DC Universe Classics - Superman (Gotham City 5 Pack)

Mattel's DC Universe Classics Gotham City 5 Pack includes a classic version of Superman, something we have not gotten to date in the DCUC toy line.   

There have been many variations of Superman however.  So far, we've seen Blue and Red Superman variants from DCUC wave 2, mullet head Superman in his classic and recovery suit variants in wave 6 and Heat Vision Superman from the "Clash in the Cosmos" Brainiac/Superman 2 pack.

As you can see below, Gotham City Superman (left) is essentially the same action figure as the Clash of the Cosmos Superman figure (right) with the exception of Superman's eyes. So I'm not going to go into to much detail on this review. You might as well read my Clash of the Cosmos review (click on the link).

Here's a close up of GC5 Superman.  Seems like black paint around Superman's left eye (your right) ran a bit towards the inside.  Other than that, the paint job on this figure is great. 

Comparing Gotham City Superman (below right) to Mattel's previous toy line's DC Superheroes Superman which was released in 2006, there are a number of differences, which in my opinion, are an improvement for one, the red colour of his cape, boots and trunks are all a brighter read on GC5 Superman.  Also with GC5 Supes, his cape is now shorter and includes the yellow "S" symbol plus his legs are not stuck in a wide stance as with DCSH Superman. 

Articulation on the figure is great just like any other DCUC action figure and there were no major issue with regards to loose joints.  Unfortunately, if you're looking for accessories, you'll be disappointed as GC5 Superman doesn't come with any extras. 

Is the Gotham City 5 pack worth the price?  We'll that's for you to decide.  Do you want a classic version of Lex Luthor and Superman?  Than yes.  Do you own the DC Superheroes versions of Two Face and Catwoman? No? Then yes, go buy it.  Do you like repainted versions of your favorite action figures? ....only you can decide.   Even for the casual collector, this set gives you some classic characters so there are plenty of reasons to go buy this baby. 

The Gotham City 5 Pack is a wal-mart exclusive, so if your local wal-mart is not carrying this product, there are plenty (currently) listed on ebay.  Just be prepared to pay for shipping costs. 

To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics Gotham City 5 Pack on ebay, click here. 

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

Be sure to check back for another DC Universe Classics Action Figure review.  I've added a poll on the left menu so you can choose what the next DCUC review will be so be sure to vote!

DC Universe Classics - Batman (Gotham City 5 Pack)

Continuing with my look at the Wal-mart exclusive DCUC Gotham City 5 pack set by Mattel, the Batman action figure included in that set is basically just a repaint of the DC Universe Classics wave 1 Classic Detective Batman which i reviewed almost excatly one year ago.  This sculpt was also recently used in the DCUC Two Pack that included Batman and Clayface and will be used again in DC Universe Classics wave 10 where we will get a Batman dressed all in Black.

Looking at the pic below you will see that the sculpts are exactly the same. 

Front and back shots of the GC5 Batman below.  It is a good sculpt.  For more info, read my classic detective Batman review at the link above.

So whats different about this action figure.  The most obvious thing is the paint job.  The main costume color is a lighter grey while the cape and cowel are black instead of blue.  The bat symbol on Batman's chest is painted on, not engraved and is exactly the same as the Classic Detective Batman.  Everything else is pretty much the same between the two figures.  As far as the quality of the paint job, it is pretty good with no glaring errors and you would have to go over him pretty closely to find any minor issues. 

Below I am comparing GC5 Batman with Classic Detective Batman on the right and DC Superheroes Batman on the left which Mattel released about two years ago. 

Continuing with the comparisons, as far as accessories go, Classic Detective Batman (below/right) came with a "Bat Grapple" and a "Batarang" both of which were pretty cool plus being part of a wave, also came with a piece of the collect and connect Rex Mason action figure.  Gotham City Batman unfortunately comes with nothing.  yep....nothing at all. 

Articulation is what it is.  If you've been collecting the DCUC action figures, then you know there is nothing to complain about here.  As far as the quality of the joints on this action figure out of the package, Batman was fine with no major issues. 

Basically if you already have Classic Detective Batman, this action figure may not be all that important to you.  It is just a repaint.  I personally prefer the Black and Gray outfit better.  Also the lack of accessories may not appeal to some collectors as well.

If you're looking to purchase the DC Universe Classics Gotham City 5 Pack which also includes Superman, Lex Luthor, Two-Face and Catwoman, it is a Wal-Mart exclusive set so if you're local Wal-Mart is not carrying it, check out eBay. 

