DC Universe: Justice League Unlimited Fan Collection

DC Universe: Justice League Unlimited Fan Collectionis anaction figureline based on the highly popularJustice LeagueandJustice League Unlimitedanimated series. Though it was based on the show(s), the line has continued well beyond it, and has been re-branded in 2008, as aTargetexclusive (in the US). Mattel announced in February 2011 that the line would come to an end later in the year with the final figures being released on the Mattel website including the final two three-packs, a seven-pack as well as the three exclusive Con three-packs being made available to the public.

History

The line itself has gone through many name changes.

Justice League/Justice League Mission Vision

The idea for the figures began asDC Directsculpts by sculptor,Karen Palinko,which were later handed over toMattel.They were then released under theJustice Leagueline. They all sported nearly the same look as the original sculpts. Later on newer sculpts were made for all the heroes (except Hawkgirl) to addarticulationand accommodate large accessories. Aquaman was later added, making the total number of heroes eight. Three villains were also produced,Lex Luthor,the Ultra-Humanite and Darkseid.

Justice League Unlimited

As the show moved onto newer territory, so did the figures. The basic concept was to sell smaller packaged collectible single figures (withrepaints) and then a sort of quick-builder's 3-pack featuring three original characters with one or two of the original seven members included. The single figures were packed in with an accessory and acollectible card.The number of villains in the line were still few however, as only Sinestro, Amazo, Bizarro, and Brainiac were released. Justice League Unlimited, released in blue cards, as it is, lasted for two series (as Series 1 and 2). The rarest figure in the line is that of Green Lantern Hal Jordan. 100 copies of the figure were made and then the molds were destroyed. The figures were packaged on a special green and red card and autographed by Bruce Timm. The figures were given as a Christmas gift in 2005 to employees of the animation studio who worked on the show. Mattel has definitively stated, in multiple published reports, that there will be no Green Lantern Hal Jordan figures made available to the general public.

DC Superheroes

Re-branding the 2003 Batman toy line and creating a new Superman line inDC Superheroes,Mattel decided to take Justice League Unlimited into the new brand as well, effectively creating three sub-brands within one umbrella brand. The new packaging mirrored both Batman and Superman in design. The collectible cards in singles were removed and variants of figures that are not accurate to the show were dropped. This line basically offered original Batman, Superman and Flash for new collectors in original suits with various accessories and certain themed 3-packs such as three collectibleJustice Lordspacks, twoGreen Lantern Corpspacks and aMartian Manhunter3-pack with faithful character representations. The number of villains also began to increase to include characters such as Mirror Master, Copperhead, Lex Luthor, Star Sapphire, Volcana, Deadshot, and Joker; however, many of the villain figures (most notably Deadshot, Star Sapphire, and Volcana) suffered shoddy distribution by Mattel, making them among the rarest of the mass-marketed figures.

The yellow carded figures also lasted for two series, before DC Superheroes lines revamped their packaging into new purple cards with DC Comics inspired stars and dashes visible on the packaging. However the sixth series marked the return to non show-accurate repaints in single figure packs. The sixth series also marked the expansion of the Justice League Unlimited line slightly beyond its previous limits within the show, by introducing a more comic-accurate repaint ofBizarro,aBlack Canaryin fishnet stockings, and a Joker figure with a removableRed Hoodmask accessory.

DC Universe Fan Collection

With the re-branding of DC Superheroes intoDC Universe,the JLU line followed suit beginning with series 7. The future of the line was finally announced around the 2008 International Toy Fair in New York City. After most brick and mortar retail outlets abandoned JLU, Mattel and Target partnered up to bring the line out as an in-store exclusive. Outside the US, JLU has had only the one wave of 2009 singles surface at Toys r Us in Canada. These same single pack figures have also been showing up at discount in Big Lots stores throughout the USA.

The line continued with their comic-inspired repaints (such as Black-suit Superman, Classic Batman and Elongated Man), paint corrections (Red Tornado, Booster Gold, Dr. Fate and Zatanna), a continuation of Batman villains (from The New Batman Adventures, such as Bane, Scarecrow, Harley Quinn etc.) and brings to the table new lead characters (such as the Question and Captain Atom) and more background characters (from the Justice League and the Secret Society). By mid-2011, all of the expanded Justice League were made into figures except:The Creeper,Crimson Avenger(both costumes),Dr. Mid-Nite,Gypsy,Johnny Thunder & Thunderbolt,S.T.R.I.P.E.(both armours), andSpeedy.Characters who were mentioned but didn't appear in any DCAU episodes such as Plastic Man and Cyborg started appearing in late 2009. Non-show characters to appear in the line include Superwoman, Firestorm, Ryan Choi Atom, Ultraman, Omac and the Doom Patrol.

Packaging

The line, in its various incarnations, has explored several types of packaging - single, 2-packs, 3-packs, 4-packs (as Justice LeagueToys "R" Usexclusives), 6-packs (asTargetexclusives), and 7-pack (featuring the original members as Toys "R" Us exclusives both in the 3 "and 4.5" scales.)

