Thursday, August 27, 2009

DC Universe Classics - Wave 11 Preview

Announced at the 2009 SDCC was Mattel's DC Universe Classics wave 11. This set of action figures features a good chunk of Green Lantern characters along with the winning character from the 2008 Toy Fair Poll.

But first, If you're looking to buy any of Mattel's DC Universe Classics action figures, check out eBay by clicking here.

Now lets get on with the preview:

First Character is Deadman, who also comes in a transparent ghost variant.


Deadman appears to have a slimmer body type in this picture than the majority of the DCUC action figures, perhalps a size similar to Sinestro. I can't tell for sure from this picture. It could be just the angle this picture was taken from but we shall see when the figure is released.


THe next figure which also includes a variant version is Steppenwolf

One Super Powers version and the other a Classic Version.

Next is the winning charactor of the 2008 Toyfair Poll. The poll allowed fans to vote for the character they wanted most and the winnner was, The Question.


Other characters that were in the poll included, Huntress, Vixon, Starman, Catman and Ragman. Personally, along with Question, i would've thought Huntress and Vixon were no brainers to be included in future sets......Anyway, The Question appears to have a similar body type/sculpt as previous action figures like The Riddler and even the DC Superheroes Two-Face and Clark Kent action figures, Perhaps even the new Joker from DCUC wave 10, just with a long trench coat jacket


Next we have the Sinestro Corps version of Cyborg Superman.

Not sure if this will be a new scuplt compared to the Mongul/Cyborg Superman 2 pack version we saw late in 2008 which was a re-release of the DC Superheroes action figure and had a few problems in my opinion. But don't be surprised if its the same sculpt just with a new paint job. Looking over this picture, I have a feeling that is what we are getting.

Another Green Lantern Character (well..originally) : The Shark
Looks like mostly generic body parts except for the shark head and fins on his hands and legs. He does look like the comic character.


Next up is Katma Tui



She is suppose to come with a couple of fist attachements, not show in the picture above.

The final figure of this set is the John Stewart

Also included with GL are a couple of attachements and a stand.

Keeping with the Green Lantern theme of wave 11, the collect and connect action figure for this set is Kilowog.


I personally would've liked to have seen a Star Sapphire action figure included in this set but all n' all, not a bad selection of characters. Can't wait for this one. These figures will fit in nicely with the Hal Jordan and Sinestro figures from DCUC wave 3.

DCUC wave 11 will probably be out towards the end of 2009 so be sure to add them to your Christmas list.

If you're looking to buy any of Mattel's DC Universe action figures and are having trouble finding the exact figure you want. check out the selection on eBay. You can find anyone of these action figures at reasonable prices. Just watch out for the shipping charges. To find DC Universe classics action figures on eBay, click here.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

DC Universe Classics - Big Barda

The next action figure up for review is DC Universe Classics wave 7 Big Barda. If you did not see it already, make sure you check out my DCUC wave 10 preview to see the recently announced line up for this Wal-Mart exclusive set.

To buy Big Barda on eBay, click here.

Generally, the female DCUC action figures are a bit thinner than the male ones and in my opinion, the joints seem to stick out a bit more. The best example of this is probably the DCUC wave 4 Wonder Woman action figure. Big Barda is basically the same body sculpt as Wonder Woman however, the good thing is since there is a lot more going on with her costume, the joints don't appear to be as noticeable.

Big Barda's costume is highly detailed. The base of the body is covered in scales similar to other DCUC figures such as wave 2's Aquaman and wave 3's Deathstroke.

Her body size is similar to Wonder Woman's from wave 4 as oppose to the smaller female action figures such as Harley Quinn from DCUC wave 2 or Batgirl.

Barda's paint job is pretty clean. No major mess ups or slop to complain about. I would guess a dark wash has been used over the scales of her costume to give it some depth. Her face is also painted very well. The eyes are clear and clean. Barda has thick mascara around her eyes and the eyebrow and lip colors do not run over other parts of her face at all.


As you can see below, Big Barda's height is roughly similar to the male DCUC action figures. Barda's articulation is no different that your average DCUC action figure. She has a number of joints starting with at the neck, shoulders, biceps, elbows, wrists, abdominal, waist, hips, thighs, knees and ankles. Due to Barda's massive helmet, the head is some what restricted and can be hard to turn in any direction. There is a variant version of Barda without the helmet which i do not own. It is possible that the head may be a bit more flexable on that version.

(Big Barda with Mr. Miracle)

Big Barda comes with her Mega-Rod weapon and one piece of the collect and connect Atom Smasher action figure. The weapon is small but is sculpted well as you would expect and fits securely in either of her hands.


Not one of my favorite characters from the DC Universe, but as far as an action figure goes she is just as good as any of the other DCUC figures. Possibly even the best female DC character action figures from Mattel in this series due to the high level of detail. If you are into the New Gods storyline or characters than Big Barda is a big score.


