattel issue, but a “kids Batman” issue I’ve held for years. I would have liked to see the connection point moved to the fore of the shoulder area. But I’m also partial to larger cape coverage so there might be some personal bias.

The capes on these are very similar to the capes on Mattel's Total Heroes, one of their old DC kids lines. In fact this new line kind of feels like a natural evolution from Total Heroes.

But I agree... and it's not even a kids line issue... McFarlane's collector stuff gives you more cape than you get with these but even those have the connection point too far back.
If you REALLY want a good cape spread, Mafex's Hush Batman figure has you covered, but it's a $100+ import which is...

My hope is that Mattel's collectors stuff is more generous with the cape fabric. NECA and McFarlane have been proving you can do decent fabric capes at retail for years... and Mattel's a larger company than either.

most of my recent purchases, in so far as “kids” toys, have been Hasbro’s product for Transformers, Star Wars, and Marvel. The extent of my Mattel purchases have been MOTU Origins, which is more collector skewing. In that context…I think Mattel has a winner here. It’s not perfect, but you’d be hard pressed to find much better for less than $25. In a number of areas (particularly accessories) I think this figure exceeds most collector offerings. QC is always a roulette (and might be an issue since I don’t think Mattel is using pins in many of the joints, likely for cost), but for a casual DC fan on a budget?
Batman certainly hit most the points I want for a Batman, and it looks like other figures do as well. It’s just a nice Batman action figure in the truest sense of the word.

I feel for Hasbro. ActionVerse finally felt like them cracking the code on a good kids line. They finally got to a good level of paint and articulation, and the weapons rack idea worked wonders to add play value.

And then Mattel comes out with this line, at a comparable price point, and it just provides more.

 

[Steevy Maximus]

But I agree... and it's not even a kids line issue... McFarlane's collector stuff gives you more cape than you get with these but even those have the connection point too far back.
If you REALLY want a good cape spread, Mafex's Hush Batman figure has you covered, but it's a $100+ import which is…

I’m unwilling to pay more than $100 for a 6” action figure unless it comes with a vehicle.

Except for the Mezco One:12 89 Batman. And I regret NOTHING

I feel for Hasbro. ActionForce finally felt like them cracking the code on a good kids line. They finally got to a good level of paint and articulation, and the weapons rack idea worked wonders to add play value.

And then Mattel comes out with this line, at a comparable price point, and it just provides more.

I’ve yet to get an ActionVerse figure for any comparison, but I was a proponent early on at other sites because I could easily tell that Hasbro DID step up their game. The actual sculpt work is MUCH improved over Epic Heroes, regardless of the stylization. The sprue is allowing more, and more meaningful, accessories than the kid segment has seen in well over a decade. But I remain highly critical of Hasbro because, regardless the value on a “per item” basis, Hasbro’s continued to be REALLY stingy on characters and variety.

While not a complete “Apples to Apples” comparison, I’m extremely confident in saying that the average kid (what few that can be grabbed anymore) is going to end up with more diverse “collection” from Mattel’s DC or MOTU Core ranges, than pretty much anything from ActionVerse, Marvel or Star Wars. Again, it just feels like a strange “mentality flip” between Hasbro and Mattel from where I used to perceive them.

 

[LordGigaIce]

I’m unwilling to pay more than $100 for a 6” action figure unless it comes with a vehicle.

Except for the Mezco One:12 89 Batman. And I regret NOTHING

I’ve yet to get an ActionVerse figure for any comparison, but I was a proponent early on at other sites because I could easily tell that Hasbro DID step up their game. The actual sculpt work is MUCH improved over Epic Heroes, regardless of the stylization. The sprue is allowing more, and more meaningful, accessories than the kid segment has seen in well over a decade. But I remain highly critical of Hasbro because, regardless the value on a “per item” basis, Hasbro’s continued to be REALLY stingy on characters and variety.

While not a complete “Apples to Apples” comparison, I’m extremely confident in saying that the average kid (what few that can be grabbed anymore) is going to end up with more diverse “collection” from Mattel’s DC or MOTU Core ranges, than pretty much anything from ActionVerse, Marvel or Star Wars. Again, it just feels like a strange “mentality flip” between Hasbro and Mattel from where I used to perceive them.

