Ask Matty for August 15, 2010
Matty from Mattycollector.com takes
the time to answer questions from collectors.
Thank you Matty!
1) There
were a few of the DC Infinite Heroes figures that
were shown but most people have not found them yet at
retail. When will the following figures be released?
(photos attached)
- Captain Atom in Gold and red
- Shazam in White
- Black Hand in Black and grey
Hopefully these
figures will get wider distribution in fall of 2010.
This is one of the reasons we have not announced more
2010 figure since there are quite a few previously
announced figures to make it out
there.
2) Some DC Infinite Heroes figures are hard to find
in the USA.
- Commissioner
Gordon in SWAT uniform
- Superman Prime
- Wildcat in Black
These figures
have been released in Canada, Australia and Europe,
but were almost a NO SHOW in the USA. Any plans to
get these figures into circulation again for the USA
collectors?
We have these
figures available for retailers to order in the US.
It is up to retailers to order more product. If you
are not seeing the latest Infinite Heroes figures at
your local toy store, ask for more from the toy
department manager.
3) Can you please stop pre-posing the DC Universe
Classics figures in their package? Some people have
reported that the limbs get warped in the package.
Looking at the packaged photo of Zatanna, I
hope
the same does not
happen to her action figure.
We didn’t
see a photo of Zatanna attached but if you want to
post it up so we can forward to our consumer goods
department, which may help us control this
issue!
4) Some people were very unhappy after Friday's panel
at SDCC, to see NO NEW FIGURES announced for DC
Infinite Heroes in 2010. We were just shown a Green
Lantern slide and were told we would have to wait
until 2011. I hope the wait will be worth it, meaning
that improvements to the 3.75" figures will be
included as well, like articulated elbows on the
female Green Lanterns. Besides GREEN LANTERN MOVIE
figures, I certainly hope that there will be a large
amount of Green Lantern Comic Book Versions of
characters mixed into the assortments. I hope that
the first wave of 3.75" Green Lantern figures is
large and impressive, because if it fails we may not
see wave 2 or 3. Will we see Classic Green Lantern
characters as well as the new Blackest Night
multi-colored lantern figures in the assortments?
(Please don't give that "we can't talk about
unannounced figures" answer, you owe the DCIH fans
something, and we know you plan to continue DCIH
after Green Lantern, so maybe you can shed some more
light on that.)
We can’t
comment anymore on 2011 product at this time.
We’ll have a lot to reveal in the coming months
though. All we can say is you will see 3 ¾”
scale figures in 2011 with a Green Lantern theme.
Until we have retailer commitments we can’t
announce anything. 2011 is still very in
flux.
5) I saw the new Imaginex Green Lantern Playset that
was announced at SDCC. A repaint of the Mars base. I
was thinking that another repainted version would
make a nice Aquaman playset? (I hope the Green
Lantern Movie 3.75" playsets will be more
impressive.)
That is a great
suggestion and we will gladly pass along to the
Fisher-Price team!
New DC Infinite Heroes 3 packs
Ask Matty for May 1, 2010
Matty from Mattycollector.com takes the time to
answer questions from collectors.
Thank you Matty!
1) We have
seen a metallic green deco on the DCUC Hal Jordan
Green Lantern figure. Will that figure be part of the
Green Lantern 5-pack or a running change in the
ALL-STAR lineup?
This
is an upcoming TRU All-Star re-deco figure! We kind
of snuck that reveal in to see who noticed!
2) Someone
suggested that the DCUC Starro mask 4-pack that will
be given away FREE at SDCC with the purchase of the
DCIH boxed set, be also SOLD on the
Mattycollector.com site after SDCC. Some collectors
would like to buy multiples to use on their DCUC
figures. Is this possible?
Much
like Gleek, the Starro Spores will only be available
with purchase of the Starro 75th pack at SDCC. The
version of the 75th box set on MattyCollector.com
will not include the 6” scale Spores.
3) Will there be a reserve supply
of SDCC DCUC Plasticman and DCIH Starro Box Sets put
aside for the Mattycollector.com site, or if they
sell out at SDCC will they no longer be
available?
Yes,
all of the SDCC items have separate inventory for the
show as well as Mattycollector.com. If we have stock
left over from the SDCC inventory it will be sold
online as well. Although based on previous years we
doubt any of the items that are exclusive to the show
such as Orko or the Starro Spores will remain after
the show so please don’t count on this
option.
4) Aquaman fans were happy to see
him in the DCIH Starro Box Set. When will the DCIH
Aquaman figure be released on a single card at
retail?
We
don’t have a retail version of Aquaman in
Infinite Heroes to announce quite yet. Right now, the
Starro pack version is the only one on the horizon.
5)
What is the DCIH STARRO figure made from? It kind of
looks like foam rubber. Are there wires in the arms
that will hold the shape if you bend them? Is it safe
to toss at my nephew's head when we play "STARRO
ATTACKS!"?
