blackwater_park

I've bought a lot of DC Direct stuff in the past but that's it for me with that shower. It's not so much that I don't believe the line wasn't as successful as the top brass would like - it's more a case of the company manufacturing line upon line of expensively produced crap which I doubt sells in anywhere near the same numbers as Minimates. The anime-inspired figures are getting a second series - who's buying that stuff? Is it kept on because Brewer likes it? Regarding Mattel's 3 3/4 inch line, well possiblythat might have made an impact in the decision but the two aren't necessarily competing lines. Mattel's small scale isn't going to compete with DC Direct's minimates. The figure styles are completely different. Are the two in cahoots over this? I have some suspicions on the quality of Infinite Heroes having had a quick look at them but will reserve judgment until they're on pegs. I would be lying if I didn't get a little excited to see a modern Adam Strange there but heck, that Batman is a mess. http://i.toynewsi.com/g/index.php?mode=alb...600&start=0

Wave 9 will consist of: Anger and Denial Line Supporter and The Total Shaft Fanbase Fury and Company Indifference The Enthusiast and Golden Age Bottom Line Man. ( Now fuming over the inclusion of Elseworlds characters in the final wave ).

Very, very happy with them. I'd stopped keeping a eye on Marvel comics round about the House of M era and as such Nova and the Annihilation story arc completely passed me by as I was reading old Alan Moore Swamp Things collections and various other DC odd and sods. However, Nova looked like such a cool little minimate I've ordered the tpbs of Annihilation just so I can get a handle on him. Marvel's spacefaring characters passed me by as kid in favour of Spidey and the Hulk. The fact that Marvel minimates are continuing is brilliant news and I'm not overly concerned now that some heavy hitters have still to make an appearance - especially after the glut of fan favourites in recent waves. What better way to re-energise post movie/comic Ironman waves than with Gambit and Deadpool making an appearance then? Slightly disappointed in a lack of DC news as I'm primarily a comics guy but I wouldn't put it past DC Direct to just announce another wave in their solicitations without much fanfare. Perhaps they didn't want to get brand new stuff overshadowed by Wave 7 and 8 being on display. Who knows? It would be cruel in the extreme of DC to not give us a Martian Manhunter and Atom at some point in the future. Overall, I'm delighted with the updates and coverage. Thanks everyone.

Just received my set of wave 7. Delighted with them, but have to mention The Flash. I love the detail of the more complex mates but the little additions to a relatively basic Wally elevate him into the top echelon for me. First, he has a perfect cut-out newly sculpted mask - these are far preferable to the full face bat-cowls and remind me of my very first minimate, Bullseye and why I started to collect these little guys obsessively. Secondly, the treads on his boots. Hardly noticeable but like Aquaman's calf fins a lovely, surprising touch. Lastly, the ever so subtle pearlescent finish to his costume. It's brilliant. Don't get me wrong he doesn't look like Liberace but he has a noticeable sheen to him. The same kind of finish would look absolutely fantastic on a redone Silver Surfer. Really hope we see more of this effect when appropriate.

Fantastic news. Will buy them all! But if you listen closely, you can hear hundreds of Silver Centurion Iron Men once lovingly daubed with black magic marker, scream out in pain!

I'm hoping the parts from the extra Loki can be put to good use on the Vision, then it will just be his cape which is phasing, which is kind of cool! Really like Mysterio though!

Well, it would be really easy to just stick a piece of white paper over his eyes and then stick the mask on to see if you prefer that look. I like the clear eye look he has been given. It's comic accurate. Do a search for Wally West in google images. Only the animated look has white eyes as a rule.

Don't care particularly for Ambush Bug but Starfire looks quite decent to me. Very similar to this source material below. Perhaps she's a little on the plain side in terms of parts but I quite like this rendition. This version of The Flash is fantastic what with the new treaded boots and this Nightwing is a whole lot meaner than his C3 counterpart. Both C3 versions of these two characters didn't quite "fit" with the new DC Direct mates in terms of plastic, detail and in certain cases, scale. I quite like Bats but just wish they'd used a cut / sculpted cowl rather than a full face cover but I can live with it. I'm just glad we're still getting minimates! EDIT: Have to disagree with Dino on the new Nightwing. Quite a considerable difference to the old one - gloss / flat colouring, face, hair, colour of escrima sticks and different shade of blue in the stripe.

Thanks pal of Butthead! Yeah, I'm now officially a "radical" so will have to wait it out. Itching to see Spock's Beard. Heck, I'm a fan of the band of that name.

Could a kind soul tell me how to receive or view this mythical E-spectrum? I have an account set up at DST, but have never received this letter ( even though I have selected the newsletter option ) Thanks!

Thanks for that YWF. So there's still modicum of hope for future Marvel mates even if Diamond has lost the license. Only a tiny bit though. Hasbro are a bottom line company and their bottom line has to take in more comparative profit than DST as their other licenses have shown. Having dabbled in Marvel Legends during the past Toybiz era and seeing the rubbish that's turned out in that name by Hasbro now, I shudder to think what cost reducing measures they'd employ.

All quite sad news regarding Marvel Minimates. I'm no expert on toy licenses. As I understand it, Art Asylum are part of Diamond Select who produce all minimates and own the brand and are responsible for their distribution. So Diamond still make DC mates, Marvel mates, Star Trek etc. But since Diamond *may* have lost the Marvel license then that's it for Marvel Minimates until they reacquire the Marvel license. Can someone please clarify that this is the case? Another company, say Hasbro ( Marvel licensees ) for example, can't just do a deal with Diamond and let them continue to produce Minimates on their behalf? It would explain the glut of key characters that have come our way in the past few months and whilst it would be a very sad and unwanted conclusion, all things come to an end. The thought of no Electro, Vulture or Kraven, three that just spring to mind, makes the fanboy enthusiast in me cry.

That is, minimate wise, very bad news for us UK enthusiasts. I usually get my fix from winkerbean's local comic shop based in the uk and I'm not sure if the shop orders via previews or not. Probably they do. This means that I'll have to resort to eBay and inflated prices. Not happy!

Just received my Defenders boxset today and they're the best quality 'mates since the Ben Reilly wave. Doc Strange is absolutely fantastic and the hulk is, in my opinion, a big improvement in terms of quality and hairpiece

Nice thread. I thought this would be quite tricky but it was actually pretty easy once I thought about it... 1. The Comedian ( Watchmen ) 2. translucent Doctor Manhattan ( Watchmen ) 3. Ozymandias ( Watchmen ) 4. Nite-Owl ( Watchmen ) 5. Rorschach ( Watchmen ) 6. Silk Spectre ( Watchmen ) 7. Captain Metropolis ( Watchmen ) 8. Guyver I 9. Guyver 3 10. Guyver 2 11. Electro ( would be fantastic in mini - form ) 12. Vulture ( Toomes but with a Blackie Drago variant? ) 13. Scorpion 14. Gambit ( Surely he'll arrive soon! ) 15. Adam Strange ( again would work well in mini form ) So yeah, I'd love Alan Moore to lift his embargo on Watchmen merchandise so we could get minimate versions so this is pure fantasy. I'm not a huge Spidey fan but he was the first comic character I was familiar with as a youngster and Kraven the Hunter came very close to edging out Gambit. A Swamp Thing and Demon two-pack are always high on my wishlist too!