MattyCollector SDCC 2013 Exclusives Reveals Day 3: New 52 Shazam! & Asteroids Hot Wheels
Wednesday, May 1st, 2013 by Pixel Dan
Mattel continues their 5 days of San Diego Comic Con 2013 Exclusives reveals. Today, we get a look at yet another Hot Wheels exlcusive and the DC Club Infinite Earths exclusive.
From MattyCollector.com:
Sculpted by the Four Horsemen, this is the first ever figure of the New 52 Billy Batson, the boy turned DC Super Hero known as “Shazam!” Not included with club subscriptions, this figure arrives with a removable hood in Club Infinite Earths die cut packaging with distinctive silver foil. The perfect addition to your DCU collection!
This product will be available for pre-order at MattyCollector.com on June 4, 2013, to be picked up at San Diego Comic-Con (details to come). It will also be available for purchase at the show, then at MattyCollector.com on August 5, 2013.
Pixel Dan’s Thoughts:
While I haven’t been overly fond of the New 52 costumes, I have been getting used to them. And honestly, I’ve been pretty happy with Mattel’s figures based on these costumes thus far. I think the Horsemen have done great sculpt work on these figures, specifically with Batgirl and Hawkman. I do like Captain Marvel’s New 52 look with the white hood, and from the pictures it seems to have translated well to figure form. Plus it looks like he’ll have cool packaging, a staple of recent DCUC SDCC exclusives. I guess I just don’t get why he has to be an SDCC exclusive. Seems like he would be a candidate for a regular retail release.
From MattyCollector.com:
There’s nothing better than the lights and sounds of an arcade game… except maybe a Hot Wheels® car, of course. You’ll be transported back to the local video arcade with the Hot Wheels® Atari Beach Bomb™ Pickup, finished in Red Line Club level hand polished Chrome Spectraflame® and Asteroids deco! And just like the arcades of old, this awesome finish will soon be a thing of the past… this will be one of the last hand polished Chrome Spectraflame® Hot Wheels® car offered. Features diecast body and chassis, and Real Riders® wheels.
This product will be available for pre-order at MattyCollector.com on June 4, 2013, to be picked up at San Diego Comic-Con (details to come). It will also be available for purchase at the show.
Pixel Dan’s thoughts:
I don’t collect Hot Wheels, but I do grab the occasional special car. Generally the Batmobiles, Ecto-1’s, Deloreans…you get the idea. I do enjoy retro video games, and the packaging alone on this one is pretty cool. I think I may pick this one up.
I hope that hood is removable on Shazam (it's Captain Marvel, not Shazam, dammit, Geoff Johns!), because I do like the design.
In general I am indifferent about when comic artists change the look of a charcter. Artists always want to put their own flare on what they are working on. Sometimes it works (black suit Spidey). Sometimes it does not (black suit Supes). I am no sure why ole CM recieved such a drastic change, but there you have it. Yes, I prefer calling him Captain Marvel over Shazam. I do not understand the name change nor the hood, other than (given the evidence of the Injustce vidoe game) that DC is changing CM from a fighting champion to a wizard and want to give hime a look more akin to a mystic. All in all the new look may be appealing to the eye, but I do think CM is getting short changed, because the DC universe is not big enough for two Supermen.
Now, on the figure itself, that hood looks down right goofy. I hope they fix that, because, other than the die hards who want a "complete" collection, I think the figure might tank if they don't fix it.
I kinda like the hood on the design. Actually, now that you mention it, Injustice may be the reason I like it. But I agree, it definitely doesn't look too great on this figure. Also, I'm still not sure why he was chosen as an exclusive. Seems lackluster in comparison to the last several DCUC exclusives…
that right there is my issue with it, If I saw this at retail I would gladly buy it. Its not the figure itself I have an issue with, its it being sold as a SDCC item, which are suppose to be different and generally something we couldn't get at retail. Feels very phoned in.
Hey lets just grab a retail figure and put it in a shiny box, that will be huge!