Well, here we are in the waning days of 2010 and just when you thought there could not possibly be another series of DC Universe Classics to hit the pegs before 2011, series 16 has begun to sneak out in California. In a quick preview for the calm before the storm, we have our Final DCUC First Look for the year, and maybe, just maybe, Mattel has saved the best for last.
Now, there is always a certain degree of high excitement for every wave of DCUC, but series sixteen (sixteen!) really holds a lot of things to a lot of different people. Just on character selection alone, we have several Batman characters, another Metal Man, a Ditko delight and well, Jonah-frakkin-Hex. Woo! Plus, there are several characters with the new-to-DCUC double elbow and double knees articulation points, so a lot of people are excited about that. Finally, and correct me if I am wrong, but this is the first time we have gotten a series of DCUC without knowing (at least) the next line up of figures. Yep, while rumors have been flying around for months, the line-up for DCUC 17 is still shrouded in unofficial mystery. Well, in the meantime, we are just going to have to enjoy our new DCUC 16 figures. I know, I know – what trying development.
I will just give you a few highlights of each figure since you really came here for the pictures, so bear with me for just a bit. Keep in mind that this series represents the first line-up with six figures instead of seven, which will be the standard going forward.
Jonah Hex
Woo-hoo! We finally have Sexy Hexy in DCUC! I know he has been a Fwoosh staff favorite for a very long, but even the most faithful probably did not expect to see him even as soon as series 16. I guess the Jonah Hex movie brought us ONE thing to be thankful for. Overall, he is my second favorite figure of the bunch.
- His face, sculpted by the amazing Chris Dahlberg is totally sick and gross and perfect for the grizzled Hex – at least on one side. It is cool to turn him just a bit and you have a regular guy.
- Spurs. They gave him spurs and they are great. He is also one of only two figures on the assortment (the other being the Riddler) to not have any double knee or double elbow articulation. Then again, he doesn’t exactly need it.
- He does have his revolver and double-barreled shotgun (Robo tells me it is a sawed-off shotgun to boot!), both of which can be holstered. The double-barrel holds on his back, but I wish there would have been the spot in the front of his belt for the revolver.
Creeper
Finally, we get some more Steve Ditko love in DCUC. It has been awhile! It is so funny to think back and remember that there have been rumors of the Creeper being brought in by Mattel ever since the DCSH days. Well, I am glad we had to wait a bit because DCUC is in the right to do the character real justice in plastic.
- I love the detail in his head sculpt. It is not exactly what I would picture when I think of the Creeper, but it is VERY Joker-esque which I think is what they were going for. Jack Ryder to the Creeper has had a few different origins and shake-ups in his print and other media histories. His animated origin is very nearly tied to the Joker. Either way, it is very unique and is growing on me.
- This Creeper can move, and rightly so. He does have the double elbow and knees so you can get him into all kinds of crazy poses, including a crouch stance. He is also a VERY bright yellow.
- He utilizes a new skinny base body so there is lots of potential for future use there.
Riddler
I like the Riddler. I know he is one of the better known Batman villains, but I love how he has been one that can match Bats wit for wit, but has also been a fun villain in the past. Editorial has had some trouble doing anything memorable with him in recent years, but thus goes Dan DiDio.
- This is the spandex look has always been my preferred look for the Riddler. I do like the suit too, but in toy form, this will be my default Riddler. The costume has been captured MUCH better than the DCUC series 5 figure. Though, they do share the same cane.
- His head sculpt is very nice and very Silver Age to me.
- With this figure, we are just a Toy Man away from creating our Legion of Doom in its entirety. I was going to take a group picture but I am tired of taking incomplete stills. Toy Man for 2011!
Robin
Finally! FINALLY! We finally have our original Robin in DCUC – Dick Grayson. Yeah, we have had a few incarnation of Robin in DCUC (all Tim Drake) and even a couple figures of Dick Grayson (all Nightwing) but we can now settle up on the real Dynamic Duo! Strangely enough, I have always preferred Dick as Nightwing and Tim as Robin (I know, sacrilege to some), but it is great to finally have this Robin.
