Hey! Six weeks into this DCUC Archive project and we are already closing out Series 1 — we have not missed a step yet. You have to take the small victories and that is actually a pretty good lead-in to talk about he Collect & Connect figure for that first wave – Rex Mason, “The Element Man.”
Yes, yes, that is Metamorpho to you, me, and just about everyone else, but when DCUC kicked off in the waning days of 2007, the action figure trademark for that name was (and still is) held by Mel Birnkrant for is Outer Space Men license. Hey, at least the Four Horsemen got to eventually work on a properly-titled Metamorpho, it is strange how those things work out. Strange indeed, but also is the first C&C figure in the DCUC line, and for several reasons.
Let’s face it, ever since the inception of the concept in the Marvel Legends line so many years ago, the “build a figure” concept has been extremely popular in the superhero action figure world. Mattel and the Horsemen knew that DC fans would demand execution, and it since it is also as great way to sell through a series, they knew they would not have to reinvent the wheel. So as many expected this line to debut at Comic Con in 2007, so to was it assumed that getting a build figure was a foregone conclusion. Of course we were right, but announcement of Metamorpho as the first C&C was still a bit of a surprise.
Vital Statistics
Figure: Rex Mason “The Element Man” (Metamorpho)
Company: Mattel
Design: Four Horsemen Studios
Order: DC Universe Classics Series 1, Collect & Connect Figure
Release: 2007 (December)
Collect & Connect Piece: N/A
Accessories: “Rock & Lava” arm, “Hammer” arm, “Dirt” foot
Scale: 1:12
MSRP: N/A
Variant: N/A
Articulation
- Ball-Joint Head
- Neck Peg
- Ball-Joint Shoulder (x2)
- Biceps Swivel (x2)
- Elbow Hinge (x2)
- Wrist Twist (x2)
- Abdominal Hinge
- Waist Twist
- Hip Hinge (x2)
- Hip Cut (x2)
- Thigh Swivel (x2)
- Knee Hinge (x2)
- Ankle Hinge (x2)
TOTAL: 22 Points of Articulation
Background Information
Generally, the buildable figure in waves like this is of an oversized character that would not fit into the regular assortment as a single-carded figure. However, aside from his accessories, Rex did not really fit that description since he is a normal-sized character. Like several of his series mates, I suspect that Metamorpho was already in the release plans before DCUC was finalized. You can argue that he has a pretty strong historical association with Batman, so that might have been what was needed to qualify him for the DC Superheroes line.
So, when DCUC was getting ready to roll out, they needed a C&C figure to launch the concept and you can make a pretty good argument that Metamorpho’s inclusion in that spot was justified. He would have had a lot of accessories for a single carded figure, and since he is a unique character, it is hard to argue against him. Sure, he remained the smallest Collect & Connect in the line and Grodd set the new course in series two, but I have never looked at him as an unworthy addition to those ranks. Plus, his requirement for so many unique parts would be more costly than most of the other figures in the assortment, so this type of execution helped to defer that financial impact.
After Words
Of all of the figures in this first series, I find that Metamorpho has the most interesting sculpt. His character design certainly lends itself to that, but the Four Horsemen really went wild with this figure. The details and different textures make for a very interesting sculpt and no shortcuts were taken for any of them. The addition of the attachable parts was a great move too, and the “lava” hand has a ton of little sculpted details and paint applications .
While not complete expected, I really love this Metamorpho figure and he was a fun way to kickoff the C&C concept in a pinch. The engineering was not quite perfect yet for assembled parts (his clear leg has some issues staying attached), but it certainly set the ground work for what we could expect for the rest of the line. What he lacked in size, he made up for with great detail and accessories, and a “free” figure is a free figure, not matter the body type.
Okay, since Toy Fair is this weekend and I will be traveling for that, we are going to take a week off, but stay tuned — we will be back in two weeks to kick off the second DCUC series.
Additional Links