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Review: DC Classics Wave 2 |
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Written by Khalil
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Apr 22, 2008 at 10:55 AM |
 Well, Fate played an April Fool’s joke on me last week. Not only did I get my new round of Mattel answers but I also got my shipping notice for my case of DCUC series 2 from the Enchanted Toy Chest . They were going to be at my door on April 4th and I would have all weekend to play with them and take some good pictures, but on April 2nd I got the joke. My arrival date was switched from Friday to Monday. I waited all morning for my case on Monday and I was awakened by a knock at the door at 11:30. I tore into the package like a kid on Christmas morning. I looked over each figure and I was thrilled to have these figures in my hands. I only got to look at this years Toy Fair, but now they were in my hands and I could not wait to let them free to stand with the rest of the DCU. As I looked over them more carefully I noticed the same problems that everyone else had mentioned in the 60 plus pages of discussion on Fwoosh. So on to the review:
 Superman Red/Blue- Superman Red/Blue- We all know the story of Superman, a visitor from a strange planet crashes on earth and is raised by a Mid-west farming couple. He becomes the boy scout of comic books, representing truth, justice, and the American way. But in the 90’s DC decided that they need something new and fresh. After they killed Superman and then brought him back to life they had to think of something different. Following Final Night, Superman lost his powers which led to a long journey to regain his powers. Superman went through a ton of experiments to regain his powers, but all these methods overloaded his solar battery-like cells, causing him to become an unstable energy. The only way to contain the power was to wear a blue and white containment suit. Eventually the red suit appeared as a clone of the Blue Superman. The new powers and look did not last long, and a quick collision between the Red and Blue Supermen would bring back the original Superman.
 Review-These are both solid figures. Each the same but with different heads, showing it is possible to have a variant with different parts. The blue has a peaceful face, while the red shows off his anger. The paint on both figures is crisp and clean. There are not as many paint problems as the other figures. There are some paint bleeds between the face and the head gear. There is also a loss of paint on the shoulder joints due to rubbing when the arms are raised; fortunately the plastic is white and only a hair darker then the rest of the white paint, so you don’t notice it. The other nice addition is the narrow space at the hips which allows him to hold a floating pose with his legs close together. The only criticism I have is the position of the neck and head. In my opinion they are too far forward on the body, giving him a hunched look.
 Aquaman-There is no way for anyone to make real sense of Aquaman’s origin. It has changed in so many ways, and become more and more convoluted with time. But the general story is a young boy born in the underwater city of Atlantis was banished from his home because of his blonde hair. He was left alone and found by a lighthouse keeper one day; the man took him in and gave him a name, Arthur Curry. Growing up was hard, he felt torn between his adoptive father and his strange yearning for the sea. He discovered his powers during his adolescence: he enjoyed the ability to talk to sea creatures and could spend limitless time underwater. Arthur loved the sea so much he vowed to become its defender. His missions to defend the oceans as the King of the Seas have come in conflict from time to time with his allies on the Justice League.
 Review-Aquaman- This has to be, hands down, my favorite figure of the whole group. While this figure is not a true classic, it is close enough to the classic design. There are subtle differences like the color and the belt, but the entire figure is amazing. There is an incredible amount of detail, such as his scaled shirt and nice fins on the back of his legs. In this figure the legs can come together more than past figures, allowing for a swimming or flying pose. The only drawback is his trident. The details on the trident are terrific but I found after putting it in his right hand the paint started to peel off. This flaw is nothing a gold pen could not fix, but it shows that there are some things Mattel still needs to work on. If the trident were cast in gold plastic there would not be an issue. The variant has a different head and new forearms. There are only minor changes but this is also a great figure in the set. There is another nice twist to the variant; he is packaged facing right, while the normal release is facing the left. This makes the figure stand out, so you can notice the different pose. I almost missed him, except I knew there was something off about the position.
 Black Manta- Though his real name is unknown, his reason for hating Aquaman is clear. As a boy, the future villain, who was autistic, was kidnapped and tortured on a ship. During his time on the ship he saw Aquaman, who was passing by the ship. Not helping the young man led to the boy growing up to not only to hate the sea but the man who represented it. The boy would take the name Black Manta and become one of Aquaman’s biggest foes. The villain made a deal with Neron and become a hybrid of human and sea creature, making him more powerful. Black Manta continues to be one of the King of the Sea’s main rogues.
 Review- Another villain to add to the Injustice Gang, and a great addition at that. This figure is really simple and proves that you don’t need bells and whistles to make a great figure. Black Manta has a simple black body with his helmet and back pack. The helmet and backpack connect with a pair of hoses. There is a little paint bleed on the pack and the neck but nothing too bad. He comes with a trident of his own and a spear gun. Both are nicely detailed in a silver/ gray color. The Trident and gun don’t have the same problem Aquaman’s trident does.
 Harley Quinn- Dr Harleen Quinzell was a therapist at Arkham Asylum, taking care of the crazy bat villains. Harley was charmed by the Joker and fell madly in love with the Clown Prince of Crime. When Mr. J escaped from his incarceration, Dr Quinzell decided to follow in his footsteps and become the female equivalent of the mad clown. Doing whatever she could to please her man, Harley became just as crazy as her lover. The on again, off again couple are the Bonnie and Clyde of Gotham City. Currently Harley has gone straight and is helping Mary Marvel in Countdown.
