DC Infinite Heroes Protos On Ebay

My Walmart has given DCIH back their regular space on the pegs. Plus they got in the latest 2 new waves.
Also more prototypes have shown up on eBay...

DC Universe POISON IVY 3.75 inch Prototype - eBay (item 180549843454 end time Aug-26-10 16:55:46 PDT)
DC Universe HAWKGIRL MOC 3.75 inch Prototype - eBay (item 180549840914 end time Aug-26-10 16:46:31 PDT)
DC Universe HARLEY QUINN 3.75 inch Prototype - eBay (item 180549842213 end time Aug-26-10 16:51:04 PDT)

WTF! is wrong with mattel?Why cant they put full articulation,what good is a hawkgirl if she cant swing her mase thingie

Ha! She probably doesn't come with one! Stupid Mattel!

Do we know that she doesn't have full articulation on the final version? I mean I wouldn't put it past them... God, I know that this has been beat into the ground, but I don't think I, personally, have ever seen a line with more potential that has been utter fail from the beginning, than DCIH.

the wonder woman in the starro set doesn't have any elbow articulation just like hawkgirl

Sigh. I'll probably pick up hawk girl cause I'm a bitch for these things, but I am really losing patience with this line.

Yeah they constantly drop the ball when it comes to DCIH. Especially the female character's articulation.

Ravager has the same "new" articulation.

Thanks for the heads up on the protos. There was also a DCIH Joker proto on there.

Mattel is probably afraid that elbow joints on the female buck would be too fragile at the current arm thickness. Of course, if they thickened the arms enough to support joints, all the female figures would look too buff (even when they're supposed to be well-build).

Having said that, I look at the MU female figures and think "Hasbro did it, why can't you?"

I'm kinda excited to be getting Hawkgirl, She's my favorite DC character. Now we need a new Hawkman With the new articulation

I'm not sure how I feel about the news either. The later male figures like Deathstroke were a definite step in the right direction, but they are still not close to Hasbro quality. The female figures are just sad. So it's back to being glad the line is still (or might still be) around, even though every figure is sub-par.

I still think we should start calling them Finite Heroes. I am not saying this is the case but these could be proto's of things that will never get released.

It almost seems as though Mattel woudl rather shutdown than fix this.

Why can't they just give the [expletive] things the hip articulation from the Avatar figures? It matches the DC Classics and it looks way better. Sigourney Weaver looked goofy, but Neytiri was fine, and she didn't look like her legs were attached with giant grapefruits. They've already upgraded the arms and stopped sculpting everyone with giant [expletive] heads and hands like they were [expletive] muppet versions of super-heroes, can't they make one final step and fix the [expletive] things?

(Sorry about the language.)

You should be sorry! I am deeply offended by your use of the term "expletive".

(I swear, making today's kids actually look up a word is just @$#!%&* cruel.)

I don't care for this line at all. I picked up a few Batman related figures but overall this line isn't my cup of tea. Too many complaints to list the hands don't bother me but the varying height of characters does, example should Earth 2 Robin really tower over Batman? Hasbro just continues to dominate the 3 3/4" action figure market.

It seems dead around here. Also for the most part the line is meh but I really like my First Flight GL and Sinestro Corps Sinestro.

Quote of the thread.

Co-sign. IMHO Mattel should just start from scratch. The line has a GREAT premise. 3-3/4" scale and a diverse lineup, ripe for vehicles and playsets, how can you go wrong? Might as well start from scratch. At this point with the higher prices, the figures lose even more appeal on shelves and the line is withheld from its full potential because of the aforementioned issues, and it looks very DATED. If these figures were released in the 90's or something then okay, they wouldn't look as dated but this is 2010.

The best DC line from Mattel is DCUC, ideally DCIH ought to be not too far behind but sadly it is. If Toy Biz' qc-plagued 3-3/4" Marvel line from a few years back reeks of better design that says...A LOT.

Well I got an extra Deathstroke if anyone wants one.
I could use Scarecrow which I never saw.
or a Trickster/Heatwave/Flash set
or a Dr. Light set
Those 3 packs have been showing up at TJ Maxx/Marshalls for $5.99.

Yep. Between Joes, MU and the various MU spinoff lines like IM, Hasbro is killing it. At least Mattel has DCUC, which is still fantastic.

This. DC has a rich character and rogue gallery. Superman and Batman and all the rest of the DC heavies deserve to have at least MU quality representation. It is amazing how Mattel can do so many things right with DCUC, yet fail so miserably and so hard with DCIH. I have a lot of these DCIH figures, but I have to keep them on a separate bookshelf than the Hasbro 3.75" toys, otherwise they look terrible side-by-side and make me feel bad for spending money on them. The main reason I was into this line was for the characters. At least I have a fully articulated Superman and Batman.