It
is made of rubber with bendy metal wires running
through it; similar to Clayface’s arms but with
a more heavy-duty material.
Ask Matty for April 15, 2010
Matty from Mattycollector.com takes the time to
answer questions from collectors.
1.
All
but 5 of the DC Infinite Heroes figures shown at the
NY Toy Fair are now available at retail. When do you
plan to reveal the next batch of new DCIH
figures?
Ideally,
we will have more figures to reveal at SDCC if there
is enough retailer interest to continue the line in
2011.
2. The
DC Infinite Heroes Ravager figure was the first
female DCIH I saw with new hips and knees. How long
before a new female upper torso is made to use ball
joint shoulders and arms with elbow
joints.
Again,
if there is enough retailer interest to continue the
line we should be getting to a new female buck very
soon.
3.
The
DCIH Deathstroke figure was released, but the paint
colors did not match what the DCUC 6" version or the
comic books have. Are there plans to release a redeco
with blue legs instead of silver?
Nothing
is locked in yet, but this would be a great redeco
for the future!
4. When
are the DCIH Robin, Dr.Light, Ravager and Heatwave,
Flash, Trickster, 3-packs scheduled to be in
stores?
These
should be shipping by the summer.
5. When
are the DCIH redecos, "Gold" Captain Atom, "Black
& Grey" Black Hand, and the Reverse Flash,
scheduled to be in stores?
These
are scheduled for late summer/early
fall.
Ask Matty for January 15, 2010
Matty from Mattycollector.com takes the time to
answer questions from collectors.
1. Chris
asks: I have noticed that the Alexander Luthor
(3.75") figure is about the most unpopular figure in
the line, in spite of how easy he is to customize,
but he died and was resurected as a Black Lantern and
with no physical changes to his appearance, only a
paint change, so perhaps Mattel could consider a
paint change on the figure to a Black Lantern design
to perhaps make it more popular, and maybe even
generate more interest in the first one? All of this
with the fact that Blackest Night is going on in the
books of course.
We’d love
to get some Blackest Night characters. But keep in
mind, we learn about new characters at the same time
you do, and it takes 12-16 months for a new figure to
hit shelves. So the earliest you might see these type
of figures would be spring 2011.
2. Will the Green Lantern movie toy
line have 3.75" figures and playsets similar to the
Batman movie toy line? I hope to see a Green Lantern
Main Power Battery playset kind of like what was
originally proposed for the Kenner Super Powers toy
line.
It is WAY too
early for us to discuss any of our plans right now
for Green Lantern, but you can be assured we will
have some amazing figure lines for both kids and
collectors!
3. I read that Maniac Mike will be
handling the DCU toy lines. How long has Mike been a
DC fan and Who are some of Mike's favorite DC
characters?
Mike: "I've been
reading DC Comics for a while now. Oddly enough
it was the Death of Superman Event that pulled me
into DC Comics, after the emergence of Image had me
reading Spawn and Young Blood, back in the early
90's. I've since gone back and read a lot of
older stuff both pre-Crisis and post. As for
favorite characters right now I would say I'm a big
Vic Sage The Question fan (Not that I have anything
against Renee Montoya). I'm also a big Secret
Six/Villains United fan! I just wish they would
bring back Parademon as I miss his and Ragdolls
banter 
I'm definitely digging
Batman & Robin right now as Dick Grayson has
definitely stepped into the role pretty
smoothly!"
4. Besides the Legion of Super-Heroes, what other
teams will be featured in the 2010 DC Infinite Heroes
toyline? You don't have to announce specific
characters, just tell us what DC Teams will be
represented in 2010?
There will be
figures from many teams next year including Justice
League, Justice Society, Teen Titans and
more.
5. DC Comics will be featuring the GENERATIONAL
LEGACY of their characters during their 75th
Anniversary year. Will we see something similar
reflected in the 2010 DCUC and DCIH where characters
from the Golden-Age, Silver-Age, Bronze-Age and
Modern-Age be in the lineups or grouped in sets?
Yup, you’ll
absolutely see this in many of our lines next year
and beyond too.
Ask Matty for December 16, 2009
Matty from Mattycollector.com takes the time to
answer questions from collectors.
1. The majority of the DC Infinite Heroes single
figures hit the stores in February 2009. Until now
there have been very few new single figures available
at retail. Will all of the single figures shown at
SDCC be in the stores before the end of 2009, or will
we have to wait until 2010 to see them all at retail?
Much like with
JLU, some of the IH figures shown at SDCC will not
make it to retail until 2010. But we are working hard
to get them out!
2. DCIH - The Toys-R-Us exclusive Gotham Patrol
6-pack never showed up in many parts of the country.
Has Mattel made plans to rerelease the Jason Todd
Hush, Killer Croc and Catwoman figures on single
cards or in a 3-pack?
No plans right
now for a re-release or a single pack out. But this
pack has still been spotted on shelf as recent as
October, so it is still out there!
