Hey Spector/Scott, I just wanted to say that as a collector about to turn 20, I grew up collecting the DC Universe Classics action figures. I absolutely love this line and nearly have every single one of them (from superheroes through DC Signature Collection). I think of DCUC the same way you and many other collectors think of Kenner’s Super Powers. And I just wanted to thank you for posting these videos about my absolute favorite toy line of all times. And thank you and your team for having such an influence on my childhood and young adulthood.
I just turned 22 and I absolutely agree with this statement. This will always be the series that made me love collecting and I will always hold it close to my heart.
Woah what a journey I've been on, I thoroughly enjoyed this series and having a look at the best toy line to ever grace shelves. I don't want to go into too much detail but I could never afford these when the line came out so I used to go to the store on weekends just to stare at them. By the time I could afford to buy the figures the line ended but I was able to get the all stars batman and superman and I still buy the figures on ebay when they come up at a price I can afford. My favourite of all the figures is Ted Cord as The Blue Beetle. A very simple figure I know but like all the figures he just looked like he fell out of a comic book when I shook it. So I'd like to thank you for making my world so colourful as a collector. You, Bill and everyone else at Mattel did an exceptional job with the DC Licence no company will ever match the love and passion and dedication that went into making DC Universe Classics and the sub lines so great!
Awesome series!!! As someone who collected the whole DCUC line...Twice!!!!!! MIB and loose....I couldn't go without thanking you for these vids.... Basically the final DCUC bucks used was the Superfriends Batman, Superman, Green Lantern and Aquaman from Mattel....What a ride!!! 👍💀
I remember when several SKU of this and the Thundercats Classics were at my "local" Think Geek after the recent closure of Matty Collector. I bought two of the Superman figure one to play with and one to collect. I gave the loose one to my cousins whom lost it immediately and I still have the other sealed in the mailer box.
Awesome upload! Its actually intresting to hear the behind the scenes of figure production! I remember buying mainly the Batman rogues villians and Robins when this DC line came out! It was so cool to have a Dick Grayson and Jason Todd versions of robin heads and remember going nuts over that! I still have them in my collection!
That really stinks how people would return figures claiming there was no Kalibak piece inside. As much as how I disagree how big corporate machine decisions are made that was still pretty low for people to do that. I was finally happy to get a Batman figure with an entirely blue cowl an the yellow oval emblem; that's the costume I'm pretty much a sucker for since it's the costume I grew up with as a kid.
@@grandmoffpuppeteer Well if the toy companies weren't trash then "con" exclusive, store exclusives would die in a fire....They wonder why "collectors" or even just kids don't want things, well maybe it has something to do with having to go to 25 different stores or having to race to certain stores or spend potentially hundreds on ebay because the thought of being trapped in a building with people not wearing deodorant make having a root canal sound fun....
I was so glad we get the lighter blue Superman outfit. I do wish he'd been given ankle rockers though. Was great to have him at the same time as Doomsday though.
DC can never be truly replicated in one toy line, but this one definitely hit a lot of notes that will never be replicated. Stuff like Super Powers, Super Friends, 90's specific designs, you'll likely never see other versions than DCUC.
in a way you could argue why would anyone want them replicated beyond the look...Super Powers kinda sucked, mainly because of the stupid action feature that either made the figure fragile or limited what you could do with it....Wanna move Batman's arm OK well pray to whatever god you worship that the arm doesn't snap right off because of the karate chop action. The only thing wrong with the DC classics was the weird obsession of having a molded plastic cape, DC seems to usually have an obsession with a molded plastic cape.
@@lutherheggs451 the action gimmicks were hit and miss. The big thing about Super Powers, yes beyond nostalgia, was not since Mego had so many DC characters been made. Kenner even surpassed them with New Gods and some Super Friends thrown in. It's easy to say in 2021 "well we have options". In the mid eighties if you wanted a Darkseid or Red Tornado....Super Powers were your go to. So that in mind, a series that celebrated multiple eras of DC pretty much had to include those figures. Especially when many were considered iconic looks.
I remember those Super Power inspired repaints. It really looked embarrassing back then. Those were repainted figures with less accessories but cost more. I think a lot of people felt it was disappointing that this was how Mattel choose to end the DC universe classics line. but now we know the reason I guess to regroup the cost for Doomsday. Wondergirl looks good until collectors realize she's way too tall for some reason. felt like the problem was reusing the female figure parts that werent teenager proportions.
