You may remember my recent article about "A Perfect JLU 3 Pack".
http://www.actionfigureinsider.com/blog/superfriend/a-perfect-jlu-3-pack/
Unfortunately, I’m not sure Mattel saw it. Because this isn’t one of them.
We’ve waited forever for Captain Atom. As long as the line has been going. Finally he is here. Maybe for that very reason, Mattel thought we should be satisfied with any packout.
Where does this 3 pack fall apart?
Simple, it has 2 repeat figures. So the starting point of the FAN line is to make us buy 2 figures we already have to get one we want? That is NOT fan friendly. Green Lantern has been in many 3 packs, most recently Fire/Ice. Supergirl was available single and again in with Superman/Steel.
The capper is the inclusion of the rediculous "Polly Pocket" Supergirl figure. Come on Mattel, this figure should have a) never been made, b) never see the light of retail day again, c) the mold should be run over by a truck, d) all of the above. The answer of course, is "d". This is a half figure. Half the size. Half the plastic. None of the demand. In fact, fans have been demanding for a replacement since it hit retail the first time. I cannot make it any clearer. This figure should NEVER be put out in ANY packout for this line again.
In summary, a great 3 Pack is an easy formula. A big part is 2 new characters. Sand/ StarSapphire/ Superman is a good example. GreenLantern/ CaptAtom/ PollyPocket is not.
Yeah I said this on another site. This is a shoddy way to do the new “collector” sets. While I don’t hate the Supergirl figure, I do know it’s DESPISED in the JLU community. So why pack it in with a figure everyone wants?
Because they know you’ll buy it. Mattel is intentionally trying to kill the line. I know, that makes no sense.
But honestly… Now I’m going to pay $10 (Assuming JLU stays at $10) for one figure? Or I can get an excellent DCUC figure for the same price?
It’s funny that DCIH gets such a wide selection of characters and we get rehashes in JLU.
And why not a REPAINT AT LEAST? Seriously, if John Stewart had a new outfit on at least then I’d feel like it was justified. Same for Supergirl. Instead these are EXACTLY the same as the other releases.
Same thing with the Wonderpig… The Batman mock up is the same Batman we’ve been getting for years.
I just don’t get it.
yeah, This is pretty weak. But I think this is the first 5 POA ‘goatee” GL, right? IF that’s the intent of the final product. Either way, Weak.
Supergirl was also recently re-released with the GA, Ultra Humanite 3pk. and I totally agree, it’s terrible of them to take advantage of fans like this. hopefully, if we create enough of an uproar, this pack will be changed
My dream 3 pack would go like this:
Hourman, Dr. Mid-Nite, and Wildcat.
We get two new characters, one regular version of its not-yet-produced- domestically counterpart, and a repeat figure that fits in perfectly with the other two.
The final scene of the JLU series even makes it canon.
Hey ZAXILLA2, we should get a petition going.. rally the troops, make some noise. It could help. Really. Maybe when wonder pigs fly:)
All jokes aside, I don’t really mind getting this set.. as long as GL is the 5POA with goatee. If it is the same *super* articulated one that I have a million of, I won’t be that pleased. My Daughter will like getting another supergirl though.. She’ll be disappointed that she doesn’t come with a metal purse.
While I agree that this and the Galatea set aren’t ideal packouts it does seem that Mattel is going back to “story packs”. With this one the only other characters that would fit this story would be Brimstone (waaaaaay too big) and Green Arrow (who we’d be complaining not being packed with his bow again, which brings to mind that Speedy better see a single pack when they get around to him…). It seems like the intent is to keep the pricing the same as it is now and the repacks and repaints are going to help with the costing. For wave two I know one pack that could have two re-issued figures along with one new one and it would be welcomed with open arms — Superman, Lex in suit and Captain Marvel.
I guess I’m alone in this, but this pack makes total sense to me. When I think of Captain Atom, I think of two things from the JLU toon – 1.) his fight against Superman and 2.) his interaction with GL and Supergirl (“take the stick out Corpral”, “It’s Captain”).
Plus, when was the last time this line was ever about packing more than one new figure per 3pk? We’ve been buying doubles for years now to get the new guys.
….
I consider this to be 2 new figures and small dose of horse droppings.
Bald GL with 5 POA hasn’t been made before. I still have the orignal ‘Big 7′ w/ 5 POA.
Being able to swap out corny Jon with BAMF Jon makes this a great pack
Captain Atom is new, and, as others have pointed out, that version of Green Lantern is new. So its only one repeat figure. And I tire of the complaints about Supergirls’s size. She’s a Polly Pocket! Oh no! The figure’s two years old now, isn’t it time to stop complaining about it?