Agreed. Get brand new molds and rechristen the line. Sure that's going to take a lot of capital to start from scratch, but it will give you an opportunity to release the DC big guns all over again (including variants and redecos). That alone should cover the ROI for a DCIH reboot.

Or just give up and hand the rights over to Hasbro.

Yeah, it's pretty sad when a decade-old toy line can still beat you in terms of design.

I agree this series is really a big disappointment. I was hoping for figures that matched the quality of Hasbro's in the 3.75 scale, but these sculpts are pretty lame. Compared the Star Wars and GI Joe lines these figures should each have a few accessories to boot--many don't even have ONE.

I stopped buying the line last year when they ran peg warmers for six months. I'm glad I've kept my bucks for Marvel Universe and Star Wars, these are a waste (unfortunately).

Kord Industries - Ask Matty 9/1/10
Then more ebay protos...

DC Universe Bat Girl 3.75 inch Prototype Figure - eBay (item 180553727825 end time Sep-03-10 16:00:03 PDT)

DC Universe Batman 3.75 inch Prototype Figure - eBay (item 180553726323 end time Sep-03-10 15:53:13 PDT)

DC Universe Superman 3.75 inch Prototype Figure - eBay (item 180553729136 end time Sep-03-10 16:06:16 PDT)

O.K. I'll definitely get the Golden Age Batman if it gets released.

This line should be a home-run. but of course it continues to overlook the very flaws its competitors continue to master. There's no reason they couldn't step up. I have never bought any of these figs, but I would love to expand my MU with some DC favs. Until this line is improved I will continue to pass.

I hope the line isn't dead. While I haven't grabbed up every figure, I have a handful of them, and there are a few more figures that I would like to see for sure.

GL themed huh. I'd love to add some members of the Corps to my Hal and Sinestro.

Wonder what the chances of a Duck Dodgers GL would be.

I'd love one of those

Until Mattel increases the articulation and detail level on this line I will continue to pass on it.

Kilowog! I'd love to see and MU Hulk-scale Kilowog in DCIH.

That would be perfection

They've hinted that the 3-3/4" Green Lantern(and I think DCIH) for 2011 will be different(better). I too, am holding off until I see better product.

Awesome news my good man

I don`t get it... - MattyCollector

Everyone should go to this link and read what Matty has to say. It should be an eye-opener for some of you. It will also let you see things from a toy company's perspective and a lot of what is said can be applied to most toy companies, not just Mattel.

I followed that link and I don't get it either. There's enough fan interest to keep this line going and even more so if Mattel looked at Hasbro's playbook on how to manufacture and market 3 3/4" figures.

I read it, and it was a pretty interesting read. It's nice to have little glimpses like this on occasion. I just wish that it was coming from someone other than Mattel.

Well there is enough interest for Target, Kmart, & Walmart to keep ordering them.
Plus more prototypes are showing up on eBay...
DC Universe Black Manta 3.75 Inch Prototype Figure - eBay (item 180558270440 end time Sep-12-10 16:46:46 PDT)

See, that's the problem. Sure, there may be a ton of fan interest - if they make it like MU. But without the backing of the major retailers Mattel can't move forward with the line, even with them retooling the figures to follow Hasbro's example.

Mattel's problem is that the initial runs of IH figures were typical for super-hero toys in that scale. That is, until Hasbro released Marvel Universe and basically blew Mattel out of the water. Naturally, fans began to compare the two lines and concluded that IH was far inferior to MU. Some DC fans (such as myself) never even bothered to collect them because they weren't like MU.

That meant once-promising sales have declined to the point that Wal-Mart, Target and K-Mart are apparently not ordering more. Well, at least not until 2011. And these days, retailers care more about what sells than what fans of a toy line want.

But if fans can show more interest in the line as it is now, the sales might convince the retailers to get interested again and start placing orders. This will give Mattel the opportunity to get the newer figures out to the fans.

Basically, it all boils down to this: If the retailers don't think a toy will sell, they won't order it from the manufacturer. If the manufacturer doesn't get any orders, it won't make the toy.

Hopefully, Mattel will be able to reintroduce the line (with the new tooling) to the retailers at Toy Fair next year and get them back on board.

I hope my long-winded ramblings helped explain explain what Matty was trying to say a little better.

Heck, the problem wasn't that people were comparing DCIH and Marvel Universe once they came out...they were comparing them BEFORE they came out, as the protos and promos made it clear that MU would blow DCIH away in terms of detail and articulation. Mattel was promising "more and better" articulation virtually before the first wave of DCIH hit shelves. But the line has fizzled so badly that I suspect it'll get killed in the next few months, if it's not effectively dead already as that link above indicates.

Funny thing about that link though is this paragraph:

There's one problem with this Toyguru...if you want fans/customers to support a line...make it a line worth supporting. Then again from what I understand it's pretty typical of Mattel to blame fans for failures that they could have avoided.

