DC Universe Classics - Wave 9 and 2 Pack Previews

As I await the arrival of my DCUC Wave 7 action figures to review, and also the arrival of Wave 8 (which have already started popping up on eBay now), I figured this would be a good time to preview DCUC Wave 9 as well as some of the upcoming 2 packs.

Starting with the 2 packs, probably the one I'm looking most forward to is the Brainiac & Superman pack, simply because I want Brainiac. The figure is crafted after Brainiac's first appearance in the Superman comics and also similar to Brainiac from the old Superfriends cartoon from the 70s. The Superman figure comes with glowing red eyes. I believe this is the same head sculpt used on Eradicator from Wave 5 and in all likelyhood the same body sculpt from the Superman variant in Wave 6.

The next 2 pack is of Clayface and Batman. Clayface looks to be a re-release from the DCSH wave 8 and the Batman appears to be a repainted version of the sculpt from DCUC wave 1 Batman.

The other 2 packs coming soon are re-releases of Lex Luthor and Supergirl from the DC Superheroes action figure series and also a Hawkman and Hawkgirl pack.

You can pre-order on line on Mattycollector.com an exclusive Alexander Luthor and Ultraman two pack

Now, on to Mattel's DC Universe Classics Wave 9.

First up, Mantis who has a variant who as some cool looking costumes.

Next is Wildcat, which looks like your standard DCUC figure as far as body parts go. Of course he has his own unique head sculp, plus your not so standard hands sculpt as well. The rest looks like reused parts.

Same case with the next figure, Guardian. As far as the sculpt goes, he appears to also have your standard body parts with a ho-hum costume but a unique head sculpt.

Next up is the Deadshot who has a unique enough looking costume to forgive the re-use of body parts. Personally, I've been waiting for this guy but I'm a little disappointed as it looks like both fists are closed which means no extra accessories.

This is the third set in a row that includes at least one female character and for wave 9 Mattel is giving us Black Canary. I'm going to guess that the body parts used on this figure will be similar to Series 2 Harley Quinn

Next up is Black Adam, a fairly standard looking DCUC action figure with no accessories.

Finally, who appears to be the lead character of Wave 9, Green Arrow rounds out the seven action figures from this set. This figure looks to be pretty good from the publicity photo and thankfully comes with a few extra accessories.

And if you're lucky enough to purchase all seven action figures from DCUC wave 9 you will get to put together CHEMO

Well, thats it for my 2 pack and DCUC wave 9 preview. Hopefully my Wave 7 will arrive soon so I can start back up on my reviews. Be sure to come back to Action Toy Review for more info, news and review on Mattel's DC Universe Classics action figures.

DC Superheroes - Clayface

Welcome to my action figure review blog. Right now, my main focus is action figures from the DC Comics world.

I'm still waiting for my DC Universe Classics wave 4 to arrive so today we'll pick another one of the great DC Super Heroes action figures by Mattel to review.

Today's review is Mattel's DC Superheroes - Clayface

This action figure was part of the 8th series from the DC Superheroes toy line by Mattel which was released in Q3 2007. Unfortunately, there were distribution issues and it was very hard to find these figures meaning many collectors had to rely on eBay and online merchants. Other action figures included in this set were Batman, Joker, Catwoman, Nightwing and Bruce Wayne. I have posted a full checklist of Mattel's DCSH toy line for people to see what other characters are available.

This Clayface figure was a completely unique sculpt compared to the others from this set. It was the first time that Mattel has made a Clayface action figure and there weren't any other characters like him so they could not re-use any old parts from previous models.

The design of the figure is great. The sculpt seems to be inspired by the Batman Animated Series version of Clayface. Its just layers and layers of oozing clay like skin. The arms are also unique compared to other figures. They are a softer rubbery type material with bendy wires inside that give the arms a little more flexibility. This was a bit of a questionable route in my opinion. I'm not sure how these arms would hold up over time but for collectors who take care of their action figures, it probably won't be an issue. The arms are also different sizes too. His left is bigger with a few spikes sticking out while the right arm is more like the rest of the body. The sculpt is nicely detailed and looks really awesome in my opinion. Probably the best figure from this set. Clayface stands just over 7 inches tall.

The paint job is mostly done in different shades of browns and yellows and its done well. The face cleanly painted with bright yellow eyes outlined in black and the few teeth that stick out are more of a dull yellow color. The inside of his mouth has a purple shade to it.

Clayface does not come with any accessories which is a shame. He could really use some arm attachments in the shape of different weapons like a hammer or a blade much like Rex Mason from DCUC series 1. Instead we just get the bendy arms which works fine with this figure. Probably due to the fact that this figure is so big and heavy, they probably could not fit anything more into the package anyways.

Aside from the arms, the rest of Clayface is quite articulate. He has joints in the head, shoulders, waist, abdominal, hips, knees and ankles. As mentioned, this figure is heavy and all the joints hold the weight up in various positions really well.

Overall, Clayface is great. Even though Clayface is probably not considered an "A list" Batman villain, this figure is one of my favorites and a must have for Batman collectors. There is no other Clayface figure like this out there.

Sculpt/Design - 10, Paint - 10, Accessories - 0, Articulation - 8, Fun - 10

OVERALL SCORE - 9/10

So, once again, the best place to get this toy is from eBay due to the toy line being discontinued and also the fact that its kind of rare. There are usually a few auctions for this figure every couple of weeks but be prepared to pay in the area of $25-40 for it plus shipping. You might save a couple bucks if you look for one already out of the package.
To find Clayface on eBay click here

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