DC Universe Classics - Jonah Hex

Lets face it, Jonah Hex was a terrible movie.  Why DC is not focusing on other characters like Wonder Woman, Flash or even the Justice League for the big screen is beyond me.  The Jonah Hex movie experiment, I think, was bound to fail.  Also, why they wait until Wave 16 to release a Jonah Hex DC Universe Classics action figure is puzzling.  You would think it would've came out last year around the movie's release.  But it didn't, oh well.  As you may have guessed today's review will be on Wave 16's Jonah Hex, which is actually a really good addition to the DC Universe Classics collection.  Read on. 

No packaging pictures on this time around, lets focus on the actual action figure itself.  Usually on each DCUC wave, there is one figure that you didn't expect to be that great, then once you get it, you're totally surprised.  Jonah Hex is that figure for wave 16.   

Some really great detail work and extras included with this figure. Great work on everything from his scared up face all the way to the spurs on his boots.   

Close up the first thing i think, Two-Face.  Kinda a similar concept with regards to the face, although its the opposite side of Jonah's face that's mangled.  There are no other similarities other than that.  Jonah Hex is quite unique.  The detail in his skin in really well done.  Everything about the face is really good.  Jonah's hat is not removable by the way.  The paint job is also tip-top.  Mattel has done some fine shading work to make his clothing look like its covered in dust and dirt.  You truly get an "old west" feeling with this action figure.

Jonah Hex comes loaded with a couple of great accessories too.  He comes with a sawed off shot gun which can be holstered on his back as well as a handgun which he also has a holster for on his side.  Both accessories fit very well into each of Hex's hands.  In addition to all this, you of course get the connect and collect piece of Bane. 

Jonah Hex has articulation is a little less than we're use to.  He has all the standard joints with the exception of the abdominal joint.  So he cannot bend forward or backwards.  All joints on this action figure out of the package were in fine working condition.  Not to tight or lose. 

Overall, Jonah Hex looks great and includes a more than adequate amount of accessories.  The question is, do you want him for your collection.  If you're not a fan of the Jonah Hex comic book, you may have mixed feelings, especially if you don't care about the CNC piece of Bane.  But rest assured if you do decide to pick up your very own, you will not be disappointed.  As I mentioned, I really was surprised how good this action figure turned out.  Good job Mattel. 

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

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

To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics Wave 16 action figures on eBay, click here

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DC Universe Classics - Shark

Im trying to get in some missed reviews from previous DCUC waves which i was unable to get to.  Lets go back a bit to the DC Universe Classics wave 11 again, this time to take a look at "Shark".   

Definitely not an A or B...or even a C list character from the DC Universe, the Shark seems like an odd choice to make an action figure for.  A filler perhalps?  It definitely seems like Mattel does not want to give us too many A list characters in one wave seeing as how Wave 11 already gives us  A listers like John Stewart and Kilowog and even somewhat popular The Question and Cyborg Superman.  The Shark has only had a few appearances and there have been a few different versions of a "Shark" character.  Since wave 11 was a Green Lantern heavy wave, this version of Shark is the 3rd version who had runs with Hal Jordan on a couple occaisions as well as Superman and Aquaman.  Lets take a look.

Packaging is what it is.  Wave 11 was the last that had this original packaging.  In wave 12 things were slightly modified.  On to the action figure:

At first look at Shark, you think, what the....???  a man's body with a shark's head.  As ridiculas as Shark looks, this action figure is almost spot on compared to the comic book character.  See below. 

Told ya.  Its actually a very good likeness which is what you would expect because Mattel and the Four Horsemen have been doing an awesome job with this toy line.  Basically, what we've been given is an action figure of standard DCUC body parts, similar to that of say, Hal Jordan or Flash, and the Horsemen have added fins to his calves, forearms (similar to Aquaman) and one giant shark fin on his back.

The head of course, is unique to the character. For the most part, its a good head sculpt but the mouth and teeth kind of bother me.  I wish the teeth were a bit more defined and sharper looking. 

The paint job on the body is mostly 2 shades of purple, a glossy metallic light purple and a darker shade of purple which i think looks pretty cool.   The paint around the teeth and mouth area unfortunately looks sloppy. 

Articulation is similar to other standard DC Universe Classics action figures.  Other than his Shark head, his body and joints are all the same.  Thankfully all in fine working condition.  Not too tight or too lose. 

If you're looking for any sort of accessories to be included with Shark other than the Connect and Collect piece of Kilowog, which lets face it, is the main reason for me purchasing this action figures, then you will be a tad bit disappointed.  There is nothing else included and since Shark has been sculpted with two closed fisted hands, you cannot substitute another action figures accessories.  

Overall,  Shark is a filler in my opinion and other than the wanting to finish Kilowog, some may see no reason to purchase him.  To his benefit, he is painted with a some cool metalic colours and has a decent head sculpt but at the end of the day, people did not flock out to buy this action figure.  It was actually cheaper for me to buy him brand new than to only buy the Kilowog CNC piece on its own in an eBay action. At the end of the day, you can't have enough villains to fill your collection so I wouldn't classify him as a bad purchase, just not an overly exciting one.   

Sculpt - 6, Paint - 9, Articulation - 9, Accessories - NA, Fun - 5,

Value - 6 (only because of Kilowog)

Well, if you're looking to finish your DC Universe Classics wave 11 set, you can probably find Shark for a pretty good price on eBay these days. 

To purchase Mattel's DC Universe Classics Shark from wave 11 on eBay, click here

To purchase Mattel's DC Universe Classcis Collect N Connect Kilowog on ebay, click here

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Related Reviews:

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DC Universe Classics - Darkseid

For updated news on the 2011 Wondercon and Batman Legacy action figures, click here. 