- Robin is made from a new, smaller base body with the double elbow and double knee articulation. I think this is a great size for the figure, but I know some will consider the “standard” domino mask Robin might be too tall.
- As just mentioned, this is the variant figure of the assortment. You get the more Golden Age head an the more recent Robin head as well. Honestly, I have use for both of them and I think for now, just because they look so much alike, I am going to use the GA figure for my Jason Todd stand in, until we Jason in some form.
- Well, Samurai, you are officially dead last as far as characters go for closing up the Super Powers line up. I suppose that puts you on the clock.
- This figure comes with two new accessories as well. The first is a smaller Batarang that is a completely different sculpt from any that we have seen to date. The second is a really cool grappling hook; I personally like this new one more than DCUC 1 Batman’s version.
Mercury
I am not making any secret about it – I love the Metal Men. A lot. And I LOVE the DCUC Metal Men figures so much I simply cannot wait for the entire classic team (plus Copper!) to be assembled. We have going going along at a good tick for the past year, Mercury is the third member to join in 2010, so I hope that really continues and we are not left out on a limb a la the Doom Patrol. Oh, and Mercury is my favorite figure of the assortment, even though he is kind of tough photograph.
- Again, I LOVE Mercury’s head sculpt. It is absolutely dead on. Iron and Gold look like their personalities, but Mercury is unmistakably Mercury. His nose is nice an long and he has a cocky smirk on his face. Perfect.
- He, like the Creeper and Robin has double knees and elbows (and wrist hinges too) and is built on a very skinny body. I do wish he was a touch taller though as Mercury has always been the tallest Metal Man. As it stands, he pretty much the same height as Iron and Gold. Oh, and he does have a bit of a metallic sheen to him though it is much easier to see in person, it is not a strong as his two teammates.
- He only comes with one arm attachments (Gold and Iron both had two) and instead of snapping over the arm, you need to change out the left hand to add the scissors attachment. Oh, and scissors do open an close and lead down from his had by “bubbles”.
Knight Fall Batman
90s kids, you Batman time has come. Jean-Paul Bats is now in plastic and even though that story line has never been one of my personal favorites, the costume is very toyetic.
- This figure is extremely detailed and just about everything is new. The helmet, claws and back fins are particularly nice and the plastic is all strong. Due to the packaging you might need to evenly separate the back fins, but mine are not overly smooshed.
- The arm fins are still upside down. I know Mattel said they were going to correct these prior to release, but it did not pan out. Unfortunately, they are part of the gauntlet and not just attached so fixing them might be a bit of challenge.
- Azbats does have the double knee scheme but he also has partial ball elbow (or Elbros as they have been dubbed). I guess this is the first case of Mattelbows… Credit that to Benty.
Bane
It has been along time waiting but we now have a Bane figure in DCUC. He was released way back in DCSH series one as a rerelease of the Batman line figure that only had a foreign release. Plus, that old figure has weird legs and could not stand up straight. Get ready to embrace your new Bane.
- This Bane is a very clean sculpt and does not look Venomed-up and jacked. I think this was the right approach to him as it is an alternative for people (like me) that do not want something exaggerated or stylized.
- I was afraid he was going to be too tall when I first saw him, but I have to say, I think he is fine. He is most certainly taller than any standard figure, but he blends well. He is a big guy and certainly looks it, but he is one of the smaller Collect and Connect figures.
- One little point of advice for when you get your Bane all ready to be connected – heat up the head before you attach it. The peg hole seems to be a touch too small to initially fit over the peg so it needs to stretch a bit to go over it. Once on though, it fits just fine and you get a very good range of movement.
Whew! This make FIVE wave of DCUC plus a series of Green Lantern Classics for 2010. We have been quite busy and we will have a look back at then entire year in the next couple of weeks. Overall, I think this is a VERY strong series and is a great way to close out the year. Mercury, Hex and Robin are my favorites, but even the Riddler (who I feared would not look right on that body) turned out quite nice. I think these will start creeping out more widely in the next couple of week so if you have not spent all of the holiday money – be on the look out!
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