DC Universe Classics & Batman Legacy - New York Comic Con 2011

 This past weekend was the 2011 New York Comic Con and Mattel revealed some cool new additions to their DC Universe Classics and Batman Legacy toy lines.  There is so much to go over so lets take a look at some of the new action figures we can look forward to seeing in 2012

 

Starting off with the Batman Legacy toy line, Mattel is releasing a "First Appearance Batman" action figure (above).  If you're not familiar with this look, google some images of some of the first Batman comic books.  

 

Catwoman seems to getting more press these days, with her appearance in the The Dark Knight rises movie coming next year, as well as Batman Year One and her role in the new Arkham City video Game.  Now Mattel will also be releasing a Silver/Bronze Age Catwoman action figure too.  More on Catwoman in a bit.  

  

 Mattel's next Arkham City Two-Pack from the Batman Legacy edition and based on the Batman: Arkham City Video Game, will be the combo of Robin (Tim Drake) and Joker.  We already new about these action figures from the SDCC but not that they were going to be sold together as a two pack.

 Could this combo (above) be the next two pack?  Possibly.  We have seen prototypes of Harley Quinn but not Nightwing until now.  Since it appears that these Arkham City action figures are being sold as two-packs, my money is on this group being the next edition. 

 You can probably also count on this duo (above) to be sold as a two pack.  Catwoman and a blue version of Batman, similar to the Batman action figure from the two pack with Arkham City Two-Face. 

Now, I'm not sure if the above Super Powers version of  The Penguin is going to be part of the Batman Legacy toy line or the DC Universe Classics toy line, but really, does it matter?  We know it will be released at retail but not part of a specific wave.  I'm really curious to see what Mattel will be doing with the DCUC stuff at the retail level.  Apparently just popular characters, but will they still be released as waves and no CNC figures (a la DC Superheroes toy line back in 2007-08)

Penguin's head sculpt is brand new and looks a little cartoony.  The rest of the body and his umbrella are exactly the same sculpt as the original DCUC Penguin in Wave 1 .  Okay, that's it for Batman Legacy, on to the DC Universe Classics

 Back at the 2011 SDCC, the final full wave 20 of the DC Universe Classics toy line was announced however, we did not get a look at White Lantern Flash or the size corrected Sinestro Corps Sinestro.  At NYCC 2011, as you can see, the entire set was on display.  Sinestro appears to have been given the same body size as the many Hal Jordan action figures we've seen released in this toy line. 

White Lantern Flash has been given similar attachments that we saw back in DCUC Wave 2 on the red and blue Superman variants.  

 New Toys R Us Two Packs were also announced but they are also just repaints of previous figures.  We have a Blue Lantern Kyle Rainer & Sinestro Corps Hal Jordan Two-pack.  I'm not 100% sure but i believe the Hal Jordan head is from one of the Wave 17 Hal Jordan's (White Lantern i believe). 

The second Two-Pack is a Battle Damaged Batman and Azrael two pack.  Again, these appear to just be repaints.  The symbol on Batman's chest is ripped and his head is pure blue.  Other than that, this is similar to the original Wave 1 Batman and the many repaints after that.  Azrael is a repaint of Wave 16 Azrael.  The blue on the original figure has been replaced with red.   

 A lot of Rainbow Lantern action figures coming out here and there, makes you wonder if the rumors of another Rainbow Lantern wave was true at one point.  Mattel will be releasing this Orange Lantern Larfleeze action figure at retail apparently but on an individual basis.  He will not be part of any set....?

He's got a very cool head sculpt.  Love the horns coming out of the side of his head and the teeth look amazing!!

 On display again were the Matty Collector DCUC Infinite Earth Club action figures, Starman, Jay Garrick and Atrocitus.  No other Infinite Earth Club action figures were present or announced so members will have to hold their breath a little longer for more news.  

 The winning action figure and the first large size action figure to be released in the Infinite Earth Club of the Matty collector poll is Metron and he was on display at the 2011 NYCC along with the Mobius Chair.  Metron apparently will stand 12 inches tall. 

 A close up of the Mobius chair above and a close up of Metron below. 

Finally, you can't go to Comic Con without there being an exclusive action figure.  This year is a scary version of the Joker from Arkham City.  It is different from the Arkham City two pack Joker

  That is one messed up head sculpt!  I've actually seen a few of these on eBay already.  There's only 4000

of these Joker action figures out there so if you want to get your hands on one, click here immediately!

Unfortunately, there was no sign of any Mattel version of the "New 52" Justice League or any other rebooted characters, so i guess we'll have to wait and see if Mattel does anything in the future

Thats it for this post.  Be sure to check back with Action Toy Review for all your DC Universe action figure news info and reviews.  Also be sure to help keeps Action Toy Review alive by visiting our sponsors.  Thanks Mates.  Until the next post.

DC Universe Classics - Catwoman

The lastest Action Toy Review poll revealed that the readers want a Catwoman and/or Power Girl review next so thats who's up next.  First I will review Catwoman from the Gotham City 5 pack which is a Wal-Mart exclusive set and in a few days I will post a Power Girl review. 

