DC Universe Classics - Captain Boomerang

Flash villains have gotten very little love from Mattel in regards to the DC Universe Classics action figures (and maybe with good reason). We have only seen a handful of Flash related characters up until wave 18, specifically Gorilla Grodd in Wave 2 and Captain Cold in Wave 7.  Now that DCUC wave 18 is out, lets take a closer look at Captain Boomerang. 

 Pretty cool sculpt.  Right off the bat you're gonna notice that Captain Boomerang has the newer elbow and knee joints giving him more flexibility.  More on that later.  The sculpt of the character is pretty cool.  The jacket is a separate piece but does not come off as the boomerangs across his chest keep the jacket on

 Captain Boomerang's scarf is sculpted so that it looks like its slightly blowing in a breeze.  The body frame size used is the slightly skinnier body parts similar to Thaal Sinestro, Creeper and Deadman but the detail work in the actual sculpt is definitely all unique. 

The DC Universe Classics head sculpts are 99% of the time, amazing and Capt. Boomerang is no different.  Pretty sweet sculpt right down to the stubble on his face and detail work in his toque. 

Captain Boomerang's paint job is not too shabby.  No really issue except for some paint missing from the inside of his left hand which I didn't even notice until i sat down to type out this review. 

  
 Mainly due to the newer knee joints, Captain Boomerang has a slight height advantage over the DCUC action figures that do not have these new knee joints.  Above, I've compared Captain Boomerang to Flash.  

  As far as accessories are concerned, besides the Collect and Connect head and waist pieces of Apache Chief that comes with Captain Boomerang, the only other thing you get is one, plain ol' Boomerang with no special detail what-so-ever and fits rather loosely in either of his two hands.  Not only that, the boomerang is made of a very limp rubber and bends too easily.  Boooooo!!!

  Captain Boomerang's strong point is definitely articulation.  As mentioned, he has the newer elbow and knee joints which add a little bit extra movement.  All other joints are pretty standard.  Neck, biceps, wrists, abdominal, hips, thighs and ankles.  All joints were in great working order and too loose or tight. 

 Overall, if you're a Flash fan, then guess what?..... You're gonna want Captain Boomerang.  It is really a great looking action figure despite another fail by Mattel in the accessories department.  Seeing as he is only the 3rd Flash villain to be released at this point, you're gonna wanna snatch this bad boy up.  Luckily for Flash fans, DCUC wave 20 will also include another Flash villain, Reverse Flash, coming in 2012.

Sculpt - 9.5

Paint - 9

Accessories - 1

Articulation - 9.5

Fun - 8

 

For those of you having trouble finding these DC Universe Classics action figures at your local toy store (like me), eBay is a very good source for finding these collector items.  Check out the links below:

To find the following DC Universe Classics action figures on eBay, click on the appropriate link:

To find Captain Boomerang and other DCUC Wave 18 action figures on eBay:

Captain Boomerang

Black Vulcan

Bronze Tiger

El Dorado

Samurai

Toyman

Apache Chief

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

Thanks for checking out Action Toy Review.  Check back later for more info, news, previews and reviews on Mattel's DC Universe Classics and the upcoming DC Universe All-Stars action figure line ups.

DC Universe Classics - DC Universe All-Stars

 Mattel has given us a bit of news and some pictures regarding the new "DC Universe All-Stars" retail toy line that will be replacing the retail DC Universe Classics toy line in 2012.  You can expect to see them in stores and on eBay next year.

First, we have the Larfleeze action figure which was actually already shown off at the 2011 New York Comic Con.  Be sure to click on the link if you missed my NYCC report.

The next action figure appears to be a re-release from the DC Universe Classics Wave 4 set, Batman Beyond.  I'm a little puzzled as to why Mattel is putting this one back on the shelves.  Could this have not be released in the Batman Legacy toy series instead? 

Looks like we're getting a new Plastic Man figure at the retail level, specifically, Plastic Man from the Flashpoint comic series. Previously, Plastic man was released only as a San Diego Comic Con exclusive action figure that came with a whole bunch of attachments (see picture below), similar to the DCUC wave 1 Collect and Connect figure, Rex Mason but with even more stuff! 

At this point, all i can see is that we're getting a regular Plastic Man with, so far, no indication of attachments.  Flashpoint Plastic Man looks a little less cartoony but the SDCC Plastic Man action figure appears to be  better value.  Check him out on eBay by clicking here

Finally, we a new Superboy action figure complete with a new sculpt and all.  Previously in the DCUC wave 13 set, Mattel released a Superboy but this new one is specifically modeled after Superboy Prime in his Anti Monitor armor.

