DC Universe Classics - 2008 Year in Review

Before i finish off my review of the DC Universe Classics wave 5 set, lets take the time to review all the DCUC action figures Mattel brought to us over the past year.

Early 2008, Mattel released the first wave of the DC Universe Classics action figure toy line. The line-up of this first set was not too impressive in my opinion. Mattel had just finished of their DC Superheroes toy line in 2007 which consisted of mostly Batman and Superman characters. So who do we get in the first wave, Batman and Penguin. They are actually both really good looking toys but some may have been looking for more characters outside the Batman world. The rest of the set consisted of mostly B list characters. Etrigan, Orion, Rex Mason and Red Tornado.

Wave 2 came along in the 2nd quarter of 2008 with a much better cast. The best of this set were probably Aquaman and Firestorm. It must be hard to stay away from Batman and Superman related characters as this set also included Harley Quinn and both Blue and Red Superman figures. Black Manta rounded out the 2nd wave.

Gorilla Grodd was the Collect and Connect figure for wave 2.

Wave 3 was headlined by Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) and Sinestro. Both were good toys, but they were far from the best figures of this set.

The best figure of DCUC wave 3 had to be Deathstoke by far. A cool sculpt with a lot of accessories makes a bad ass action figure.

The Collect and Connect figures seem to be getting bigger and bigger and for wave 3 we got a very tall Solomon Grundy toy.

We were give a few other Teen Titan characters, Robin, Nightwing from wave 3 and then Cyborg from wave 4.

The headline figure of wave 4 was Wonder Woman. An improved female sculpt by the 4HM but the joints still seem to stand out on this model.

The best figure of wave 4 was without a doubt, Ares. Great sculpt with a lot of detail and design work and 2 cool weapons to boot. Rounding out wave 4 was Batman Beyond, Captain Atom and the Collect and Connect figure, Despero.

Mattel also re-introduced the 2 packs concept, re-releasing some of the hard to find DC Superheroes action figures while adding a couple new 2 pack exclusive characters.

Finally the last set of 2008 came around the end of November and turned out to be a Walmart exclusive set. The Riddler was the only Batman related character from this set.

The Atom, Black Lightning, Eradicator and Amazo rounded out wave 5 with a Collect and Connect figure Metallo who is just as tall as Wave 3's Solomon Grundy.

Most of these figures can easily be found on eBay but they will vary in price depending on the character and/or variant.

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

Thats it for 2008. Mattel has already announced the next 3 sets and a new round of 2 packs so be sure to come back to Action Toy Review for more news, info and reviews. Happy New Year!