Wednesday, December 29, 2010

DC Universe Classics - Wave 17 Preview

The much rumored line up for Mattel's DC Universe Classics wave 17 set has now been confirmed.  Darkest Night fans will probably be happy to here it is going to be the rainbow Lantern set. 

The first action figure is Indigo Lantern, Atom


Next, Black Lantern Hal Jordan.  Looks like a cool head sculpt.



Another Hal Jordan, this time a White Lantern.  At least they're changing up the facial expressions.


Next up is Blue Lantern, Flash


Next is Star Sapphire, Wonder Woman.


A transparent Orange Lantern Lex Luthor


And finally a Sinestro Corps Scarecrow. 


And the Collect and Connect action figure for Wave 17 will be Anti-Monitor.


And that's the DC Universe Classics wave 17 line up.  My first impressions are.....why is this wave not part of the newly launched spin off Green Lantern toy line instead of the DCUC toy line???? Also, I would've much preferred a regular Scarecrow instead of a Sinestro Corps version.  The Lex looks cool as does Blue Flash but I can't say I'm foaming at the mouth for this set.  You will probably find this set available towards the 2nd quarter of 2011. 


***Possible Spoiler Alert***
Unconfirmed rumors of the DC Universe Classics Wave 18's line up point to it consisting mainly of characters from the old Super Friends cartoon.  It is being dubbed the Super Friends Diversity wave on the Internet and consists of characters such as El Dorado, Black Vulcan, Samurai, a new Bizarro with interchangeable hands and head to switch to Superman (what about the chest piece?).  Metallo, Manhunter round out the line up with the Collect and Connect figure will be Apache Chief.  Again, this is just a rumored line up.  All i have to say about this is, I truly hope it is only a rumor.  I have no interest in any of the ethnic Super Friends even though i loved the show, they were by far the worst part of it.  

If you're looking for any DC Universe Classics action figures, check out eBay by clicking here.   

Thursday, December 23, 2010

DC Universe Classics - Martian Manhunter

I have to admit that the last few DCUC waves have not knocked me over in terms of "wow-ness".   Not the quality, but more so the character selection.  Mattel has released some decent characters but just not as many that appeal to me like in the first 10 or 11 waves.  That being said, a must have DC Universe Classics action figures, from wave 15 is J'onn J'onzz aka Martian Manhunter.  Any collector who is a Justice League fan has got to want to get their hands on this action figure. 



Here is a breif look at the packaging.  Pretty much the same since wave 12. 


A very nice likeness of the comic book character.  A good sculpt job all around. 



Those who collect this toy series will notice a lot of reused parts to create J'onn J'onzz however the action figure is still unique enough on its own and you don't immediately notice that say, the torso peice is the same as Superman. 


Thankfully the four horseman did not make Martian Manhunter the same height as most of the normal DCUC action figures as his character is generally taller than say most of the other Justice League members.  So two main things are different to give him that taller look.  The first is that the lower piece of leg below the knees is longer on J'onn J'onzz than all the other standard figures, like say Superman and Batman (see below).


The other difference that gives J'onn J'onzz that much needed extra height (as he is taller than most human characters) is his head generally bigger than the other figures.  The effect is a slightly bigger action figure, even though most of the other parts are the same as Supes and Bats.



As you can see in the picture above, close up, J'onzz looks great.  You can see little veins in his shoulders and arms (since he is not wearing a shirt) which is a little cool added touch.The face looks great.  Couldn't be happier with the way this figure looks. 


Articulation has not changed.  All the important joints are included on this Martian Manhunter action figure.  If you follow this toy line, then you know what to expect. 


J'onzz comes with no accessories except for a collector's pin and the head and waist parts of Validas which is the collect and connect action figure for wave 15. 



Despite the lack of accessories, this Martian Manhunter is still a cool action figure and can be displayed in many ways thanks to the great articulation of the figure If you are a action figure collector and a Justice League of America fan, I strongly suggest you pick this action figure up. 

Sculpt - 10, Paint - 10, Articulation - 9, Accessories - 0, Fun - 8. 


Martian Manhunter is currently available now in a lot of online stores, eBay and probably in some of your local collector and toy stores as well.  I use eBay, religiously for my collection.  It is a good resource for collectors as there they usually have a great variety
To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics Martian Manhunter on eBay, click here

To find other DC Universe Classics action figures on eBay, click here



Thanks for checking out Action Toy Review, the best blog to check out information on Mattel's DC Universe Classics action figure toy line.  Be sure to check back for more news, previews, reviews and information. 



Friday, December 17, 2010

DC Universe Classics - Green Lantern Wave 1 Preview

DC is gearing up for the big release of their new franchise movie, Green Lantern.  So be prepared to see a whole bunch of GL related toys.  Mattel and DC have decided to sort of do an offspring set from the DC Universe Classics toy line and start up Green Lantern toy line which will feature various characters from the Green Lantern comics in an effort to bump up awarness for the movie (i assume).  So lets take a look at the very first Green Lantern wave which is just starting to come out at retailers near you.






First up, from the very popular "Darkest Night" series, we have the Black Lantern Abin Sur



Next is Mongul.  This figure appears to just be a re-painted version of the 2 pack which included Mongul and Cyborg Superman (which was previously released in the DC Superheroes toy line).  Although it does appear they gave him a yellow ring for this variant. 



