DC Unlimited & Batman Unlimited

 

 

 

 

 

Time to take a look at some of Mattel's future releases in 2013.  In stores very soon you will be seeing Mattel's newest toy line that will feature some of DC Comics popular characters.  These collection are called "DC Unlimted"  and "Batman Unlimited".  The good part about these sets is that they will be "unlimited" in the sense that we could get some characters in their classic looks or some of the new DCNU looks aswell.  Lets take a look at the first waves:

 

 

 

 

 

 

DC Unlimited Wave 1

The first DC Unlimited wave consists of the DCNU Superman and Flash as well as a very cool looking DCNU Hawkman. The Superman and Flash are both the same figures that were suppose to be part of the  DC Universe All-Stars toy line that I think fizzled out after Mattel came up with the DC Unlimited game plan.  Superman was released in the All-Star wave but I am not sure that its continuing.  The Hawkman figure was feature at some of the comic con shows earlier this year.  I thinks its an improvement over the last Hawkman we had from the Wave 6 DC Universe Classics line. 

Batman Unlimited - Wave 1

The first Batman unlimited wave consists of the new DCNU Batman as well DCNU Batgirl and a Super Powers version of the Penguin.  Again, this Batman figure is also part of the DC Universe All Stars toy line. Comparing to the many previous DC Universe Classics Batman figures we saw over the last few years, I'm glad that Mattel has given us a new head sculpt instead of rehashing the same old pieces.  Unfortunately  Batgirl, for the most part, is a complete repaint.  The only difference being is her belt is a little sleeker.  That being said, I think this paint job is the coolest of the bunch.  Than the previous releases which you can see here.  The Penguin's body sculpt is exactly the same as the version released back in the DC Universe Classics wave 1 set back in 2008.  The head is new though.  Accessories are also the same, just painted differently.



Next up is some of the DC Unlimited and Batman Unlimited figures we'll be seeing in the near future.

Batman Unlimited - Injustice Batman

First we have a version of the Injustice Batman which will obviously be part of the Batman Unlimited line.  To be honest, I'm not very impressed with it.  I like that its a completely unique sculpt but it just doesn't work for me.

Batman Unlimited - Planet X Batman & Batmite

Another Batman Unlimted figure will be the Planet X Batman and a repainted Batmite figure.....another no buy for me.  It is a decent likeness from the comic but my bet is this will be a peg warmer. 

 

Batman Unlimited - Dark Knight Returns Batman

And the third Batman Unlimited figure will be from the VERY cool DC Comic book and recent DC animated movie Batman: Dark Knight Returns Part 1 & 2.  If you haven't see the movie (part 2 comes out in January), be sure to pick it up for Christmas. You won't be disappointed.  As far as this action figure goes.  It's a very good likeness of the older Batman in the movies.  I am happy with this action figure but I was hoping for some more villains.  Come on.  Were's Ra's, Talia, a new Scarecrow, Croc.  So many Batman characters that they can do instead....uhhhh.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - Watch this movie!

DC Unlimited - Wonder Woman

So far, the only DC Unlimited wave 2 figure that has been announced is the New 52 version of Wonder Woman.  It looks to be a similar, if not the same body sculpt as the DC Universe Classics Wave 4 version with the exception of the costume design over her chest and no belt.  The head sculpt appears to be a new sculpt and she is supporting a short sword instead of the axe and shield given with the DCUC action figure.  All in all not a bad looking figure and this gives you 4 of the 7 New 52 Justice League main members leaving us to wait for Green Lantern, Aquaman and Cyborg still.  Maybe they will be announced soon. 

DC Universe Classics - Wave 19 Preview

With the recent announcement of the DC Universe Classics Wave 20 last month back at the San Diego Comic Con, and DCUC Wave 18 hitting the online stores and eBay this  mouth, we've almost forgotten that just back in June, Mattel had also announced the line up for Wave 19. So I thought it would be a good time to a closer look at the action figures that will make up that set.  As mentioned in my previous post, this is a JSA themed wave much to the delight of many DC fans.  So lets take a look figure by figure. 