This particular 3-pack has been announced since NYCC in April. Why is it a problem all of a sudden?
“She’s a Polly Pocket! Oh no! The figure’s two years old now, isn’t it time to stop complaining about it?”
It’s a crappy figure. Isn’t it time to stop releasing it?
I’m ok with the re-release of Green Lantern in 5 POA, besides, out of the 10 GL’s I already have, I’m still hoping for one that doesn’t have a lazy eye… Or cross eyes.
BUT! The Supergirl is NOT NOT NOT cool. Can’t even use it for a custom. NO ONE likes it, and the fact that it’s a fan line now, we should never ever see this figure again! I’d rather buy a two pack for the same price.
I agree, another bad 3 pack which we will all buy to acquire the Captain Atom. How many more GL’s are we going to get. Are there any other pics located somewhere with the other new 2008 line ?
Wow. Thanks for all the responses. It really shows how passionate we all are for this line.
Now a few responses to yours.
Overall, remember, I was comparing this pack to the one I reviewed in my other blog which I considered to be a “perfect” 3 pack. And I gave criteria for meeting that “standard”.
Story packs. I agree this pack is ‘story centric’, but that does not grant it a free pass to put 2 repeat characters in a 3 pack. Also, Mattel put out random 3 packs and labelled them as “Initiation”. At this point in the line, story centric is NOT going to be fan friendly.
Supergirl figure complaining. I’m complaining because this figure was bad when it was first made, to remind Mattel how much we as a group hated it then, and to try to convince them not to make it again.
Why complain now? 1. I had to set the standard to measure it by first. 2. I wanted to blog about other stuff in between (SDCC as a Vacation in case folks were considering/going to SDCC and would be interested in what else they could do while there). 3. The arrival of packaged picture reminded me. 4. This is blog 2 of at least 4 blogs planned on packouts of JLU 3 packs.
When has JLU been about getting more than one new figure in a 3 pack? Looking back at Mattel’s record, it has always been a combination.
Hawk+Dove, Starman+Amazo vs ElongatedMan, Booster Gold.
Sand+StarSapphire, Barda+Deadshot vs Volcana, Obsideon.
Fire+Ice vs Hawkman.
[b]I think in this new direction of being FAN
oriented, we have the right to expect that for our money, Mattel will give us 2 new heads and 2 new paint jobs for the price of a 3 pack.[/b]
Honestly. I don’t c what’s the big deal. There’s newbies everywhere. And u can change or sell ur repeat figures with them.
About the supergirl, I just love her,and with thoughts like that, Mattel will suspend any female-figure in the line.
Supergirl: We complain about this figure still because…
1. Well, we complained when she was released and yet she was released again in the 3 pack with Superman and Steel.
2. We complained. She was then again, released in a 3 pack with Ultra Humanite and Green Arrow.
3. We complained. She is now AGAIN, released in a fan collector 3 pack, with Capt. Atom and GL.
4. We’ve all stated that we LOVE the character and the figure is horrendous. Mattel has agreed the figure with her little iron purse is terrible.
5. They will not stop making female figures because we hate (with burning passion) the Supergirl sculpt. A ton of our main requests, HTF characters, and Mattel best sellers are female. Volcana HTF and popular. Fire and Ice, people went nuts when they finally came out. Giganta Comic Con exclusive. Cheetah #1 request along with Shazam. Supergirl adult is a huge fan request!
Mattel knows we want an adult Supergirl. They won’t stop making female figures, we want them too much. BUT it was really annoying to call something a fan collector line and then release the most hated figure for a 4th time, when we didn’t even like it the first time around. Don’t even get me started on the Kilowog single pack. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr….
I have to say, i’m from south america. And here we have not a lot of figures. I mean, we never c here the Superman / Steel / Supergirl pack or the Ultra Humanity / Supergirl / Green Lantern u mension or even the Supergirl alone. After a long research I find one. So I sell the Supes and change the Steel for Zatanna.
And for me, the sculpt is good, I prefer her than the Soranik Natu or Vixen.
I’m kinda new with these figures, I just collect them from 3 weeks and well… I doesn’t know people get too serious with these things.
I’m so happy i stopped collecting this Mattel crap.
See now, I would love to see Mattel do their multi-packs based on DCU teams.
Put together a Detroit League pack with Vibe, Vixen, and Martian Manhunter. I’m trying to get together the JLU equivalent of the Giffen/DeMatteis League, and I don’t want to have to buy extraneous figures just so I can get Booster Gold. Having a JLI-pack would be amazing!