The rest of the post, however, is excellent, and some good perspective from the toy industry's side of things.

When I first saw DCIH on the pegs, the packaging almost made them look like gaming figures especially with the stats on the back and the slogan referring to having a battle in the palm of your hand or something like that in the front. It seemed like they were trying to improve on those lame pre posed fighting figures they released a year before. So, for me, there was no comparsion to be made because MU seemed pretty straightforward as a 3 3/4" superhero line.

This figure is still wrong.

I really hope that the GL line gets all new tooling. There is so much potential for a DC line if Mattel would get their heads out of their mindset of "lets blame retailers and collectors for not buying our craptastic overpriced poorly produced and underarticulated figures."

This is coming from someone who will GLADLY pay retail and above (I buy a lot from BBTS, so it's not a ton above retail) for the Marvel Universe line. MU has its flaws for sure, but it is a worthwhile product for the price. They've managed to have decent character selection while maintaining a rotation of heavy hitters with solid articulation.

Take a cue from MU.

Take a cue from Build 'n' Brawl.

Take a cue from Microman.

Take a cue from the NECA Helboy and Horror lines.

Take a cue from G.I. Joe.

Ignore the Playmates Star Trek line. They almost sucked worse than DCIH, but at least they came with chairs.

Don't be proud. Don't let any meager accomplishments in DCIH persuade you that the line doesn't need redone from scratch. Deathstroke was a nice improvement, but he's still not good enough. Please, I want to support a line that is good enough.

Thanks to whoever made it the end of my tirade. I wouldn't rant if I didn't care.

^^^This. I will not buy any more DCIH unless they have full articulation at the very least.

It would be nice if Mattel started selling the line in the UK, i have been to Forbidden Planet, Toysrus and they don't sell it even in Asda which is part of Wall-Mart. I have to buy from the US which costs more money to ship. I can buy the MU in all shops. Mattel should start think internationaly like Hasbro.

Working on a cast Plastic Man for the DCIH line. Makes me sad when I think of no Plas.

DCIH is dead for me. (well, until they totally revamp the line and do everything over again). It's a sad day but I finally put up 95% of my DCIH collection up on ebay last night. Doomsday, trenchcoat Question, Gotham Patrol pack, etc. It's all up there if you guys want to take a peak. Sigh. Just can't justify it anymore, so I'd rather toss these away for mere cents rather than hang onto them as a reminder of what could have been. Check 'em out please...

JLU, Justice Lords, Prelude to Doomsday, etc.

Dude, I wish I would've checked toyark last night! I would've probably bought an entire lot from you before they went out to the masses (ebay), lol!

Definitely would have been better if I could have just unloaded most of them to one person here instead of on ebay.

Tell me about it, I'd want that doomsday. DCIH is so-so to me, but it's mostly about the characters to me than anything. Like I'll eat up any titans or other teen figures because of the height difference to MU. Others feel a bit weird, but I'm also addicted to GL so any and all figures of those I'd snap up... If they ever reached shelves that is. I still can't find the kyle raynor parallax 3 pack.

I really want to get the Flash, Trickster, and Heatwave three pack but haven't seen any three packs in months.

I saw one of those at my TJ Maxx

i have seen random gi joe and dc figures at big lots

DCIH has the following promising things going for it:

• 3-3/4" scale
• A small scale that lends itself well to vehicles/playsets
• LARGE and very diverse character selection

Here are things going against it:

• Sculpts that are definitely not Mattel's best; they look dated(even Mattel's in-house sculpted Robin and Joker from DCSH 2004 or so looked better)
• Sorely lacking articulation(even the girls with new articulation lack any form of elbow joint)
• High price point given what we get. Are we really paying for what we get? We are getting less for what we pay for.

20 years ago, I could see this line taking on Super Powers and possibly giving it a run for it's money. Even the Toy Biz Marvel lines of the 90's and Kenner's Total Justice line.

The presentation and potential is all there, but I think fans support the premise behind DCIH and its potential, moreso than the actual product. Who doesn't want a high quality 3-3/4" DC line?

^ Agreed.

Unfortunately, it seems that Hasbro has set the bar so high that Mattel can't seem to manage the jump. It's as if someone told you "Give me $8.00. Here's a steak on a plate, knife and fork included." Then someone else told you: "Give me $8.00. Here's a hot dog. What do you mean you want a bun too?"

I don't know - at least Mattel's still trying. Maybe one day they'll make it over these last few hurdles.

^
^ Hear, hear. As funny as this may sound the first thing that drew me in to the Marvel Universe line is the artwork on the packaging. Since I do collect MOC as well as loose figures I think I'd be more likely to purchase a product if I can see myself displaying it. Case in point SDCC Galactus...pricier than the Galactus & Surfer set but once you look at the artwork on the box you simply can't resist it. The generic packaging on DCIH just doesn't cut it for me, I usually buy my favorite characters, pop them open and discard the packaging whereas I'll buy two (or more) of the same Marvel Universe character, one to open and one to display MOC.

