We have another round of DCUC figures to continue the collection, and the character selection continues to be this line’s strength.  From the big red S, to orange and yellow tights, to the red fang tattoo, this line amazes collectors wave after wave.  

I knew these figures were out in Connecticut, but had not found any of my own. One Thursday night my fellow CT collectors Syd and NotMyFuture called to tell me me that they had found a few sets, and out I went to get to Wal-mart before it closed to get my set.  I got them all at once, but as any DCUC collector knows, that is not the end of the hunt for this line.  When I got home I opened them, and I noticed some problems. There were switched biceps on Recovery Superman, some loose joints on Mr. Miracle, and a stuck bicep on Shazam.  While the first two were not big deals, the last really worried me.  I boiled the joint and popped off the arm, then cooled the peg, shaved down the socket, and put it back.  It was still tight but moved.  I left it over night and in the morning I was ready to take pictures, and while getting ready to pose Billy, the arm snapped, big surprise.  So I was on the hunt again, and found 3 more.  The first one I found had no right eye, the second had a broken leg, and the third was close to perfect with only a little paint slop on his left gauntlet.  Now I only had 2 broken figures, but Syd did not fare as well.  His Superman had the same issue as mine, his Shazam and Killer Moth both lost their legs, and his Dr. Impossible has stuck shoulders.  While online there have not been as many problems reported as wave 5, it will still be difficult for some collectors to find replacements for broken figures in wave 6.  Now let’s take a look at each figure in the wave.  

Mr. Miracle- Scott Free, the son of High Father, was given to Darkseid as part of a deal to keep the peace between the warring worlds of Apokolips and New Genesis. Scott grew up under the care of Granny Goodness, who spent much time torturing the young man. Free developed the ability to escape almost any trap he was put in. He eventually escaped and come to Earth; where he became a circus performer, using his escapes to dazzle crowds. Scott was followed to Earth by Big Barda, who later became his wife. The pair have become part of the Justice League on multiple occasions.

Of all the figures in this wave I think he is neck and neck with Hawkman for best of the wave.  From head to toe he is a great figure.  The paint is clean, and the sculpt is well done.  Where he shines is in all the little details.  He comes with a mini Mother Box, full of details that make me wish we got one with Orion too.  The flying discs on his feet come off to revel extremely detailed feet.  For a line that reuses so many parts, it was nice to see the little details on the bottom of his feet.  The final accessories are his shackles.  While he does not have the escape action that the Super Powers version has, the shackles themselves are incredibly detailed, showing that when they want to, Mattel can do an amazing job on its figures.  There are a few problems with the figure, even with all the great details.  It seems the same plastic that was used for his hands and feet, was also used for his cape.  While it is nice that the colors really match, it also means that the cape has no give at all.  Most of us have gotten used to the plastic capes these days, but this one seems much more rigid than we are used too.  My other issue is that while his belt holds the mother box, Miracle has closed fists, so if it is not on his belt then it is on the ground, because he can’t hold anything.

Dr. Impossible- What can you say about someone no one knows about? This shadowy figure is new to the DCU. There are rumors that he is a New God, or a brother to Mr. Miracle, or a Gotham criminal gone crazy, but right now it is all rumor.  All we do know is that he was assisting Dr. Ivo in creating a new body for Solomon Grundy. Who knows what will become of this new New Gods character?  

I think Impossible is another stand out for the line.  It was an easy repaint and slight retool that gave us a modern character without taking up a slot for a big name.  There is not much different between this figure and Mr. Miracle.  The major difference is the lack of just about everything.  Missing is the mother box, the shackles, the flight discs, and his belt. On the plus side, he has a much softer cape. What really sets this figure apart is the amount of paint detail that really makes the figure pop. This figure, as with others in this wave, seems to have a complex paint design that really translates well.  The purples and blacks make the figure look like he just stepped out of an Ed Benes page of JLA.  

Superman- While most people know that Superman was an alien baby who was rocketed to Earth from a dying planet, what some don’t know is his rebirth after his defeat at the hands of Doomsday.  After his death, he needed a Kryptonian recovery suit to help him get back to full power.  Following his resurrection he took on his classic look, but kept the shaggy do.  

Both of the Superman figures give the wave the requisite Bats or Sups, but this wave has given us Sup variants that are not too off the wall.  We have seen the Horsemen build the Reign of Superman characters from Hal to Mongul to all the different Supermen in this line.  Now the only one missing is Superboy, which I know can’t be too far behind. There a slightly blurry line around the neck of the Recovery Suit, but nothing that takes away from the overall look of the figure. The arms, on the other hand, are backwards.  In today’s toy world, how can arms be put on backwards?  While most of us are cursing the soft joints of the DCUC, this is one case where it comes in handy.  It is an easy swap, but for $12.88 a figure I don’t want to have to rebuild it.  The Superman blue and red with the mullet is a near perfect representation of the post Reign Superman, though about 90%  of the ones I saw in the stores looked like a blind person did them.  The eye are just large white dots.  

