DC Universe Classics - Collect and Connect Top 10 Voted by you!

Recently I conducted a poll for the loyal readers of Action Toy Review to tell me THE ONE.....DC Universe Classics collect and connect action figure that was their favorite.  Readers could only vote for one action figure.  It was a bit of a surprise to the the winner to me, but interesting to know.  Note that this poll did not include the CNC figures from waves 17, 18 or 19 which were not released yet at the time.  So, lets take a look at the Top 10 as voted by you. 

NUMBER 10:

Solomon Grundy - Wave 3

A lot of detail in this CNC Action figure.  A very solid action figure.  I personally would've ranked him higher but it's a reader's poll.

NUMBER 9:

Metallo - Wave 5

Very cool giant robot version of Metallo. Many people are still waiting for a regular size, half man version of this character. 

NUMBER 8:

Rex Mason - Wave 1

I'm a bit surprised to see Rex rated so high because, he is the smallest of the CNC action figures.  That being said he also comes with some of the coolest accessories and supports very unique details in his body sculpt.

NUMBER 7:

Arkillo - Green Lantern Wave 1

An awesome Green Lantern Character and truly worthy of a CNC action figure, Arkillo is a great addition to your Sinestro Corps collection. 

NUMBER 6:

Stel - DC Green Lantern - Wave 2

The 2 Green Lantern wave gave us 2 great CNC action figures. 

NUMBER 5:

Chemo - Wave 9

Perhaps the HARDEST CNC action figure to complete due to the lack of production of Black Adam and The Gaurdian action figures from this wave.  Chemo is big, green, transparent and looks amazing. 

NUMBER 4:

Darkseid - Wave 12

Unfortunately Darkseid was the CNC action figure in one of the weakest waves line Mattel has come up with in the DC Universe Classics collection.  But he is an essential action figure for any Superman fan so if you do not own him, find a way to get him! 

NUMBER 3:

Giganta - Wave 8

Almost as equally as hard to finish as Chemo DCUC fans found it extremely difficult to get their hands on the Gentleman Ghost figure from Wave 8 which included Gigants head and waist.  For this reason alone, an unopened Gentleman Ghost goes for about $80.00 US on ebay these days.  Giganta is the tallest of the CNC DC Universe Classics action figure to date. 

NUMBER 2:

Kilowog - Wave 11

I thought for sure the fan favorite, Kilowog would come out as number one but I was wrong.  Number 2 is not too shabby. Kilowog was part of a heavy Green Lantern wave (wave 11) and is a kick ass action figure.  A must have for action figure collectors.

and NUMBER 1:

Bane - Wave 16

The man who broke the Bat slightly edged out Kilowog as the Action Toy Review fan favorite collect and connect action figure.  Bane has a lot going for him these days as he will soon to be featured in the "Dark Knight Rises" Christopher Nolan movie and this has surely something to do with his recent rise in popularity.  Not to take away anything from this great CNC action figure.  It is worthy of a #1 spot.

So there you have it.  Hope you guys enjoyed this post.  Have comments about the poll?   Then feel free to leave a comment about this post. Also be sure to visit Action Toy Review's sponsors to keep us going. 

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

Thanks for checking out Action Toy Review.  Be sure to participate in our ATR polls on the left hand menu and also to visit our sponsors.  Don't forget to check back for more info, news, previews and reviews of Mattel's DC Universe Classics action figure toy line. 

DC Universe Classics - 2010 Year in Review

Happy New Year everyone.  Its time for the 3rd annual DC Universe Classics Year in Review.  Mattel started off the 2010 year by releasing the DC Universe Classics wave 11 set which featured such characters as John Stewart, The Question, Kilowog and Deadman.  Personally, I feel this was the best set of the year.  A current poll of Action Toy Review readers asking which DCUC Collect N Connect figure was their favorite, is showing an overwhelming response for Kilowog compared to the other 4 CNCs.  I myself, did not go for this entire set but went out of my way to make sure i bought the all the right pieces to finish Kilowog.

Wave 12 features characters such as Dessad, Eclipso and Copperhead with the Collect and Connect action figure being a much bigger Darkseid than the one we were previsouly given in the DC Superheroes toy line.  Some decent characters but in my opinion, this was one of the weaker waves we've seen so far. 

Wave 13 had a bit of a Teen Titan theme to it featuring Superboy, Donna Troy, Blue Beetle and Trigon as the Collect and connect figure. 

I was very happy to get a classic version of Cheetah from this wave. Even by todays standards, the show sucks, when i was a kid, i loved the Super Friends cartoon with the Justice League vs the Legion of Doom so this action figure as a no brainer.

Trigon, well....i felt completely meh about him.....It looks like a very cool connect and collect action figure, but I was not ready to dish out $120 plus for this set.  I will keep my eye out for good deals on eBay on both wave 12 and 13 figures. 

