DC Superheroes - Darkseid

Since I've gone through a good chunk of the Batman related action figures from the DC Superheroes toy line, I figured that I should start on some more of the Superman portion of the series. So today, well go over Mattel's DC Superheroes Darkseid from series 6 which is a repaint variant or the series 4 Darkseid figure and was released back in 2006.

This sculpt of Darkseid was originally released in DC Superheroes Series 4. The only difference is that Darkseid's uniform in series 4 was a light blue and his belt was silver, a very classic look. But for me, I preferred the darker look of the series 6 toy.

Its a great looking figure. His face and body looks great with a rock like texture for his skin. His uniform is basically a one piece suit starting from his head all the way down to his skirt.

He's bigger than most of the other DC Superheroes line up standing about 7 1/4 inches tall. He ranks up there as one of the taller figures in the DCSH & DCUC toy lines. As you see below, I've placed him next to some of the other larger figures, Gorilla Grodd & Clayface. His body is also very thick all around dwarfing DCSH Superman. Kind of reminds me of a powerlifter.

The paint job is nothing fancy but done well. He is for the most part 4 colours. His, red eyes, the metallic blue on his belt, the dark gray/blue outfit and his rock colored body. There isn't any shading or highlighting so to speak which is a shame as I think that would bring out the great detail in rocky skin. But, the paint job is very clean, the with no slop or runs.

Darkseid comes with one small handheld computer which i suspect is a motherboard. It has some nice detail for such a small trinket. It doesn't fit very securely in his hand though. Your best bet is to keep the clear mini elastic band that comes with it and leave it attached to his hand so you don't loose it. The DCSH series 4 version of Darkseid comes with a reprint Superman comic book. This series 6 version comes with a cardboard diorama.

Darkseid's articulation is pretty good but he does not have as many points as most other DC Superheroes figures. Starting from the top, you've got neck, shoulders, biceps, elbows, forearms, waist, hips, knees and ankles. If you bother to look up Darkseid's skirt (that sounds so wrong), it appears Mattel has used ball joints for his hip joints instead of their usual four way joints (not sure what else to call them) that you see with most of their other DC action figures. Ball hip joints have more flexability but are a uglier in my opinion. That being said, Darkseid's hip joints are covered by his skirt and unfortunately the skirt also minimizes the hip joint movement. You can barely get any lateral movement at all. Its a bit of a design flaw but hard to get around without hurting the sculpt of the figure.

Overall, its a great looking figure with minor flaws. A Superman collector needs a good Darkseid and this figure does not disappoint. The figure's size makes him fit in with either DC Direct or Mattel toys quite nicely. Weather you prefer the costume from series 4 or series 6, DC Superheroes Darkseid is a worthy purchase.

Sculpt/Design - 8.5, Paint - 8, Accessories - 6, Articulation - 8, Fun - 8

Darkseid Overall - 8/10

Since he was originally released in 2006, Darkseid is obviously a discontinued toy at this point in 2008. A quick search on eBay revealed a wide variety of price ranges from $15 to $65 dollars (plus shipping) for either the DCSH series 4 or series 6 versions. There are the odd online stores as well that will carry him. Its just a matter of doing your homework if you are a collector and want this figure.

To find DC Superheroes Darkseid by Mattel on eBay click here

Thanks for checking out my action figure review blog which is currently featuring Mattel's DC Superheroes and DC Universe Classics toys. Check back for more news, reviews and info. The latest release from the DC Universe Classics line, series 4 will be review shortly.

DC Universe Classics - Batman

Continuing with my DC comics action figure theme, today I'm going to focus on the DC Universe Classics Batman series 1 (aka Classic Detective Batman) and comparing some differences between it and previous Mattel Batman figures

For years, Mattel has been producing a variety of Batman action figures. Recently they've been licensed to make action figures of all sorts of characters from the DC Comic world. So with the first series of DCUC that was released in early 2008, who do we get, another Batman of course. Why? Probably because he sells.