Hawkman- In the 1940’s Hawkman found his most famous alter ego, Carter Hall.  Hall was an archeologist who found the ancient Nth metal and recalled pieces of his past life.  Hall joined the Justice Society of America and the All Star Squadron. Throughout his time he also joined the Justice League of America and became one of the premiere heroes in the DCU.  

If there was perfect figure in the DCUC line this would be it.  I hesitate to say perfect, because then he will break, but he is as close as it comes these days.  One thing that is impressive is that we got all of his weapons, a little smaller then I would have liked, but we still got them.  The shield is well done, but seems a little small on his wrist, the mace is proportionate, but the sword looks like he stole it from the Batman Begins line.  In his classic satellite-era look Carter looks great.  The best thing is that his wings are balanced.  With a figure like this there is great potential for him to be too back heavy and have to pose him weird, but with the wings open, closed, or to the back he stands just fine.  While many would praise Mattel I have to give the credit to the Horsemen for making such a cool figure.

Killer Moth- Drury Walker thought that Gotham needed a protector, so he made a suit, came up with a name, and went out to fight crime, for a price.  While Batman fought crime to better the city, Drury did so to line his pockets.  Taking on the name Killer Moth, he started his protection racket, and once he got the attention of Batman went from being hero to villain quickly.  Most recently he appeared in the Booster book, and his plan to take over Gotham and become its hero was made true because of a brief Booster mistake.  

This figure looks like an acid trip gone wrong from head to toe.  He looks like the duck-billed platypus of the comic world.  From his florescent green helmet to his light purple shirt, to his stripped leggings, to his pink wings the character is a mess.  Boy, am I happy to see him so soon in the DCUC line.  While many would say Killer who?, fans of the comics are happy to see this f-list character in the first year of this line.  It shows how much Mattel is planning to give up in the DCUC line.  As for the figure, the colors are bright and vibrant, the sculpt is very well done, and he has no QC issues.  He comes with his gun, which he can hold or holster.  This figure is just a great example how a weird character can become an amazing figure in the hands of the Horsemen.  

Shazam- Billy Batson was a young orphan who sold newspapers on the streets of a big city. One day he followed a strange man down into the subway.  As he entered the train he was unsure of the destination, but when the doors opened he entered a cave like tunnel and followed the stranger. The walls were lined with statues and at their bases were the names of the seven deadly sins. He told the boy that he needs a hero to fight evil in the world and if he speaks the name Shazam he will be endowed with great powers of the ancient Greek gods. The boy called out the name Shazam and was transformed into a man dressed in gold and red. By day Billy was a young man, but when trouble struck he was transformed into the hero, though he retained his child-like innocence.

Here is a figure that I could not wait to get.  How could you screw up a simple figure?  Umm... well, a broken leg, broken arm, and divot in the middle of his chest will do it.  After going through 3 of them, I finally got one with tight but moveable joints.  This is one case where I think the figure would have been better with a cloth cape.  His half cape really hinders the left arm. Shazam does have the ability to pose in some iconic poses, which puts this to the top of the DCUC line.  There is a little too much wash on the boots, making them almost strawberry in color, but nothing too bad that takes away from the over all look of the figure.  Even with the issues this is one of the standout figures in this wave.  The design is right out of the comics and red is so vibrant it almost glows.  

Kalibak- Kalibak is the first son of Darkseid, and a great warrior whose power and savagery grew while his brother Orion was part of the trade which kept the peace between the 2 warring worlds of New Genesis and Apokolips. When Scott Free escaped, Kalibak came to his father’s side and acted as his first in command, but he was never able to live up to Orion.  Most of his battles were against his half brother Orion. 

Well, the big guy of the bunch is just that, big.  He is wide, mean looking, and has a perfect sculpt.  His issues are that his limbs, like most DC BAF, easily come off.  He fits in so well with the rest of the DCUC line.  The details on this figure show how much Mattel can do quality figures.  From head to toe this figure is what is right with Mattel figures, and proves all the people who complain wrong.  While this is the not the design most of us would have expected with all the Super Powers love, it really works and makes me want more Kirby-like designs. The design is simple, but the detail is amazing for a figure in this market. I know Mattel will say they are not missing, but there were two accessories that were not included with Kalibak and while I like what they did, it still feels his weapons are missing.  He looks well proportioned next to his father, but a slightly bigger Darkseid would be better for Kalibak and the rest of the New Gods.  

The overall feeling of this wave is just “ok”.  After having 2 figures break, some loose joints and seeing some really bad paint aps, I want to love this line, but I worry what it will look like in 3 years.  Can these figures stand up over time, literally, or will I have to hunt for figures to replace the ones that break?  One thing I do know is when I stand these next to the Super Powers of the 80’s there is no doubt they will not be in as good shape in 20 years, and I beat the hell out of my Super Powers.  

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