Tag Team back again! Since DCUC series 8 is starting to spread out around the country, the Faithful Fwoosh Staff has come together to bring you a review of [most of] the figures in the series. Check it out!
This time around Robokillah, Prodigy, VeeBee and Matthew K are splitting the review duties to help give few different takes on the figures. Split between the four we were able to get *most* of the figures review. We might even go back and fill in the gaps as we come by the rest, but that might go against our oaths as newly annointed Brown Lanterns.
Figure 1: COMMANDER STEEL
When it comes to character selection, DCUC is on a tear. I mean c’mon, my part in this tag-team review is to type words about Commander Steel AND Gentleman Ghost. I can’t image a better twist of fate than looking at these two figures in a series as early as eight. So cool.
Getting right to the figure, I have to admit I was a little nervous about the Commander here when I first saw the facial expression. I tend to shy away from the grimacing, clenched-teeth look (especially with heroes) but it actually turned out pretty well. It brings a sort of confidence to a figure of a character that is pretty much indestructible, and he knows it. Well, almost indestructible (Henry here met his end at the hand of Eclipso several years back). His current condition of being non-living doesn’t take away from the fact that he makes for a very aesthetically pleasing figure; he is well prepped to punch a hole right through any number of dastardly villains that may be lining your shelves.
If you have been with DCUC for awhile, you will recognize his build as being the larger Superman Blue buck, which is totally appropriate for a larger character with a basic, skin-tight costume. I have always thought that his costume was very original and eye-cathing, the figure holds true to that with crispy clean paint lines accented with metallic blue. This is one of those cases where Mattel played the re-use game just right and original costume makes for stand out in the collection. I dig it.
Finally, the great part about this figure is that the All-Star Squadron fans can have their Commander Steel, but fans of the modern day Justice Society can use him for their Citizen Steel figure seamlessly. My figure is actually hanging out with Mr. Terrific, modern Dr. Fate and Atom Smasher right now… not that I wouldn’t love for Mattel to do a unique Citizen Steel figure, but you get the idea. Two characters for the price of one!
Figure 2: DR. FATE
A figure I really didn’t have on my want list, but as I saw more and more pictures the more I wanted him. Excellent rendition of the character. The first thing that jumped out at me as I was ripping him out of the package was his mystical ankh accessory. It is freakin’ awesome.
It doesn’t clip on, it doesn’t loosely fit in the hand….it is actually molded to his hand sculpt. I don’t know why that impresses me so much. The effect is, well, effective. At the same time, if you don’t want the effect attached he’s got a perfectly magical mojo wielding hand that throws a little diversity into the open hand/closed fist selection.
The next biggie for me was the cape. It’s brilliantly simple. All one piece but representing separate parts. The metal parts could be a different color than the cape itself, but what are you going to do? It works.
On top of that I completely dig the helmet sculpt. It looks almost like a removable helmet but it’s not. Not a biggie though.
Now for the bad, and it’s a tiny detail that may be insignificant to others. The belt….thingie. It doesn’t look like a belt or a buckle, it looks like a peg where a belt was supposed to go but was forgotten or dropped. It’s just looks odd and out of place.
Is it accurate to the comic portrayal? I don’t know. I haven’t taken the time to look. But from purely a toy point of view it’s slightly distracting.
Still, completely happy with the figure overall.
Figure 3: MR. TERRIFIC
Now this is a great figure! Another character who I’ve been wanting for a loooonnng time to become part of my collection as Michel Holt is one of the best characters in all of the DCU. He’s the third smartest man in the DCU and an underrated badass who takes no crap and is a born leader.
Terrific is a really nice sculpt as he uses the smaller Manta body, but the new sculpted jacket, arms, and head are all perfectly done. His T-Spheres are nice little touch and they fir nice into his back peg, but also can be removed if you don’t like them on display.
The paints are just awesome. With some bad QC he could’ve been a mess but all his white lines are crisp and clean with no bleed at all. The white lines are bad enough to get straight, but then they even naild the font of “Terrific” on his back and the “Fair Play” on his arms.
This is a great addition to the JSA shelf and along with Commander Citizen Steel from this same wave, they can now stand with the might Atom Smasher on my JSA shelf.
Overall I think Mr. Holt is an 8 out of 10. No major drawbacks at all for him, my only nitpick is that the added fourth T-sphere looks a bit goofy connected to the other one. Looks like they are crashing into one another. But that is it. This is what a really great rendition of a character should look like.
Figure 4: VIGILANTE
What can I say? I love the “carry a big gun” guys more than most other characters. And Vigilante doesn’t disappoint.
The figure uses all the tried and true Mattel articulation, and again it works. Some newly sculpted pieces here and there to make the figure unique. The forearms and gloves are a welcome surprise. More than that, the head and the goggles. A great feature is that the goggles are a separate piece with a full eye sculpt and paint underneath!
Vigilante also comes armed to the teeth (by today’s standards) with a rifle, a revolver, and a modified uzi type gun that I’m told is comic accurate.
Another nice little touch is his belt. Holster and pouches, and even non-removable nunchucks on the back.