As far as sculpt goes, DC Universe Classics Catwoman is essentially the exact same action figure as the DC Superheroes Catwoman action figure released in 2007.  Basically this newer version of Catwoman is just a repaint.

The action figure itself is very thin compared to the male versions of the DCUC or DCSH toy lines.  If you have Batgirl, Supergirl or Harley Quinn from either of these toy lines, you will see Catwoman is exactly the same size.  It is a smaller scale than some of the newer female action figures like Wonder Woman, Power Girl and Big Barda (as she should be).  Catwoman's goggles or belt are part of the sculpt and are not removeable.

Catwoman's paint job is fairly simple.  She is one shade of purple with the exception of the black in her boots, belt, gloves and goggles and the silver zipper running up her torso.  The face paint is an improvement over my DCSH version of Catwoman which seemed to have 2 different shades of skin color.  Also her lips are much fuller in this new version.

Another main difference between the two action figures is that the DC Superheroes version of Catwoman came with a hell of a lot more accessories.  Included with the figure was a cat statue, a whip, a removeable back pack and a pearl necklace.  Gotham City Catwoman only comes with her whip.  In fact, she is the only action figure in the 5 pack that actually comes with an accessory. 

Articulation is once again standard for a DCUC Mattel action figure.  Catwoman's moveable joints include neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, abdominal, waist, hips, thighs, knees and ankles.  All joints were in good working condition out of the box.

Overall, Catwoman is a good figure but probably is not going to make or break your decision to buy the Gotham City 5 pack.  If you could not get your hands on the original DC Superheroes Catwoman Action Figure and you are a Batman fan, then you probably will want to get the Gotham pack. 

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

If you are looking for this Catwoman action figure, your options are to try Walmart as this set is only sold there or eBay. 

If you try eBay you can probably find this action figure sold on its own as well as with the set which includes Batman, Superman, Two-Face and Lex Luthor

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

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

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.

DC Superheroes - Catwoman

Today's I'll be going over the Catwoman action figure from Mattel's DC Superheroes action figures, series 8.

So far Mattel has not given us a large variety of female characters to choose from. The current DCUC series only has two females (Harley Quinn & Wonder Woman). The previous DCSH line had 3. Batgirl (2 variants), Supergirl (3 variants) and Catwoman. Now that Mattel has access to the full DC Universe list of characters (not just Batman & Superman), expect to see more females figures in the future.

At first look, this is a good looking figure but it does have its flaws. Catwoman's outfit design looks very similar to the look she had in the Batman Hush comic. Also you could say its similar to the Catwoman from "The Batman" cartoon. She is in a full black outfit with big goggles (which cannot be removed) over her eyes, a zipper that runs right down the middle of the torso and buckles on her belt and boots. There is some nice detail in the leather belt and wrinkles in the costume around the neck, waist and back of the head. The sculpt is similar to the other female DCSH female action figures with the exception of the head of course. The arms are very thin but they do fit in compared to the size of the figure. The hands are different too. They are open and look like sharp little claws made of a softer plastic so you don't scratch your eyes out. Catwoman stands at about 5' 3/4 inches tall.

The paint job is ho-hum at best. Its mostly a dull black with the exception of the zipper and buckles which are silver and the gloves and boots which are a very glossy black. The paint on the face is most disappointing. The skin tone is terribly done. Its done in a dark flesh skin tone over most of the face except around the mouth. There is a circle of lighter flesh color around the mouth and it just looks cheap and lazy. The lipstick and eyes are painted on fairly clean. The eyes are hard to see through the goggles though. It would have been nice if they were removable.

Mattel has given us a few extras to go along with this action figure. First is a removable purple & black back pack (above). Also included is her traditional whip, a black necklace and a cat statue. Unfortunately, the whip only loosely fits into her hands. It falls out very easily if not positioned properly.

One area where this figure does not fall short is articulation. We have joints in the neck, shoulders, biceps, elbows, forearms, abdominal, waist, hips, thighs, knees and ankles. Very standard compared to the other toys from these series.

Overall, Catwoman is not my favorite DC Superheroes toy. Not by a long shot. From far away, she looks great, but close up, not so much. Maybe i need to wear beer goggles. The paint job on the face was the real letdown and her goggles should be removable. The accessories are plentiful but it ticks me off when they don't fit properly in their hands. Articulation is the best you can get on any 6 inch Catwoman figure.

Sculpt/Design - 6, Paint - 5, Accessories - 10, Articulation - 9, Fun - 7

CATWOMAN OVERALL - 6.5

If you're a Batman fan looking to fill out your villain gallery, then sure, she fits in nicely. There are other DC Direct figures you can try like Hush Catwoman or the Long Halloween but they have their faults as well. Due to distribution issues with Mattel, this figure did not have a big release so there are a limited supply available. Problem is, you're looking at about $25-50 US for her right now. Ouch!! Since the toy was released in 2007, it is now discontinued and eBay is your best bet to get her.

To find Mattel's DC Superheroes Catwoman on eBay, click here

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