Raving Toy Maniac

...I was trying to explain to a friend, who after inspecting my cluttered shelves, asked innocently, "Why doesn't Marvel have a line of figures as good as DC Universe Classics?" A question a child might ask, but not a childish question...

Recently I've been trying to pick up some $10 cheapo DCUs I would have never paid full-price for...like that GL Manhunter, Cyclotron, Bronze Tiger, that Crime Syndicate boxset, etc. I'm going to miss these great silver age classics. How I wish the Four Horsemen had been hired to sculpt Kirby's Marvel portfolio into 3D...

I've also delved into some of those subscription items...
Metron: Jack would have smiled. The chair steals the show; too bad they couldn't have rigged some leds or glowing bits.

Metal Men: Finally. Rarer than a supernova; a(n almost) completed superhero team of action figures. Too bad Mercury, Gold & (too dark) Iron couldn't have gotten some sorta metallic finish treatment, just shy of vac-metal. The pricey Lead & Plat/Tin? Lead is too big (and dark, IMO). Platinum looks...ok...but looks rather "grey" and not terribly sexy either. And Tin? Is a throwaway. Not an action figure at all, and half the size he should have been. And where is the Doc?

Elasti-Girl: Not a bad sculpt, this "big" figure of Rita. Too bad her red costume does not match Larry's red. The same for their mismatched purple boots. For that much money I might expect more attention to detail. Might. And their belt buckles do not match! Sigh. But these design flaws pale compared to scaling Larry to be TALLER than Cliff! Larry & a translucent black Neg Man (posed as in flight) with some sorta translucent "cracklin'" yellow flight stand...should have been a no-brainer two-pack...and where is Niles? (Were the X-men derivative of the Doom Patrol, or vice versa?)

Mirror Master: The return of those Blue Beetle gigantic kiddy holsters! Incredible detail on his sidearms, though. I added a few bits of shiny chrome tape to impart mirrors to his pistols.

Uncle Sam: I like my DCDirect Uncle Sam, with his removable top hat, but this new "Hippy hairdo" Uncle Sam may be my new favorite action figure! Stupidly, he comes with no accessories (and hat is part of head), but with two hands to hold...something. In my parts drawer, I found the perfect 48-star flag on a flagpole that SHOULD have come with Sam in the first place.