REVIEW: DC Direct's History of the DC Universe - MANHUNTER

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With the release of DC Direct’s History of the DC Universe line-up, fans are given a brand new sculpt of Paul Kirk, The Manhunter! This figure is based off of his costume from the 1970’s and 1980’s, which is when Manhunter was given his healing factor and trained extensively in martial arts.

Manhunter comes packaged in a DC Direct clamshell package. The artwork up and down the side of the clamshell is really cool. It’s all very retro looking, and quite befitting of this particular series of action figures.

The back of the package shows the other figures in the line-up, as well as giving a quick bit of insight into each character. The figure looks pretty great inside the box, which should make MOC collectors very happy. Overall, it’s quite a nice looking carded figure.

Outside of the package might be a different story for this figure, sadly. Immediately after removing him from the package, the figure fell in half. Literally. I removed him from the body, and his upper body just fell right off the torso. He is connected via a small ball joint.

The problem seems to be that the ball joint is so small, and the socket is so loose that the two do not click together. It’s as if the upper body is just resting on the lower half. Now, I don’t know if every release of this figure will be like this, or if I just got a faulty one. But be warned that this is a definite possibility.

A plus side of the figure is definitely the sculpt. The figure looks great, and most DC Direct figures do. He’s very spot-on as far as detailing goes, looking just like his comic book counterpart. The paint applications on this figure, especially on the mask around the eyes and the hair itself is all top-notch stuff. Very crisp, clean, and bright!

One item I do take issue with is the long, hanging sleeves. While this is comic accurate, and certainly a good thing to be included on this figure, the problem lies in the fact that the sleeves are made of a very firm, stiff plastic. Because of this, the arm articulation is hindered quite a bit. The sleeves are not very flexible at all. When Manhunter holds his arms straight out, the sleeves point straight out as well. This does look a tad silly, seeing as how it is supposed to be just loose fabric. I understand that there really wasn’t much of a way around this without using a cloth material, and that doesn’t always work out well on action figures. But it is a bit of a problem, because Manhunter just looks goofy standing any way except for having his hands down at his sides. Plus, they make him so top heavy that he just does not stand well, even with the help of the included base.

Manhunter comes with two Buhndi Daggers. The problem with these daggers is that his hands just do not seem to be sculpted well to hold them. I just could not find a good position for them, and they often slipped out of position and ended up hanging. He also has his two ninja stars on his chest, but unfortunately they are permanently attached.

The articulation is standard DC Direct stuff. He had joints at his elbows and knees, all of which seem fairly stiff; possibly from the paint. The shoulders are ball jointed, as is the torso that I discussed earlier. And of course, there’s the standard DC Direct “t-crotch,” which personally I have never been fond of, but it works fine. So it’s nothing more than a personal complaint from this reviewer.

The Manhunter action figure looks great if you just wish to stand him on a shelf or leave him MOC. But if you plan on posing him around a lot or even playing with him, then be cautious of the issues with his articulation. And watch that torso joint. If you are a fan of the character, or are a completist looking to add a new hero to your ranks, then you should consider grabbing this one. But for anyone else, you may want to take everything mentioned above into consideration before spending the cash.

For more images of the Manhunter action figure, CLICK HERE!

Review and Photos by “Pixel Dan” Eardley