Once it was integrated into the DC Superheroes line, JLU sported redesigned orange packing, and followed suit when its 'sister' brand was redesigned with purple packaging in 2006. Since it was part of the DC Universe re-brand, the packaging was in a form of the DC Universe Classics packaging (including character bios) with animated touches placed on it. Beginning in March 2010, the packing changes to the DC Comics' 75th Anniversary brand.

4-packs have been available at the Mattel Collector site. These are not actual 4-packs per se, but singles that are bundled in four. These were discontinued in 2010 after the Justice Guild release, due to insufficient sales. Mattel continued selling exclusives on their site (though in a different format) starting with Lobo in April 2010.

Figures - 4.5 "

The line features three sets of collectible figures, the most popular and voluminous being the 4.5 "figures which now has over 70 unique characters, not including repaints. The other two lines are the 3"die-castline and the 10 "rotocastline.

Justice League

Series 1 - 2003

Series 2 - 2003

Batman
Batman (Black Variant)
The Flash
Green Lantern
Martian Manhunter
Superman
Superman (Dark Uniform)
Wonder Woman

Series 3 ( "Attack Armor" ) - 2003

Attack Armor Batman
Attack Armor Green Lantern
Attack Armor Martian Manhunter
Attack Armor Superman

2-Pack Action Figures - 2003

Night Flight Batman & Superman
Superman vs. Assault Armor Lex Luthor

Deluxe Action Figures - 2003

Crime Bust Batman
Power Escape Superman
Superman Twin Talon - Released in Latin America Only
Wilson dog - Released in America Only

Vehicles - 2003

Batplane
Javelin-7 with Superman

Series 4 ( "Mega Armor" ) - 2003

Mega Armor Batman
Mega Armor Flash
Mega Armor Superman
Hawkgirl

Playsets - 2003

The Watch Tower

Series 5 ( "Mission Vision" ) - 2004

Batman
Darkseid(Dark Gray Face)
Darkseid (Light Gray Face)
The Flash
Green Lantern
Superman
Wonder Woman

Series 6 ( "Mission Vision" ) - 2004

Batman
The Flash
Superman
Superman

Series 6 ( "Mission Vision" ) Deluxe Action Figures - 2004

Aqua Sled Batman
Solar Cannon Superman

Series 6 ( "Mission Vision" ) Vehicles - 2004

Batcycle
Flashcycle
Green Lantern Cycle
Javelin-7 With Flash
Javelin-7 With Superman

Series 7 ( "Morph Gear" ) - 2004

Batman
The Flash
Green Lantern
Superman
Ultra Humanite

Series 8 ( "Cyber Trakkers" ) - 2004

The Flash
Green Lantern
Martian Manhunter
Superman

Series 9 ( "Silver Storm" ) - 2004

Hawkgirl
Superman

Exclusives - 2004

NASCAR - Batman
NASCAR - The Flash
NASCAR - Green Lantern
NASCAR - Martian Manhunter
NASCAR - Superman
NASCAR - Wonder Woman

Four Packs - 2004

Journey ToAtlantis- Superman with Scuba Gear, Green Lantern with Scuba Gear, Flash with Scuba Gear,Aquaman
The Rise ofApokolips- Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Darkseid

Justice League Unlimited

Series 1 - 2004

Singles

Batman (tech suit w/gas mask)
The Flash (tech suit)
Martian Manhunter (translucent)
Superman (tech suit w/kryptonite)
Wonder Woman (yellow choker/bracelets w/plastic lasso)

3-Packs

Batman,Elongated Man,Hawkgirl
Superman, Martian Manhunter (translucent),Brainiac
The Flash,Dr. Fate,Green Arrow

Series 2 - 2004

Singles

The Atom
The Flash (damaged uniform)
Green Lantern (circuit uniform)
Superman (damaged uniform)

3-Packs

Amazo,Starman,Superman
Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Batman
The Flash, Green Lantern,Red Tornado

Series 3 - Spring 2005

Singles

Batman (damaged uniform)
Brainiac
Dr. Fate
Green Arrow
Hawkgirl (black damaged uniform)

3-Packs

Atom Smasher,The Flash, Green Lantern
Booster Gold,Superman, Martian Manhunter
Dove,Hawk,Wonder Woman

Series 4 - 2005

Singles

Amazo (gold)
Anti-Amazo Flash
Anti-Amazo Superman
Starman

3-Packs

Aztek,Superman,Sinestro
Metamorpho,Batman,Wildcat
The Flash, Hawkgirl,Waverider

Series 5 - 2005

Singles

Aquaman
Booster Gold
Cyber Defenders: Superman
Cyber Defenders: Batman
Red Tornado

Series 6 - 2005

Singles

Atom Smasher
Dove
Hawk
Planet Patrol: Martian Manhunter
Planet Patrol: Wonder Woman

