At times it gets really hard to keep track of what Mattel is calling its merchandise. I vaguely recall that they were going to keep calling their Collect&Connect-less Classics-offshoot line DC Universe All-Stars but now BBTS is listing the stuff as DC Unlimited? Oh well, at least the acronym "DCU" is the same!

While I'm not entirely sure what's going on with Mattel's DCU lines at retail (something I'm hoping will be cleared up at SDCC) especially given the All-Stars line's repeated schedule changes, there are no unexpected items within these pre-orders. Superman, Flash, and Hawkman in their New 52 Outfits are up for pre-order on the DC Unlimited/All-Stars side while Batman (New 52), Batgirl (New 52), and Penguin are becoming available for the "Batman Unlimited" line (presumably a successor to the Batman Legacy line). I'm assuming that the Penguin in question is the classic blue outfit, which would answer the question, "When are we getting the Penguin in his classic blue outfit?"

I know that there are some mixed feelings on the New 52 outfits. Personally I like the Flash's new outfit even if the redesign seems a little tacky (Goggles. Goggles would make it work) and I am really looking forward to picking that one up. However, I will likely be more selective on the rest (in no small part thanks to the absence of a CNC). I greatly dislike the new release patterns between the smaller waves and time it takes to get them out. Plus offshoot lines like the Batman one make it harder to get the merchandise at general retail (meaning you can't cherry pick, which is a major concern considering Mattel's QC track record).

Anyway, I'm really hoping that SDCC will answer a lot of questions about these lines (and what they're planning to do with Larfleeze).

[ Pre-order Superman (N52) Flash (N52) Hawkman (N52) Batman (N52) Penguin Batgirl (N52) at Big Bad Toy Store ]
[Images via Toy News International]