Criticisms
Collectors said they had difficulty finding figures in many retail stores. For collectors, the issue was pronounced with the Walmart-exclusive fifth wave, which was underordered by the retail chain, but was later re-released and sold online at Mattel's website. Mattel has since indicated that the company has improved the availability of action figures in the line.
Availability also became a concern with the San Diego Comic Con exclusive Gleek figure, which was only available at the convention and not offered on Mattel's website after the show. The figure quickly sold out, and there are no plans to re-release it.
Collectors, concerned about quality control, said some figures they purchased had stuck joints, bad paint applications, and mismatched parts. Others have complained about scale issues, with certain figures produced either too large (Lobo) or too small (Sinestro, Big Barda), as well as the fact that Collect and Connect figures have a height limit.
Collectors have seen relatively quick price jumps since the line began. Initially, figures sold for under $10 each. Later, as the U.S. economy worsened in 2008-09, collectors saw price hikes of individual figures to $12.99 and then to $14.99 by 2010. In 2011, figures are generally sold for $15.99 to $17.99 in stores such as Toys R Us, Target, and Walmart. In 2012, Target has made the price jump again by pricing the Batman Legacy Arkham City figure at up to $20.97.
Read more about this topic: DC Universe Classics
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