Overall, I think Plastic Man needs to have attachments and Superboy Prime and Larfleeze look like cool additions but these characters aren't really what I would expect to see in the very first "DC Universe All-Stars" toy line.   Are they really "All-Stars"....?  I'm most disappointed that Mattel is already re-issuing action figures from the DC Universe Classics toy line.  I fully expected it to happen at some point, but not right off the bat.  Was Batman Beyond really that big back when DCUC wave 4 came out?  I don't know.  It is a cool action figure and for those of you that don't have it, should grab one but I would have liked something new.  You can probably still grab a Batman Beyond action figure on eBay for a very reasonable cost right now instead of waiting for Mattel to re-release it in 2012.  

Hopefully Mattel isn't saving all the good action figures for the Infinite Earth Club.  I decided to not join after sitting on the fence for the longest time.  I wasn't too crazy about committing to paying for action figures of an unknown line up.  We'll see.  Hopefully more news will come out of Mattel soon on which other DC characters we can expect to see released in 2012.  

What do you think of the new DC Universe All-Stars?  Feel free to comment below. 

DC Universe Classics - Scarecrow (Sinestro Corps)

DC Universe Classics Wave 17, aka the Rainbow Lantern wave was certainly not my favorite set.  I like Green Lantern and I also enjoyed The Blackest Night comic series but I wasn't a big fan of Mattel devoting an entire set of action figures to what was really, a second string set of characters from TBN story.  Like really, how long did we see Scarecrow as a member of the Sinestro Corps?  Well, apparently long enough to get his own action figure.  We did get a Scarecrow action figure from Mattel about 4 years ago in the DC Super Heroes toy series.  I'm sure Batman fans would agree, we need an upgraded version.  Since it appears we will not be getting a new regular Scarecrow action figure in the near future from Mattel (fingers cross for something in the Batman Legacy series), I decided to bite the bullet and pick a Sinestro Corps Scarecrow.  Lets take a closer look.:

Out of all the DCUC Wave 17 action figures, Scarecrow is the only character that has not had a previous action figure released in the other DC Universe Classics toy line.  So even though he is a Lantern action figure, I still wanted to have him. 

This is a completely new sculpt in comparison to the DC Super Heroes Scarecrow (left) from head to toe. Sinestro Corps Scarecrow has thicker body parts and is less lanky than the DCSH version. 

Wave 17 SC Scarecrow looks exactly like the Blackest Night version of the Scarecrow so fans of the comic series will love this action figure, but the best part, by far, is the head sculpt on this action figure.  One of the best head sculpts I've seen in a while. 

Close up, you can see the great detail work on Scarecrow's head.  His yellow eyes are very cleanly painted and are very creepy looking.  His mouth is also highly detailed and well painted.  The hat has an old beat up look which is great too.  My one minor complaint is the rope around his neck could've been painted a different color than his mask, but oh well.  A great job overall.  Paint job is also great.  There was plenty of room for error and slop here, especially in the face but Mattel has put out a good job on this one. 

Scarecrow also shines in the Articulation Department.  All the usual DCUC joints are included and since Scarecrow's jacket is opened, his abdominal joint is not restricted, unlike what we've seen on some other jacket supporting DCUC action figures.  Scarecrow also supports the newer double elbow and knee joints for extra flexibility.  I find the newer knee joints add a little bit of height to these action figures, so compared to the characters from the older waves, Scarecrow is just a tad bit taller. 

The only accessory that comes with Sinestro Corps Scarecrow is the standard issue Yellow Lantern and of course the CNC piece of Anti Monitor. 

So, my ranting about the rainbow lanterns aside, this Sinestor Corps Scarecrow action figure was a good purchase.  Like I said, the head sculpt a is pretty amazing piece of work and I would love to see it re-released on a regular Scarecrow action figure somewhere down the road, perhaps in the Batman Legacy toy series.  (fingers crossed)

Sculpt/Design - 9, Paint - 9, Articulation - 9.5, Accessories - 5, Fun - 7

Best place to buy your very own DC Universe Classics action figures: eBay. 

To find DC Universe Classics - Sinestro Corps Scarecrow on eBay - click here

To find the DC Super Heroes Scarecrow on ebay (good luck) - click here

Other DCUC Wave 17 "rainbow lantern" action figures on eBay:

Wonder Woman

Hal Jordan (White Lantern)

Hal Jordan (Black Lantern)

Flash

Atom

Lex Luthor

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

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