Sculpt/Design - 9, Paint - 9, Articulation - 8.5, Accessories - 5, Fun - 8

If you're a DC Universe Classics fan like I am but can't find these action figures at your local toy store or Wal-Mart, then you're probably gonna want to do your purchasing on eBay. I find its the best option. Just make sure you pay attention to the shipping costs.

To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics Big Barda on eBay, click here.

Almost done reviewing DCUC wave 7, hopefully will get on to Wave 8 and 9 shortly. Mattel has got a lot of new DCUC action figures coming out in the next few months so I'll try to keep up as best as possible.

Thanks for checking Action Toy Review . Be sure to check back for more reviews, previews, news and information on Mattel's DC Universe Classics action figures.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

DC Universe Classics - Wave 10 Preview

Still trying to find time to finish my reviews of Wave 7 when Mattel has to go an announce the line up for wave 10 of the DC Universe Classics action figure sets. The unfortunate thing about this set is that....wait for it.....its another Wal-mart exclusive set. So all you people who had a hard time finishing the previous Wal-mart exclusive set (Wave 5) will get to experience the same thing all over again. Well, apparently there is word that these action figures will not be as hard to find this time around. We shall see. So the roster line-up for Wave 10 looks like this:


Beast Boy



Forager




Man-Bat (this figure is a re-release of the DC Superheroes version back in...2007)



Robotman


Power Girl



The Joker (yeah!!!)



Batman (appears to be a repaint of the DCUC wave 1 Batman)



And the Collect N Connect figure is Imperiex.

Personally, I am most interested in the new Joker figure. He looks like a great improvement over the DC Superheroes version (DCSH Joker)and also appears to come with a load of accessories. The Batman and Man-Bat are basically just repaints of previously released figures. Batman is painted in what looks similar to the outfit in Tim Burton's original Batman movie. He also appears to come with some different accessories than the wave 1 version. Robotman and Forager look very cool.

Since these Wal-Mart exclusive waves are generally hard to find, your next best bet is to try eBay. That is where i got my entire DCUC wave 5 set at a somewhat reasonable cost considering I can't find any of these action figures in my area....ever.

To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics action figures on eBay, click here

So I'm hoping to get through my wave 7 and eventually wave 8 reviews before wave 9 and 10 come out. Lots of good news for DCUC fans. Be sure to come back to Action Toy Review for more news, reviews and info and Mattel's DC Universe Classics action figures.

Monday, August 3, 2009

DC Universe Classics - Ocean Warrior Aquaman

The next action figure up for review is Ocean Warrior Aquaman from Mattel's DC Universe Classics wave 7.

To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics Ocean Warrior Aquaman on eBay, click here



If you already have the DCUC wave 2 Classic Aquaman action figure, then you'll notice that Ocean Warrior Aquaman has the exact same head sculpt. Not that that's a bad thing. It is a great head sculpt and probably the better of the two (Classic and Modern) from wave 2.



When it comes to differences between these two figures, obviously the paint job is the main one. But Classic Aquaman also has a cool scaled shirt and fins on the back of his calves. O.W. Aquaman just basically has a generic body sculpt.



OW Aquaman's paint job is well done. The design is paint on almost flawlessly on my figure with no slop




Ocean Warrior Aquaman's only accessory, other than the collect and connect piece of Atom Smasher is once again his Trident, which yes, also came with both versions of Aquaman in wave 2. Not surprising since this figure is nothing more than a repaint re-release. The Trident is a great looking weapon with cool designs on it but i think a new accessory would have made this action figure a bit more interesting.



Articulation has not changed either as you would expect. Joints include neck, shoulders, biceps, elbows, wrists, abdominal, waist, hips, thighs, knees and ankles.



I can't say I was all that thrilled about this figure. I REALLY like the classic Aquaman figure from wave 2. The only reason I purchased Ocean Warrior Aquaman was really to complete my wave 7 set and for the Atom Smasher collect and connect piece. I would have much preferred an all new Aquaman with a completely different head sculpt.

Basically this is just an Aquaman variant from wave 2. If you're into the different variants or are a big Aquaman fan or if you're just looking to complete your DCUC wave 7 set, then yes, go buy Ocean Warrior Aquaman. Its a good action figure. If you're nothing more than a casual collector, don't care about Atom Smasher all that much and already have Classic Aquaman from wave 2 (which you should), then you may choose to pass this one by.



Sculpt/Design - 9, Paint - 9.5, Accessories - 7, Articulation - 9, Fun - 9




This action figure really isn't too hard to find online. Since my local toy stores do not carry this toy line, I must resort to online vendors. I prefer eBay because you can get them for slightly cheaper i find, if you look hard enough.

To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics Ocean Warrior Aquaman on eBay, click here

Be sure to check back for more info, news and reviews on Mattel's DC Universe classic action figures.