Poor Rex Mason. He, John Stewart, Donna Troy and Todd Rice were all outed to the super villain community thanks to action figure packaging. In one fell swoop, their carefully-crafted secret identities and personal lives were irrevocably destroyed. Was this a scheme orchestrated by their greatest enemies or just laziness on the part of DC’s licensing department? Whatever the answer, we can all agree that no matter what the packaging says, the guy below is Metamorpho.
Metamorpho was the first Collect and Connect figure offered in the DC Universe Classics line. Collectors who were used to building towering Sentinels and giant-sized Avengers had a good laugh at what they considered Mattel’s “undersized” figure, but their scorn was unwarranted. A character like Metamorpho is a toy company’s worst nightmare, in that he’s a figure that requires 100% new tooling. By producing him as the line’s “bonus” figure, Mattel was able to use it’s budget wisely, not only providing the Element Man with a unique sculpt, but with some nifty accessories to represent his power-set, as well. And while Mattel would go on to offer larger C & C’s like Trigon and Giganta, neither of those figures has half the detail or personality as Rex Mason here.
Being the BaF C & C figure meant that Rex was split between the five figures in the inaugural wave. The fact that 3/5ths of said wave was dregs from the recently cancelled DC Super Heroes line makes the inclusion of this patchwork man all the more apropos. Each section of his body is meant to be composed of a different “element” and the sculpt does a terrific job conveying that. His upper torso is a combination of the organic (fish scales?) and the inorganic (molten ore) — the detail is sharp and plentiful, with the ore side having some especially notable flourishes. Being made of dirt, his right leg is appropriately clumpy, while his left leg tapers into crystalline perfection. The head looks a little on the soft side, but that’s more a result of being viewed alongside the detail-rich body. All in all it’s a fantastic sculpt that conveys the inherent weirdness of the character.
The accessories are excellent, as well. When you consider Metamorpho came from the line that bilked Nekron out of his scythe, you begin to appreciate just what we received. He features a “molten” hand, a “hammer” hand and a, uh, mud-funnel. Okay, maybe that’s not what Metamorpho called it, but you get the idea…
The figure features the standard DCUC articulation model: ball-jointed head, ball and socket shoulders, single-jointed elbows, pegged wrists, a mid-torso hinge and a waist swivel, hinged hips, mid-thigh swivels, single jointed knees and hinged feet. The articulation works well, except when it causes the figure to fall apart. Y’see, the hex joints that the hip pieces peg into are slightly larger than they should be, which causes the legs to pop off pretty much any time the figure is moved. It’s an easy fix, provided using super-glue on your figures doesn’t make you squeamish. I’d never bothered before, but after spending an hour repeatedly reassembling the plastic bastard, you can bet he’s got a date with the business end of a glue applicator.
The paint application is hit or miss. With large sections of the character being monochromatic, selective shading isn’t just a nice touch, it’s a necessity. Areas like the orange “ore” section of his chest are largely molded plastic, but the minimal apps it receives make the details pop nicely. A wash would have added to the depth, but I’m guessing the complex shading the top of the figure received consumed most of the paint budget. His “crystal” leg looks nice, but the limb made of “earth” comes off as clumpy and over-painted. Also, there is a chemical reaction occurring between the paint and the plastic, leaving it dry and crumbly in it’s recesses. Surprisingly, the accessories get their share of love, with the lava hand in particular sporting some impressively realistic color gradation.
While the internet threw a collective bitch-fit when the first DCUC C & C was “regular sized,” fans of Metamorpho and Silver-Age weirdness in general had the last laugh. Getting the figure so early in the line meant the resources were available to do him right: no painted-on details or awkward shared parts for the Element Man. The figure, just like the character, was 100% original. Just as it was meant to be.
Discuss!: https://thefwoosh.com/forum/
Jason R Mink is the Man in the Anthill!