 Review- The Joker’s main girl is a great figure and is even a hair smaller then the original short Joker. She is thin like most of the other DCU females and has a great range of motion, though she can not do splits due to her hip joint. The costume paint job is very well done even though she is missing a few diamonds. The two major problems are her face and her weapons. Even though it does not come through in my pictures, Harley looks like a Smurf on steroids. Her face has a deep blue wash and I really do want to get another figure to try to repaint the face. This is one issue that Mattel did address at the NYCC. They said they are working to fix the issue so that future cases will have a white face without the blue wash. The other issue is she cannot hold her weapons. While she can hold them in certain positions, her hands are in a permanent open position which make holding the gun or hammer for display very difficult. Most of the DC figures have a strong kung fu like grip, but Harley is the exception. I think the sculpt is spot on and proves again sometimes simple is better.
 Firestorm- Ronnie Raymond joined a protest group in high school. This choice would shape his life in ways he never imagined. During a protest of a nuclear power plant Ronnie was caught in an accident that fused Dr. Martin Stein, a layout scientist for the plant, and created a nuclear being, named Firestorm. The pair complimented each other so well that they became one of the top heroes in the DCU in the 80’s. While in the Firestorm form the hero could modify matter in anyway imaginable. Turning steel into cotton candy, and water into kryptonite, Firestorm had the possibly to be the most powerful heroes, but the problem was that though they were a great hero, they were still two different people. The two became one of the brightest heroes in the DCU. They joined the JLA and became one of the favorite heroes to come out of the 80’s, because of his Super Powers figure. Ronnie met his demise during Identity Crisis, giving rise to a new Firestorm.
Firestorm( not shown)- Jason Rusch is the new Firestorm. And like his predecessor, he too is a fresh and innocent character for many readers to identify with. Jason has had a hard life, he lives with an abusive father, his mother left him, and his only way to get ahead in life leads him down a criminal path. At that low point in his life, Jason is given a new start by being caught in an accident, giving him the power of the firestorm matrix. Unsure at first and having to discover everything on his own, Jason would merge with whoever was around him. As he gains confidence he is slowly becoming a major force in the DCU. Currently he has the help of Martin Stein, as well as the hero Firehawk. Jason has most recently been asked to become part of the JLA.
 Review-This is the figure I was waiting for the most and the one that disappoints me. Mattel really stepped up and gave us a great sculpt, and a wonderfully redone head. I think that if they had left the original yelling face it would have made this the loser of the group. The problems with this figure lie once again with paint application. While they are improving, they fall short on this figure. The arms, legs, and neck all have different shades of red, and while they are not as glaring as the Red Tornado, they are still noticeable. The other problem is, on mine the center white symbol has a stray red line. This is not as clear from far away, but when you look at the figure it draws your attention, taking away from the other wise good figure. This is the other figure I want a second one of so that I can get a better paint job, though it may be hard if Jason replaces him.
 Grodd- The main feature in this box set is the Gorilla Grodd. Grodd was an ape who came in contact with a meteor during the 19th century. This gave him and his fellow apes both super intelligence and, in some cases like Grodd and his adversary Solovar, telekinesis and telepathy. Grodd and Solovar clashed time and time again for the great Gorilla City. When Solovar was captured by humans and brought to Central City, Grodd saw an opportunity to not only take over Gorilla City but also the world. This plan put him in the scope of the Flash and brought Grodd into The Flash’s Rogue Gallery. Over and over the Flashes of many generations would come to blows with this foe. Over time Grodd’s abilities have grown, developing both his mental abilities as well as his telekinesis.
 Review-Grodd is an example of how a Collect & Connect figure should be made. If this figure was made in a normal size box it would not have worked. When I first saw the pictures of Grodd during the summer conventions I was not sure this would reflect the real character. Boy was I wrong. At Toy Fair I was unsure how much I would like him, but I was proven wrong when I held him fully assembled in my hands. This figure is massive compared to the other figures in this line. The attention to detail in the face and body are a great example of how master sculptors like the Four Horsemen can do when allowed to have control over designs. This figure is the only out of the bunch to have flawless paint applications. Where I thought I would have the most issue was the face design and look. But once you get this figure you see how he really does reflect the look of intelligence, and not a mindless gorilla. The figure even comes with a helmet and arm bands which amplify his mind control powers. This is one incredible addition to the Injustice Society. Now all we need are some other Rogues and Speedsters to join him.
Mattel gives us another solid wave of characters. This wave starts to round out the old Super Powers line up while giving us some great variant costumes. I think Mattel is working out the kinks in both paint and design with each wave. Those of you who have come late to the game and have to catch up should get to because this line will be the standard that all figures will be held to in the future. I think with the decreased quality of Marvel Legends, this will be the line that will be a must have for most collectors and kids. With this second wave out in stores they are harder to find than the Wii at Christmas. I have not seen many, and when one case comes in most go right out and if you’re not lucky, you will be spending a lot of time hunting to build your figures. In the past week I have seen remnants in multiple Toys R Us and Target stores, so keep looking. Remember to check your paint applications before you open these up, or you may find yourself hunting for a replacement.
I have to give a big thanks to Scott at the Enchanted Toy Chest for getting these out to me so quickly. If you want great prices, good service and fast shipping head over to the ETC and pre order wave 3 now, before you have to wait in line.
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