The newest wave of DCUC figures are hitting retailers now. Check out the figures, including one of the best build a figures to date.  

This wave line up looks like someone blindly picked the figures using darts. The figures run the gambit from JSA, to Metal Men, to the Fourth World. There is not a unifying theme like some previous waves, but this wave is a DC Universe builder. There are a few wave wide fixes and problems. Waves ten and eleven both had neck issues that thankfully are fixed in this wave. An issue with this wave is an annoyingly high price increase. In the last year the figures have gone from around $10 to about $15 which can only go up, knowing the way the Mattel lines have been going.  

Eclipso -

Eclipso was the figure that Mattel teased us with at SDCC and now he is in our hands.  He is a bit cartoony for the DCUC line, but is in his classic costume.  The figure is made to pose, and vanilla poses will leave him looking out of place and goofy.  Instead of a diamond-like shard he holds what resembles a raisin. The paint on the figure is perfect and bright for the character, though he is always thought of as a shadowed figure. The belt, collar, head, and hands are all new, while the rest of him is the DCUC buck.  

Spectre- 

The Spectre is a character that many people wanted a classic version of first, even though a modern would have needed minimal retooling. The new package art does show the modern Spectre, but the figure in this wave is the classic version. There are two different Spectre figures in this wave, but both are the same character, just different decos. 

The first version is a classic Jim Corrigan figure. The Spectre fits perfectly with this wave’s Dr. Midnite and the rest of the classic JSA characters. The paint used on this figure is mostly white, but the figure does not blind you because there is a light gray wash, muting the white. Most of the time this kind of shading is done incorrectly like the wave two Harley Quinn, but this time it paid off. The figure can also do something that I never expected, he can turn his head. The figure has a cloak on with a hood, and most of the time the movement of the head is limited by the cape and hood. In this case the hood and cape are separate pieces, allowing a good deal of neck movement for this figure.  

The second version is a glow in the dark version. The figure loses the subtle paint washes and details that the standard figure has, and makes this an unnecessary figure for many collectors. A variant of a Dr. Midnite or others would have been better choices for variants, instead we get a less expensive repaint.  

Mary Marvel- 

Mary, the innocent girl of the DCU, is near perfect.  The figure does suffer from the same skinny arms that most of the females in the line. Mary is the perfect height and size compared to her brother Billy, Shazam. Both versions are great additions to the line. The red and white versions are a 50/50 spilt in this wave, and it is great for those who want to put her in different parts of the DCU displays. There are no paint issues with either version, but the red version is much too dark. The figure does not match Shazam, and makes him look cheap next to Mary. The deeper red in her costume gives her a more statuesque look, but when standing next to Shazam she looks like her costume is in the shadows. The white version is also a great addition and looks nice with the rest of the JLI team of Booster, Beetle, and Captain Atom. What worries me is this teen character is a teen female who towers over the Robin and Kid Flash when they should be the same height.  

Desaad- 

The first of two Super Powers figures in this wave is one of the all around better figures in the line. The body is covered in head to toe robe, which under it has a fully articulated body. I expected the figure to lose all upper body articulation because of the robes, but he can still bend at the abs joint and look up and down. The figure looks like his Super Powers counterpart. The big difference is his torture pack, while it has more articulation than the 80’s version it is missing the chromed parts. There is a good amount of detail for an accessory, which makes this figure worth the time to track it down, but not the new price.  

Iron- 

This figure is one that I picked up to review, and to build Darkseid. I have no real interest in the Metal Men as a team, but they are a nice addition to the DCUC line and help to build a well rounded universe. The figure himself looks like he is made of iron. There are stress marks and shading differences in the paint, which give him a real metal look. 

He comes with two hand attachments, a ball and chain and a wrench. The attachments clip on, and while some fans may have wanted hands that come off instead I prefer this. The ball and socket joints used to do this can over time break, or the second hand attachment does not always fit the correct line in the joint, so the clip on armor pieces are fine for me. The hands themselves are made of metal which is a nice touch, but only those pieces are a let down. The head, hands, and feet would have been a nice touch for a company that makes little metal cars. The ball and chain are a fun addition but the real pice of the pack is the wrench, which has moving parts. This addition of a working wrench is something I did not expect from the company giving us less with each figure and raising the prices, but I guess the price hike on the JLU line gets DCUC collectors more accessories.  

Dr. Midnite- 

Originally there were supposed to be two versions of this character. For those of us building a modern JSA we lost out, but the classic team is starting to build.  This version is from the original JSA, and looks like the classic version stepped off the page. There is a decent amount of articulation and the neck peg is corrected on him so he can look up and down. The figure also comes with one accessory, his pet owl Hootie.  The little pet can clip on his arm, but can’t do anything on his own. We should have gotten a perch for him but once again cost verses function.   

Copperhead-  

There is more than one use for the chainmail upper body first seen on Aquaman, though Copperhead is covered in them from head to toe. Many fans were surprised that this version did not have a tail. Looking at the reference art from the time period that the Horsemen pulled from, Copperhead did not have a tail. The suit was his only source of power, allowing him to contract and stretch like a snake. I love when they are able to take a buck and add a ton of details to it, making it look like a whole new figure. Though there are not a lot of colors to the figure the orange and green are striking, and work well to give this figure an imposing look.  The face sculpt under the mask has a villainous laughing expression, perfect for the character. The overall look of the figure is a great addition to line up of 80’s style villains in the DCUC line.  

Darkseid- 

This is the figure that we should have gotten in the DCSH line, but due to Mattel’s inability to fit him in a box we got a short version. The DCSH version was acceptable next to most of the DCUC figures until we got Kalibak, then the DCSH version was too small.  This Darkseid towers over the rest of the figures in the DCUC line. The figure is almost a mirror of the other figure in a larger scale, though the paint is much brighter. The details from the cracked face, to the bottom of his feet are why this is one of the best BAFs to date. This BAF comes with two accessories, more than most normal figures in the line.  The dark lord of Apokolips comes with the Desaad designed killing glove, and a mother box.  Both are incredibility detailed and a nice addition to the line as a whole.  

This wave was very blah to me.  Other then the BAF Darkseid, there were no figures that I had to have.  The line is starting to go into an obscure area of the DCU, and it almost feels like the line as a whole is moving back to the 80’s rather than capitalizing on the hot story lines of today.  I know I am in the minority, but if this trend continues this line will be one that most people can cherry pick, especially when Mattel continues to raise the prices to a ridiculous level.  

DCUC Gallery:

DCUC Wave 12 Gallery

DCUC Reviews:

DCUC Wave 11 Review Part 1,DCUC Wave 11 Review Part 2, DCUC Wave Ten Review Part 2, DCUC Wave Ten Review Part 1,DCUC Wave Nine Review, DCUC Wave Eight Review, DCUC Wave Seven Review, DCUC Wave Six Review, DCUC Wave Five Review, DCUC Wave Four Review, DCUC Wave Three Review,  DCUC Wave Two Review, DCUC Wave One Review

DCUC Multipacks: Starfire/Strange, Earth 3, Gotham 5 Pack, Wonder Twins, TRU Sets, Brainiac Set, Color of Fear, Jungle