Much like DCUC wave 5 and 10, when the wave 14 line up was announced, it was also announce that it would be a Walmart exclusive which pisses off a lot of collectors who already find it hard enough as it is to get their hands on these babies.  Walmart exclusives make it even harder because they're not sold at every one. 

The most appealing figures to me in this set were Zatanna, Alan Scott and the Collect N Connect figure, Ultra-Humanite.  This set also included Hourman, Gold and Tyr. I was not one of those people that ran out around from Wal-Mart to Wal-Mart stores looking for this set. 

Wave 15 was a tad bit more interesting.  First we have the winning character voted by the fans in 2009, Raven action figure released.  Also a main Justice League character, Martian Manhunter (2 versions actually), the first ever action figure of Jemm and a new Batman figure with a new face sculpt in a Sinestro Corps outfit.

By far my favorite figure in this set was J'onn J'onzz.  Very cool. 

The Collect N Connect figure for wave 15 was Validas. 

We've seen a number or re-released figures in two packs this year. Yet another Batman 2 pack this time with a repainted Robin, As well as an Aquaman/Black Manta 2 pack, both figures from wave 2 which again were just repainted.  Also (Below) you'll see the "Power Struggle" two pack which features Superman from the Gotham City 5 pack in 2009 as well as a re-release of Parasite from the DC Superheroes toy line in 2007. 

Also re-released, was a Hawgirl/Gentleman Ghost 2 pack which i assume was because of the ridiculously low supply of DCUC wave 8 figures that were out back in 09.  These two figure were VERY hard to find.  I have seen the original Gentleman Ghost figure alone go for $80.00 plus on eBay auctions recently.  The bad part of this set...no Giganta pieces included.

Mattel is also starting to gear up on the Green Lantern merchandise in anticipation of the Green Lantern movie coming out in June 2011.  A 5 pack called "Green Lantern's Light" was released in mid 2010 which included a few repaints as well as a new Guy Gardiner and Tomar Re action figure. 

Also just released towards the end of 2010 was a 2 pack featuring a taller Sinestro (compared to the shorter version in wave 2 which sooooo many people cried about).  and a repaint of Hal Jordan in shiney green. 

Finally we've also seen a DCUC spin off set featuring Green Lantern Characters.  I'm not too sure how many wave's we will see of this toy series but wave 1 has already started invading ebay and online stores as well as an official announcement for the wave 2 characters.  I hope the GL movie isnt a flop....Here is the GL Wave 1:

And GL Wave 2:

And finally, for all you hard core collectors out there, the 2010 San Diego Comic Con exclusive action figure is Plastic Man.  As you can see in the picture below he comes with a large assortment of accessories which may lead to hours of fun and excitement if you want to pay about 40-60 bucks for him on eBay. 

Well, thats it for my DC Universe Classics 2010 year in review.  Be sure to check back multiple times in 2011 for news, previews, info and reviews on Mattel's DC Universe toy line.  Wave 16 has some promising characters and Blackest Night fans will probably love the just recently announce DCUC Wave 17 line up.  Green Lantern fans will have it good in 2011 so we should see some more interesting characters in the coming year. 

DC Universe Classics - Wave 12 PREVIEW

First, I'd like to point your attention to some new additions to the blog. I've decided to add some interaction and have added a few polls, videos and slideshows to the sidebar on the left side of the screen. Feel free to scroll through and participate.

Now, not to long ago, Mattel released information regarding the line up for DC Universe Classics wave 12 set. Well, now there are photo's have been released and Action Toy Review is ready to give you a preview. If you're looking to pre-order this set which is due to release sometime in early 2010 (around March), check out the "Entertainment Earth" link on the top left corner. Now on to the preview:



In no particular order we will go ladies first and start with Mary Batson. A variant with a white costume is also said to be part of the set:

Next we have Spectre. There will be a variant of this action figure but no photos are available yet.

The next figure is Metal Man. He will have removable hands similar to Cyborg in wave 4.

The next figure is Copperhead.

Then we have Eclipso:

Next is Dr Mid-Nite:

And finally we have Desaad who i believe will also have a variant, however no photo is available at this time (correction: no variant of Desaad in this wave)

Last but not least the "Collect and Connect" action figure for wave 12 will be a new and improved and bigger version of Darkseid. (Back in 2006 there were 2 versions of Darkseid released in the DC Superheroes toy line by Mattel)

So there you have it. A quick and dirty preview of the DCUC wave 12 which probably wont be out until March 2010. As mentioned, you can Pre-Order your set now at EntertainmentEarth.com. Just click on the link on the very top left of the page. I've also added a poll on the left side bar menu. Tell Action Toy Review what you think of this latest DCUC set of action figures.

If you're looking to purchase DC Universe Classics action figures, i suggest eBay, click here.

I've also compiled some Amazon.com links to their best deals - click here

Thanks for checking out Action Toy Review featuring Mattel's DC Universe Classics Action Figures. Be sure to check back for more news, previews, information and action figure reviews soon.