According to an old saying, the clothes make the man. In toy manufacturing jargon, that adage roughly translates to, "The clothes make for a radical retro action figure throwback."



Mattel is taking a handful of DC Comics characters to the tailor's in their upcoming "Retro-Action DC Super Heroes" wave of figures. The new assortment of toys harkens back to the cloth-style figures of the 1970s and 1980s, with a line-up including Green Arrow, Superman, Green Lantern, Sinestro and Lex Luthor.

"You'll see they're not recreations, but updates lovingly based on the old style," reports MattyCollector.com. "In some cases, we're even improving on iconic features for some of your favorite characters, like a more accurate belt buckle for Green Arrow, or an "s" curl in the hair of Superman."

More accurate belt buckle? S curl in the hair of Superman!? Where do I sign up!?

Unfortunately, the bulk of these figures won't be ready in time for the holiday season, with only the Green Arrow figure available for purchase on December 15. But with the rest of the lineup coming sometime in 2010, it shouldn't be long before you get to use your X-Ray vision to see what Superman looks like naked.

And by using your X-Ray vision, I mean using your hands to remove Superman's cloth costume. It's not perverted, guys, it's science - after all, the dude's an alien.

[Link via Action Figure Insider]