Any Photos Of Retro Heroes Wave 3 Yet?

[Meule]

I think a lot of people, having "cut their teeth" on Megos, look to this Retro-Action line (for right or wrong) as giving them the perfect, quintessential "Mego" versions of the figures they had and didn't have as children. So, it doesn't make much difference to them (me, included) if they already have 35 Joker figures... they're still waiting for the perfect MEGO Joker figure... or Riddler... or Two-Face, or whatever. So, the fact that the characters have been done to death really makes no difference... as long as a "Mego" version of the character hasn't been done to death.

I, for one, will be very disappointed if the line ends before we get slightly updated, new versions of all the Mego characters I loved as a kid. Personally, I can't wait to have a shelf full of Retro-Action Bat-characters. I just hope all the B-listers don't weigh down and end the line before that happens.

...and as a side note, it's more disappointing to me that Mattel is investing resources in a bunch of modern GL characters (so soon).

My sentiments exactly

[Tothiro]

Everyone has an excellent well thought-out point, whatever side they may be on.

Now - Where is my Darkseid???????

I love the line-ups, and hey - I'm not that big a Captain Marvel fan, I'm on the fence about Black Adam and he, but I'll probably get them. I think every other choice rocks! At the end of the day, I have a Robin and a Joker and a penguin... I'd much rather see Hawkman, Blue Beetle, Mister Miracle and others before a Robin. Batman without Robin to me is Batman. I'm not married to the duo. A decent Batgirl? That I would like.

I'm also not an avid follower of the Green Lantern comics and was never into guy gardner at all, but I have to say I'm intrigued at the idea of so many members of the Maguire era JLI being available, and I may pick one up just for that team-up. I assume Abin Sur will be in the mix somewhere too, and that'd be pretty cool.

Basically this is awesome.

[trekman101]

To many people are worrying when this line will end....I don't think Mattel is....they have put a number in their minds of waves to be produced.... until that number is reached, then they will decide if it was worth doing and whether they will continue.....do you really think they have no plans of putting more batman characters in that scenario ...I bet successes for this line doesn't even include profit for them(hot wheels and barbie take care of that for them)...it will probably be successful in their minds for them if people keep asking for more characters to be made...then they will look to make a profit...they will keep making production number changes until pegs are always empty and people are crying for more...wave one was a test...wave two will see different production ideas and numbers...so will wave three,until they find the magic formula.....success for this line will be when you can't find a certain character and no more are being made(the way it is for many collected toys and such)...remember,the more people want certain a "what ever" for this line....the more happy Mattel will be,because it will mean people are showing interest and I know the line is expensive and needs fixes but these problems are not in our control.

[hedrap]

If DC is using Matty Collector to build an anticipation for the GL film, then it reasons Matty/DC has very large say as to who gets made for the Retro line.

A JLA movie is a big project for WB/DC, so when you see the original JLA group, Starro and Darkseid get more product during the 75th, you can see what they're focusing towards. This isn't arbitrary.

[megalomaniac001]

I love wave three. All Challenge of the Superfriends characters! It is hard to be patient while waiting for a particular character. I am very anxious for Robin.

[Delusional B]

I think you are completely justified in that reasoning, but Mattel is the only one privy to the sales numbers and I have to believe that they believe the line will make it to that point.

I think you are right. At the end of the day, we know that Mattel knows that this line needs certain characters... and we know that they know that we WANT certain characters.

I guess we just have to trust that they know what they are doing and we will, eventually, get all that we hope for. I guess it just seems like such an "underdog" line, that it's easy to see what might happen if it doesn't sell well. Just look at what happened with Emce's Planet of the Apes line. Collectors had high hopes for what figures might be coming down the pike. At the end of the day, though, the interest wasn't there and the line cut off prematurely, IMO. I know that the Retro-Action figures are a different thing but line cancellations do happen if interest drops.

[Delusional B]

I like the way you think!!!!! and YES!!!! why not get the ones Mego never made,..theres still Mego like Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Plasticman, Bizarro, etc...left to be seen and added to our Mego collections!

Ray

Absolutely... but it's the core characters that are going to give the line enough "legs" to bring you your favorite "Megos that never were."

[saildog]

I don't know that the line's in danger yet, I just want to see it continue until we all get what we want out of it... and there are lot's of people (just look at the responses today) that REALLY want to see a full gambit of Bat-characters.

I think you are completely justified in that reasoning, but Mattel is the only one privy to the sales numbers and I have to believe that they believe the line will make it to that point.

On top of that, though, a full gambit of Bat-characters would be cool, but outside of Robin, Batgirl, Joker, Penguin, and Riddler what would be a safe bet? One Wave could take care of 4 of those 5 (and how cool would that be...one Wave with nothing but Bat-characters!!!?). Imagine Robin/Joker, Batgirl/Penguin as one Wave. Wave 5!!!

Couple a Wave of four like that with the existing Batman and Two-Face and that would be six Bat-characters. At that point, the line would be well-represented and it could come as quick as Wave 5.

See how easy and great this could turn out?

[captact]

Excellent reasoning and completely on the mark! Honestly, do we really need another Joker or Penguin right now when we're trying to harvest so many classic characters from the DC Universe? Mego made great figures of those characters, but they are simply not as relevant right now as others. Plus you have to consider the market saturation of a villain like the Joker after the Dark Knight movie. I mean does anyone truly need another Joker in his/her collection when their STILL warming peg boards? NOT! It's simply time to start mining the other characters. And remember... these are intended to stand next to the Mego line up. So common reasoning would suggest some new blood is needed to make that final family picture look truly unique.

