The Green Lantern has long been considered one of the most iconic characters in the DC Universe but it has taken a while for DC Direct to pay proper attention to the vast array of characters that make up his universe. This review focuses on DC Direct’s second line of Green Lantern figures.
Please note that our good friends (and Fwooshnet sponsor) Legends Action figures provided the figures for this review, so if you’re interested in picking this series up, please head on over to Legends to order!
Sculpting
Shark is the obvious stand out in this category. As ugly as he is large, there’s plenty of room for grooves and folds in the parts of him that aren’t covered by his wetsuit. There’s also great detail in his rows of teeth and grooves inside his mouth.
Salakk is no slouch himself; he has a tremendously well done head sculpt that immediately jumps out at you. Plus his overall body sculpt is top notch. He looks fragile within the package but I was surprised that he’s held up well to a fair amount of posing on my office desk.
The Manhunter figure has quite a bit of heft to him and he’s over a full head taller than Guy Gardner. The detailing on his gloves and boots are well done and contain small gems that are translucent. His most interesting detail is that his face plate can be raised (but not removed) to show his inner workings.
Guy Gardner has always had a bit of a peculiar outfit to me, at least as far as Green Lanterns go, and the sculpt here brings to life his puffy vest and boots. Plus his face sculpt has a nice smirk to it. Sinestro isn’t as noteworthy since all that is new here is the head sculpt – it’s well done, but the rest of his body is a rehash. I’m not sure how many GLs have shared this body sculpt, but I do have a John Stewart in my collection that is the exact same mold.
Paint
Both Guy Gardner and Salakk have very clean paint applications that feature a metallic sheen to the green of their outfits. Both feature very clean lantern symbols on their chests and Salakk’s lantern ring is the cleanest painted ring I’ve ever seen on a figure of this size. The paint applications are just as clean on Sinestro’s suit but it does not have the metallic sheen to it. Also, it’s worthwhile to note that his face/head skin color is darker than that of his neck.
However, as well done as they are, Shark once again is the true winner here. Poor paint applications can kill a sculptors hard work, but there is no worry of that here. The paint applications are beautiful and really bring out the hideous details on this brute of a figure. There is well blended shading from tan to brown accents with a darker, almost fudge colored tiger stripe pattern on him. None of this ever hampers the pink gill detailing on his neck. Lastly, his wetsuit is done in an ultra glossy black (with muted purple piping) that gives the appearance that he’s just stepped out of the ocean.
Manhunter was the disappointment of the bunch. With two primary colors, one would hope he would be free of paint slop, especially when grouped in with the other four, however there is a fair amount of stray blue paint bleeding into the red of his body. Is it horrible? No, but disappointing none the less.
Articulation
Due to his odd shape, Salakk comes out ahead in this category. He has a ball jointed head, shoulders and hips as well as standard single articulation at the elbows and knees. Shark and Manhunter both have similar articulation: Manhunter has a neck swivel and Shark has a waist swivel; ball jointed shoulders; t-hips; standard single articulation at the elbows and knees; twists at the wrists (although Shark’s wrist articulation is more like a ball joint) and mid shins. Guy Gardner and Sinesto gain the addition of a neck twist joint, but loose the mid shin articulation.
Accessories
Nothing too much in this category to get excited about. All of the figures come with a translucent Green Lantern symbol base and each Salakk, Guy Gardner and Sinestro come with lanterns. Manhunter has a staff or rod, I’m not sure what it is exactly and Shark doesn’t come with anything unless you want to count his removable back fin.
Value
Compared to past DC Direct series, I’d say this set is a good value for the money. Shark and Salakk are far from household names and both got excellent treatment with superb sculpts and highly detailed paint applications. Guy Gardner is a GL that the fans have been screaming for an updated figure of for a while. Aside from some of the paint sloppiness I complained of earlier, I can still easily see GL fans gobbling up Manhunters to build an army with. Sinestro is the only one who strikes me as a figure that might possibly be left behind on the pegs. We’ve had some good representations of him in plastic already but he’s still worth picking up I bet to most GL fans.
If Fwoosh Ruled the World
More articulation! I don’t know why DC Direct has some abhorrence for a basic waist swivel as only Shark features it. Also, a hinged jaw would have been a very nice addition to Shark. Lastly, their version of the t-hip design has got to go. Almost every other company in the market the features t-hips in the front, turns into a butt in the back of the figure. DC Direct features a weird, banana crotch style where the cut in the front goes all the way around to the back so there is a large bar cut out of the butt. Very ugly to look at in my opinion.
Where to Buy
Our sponsor, Legends Action Figures, has the single figures in the $14.99-16.99 range and $64.95 for the set of five. Please remember the prices are in Canadian dollars.