To search for Mattel's DC Universe Classics Gotham City 5 Pack on eBay, click here

Or if you prefer to only get the Gotham City Batman figure on its on, you can find auctions on eBay for a loose Gotham City Batman only.  Click here to find  DC Universe Classics Batman action figures.

Be sure to check back with Action Toy Review for more DC Universe Classics action figure reviews including more from the Gotham City 5 pack as well as more figures from the wave 8, 9 and hopefully wave 10 sets.

DC Universe Classics - Mr. Terrific

Jumping back to the DC Universe Classics Wave 8 set, this review will be on the Mr. Terrific action figure.

Not knowing too much about the Mr. Terrific character I had to resort to google to get some background info. I do remember seeing him on the Justice League Unlimited cartoon a few years back but really was not too sure what this character was all about. My first impression of the character is....well.....he is a bit lame.

Anyway, as you can see, packaging will be familiar to collectors of the series. Mr. Terrific's sculpt looks very similar to his comic book which is what everyone wants for starters.

Mr. Terrific is mostly made of re-used parts but there are some unique features to speak of mainly the leather jacket he wears.

Yes, the jacket is cool but as you can see in the above pics, Mr. Terrific has the words "Fair Play" written down the sides of each arm. As i said before "lame". Nothing against you Mr. Terrific fans out there but this character really doesn't do anything for me. As far as the action figure goes, Mattel has done their job in giving us a good likeness of the character. So you hardcore DC & Mr. Terrific fans should be happy.

Mr. Terrific's paint job is of good quality. As this toy line matures, the paint jobs are getting better and better. So props to Mattel for this.

Mr.Terrific's articulation is standard compared to the rest of this toy line. If you have any or these action figures or have read any of my other reviews, you will know what the articulation is has been like. Joints include, neck, shoulders, biceps, elbows, wrists, abdominal, waist, hips, thighs, knees and ankles. All joints moved quite well out of the box. None were too tight or loose.

Included with the Mr. Terrific action figure is the right leg to the Collect and Connect action figure Giganta and a T-Spheres..or T-Balls attachment which is suppose to mimic the spheres floating around Mr. Terrific. The attachment plugs right into the hole in his back similar to the Booster Gold "Skeets" attachment. Unfortunately, its not a tight fit and the T-Spheres fall out from his back quite easily. This attachment would be better off permanently glued in rather than being removable.

Overall, Mr. Terrific fans should be happy with this DCUC addition. It is a good action figure and very much resembles the comic book character. I have a feeling though that most people, like myself, will only be purchasing this action figure to finish the Giganta Collect and Connect figure.

Sculpt - 8.5, Paint - 9, Articulation - 9, Accessories - 5, Fun - 7

Looking for Mr. Terrific and can't find it at your local toy store? Could be due to the apparent shortage of DCUC action figures being shipped to your local walmart stores. eBay is your solution in my opinion because these action figures there in good numbers. Some figures from wave 8 in particular were tough to get, especially at a reasonable cost, namely Gentleman Ghost, but if you stick to the price you want to pay, you will eventually find what you're looking for. And ya, shipping costs suck but usually if you buy more than one item, sellers will give you a break.

To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics Mr. Terrific on eBay, click here.

Well, that's it for my Terrific, Mr. Terrific review. As i mentioned in my previous post, I'm currently reviewing figures from Wave 8, Wave 9 and from the Gotham City 5 Pack and if i can get my hands on some of the Walmart exclusive Wave 10 (at a reasonable cost), I will mix those in as well.

***By the way, if anyone out there can get there hands on any of the Wave 10 action figure for me, that would be super awesome. Email me at actiontoyreview@rogers.com. :)

Thanks for checking out Action Toy Review. The number 1 place to go for DC Universe Classics action figure news, info, previews and reviews.

DC Universe Classics - Black Canary

Jumping into Mattel's DC Universe Classics wave 9 set, my review today will be of the only female action figure of the set, Black Canary.

The packaging for the most part is standard so don't expect anything out of the ordinary here. Other than the background picture that changes each wave, there is nothing new.

Enough about the boring packaging and on to the action figure inside. Black Canary is has a couple of features that are unique. For starters, the four horseman have created a beautiful head sculpt.

Black Canary's body also has some interesting features, the main being that she's got actual fish net stockings over her legs (more pics below) which is something we've not seen on any of the other DCUC action figures yet. More on this in a moment.

The paint job looks great and really there is nothing to complain about. The paint on her face made to look like makeup is very clean. The rest of the paint job is also very solid.

Now as for articulation, there are a couple of differences between Black Canary and the other DCUC female action figures like Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn and Big Barda.