Thanks for a great video! I loved the Super Powers homage line, and was shocked to pick up Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman for very cheap at the Mattycollector site ($10 each, I think), but no Kalibak piece included. Now I know why…
The secret ingredient was you Scott! As a fan you knew what we wanted. And except for the Legion, which wasn't your fault, you delivered! Why else would I, just this week, August 6, 2022, bought 2 figures of yours, Golden Age Guardian and Vixen! How many McFarlane DC figures have I bought period? Three! Devastator for my Earth 6 Doomsday, Gorilla Grodd, and Atom Smasher yesterday. McFarlane is a Genuis and a Legend in a lot of ways, but to me, a 28 year Collector, 24 years as former Manager and Owner of Comic Book Stores; next to you he's terrible. A 4 figure Wave of Batman, Batman, Batman, and Batman from him! In an incompatible scale, sometimes really crappy articulation, weird faces! Even this Blue Beetle and Booster Gold he just came out with is terrible! The heads are just Crap! I'm thankful I got yours. And while distribution to my area was bad, I still ended up with 6 DC Earth's thanks to you! A 27 member Justice League, a 31 member Justice Society, 17 Titans, 8 Outsiders, 20 member Green Lantern Corps, 13 member Crime Syndicate with only 7 released members, even a 16 member Legion and I missed the big box set. You knew what fans wanted. The current status quo isn't for me. The other companies are giving me figures I want. DC isn't. And DC was my first love.
In the 90’s Bruce Timm Superman series Mr. Mxyzptlk phoneticized his name as “mix-yes-spit-lick”, and that always stuck with me, and the fact that he was voiced by Gilbert Gottfried made it that much easier to remember for better or worse. I have the Super Powers Steppenwolf that you guys did for Classics because that was one of my favorite figures as a kid. I later found out that those New Gods redesigns that Kirby did for Super Powers was one of his biggest paydays he ever received and some of his peers referred to the job as Kirby’s “retirement plan”.
What a great story. Bittersweet ending. Terrible that so many people stole Kalibak. You built a truly amazing collection. Between this and JLU. The amount of obscure characters, females and villains is unprecedented. Thank you. Thank you for sharing this part of toy history. Several years back you had given some hints as to which figures were planned for the remainder of the canceled 2014 subscription. If I remember correctly you had mentioned a sidekick and a civilian. I can’t find the list anywhere lol. Could you share who was planned to fill the last 8 spots in with us?
The line went down swinging, that's for sure. But the biggest regret for me in the Super Powers remakes was the lack of an Orion with the SP stylings. Is there a story there, Scott? Perhaps you've already told it somewhere. Anyway, another fascinating video. Many thanks.
Thanks for this really informative line of videos Scott and for all your work on DCUC! I loved this line and picked up about 90-95% of them (even the Matty Exclusives & post-DCUC Multiverse figures). Funnily enough the day before you posted this video I purchased Mr Mxyzptlk to finally get the last Kalibak piece after having the other pieces for several years! Looking forward to completing him
Another great video! Keep them coming! This video made me think I'd like to see a video about tooling. The cost the time and things of that nature. I see alot of collectors and toy companies bringing this up quite often.
Funnily enough, while attempting to research the purpose of the Green Lantern/Acertijo figure, I came across a RU-vid thumbnail that had it, or at least I thought it did. So based off the thumbnail of another video that had a lot of Green Lanterns, I clicked it and was introduced to Spector Creative and I remember commenting something like "Where is GL Riddler fig?" or "I don't get WHY that thing exists" and you said you'd explain it in a later video. I subscribed and months down the line here we are. It's a bittersweet feeling getting real closure on my mystery, sticking with the channel and enjoying many other great topics, and now seeing the series that really got me hooked come to a conclusion. This video is a special one for me. Amazing work as always.
With all due respect to McFarlane DC, the Mattel DCUC line was the absolute peak of DC figures. It will NEVER be that good again. Nowadays, it seems like 65% of all DC figures are just Batman variants.
Just want to say thanks for all the figures you were able to put out. Was a composite superman ever discussed as a possibility of being made? That was the figure I always wanted.