3. DCIH - Why were there so few new 3-packs and
6-packs in 2009? We only saw the Gotham Knight,
Shazam, and Public Enemies 3-packs and the
Mallah’s Revenge and Public Enemies 6-packs.
Was the delay in production or at retail?
We have been
working with all of our retail partners to get new IH
figures out to shelves as quick as
possible.
4. Do you consider using parts across different toy
lines or do prefer to sculpt new ones?
Scareglow’s head might be good for a DCUC
Mr.Bones or Atomic Skull. The Batman: The Brave and
the Bold armored Batman from the Gorilla Grodd set
would make a nice S.T.R.I.P.E. for the DC Infinite
Heroes. The Action League Black Manta head would go
nice on a DC Infinite Heroes body. Consider playsets
or vehicles that could be designed for the Batman:The
Brave and the Bold toy line or Action League but also
compatible with the DC Infinite Heroes figures?
We will
occasionally mix parts between lines of a similar
brand, but you won’t see parts from a MOTUC
figure being used for a DC figure or Ghostbusters
character. Good suggestions
though!
5. I saw the most recent JLU 6-packs at Target, and I
noticed that several figures had warped legs in the
package. I do not want to buy the figures if they are
just going to fall over. Will the weak ankle problem
ever be fixed on the JLU figures?
We’ll pass
this comment onto design. We’re always looking
for ways to improve upon our figures and will make
sure to make note of this concern.
Ask Matty for December 1, 2009
Matty from Mattycollector.com takes the time to
answer questions from collectors.
1. Will the future DC Infinite Heroes females figures
get new arm and hip articulation? Yes or No?
Yes, we plan on
adding new articulation to all of our IH
figures!
2. I like the added articulation on the 3.75"
Superman / Batman: Public Enemies figures. However,
one of my Superman figures leg snapped at the knee
when I tried to bend it. The knee joint looked like
it was fused solid and broke instead of moving
freely. I've read of similar reports online. I want
my figures to be able to sit down. Can this problem
please be fixed soon?
We’ll pass
this along to our safety team. If you have exact
images of any damaged figure that you can post on our
Facebook page, that is the best way for us to correct
any errors. We’ll do all we can so this does
not happen.
3. Mattel has allowed Toy Fare to conduct fan polls
to determine future figures in the DCUC toyline. Can
a similar poll also be done for DCIH and JLU? Mattel
can suggest several characters for singles or suggest
multi-pack combinations and let the fans decide
online.
This is something
we are looking into for 2010! Stay
tuned.
4. Now that the new DC Infinite Heroes figures that
were shown at NYCC and SDCC are FINALLY on their way
to stores, how long before the next wave of new
figures and the new theme are announced? Before the
end of 2009 or will we have to wait until Toyfair
2010?
We will most
likely hold off on announcing more figures until NY
Toy Fair in February at our collector night. Although
we might sneak a surprise or two in there before
hand!
5. The new 3.75" Public Enemies figures used a new
body style that has less muscle definition on the
torso, arms and legs. They look less like SUPER
HEROES and more like average athletes. I'm sure that
Mattel can use these bodies for Avatar figures and
future 3.75" wrestlers. Can you please put some
muscles back on the Super Heroes or go back to the
older body style?
We’ll pass
this suggestion on to the design team!
DC Infinite Heroes - New figures coming soon
DC Infinite Heroes CRISIS set
Mattycollector.com will be offering a special Crisis themed 4 figure set of DC Infinite Heroes on their website.
The DC Infinite Heroes figures include; the Monitor, Psycho-Pirate, The Flash 2 (Barry Allen) and Supergirl.
Judging from the photo of the card back, it appears that these figures may have unique details that make them different from the ones that will be available at retail stores.
Supergirl: special figure has battle damaged outfit and the regular one at retail has the normal outfit.
Flash 2 (Barry Allen): special figure has a decomposing head and the regular one at retail may have a normal head.
Psycho-Pirate: special figure will be wearing the Medusa Mask and the regular one at retail will have his face visible.
Monitor: I'm not sure if there will be differences in the figure yet.
More details on these DC Infinite Heroes figures should be revealed at SDCC next month.
DC Infinite Heroes
I've always said that there should be a 3.75 inch DC Universe with realistic sculpts and limited articulation similar to Star Wars figures.
DC Direct tried Pocket Superheroes, but not realistic enough for me.
DC Minimates, look cool but not a collection I would go after.
Mattel's DC Infinite Heroes finally got it right.
Pictured below are: Gotham City Police Officers, Commissioner Gordon, Black Adam, Flash: Jay Garrick, Supergirl, Bizarro, Wonder Girl, Batwoman, Batman, Catwoman, GCPD Police, The Question, Hush, Black Hand, LexCorp Goon?, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Green Lantern, GCPD Police, Power Girl, Shazam! (Captain Marvel), Zoom, Wildcat, Killer Croc, Weather Wizard, Thanagarian Guards and Hawkman.