As you can see in the picture above, Black Canary lacks the Mattel trademark hip joints we seen on practically every single other DCUC figure and instead have the regular T hip joints we normally see in a lot of DC Direct action figures. Because of this, Black Canary's legs can only move forwards and backwards and really makes it hard to pose her in many cool fighting scenes. To make up for this Mattel has added a twisting joint in at her boots.

The other major bummer about the articulation is that Black Canary's neck can barely move due to the sculpt of her hair. The only position that her head can move is down and slightly to the left.

Looking for some accessories to compliment your very cool Black Canary action figure. Sorry folks, she comes with nothing other than an arm piece for the Collect and Connect Chemo action figure.

No question that Mattel's DCUC Black Canary is a great looking action figure but looking good comes with a price and that is in this case articulation. Still, its not that big of an issue that would make me want to skip out on this great looking action figure of this classic character. You should not hesitate picking this action figure up if you get the chance.

Sculpt/Design - 9, Paint - 9, Articulation - 6, Accessories - 0, Fun - 7

Where would you buy Black Canary you ask? Well, online is a great place to check and what better place than eBay.

To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics Black Canary on eBay, click here to find the lastest auctions.

Be sure to check back at Action Toy Review for more DC Universe Classics news, info, previews and reviews. Currently I am jumping between figures from the wave 8 and 9 sets as well as the Gotham City 5 Pack. Hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on some of the wave 10 figures soon as well.

DC Universe Classics - Lex Luthor (Gotham City 5 Pack)

When I first heard about the DC Universe Classics Gotham City 5 pack which includes an exclusive Classic Lex Luthor action figure, it was easily considered a must buy for me. Ya, the other 4 figures are just re-paints but we're talking Lex Luthor here. The greatest criminal mind of all time. The other figures included in this pack are Batman, Superman, Catwoman and Two-Face. I'll get to the other figures down the road but lets get right to the main piece of this set, Lex Luthor:

First, as you can see, like many of the DCUC action figures the main parts of the torso, arms and legs are basically re-use parts. Giving this Lex figure its own individuality are, of course, the new head sculpt and some additional fine tuning here and there.

Wrapped around LL's chest is an X shaped....belt (?) with 4 canisters on the front....at least its what i think are canisters. The chest belt is a separate piece from the torso and has a leathery look to it but cannot be removed. There are also canisters placed on each side of his thighs and calves. One thing that you can really see in these pics (above) is that Lex's right arm sort of sticks out which is probably due to the tight packaging.

Lex's paint job is tight and his face is highlighted with a rosy skin tone shade over his forhead and cheak bones. The costume is fairly basic with no difficult areas to get messed up. There aren't any complex designs here. Green pants and gloves, purple shirt and boots, done.

Comparing DCUC Lex Luthor to DC Superheroes Battlesuit Lex Luthor (below), You'll notice that they really are two completely different action figures, different sculpts from head to toe.

The other major difference I thought was the lack of accessories included in the Gotham City 5 pack. Again, comparing the two action figures in the picture above, the old Battlesuit Lex Luthor came with a gun and a piece of Kryptonite. GC5 Lex Luthor comes with Zippo, nadda, nothing. He is sculpted with one closed fist and one open hand so he could've been given a weapon of some sort.

DCUC Lex Luthors articulation is standard from the DCUC toy line. If you have any of these DCUC action figure then you've got a pretty good idea of what you're getting. All joints were in proper working order out of the box.

Overall, Lex Luthor is a must have figure if you're any kind of a DC Comics or Superman fan. The problem is, Lex is not sold separately and you have to fork over 50 bucks or more to get him in a pack along with 4 other re-paints of previously released DCUC action figures. So you need to decide if this exclusive action figure is worth the cost.

Sculpt - 8, Paint - 9, Accessories - 0, Articulation - 9, Fun - 7

You have a few options on how to get your very own DCUC Lex Luthor action figure. First is you can head to your local Wal-Mart store (in the US only) and see if your store is one of the few that have the Gotham City 5 Pack in stock. The second option is to check eBay for the GC 5 pack (i paid $48 US plus shipping) and the third option, is to also check eBay but see if anyone is selling Lex Luthor by himself (loose). Its very possible but expect to pay about $30.00 for him on his own plus shipping costs.

To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics Gotham City 5 Pack on eBay, click here

To search for the Lex Luthor action figures on eBay, click here

Thus concludes another DCUC action figure review. I'll be jumping around finishing off reviews of Wave 8 and the remaining Gotham 5 Pack figures, plus starting on reviews of wave 9 and 10 (if i can get my hands on wave 10 at all) in the near future. So be sure to check back with Action Toy Review for more news, previews, info and reviews on Mattel's DC Universe Classics action figures.