Hahaha, thought it'd be a robot today, didn't you?  Lobo was waiting for me in a MattyCollector box when I got home from BotCon, so I gotta shove pictures of him into this blog some time.  Might as well be now!

I always enjoy the entirely new sculpt Justice League Unlimited figures.  They feel more "alive" than their usual plop-a-new-head-on-the-standard-body-and-call-it-a-day guys.  You can see just how nicely Mattel can sculpt these things when they're given free reign.  In that vein, Lobo is basically perfect.  He's asymmetrical and huge and round and angular all at the same time in different places.  Though he only really "works" in a typical standing pose, he's a joy to look at from all angles.

Not that I wouldn't balk at more plop-a-new-head-on-the-standard-body-and-call-it-a-day guys.  I need myself a Chronos the Time Thief, dammit.

I went back to see if that Batgirl/Nightwing/Penguin three-pack was still at that Target.  It was!  Everything I'd left behind was still there.  Am I the last person alive still looking for these things?  Since these toys should be impossible to find, much less leave unattended for 24 hours, I'm starting to think so.

AND OH MY GOD I'M WATCHING COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW AND IT IS THE BEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN EVER

(Note: in the photos, all the old versions are on the left and the new versions are on the right)

I bought this set because Batgirl comes with a stand.  The Batgirl I had was an exclusive extra for the Rise of Sin Tsu video game.  It's the only release in her "real" colors.  (Kinda dickish.)  But she has gimpy legs (continuity nod?), a crazy look on her eyes, and no peghole in her foot for a stand.  This new version solves two of those problems!  Gimpy legs remain, but her paint is better on her face, meaning she looks less like she wants to eat your brains, plus a peghole in her foot and a stand!  A stand!  A STAND!  Hallelujah, she'll be able to stand.  Out of all the myriad of DCAU toys in my collection, she is the not-standiest.

And, hey, as a bonus, her paint is better.  I like the thicker, more defined symbol and belt, and I guess her taller boots are all right.  The back of her cape's blue instead of black, which isn't what I prefer, but small price to pay.   (Unlike what JLU three-packs cost these days.)

The other two guys aren't as much of an improvement.  With Nightwing, you can really tell the difference in plastic quality between when I got him probably a decade and now.  The new one is more rubbery, so he came out of the package all bent and unstandable.  I borrowed my old Batgirl's sticky-tack for his photo.  His bird deco on his chest is also narrower so it doesn't require paint on his arms, which probably costs extra.  On the other hand, I like the color his skin is painted better.  But I'll probably still choose the old one for display since he stands and because I like his bird deco better.

The Penguin is basically the same other than some deco choices.  The bottom of his shirt is a darker gray and instead of molding his head in fleshtone and painting black, his head is molded in black and his skin is painted on.  This might be an improvement (for those who don't like shiny fleshtone plastic) if the paint didn't thin up by his forehead.  It doesn't look so good.  So I'll keep using the old one.

In summary: Noncrazy Batgirl who can stand.

I totally found new Justice League Unlimited single-packs and three-packs at Target this morning!  Does this stuff happen anymore?  It was a Christmas miracle.

In single-pack land, there were retro-Brainiac and Kandor Superman and Asian The Atom.  ...Of brow-raising note, the customary screen captures on the back of The Atom's card seemed to photoshop The Atom into having the new guy's costume.  Sneaky!

The three-packs included the Penguin/Batgirl/Nightwing set that I'd forgotten about, which I considered briefly despite having all those guys, and a Superman/Weather Wizard/Livewire set.  I guess it's a set that celebrates the "Fuck Superman" group from that episode in which he dies, since the two villains are members of it.  What I really want is a friggin' Toyman.  He was in that group!  But he's not an easy repaint, so he'll continue to get sidelined.

Despite my grousing, I am legitimately happy to get two new villains.  A new Flash villain is always wanted and... yeah, Livewire is a new villain.  God, I hate Livewire.  I want to bash in her throat with a sledgehammer so she can never speak again.  I can't stand her voice.  Or her character.  Her last name's pretty cool, though.

Three-pack dudes basically never get accessories.  Accessories typically only come with the single-packed dudes.  And yet, Weather Wizard comes with his little dildo wand, which is the source of all of his powers.  ALL of his powers.  He's not the Weather Wizard without it, he's just Dorkily-Dressed Grown Man Man.  He's not even a good hand-to-hand fighter or anything!  So I like to think the inclusion of his accessory is an acknowledgement of his inherent lameness.

If I ever see the Nightwing/Batgirl/Penguin set again (ha!) I might pick it up.  I forgot to examine the packaging to see if Batgirl's been retrofitted with a foot peghole and a stand.  That would be worth the purchase.  My current Batgirl DOES NOT STAND.  You have to bury her waist-deep in sticky-tack to keep her from keeling over.