Time to do a rewind review and go back a few sets in the DC Universe Classics toy line all the way back to Wave 12.  One of the best collect and connect action figures with one of the worst wave of characters to date in my opinion.  When the CNC Wave 12 action figure Darkseid was announced, I almost peed myself...but then I saw the rest of the Wave 12 line up and well, I was not impressed.  Now I've finally gotten my hands on Darkseid so its time to finally do a review. 

If you collected the DC Super Heroes toy line back around 2006-2007, you're probably aware that there were 2 versions of the DC Super Heroes Darkseid which were good action figures but they really not up to snuff, mainly because Darkseid was too damn short.  Well that has been corrected. 

As far as specific details go with the new Darkseid, it is almost identical to the old DC Super Heroes version.  The difference is obviously the size but putting that aside, The legs are the same.  The outfit is the same.  Even the cracks in his skin are all the same.....and I am totally okay with this.  Darkseid is finally done right!   

There are some slight changes in the head sculpt.  Mainly around the hood which is more rounded down Darkseid's face. 

Comparing Darkseid to other DC Universe Classics Collect and Connect action figures, He is about the size of Kilowog (from wave 11), maybe a bit smaller.  

And compared to Superman and the other regular 6 inch DC Universe Classics action figures, Darkseid towers over them.  The coloring and paint job is perfect.  I really have no complaints in that department at all. 

Just like the DCSH version of Darkseid, the DCUC version of Darkseid comes with a mother box.  It is also exactly the same as the old version, just slightly bigger in size.  As an added bonus though, this mother box can be attached to the back of Darkseid's belt so you don't loose it.   

Another added bonus is that Darkseid also comes with an interchangeable Killing Glove hand which pops on and off with the greatest of ease.  There is absolutely no worry about his regular hand or the killing glove breaking. 

DCUC Darkseid's articulation is the same as the DCSH Darkseid.  I do have some minor complaints about this.  The hip joint does not turn very well due to the belt.  The hip joints are ball joints but are still somewhat limited in range due to the covering (for lack of a better word) skirt.  All joints were in find working condition although the ball joints in the hip were a tad bit loose for my liking.

Overall, Darkseid is truly one of the best DC Universe Classics collect and connect action figures.  If you're a Superman fan, you should already be owning this action figure.  If you don't...... go out and get it now!

Sculpt/Design - 10, Paint - 10, Accessories - 10, Articulation - 8, Fun - 10

In my opinion, due to the unpopularity of the DC Universe Classics Wave 12 set, you can probably buy the entire set for $80 if you look hard enough.  If (like me) you're not too fond of Wave 12 line up and would rather just get Darkseid, you're probably looking at spending about $50.00 USD on eBay for him. 

To buy Mattel's DC Universe Classics Darkseid action figure on eBay, click here

To buy Mattel's DC Universe Classics Wave 12 on eBay, click here

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DC Universe Classics - Azrael Batman

We've gotten an Azrael action figure before from Mattel.  Originally in the DC Super Heroes toy line then re-released in a 2 pack with Batgirl in 2009.  Back when Bane broke Batman's back in the Knightfall series, someone new had to step in and take over for Bruce Wayne.  Enter Jean Paul Valley, aka Azrael.  DC Universe Classics wave 16 includes a this new Azrael Batman action figure so lets take a closer look:

If you buy this bad boy brand new, then below is what it will look like.  Typical Mattel DCUC packaging.  For all you people unfamiliar with Azrael Batman, a nice little blurb on the back of the packaging will give you a quick briefing. 

Since there hasn't been a DCUC action figure quite like Azrael Batman, his sculpt is quite unique and original.  From what i can tell, the only reused parts on this action figure appear to be the upper portion of Az-Bats legs as well as the abdominal portion. 

The blue armor and wings are made up of a semi hard plastic that can be slightly bent.  These pictures were taken fresh out of the packaging and you can tell, that due to the packaging, his "wings" kind of lean to the left.  After a little while out of the package, they seemed to settle in their proper position.  

The gold armor over Az-Bats arms and shoulders have some sweet detail work as do the gauntlets over his forearms and hands.  The buckleless belt is also looks pretty cool nicely designed with individual pocket.  The helmet kind of reminds me of Optimus Prime or Soundwave from the original Transformers but overall a great original sculpt true to the character.

There really is no comparison between the original Azrael action figure released in the DC Super Heroes line up and the new DCUC Wave 16 Azrael Batman version.  They are completely different but both very cool so if you have the original Azrael, that is not an excuse to not get this one.   

In the accessory department, Azrael Batman only comes with the collect and connect piece of Bane (the right leg) and nothing else.  But because this Az-Bat action figure is so cool and his armor is suppose to be supporting his weapons arsenal, its really not a big complaint. 

All the articulation that we've been used to with DCUC action figures is included with Azrael Batman with just a little more.  Included are the new double joints in the knees which allows for a bit deeper bending positions.  The elbow joints are also a tad different supporting swivel hinged joints (similar to his shoulders) instead of the usual hinged or the newer double hinged elbow joints.  These joints are a little restrictive at the elbow but do work well with the sculpt of the action figure.  The neck joint and the shoulder joints do not get full movement unfortunately due to the sculpting of Azrael's armor. 

Although not a very common character in the DC Universe (he's currently deceased and last made a very small appearance in the Blackest Night comic series), this version of Azrael is a very sweet action figure. Batman fans shouldn't pass up on this great collectible. 

Design/Sculpt - 9.5, Paint - 9, Accessories - N/A, Articulation - 9, Fun - 9

To buy Mattel's DC Universe Classics, Azrael Batman on eBay, click here

To buy Mattel's DC Universe Classics Wave 16 Connect and Collect Bane on eBay, click here

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