First up is Kobra.  Looks like a cool figure.  He has the scales all over his body which we've seen before on previous DCUC action figures such as Aquaman  from wave 2, Deathstroke in wave 3 and Copperhead in wave 12. The head sculpt is of course, entirely new and his body appears to be the same general body type as most DCUC action figures with some minor unique differences such as the cape, boots and his cobra staff. 

Golden Age Hawkman looks, well, very much like Hawkman from DCUC wave 6. One main difference is the head sculpt.  His mask has an open beak and you can see pupils in his eyes.  There only other difference i can see is Golden Age Hawkman has no Hawkman symbol in the center of his chest. Other than that, the two figures are pretty much the same action figure and to be quite honest, this is the figure from wave 19 that i am the least excited about. 

 

 Magog is quite unique.  Aside from the body standard body size, I'm liking the gold armor he supports.  This action figure appears to have some cool sculpt detail and although he's not one of the most common villains in the DC Universe, he will probably be one of those pleasant surprises that you weren't expecting much from.   

Sandman reminds me of The Riddler from Wave 5 just because of the green suit, but if you look a bit closer, the two figures are not quite the same.  Sandman, obviously, is supporting a mask and purple cape with his green suit and also, his suit is double breasted, where as wave 5 Riddler's is not.  The rest of the body parts though, are very similar.

Stargirl is perhaps the most popular character in this wave, but I have never been a fan of the smaller female sculpts that we've seen on other characters like Catwoman, Cheetah, Harley Quinn and so one.  The arms are super skinny and if you're not careful, can break just by trying to take it out of the packaging.  If you can manage to be carefully handle that, there is not too much more to complain about as Stargirl is a spot on to likeness to the comic book character.  For those of you that don't mind the sculpt size, you should be happy with her.   

Fans of the Atom should get be pleased with this action figure but to non-hardcore collectors, he may be less appealing, not coming with any accessories and quite frankly, the most boring head sculpt of the bunch. 

On to the Collect and Connect action figure S.T.R.I.P.E.  Expect him to have similar parts as Stel from the Green Lantern Wave 2 series.  The legs are exactly the same.  But it works for this character.  As far as a paint job goes, S.T.R.I.P.E. is a little less interesting than Stel but still a very cool action figure to own. 

So that sums up DC Universe Classics Wave 19, due out later this year, probably towards October 2011. 

If you're looking for any DC Universe Classics action figures, be sure to check out the huge selection on eBay by clicking here

DC Universe Classics - Wave 19 Announcement

Announced by Mattel just yesterday over at MTV Geek, the final official line up for Mattel's DC Universe Classics Wave 19.  This set will feature a JSA theme which I'm sure many of you have been looking forward to.  So here is a quick look at the line up:

Kobra

 The Atom (Al Pratt)

 Golden Age Hawkman

 Magog

 Sandman

 Stargirl

 And the Collect and Connect S.T.R.I.P.E.

Word is that S.T.R.I.P.E is looking very similar to Stel, from the Green Lantern Classics Wave 2 collect and connect figure. 

Hawkman looks almost exactly the same as the DCUC Wave 5 Hawkman the only difference being is Mask and some minor details.

Although, you won't be able to find DCUC Wave 19 until probably Dec 2011/Jan 2012, if you're looking to purchase and other DC Universe Classics action figures, head over to eBay, by clicking here to find an amazing large selection of action figures.

More to come on DCUC 19, so be sure to check back with Action Toy Review for more updates.

DC Universe Classics - 2009 Year In Review

The second full year into Mattel's DC Universe Classics and we've seen some pretty cool action figures through out the year.   So I'll just go over some of the main characters and my favs we've seen released through out the 2009 calendar year.

For starter, Mattel gave us the biggest Collect and Connect action figure thus far in Wave 8's Giganta standing at about 10 inches tall.  Easily one of the best looking CnC figures aswell to date. 

