DC Comics Super Heroes
ERTL
1990
It's been a hot minute since I've done a good ol' fashion toy cataloging post. Boy oh boy was it fun to get back to basics, researching a line I was unfamiliar with, and tracking down package samples. Good stuff!
Join me today as I take a look at the 1990 diecast line of DC Comics super heroes produced by ERTL. Play wise, there's little you can do with them as toys, what with being formed metal on pegs. What you see is what you get.
However, if you think outside of the box a bit, you could definitely see the usability of incorporating these into a tabletop miniatures or traditional pen and paper roleplaying game. Of course, they also simply display nicely.
In total, ERTL produced eight different characters across ten figurines. Despite the volume of them, there are glaring omissions, as well as a very off balance hero to villain ratio.
Rather than produce two of Batman, and two of Superman, the line could have been more suitably fleshed out with the likes of Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, and any number of iconic nemesis of the heroes. I suppose their absences made for the perfect opportunity for a follow-up wave. However, that never came to be.
Each figurine came packed with a collectible trading card which featured a classic DC Comic cover. However, this too feels like a missed opportunity where the cards could have featured the books which were the characters actual first appearance. Superman appears to be the only one to receive that honor in the line.
Back in the day, Toys R Us sold these for $1.99 each, making them relatively affordable for what you get out of them. Sadly, secondary markets these days are not as kind. Most sellers can't even give these away, and if / when they do sell, which is few and far between, it's usually for a dollar each. Occasionally, a seller offloading a full set as a lot can fare well. However, the norm is that they're usually overpriced, contributing to the multitude which go unsold.
The cardback itself is relatviely plain, utilizing the logo produced for the consecutively released
Toy Biz line of the same name. While neither were very popular, at least with the latter you got some great artwork on the packages.
The back of the card is all the more boring with its neutral color and excessive text. It's very obvious that the idea here was to keep these "toys" cheap, cutting corners at every turn possible. Fortunately, the level of detail on the figurines themselves were not impacted by this plan.
Those looking to get the majority of the characters in one fell swoop could pick up a six pack released in correlation with the single cardbacks. At $9.99 (original retail price), this essentially meant you were getting one free.
The multipack seems to be harder to find than the single carded ones, but this doesn't necessarily equate to dollars in return. Some sellers have been successful in getting $10.00 for the pack, but much like the singles, they are typically priced higher than most people will pay.
I've personally never been a fan of miniature figures, but I can appreciate them for what they are. Even at a quick glance, it's no mistaking who each character is supposed to represent, and the attention to detail for not only how small they are, but the original retail price, is impressive. These would definitely be great to collect for a collector on a budget, with minimal space, or simply wanting to get a few more pieces to fill in the gaps of a shelf. Of course, they're also perfect for the collector who simply wants to own them.
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