I have never seen the Super Powers Riddler figure in the 80s. That certainly fetches a pretty penny nowadays. The Super Powers action figures were among the best figures ever produced in that decade. My favorites of the 6 inch DC figures are Batman (black costume, Keaton), Wonder Woman, Artemis, Green Arrow, The Question and Vigilante. Great video, as always Scott.
This is an episode I'm sure I'll return to a few times. I have some figures set aside for customs and that Rocketman and Quadrex (inspired by a Barsoom Martian maybe?) might be just the thing! I've always loved those foreign repaints. (What?! No 'El Capitan Ray'?! )😂 Thanks again.
my DCUC stand out when I enter my man cave, such a great line.hate to see it go..but it made many DC readers, super friends & Justice league viewers dream collection come to fruition.
Oh wow, you did these too Scott? Have so many of them. My favorite were the Super Powers style figures. And I forgot I even had the wonder twins figure set. Just not sure what closet they’re in!
From this wave i just bought mxyzptlk, because it was a great addition to the line ! I have a question... the SDCC Exclusive STARRO figure is part of this line or not? Did you work in that figure? I am from LIMA Peru, and I love your videos!! Thank you
I’ve talked to the former owner of Playful and Pacipa, the man who created the Riddler. He made it because at that time the Batman movie was released and he felt like he needed more Batman villains. Actually Kenner liked it very much. Note that it was exclusively an Argentinian figure. Estrela did the manufacturing in Brazil and there were other local vendors.
@@spectorcreative1872 It works well, thank you! I'm trying to figure out how to create my own videos (about a different subject matter) and your style inspired me as a format I think would fit for what I'm trying to accomplish.
Why do you think DC never re-release some Super Powers vintage action figures like Star Wars and Ghostbuster did? I know very few collectors with the complete set. Some of them, like Cyborg, are almost impossible to buy now. Or release new figures in that style and scale?
My favorite scale is 3 3/4" and I have.... Hmmm! Too many. Did you work on Batman Unlimited in that size? (For some reason, the disproportionate cartoon aesthetic really works for a lot of those characters).
Little side note..... I always loved the base muscular body used for this line..... It shows the 4 Horse Men really knew body proportions and anatomy...... People always whined about the "hip articulation" but it never bothered me..... though towards the end the body got "updated".... This this massive Pectorals super short abs and puny pelvis connecting to these long slender thighs..... Geez.... WHAT HAPPENED!!!!!!
Do you know what was planned for Signature subscription series if it had continued? That might make a good video. It seems like the subscription model was handicapped in a way because you had less tooling than the retail line but you had a more discerning collector customer base and you didn’t have as many options to plus up the figures as you had with MOTU classics, a Mattel IP with no royalty costs. I wonder if a really high-end six-inch collector DC line could work from a smaller company like a Super 7. You made six-inch the definitive size for DC, but will there ever be a revival at the same level as Marvel Legends with the obscure characters and multiple heads and hand sets? It seems doubtful, unless they can even pull together a successful run of movies.
I know Miss Martian was the next figure but I haven’t been able to locate a b-sheet for the full year. I still have many files to go through. I imagine it will turn up
Do you know how many figures there are in all of the 6 inch lines. Batman line. Superman line. Multiverse. Classics. Signature. I think that is all the lines.
Here’s a video suggestion for you, could you do a video talking about how the DC Direct line influenced the DCUC line, in terms of character selection, or in any way, your approach to any aspect of managing the brand? I’ve heard you say “DC Direct had already done X” a bunch of times and it makes me wonder if you had any access to their marketing, sales data, stuff that helped steer you in some directions or away from others. It doesn’t seem like a coincidence that you mostly stayed away from the LOSH characters designs DC Direct for example, and they scale together pretty good, coincidence? I always thought the two lines were very different, but there are some similarities , like that Indigo Atom for example, that just make me wonder about the thought process behind character selection, and even in the Justice League Unlimited line, when I see characters like the Crisis era Earth 2 Robin in makes me wonder how much good marketing data backs up character selection. Can you take us behind that curtain? For my money though, getting characters like the 80s Vigilante and Kamandi into toy form is just absolutely amazing that you were able to do that and you deserve legendary status in your business for the work you did on DCUC and MOTU classics. I seriously wonder if any major toy company will ever commit to work that good over that long a period again.
