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!