Superhero Times: a service of Action Online
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Mattel's exciting new DC Classics action figure line has arrived on store shelves with a new assortment of heroes and villains. The first assortment includes Batman, Orion, Etrigan the Demon, Red Tornado and the Penguin, along with the “Collect and Connect” Metamorpho. With the exception of the Penguin, all the figures feature 21 points of articulation. Penguin stars 18.
The packaging for the line is colorful and well designed. Each package features a background art piece with the wave’s characters and biographies of the characters, including their first appearances in the comics and their origins.
Unlike some of the other action figure waves out there, the packaging manages to look good and be easy to open and get the figures out of, which is a major plus for kids big and small.
The Classic Batman figure returns the Dark Knight to the days of the blue and grey costume. The attention to detail on this Batman is terrific. The shadowed cowl harkens back to the pre-nineties comics and the various animated incarnations featuring the Gotham Guardian over the years. Batman comes with two accessories, a batarang and a bat-grappling gun. Both accessories fit easily in his hands, and look like they belong with the figure. Despite the fact that this Batman is what some collectors would consider to be another in a long line of Batman figures, he is easily the best one so far and shouldn’t be missed.
Orion, the New God and Son of the evil Darkseid, has the best accessory of the set. Orion’s flight harness from the comics and Justice League Cartoon is highly detailed, from the Mother Box on the harness at the left shoulder to the movable cannon near his left arm and a small moving control at his right hand, the sculptors got the harness right. The harness is snug fitting, and the figure can easily stand whether in the harness or out. The harness also comes off easily so he can be posed without it. The only thing that might have been a nice addition to this figure would have been a removable helmet, but that’s just a wish not anything that takes away from the figure.
Etrigan the Demon captures the comic book and animated persona of the character perfectly. The figure is definitely more of a comic book adaptation as the tones on the figure are darker and a little more evocative of the character’s evil nature. Etrigan’s detailing is flawless, from the scowling face sculpt, the black nailed talons and the yellow rough skin, everything says the character came up from the Pit.
The Red Tornado figure, a straightforward adaptation of the character that readers of the current Justice League of America series will recognize, is finally back and sporting his classic costume. His appearance as an action figure, while not the first, is definitely his best thanks to his detailed appearance, superior articulation and cool mini tornado prop that fits over one of his hands.
The Penguin is a good translation, fairly accurate though a little less rotund than expected, though apparently he’s overweight enough to cut down on his articulation. His machine gun umbrella is excellent.
Metamorpho, the set’s collect and connect figure is a good start to line, picking up on the Marvel Legend’s idea without copying its recent need to purchase 8 figures madness. Metamorpho looks great and his hand accessories and foot stand capture him well, his legs are a little prone to popping off, but he’s still a good figure and accurate representation of a classic character.
This line is a must have for DC fans and superhero collectors alike. With Waves 2 and 3 including Green Lantern, Firestorm and Harley Quinn, Wave 1 is a promising look of what is to come.
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Review by Chris Borthick
Photos by Chris Price