REVIEW: Mattel DCU Infinite Heroes Animal Man, Starfire, & Adam Strange 3-Pack

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Joining the existing Superman/Batman Public Enemies figures on the shelves are several new sets of Mattel's Infinite Heroes. Among these are new three-packs with a wide range of figures, some of which are repaints or repacks of existing characters in case you missed them. Last time we took a look at the three pack of Harbinger and the Shadow Demons (read our review HERE); today we’ll head out into the far reaches of space with a trio of heroes that have had some pretty crazy adventures: Animal Man, Starfire, and Adam Strange!

The 2007 series "52" found many of the DC superheroes embarked on missions across the universe, and it was no different for this trio. Animal Man, Starfire, and Adam Strange found themselves stranded on a far-flung planet, which was only the beginning of their space-borne adventures. Friends through thick and thin, they each brought unique strengths and talents to the table. Buddy Baker, better known as Animal Man, encountered an alien spaceship and gained the power to mimic the natural abilities of animals. Starfire is the superhero name of Princess Koriand'r of the Tamaraneans, who can fly, shoot energy blasts, and more. When the archaeologist Adam Strange was suddenly teleported to the distant planet Rann, he became a hero with high-tech weapons and jet pack.

Like the Harbinger and Shadow Demons, the space hero trio comes packaged in the standard Infinite Heroes three pack packaging. It's got the same shape, the same big front window, and the same overall style and decorations. This set is three pack #14. The back panel is also identical in design to the previous sets, with statistical and biographical information about the three included characters and photos of other three packs (Marvel Family, Harbinger & Shadow Demons, and Green Lantern & Star Sapphire & Black Hand).

Animal Man is the only new figure in this set, recreated in his slightly oddball costume. On top of a full-body suit he wears a leather jacket and open face mask with goggles. The figure is based on the Infinite Heroes 2.0 male body (previously seen on the First Flight DVD Green Lantern, Mattycollector Crisis set, Public Enemies Black Lightning, etc.). It's definitely a step up from the original in terms of articulation, and works well for Buddy here with joints at the neck, shoulders (ball), elbows (ball), forearms, waist, hips, knees (ball), and ankles (ball). While there’s some restriction due to the jacket, Animal Man is very decently poseable.

Thanks to his interesting costume, Animal Man as some very nice sculpting details. His lower body reuses the standard body parts so they have standard musculature and slight boot details. His chest, too, is reused, but you can hardly tell because of the awesome jacket. That clothing effect is achieved by sculpted arms with tons of life-like creases and a vest piece over the chest. It's very well done, looks appropriately bulky, and actually "hangs" off the shoulders realistically. Animal Man has a very good head sculpt too, with big wavy hair and neat goggle lenses.

Colorwise, Buddy is a bit of a mish-mash dominated by alternating blue and orange. His head adds flesh tone, bright yellow on the hair and a pale blue on the goggles.

Adam Strange is a straight repack of the figure previously available on a single card. The retro-futuristic spaceman wears a full body suit with rocket man helmet and jetpack. He utilizes the standard Infinite Heroes 1.0 male body with a unique head and chest harness. The older style figure still holds up today as far as looks, if not in the articulation department. He is jointed at the neck, shoulders (ball), elbows, waist, hips, and knees for decent poseability.

Adam Strange has no “new” sculpted elements on his body, utilizing the basic well-muscled figure. But that's not to say he has no sculpted details. In fact, he has one of the most interesting head sculpts in the line recreating his classic open-faced helmet. The thick headpiece wraps around his face and features decidedly retro elements like cylindrical "ear" covers and a top-mounted fin. The facial sculpt too is very good.

Strange also wears a non-removable chest harness accessory complete with sculpted pistol holster and twin rocket jets on his back. Adam Strange is very colorful (and reminiscent of the old Windows "Hot Dog Cart" theme) in vivid red and yellow in varying patterns along with white on his outfit. His harness is a solid white, while his helmet uses a lot of white and red with yellow accents.

The last, but certainly not least, figure in this set is the now venerable Starfire. While she's a solid figure on her own, Mattel loses some brownie points by repacking the exact same version that's already been available single-carded and in another three pack. To date there’s been only one Infinite Heroes female body, and it's used here to excellent effect. The articulation is okay with joints at the neck, shoulders, torso, V-crotch, and knees. Starfire is tall and statuesque, with a body further accented by her skimpy costume and outrageous hair. Despite the hair she is still fairly stable, though using the included clear display stand is recommended to prevent shelf diving.

The female Infinite Heroes body is geared more toward curves than muscles, so there aren’t a heck of a lot of sculpted details other than a minimum on the boots. Starfire's head sculpt, however, is very impressive with an attractive face. Of course, her hair is quite remarkable; the enormous trail stretches down all the way past her knees.

The Tamaraneans have naturally orange skin, though you might not notice after getting distracted by Starfire's skimpy purple outfit. There are additional color details in silver and red, while her face introduces bright green on her eyes and more purple on her lips. Her massive hair is brown that lightens toward the bottom.

While all three of these are good figures, this three pack is probably going to be a tough sell. While there’s nothing wrong with repackaging figures in multipacks, the fact that Adam Strange and especially Starfire have been so easily available means that few collectors are still looking for them. Completists and Animal Man fans will definitely want to pick up this set, as well as anyone else who's looking for a very good new figure. If you do end up with extras, keep in mind that spare Starfires can be modded into other Tamaraneans, while Adam Strange is easily customizable by removing his harness and finding futuristic accessories from other 3 ¾ inch scale lines.

Review and Photos by Scott Rubin

Review sample courtesy of Mattel