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Along with several three packs the Infinite Heroes line has many new single packed figures hitting store shelves right now. I was lucky enough to stumble upon a couple of them at a local Target, and so today I’ll be looking at a dynamic duo of color-based superheroes, the jovial Blue Beetle and sidekick-turned-hero Red Arrow!
Ted Kord was a brilliant inventor before he took on the mantle of the Blue Beetle, utilizing various technological gadgets in his fight against criminals. Roy Harper, meanwhile, started out as Speedy the youthful apprentice to the Green Arrow. After combating his own demons in the form of drug addiction he became a hero in his right, taking on a similar name, if not color, to that of his mentor. Both heroes have at times been members of the Justice League, Blue Beetle famously in the Justice League International era.
When a toy line is in mid-transition, it can be frustrating when new figures utilize a lot of the old elements. What does that mean for Infinite Heroes? Well, take packaging for one thing. Since the line debuted there’s been one package design. It’s dominated by the Crisis theme and features a giant hand reaching out for the encased figures. It also has "Anti-Monitor" points that you can collect and save. But, the Crisis series is supposed to be finished, and those points could only be used at last year's Comic-Con (unless Mattel has something up its sleeve for this year too).
Now, while some new figures are being released in the new "75th Anniversary" packaging, there is a wave that has the same old stuff and that includes Blue Beetle and Red Arrow. There's nothing here you haven't seen before, except for the new character bio blocks and the lineup of other available figures including the new regular version of Psycho-Pirate, Martian Manhunter, and single-packed Bizarro and Mary Batson (black costume version).
Also re-used are the bodies of these two figures. Both employ the original Infinite Heroes male body (or 1.0), which has since seen pretty radical upgrades in the 2.0 and 3.0 versions. While the original is getting a bit dated it's still functional and perfectly acceptable for these less than A-list heroes. They are articulated at the neck, shoulders (ball-jointed), elbows, waist, hips, and knees for decent poseability and good stability. While some big name characters are seeing re-releases with the newer bodies, I doubt these guys will be back again so pick them up now if you're a fan.
Blue Beetle is a quirky-looking guy who manages at once to capture the character's unique costume design and his silly personality. His sculpt is average when it comes to the body. There's nothing new there, just the standard figure – well-muscled but not too huge (which works very well for Beetle, along with his big head making him seem slighter). His head sculpt, on the other hand, is very good. Captured in perfect miniature are Kord's big bug-eyed goggle lenses, and the exposed lower half of his face has a subtle grin that’s just waiting to erupt in a "BWAH-HA-HA-HAH!" His cylindrical ear covers are also sculpted.
What isn't covered by sculpt is done with paint, and on that Blue Beetle scores big. His costume is, wait for it... blue, with a two tone scheme. The darker blue shows up on Kord's boots, gloves, abdomen, head, and chest (with a cool bug-like design). There's a nice thick black line everywhere the two blues meet, and black ovals adorn Beetle's forearms – some sort of gadgets, no doubt. Yellow crops up on the figure’s belt buckle and of course the goggles. The black lines around the goggles also outline the figure's face and arch upwards on his forehead like antennae. Like most of the other Infinite Heroes, Blue Beetle has no accessories.
As noted earlier, Red Arrow uses the base Infinite Heroes male body. He also has a repainted head originally seen on Arsenal (for those keeping track Roy Harper went from Speedy to Arsenal to Red Arrow). While that figure had a bunch of additional sculpted parts and a pretty spiffy paint job, Red here got the short end of the arrow. The sculpt is okay, but mine suffers from poor placement/posing in the package. The Infinite Heroes use fairly soft plastic and if a figure is posed in the bubble, chances are that it will be somewhat warped or deformed. Arrow's legs are a bit twisted, but what really hurts him is that carrying the bow in the package has warped his left hand open – almost too far to be able to hold the bow. I haven't fixed mine yet, but Arrow's hand definitely has an upcoming date with boiling water. Harper's head sculpt is pretty cool, with closely cropped hair, an intense expression, and a very strong chin.
Like Blue Beetle, Red Arrow is dominated by his signature color in two hues. A bright red shows up on his pants, undershirt, arm bands, and forearm bracers/guards. A darker maroon adorns his boots, tunic with laced chest, and harlequin mask. Flesh tone is evident on the exposed parts of Arrow's arms and his neck and head, while his hair is a medium brown. It's a pretty unique outfit he's rocking, capped off by a nice painted "R" logo on his belt. Sadly, the paint application on my Red Arrow has a lot of problems. The word "sloppy" comes to mind, with a very uneven neckline and issues on the chest and around the elbows, not to mention a mask that's all over the place. It's not the worst thing I've ever seen, but be on the lookout for these when you're thumbing through the pegs.
Red Arrow is that rare Infinite Heroes figure who does come with an accessory. In this case, it's a red repaint of Green Arrow's bow. This thing has some pretty cool sculpted details on it with all sorts of archery bits, but it's made of incredibly soft plastic. Red Arrow can hold the thing okay, but don't plan on any complicated "firing" poses.
Both Red Arrow and Blue Beetle are going to be niche figures for collectors, as the average kid will have very little recognition of the characters. I think Beetle is going to have the definite edge in popularity as he's such a good looking figure, but Arrow is cool too as long as you can find one that's put together well.
Both are essential to an Infinite Heroes collection, and of course Red Arrow is perfect when displayed with Green Arrow and Black Canary. Blue Beetle sadly has to wait for his best friend Booster Gold in the upcoming Wal-Mart OMAC Attack set. My recommendation? Bag the Beetle right away and consider his vermilion compatriot if you're a fan of the character or you come across a good one.
For more images of the Blue Beetle and Red Arrow figures, CLICK HERE!
Review and Photos by Scott Rubin