DCUC - Series 1 (Penguin & Red Tornado)

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Today's Review - DC Universe Classics - Series 1 (Penguin & Red Tornado)

Okay, so I'm going backwards now. I have reviewed Mattel's DC Universe Classics - Series 2 and Series 3 but not 1. Well, the reason is, I don't have the complete set of Series 1 at this point. Since Series 4 is coming very soon, i figured i might as well at least start a review on series 1 before 4 comes in.

DC Universe Classics - Series 1 is a combination of 5 action figures. The Penguin, Red Tornado, The Demon Etrigan, Orion and Batman in his classic detective outfit. Since I'm a Batman fan, The Penguin was tops on my list. I have a couple Batman's from the previous DC Superheroes toy line so, the new "Classic" version was not a priority. Neither were the other 3 figures so, I've decided to just wait out this set and maybe pick the rest up if i can find a good deal. These figures are not that hard to find compared to Series 2 and 3.

Of course, the five figures come with a "Collect & Connect" piece and if you get all 5 figures, you can create The Element Man, aka Rex Mason, aka Metamorpho.

Oswald Cobblepot or The Penguin, is the shortest figure from this set measuring approximately 5.75 inches to the tip of his hat. DC Database lists Penguin as 5 foot, 2 inches so this figure seems to be in proper scale compared to the others.

Penguin's face is the highlight of this figure. Everything from his long pointy nose to his gummy frown makes him look like the classic Batman foe. It is a very good sculpt. The body is short and stubby. His vest is sculpted so it looks like it's too tight for his bulging belly. To top it off, he's got a classic penguin jacket with coat tales, top hat and pin-striped purple pants. It looks like Mattel has used all new parts to put this figure together too which is always a bonus.

The paint job is also top notch on this figure. I'm finding it very hard to find anything wrong with it. He has no runs or slop anywhere. The face is cleanly painted around the eyes, eyebrows and mouth.

Penguin comes with, what else, an umbrella. But not just an ordinary one. This umbrella has a cool machine gun attachment which clips on to the base. Unfortunately, the accessory only fits loosely into Penguin's right hand. It does not fit into his left hand, however, you can have him hold it with both. The machine gun attachment is also kind of loose and flops around depending on how he's holding it. That being said, its still compliments the figure nicely. Apparently, Mattel was suppose to originally include a robot penguin with this figure but I guess that idea was scrapped, probably to save $$.

This figure has a decent amount of joints, but not as many as some of the other figures. Starting from the top, you have a ball joint neck and shoulders. Then joints at the biceps, elbows and wrists. A swivel waist, then joints at the hips, knees and ankles. The hip joints are not like the other DCUC figures. His legs can only swing forward and backwards, not out to the sides. There are also no joints at the abdominal or thighs which is not a big deal. For this character, the articulation points Mattel has given us is plenty. All joints were nice and tight out of the box.

Overall, this figure is a must have for Batman fans to fill out your rogue gallery. For a set of figures that I was not excited about, this one was certainly a pleasant surprise.

Sculpt/Design - 9, Paint - 10, Accessories - 7.5, Articulation - 7, Fun - 8

Penguin Overall Score - 8.5

Red Tornado stands at just under 6.5 inches to the tip of his head. The top of his cape puts him closer to 6.75 inches. DC Database lists him as being 6 foot 1 inch so he is basically to scale compared to the other figures. His body is a little bulkier than Green Lantern from series 3. His cape is quite heavy and can sometimes weigh him backwards if not posed correctly. The costume is painted on with the exception of his gloves, cape and cuffs on his boots.

The paint job is a little disappointing. The worst part being the red wash that was used over the yellow painted areas. Its just so inconsistent and in some areas, there is just too much red where it should be yellow. Specifically the arrow on top of his head and the stripe down his abdominal. This really shouldn't have been a difficult figure to paint. The face is all one color with neon yellow eyes.

The accessory that comes with Red Tornado is a snap on..wirlwind/tornado...thingy..... Its a transparent orange and made of a somewhat hard plastic. It only fits on his right hand but it goes on tightly and won't fall off.

The articulation on this figure is pretty standard for this toy series so there is not disappointment in this area. Neck, shoulders, biceps, elbows, forearms, wrists, abdominal, waist, hips, thighs, knees and ankles. The abdominal and neck joints are a little obstructed by the cape. All joints were nice and tight out of the box.

Overall, I wasn't expecting much from this figure so I'm not totally disappointed. As mentioned, the worst part is the sloppy paint job. Other than that, it's not a bad figure and fits in nicely with the other Justice League members.

Sculpt/Design - 8, Paint - 5, Accessories - 6, Articulation - 9.5, Fun - 7

Red Tornado Overall Score - 7.5

DC Universe Classic - Series 1 action figures are still quite easy to find online. eBay is always the easiest place to find older figures. Click the following to find:

The Penguin on eBay

Red Tornado on eBay

Or you can check out my "Action Toy Review Recommends" page on Amazon

Continuing my backwards trend, my next post will probably be a review of one or more of the figures from the now discontinued DC Super Heroes toy line.

DCUC series 4 should arrive within the next 2-3 weeks so keep checking back for that review as well.

Thanks for reading my ACTION TOY REVIEW blog. Be sure to check back for more reviews on a variety of action figures including those from Mattel's DC Universe Classics and DC Superheroes toy lines.