With another wave of DCUC figure produced we get another step closer to building the Legion of Doom, the JSA, the Fourth World. How do these figures stack up next to the other DCUC line? Come in and see what DCCU wave eight has to offer.

I have to say when I heard the line-up for this wave months ago, and then saw the 2 up pictures, I was only mildly impressed. I was ecstatic that we were getting both Parademons, and the Giganta was being made in her classic look, but Commander Steele and Vigilante did not do much for me. Now having the wave in-hand, I can say this is one of the best waves they have produced in both quality and character selection. Now let’s break down the wave by figures and see which are the must-haves of this wave.

Parademons- How do you do a biography on a group of mindless slaves?  Well, it all starts with the need for an army.  Darkseid could not take the chance that he would have a volunteer army so he used the lower part of his society.  He trained them in the fire-pits and tortured and brainwashed them until they were mindless slaves who only lived to serve lord Darkseid.

Green version- This figure has an amazing amount of detail that shows off the Horsemen’s ability to give us great figures.  The base body is slightly smaller than the normal buck, but bigger than the teen buck, so he stands somewhere between the two.  While the figure has an amazing sculpt and flawless paint job, where he loses some points is on his articulation.  The costume prohibits movement in the hips, abs, shoulders, and neck, making this figure harder to pose than the average DCUC figure.  For a character limited in personality the loss of articulation is not a huge problem, but an issue nonetheless.  

The Red version of the character not only continues to fill my need to build my Super Powers era characters, but is almost flawless.  The last year or so the DCUC line has not won over it’s fans with the sturdiness of the line, so when I saw how thin this figure was, I was worried to take him out of the package.  To my surprise I found the Parademon to be one of the best figures in terms of joints that the DCUC line has produced.  The sculpt is a dead-on accurate recreation of the Super Powers version, from the ugly head right down to the yellow blaster.  

Both figures are amazing and they also help to give Kalibak all his weapons back. My only issue there is while I like the Red Parademon having the yellow blaster, I think the Green Parademon should have come with a gold painted one to match his cannon and Kalibak’s hammer.

Vigilante- Adrian Chase was a New York District attorney.  That job also carries with it a lot of danger, and because of his actions his family was killed by the Mob.  He decided to stop the criminals himself, by donning a secret identity, the Vigilante.  While at first his methods were non-lethal, he learned that those methods were not effective, and got more violent.  

This figure is an example of what is right with the DCUC line. From small details like the nunchucks on the back of his belt, to the see through visor, this figure was worth the price tag.  The paint on this figure is well done, and there are no stray lines.  He comes with an arsenal of weapons including a six shooter, a machine gun, and a rifle, not to mention some unremovable weapons on his belt.  This figure is one plain buck that has been turned into a great toy.

Mr. Terrific- Michael Holt was a natural athlete and a genius. He grew up fast, earning multiple PhD’s and becoming an Olympic medalist. Using his brain, Holt ran Cyberwear, a high tech firm which he renamed Holt Holdings. Even with all his success, the idea of suicide entered into this man’s mind. The death of his brother, wife and unborn child drove Michael over the edge. At the point of committing the suicide, the spirit known as the Spectre appeared before Michael. As a man of science Holt never believed in a higher power, but at this low point in his life he listened to the Spectre.  Holt learned of the original Mr. Terrific and the events of Sloane’s life.  Holt decided to take up the mantel of Mr. Terrific and become a new hero in the DCU.  

I like the JSA, but they are not top on my list of characters to get in the DCU, so I am surprised to love the figure. There is alot that could have gone wrong on Mr. Holt, but none of it did. His jacket fits seamlessly with his sleeves, the writing on his jacket is flawless, and his T spheres fit him nicely without being in the way.  So what is wrong with him? The placement of the peg in his back for the t-spheres is right in the middle of his name written on his jacket, but because of the style of the buck there was nothing to do about this unless they gave them a separate stand for the spheres.  For some reason the figure looks small, compared to his comic counterpart, but nothing that makes me unhappy I got him.  

Commander(Citizen) Steele- Nathan Heywood was a famous athlete until an accident halted his career.  He lost a leg and felt out of place in his family of heroes.  The new generation of JSA villains decided that they would wipe out the Golden Age heroes and their families.  With no powers Nathan fought back and was covered in a metallic goo that seeped into his skin.  His leg was re-formed and he was given powers of his own.  Though his powers made him more of an outcast, the metal in his body deadened his feeling of touch, making him unable to tell how much pressure he was using. To help with his new powers and problems Mr. Terrific created a metal suit that made him really work to move in it, lessening his strength so that he could function in the real world.  

The real “what the hell?” figure of the wave was Steele.  As a newer character in the JSA comic, and not one too visually striking, he was a surprise.  While I like the metallic colors mixed into the costume, the only new piece on the character is the head. The rest is the standard buck, and it just misses the mark. While bio for the figure is the original Commander Steele, this figure could also stand in for the modern Citizen Steele.  In the comics modern Steele is not a very violent man, he seems to be more of the new kid learning how to be a hero, and having such a menacing look on his face makes him seem out of character.  He is alright, but not the best of the bunch. This would have been a better candidate for the upcoming Walmart wave.  

Dr. Fate- The first person to become Dr. Fate was Kent Nelson.  Young Kent was the son of an archaeologist, who discovered the temple of Nabu.  During this discovery Kent’s father was killed and the spirit of Nabu trained the boy in mystic arts.  Older and wiser, Kent returned from the tomb and took up residence in Salem, Massachusetts, carrying with him the helmet of fate, in which Nabu resided.  Like most heroes of the time Kent used his powers to combat crime and eventually helped found the Justice Society of America. Kent fought side by side during the 1940’s with the JSA, but also teamed up from time to time with the likes of Batman and Superman. Kent and his wife met their end after the events of Zero Hour. 

