Unite the League: 10 Pack Figure Collector's Set from DC Nano Metalfigs by Jada Toys

 I recently stumbled upon another set from the DC Nano Metalfigs minifigures by Jada Toys that I didn't realize was available. It's a 10 pack that features seven heroes and three villains for $10. That's a pretty good deal! While only four of the figures are listed as exclusives to this set (Two-Face, The Element Man, Martian Manhunter, and Batman in black and silver), I have yet to see the single packed Mr. Freeze and the black and red outfitted Wonder Woman, so there does seem to be quite a bit new here. Plus, since four of these characters are members of the DCEU Justice League, they fit in perfectly as part of the "Unite the League" series of reviews I'll be running until Justice League comes out. So far I have yet to see any of the Nano Metalfigs anywhere except for at Wal-Mart, but they're supposed to hit retailers everywhere soon. I'm loving this little line of die-cast metal minis and it's always fun to talk about them. Let's check them out a bit more closely after the break...

Unite the League: The Flash & The Atom (Batman: The Dark Knight Returns) from DC Comics Multiverse by Mattel

 I said it a few weeks ago in this review, and I'll say it again today: There is definitely someone who loves The Dark Knight Returns at Mattel and I hope we keep getting figures from it peppered into this line. Well, that's not 100% true, actually. While the packaging does say that the Flash is from The Dark Knight Returns, it actually isn't. Instead, it's from The Dark Knight Strikes Again. That's kind of like packaging an action figure from Batman & Robin and saying it's from the 1989 Batman film. Yeah, their is some degree of relation, but one is amazing and the other is pretty far from amazing. The difference between those two? I do allow a copy of The Dark Knight Strikes Again in my home. Batman & Robin is still banned. Anyways, despite my not being a fan of the book, I do like this version of the Flash. He's a very unique variant and makes for a really good Walgreens exclusive. Paired up with the Atom and an unmasked Bruce Wayne head, this is a pretty tough exclusive for a collector of DC Comics action figures to pass up. Let's check him out in more detail after the break...

Unite the League: Knightmare Batman No. 031 from Batman v. Superman MAFEX by Medicom

  Over the next few months I'll be celebrating the impending release of Justice League by lumping all of my reviews containing the heroes and villains of the film together using the "Unite the League" banner. Today I'm looking at Medicom's MAFEX version Ben Affleck's Batman in one of my favorite scenes from Batman v. Superman: Knightmare Batman! I love this costume so much that while I already have the Mattel version (and the One:12 Collective version preordered), I definitely needed the MAFEX version, too. The Medicom's MAFEX line has really improved over the past year or so and their releases of Armored Batman and Harley Quinn have been some of my favorite releases over the past year.  Let's check out this incredible looking Knightmare Batman figure after the break...

Unite the League: Wonder Woman from DC Comics Multiverse: Justice League by Mattel

  So, going into Justice League who do you think the bigger draw is? Ben Affleck as Batman or Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman? Pretty difficult choice, eh? Anyways, today I'm looking at another figure from Mattel's DC Comics Multiverse: Justice League series and, let me warn you, it's going to get rough. It has nothing to do with Wonder Woman, though: It's about the way Mattel is handling this line. Here's the problem: Mattel has pretty much released the exact same figure that they released earlier this year for Wonder Woman with nothing new except for a weaker headsculpt and a new Collect & Connect piece. I am generally fine with repacks. Sometimes a character is popular or a certain figure becomes extremely rare and a company wants to get the toy back out to fans. Hasbro is getting ready to do it again for Star Wars: The Black Series, as we'll see repacks of the OT Stormtrooper and the 40th Anniversary Darth Vader alongside of new figures of Rey, Luke Skywalker, and Hera Syndulla. No problem. I already own those figures and I can pass them up. The problem with Mattel's Justice League line is that in order to build the film's (presumably) lead antagonist, Steppenwolf, you're going to have to buy every figure in the set. And, let's be honest, considering the track record of action figures from DCEU films, unless you're a main hero, Harley Quinn, Deadshot, or the Joker, you're probably not going to get another action figure released. The release of Justice League should be a major event for DC, Warner Bros., and Mattel, but Mattel is making it feel like leftovers from the previous DCEU films. I'm going to rant a bit during this review, something I don't feel like I do often, but I think it's important. Rather than craft an incredible new figure of Wonder Woman, Mattel took a previously released figure, slapped it in a new package, and said "Good enough." Weak! Read on to take a closer look at the figure after the break...

Unite the League: Cyborg from DC Comics Multiverse: Justice League by Mattel

  At this point it's a tie between Cyborg and Aquaman as the member of the Justice League whom we've seen the least on screen. I feel like Aquaman is getting more media exposure due to being portrayed by Jason Momoa and the significant changes to the characters appearance from the classic version everyone is familiar with, but I'm really curious to see how younger DC fans react to a live-action Cyborg. Considering the character's prominence in a popular show like Teen Titans Go, it'll be interesting to have a superhero that younger viewers may know more about than many older moviegoers. While Cyborg has been an important of the Teen Titans and the DC Universe since 1980, it's only been since the start of the New 52 that he's been promoted to the big leagues as a core member of the Justice League. While Cyborg did appear in Smallville (portrayed by the late Lee Thompson Young), actor Ray Fisher is really getting the opportunity to define the film version of the character. I'm excited to see Cyborg in action and I was excited to find this figure. While Aquaman and Flash were missing the day I found most of this series, Cyborg was still present. How does he measure up to the rest of the team? Let's find out after the break...

Unite the League: Batman from DC Comics Multiverse: Justice League by Mattel

   Time for another Justice League action figure review! Let's hope that this one fairs better than yesterday's Superman figure, right? Today I'm checking out Batman, the second figure in the series (based on the numbers on the back of the box). Interestingly, while the package just calls this Batman, every other company producing figures and statues of this same design seems to be calling this the Tactical Suit. I wonder why Mattel didn't call this one Tactical Suit Batman? Do they think that sounds overly Kenner-ish? Anyways, Batman is probably going to be the easiest figure in this series to find as the early cased have him packed three to a case of eight (with everyone else packed one to a case). I picked this up at Target when they were first released, along with Superman, Cyborg, and Wonder Woman. I've managed to pick up Aquaman thus far but I'm still without the Flash! For now, though, we'll focus on Tactical Suit Batman, the one character who seems to have a noticeably different costume for Justice League. More after the break...

Unite the League: Superman from DC Comics Multiverse: Justice League by Mattel

    Check out the latest episode of the Confirmed Epic Podcast and you can hear my friends the Reel Brad Bell and AKA Andrew Stokes talk about upcoming Fall and Winter movie releases and how crazy it is that we're getting some of the biggest blockbusters of the year after the Summer movie season! Today I'm beginning what will surely be a long series of reviews covering toys from one of those massive end of the year releases: Justice League. Y'all, as a DC die-hard, I'm both insanely excited and just a bit apprehensive about the first ever onscreen appearance of the entire Justice League as a cohesive team. Yes, I know they've all appeared in BvS, but seeing them together in action is going to be a completely different animal. Will it succeed? Will it fail? Who knows? To be fair, I've enjoyed the DCEU immensely, but I can understand why so many other fans and moviegoers have not. I feel like Justice League is either going to finally overcome the problems of the DCEU or compound them; I don't think there is going to be any middle ground here. Of course, we're here to talk about toys and not Justice League, so let's get started with a review of the Man of Steel who kicked off the DCEU: Superman. Superman is listed as figure number one in this initial six figure subset of Mattel's DC Comics Multiverse line, so let's start of with him. Read on and see how this figure fares after the break...