DC Universe Classics was an action figure toyline, a sub-line of the DC Universe toy brand manufactured by Mattel. They were 6-inch scale figures based on the fictional characters owned by DC Comics. The entire line was sculpted by the Four Horsemen Studios, and was first available for sale in 2008. The "DC Classics" line ceased to be sold at retail in 2012. The series then became an online-and-convention exclusive line. It was announced in late 2014 that the line would end with a final series of six figures celebrating the history of the line.
History In 2007, Mattel was granted the rights to produce action figures of all DC Comics characters, although the company indicated the agreement excluded the DC Comics imprints Impact Comics, Vertigo, and WildStorm. DC Universe Classics was first announced at San Diego Comic-Con in 2007, with the first wave of action figures on display. The line was scheduled for initial availability in January 2008. At SDCC, close-ups of the second wave of action figures were shown, along with a line of 3" game figures that sold as the "Fighting Figures" sub-line. The second wave of Classics figures (and variants) was shown at Wizard World Chicago, alongside the first wave of figures. The third wave of figures was announced in October 2007, with photos being shown in the December 12, 2007, issue of ToyFare magazine. The fourth and fifth waves were announced at the 2008 New York Comic Con, and three of the five (six, including the Collect and Connect figure) figures from the sixth wave were shown at Wizard World Philadelphia in May 2008. More figures were revealed at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con and on MattyCollector.com.
The final wave of action figures to be sold at retail was Wave 20. The line was re-branded as DC Universe All-Stars and included Superman (New 52), Superboy-Prime, Batman (New 52), and Red Robin, but was later canceled due to fan criticisms and lack of retailer interest. It was then rebranded into two different lines. One for Batman and one for the rest of the DC Universe; the lines were called Batman Unlimited and DC Unlimited, respectively. These lines were cancelled in 2013.
Collect and Connect Mattel emulated Toy Biz' Marvel Legends Build-A-Figure concept with the DC Universe Classics line, which featured "Collect and Connect" with five (and later, six) separate figures, including pieces to build one of DC's larger characters. Variant versions of figures include the same piece as the regular version. Collect and Connect figures are at least 25% larger than the regular figures in the wave.
Criticisms Collectors said they had difficulty finding figures in many retail stores. For collectors, the issue was pronounced with the Walmart-exclusive fifth wave, which was underordered by the retail chain, but was later re-released and sold online at Mattel's website. Mattel has since showed that the company has improved the availability of action figures in the line.
Availability also became a concern with the San Diego Comic-Con exclusive Gleek figure, which was only available at the convention and not offered on Mattel's website after the show. The figure quickly sold out and was never re-released.
Collectors, concerned about quality control, said some figures they purchased had stuck joints, bad paint applications, and mismatched parts. Others have complained about scale issues, with certain figures produced either too large (Lobo, Rocket Red) or too small (Sinestro, Big Barda), as well as the fact that Collect and Connect figures had a height limit.
Collectors saw relatively quick price jumps since the line began. Initially, figures sold for under $10 each. Later, as the U.S. economy worsened in 2008–09, collectors saw price hikes of individual figures to $12.99 and then to $14.99 by 2010. In 2011, figures are sold for $15.99 to $17.99 in stores such as Toys R Us, Target, and Walmart. In 2012, Target made the price jump again by pricing the Batman Legacy Arkham City figure at up to $20.97.
Super Powers influence DC Universe Classics takes much of its inspiration from Kenner's Super Powers toyline from the 1980s, from character choices to their general design. All the characters who were in the Super Powers line have appeared in DC Universe Classics and DC Superheroes, although four of them (Kalibak, the Penguin, Orion, and Mr. Freeze) differ from how they looked in Super Powers (though Freeze would be re-released later with his Super Powers color scheme, and Penguin has been released in a more Super Powers-accurate version under the Batman Unlimited brand, also Kalibak has been re-released as a Collect and Connect figure in his Super Powers accurate color scheme with the 30th Anniversary Super Powers Collection). Some characters who were redesigned for the Super Powers line (Parademon, Mantis, and Steppenwolf) were released in two versions—a comic-accurate version and a Super Powers version. Even the characters Cyclotron and Golden Pharaoh–created specifically for the Super Powers line—were released in DC Universe Classics. Further, figures that were going to be produced later in the Super Powers line were created as part of DC Universe Classics (including characters from Super Friends like El Dorado and the Wonder Twins).
ToyFare Fans' Choice ToyFare #133 launched a contest similar to one by Marvel Legends for DC Universe Classics. Through an online vote, fans of DC Universe Classics could choose from a list of six characters to appear in a future wave: Catman, Huntress, The Question, Ragman, Starman, and Vixen. It was announced that the Question came out on top in the December 2008 issue of ToyFare. He appeared in the eleventh wave of Classics.
For its 2009 poll, the DC Universe brand managers and ToyFare staff picked another group of six characters to include in the line: Captain Marvel Jr., Geo-Force, Libra, Raven, Toyman, and Uncle Sam. The winner by a large margin was Raven, who was released in the line's fifteenth wave.
The 2010 ToyFare poll differs from the previous two polls in that instead of choosing a regular figure from an upcoming wave, fans chose the Collect and Connect figure, with the options being Blockbuster, Girder, King Shark, Nekron, Shaggy Man, and Wildebeest. The winner of this poll was Nekron, who appeared in the line's twentieth wave.