I tried for a while to find something to nitpick and all I came up with is that the revolver is a bit small. Don’t get me wrong, it looks great and is a nice sculpt, and even looks good in most poses, but when you get down to it the handle only fits halfway in his grip. Most of the holding is done with his finger in the trigger guard.
But really, that is reaching. Great figure.
Figure 5: PARADEMON
Based on the superpowers version of the character, this Parademon figure is a beautiful update of the classic toy with new articulation, a detailed sculpt and a crisp paint job.
He comes with a yellow blaster specially designed to fit in his clawed hands and a BAF piece for Giganta. The Gun has some great Kirby tech detailing to it and can be added to series 6 Kalibak’s belt.
My favorite aspect of the sculpt is the muscle and vein detail on the arms and face. Even the inside of his mouth has sculpted detail. The roof is scalloped and you can even see taste bud texture on his tongue. The wings also have a nice leathery texture.
The articulation is also a little different that what we usually see in DCUC. The hips are ball jointed and the knee cut is actually above the knee cap rather than the usual middle knee cut. The thighs have no visible peg going through the knee piece. It makes for a cleaner look overall.
I also find it interesting that the skirt is one solid piece. I assumed from the prototype that we were looking at some sort of softer plastic skirt, but it’s one solid piece of ABS plastic.
Overall this is a great little figure. He looks to be a perfect translation from proto to final toy. I’m thinking I might need two. Or three.
Figure 6: GENTLEMAN GHOST
Oh baby, my life-long favorite comic hero (the Blue Beetle) is a little upset with me right now, I have a new DCUC crush and it comes in the form of a slightly foppish 19th century highwayman, Gentleman Ghost! Yeah, Gentleman Ghost. I know we have had about six months to get used to the fact that we were actually getting a figure of one of the coolest and somewhat obscure DC villains, but it doesn’t really set in until you have him in your hands, and he is fantastic.
There are times when a figure is ALMOST there. Almost perfect. Then there are the times when a company just nails it, and Gentleman Jim is one of them. By far one of the most unique-looking figures in the line, all of the things that make him cool have been executed quite well. The monocle, the old-timey pistol, the cool “phasing” effect, they are all accomplished just right. Not to mention that he has no head. The head is usually the first thing you look at when you hold a figure in your hands for the first time, so the fact that Craddock has so much personality without even having a mug is really awesome.
The suit body is a vast improvement over the old Clark Kent/Riddler body and it is really skinny, just as it should be. The one minor gripe with the figure is that he does not have much range of motion back and forth in his hips (he can’t sit) but other than that it is great. I am giddy over this figure and giddy over the fact that I am essentially holding the new upcoming Joker figure too. And Uncle Sam. And Alfred. They will all work perfectly. Get crackin’ Matty!
Figure 7: HAWKGIRL
Finally! I’ve waited for a very long time to get a quality classic Satelite JLA era Hawkgirl, and now she’s mine!
Hawkgirl is the usual DCUC goodness with a really nice sculpt and enough articulation to get her in to some good battle poses. Her wings are just like Hawkman’s and work very well in movement, as well as being light enough to allow her to stand up straight and not cause her to fall over. Add to that she comes with a small arsenal of weaponary to keep her outfited for any fight she may get herself into.
Her paints are nice and clean, and her weapons are sculpted with some nice little details that give them some depth and make them look like she’s used them in some tough battles.
While she is a great figure she does have a few drawbacks. For one she isn’t able to look up into the air because of her sculpted hair. This hurts her overall rating because a Hawkperson needs to be looking up when she’s soaring through the air. The other drawback is she’s a bit flat in the buttox area. Baby needs some more back!
But those are minor nitpicks and she really is a nice figure. She fits in great with her forever devoted companion Hawkman, and she’s also in great scale with the other new female body in DCUC. She comes up right to WonderWoman’s nose so her height isn’t an issue at all.
Overall she gets a 7 out of 10 with the looking down head and her kinda slim body being the only drawbacks. But this by far the best Hawkgirl figure ever made and easily a great add to the collection.
Collect and Connect: GIGANTA
She’s large. Okay, not as large as back in the good old days, but compared to other C&Cs in the DCUC line, she’s definitely large. And that’s a good thing. Along with adding another member of the Legion of Doom to our shelves, she makes a hell of a nice addition to the overall display.
The first thing I noticed while freeing her from the plastic prison is the paint apps, especially the face and skin. Absolutely beautiful. While the bracelets on the forearms and ankles have a little bleed out onto the flesh, the eyes and mouth are perfect. The skin has some nice shading to it. Her eye makeup is applied just right, enough to be noticeable but not overbearing.
Like I said, she’s large. Could she be bigger? Yeah, maybe. But I’m perfectly happy with the size. She fits on the shelf without taking too much real estate at all.
The only bad thing, personally? I’m almost hesitant to say this, but after I put her together and was fiddling…I got the feeling I was playing with a Barbie. It was spooky. But on a serious note, like many of you guys have said on the forums, put the legs into the crotch piece before snapping it together with the mid-torso piece. The torso piece has the skirt and if you put the legs on after that you’ll be fighting the skirt to get it all together. Just a word of warning.
*Thanks so much for reading. Look for these babies at your local specialty shops now, they should be showing up in the big box stores soon.
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