Anyone want Timmverse figures?

[madmarva]

I know DC Direct is about to introduce a line of figures based on Batman: The Animated series, so this would be something FTC couldn't do for a few years, but after FTC is done with the original megoes, Super Powers and Challenge of the Super Friends (just guessing), would anyone like to see them tackle Timmverse megoes?

I'm not suggesting new bodies to fit that style, but new heads in Timmverse style. MAybe Batman:Brave and Bold would be even better with all the characters.

It might be a way to get the 90s crowd and even younger into collecting since they grew up with the toons.

[melkorjunior]

I love the Timmverse but I'm not sure how Timm-style heads would look on Mego bodies. Timm's bodies were all very barrel-chested and wide-shouldered which looked right with the characters' giant jaws and long chins. On a Mego body though...I'm not sure it would work.

[enyawd72]

I know I'm in the minority, but I truly can't stand Timm's designs and what they did to animation. Ever since, realistically drawn superhero cartoons have been non-existent, and every series that comes out has to have it's own "look".
Timm has gone on record many times as saying his designs are easier to animate...well, that just translates to LAZY as far as I'm concerned.

Whatever happened to drawing people that look like people?

[Earth 2 Chris]

^I couldn't disagree more with you. Just watch the 90s X-Men cartoon, made at the same time as BTAS. The over detailed lines do not move together, and black shadows become their own characters. It's a mess, and visually hard to follow. Timm breaking the characters down and rebuilding them FOR the medium he was working in wasn't lazy at all. It would have been much easier for him to take DC style guides and just copy them over as model sheets. Instead he put the extra effort into making them flow and move. I will admit, I did not care for the designs when I first saw them previewed in Comics Scene magazine in summer 1992, but once I watched my first episode, I knew exactly where he was coming from. And he's only gotten better at it since.

I would love to see the animated designs as Megos. I really liked the 12" TNBA figures Kenner did. They prove the designs work with cloth costumes, etc.

Chris

[enyawd72]

^You picked the worst possible example to compare to. Most of the 90's animation was bad.

Look at Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends, The Incredible Hulk (1982), Filmation Batman...all are done in a realistic style and are far superior to Timm's designs, IMO. I prefer realistic animation, that's all. To me Jonny Quest is the best animated series ever made.

[Earth 2 Chris]

^Have you really watched those series lately? Sure the designs are nice, but the animation itself is very chaotic and often sloppy, due to animators having difficulty following the "straight" comic style designs. Even GI Joe and Transformers (two other Marvel cartoons from the period) often look rushed and over complicated. I will admit, when they got it right, it looked really good (see Transformers: The Movie) but for the most part, in the daily grind of TV animation, simple is better, I think.

Timm worked on GI Joe with Russ Heath, and while he admired his mentor's work, he felt there was a better way to create FOR animation, and not just do comics in animation. So when given a chance, he developed his patented style. I personally think he was right, but your mileage may vary.

Chris

[EMCE Hammer]

Some I'd like; others not so much. Nightwing comes to mind. I'd probably prefer B&B style for figures.

[madmarva]

Yeah, BB figures, which look kinda of like Shelly Moldoff and Dick Sprang art, might be better.

Black Knight's Outrageous Aquaman figure from a few years back was really cool.

[melkorjunior]

If EMCE developed (or kitbashed) a new body type for Timm figures I'd be in--maybe a Hulk upper body with regular T2 legs? Timm figures really need Timm bodies to work.

[ovenmitt]

Earth2 Chris, I still have that 1992 Comics Scene magazine with BTAS characters preview! I liked the character models from the start and BTAS was best DC animation since 1940s Superman cartoon shorts! I do still love Super Friends, though! Timm's animation dipped with TNBA redesigns Catwoman was worst! I did not like how Timm females looked alike, all short with big heads! Young Justice was more realistic which I like best! We need a new revamped DC animated universe, I have not watched DVD Flashpoint and Justice League War movies yet but they seem to be in right direction!

[GaryPlaysWithDolls]

I would LOVE timmverse megos!

[kerowack]

Mego is the wrong format for them. I'm going to be grabbing the dc ones though. At least the btas ones.

[jwyblejr]

I know I'm in the minority, but I truly can't stand Timm's designs and what they did to animation. Ever since, realistically drawn superhero cartoons have been non-existent, and every series that comes out has to have it's own "look".
Timm has gone on record many times as saying his designs are easier to animate...well, that just translates to LAZY as far as I'm concerned.

Whatever happened to drawing people that look like people?

I'm guessing you don't like Jack Kirby's stuff either? That's pretty much who Timm patterned his stuff after.

[huedell]

I know DC Direct is about to introduce a line of figures based on Batman: The Animated series, so this would be something FTC couldn't do for a few years, but after FTC is done with the original megoes, Super Powers and Challenge of the Super Friends (just guessing), would anyone like to see them tackle Timmverse megoes?

I know that if FTC can get away with repackaging products they've already made while adding minimal actual new figures to the line, you better believe they will do it.

You suggested not making new bodies. That'd be right up their alley. But why do this? Using just a head variation pretty much nullifies the point of approaching a different style to begin with. So you're then stuck with a bunch of variants on characters that already are in production, and that much less potential for new characters.

The funny thing is, not only has the majority's here's excitement over the 2-packs and the Super Powers (the "Hey, let's just add FF mechanisms to already existing FTC figs" idea) fully encouraged FTC to continue "making all the supporters happy" with minimal efforts towards new characters (while making me disenchanted with this whole "new Mego revolution"), you now have this very thread you started that not only encourages FTC to continue down this road. But it also encourages them without them even lifting a finger to test the waters themselves.

As people have said before about FTC...they are indeed "marketing geniuses". Except, I'm not buying into it.

I ask with all sincerity, do you really like this "re-use" mindset this much? Are two-packs, single packs with different artwork and FFs, so cool that there's no need to address the idea that new WGSH superhero releases are at a crawl?

What happened to all the toy collectors that would complain about this kind of strategy in other lines? Are they THAT "modern-Mego-happy" that their philosophies have changed?

I used to tell those people "not to complain", and to "speak with their wallets" or whatever, but that was a different type scenario---the lines they were complaining about variants/repacks about were much bigger companies and much bigger toylines like Star Wars and DCUC....with THIS FTC WGSH related stuff, it's a much smaller, more adult-minded audience. Hasbro and Mattel, if they choose, can weather the disappointed adults' backing out of the equation---smaller companies aimed more towards adults like FTC can not.

I don't see this ending well. Not for me anyway. Supporting these kind of re-pack strategies appears to be conducive to initially satisfying an audience, and then, when the novelty of all the "sizzle" wears off, and the steak hasn't been delivered consistently enough, the line will end and there'll be a huge quantity of unrealized potential hanging in the air.

If this is the future of Mego-like superhero figures, I am, at worst, disgusted---and at least, sorely disappointed.

A while back I changed over to collecting non-clothed figures for the majority of my superhero (DC/Marvel/Feature film properties) collecting jones, and it looks like I'll be continuing on that path for a long, LONG time.

[madmarva]

Huedell, I'm suggesting exactly what I suggested in the initial post. Exactly. No new bodies, just new head sculpts. That's it.

It's cool if you don't like it, and it's cool to state that you don't like it, but you can back the hell off with your condescending tone.