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Every fan or reader of the Green Lantern comics knows about Sinestro. He's long plagued the emerald knights at seemingly every turn, and in recent times the purple-skinned alien has gone on to threaten Earth, the Universe, and everything else that isn’t nailed down.
His true intentions have always been obscured and he has always been out for himself. He holds order to be the highest ideal, but will cause incredible chaos to achieve it. And to think he used to (and will again?) be the greatest of all Green Lanterns!
Sinestro first appeared in the Green Lantern comics in 1961. He hails from Korugar, a planet in Sector 1417. After becoming a member of the Green Lantern Corps, Sinestro quickly made a name for his self as a being of control, restraint, and above all else, order.
He became a special instructor called upon by the Guardians of the Universe to assist in rare cases, most famously the teaching of Hal Jordan.
As Sinestro faced disorder and chaos throughout the universe, his drive to maintain control on his home planet intensified. He broke all Green Lantern rules by conquering Korugar and setting himself up as dictator.
Through the actions of Hal Jordan, Sinestro's reign of terror was discovered. This began a long and tumultuous relationship between Sinestro and the Green Lantern Corps. At times the rebel was locked up on Oa, their headquarters planet. At others, he was banished to the anti-matter universe, and at (multiple) times he has been executed.
You can't keep a good villain down, though, and so Sinestro has continually evaded ultimate destruction, returning again and again to visit his own brand of terror upon the universe.
Over the years, there have been several toys made of Sinestro. Most represented his criminal career when he wore an odd black and blue costume. Better, in my opinion, were those that depicted the classic Sinestro, still a member of the Green Lantern Corps.
This included a very regal-looking DC Direct figure in scale with the other GLs. In the Sinestro Corps War storyline, the title character and his army unveiled a brand-new uniform, yellow and black with hints of the old blue and black
design radiating down from the neck.
In an odd twist, two companies released figures of this same character at the same time. DC Direct's Green Lantern Series 3 includes Cyborg Superman, Batman as a Green Lantern, Star Sapphire, and Sinestro, while Mattel's DC Universe Classics Wave 3 includes Deathstroke, Nightwing, Robin, Green Lantern, and Sinestro.
The standard Sinestro in this wave has the black and blue costume, while the variant figure is Sinestro Corps. How do they stack up? To answer that, one must look at the fundamental differences between the two lines.
DC Direct figures have been around for a while now, and they've continued
to be founded on the same design principles. They are high-quality figures meant for display, with superior sculpts and paint application, though little articulation. They tend to be very comic accurate to specific artists or even scenes, and often show off elements of character
design in very cool ways. Finally, they are rarely found outside of specialty stores.
Mattel's DC Classics line, on the other hand, is pure fun. The figures are as super-articulated as anything else in the toy aisle, with bright, bold colors. Sculpts are good but usually not amazing. Any included accessory will be easily held by the figure. The Classics can (theoretically...) be found at big box toy stores, making them (theoretically...) easy for kids to collect as well as adults.
To put it simply, the two Sinestro figures typify the two lines to a "T." DC Direct’s
version has an astounding sculpt and looks great standing still. Mattel's version is super-articulated and fun to play with.
The DC Direct Sinestro stands tall at approximately 6 ¾ inches. This puts the villain at about half an inch taller than the Hal Jordan figure from the same line, in scale with their comic book appearances.
The sculpt on this figure is really top notch. Sinestro's face is wrinkled and lined, with prominent teeth, eyebrows, and veins. But it doesn't stop there.
The hands are also well done, and the uniform has a great deal of sculpted detail in the
form of layers, piping, and seams. Colors on this figure are particularly vibrant, a deep purple skin and metallic gold on the uniform.
The DC Direct version has great accessories as well. Sinestro isn't someone who really needs many; Green Lanterns and their enemies are pretty self-sufficient. The villain comes with the standard Green Lantern display stand, a yellow Power Battery, and even another member of the Sinestro Corps: the sentient bio-virus Despotellis!
Where this figure doesn't shine, however, is in articulation. A ball-jointed neck, ball-jointed shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, and knees aren't terrible, but they're not great. His upper body can move around well enough, but his legs are pretty static and he has some trouble balancing without the stand.
Mattel's Sinestro is a bit short. At about 6 inches he’s even shorter than the line's Hal Jordan figure, which is not a good thing in general. And this is especially sad because the figure's so cool otherwise. It's got a decent sculpt, highlighted by the face. A bit more generic than DC's, it's still a good representation of the character with grit and determination (or is that madness?).
The sculpt on the body is okay, with some muscle definition and layer breaks at the calves, belt, collar, and forearm bands.
As with the other DC Universe figures, Sinestro is awesomely articulated with the following: ball-joint neck, ball-joint shoulders, biceps, elbows, wrists, torso, waist, double-jointed hips, thighs, knees, and ankles. This is definitely the Sinestro you want to be able to pose or fight it out with your other figures. He comes with one useful accessory, a somewhat fanciful interpretation of a Sinestro Corps Power Battery, as well as a leg for the BAF Solomon Grundy.
Availability is tricky on these guys. DC's can only be found in specialty stores, and Mattel's is a variant in a line that doesn't see much exposure for some reason.
On a personal note, when the DC Universe Classics Wave 3 first started hitting retail, I happened to be driving across California. I hit no fewer than 12 Target and Wal*Mart stores along the way. In total, I found one Green Lantern figure in an aisle. One Target store brought out a sealed case for me, but it had the regular version of Sinestro. Thank goodness for Figures.com's excellent sponsors; I picked up both figures
(and some others) at Superherotoys.com.
Comparing the two, then, it's pretty much a tie. The DC Direct version "wins" with respect to sculpt, scale, and accessories, while Mattel's is the clear winner in articulation/poseability and balance. The choice between them will come down to personal preference. They're both solid figures, and do their jobs well.
If you like to play, then grab Mattel's. If you want a statue-like display figure, get DC Direct's. Or if you're a fan like me, you'll get both!