I like the way you think!!!!! and YES!!!! why not get the ones Mego never made,..theres still Mego like Hawkman, Dr. Fate, Plasticman, Bizarro, etc...left to be seen and added to our Mego collections!

Ray

[Delusional B]

I see what your saying, and as a fan of those characters I completely understand your frustration in not seeing them in the initial releases. That being said, you have to look beyond the rationalizations of a fan and see the business end of that approach. If I'm working with Paul and have decision making power at Mattel, as much as I love the Joker, I would not even remotely consider him as viable product for sale right now. That is simply the truth of it. Of course people like you and me would pick him up. But do you honestly think your average kid (who is part of this target group) is going to see a Joker figure and say, "Mommy! Mommy!! There's a Joker!" ...No... The child has no ability to make an historical reference as to why he should think that particular Joker figure is a big deal. The reality is, that child will only glance at the figure and realize he already has a Joker figure at home and that's the end of it. There is no impulse to want a character you have been seeing on shelves for 18 months (at least).

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if we don't see a Riddler or Penguin either. Why? Because those characters could be in play for the next Batman film and Warner Brothers is not going to want the toy market saturated with related merchandise that puts the kill on their movie related product. So, as much as I understand where your coming from, I think you need to realize exactly WHY it is happening. It's because you and me would buy it, but probably no one outside of our group of collectors from that era. And that is not enough to justify mass production of those characters.

I can see your point. Maybe I'm seeing this too simplistically, but I think there's a big difference in the selling power of a "Nolan Joker" (which is what I would imagine is the peg clogging offender you mention...even Hot Toys collectors are getting sick of Dark Knight stuff) and a comic or animated version of the Joker. The Comic/Animated versions seem to fly off the shelves. Whether it's DCUC, Infinite Heroes, JLU, Brave and the Bold, or even the little Action League guys, Jokers are very difficult to find because they do sell quickly.

It's too ingrained in people's minds... "I have a Batman, I need a Joker."

I think it's a serious misstep to not release the Joker earlier than later if the longevity of the line is in question at all. I don't know that the line's in danger yet, I just want to see it continue until we all get what we want out of it... and there are lot's of people (just look at the responses today) that REALLY want to see a full gambit of Bat-characters.

... and also, I guess there just doesn't seem to be much holding Mattel back from releasing characters like Joker, Penguin, Riddler, etc. in other lines going like DCUC, Imaginext, etc. So, I guess I don't see a problem with getting them into the Retro-Action line within a reasonable amount of time.

[saildog]

Well, if the Matty exclusives brings me Katma Tui and Tomar-Re I won't complain

Me, neither and it reminds me that Mego wouldn't have made Shazam!(Captain Marvel) or Isis if they wouldn't have had the Saturday Morning Shows to back them up. Think of these GL exclusives (and they are separate from Wave 3 and 4) as having the same logic behind them.

[Krypt0nite]

Well, if the Matty exclusives brings me Katma Tui and Tomar-Re I won't complain

[MIB41]

I think a lot of people, having "cut their teeth" on Megos, look to this Retro-Action line (for right or wrong) as giving them the perfect, quintessential "Mego" versions of the figures they had and didn't have as children. So, it doesn't make much difference to them (me, included) if they already have 35 Joker figures... they're still waiting for the perfect MEGO Joker figure... or Riddler... or Two-Face, or whatever. So, the fact that the characters have been done to death really makes no difference... as long as a "Mego" version of the character hasn't been done to death.

I, for one, will be very disappointed if the line ends before we get slightly updated, new versions of all the Mego characters I loved as a kid. Personally, I can't wait to have a shelf full of Retro-Action Bat-characters. I just hope all the B-listers don't weigh down and end the line before that happens.

...and as a side note, it's more disappointing to me that Mattel is investing resources in a bunch of modern GL characters (so soon) than what characters they've selected for Waves 3 and 4. I wish there were some Bat-characters sprinkled in there but, overall, I'm looking forward to characters like Flash, Shazam, Martian Manhunter, and Darkseid.

I see what your saying, and as a fan of those characters I completely understand your frustration in not seeing them in the initial releases. That being said, you have to look beyond the rationalizations of a fan and see the business end of that approach. If I'm working with Paul and have decision making power at Mattel, as much as I love the Joker, I would not even remotely consider him as viable product for sale right now. That is simply the truth of it. Of course people like you and me would pick him up. But do you honestly think your average kid (who is part of this target group) is going to see a Joker figure and say, "Mommy! Mommy!! There's a Joker!" ...No... The child has no ability to make an historical reference as to why he should think that particular Joker figure is a big deal. The reality is, that child will only glance at the figure and realize he already has a Joker figure at home and that's the end of it. There is no impulse to want a character you have been seeing on shelves for 18 months (at least).

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if we don't see a Riddler or Penguin either. Why? Because those characters could be in play for the next Batman film and Warner Brothers is not going to want the toy market saturated with related merchandise that puts the kill on their movie related product. So, as much as I understand where your coming from, I think you need to realize exactly WHY it is happening. It's because you and me would buy it, but probably no one outside of our group of collectors from that era. And that is why Mattel could not justify mass production of those characters.

[saildog]

...and as a side note, it's more disappointing to me that Mattel is investing resources in a bunch of modern GL characters (so soon) than what characters they've selected for Waves 3 and 4.

I can understand that, but at least we know that the GL movie release is solely behind that reasoning. As exclusives, they won't lose their butts if they don't sell and if they do well, the pattern will surely be repeated with a future Batman or (hopefully) Superman Movie.

[Shleprok34]

I think all of these figures look fantastic. My only gripe is having to wait til February for more Matty exclusives.