If there is one figure I remember from my childhood it was my Super Powers Dr. Fate, and this is a great update to both the character and the figure.  He is a simple figure with only blue and yellow in his costume, but the colors are so vibrant that you can’t help but stare at him.  The eye holes in the helmet look almost like you could see his eyes under the helmet, but after close inspection it is an optical trick, they go back just far enough to have a face but there is not one under the helmet.  He comes with his symbol in translucent yellow plastic, and unlike his JLU counterpart he can hold the accessory.  The figure does have a slight tear in his cape, probably from the packaging process, but nothing that really detracts from the great figure.   

Fate Variant- Following the footsteps of previous Dr. Fates, the next Dr. Fate had more than the mantel of fate to link him to the JSA.  Hector Hall’s history is quite confusing to those outside the comic world.  Hector Hall is the son of Carter Hall and Shiera Hall, the Golden Age Hawkman and Hawkgirl.  However, the Body which he inhabits today is the son of Hank Hall and Dawn Granger, better known as Hawk and Dove.  After gaining the powers from Nabu, Hector was reunited with Carter Hall, his father, and one of his main goals was to save his wife, Lyta.  During the Crisis the two were banished by the Spectre to hell, where they are trapped frozen at the top of a mountain, though their minds entered a dream world.  They may return some day as their family is so linked with reincarnation. 

The gold version has some slight differences, and though his chest piece and helmet are gold his gloves and cape are still bright yellow, making the figure look awkward.  This was something that fans pointed out to Mattel, who said that the change could be made before the figure was released; but just like Harley we did not get the correction.  Luckily the modern incorrect version is a chase figure, so those of you that can’t find it or don’t want it can count yourself lucky, unless you repaint him correctly yourself. 

Gentleman Ghost- Jim Craddock was a robber and a villain during the 1800’s in England. Deciding to see what America had to offer, Jim crossed the pond, and started robbing all over the country.  He was stopped by Nighthawk, the incarnation of the soul of Hawkman.  The only way Jim’s soul could pass on is when his killer’s soul passes on, but the Hawkman soul never passes on, and because of that Jim is stuck as a ghost.  He learned to use his ghostly powers to be a better villain, and has tussled with heroes from Batman to Superman.  

So Mattel made a figure without a head cool, and it is one of the best they have made.  All the little tricks in this figure from the top hat sitting on top of the coat collar, to the monocle hanging off of the hat, to the translucent sections this figure are amazing.  The Horsemen really out did themselves on this figure. It does have one issue, the hips are extremely floppy and it make standing a real chore for him.  Because of the coat and the cape it is difficult to get him into real dynamic poses. The hip joints worry me when I think long term about this figure.  I just hope they worked out the kinks on the new buck so when the Joker and Question come out they won’t also have the floppy hips.  He comes with a cane and gun, which are nice additions. When you consider all the little details that went into the figure, they could have skipped those two things to keep down the costs.  

Hawkgirl- The only person to have a more complex history than Hawkman is Hawkgirl. Shayera Hol is the reincarnated soul of the ancient Egyptian queen.  Her soul, like Hawkman’s, is reincarnated over and over again through time.  From life to life she has always been some kind of protector and always at some point in her life comes back to her soul’s true love, Hawkman.  

Hawkgirl is the All-Star figure of the wave and the one that seems to have the most issues.  The sculpt is fine, but I think she is a little thing for the fighter that she is.  The belt seems to be off center a bit on her as well, adding to the overall look of the figure.  The wings are well done just like Hawkman, but because of her size keeping her standing is a task; so if you don’t have a stand for her, and I’m not talking about the one she came with, you are in trouble.  He neck articulation has an extremely limited range of motion due to her hair. If you want her to look up you would have to lay her on her back.  On a positive note they did not skip any of her accessories so we got the mace, spear and sword.  

Giganta w/ mini Atom- Dr. Doris Zeul tried to steal the body of Wonder Woman, and that event thrust the villain into comic history as one of Wonder Woman’s most famous foes. Her plan was to transfer her mind into Wonder Woman’s body, but the process was interrupted and Dr. Zeul’s mind was trapped in the machine.  Her assistant found out what happened and to save her mind, he transfered it into a gorilla until a more suitable body could be found.   The pair did find the body of a strong lady in a circus, and when her mind was transfered into the new body she found she had the ability to change the size of her body from normal to a giant. 

The second female of the group is stunning from head to toe.  She is a perfect representation of the character from her Legion of Doom days, and towers over all the other figures in the line.  This is the reason that BAF figures work so well, they give us something we would not normally be able to get done right.  Her clothes are not painted on and have a texture feel, adding to the over all look of the figure.  Mattel got another one right, though Atom Smasher now looks like a little guy next to her.  She also comes with a mini Atom, and while he is cool he is really just an accessory, and not really a figure, having no articulation.  

So overall a great wave, with only a few issues and not of them QC issues.  My major gripe about the wave is that for a character like the Parademon to have a C&C part seems like a waste.  Most of us will be getting more than one of them, and I think it would have made more sense to give them the figure stands instead of some of us ending up with 5 or 6 extra arms.  I was glad to see some accessories from previous waves finally making it into the line (Kalibak weapons) and some new body types that can be used in the future.  So good luck finding these in stores, and if you want to get yours quick and at a great price head over to Enchanted Toy Chest, and let them know where you heard about the figures.  

DCUC Wave Eight Gallery

Ask Matty for June 1st 2009