The DCUC continues to grow, and while this review is posted weeks after wave’s 4 release and on the heels of the Walmart wave, it’s not due to my lack of trying.  This wave has been impossible to get unless you are extremely on the ball.  I pre-ordered my case from Enchanted Toy Chest, thank God, but it left me without 2 of the figures: Batman Beyond and a regular Captain Atom.  With the help of Bill, my fellow Connecticut collector, I finished my set.  So on to the review.  

Ares- A Greek God of War in a modern world who does not shake people to the bones like he did in the past, but is still one bad god.  While it always seems that the gods are never good or bad really just petty, DC has turned Ares into one of Wonder Woman's most formidable enemies.  Battling the Amazons in the Man’s world, they sent out Wonder Woman to combat him.  One stag though is he has been helping Cassie the modern Wonder girl.  Give her lasso and giving her advice and gaining her trust for what no one yet knows.  

This is one figure that initially was a head-scratcher for me. DC was following a pattern: a main hero and his or her main villain, but when Ares was announced I thought , “Where is Cheetah or Giganta?”  I was not sure why this figure was the main nemesis of Wonder Woman.  When I got him, that all changed. He is one of the best figures made to date in this line. From head to toe this figure is highly detailed.  The knees and elbows subtilely covered in sculpted skulls, which I did  not notice until I really looked over the figure.  The blue paint really makes him both stand out and blend in with the rest of the lines.  His armor is also covered in battle scars, which add to the overall look of the figure.  Ares comes with 2 weapons, an axe and a sword; but again they suffer the same problem past weapons have had. They are made of a soft plastic which makes them curved and bent.  One thing I did notice after a few minutes is his hands.  They are not the typical DCUC hands, but I had seen them before.  They are almost exactly like the He-man toys from 2004, which makes sense as the design and look of the figure is distinctly Horsemen-like.

Cyborg- Victor Stone first appeared in 1980 as an athlete and a child of scientist parents. While his parents wanted him to follow in their footsteps, his love for sports won out. To him, his body was like a machine used to perform great athletic feats on the field until the tragic day his mother died. While working on a project his mother unleashed a creature from another dimension which left her dead and Victor physically ripped apart. His father would immediately start to work on the boy in his own lab, trying desperately to save his life. Silas Stone started first by replacing his major body systems and then working his way to his limbs and face. When all was done a new person emerged: half human, half machine; Cyborg was born. When Victor awoke he was horrified by what his father had done. Victor’s body was no longer normal looking and he had no way to hide his new appearance. Victor felt alone and angry at his new body, unable to fit in and with his one joy in his life, sports, gone forever. It was not until Victor met and joined the Teen Titans as the hero called Cyborg that he felt accepted.

As a kid I had a small obsession with this character.  He and Robin (Grayson) were my favorite characters on the Super Friends cartoon and spinoffs, and my favorite Super Powers figures. However, to this day I don’t own a whole Cyborg figure.  When I first saw the two up at Toy Fair last year I was so excited for this new figure, and for the most part they did not disappoint.  I think the design and sculpt of the figure is a definite nod to the Super Powers line.  A good deal of articulation and solid joints make this a great figure.  So what did I not like about the figure?  Two things: I would have liked a shiny metal coating instead of the duller silver on him, and I always thought his left eye was red.  The other thing I would have liked is to have some way to attach his extra hand attachment, again a nod to Super Powers.  

Wonder Woman- Diana, the daughter of Hippolita, who is made from clay has been around for a very long time. The Amazons of Themyscirian who do not allow men into their world wanted to have a representative in the man’s world.  They held a contest and the princess Diana took part, winning and getting the honor of becoming Wonder Woman. Journeying out into the world armed with her Lasso of truth and her bracelets, she has become as big of a hero as Superman and Batman.  

This is one figure that is a must have for any DCUC fan.  Back when Super Powers came out this was one figure I had to hide at home.  My dad was old school and he did not want his boy playing with a female figure, but today she is sitting on the coffee table in the middle of my living room.  This figure is one of the best of the bunch.  Paint application was very important with this figure.  The chest piece, the earrings, the stars on her shorts and the line for her boots were all possible paint nightmares yet she is flawless.  Not only is the paint wonderful, the articulation really makes this figure seem almost statuesque.  She also has sculpted hair which, while it looks very realistic, does hinder her head articulation.  She comes with a shield and axe and the one thing I wish she came with is an attached and attached lasso. A quick trip to Wal-mart will fix that though.  

Artemis- Not one of the Greek Amazons, Artemis was born as part of the Egyptian Amazons.  When Wonder Woman had to travel into their territory she found this new tribe.  Their encounter would lead to the downfall of the tribe, leaving them wandering after Hippolita saw visions of the death of her daughter Diana (Wonder Woman).  She decided to hold a new contest for the mantel of Wonder Woman.  Artemis was the winner and took over the role for a time.  She was killed and fought her way out of hell like a good Amazon.  During her time back on Earth she has been part of the Themyscirian Amazons, both in favor and out of favor with their Queen Hippolita.  