Next is Sinestro Corps, Yellow Lantern Maash.  He has interchangable hands and head to turn him into Low.  Or...


...you could just buy the Low figure (which also includes the head ad hands for Maash).


Next is the Manhunter Robot who comes with a pretty big Green Lantern accessory 



Another Blackest Night character....and a pretty good one....Black Hand.


And finally, we have Green Lantern Kyle Rayner who appears to come with a green lantern and a giant sword accessory. 



Drumroll please........your Collect N Connect, DC Universe Classics Green Lantern Wave 1 action figure is........Sinestro Corps, Arkillo.


So there you have it folks.  That is the first DC Universe Classics Green Lantern Wave 1 set.  Not too shabby.  Rayner, Manhunter and Black Hand are must gets more me.  Not sure that i really need another Mongul

What do you think?  Be sure to vote on my pole for which DCUC GL action figures you want the most from this wave.  (all polls are on the left hand side menu). 



Mattel's DC Universe Classics action figures can be found all over eBay right now, including these bad ass Green Lantern wave 1 figures (individually or as a set). 

To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics Green Lantern wave 1 on eBay, click here. 


Thanks for checking out Action Toy Review.  The #1 review blog for Mattel's DC Universe Classics action figures







Tuesday, December 14, 2010

DC Universe Classics - Deadman

Today's review will be on Mattel's DC Universe Classics, Deadman from Wave 11 which came out earlier in the year.  There is a varient version of Deadman which has transparent legs and hands.  This review is on the regular version of the action figure. 


Wave 11 was the last wave to have the original packaging.  From wave 12 on, the packaging has been updated a bit.  As you can see on the back of the packaging, you get some nice graphics of this wave along with a breif description of the Deadman character.


Deadman is nicely sculped all around.  He has a skinnier body frame than you're typical DC Universe Classics action figure


Up close, you can see the cool details in Deadman's face and chest.  Great face sculpt here. 



and, as i mentioned, you can see the difference between Green Lantern, John Stewart and Deadman's body sculpt.  Deadman's legs, arms and torso are all a lot thinner. 


The paint job is great, like most other DC Universe Classics action figures we're seen.  I've been seeing a lot less flaws in the paint jobs compared to the first 4 or 5 waves.  Articulation is no different with Deadman getting all the standard joints all around.  The only bummer, which i guess is a character design flaw, is from the sides and back, you cant's see Deadman's head cuz of the big collar...but hey...the guy is a ghost so i guess he can see though it anyways....


Unfortunately, othere than the collect and connect piece of Kilowog, Deadman does not come with any additional accessories.  What you see is what you get. 


Overall, Deadman is a cool action figure which compliments your DC Universe Classics collection quite well.  Even if you're just collecting this set to put Kilowog together, Deadman is still worth the price.  The transparent version of Deadman is a little harder to find and most eBay sellers are asking for a couple bucks more compared to this version. 

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

Mattel released DCUC wave 11 earlier in 2010 so to find this action figure in stores....well, is not gonna happen.  Your best bet, as I always state on my reviews is eBay. 

To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics Deadman on eBay, click here

To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics Wave 11 on eBay, click here.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

DC Universe Classics - Kilowog

With the Green Lantern movie coming up in 2011, this is one DC Universe Classics action figure which everyone will be itching to get the hands on, if they havent already.  Kilowog is the Collect and Connect action figure from DCUC wave 11 which came out earlier in 2010. 


This is probably one of my favorite CnC action figures to date, mainly because of the character more than anything else.  That aside, it is well sculpted and has a great paint job like most CNC figures.  Actually, there havent been too many complaints regarding the CNC in general thus far. 



Kilowog is approximately the same height as the DCUC Wave 3 Solomon Grundy CNC figure


Close up, you can see the detail put into his face and the wrinkles around his neck in the picture below. 



Comparing Kilowog to Hal Jordan and John Stewart, there is an obvious size difference.  Should give you guys a good idea of how he will look in your collection. 



The shot above should give you an idea of Kilowogs size compared to the other regular 6 inch figures from the DC Universe Classics toy line.  He looks good with the other Green Lantern action figures


As far as articulation goes, you're getting the same amount of joints you would with 95% of the other DCUC action figures. He is well articulated and all joints move great. Not to tight or loose.


There are no accessories included with Kilowog.  Technically, he is an accessory himself to the  7 other DCUC figures that come in Wave 11 so there should be no complaints in that department.  HE does have his huge green lantern ring on his right hand.  Unfortunately the John Stewart accessories dont fit on Kilowogs big hand. 



Overall, this is a MUST have action figure for all Green Lantern Corps fans out there.  If you can get your hands on Kilowog or just the parts one by one and put him together, its totalyl worth it.  Very cool.


Sculpt - 10, Paint - 10, Accessories - NA, Articulation - 9, Fun - 9

Wanna buy Kilowog?  I totally suggest you check out ebay.  I myself, did not buy all 7 figures from DCUC Wave 11.  I got 4 and then bough the remaining Kilowog pieces seperately.  There are good deals to be had on ebay, so check it out. 

To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics Kilowog on eBay, click here

To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics Wave 11 on eBay, click here

Thats it for this review.  I have cut down my reviews a lot lately, :( , but it is difficult to find these action figures in my neck of the woods.  Be sure to check back as i have a few more reviews i hope to do before the end of 2010.