So whats the difference between this Batman and the previous two Batman figures that were released in the DCSH toy line. Well quite a bit actually. It's not just a re-paint of previous sculpts. For starters, the outfit is different. Mattel has gone with the classic batman look, similar to that of the old 70's Superfriends TV show. Its a little more campy and not quite as dark or rough looking as the DCSH Batman toys.

The cowl is blue with black over the face. The bat symbol on his chest is also different. On the DCSH figures, the outline of the bat symbol is carved into the sculpt and painted black. On the DCUC Batman, it is just painted on his chest. There are also a number little sculpt differences. It looks to use mostly different pieces. The DCUC Batman has a modified chest piece with more rounded pecs. The legs are also different. In the DCSH toys, Batman's right leg seems to be positioned differently making it look like he is slightly leaning on his left leg. In the DCUC version, both legs are straight and he has a straighter stance. The belt and cape are also different. The belt has been shrunk down and no longer has pockets. The cape is a little different around the shoulders and not quite as long as the previous figures. The cape is still a little heavy and can weigh back the figure at times. One big plus over the older toys, his hands are open and can now hold accessories.

The quality of the paint job is good, but not great. The main different between this figure and the DCSH series 3 batman is, there is no highlighting or shading on the cape, cowl, gloves or boots on the DCUC Batman. This figure is painted with a brighter blue and its a nice change. There are spots where they go over the lines so to speak. The black around his cowl is not perfectly oval and there are various places where the blue seems to run a bit over the grey or flesh colors specifically around the edges of the boots, gloves and mask. I may be nit picking a bit but that's the purpose of the review. The belt is basically one shade of yellow with a dark red outlining the belt buckle that looks like it could use another coat. The bat symbol on his chest is perfectly painted.

Aside from the "Collect and Connect" arm piece of Rex Mason that comes with Batman, he also comes with two hand held accessories. A bat grapple gun and one bat-a-rang. The gun is well detailed with a removable hook which is attached to a 4 inch string. The gun seems a little bulky if you think about it. Its suppose to fit on Batman's belt which is quite small. The bat-a-rang is nothing special. Just a black piece of plastic with a different shape from previous bat-a-rangs that came with the older Batman figures. Both accessories fit very nicely into Batman's hand

Articulation is as good as it's going to get with these Mattel figures. DCUC Batman has mostly the same articulation as the previous DCSH Batman figures. Neck, shoulders, biceps, elbows, wrists, abdominal, waist, hips, thighs, knees and ankles. Very standard for these toys. Classic Detective Batman fits in nicely with other DC Universe Classic toys as you can see below. He also looks great with DC Superheroes figures as well.

Overall, Classic Detective Batman does not disappoint. At first, I was not thrilled about Mattel releasing another Batman figure so soon after the DCSH black and grey Batman variant which i love. But when I finally got around to buying him, he grew on me. The weakest part is the paint job. Its just a bit messy around the lines in some areas. Accessories are good and articulation is what we've come to expect with this series.

Sculpt/Design - 8.5, Paint - 7, Accessories - 8.5, Articulation - 9, Fun -9.5

Classic Detective Batman Overall Score - 8.5/10

This Batman figure is of course from series 1 of the DC Universe Classics toy line. Also included in series 1 are The Penguin, Red Tornado, The Demon Etrigan, Orion and of course the Connect & Connect figure Rex Mason (Metamorpho).

DCUC Batman is still fairly common and not overly expensive compared to some others. He can be found at many online story and eBay for 10-15 bucks. Just watch out for shipping costs.

To find Classic Detective Batman on eBay, click here and on Amazon.com, click here

Thanks for checking out my action figure review blog currently featuring Mattel's DC Universe Classics and DC Superheroes toys.

Be sure to check back for more reviews, news and info. DCUC series 4 will be reviewed shortly and I'll also start gearing towards some of the Superman characters from the DCSH line.