Custom Happiness Continues......

Let's hear it for Jacknight92 once again, with these awesome Matter-Eater-Lad and Element Lad customs. My Silver Age Legion is two steps closer to completion!

Interestingly, Jack tells me that Matter-Eater-Lad is the most requested SA Legion custom. Go figure!

Next up: Chemical King & Bouncing Boy!

Thanks again Jack!

No need to be Crushed - this Wave Works!

Firstly let me say.... gee it can be challenging coming up with clever/alliterative/cute post titles! I don't know how people who blog every day do it!!

To the task at hand: I picked up Beverly Crusher, Wesley Crusher and Captain Beverly Picard from DST's Star Trek TNG line on Friday. Q is the case figure for this line so I'll wait til the excitement dies down and grab him on eBay eventually.

There was a fair bit riding on this wave in terms of the credibility of the line after the disappointment of the Data / LaForge line which had major scale issues (DST sent the final versions to be used for molds instead of the pre-shrunk versions. Shrinkage, in whatever form, is just a killer.) On top of this, the paint apps were disappointing in comparison to the previous waves and the black elements of the uniforms were shiny instead of the previous and much better looking matte.

I'm pleased to say then that DST has addressed these issues with this new wave. The figures are back in scale with the previous waves and the paint apps are back to their previous quality.

Both Beverlys (Beverlies? A bevy of Bevs??) are very good. The traditional TNG version is quite a good likeness, well sculpted and comes with a good range of accessories including a laptop and what looks like a dermal regenerator. Her hair is very well done - the parts that rest on her shoulders are made of soft plastic so that it doesn't restrict the movement of the head. DCD could certainly take a page out of this book!

The All Good Things Bev is good, and wins points for being quite a different sculpt, not just a different headsculpt. There is a bit of red blotchy-ness on her face which is a slight detraction. (Sorry about the dodgy pic for this one folks, Andy is saving up for a new camera......)

Wesley doesn't look anything like Wil Wheaton (which isn't a totally bad thing, hey?). Good thing I couldn't really care less about this particular figure.

The only bad thing I'd say about this set is that it really points out just how bad the Data / LaForge / Barclay figures were in both scale and QC. I wonder if there's any chance we'll ever see them reissued as the should have been?

On the good side the return to quality with these figures makes me much more excited about the upcoming DS9 and BSG figures from DST.

Also pleased to see that in the upcoming Previews we are getting another TNG wave that includes Nemesis Beverly, Nurse Ogawa, Chief O'Brien and an Exclusive Ensign Ro. Baffling tho that we are getting all of these characters and still no Tasha Yar??

Until next time!

Oh my Stars!

Besides my main customising man Jacknight92, it's always to fun to manage to get something from Lars, and I went all out to win this amazing Stargirl on eBay. I decided I'd rather spend more for an amazng custom I really wanted than give DCD my money for less than average stuff I never asked for. (And yes, to my heckler from a few posts down, I do know that everything DCD makes isn't about me, but this is MY BLOG, so I'm talking about my collecting tastes.... ;0))

The base is a Birds of Prey Black Canary and I think you'll agree it's an awesome job. Almost feels like I have a Modern JSA Collection......

Thanks Lars!!!!!!

Happy Early Father's Day to meeee......

Here in Australia Father's Day is the first Sunday in September. Plays havoc with my chances of remembering Father's Day for my US-based Dad. Every year I forget and then have to endure the ensuing guilt-trip. (My mother has a Masters Degree in guilt trips). On the plus side, with my birthday in October, having Father's Day at the start of September starts a nice four-month present buying run. I buy all the presents in our family, including mine, seeing as The Wife wouldn't know where to begin with my little hobby!

I've already got two of my Father's Day presents for this year - the JLA Cover to Cover Flash Statue and JLA Wave 1.

I am very new to the statue world, but the JLA Cover to Cover Series is something I can see working for me. The Flash statue, shown here with Green Lantern, is a great addition to the line. I really like that these are packed in nice boxes that aren't too huge which means that you've got room to hold on to the box in case you ever need to repack the statue.

These figures a very nicely done, not too huge but you still like you have a full statue, not a mini-bust. His running pose is well captured but the statue is very well-balanced. I hadn't planned on picking this up, but I'm very happy with the purchase!

Then today I picked up my set of the JLA Wave One figures, which IMHO range from outstanding to pretty disappointing. Red Arrow is really excellent. His hair colour has been fixed from the solicited blonde to the correct red - hooray! Roy's arrows are actually loose, which is a really nice touch, but they're quite pointy, so watch them around any little people!

Something else I'd be watching around the young is the enormous busoooms Vixen is sporting. Talk about somebody losing an eye! Despite these she is a great figure. An excellent headsculpt, really nice job with her hair, etc.

It's nice to have a MA Black Canary to replace the Turnerised version from a couple years ago, and while this one is a huge improvement I'm not wild on her stance or her slightly vacant stare. Apart from the eyes it's another great headsculpt. The fishnets are real, bit it's a shame they can't find a way to do this without the hideous large seams at the back of the legs.

I hadn't planned on keeping the Superman, but he actually looks much better than the solicits, in fact he makes quite a passable MA Supes, so he's a keeper for this version of the JLA.

The big disappointment here is Black Lightning. As if getting a MA version without having the classic isn't bad enough, this is not a great figure. It's quite different from the solicits, and while the body seems and improvement (less Turnerised and without the weird pointy finger) the headsculpt is just yuck, especially the replacement of the solicited clear goggles with opaque yellow globes that give him a somewhat bumblebee appearance. Not happy.

The packaging of this wave is quite nice. Much better than the JSA packs which looked like they were thrown together at the last moment.

Not sure what Father's Day present #3 is going to be: (one from The Wife and one from each offspring - almost makes a third tempting but then I think of the nappies.....) but I'll let you know when I work it out.

Makes being a Dad all worthwhile.......... :0)

If I worked at DCD....

..... I would take one look at these photos and fill my pants. Really fill them.

I was very skeptical that the Mattel / DC Universe agreement would bring us something really significant, but now that we've been the first two waves of Mattel's new line I am allowing myself to hope.

We haven't seen anything truly stunning in the character selection department (although the Metamorpho BAF comes close), you just get a feeling that something amazing like a Catman or a Reverse Flash or come out of the bag soon!

In the meantime, Mattel has produced sculpts that put the DCD versions of some of these characters to shame. This Aquaman outstrips anything DCD has done by a longshot.

The big challenge of course will be to see if Mattel can manage the QC to produce figures that live up to what the prototypes are promising.

If they do manage to pull that off, I'm going to be sending a big shipment of diapers to DC Direct HQ.....