It's really nuts, because Star Wars and Marvel have such wide character selections. ActionVerse could easily be expanded, but they seem content with very small character rosters.
Hell, ActionVerse would be a perfect vehicle to relaunch a kid-centric GI Joe line. The weapons rack idea seems tailor made for a military themed line. They finally seem to have a handle on the kids side of things, but they're super hesitant about actually running with it.

To be absolutely fair, however, we've seen two waves of product for Mattel's Core DC line, plus a few multi-packs and vehicles. And while the character selection is more diverse than when Hasbro is offering with ActionVerse... it's a very heavy Batman line. Only three characters who aren't Batman-related have shown off so far, and no women. Even Hasbro lets Spider-Gwen exist in their Spider-Man ActionVerse subline.

So I see Mattel's Core line being Batman-heavy, with Jokerized gimmicks, and no female characters... and again I must ask... we sure Todd McFarlane is leaving DC?

My point is that while Mattel's DC Core stuff is certainly more diverse in terms of character selection from Hasbro's Marvel ActionVerse stuff... it does have its own character selection issues. Just in different ways.

 

[Steevy Maximus]

Then again, Spider-Gwen is LITERALLY the only female character in the entire range (at this point). . Even under Epic Heroes, female character were severely underrepresented (except for X-Men, which, like most Epic Hero and ActionVerse lines, got ONE WHOLE WAVE).

I do get the frustration about a “DC Heroes” line being dominated by Batman, but I think a just as valid argument is that ActionVerse isn’t doing much better on the character front (At least until we see what they plan on doing for Doomsday) with . Avengers is pretty much flavors of Captain America (and Sam Wilson is out at the moment), Iron Man, Hulk, Black Panther, Thor and maybe Thanos. Spider-Man is Peter Parker, Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen and Venom. Period. Maybe you could generously chuck in the movie Scorpion into the mix.

DC Core is giving Batman (several flavors), Robin (several flavors), Nightwing, Joker, JokerBats (however you want to use him), Clayface, Mr Freeze, Bane, and Killer Croc. It’s certainly a step up on the villain front. Plus Superman, Flash, two Green Lanterns…and a probable 3rd wave due by the end of the year. What we’ve seen of ActionVerse is basically IT for the entire year (Aside from the new range for Doomsday)


As far as GI Joe? Yeah, I’d go for it, but as with ActionVerse and most of the “kids stuff”, I really do feel like Hasbro has lost faith in the segment and have been doubling down on the fan/collector ranges. And have progressively done so more and more since the demographics split in 2013. I think the last Marvel had a good kids segment was in 2018. Star Was has been a mess since Last Jedi/Solo. The utter bombing of Snake Eyes probably the final nail in GI Joe’s kid segment until a new movie gets off the ground…whenever the heck THAT happens.

 

[LordGigaIce]

Then again, Spider-Gwen is LITERALLY the only female character in the entire range (at this point). .

That's one more girl than Mattel's DC line has so far. There may be one more wave before the collector stuff hits but I do feel it's worth pointing out. McFarlane's offering got dragged over the coals for taking as long as it did to get to female characters and even they had a Harley in wave one and a Batgirl not soon after that.

ActionVerse, for all of its shortcomings, managed to get Spider-Gwen out, at the very least.

I do get the frustration about a “DC Heroes” line being dominated by Batman, but I think a just as valid argument is that ActionVerse isn’t doing much better on the character front...

A lot of it is just funny to me, because every DC licence holder spams Batman. Mattel is just doing what makes sense financially, but it's amusing after six years of people kvetching about Todd's over-reliance on Batman. Batman remains my favourite DC superhero so I'm certainly not complaining... but I do find it amusing that Mattel gets the licence back and everyone rejoices and then Mattel does the same stuff Todd was doing

Between Marvel ActionVerse and the DC Core stuff...

