DC Universe Classics - Gotham City 5 pack PREVIEW

If you're into variants of previously released action figures than this is the set for you. Mattel has released Wal-Mart exclusive Gotham City 5 pack which mostly consists of previously released DC Universe action figures with different paint jobs. Lets take a closer look.

The "Gotham City 5" includes Catwoman, Two-Face, Batman, Superman and a brand new sculpt of Lex Luthor. But how different are some of these action figures from previous versions you may already own. Lets start with Superman.

The most similar DCUC Superman action figure to the Gotham 5 version would probably be the Superman from the Braniac/Superman 2 Pack released in the Spring of 2009 (2nd stock photo from the set). The only difference between the two toys is the 2 pack version has red "heat ray" vision eyes. The Gotham 5 Superman (first one above) is your standard classic Superman. Personally, I like the figure. Mattel did release a long hair version of Superman in DCUC wave 6 but not a classic looking one like this since the DC Superheroes toy line was around. Be sure to check out my DCSH Superman review for more details. Look for this Gotham City 5 version of Superman to be sold individually when Mattel releases their DCUC wave 11 (Kilowog) set in late 2009/early 2010.

Next up is Batman. The first photo above is the Gotham City 5 version and the 2nd, from my own personal collection is a photo of DCUC wave 1's Classic Detective Batman. The sculpts are exactly the same. The only difference is the blue and grey suit vs the Gotham City 5's black and grey suit. Also, this is the same Batman sculpt we saw with the DCUC 2 pack of Batman and Clayface, except, this time, Batman is not covered in clay. Oh ya, if you're looking for new accessories with the GC5 Batman, forget it. You get zip in this pack . Again, Mattel appears to be selling this figure individually with the DCUC wave 11 set as there are a few sites on the internet that are taking pre-orders for it. Is this figure worth the purchase. Perhaps. Depends on the collector. You may already have a Batman in Black in Grey from the DC Superheroes wave 8 set. But this is a new sculpt. Decisions, decisions....

Above is the Gotham City 5 version of Catwoman in her purple outfit. The 2nd photo is Catwoman from the DC Superheroes wave 8 set. The only difference between the two figures is one, the purple vs black outfits. And two, the accessories. The original DCSH version came with a whip, a backpack, a pearl necklace and a cat statue. The GC5 version of Catwoman is the only one of the 5 action figures in this set to come with an accessory, however, she only comes with a whip and that is it. If you check my review of the DCSH Catwoman figure, you'll see I wasn't too big of a fan of this toy compared to the others from the set. Its very thin and flimsy. She could not hold the whip very securely, the paint job on the face was sub par and her goggles are not removeable. The DCSH version was very hard to find back in 2007 so if you were not lucky enough to get your hands on her, you are probably interested in grabbing the GC5 version. Just be aware that the figure is really nothing special.

Above you will see the Gotham City 5 version of Two-Face in purple and orange, and the 2nd photo, again from my personal collection, is a picture of the DC Superheroes version of Two-Face. Other than the colors between the two figures, the one main difference I can see is that Two-Face's left hand has changed. Possibly to make it easier to hold a gun....but wait GC5 Two-Face doesn't come with any accessories, so whats the point?? Oh well. I did have a few issues with the original Two-Face action figure. One, its was hard as HELL to find. Two, the paint job was mediocore at best and had a lot of botches. Click the link above for my review. Other than the face, it was not an original sculpt. (Body was taken from a previous DCSH Clark Kent release). For me though, I am interested in getting this version of Two-Face. I quite like the more colorful look with the green face. Its a little more....comic booky.....if thats even a correct term, than the previous version.

On to the final figure of the DCUC Gotham City 5 set and that is the only original sculpt (sort of) of Lex Luthor. I say "sort of" because, yes there are a lot of standard looking parts used for this figure but compared to the DC Superheroes version of Battlesuit Lex Luthor, it is a huge difference. The head is a completely new sculpt giving it a very classic look of Luthor. Again, the crappy thing is GC5 Lex does not come with any accessories, were as Battlesuit Lex came with a very cool ray gun and a piece of Kryptonyte which fit in either Lex's hand or the actual gun. Despite the lack of accessories, personally this is the Lex Luthor figure I've been waiting for Mattel to release.

So, is this set worth the purchase? Depends. Do you like the characters. Do you like repainted variants. Is the new Lex Luthor figure worth it? Personally, I like the repaints....Catwoman I can do without but the Two-Face, Superman and Batman would be cool to have. Lex is a must for my collection though. If you're not lucky enough to find this set at your local Wal-Mart, there are tons of auctions on eBay right now for these figures individually (loose) or for the full pack. Expect to pay between 20-35 bucks for Luthor and 10-15 for the other 4 if you decide to by them loose. For the full set, you're looking at 60-90 dollars (plus shipping costs of course).

To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics Gotham City 5 set on eBay, click here and on Amazon.com, click here.

Hope you enjoyed this DC Universe Classics preview. Be sure to come back to Action Toy Review for more news, info, previews and reviews of Mattel's DC Universe Classics action figure toy line.