Get ready for another round of questions with Mattel’s Toy Guru!

Poe Ghostal: Photos have shown both Lobo and Despero with the same big gun. Will they both come with it?

Toy Guru: Yes. Both Lobo and Despero come with the same weapons, although they are painted slightly differently. Lobo actually shares a the same body buck as Despero with a new head, coat, belt, boots, and arms.

Is there any chance of seeing an updated Superman figure in his classic look, with brighter colors and the yellow “S” on his cape?

This is definitely a variant of Superman we will get to in time.

The Joker figure made for the 2003 Batman line is visibly under-scaled and lacks the articulation of DCUC. Collectors have expressed a wish for a new comic-based Joker–is there any chance of that in DCUC’s future?

Much like we re-sculpted Nightwing for Wave 3, The Joker is a character ready for a new updated sculpt. Only time will tell when he will show up. He is a crafty one!

DCUC wave 2 seems noticeably harder to find in stores than the first wave. Is there a reason for that, and will we see any more shipments of DCUC2?

So far we have only shipped out the first half of Wave 2. The second half with Jason as Firestorm will start showing up very soon. This should help make Wave 2 easier to find.

It may be too early to ask this, but is there any chance the Four Horsemen will do any work on WWE for Mattel?

It is indeed to early to comment on WWE toys. Currently the Four Horsemen are busy sculpting our amazing DC Universe Classics and upcoming Master of the Universe Classics toy lines. We keep them well booked!

Here’s our latest batch of questions and answers with Mattel’s ToyGuru!

PG: In terms of character selection and costumes, does Mattel view DC Universe Classics as a line catering to collectors who are fond of earlier eras, such as the 1970s/’80s, in a way similar to Masters of the Universe Classics?

Absolutely! Our license for DC comics extends to 2012 and we would like to get to all of the popular eras for as many characters as possible.

On a related note, obviously some more contemporary costumes have appeared in DCUC (wave 3 Robin and Sinestro Corps Sinestro, for instance). How much do you try to tie DCUC in with the changes going on in the DCU, particularly when events such as Final Crisis may have far-ranging effects on popular characters?

We are working very closely with DC comics both in terms of avoiding potential overlap with DC Direct figures and in terms of including characters that will be featured in upcoming storylines. Staying on the forefront of DC continuity is very important to the collector and to Mattel.

Approximately how long is it between the time the Horsemen complete a figure sculpt and the time it appears on the retail pegs?

About 9 months to a year.

Will MOTU Classics be in the same scale, and have the same articulation, as DCUC?

Yes. But the MOTU Classics figures will be a bit more muscular.

Are Movie Master bucks fair game for shared tooling with DCUC, and vice versa?

Yup. Where appropriate. We won’t make any stretches that don’t logically work for the character.

Welcome to another round of Ask Mattel here at PGPoA. Let’s get right into it…

Poe Ghostal: Will the Lobo SDCC exclusive be produced in at least the same numbers as Man-Bat last year?

Mattel’s “ToyGuru”: Sorry, but we can’t comment on the production run of any of our exclusives!

When should collectors start keeping an eye out for the Wal-Mart DCUC wave?

June-ish.

What ratio will the Deathstroke/Sinestro variants be packed in wave 3?

Sinestro will be a 50/50 ratio, Deathstroke will be a bit less.

Any word on if and when the DCUC modern Red Tornado variant might be available to collectors?

Not at this time but we will continue to work on ways to bring him out to store shelves.

Just a clarification: is the Wal-Mart DCUC wave now the official “Wave 5,” and what online retailers had offered for pre-order as “Wave 5” is now, technically, Wave 6?

Yes, the Wal-Mart Wave is Wave 5, Wave 6 will have Hawkman.

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My thoughts: 50/50 Sinestro ratio? June for the Wal-Mart wave? All I have to say about that is: “awesome.”