The production run was tiny? How was it I picked these all up at OLLIE'S?! Who dropped that ball?! I never saw them at retail before they hit Ollie's shelves (Ollie's is a close-out and overstock merch store for those who don't have one nearby).
@@spectorcreative1872 Yeah…just disappointing that soo many people would do a buy & swap like that. That’s just straight up stealing. I can see a few people out there doing it. You always have your a-holes in any group. But enough people to Not only cause a QC alert but to kill the profit targets too 🙄
I loved DC figures at this time! These make up probably 95% of my 6 DC Earth's! I started collecting in 1994 and was buying DC until McFarlane took over. He has his fans, but I don't like them.
So, Scott...in a sense, the details your group put into this wave to excite and delight the collector's market (maintaining the integrity of the carded look, obscure character designs, etc) kinda backfired in this particular case? What with taking the build-a-fig parts and returning the core figure, etc (although, who would be that aggressive about a getting a classic-deco Kalabak, and then not want the other classic-deco look figures? Weird, but then, aggro-collector mindset often befuddles me.) I wonder, with 20/20 hindsight, do you think that was because the line grew to rely on that base too much? Or, and the details about the run size seem to back this up, was this a last gasp, "let's get weird" moment that some fans didn't appreciate at the time? I want to make clear, I just find the nuts-and-bolts financial/manufacturing elements really fascinating. Not trying to be combative or anything.
Due to financial reasons i was not able to get the full set,i bought Batman,Riddler(green lantern)And Mr.Mxyzptlk. I loved that line because i love Super Powers.
I didnt realized that all the figures came with kalibak on the box I only have 2 parts / some of the ones I acquired were at store on gamestop and didnt have the box with the build a figure . I have all of them . sad that I didnt get to complete it
@@spectorcreative1872 regardless of the result. Thank you so much for bringing them to market. I use to have some of them back home in South America (the 3.75 from a brand called 'Gulliver' in Colombia ) which were licensed from kenner so seeing Them again was great and I'm glad that I got the whole 6 of them. Until I saw your video I thought they were more of them.
It is amazing how little care retailers have for inventory of returns and just straight up theft. I imagine suppliers are very lenient in what they take back from retailers. As a Canadian I was amazed when I lived in America at how lax return policies were, taking back open items without a receipt was common while that would never happen in Montreal. I am sorry your good intention was so thoroughly taken advantage of and people stole those toys. As someone who uses reddit I am always amazed at the mental gymnastics people will do to justify clearly immoral behaviour. "Matel is a big company that is destroying the earth with plastic so it isn't stealing!". Assholes.
Yeah, totally. The so-called "moral balance". Like, I threw a quarter in that busker's guitar case this morning so now I get to act like a snot for the rest of the afternoon. People are infuriating.
Listening to your stories of "how the saugage is made" is strangely entertaining, yet illuminating. It's like HAMILTON in that we get to hear about in company politics minus the song & dance.
Throughout the entire DCUC run, why did Superman have such a tiny "S" symbol on the chest? That always bothered me given how the original DCSH Superman had a perfect sized "S" Was that simple a design choice?
I just think it's awesome Mattel NEVER had "painted on clothes"...... All boots and bracelets were always sculpted on and all the capes, belts, straps, skirts were properly secured..... not to mention the "matte" plastic used made the product feel less "toyetic"..... For as much hail as Marvel Legends get, they sure do cut a lot of corners, but people don't seem to care.....
@@spectorcreative1872 You didn't need access to Vertigo. There was a storyteller Death character In one of the horror anthologies comic books. Of course I was talking about Death of the Endless and not that character, but... ...speaking about horror anthologies hosts, a Cain and Able two pack would sound nice. But too obscure to sell to non-adult collectors. Special storytelling action.
@@stanleyteriaca2184 Storytelling Action. 😂 That actually would be cool; a retro pull string, Abel's stutter... There are 6" Vertigo action figures tho, including the Endless.
@@johnmorey720 Hey, could I get the link to your customs pics again?? I've looked a couple of times but by now totally lost track of whatever episode you left that comment in. (Apologies *if necessary to* whatever weird internet customs about self promotion might be in vogue at the moment?? I can never keep track of all that ____ either)
Never liked this line of Super Power line. Dislike the plastic cape's. I would must rather see a re-run of the original run of the original Super Power's figure with the original molds.