I think what they should do is recreate the brand from scratch for next year. They've said that Green Lantern will have 3-3/4" figures. If those turn out like Mattel's Avatar or existing DCIH line, the small scale GL line is destined to fail. Avatar made big bucks at the box office but the toyline wasn't even close.

Here's what I would do:

• Make a fully articulated system of articulation to go by. Elbows, knees, neck, ball shoulder, ball hips(or 4H hips), ball ankles, swivel wrists, bicep swivel, waist swivel and ab crunch for everyone.
• Bump up accessory count. Some figures don't even have accessories.
• Increase level of sculpted detail
• Increase scale to 4"
• Increase painted detail, the current figures all look cheap

I always wondered why the Infinite Heroes don't have the same articulation as DCUC? Is it too hard to shrink it down or something?

And don't forget accessories! Green Lanterns just suck with no power batteries. Let alone the plenthora of other characters missing essentials to their character.

They should but I gave my GL and Sinestro JLU power batteries and they work great

It's not the Avatar figures have the same type of hips that DCUC has.

I don't think that the GL movie figures are only going to be available only in 3 3/4" scale. Toy Guru did say that there would be GL Movie Masters figures

It's not my favorite way to articulate a figure, but it was Mattel's best offering at that scale. My only complaint about the avatar articulation was how small the figures were. I hope they beef their toys up to a 4 inch scale to match MU.

Yeah if they beef up the new ones that would work. Get rid of those t waists too.
And for crying out loud give the females the same articulation!
The SDCC GL did come with an accessory...

so did Wonder Woman.

But we need Batarangs!!!

As a collector, I'd like to see more articulation, but my children have DCIH and DCUC, and they play with the Infinite Superman, Batman, and Power Girl more than their larger counterparts.

If Mattel wants to cut back the articulation and give me a bunch of well-sculpted, chunky Green Lanterns like Kilowog, Ch'p, Ganthet, Chaselon or G'nort, I'd be fine with it.

Heck, if they can get Chenma and Arisia made, my daughter will be a Green Lantern fan for life, and I know my son has been wanting a space army that could take on his Jedi-led clone warriors.

Also, I'm the worst parent ever, and suddenly I feel guilty for sending my children into neighborhood nerf gun battles with white lantern rings so they can't be brought back as zombies.

Anyway, my point was, I don't care about articulation, I just want as many different 4-inch Green Lantern's as possible and I don't want a bunch of alien heads stuck on a Hal Jordan body. It was the monsters that made Star Wars a hit with the kids, and I'd gladly sacrifice DCIH if ti meant a sustainable Green lantern line that lasted a few years.

I believe Shin mentioned that in his post already, but it is definitely worth repeating. Several DC characters are defined by their accessories (or gimmicks, really) and to not include them somehow diminishes the character.

Sure, the SDCC GL 5-Pack came with power batteries, but all DCIH figures should have at least one accessory (even if it's something like a generic M-16 rifle). Hasbro can do it, why can't you Mattel?

Oh no doubt, there's even a 6" Green Lantern Classics line coming next year. 3-3/4" AFAIK is getting a big push next year for Green Lantern. If it's like the current DCIH and Avatar offerings, I don't think it will get that far.

The GL line if even the same as DCIH or avatar is a must buy for me. Which is saying a lot since I skipped a lot of DCIH, but couldn't bring myself to pass on any GL figures.

So as long as the GL line has the right mish mash of characters in scale, I'll concede the articulation like I do the Ben 10 figures.

Come on Arisia, Kyle, and Hal Jordan Parallax!

*edit* Oops, I forgot Kilowog!

Wow! I was just at Meijer. They have DCIH again! $6.99

I have seen the 75 years of power 3.75inchers at kmart. Two face, Earth 2 robin, Joker, and some girl, i forgot who. Just throwin that out there.

Those have been around for almost a year. I really hope that if Mattel is still shipping them, that may mean we'll see actual produced figures from those sweet prototypes that popped on Ebay.

Some of the figures from the wave after that were actually halfway decent (Deathstroke & Batman) both have new ball joint hips

Deathstroke apparently has a variant. They painted on the scale details in the silver area. It's just stupid to paint on details. MU Capt. America has scale details. Too bad Mattel isn't that advanced yet.

Got a gold Capt. Atom in a trade...

Thank you. That sticker in the front explains so much to me.

Actually that is deceiving. The guy I got it from bought it at Walmart. I do believe someone returned them for credit though so that's why they had TRU stickers on them. At my Walmart they would never accept returns with another store's sticker on them.