But wait, there is more! We promised you more MOTU and DC goodness for our First Looks and what we have for you now is the perfect swirl of both – Series 2 of the Toys R Us exclusive DC vs. Masters two-packs! These babies are currently hitting local TRUs sporadically across the country (hopefully that will even out soon) and we are taking to the sea and to the sky in this assortment. Aquaman takes on Mer-Man as Hawkman and Stratos go toe to toe in what I think will be an even more appealing grouping than series 1, at least for the die-hard DC and Masters fans.
While I liked the mini-comic paint scheme on the series one He-Man figure, and I really, REALLY loved the Skeletor deco, I have to admit that I was pretty underwhelmed by the DC offerings in the reissue Superman and Lex Luthor figures. We had already seen that Superman several times and Lex and his Kryptonite accessories had just been re-released a short time before in a two-pack with Supergril. Needless to say, I got series one for the MOTU fan in me. However, this time around the sets are a little more balanced, though they still tip toward MOTUC for me.
The first set of Hawkman and Stratos is certainly a must have for the Masters crowd. Hawkman, while still one of the best DCUC figures of the line is an almost straight up re-release. There are a few changes, mostly being what I THINK is the new tools (post series 9) are used for his construction. The result is that you get a very solid Hawkman figure, complete with mace. If you missed him in series six or if you are possibly a customizer, Cater is a good get. Otherwise, this is the same Hawkman you already own.
Stratos, on the other hand, offers quite a bit of new goodies on both the cosmetic and construction level. The first, and most obvious, being his coloration. Yep, his jet pack is red this time and his wings are blue. If you know your MOTU that means you get the color scheme used in the original prototype of Stratos that was available in smaller numbers than the one decoed like the first MOTUC release. I know a lot of He-Fans are pretty psyched about this (and that is saying quite a bit as poor Stratos doesn’t often garner a lot of enthusiasm) and it makes for a perfectly viable variant that might not have been successful as a quarterly bonus figure. As you can see from the pictures, both the belt and the wings have a very dark paint wash on them, much darker than any MOTUC Stratos that has come before. Not that it looks out of place or sloppy, it is just different.
The second big get for this figure is the fact that the Mattel crew has righted a previous Stratos flub. Yep, the wings can be rotated at the wrist, they are not glued down like before. As minor as that may sound, it makes a HUGE difference in the figure as you can position the wings just how you like them and they are not stuck in the splayed out form that they were locked into before (I had to boil and pop and remove the glue to “fix” my previous Stratos figure). To me, this makes for a giant improvement in the figure and I want to send my compliments along to the Design Team for making sure that this got done. As it stands, it is making me reconsider which Stratos I want to use in my primary MOTUC display. I was going to keep the original, but with the wing construction improvement coupled with the fact that the color scheme is growing on me, I might have a new King of Avion.
For me though, the second set is where it is at in this assortment and if you are only going to get one of these sets, make it Mer-Man versus Aquaman, Heck yes. This pack is what the DC vs MOTU line should be all about. Now, I know I have made it clear that Mer-Man is my favorite MOTU character and that DCUC Aquaman is one of my top five figures from that line, I am totally not being biased when I say this is by far the strongest set offered thus far. BOTH figures offer a viable variant option from their original both figures get an accessory (Arthur has his trident and Squiddish has his corn sword) to boot. Let’s face it, toys aren’t getting any cheaper and when you can get more value in the blister for your hard-earned dollars, that is a positive step.
Starting with Aquaman, while his changes are certainly more subtle than his opponent’s, he makes for a good looking figure. I don’t think it is any mystery that a lot of people missed out on the short-haired version of Aquaman when he debuted in DCUC series two. It seemed like the long –haired version was more plentiful (and less desired) so a lot of collectors were left without a proper Arthur on their shelves. Well, this figure should get the job done for you. He has a new metallic mail shirt deco and (unfortunately) he has a touch of “looking up” syndrome so he makes for a good, classic Aquaman. Personally, I think I will stick with my original due to the paint deco on the head, but he is still a solid figure.
Out of the four figures though, Mer-Man wins my prize for Belle of the Ball, hands down. Yowzers, did I fall in love with this baby blue deco in a hurry last year at Comic Con. I mean, I had completely forgotten about this look from the old mini-comics, so while I have never owned a Mer-Man this color, I love the look. The light blue with the yellow armor just pops. I have even worked out a justification for it in my own head, this is the color Mer-Man reverts to when he has not been to the surface in a long time, physiologically, this coloring is better for him in the deep water and for those in his kingdom that never have to swim ashore, this is the norm. What? It sounds convincing to me! This figure still enjoys all of the subtle muscle shading of the original figure, in fact, it might be even more apparent in this version due to the lighter colors.
As mentioned before, Mer-Man comes with his standard “corn” sword, this time though, it has a vein of blue raspberry running through the middle of it, just like in the comics. While I do not miss his trident in this version, I REALLY wish that we could have also gotten the original toy head in this set as well. Don’t get me wrong, I am a tried and true card back head fan, but having the option would have been golden, Pony Boy. A small nitpick, but as I said, anything to add value.
Like I said, I think this round of DC vs. MOTU packs is a great improvement over the first. There is more variation to the figures and again, MOTU fans are going to be the big winners and Startos and Mer-Man offer a ton of new qualities that should appeal to a lot of fans. Hopefully your TRU is moving out old stock of the first series so these can land in your area because if you are even thinking that maybe you like the Mer-Man, you will want to get him, he rules. We know Hal Jordan and Zodac will get the treatment next and we will learn of yet another set at Toy Fair next month. I really hope these sets continue because for now, it is the only way to get MOTUC at retail.
*Thanks again for reading, and stay tuned, the Mattel crew still has more they want to share with you!
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