This figure has the same strengths as Wonder Woman, but with more drawbacks.  She has the same lasso problem.  She comes with a bow and arrow instead of the axe and shield. Her major flaw is the lack of articulation due to the sculpted attached quiver.  It limits her pose-ability and her range of motion.  While it does not make this figure unwanted, it does limit her a little.  She also has sandals with wings, unlike Wonder Woman, which was a nice touch to separate her from Wonder Woman.  I think it is those little details that make a variant worth the price or the hunt depending on your luck...

Captain Atom- It seems whenever a soldier volunteers for an experiment it goes horribly wrong, and in the case of Captain Nathaniel Christopher Adam this was true again.  He was framed for a crime he had no part in, and when an alien metal was used to see how strong it would be for a shield, it melted and formed a metal coating over him.  He was also sent into the future, and while all those he knew had aged, his crime was still not forgiven by the government.  He was put to work as a hero for the government.  Known as a member of the JLA, he was a soldier in a super hero world.  While he did not get to wear the Monarch armor the first time due to a last minute scramble by DC during Armageddon 2001, he would get his armor During the latest string of Crises in the DCU.  

Captain Atom Variant-  This is the plain Joe of the bunch, there are no bells or whistles that really make this figure stand out from the pack.  He has a very generic looking body, that could be anyone.  I don’t think there is anything that makes him stand out among all the other figures.  There is nothing on his body that stands out to make him look more then a blank body.  On the other hand, there are two impressive parts of this figure: the joints are tight, and the paint is good.  This figure, has the most risk for paint issues, yes the paint job is flawless.  Great job, new Mattel factory.  

Captain Atom (regular)-  This figure has some of the same strengths as the variant but does have some drawbacks.  The paint on this figure is as well done as the variant but I wish the red was glossy and not flat.  Just about every joint in this whole figure was stuck,  to the point that I thought moving him would break him.  It took a hot water bath and soak to get him loose enough to move him, and even thet the joints still seem fragile.  After loosening him up, I think he is a nice figure but definitely not the winner of the bunch.  

Batman Beyond- So what happens when Batman gets too old to do his job?  He builds an exo-suit.  What does he do when that suit almost kills him?  He puts into play a plan that he and Amanda Waller put in to play 20 years prior, to create a genetic clone of Bruce.  Terry McGinnis was born to loving parents, but his life would mirror that of Bruce Wayne, and a tragic change to his life, the murder of his father, brought him the door step of Wayne Manor.  He stepped into the hero world when old Bruce offered him a chance to become the new Batman with a new suit and gadgets at his disposal.  Terry did not find out right away that he was not his parent’s son, and it was Waller who laid out the whole story. Now father and son fight crime as a team, protecting future Gotham as part of the Justice League.  

After only appearing briefly in DC comics main universe, Terry is not part of the DCUC.  There have been many complaints that this character was made before other more deserving characters like Martian ManHunter, but I think this figure came out great.  There were some cuts to the figure due to cost, like the wings, and paint on his batarang.  Overall this figure is also pretty plain like the Captain Atom, but well done, meaning that he is a nice addition to the line.

Despero- Despero first appeared in 1960's Justice League of America #1 and looked incredibly different from is modern, more monster-esque incarnation. The pink skinned bad guy from Kalanor left his home planet to come to Earth to challenge the Justice League. Despero knew that as long as the League existed he would never be able to take over the universe. After many confrontations the villain escaped from the League and returned to his home planet. There he bathed in the Flame of Py’tar, changing his appearance and making him a more formidable enemy. Even with his improvements, time after time he was defeated by the League.

The final figure is Despero.  He is one huge figure and proof that while we miss the days of huge BAF, these slightly larger BAF are still amazing.  While the basis of his body was Lobo, you don’t notice the shared parts as much as other figures that have shared parts.  The major problem is that there seem to be some paint mismatches between the body, the arms, and the head.  Not only that, but the fact that this version of the character is not the most recognized is an issue.  I think that one of the people who used the red Hulk body for Despero hit the nail on the head, making him more of a brute soldier.  But this figure is still amazing it its form.  With each BAF we get, I think Mattel raises the bar for both sculpt and articulation.  The ability to keep the figure in tune with the rest of the line is something that I think we are all happy about, even at the cost of size.  I can’t wait to see what other figures we will get as this line continues.  Minor note: the second Despero torso I got with the regular Captain Atom was stuck, and the chest gear was falling apart.  Not a huge deal, but again with the rising price of figures you should not have to boil or re-glue a figure.  

Overall I think this was a solid line.  I think the line up for wave 3 was a huge shift in the normal line ups, giving us such large name characters; but this one is so much more balanced and shows that modern can still be a classic figure. It seems like with each wave Mattel is raising the bar on these figures.  

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