Welcome back! How was work? Yeah? It was too freakin’ busy for me. Let’s get back to Fwoosh First Look!
Professor Will Magnus invented the Responsometer– A microcomputer capable of imbuing pure elements with a semblance of life, intelligence and emotion. Implanting samples of gold, iron, lead, tin and mercury with their own responsometers, Magnus watched the metals take on humanoid shape and personalities. Iron quickly emerged as the backbone of the team. In all the challenges the Metal Men take on, Iron’s super strength and ability to withstand tremendous punishment put him on the front line of action.
Iron. Let’s be honest here, who saw this one coming? The Metal Men have achieved a kinda cult status among Silver Age fans, but have been surprisingly resistant to other media– didja catch their cameo in DCU: The New Frontier though? — at least, until now. 2010 seems to be the start point for a bit of a Metal Men revival, and what better place for the opening shot than in Classics?
As interesting a character choice as this is, I’m sure most of you are here to see just how the hell you make a character like this in a line that ain’t exactly known for new sculpts. Well, the answer is very, very clever-like.
He’s the biggest “human” figure so far in this line, as you can see above, most other figure’s eyes line up with his shoulders. His iron “tunic” is the clincher. It covers his entire torso, making him a little thicker, and adds new shoulders and neck, which makes him taller. Best part is, it does this while still remaining fairly flexible, making his range of motion roughly equal to that of the DCSH Darkseid. It even seems to fix the neck problem we’ve had of late! The downside, of course, is the concealed ab-joint is rendered null.
Sculpt and paint on this figure are beer and pizza. The torso, arms and legs have great riveted and pitted details, and paint’s right there to make them pop. A wash on the thighs and biceps makes the whole thing blend together extremely well. Indeed, it’s going to take a few close inspections before you realize those pitted marks aren’t sculpted everywhere. All in all, I’ve never seen a better metallic paint job on a mass market figure. It’s simply incredible, and the pictures refuse to do it justice.
And then there’s accessories!! A nicely sculpted wrecking ball fits over his right fist (with the “as advertised” die-cast chain), making Iron one helluva melee fighter. The left fist get the most ridiculously awesome clip-on accessory ever- the ol’ crescent wrench. Not only is it as detailed as the wrecking ball, the freakin’ thing actually works!
Turn the little dial, and the claw goes from open to completely closed. That’s just nuts.
He also has the big gray leg. Combined with that big gray arm from yesterday, I can give you a little better picture of just what we’re getting here-
Darkseid hit the gym a bit since DCSH. He does have a ball-jointed hip, like his predecessor, but it seems more akin to the MOTU style. Another welcome surprise is that this version of Darkseid has yet another new articulation point: there is a boot-cut hidden behind the kneepad.
So there you have it! Series 12 has begun in earnest! And I have yet another figure that I honestly had little interest in owning, but don’t know what I’d do without. The character has little draw for me, but the figure is so well done, he’s rapidly becoming a favorite. Reminds me of that other dark horse figure I reviewed last year…
Fight! Fight for my affections, you D-Listers!
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