Why Did DC 9" Figures Fail?

[grayhank]

Upon hearing the news of "new" DC Mego figures by Mattel it got me wondering why Hasbro's 9" line didn't quite satisfy Mego collectors. Was it simply because they were 9" scale instead of 8"? Was it the head sculpts? Was it the lack of removable clothing (i.e. boots, gloves, etc.). I don't want to rain on anyone's parade regarding the exciting news presented at San Diego Comic Con, I'm just concerned that these new versions of Mego will end up with the same fate. I posted in that news thread about the gauntlets being a distraction, but not only that they loose that classic Mego feel and look.

What if the original Mego Iron-Man did not have those plastic gloves? Would he still be a fan favorite? I think the reason the Hasbro line didn't succeed was because they did not have the removable boots, gloves aspect. If they were 8" instead of 9" would that have made a difference with Mego Collectors? I think the answer is no. There's just something about being able to take off those gloves & boots that give them their appeal. So I hope Mattel might rethink those gauntlets. They've got the boots right, why stop there? The decision seems to be made solely on the basis of the figure being able to hold the accessories... but I present to you DC's 9" figures and ask if being able to hold accessories is really worth it. Please give these guys a good look over and think about it.

DC 9" Batman, Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman



Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Robin



GA Batman, Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, Electro Superman Blue



Joker & Penguin

[Captain]

The clothing issue (ie-being glued on) was an issue for me, but the price and the extreme difficulty in finding these in Canada really turned me off. If they were easier to find, and the cost was decent, I would have been more into these. Same with the Marvel figures Hasbro later released.

Biggest issue for me...If you want to make a Mego type figure...MAKE A MEGO TYPE FIGURE!! They should have stuck closer to the source material, at the very least size wise. It was like they wanted to do Mego figures, then chickened out at the last minute!

[thunderbolt]

The price wasn't bad at 14.99 a pop, but the lack of the big guns in the first wave, unless you found them at Target as an exclusive, was one of the big killers. The scale was probably done based on the FC stuff. The Hasbro figures were superior to the FC's. Quality and consistency in the line was better.

[The Bat]

For me the anwser is pretty simple...they weren't 8" tall...and they weren't MEGO like enough from me.

[Tothiro]

For me:
1) Not 8 inches tall
2) Outfits poorly tailored
3) Bodies Chunky and Nasty (an arm isn't "heroic" if it looks like three barrels held together with door hinges, and the hands were... so natural!) While Wonder Woman looked old school cool, she was an articulated statue.
4) Head sculpts. The good ones (GA Batman was ok, Aquaman and Green Lantern were good) looked like they belonged on different figures. The rest were... not my thing. Blue Superman was good, but I don't like the character style.
5) Exclusives. Exclusives turn me off a mass-market line hard.

So I bought GL, Aquaman, and GA... but never warmed to them. The rest I felt were made of fail.
I completely agree they were done better than FC - FC took all of the above stated problems and ran with them.

[wilbs518]

I found them to be way too chunky and FC like. They just didn't say Mego to me. I thought the Joker and Penguin looked terrible. The GL was the only one I thought was ok.

[MIB41]

Good thread. I've thought about this myself. Now I bought all of these figures new when they came out so Hasbro hooked me in from the start. Here are my thoughts...

1) Head Sculpts - RC Batman was exciting to see but it quickly became obvious why he wasn't wearing the cowl in the box - it's because the darn thing wasn't made to fit him correctly. Now tell me, if you know your making this figure to lure alot of collectors, why would you fudge on the one primary feature and not get it right? I imagine that hit people the wrong way. I was also annoyed that they chose to go with a GA sculpt that was missing his iconic whiskers. Without them he looked too generic so they missed big time on that move. Supes looked too much like Bruce Wayne so he wasn't destinctive enough; Same with Aquaman - If you look at his nose, mouth and chin, it essentially looks identical to Wayne. They just added a different hair style. Once more, no distinction. The Joker looked like his head got stuck in a trash compactor...too thin in width; Penquin looked good as far as overall execution. But for me GL was the stand out. He's perfect. The best GL made to date on a commercial line and one that will be very hard to beat. Good sculpt, nice outfit, classic look. All done right, so I'm lost on the lack of interest on that one.

2) Gauntlets - I didn't mind them in appearance as long as they came off (like on later editions of Batman with interchangable heads), but with the boots being glued on, that bugged me some. I think the problem here is you were limited as to what you could do. No custom ability at all. You were stuck with how they made him look and that was it. I like removable boots and outfits even if I never do anything with them. I like to have the option to customize without destroying the figure.

