Marvel Vs. DC Part 2: Stepping Up
Five inch Batman and Spiderman figures from the 90s: I have worse, but not much |
Last time we looked at some of the smaller offerings of Marvel and DC. Today, we're going to up the scale a bit and talk about some of the larger figures. |
I always understood this scale to be primarily geared towards figures which went with vehicles: you get enough articulation so they can stand or sit, but they're small enough to fit in a car, tank, or space ship.
But, aside from your occasional Batmobile, superheroes don't tend to collect cars. Is the option of buying and displaying Spiderman in a Spider-Car really so enticing that's it justifies picking up an inferior line of superheroes?
Mattel DC Infinite Heroes Raven: she's not a bad toy, but is this scale really necessary at this price? |
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Well, actually 4 and a half. And that means it's time to talk about Justice League figures. These toys actually represent several lines from a couple different companies - Kenner was making these for Batman: The Animated Series back in the day (actually, the original Kenner figures are a little larger than the Mattel, but they usually work well enough side by side on the shelf).
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Kenner Joker from Batman: the Animated Series and Mattel Joker from Justice League. The older figures are larger, but the newer ones tend to be nicer. |
Even though the series they're based on has been off the air for several years, the figures are still coming out. The most interesting are being marketed directly from Mattel through Mattycollector.com, but be aware they'll cost you. As much as I want some of the new sets, I just can't justify spending $30 plus shipping for a handful of toys in this scale.
If you like the animated style and don't mind buying used, I recommend the Justice League figures. If you want a more realistic appearance, the Marvel 3 3/4 figures are quite a bit better than the DC ones. This is one fight Hasbro seems to be winning.
Still, I have a hard time recommending either, to be honest: this is really the era of the six and seven inch figures. If you're in love with the animated style - like I am - by all means go for it. Or, if the smaller 3 3/4 inch figures are a scale you like collecting, there are some great ones on the market (take a look at the "Wolverine and the X-Men" tie-in toys: they're surprisingly cool up close). But, honestly, the real value is at the larger scale: like I said, six and seven inch figures. But that's the next article.
Batman movie tie-ins The 90's weren't the best era for toy collecting |
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I guess Mattel wasn't really trying with this Lex Luthor from Superman Returns. The sad part? He's one of the better figures from that movie. Anyway, don't forget to stop by The Middle Room, for my thoughts on upcoming movies and more.