Sunday, December 27, 2009

Toy Review: DC Universe Classics Wave 11 (Mattel) by Shel Isaacs



On Wednesday I finally received my shipment of Mattel's DCUC Wave 11, and I for the couldn't been happier. This wave does have it's ups & downs and we take a closer look at them.



This wave consists of 7 figures with 2 variants:
  • John Stewart
  • Katma Tui
  • Shark
  • The Question
  • Cyborg Superman
  • Steppenwolf
  • Super Powers Variant Steppenwolf
  • Deadman
  • "Ghostly" Deadman Variant
With pieces for a Collect & Connect Kilowog figure. Though the set I got came one with the Steppenwolf variant and not the Deadman one.




This wave is obviously very heavy on Green Lantern with 3 members of the Corps and 2 Green Lantern villains, not that I mind. But let's take a look at them individually.

John Stewart

The John Stewart here is in his current costume. The paint lines are clean and there's a nice touch of metallic paint added to the green. He comes to with 2 constructs, both that fit into his ring hand that it seems like they are coming out of the ring. The first one is a fist & the second is a rifle.




Katma Tui

The 2nd Green Lantern in this wave. Like most of the female figures in the DCUC line this one suffers the same problems. The arms are too skinny. They are not in proportion with the rest of the body & look rather weird. Like someone stuck 2 toothpicks in there. Hopefully this is an issue that can be fixed going forward. Katma also comes with 2 constructs like Stewart. A shield & a sword.




Deadman

This is a pretty good sculpt. He uses a skinnier body than the regular male body. The screaming facial express he has doesn't really thrill me. I would have preferred more of a blank expression on his face. The collar is a thick but doesn't take aways from the character.




Cyborg Superman

From what I can tell this is a brand new sculpt here. He's shown here in his Sinestro Corps uniform. The yellow rings on his robotic arm are a nice touch.




Shark

This is hands down the worst of the wave. While the fins on the body are a nice touch, it the head that just kills this figure. The Shark's head just looks like it was slapped on there like a 3 year did it. Disappointing.




Steppenwolf

While I do have the variant, I'm not a fan & can't bring myself to open it. The original version is just a great figure. They really captured Kirby's character in this figure. He comes with 3 accessories, a sword, a whip, and a horn. Just a great figure in my opinion.




The Question

I'm a little bias on this character, because the Question is my favorite characters. The figure uses the same body as the Gentleman Ghost and the Joker. It's a simple design, but works so well.



Kilowog

Kilowog is Collect and Connect figure in this series. He's a great touch to this series and the sculpt is just plain amazing. One of my favorite C&C figures so far.



Personally I feel as the DCUC line continues, it just keeps getting better.

Now if Mattel would just fix the female bodies, this line would be perfect.

Shel Isaacs
Toy News Editor
Read more...

Read More

Masters of the Universe Classics 2009 Top Ten, Part I

Today we bring you...the tenth and ninth best Masters of the Universe Classics figures of the year...



Number 10 Beast Man.

Beast Man kicked of the line with He-Man back in January and he is one of the frequently overlooked early figures in the series. Beast Man is a great entry into the line and is one of MOTU’s most popular and beloved villains. While he's not the hulking brute that we saw in the 200x continuity, his armor very cleverly makes him seem bigger and bulkier than he actually is.

Beautiful sculpting of Beast Man's armor really make this figure stand out.



Although he only comes with only one weapon, his classic whip, Beast Man sports three pieces of very detailed and removable armor. The sculpting and the paint work together to give the illusion of several different textures on his armor. There is the very detailed fur, there are bone/tooth textures and even some worn and bolted metal textures. The armor is really what sells this figure. There is also some very nice work on the face which is appropriately ferocious and full of character. Read our full review of this figure here.


Witching Axe of Ruination sold separately.


Number 9: Scareglow

For years fans have been speculating about Scareglow and who or what he is. People sometimes ask the question, who is the Boba Fett of MOTU and for my money it is Scareglow. He is a mysterious badass who's popularity far surpasses his meager media appearances. The MOTUC version of Scareglow is a great update of the original design with painted glow-in-the-dark bones and all. He also sports a highly-detailed headsculpt and some cool accessories such as an amazing cape which fades to transparency at the bottom and actually captures the look of fabric in a way that is uncommon for a figure of this scale. There is also a nifty new Grayskull Reliquary accessory to tie in with the newly created bio and an update of his classic halberd (not pictured). Read our full review of this figure here.






Patrick Garone
Staff Reviewer Read more...

Read More