3) Bodies and overall concept - With GL I thought the body worked very well. Everything came together on him. On the others, there were variations of success and failure. On Aquaman the body worked okay but he felt restrained by his outfit; Supes head didn't look right on his body, a little too big; Robin looked more like a marrionette than an action figure; the special edition Batman and Superman figures, inspired by the Mego secret identity line, was fun but clothes over the costumes? It didn't work too well. They LOOKED like they had outfits underneath and not being able to change out Batman's hands or boots in Wayne-mode hurt the overall look. Also, while I liked the new Batman head, it didn't look right sitting on that body. It also looked odd sitting on top of the cape as well. Just a flawed design that never got worked out.

4) Boxes - One thing ALOT of action figure companies can learn is to TONE DOWN the packaging. This line had WAY too much cardboard around it. Very bulky and a huge space killer if you wanted to store them. A simple Mego style box or card backer would have been far more effective. Famous Covers did the same thing. I sometimes think your paying for the packaging more than the figure inside. EMCE, Castaway, and CTVT have done it, in my mind, the right way. I especially like the figures that have come with the clam shell that opens without the use of scissors. Great idea and very pleasing to be able to take the figure out and redisplay him in the package without damaging anything. I do hope Mattel gives us some Mego style boxes though. I would buy a crap load if they came like that.

In closing I think Hasbro has done some good figures through the years and they did a much better job, I thought, with the Marvel Signature series than the DC line. But the biggest problem with Hasbro is not finishing an idea. They have great inspiration for figures when it comes to creating a line and I think their intent is in the right place. But somewhere in the design area, they appear to give up early before they have completed the process. Half hearted sculpts, ill-fitting masks, glued on guantlets, bad proportioned heads. All of these things take a good idea and flush it. EMCE and Castaway have really nailed what the collector wants and I hope all other companies follow suit. If you care, you take the time to get these things right because you probably have more collectors buying these figures than kids, so it pays to get it right the first time. First impression is a big deal in this business. Do it well early and you hook the collectors. Do it inconsistantly or have poor quality and your behind the eight ball before your out of the gate. Reputation is everything.

[Mikey]

For my area, they were poorly distributed.
The only ones I ever seen at the store at retail were Aquaman and I think Martain Man Hunter.

I never knew UNTIL THIS VERY THREAD they even made a Wonder Woman.

[The Toyroom]

^ I think that's the Wonder Woman that came in a boxed set with a book and a reprint of her 1st appearance. It's not an "official" DC 9 incher.

[palitoy]

I think the launch of this line was dreadful. I have these and actually I like them but here is what I think killed the line.

Superman and Batman were Target exclusives, every store had GL and Aquaman but you could only get the most popular characters at Target and they were always sold out. I got up at 5 am and scoured Buffalo for my set. They were next to impossible to find at retail.

While I think the GL, GA and Aquaman are beautiful, the Supes and Bats have design flaws that shouldn't be there.

It was so poorly concieved, subsequent characters were sporadic and always exclusives, they abandoned the silver age concept right away too.

Hasbro did a better job when they did the Marvel heroes but I guess it just didn't have any heat with kids or collectors.

[Mikey]

Superman was the only figure of the line I actually wanted.
Back in the day when these figures came out, the closest Target to me was like over 100 miles.

I remember calling numerous Lees vendors up trying to find a Superman.
Most didn't have him -- the ones that did were selling him for $45.00+++

I passed ... So I never did get any of them.

[Earth 2 Chris]

That Wonder Woman was a huge let down. I never did know if Hasbro actually produced that figure or not. She reminds me of those huge chunks of petroleum Applause used to sell as Star Wars figures. The sculpt is nice, but her skin is all oily...yuck. She doesn't fit in well with the others.

I can't add anything more that others haven't said on the failure of these. Most were very nicely done, but for some reason, every version of Superman and Batman had issues (except for the Kane Batman). I love the idea of the Dick Sprang Batman and Robin, but poor Robin got some half-arsed treatment for sure.

Chris

[rche]

I think price point and packaging played a role in this, as well as the Marvel Signature line.
15 is sort of a magic- not quite and impulse buy, gonna be a gift or something special borderline price. I think parents (not collectors) expect a little more bang for that coin in the play value arena and don't see that in a doll.

The display packaging, which was aimed at collectors not kids, added to the cost. So this was also a bit of a turnoff. Stores had to give up some good real estate for these things that were lukewarm sellers due to the price. Cards on pegs and a price in the 9.99 -12.99 range would have put these more in the public eye. Especially the Marvel characters.

Speaking of the Marvel line, you might want to include them in this thread as well. They were more consistant in character design and execution and they also did not fare well.

[rche]

just had another thought on these guys.

At 15 bucks most parents are used to something that wants batteries.
So one of the questions for the potential buyer might have been - "what does it do?"

Well,.... it uses your kids imagination to have adventures.

um, no lights - no sound? pass on it

[Mikey]

One of the things I didn't like about Superman was they made his blue suit too dark to be on a Silver Age Supes.

I know they did this to appeal to the younger crowd, but to me it just don't look right.