jlu 6 packs
Publication date: 2009-08-27
Series: Kastor’s Korner
After almost a year of waiting the JLU has some new six packs, and for some people the price was just right.
So many toy lines try to reuse bodies, but there is no line that does it more than the JLU. The line is starting to fade, with so many years after the cartoon went off the air and now only available at some Target stores and Matty Collector. The focus with these sets is to get characters from the shows done. There are now two six packs at your local Target stores, the heroes and the villains.
In many ways these two sets are a steal. There was a mix up at many Target stores due to a recent reset of the toy department. They had the old six packs in their systems as clearance, $4.88, while these new six packs were supposed to be $19.99. Thankfully for collectors most Target employees know nothing about what they stock and put the new sets out with $4.88 stickers on them. I was lucky enough to find them for that price and could not resist getting them. Even at the normal price these sets were worth it.
I am always hard on this line, only because it is one of my favorite cartoon series. I think the figures should match up. A long time ago I knew that the JLU would only be a display piece in my home. There was no way they could ever be part of a dynamic action display. They have no range of motion and even when posed together they are very static. When we get a set that is full of new characters from the show it’s wonderful. In these two sets we are not flooded with characters that we see over and over again. The only two figures that are Superman and Luthor and for the prices it is not an issue. On to the sets.
The hero set has three new characters and three
redone characters. Superman aside, Elongated Man and Obsidian are good choices for the set. The new color scheme on Elongated Man was a good choice, being his other popular look. The Obsidian is also a good choice, because he was so hard to find the first time around he was offered in the line. The new figures are the long rumored Mr. Terrific and Hourman. Both have great paint aps, and can stand on their own, which in this line is amazing. The final figure is the new Supergirl. This is the older, more mature Supergirl from the final seasons of the JLU. She is a great addition, but some customizers have shown a slight reworking of the face and toned down the makeup on her, which makes a much better figure than what we got.
The villain set steals the show, with five new figures, and a correctly colored Luthor, this is the better buy of the two. While the heroes stand a little better, the villains all suffer from the lean. What is a welcome addition is the inclusion of pegs in the bottom of all the new JLU feet, you can add stands if needed. Tala is a great figure, she helps complete the Society and with the added skirt she does not look like all the other females in the line. Both Psycho Pirate and Gentleman Ghost have capes which make it even harder to make them stand alone, but both are well done. Devil Ray is a great addition, though for me he will be Black Manta. In the final figure Dr. Polaris takes on his 80’s look, and helps to fill out the Society.
Over all these are great sets, and should be what the JLU should strive for, but it looks like we have some back slide with more of the big seven being part of the six-packs later this year with the Thanagar set and the Eclipso sets.