Target Exclusives - 2005

Batman,Bizarro,Wonder Woman
Black Canary,Green Arrow, Superman
Wonder Woman (Planet Patrol), Superman (silver highlights), Brainiac
Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter,Orion

Exclusives - 2005

Green Lantern: Hal Jordan

Vehicles - 2005

Batcycle
Flash Cycle
Green Arrow Cycle

DC Superheroes: Justice League Unlimited

Series 1 - 2006 (Orange Package)

Singles

Superman (w/Black Mercy)
Steel
Aztek
The Flash (w/rotor)
Supergirl

3-Packs

Green Lantern,Tomar Re,Kilowog
Lex Luthor (Injustice Gang jumpsuit),Copperhead,Mirror Master
Martian Manhunter, J'onn Jonnz, Martian Manhunter (clear)

Series 2 - 2006 (Orange Package)

Singles

Batman (w/ wings)
Waverider
Wildcat
Wonder Woman (w/blue cape)

3-Packs

Justice Lord Superman, Justice Lord Wonder Woman, Justice Lord Batman
Superman,Dr. Light,Aquaman (w/ cape)
Dr. Fate,Vixen,Hawkgirl

Series 3 - 2006 (Orange Package)

Singles

Batman
Superman (w/ super breath)
Rocket Red
Metamorpho
Copperhead

3-Packs

Katma Tui( "The Return" costume),Kyle Rayner,Arkkis Chummuck
Justice Lord Martian Manhunter, Justice Lord Green Lantern, Justice Lord The Flash
Zatanna,Batman,Shining Knight

Series 4 - 2006 (Orange Package)

Singles

Orion
Elongated Man
The Flash
Vigilante

3-Packs

Superman, Wonder Woman, The Demon Etrigan
K-Mart Exclusive 3 Pack: Superman (silver highlights), Supergirl (silver shirt), Steel
Toys-R-Us Exclusive 3 Pack:Justice Lord Batman ( "tech circuits" deco), Justice Lord Hawkgirl, Justice Lord Superman ( "tech circuits" deco)
Huntress,The Atom, Batman

6-Pack

Target Exclusive 6 Pack: Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Bizarro,Doomsday,Amazo (clear)

San Diego Comic-Con Exclusives

SDCC 2006:Solomon Grundy
SDCC 2006: Solomon Grundy (Slimed Variant)
SDCC 2007: Green Lantern, Hawkgirl,The Ray

Series 5 - 2007 (Purple Package)

Singles

Superman
Huntress
The Flash
The Shade
Dr. Light

Re-Released Singles

Batman
Elongated Man
Orion
Steel
Supergirl
Vigilante

3-Packs

Lightray,Amazo,Nemesis
Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman
Huntress, The Atom, Batman

Series 6 - 2007 (Purple Package)

Singles

Wonder Woman (red sleeves)
Green Lantern (fluorescent green)
Shining Knight (w/sword)
Superman (red stripes)
Lex Luthor (bright green)

3-Packs

Superman, Dr. Light, Aquaman (with cape)
Superman, Wonder Woman, The Demon Etrigan,
Parasite,Stargirl,Aquaman (w/ two hands)
Green Arrow,Volcana,Hawk

Series 7 - 2007 (Purple Package)

3-Packs

Sand,Star Sapphire,Superman
Deadshot,Big Barda,Martian Manhunter
Obsidian,Vigilante, Brainiac

Series 8 - 2007 (Purple Package)

Singles

Batman
Kyle Rayner
Vixen
Sinestro

Re-Released Singles

Wonder Woman (w/blue cape)

3-Packs

Black Canary,The Joker,Batman
Hawkman,Alt. Flash, Rocket Red
Hawkman (Light Colored), Alt. Flash, Rocket Red
Superman (silver highlights), Supergirl (silver shirt), Steel

6-Pack

Target Exclusive 6 Pack:Justice Lord Batman, Justice Lord Wonder Woman, Justice Lord Superman, Bizarro (in non-show post-crisis colors), Doomsday (Lava), Amazo (with non-show Green Lantern effect)

Series 9 - 2007 (Purple Package)

Singles

Batman
Blue Devil
Zatanna
Mirror Master

3-Packs

Starman, The Flash, Dr. Fate
Justice Lord Batman ( "tech circuits" deco), Justice Lord Hawkgirl, Justice Lord Superman ( "tech circuits" deco)

Series 10 - 2007 (Purple Package)

3-Packs

Ice,Fire(regular version), Green Lantern
Ice, Fire (regular version), Green Lantern (fluorescent variant)
Green Arrow, Supergirl, Ultra Humanite
Mr. Miracle,Orion, Darkseid
Justice Lord Superman, Justice Lord Wonder Woman, Justice Lord Batman
Superman, Batman, Martian Munhunter

Exclusives

Toys "R" Us Exclusive:Original Members Collection
Target Exclusive 6 Pack: Batman, The Flash, Superman,Red Hood Joker(non-show costume),Gorilla Grodd,Lex Luthor (in non-show grey jumpsuit)