Sadly, Target stores are massive hit or miss in their distribution of McFarlane exclusives. I live in one of the largest metropolitan areas, Dallas/Ft. Worth, and the stores rarely have the exclusives on the pegs. Many times they are left in the back & never make it to the floor as they are sold out the back door. I don't think it will be any different with Mattel taking over the license either. Many times the Target associates couldn't be bothered to see if they are in the back, even though a scan of the bar code shows the figure is "on hand".
1 hour ago, RobertD said:Some of it holds up. To this day their Killer Croc-wave Alfred has yet to be topped.
Sure. And their Batwoman is actually better sculpted than McFarlane's. But, by and large, most Mattel stuff is dated. If Mattel wanted to do a true Legends-scale 6" line, they could do it without worrying too much about previous Mattel collectors skipping all their stuff. The first Batman or Superman Mattel does in 2026 will be better than anything they put out 5+ years ago.
When I was collecting DC before, I usually skipped Mattel's stuff in favor of DC Direct.
5 minutes ago, Jscott991 said:Mattel's DC stuff is so dated that I don't think they really need to worry about previous DC Mattel collectors sitting a new line out.
Some of it holds up. To this day their Killer Croc-wave Alfred has yet to be topped.
1 minute ago, RobertD said:Well, it's worth keeping in mind we don't know what scale Mattel intends to do. Remember their non-origins He-Man stuff is 7-inch scale. Actually, thinking about it the smart decision on their part might be to go with 7-inch (not my preference) to keep collectors of the current Multiverse stuff on-board as well as to incentivize collectors of their previous Multiverse line to re-buy figures that they already did last time around. Someone's less likely to buy a 6-inch scale character if they already have them from Mattel's original run, and McFarlane certainly left a hell of a lot of gaps while he focused on Batman Variant #4543. That said I do hope they do 6-inch figures. No reason Legends and Multiverse shouldn't occupy the same space in our collections.
Thankfully, as we've seen in their WWE stuff, Mattel isn't afraid of rocking some soft goods so maybe that trend will continue, though for me soft goods REALLY have to be done well in order to be worth it. Way too often that stuff ends up looking like you're dressing up dolls, so it's got to mesh well. The capes McFarlane has done so far have been pretty solid, by and large.
Mattel's DC stuff is so dated that I don't think they really need to worry about previous DC Mattel collectors sitting a new line out. That said, I think Mattel's collector line will be Masterverse-scale, which can scale with McFarlane's stuff, but not always.
McFarlane does good wired capes. But non-wired soft goods stuff is awful (Black Series, Supergirl Rebirth, etc.). I still prefer plastic by and large, but I have no problem with the capes on Power Girl and Supergirl (WoT).
9 hours ago, Atlantis said:One of the great things about mcfarlane losing the license is that now another company can make the figures people have been wanting, or missed, and this time around they'll be more in scale with their other 6" figures. The one thing he did that was good, was delve into soft goods capes (he got some good vehicles too I admit). Do that, use accurate figures for the characters, and bob's your uncle.
Well, it's worth keeping in mind we don't know what scale Mattel intends to do. Remember their non-origins He-Man stuff is 7-inch scale. Actually, thinking about it the smart decision on their part might be to go with 7-inch (not my preference) to keep collectors of the current Multiverse stuff on-board as well as to incentivize collectors of their previous Multiverse line to re-buy figures that they already did last time around. Someone's less likely to buy a 6-inch scale character if they already have them from Mattel's original run, and McFarlane certainly left a hell of a lot of gaps while he focused on Batman Variant #4543. That said I do hope they do 6-inch figures. No reason Legends and Multiverse shouldn't occupy the same space in our collections.
Thankfully, as we've seen in their WWE stuff, Mattel isn't afraid of rocking some soft goods so maybe that trend will continue, though for me soft goods REALLY have to be done well in order to be worth it. Way too often that stuff ends up looking like you're dressing up dolls, so it's got to mesh well. The capes McFarlane has done so far have been pretty solid, by and large.
11 hours ago, Jscott991 said:No complaint or criticism of McFarlane is ever valid.
One of the great things about mcfarlane losing the license is that now another company can make the figures people have been wanting, or missed, and this time around they'll be more in scale with their other 6" figures. The one thing he did that was good, was delve into soft goods capes (he got some good vehicles too I admit). Do that, use accurate figures for the characters, and bob's your uncle.
37 minutes ago, RobertD said:Counterpoint: Your experience is not his experience, therefore it is an invalid experience, any complaints are to be mocked, brushed aside, and everyone just needs to buy a calendar and move to a high-traffic (preferably port) city. Or something. Only then are complaints about distribution valid.
No complaint or criticism of McFarlane is ever valid.
7 minutes ago, jwheeler0805 said:Please tell me you aren't one of those who has never bothered to think that not every collector's local situation is the same, in terms of where they live, what stores are (or aren't) located there...
Counterpoint: Your experience is not his experience, therefore it is an invalid experience, any complaints are to be mocked, brushed aside, and everyone just needs to buy a calendar and move to a high-traffic (preferably port) city. Or something. Only then are complaints about distribution valid.
2 hours ago, obs said:I have every figure in the line and I dont stalk the internet. Release dates are released 10-14 days early along with the time they go up. Buy yourself a calendar. Mattel are the ones infamous for posting release dates the day before their motu exclusives go online.
You can find almost every new release in all the usual places right now. Theres an occasional figure thats harder to get, but its much easier these days. For me the more htf are platinum task force Flash and btas Phantasm reissue but i can get the entire Platinum wave off Mcfarlanes store for $60 using my discount and a $20 rewards coupon and can get the other online if I wanted. And if it wasnt that simple I would wait and get them when the opportunity presented itself. Better than screaming about it and getting angry (over toys).
"You can find almost every new release in all the usual places right now." Please tell me you aren't one of those who has never bothered to think that not every collector's local situation is the same, in terms of where they live, what stores are (or aren't) located there, how well those stores manage their inventory, how much shelf/peg space is devoted to the products, how much competition is in that immediate area, etc. My little old hometown of 5,000 people has one Walmart that doesn't carry McFarlane at all in store. Some people are even more remote than that. Some live in smaller cities like mine (around 125,000), where there are just a couple of stores that carry them at all, and they get product on a very sporadic basis, sometimes skipping one or more waves entirely for unknown reasons. And there are plenty of other variables and situations. I've collected various lines for years and lived in different cities in that time, and, as is the case here, my local experience is no more true for you than yours is for me or the next guy.
I'm glad he's a gold label as opposed to just a 1-6 platinum as this is my favorite look for one of my favorite villains, don't so much love that they're saying he's "exclusively in-store" though. Also, he's a "Revenge of the Green Lanterns" version but no rings on his fingers? Lazy-Lazy Todd.
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