Iron Man
Captain America
Hulk
Spider-Man (Peter)
Spider-Man (Miles)
Spider-Gwen
Venom
Spider-Man (BND)
Hulk (BND)
Scorpion (BND)

Batman (blue and grey)
Robin (classic)
Flash
Joker
Infected Batman/JokerBats
Superman
Green Lantern (John)
Batman (black)
Batman (Arctic)
Mr. Freeze
Green Lantern (Hal)
Batman (black and grey)
Clayface
Batman (Hush... more or less)
Man-Bat

Listing the 2026 offerings out... I'm inclined to say that each line has issues... they're just different issues.
ActionVerse isn't taking advantage of Marvel's character roster and seems content to leave it at the heavy hitters and the main villain of an upcoming movie. Core, meanwhile, is very Batman heavy and the lack of any female representation is a shame.

I'm sure Mattel will get to DC's ladies when the collector stuff starts up again, but I do think pointing out the lack of women in the line is valid, especially when Hasbro's own limited equivalent line somehow found a slot for at least one girl.

 

[LBD "Nytetrayn"]

my birthday

Happy Birthday!

 

[Steevy Maximus]

A lot of it is just funny to me, because every DC licence holder spams Batman. Mattel is just doing what makes sense financially, but it's amusing after six years of people kvetching about Todd's over-reliance on Batman. Batman remains my favourite DC superhero so I'm certainly not complaining... but I do find it amusing that Mattel gets the licence back and everyone rejoices and then Mattel does the same stuff Todd was doing

Well, none of us have ever claimed that the broader collecting community was smart or capable of self reflection
I’m also a Bat-fan, but I never followed McFarlane that hard because…I just didn’t really care for a majority of his work. At the $25-30 collector range, I never found his product THAT compelling relative to competition from Hasbro, regardless of scale difference. I only picked up Batman (Flash movie), Knightfall Batman (classic blue and grey with oval), Batman Beyond, Grifter, and I think one or two more I picked up on clearance. Certainly not a big investment for the past 6 years of his license.

Truthfully, about the only thing that surprised me about Mattel’s efforts has been the fact that didn’t just spin Batman off into its own thing, as has been the norm for decades.

Todd’s problem was that he was “personable” to collectors, the face of his company, a face and identity collectors could focus their dissatisfaction on. By doing the livestreams himself, he created a “bond” of sorts with consumers who could focus on HIM for any perceived shortfalls.
Now? Mattel is just a faceless corporation off to do whatever the heck it wants. I think most collectors accept/buy into the idea that Mattel makes a bunch of Batman because that’s a typical corporate move; compared to McFarlane where it became “we get too much Batman because it’s TODD’S FAVORITE/FAULT!”.

Man-Bat

Listing the 2026 offerings out... I'm inclined to say that each line has issues... they're just different issues.
ActionVerse isn't taking advantage of Marvel's character roster and seems content to leave it at the heavy hitters and the main villain of an upcoming movie. Core, meanwhile, is very Batman heavy and the lack of any female representation is a shame.

I'm sure Mattel will get to DC's ladies when the collector stuff starts up again, but I do think pointing out the lack of women in the line is valid, especially when Hasbro's own limited equivalent line somehow found a slot for at least one girl.

Fair enough about the lack of women, though we’re still a wave short for the year. Alongside Deadshot, I’m halfway expecting Harley Quinn (hey, that’s 3 members of the Suicide Squad With Bane!), though if I were in charge, I’d chuck a Supergirl and Lobo in there to capture some interest from the film’s home release. Harley is probably most likely, of all the options because of the Bat-connection and her own pop-culture popularity.
Again, the ActionVerse stuff out now is ALL there is for the year (Until Doomsday, that that’s a separate line). Mattel still has another wave (plus who knows on exclusives) to diversify, so I’m willing to table this angle of the conversation until at least after SDCC.

And for clarification on the character list:
You forgot Nightwing (blue in the Bane pack), but Red Nightwing, Man-Bat and a HUSH Batman are 12” Titan figures, not the 6” scale as the rest Of the stuff we’ve been yammering about.

(Sidebar: I hope we get a second feature assortment wave with some villains. Darkseid would be perfect, as would a Man-Bat, with wing flapping and screeching sound effects!)