Figures The first wave of figures was shown at San Diego Comic-Con, while the second wave was shown at Wizard World Chicago. At the outset of the line, five figures were included in each wave (with variants included when possible), with five waves per year for five years. These plans were altered to increase the number of figures per wave to seven, beginning with the seventh series, and to include retailer, convention, and online exclusives at various times throughout the year. Beginning with wave sixteen, the line was scaled back to six figures per wave (plus one variant).
Wave One - Metamorpho Batman heads this first line of figures. The Penguin, Red Tornado, and Etrigan were originally intended to have variants which were scrapped at different times. The Penguin's chase robotic penguin accessories were dropped for cost reasons, while Red Tornado's modern costume and a repainted Etrigan to better reflect the art of Jack Kirby were skipped in favor of getting the second wave out as soon as possible. Some of the Batman figures are labeled "Crime Stopper", while others are dubbed "Classic Detective". It is unknown if this was a variant or a running change. Along the same lines, the first shipment of figures showed the classic Red Tornado on the back of the package, while the second shipments showed the modern incarnation.
The Collect and Connect figure for this wave is Metamorpho, labeled "Rex Mason, the Element Man". Metamorpho includes snap-on accessories, including a giant right hand, a giant hammer for his left hand, and an extension for his right leg.
NumberFigureCollect and Connect Piece1OrionRight leg2Crime Stopper or Classic Detective BatmanRight arm3The PenguinHead, torso4Red TornadoLeft leg5Etrigan the DemonLeft Arm
Wave Two - Gorilla Grodd The electric-costume Superman from the late 1990s anchored this second assortment of figures. There are three characters with two versions each; cases included both Superman variants and either the modern or classic Aquaman, with the modern one packed at a smaller ratio to the classic incarnation. Firestorm was released as a running change, with Ronnie Raymond appearing in the first shipments and the Jason Rusch incarnation in later shipments. The Collect and Connect for this wave is Gorilla Grodd.
NumberFigureCollect and Connect PieceVersion1FirestormRight legRonnie Raymond (Classic), Jason Rusch (Modern)2Aquaman, King of AtlantisRight armArthur Curry (Classic),Arthur Joseph Curry (Modern)3Harley QuinnHead, torso4SupermanLeft armSuperman Red/Superman Blue5Black MantaLeft leg
Wave Three - Solomon Grundy Hal Jordan heads this third line of figures. Nightwing and Robin are redone in this third wave after both previously having been produced when the line was DC Superheroes. The previous representations of these two characters were not sculpted by the Four Horsemen. The wave was first seen in the December 12, 2007 issue of ToyFare. Sinestro's variants were issued at a 50:50 ratio, while Deathstroke's were slightly less. The Collect and Connect for this wave is Solomon Grundy.
NumberFigureCollect and Connect PieceVersion1SinestroRight legSinestro Corps2DeathstrokeRight armSlade Wilson masked/unmasked3NightwingHead, torso4Robin (Tim Drake)Left arm5Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)Left leg
Wave Four - Despero Wonder Woman anchors the fourth wave of figures. She and Cyborg were revealed at Toy Fair in 2008. The rest of the lineup was unveiled at New York Comic Con 2008. At the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that Batman Beyond and Cyborg would feature variants that would be exclusive to KB Toys. Following KB's bankruptcy, the Batman Beyond and Cyborg variants were included with shipments from other retailers. The Collect and Connect for this wave is Despero in his mid-1990s incarnation, complete with two guns.
NumberFigureCollect and Connect PieceVersion1Wonder WomanRight legArtemisvariant2CyborgRight armSuper Powers/Sonic Blast Arm; KB Exclusive3Captain AtomHead, torsoClassic/Kingdom Come version4Batman (Terry McGinnis)Left armMasked/Unmasked; KB Exclusive5AresLeft leg
Wave Five (Walmart exclusive) - Metallo At the 2008 New York Comic Con, Mattel announced Walmart would begin carrying DC Universe Classics figures starting with wave three, besides receiving a store-exclusive wave in November 2008. At the request of Walmart, the characters included in this wave are characters that could be created using relatively few new parts.
The Collect and Connect for this wave is a mech version of Metallo. According to the Four Horsemen panel at Wizard World Philadelphia, Metallo was originally sculpted to be part of DC Superheroes but was held back when Mattel was awarded the full license to the DC library.
Following problems with the distribution of this wave at retail, the wave was re-released only on MattyCollector.com in June 2010.
NumberFigureCollect and Connect Piece1AmazoRight leg2AtomRight arm3RiddlerHead, torso4EradicatorLeft arm5Black LightningLeft leg
Wave Six - Kalibak Unveiled in its entirety during the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con, the sixth assortment of DC Universe Classics contains several characters from Jack Kirby's Fourth World storyline. Superman is, once again, the tent pole character for the wave. The Collect and Connect for this wave is Darkseid's son Kalibak with his Beta-Club.
NumberFigureCollect and Connect PieceVersion1Mister MiracleRight legDoctor ImpossibleVariant2HawkmanRight arm3Killer MothHead, torso4SupermanLeft armBlack recovery costume/Classic costume, long hair5ShazamLeft leg
Wave Seven - Atom Smasher