REVIEW: DC Infinite Heroes First Flight Hal Jordan

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I’m a huge fan of the 3 ¾ inch scale. Because of that, I’m loving the state of the toy industry right now with all of the small scale figures being released. Star Wars and G.I. Joe have been joined by DC and Marvel comics, Hellboy, Star Trek, Terminator, and more. The big two comic companies have been dominating the recent news with their respective DC Infinite Heroes and Marvel Universe lines. The first 40 or so Infinite Heroes were good-looking figures but sported basic articulation that frustrated a significant portion of the fans (especially when the Marvel figures came out that are essentially super-articulated). All of that has now changed, and Hal Jordan leads the way.

Starting with the DVD and Blu-Ray release of the Wonder Woman animated feature last year, Mattel has partnered with Best Buy to provide exclusive Infinite Heroes figures as pack-ins. The Wonder Woman toy was modeled after the film version, sporting an excellent deco and paint apps. The next WB DC animated feature was the just-released Green Lantern: First Flight. Telling the story of Hal Jordan’s introduction to the Green Lantern Corps, First Flight is a great action story very reminiscent of Denzel Washington’s Training Day. Hardcore Green Lantern fans, like me, were itching to buy the DVD (or Blu-Ray), especially the Best Buy version with the new figure.

As with Wonder Woman before him, Green Lantern is packaged very simply. The figure stands in a plastic sheath that sits in front of the DVD in an outer window box. It’s pretty unadorned except for the up sell of the figure, listed as “Exclusive Green Lantern: First Flight Figurine.” Slide the sheath out of the box and pop out the figure. It’s that easy. Unfortunately, that means no bio or Power Scores. Oh well.

Just one glance at the new Hal Jordan is all it takes to see that there are major changes afoot in the Infinite Heroes line. First, let’s look at what’s the same. Scale is identical to the other Infinite Heroes figures, and the First Flight Hal Jordan is about the same height as the previous one. Proportions are pretty similar as well, with heroic musculature and anatomy.

The differences are many more. Warner Brothers came up with a new look for Hal Jordan in the First Flight film, and this figure reflects that. The uniform is more “modern” looking in two-tone black and green, which appears on the lower legs, torso, and wrists. The Green Lantern badge on Jordan’s chest is the current, more angular version. Finally, Hal’s harlequin mask has more definition than the usual plain oval one.

Of course, it’s the new articulation that makes this figure something special. Previous Infinite Heroes had joints at the neck, shoulders, elbows, waist, hips, and knees. The new Hal Jordan has the following articulation: neck, ball-jointed shoulders, ball-jointed elbows, swivel forearms, waist, hips, ball-jointed knees, and ball-jointed ankles. The new figure is thus much more poseable and dynamic. The really nice thing is that even with the increased articulation, Mattel did not go overboard; the figure still looks good without a bunch of unsightly joints. This is a huge leap in evolution, and a great sign that the Infinite Heroes are moving on to bigger and better things.

Hal Jordan does not come with any accessories, which is par for the course in the Infinite Heroes line. A Green Lantern power battery would have been cool, but to be honest that prop didn’t even appear in the film very much.

Fans of Hal Jordan and the new First Flight film are definitely urged to buy their DVD or Blu-Ray at Best Buy so they can get this great figure. Infinite Heroes collectors should also think about it, as this is the only way to get the new Green Lantern. Note that the Best Buy exclusive Wonder Woman figure has thus far not been re-released, making her one of the rarest in the line. Best of all, the articulation advances evident on this figure are continuing in future releases, most notably in the Matty Collector exclusive four figure set of the Monitor, Psycho Pirate, Flash, and Supergirl.

For even more images of this figure, CLICK HERE!

Review and Photos by Scott Rubin