We've also seen the dreded return of the Walmart Exclusive set, much like Wave 5 in 2008, wave 10 in 2009 was another walmart exclusive set.  This set featured a very import action figure of The Joker which would be important to any DC Comics fan.  Joker was arguably one of the best DCUC action figures of the year in my opinion.  We also saw and a repainted Batman figure was released again in this set.  That would make this the 4th repaint using this same sculpt.  Mattel thankfully included some cool new accessories with Bats.

Power Girl, also part of wave 10 and Superman from the Gotham City 5 pack (another wal-mart exclusive).  The unfortunate thing about these walmart exclusives is that so many people have a hard time finding them.  It appears that Mattel or Walmart is only releasing this in certain areas around the US.  If you're in Canada (like me) or somewhere else, you can forget about it.  Ebay is your only option. 

Captain Cold and Flash from wave 7 were some of the A list characters released in 2009.  I like how Mattel has been releasing a big name hero with one of their popular arch enemies with each set. 

We also saw some New Genesis/Apokolips characters introduced such as Big Barda from wave 7, Mister Miracle from wave 6, Kalibak also from wave 6, Mantis from wave 9 and Parademon from wave 8.  Look out for more of these characters including a new Darkseid in 2010's wave 12 set. 

Below we have Hawkman from wave 6 and Gentleman Ghost from wave 8.  There were some complaints about low numbers of wave 8 and 9 being released.  I myself still have not been able to finish either set.  Gentleman Ghost was very hard to find at a reasonable price.

Below we have some of the DCUC wave 9 action figures.  Left to right is Black Canary, Green Arrow, Deadshot and Mantis.

As mentioned above, Batman fans saw a few repaints of the wave 1 Detective Batman sculpt and also got some new additions for their rogue collection.  In the pic below we have from let to right, Two-Face (DCSH repaint), Catwoman (DCSH repaint), Killer Moth from wave 6, Batman (Gotham City), Deadshot and The Joker.  Is it just me or is there a lot of purple here?

There were a few two-packs released this year.  Below we see the Clash of the Cosmos Superman and Brainiac pack.

And of course, a classic Lex Luthor which also came in the Gotham City 5 Pack.  This was the only original sculpt in the set and I'm sure a lot of people bought the set just for this figure.  Fans of the old Superfriends cartoon were surely happy with this release. 

Well, thats Mattel's DC Universe Classics 2009 wrap up for you.  2010 looks to have some interesting new releases.  Waves 11, 12 and 13 have been announced and I've also got my own person list of characters I hope to see wave 14 and 15 or any new two packs.  To check out some previews of waves 11, 12 and 13, click on the links below.

DC Universe Classics Wave 11

DC Universe Classics Wave 12

DC Universe Classics Wave 13

DC Universe Classics - Hawkman

After a week long absence its finally time to start the reviews on Mattel's DC Universe Classics wave 6 action figures. For today's review, we will look at Hawkman.

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

There are some re-using of body parts in this toy line yes, but the main difference between Hawkman and the other DCUC characters is obviously that he has a set of very adjustable wings on his back. The sculpt itself is really good. One disappointing thing is that his helmet is not removable.

The wings on his back are not heavy at all and do not weigh him back unlike some capes on other action figures from this line. The design overall is really nice with a lot of detail in the wings on his back and helmet.

For the most part the paint job is fairly clean. The wings have some dry brushing and shading to bring out the layers of feathers.

The one main area where the paint job is lacking (on my figure anyways) is around Hawkman's ear. The shin color is overlaps quite badly here. Other than that spot, overall Hawkman's got a pretty good paint job.

Hawkman comes with 3 additional accessories (not including the Collect and Connect piece of Kalabak). He comes with a mace which fits kind of loosely in his hand. A sword which fits much better. And finally a shield with the hawk symbol on it.

Hawkman's articulation is really good. Better than most DCUC figures if you count the joints in his wings. His joints include neck, shoulders, biceps, elbows, wrists, abdominal, waist, hips, thighs, knees, ankles and then 4 joints in his wings (2 on each side).

Overall Hawkman is a really cool action figure. He comes with a lot of accessories and the adjustable wings make him great to display. Worth a pick up for sure!

Sculpt/Design - 8.5, Paint - 9, Accessories - 10, Articulation - 9.5, Fun - 9

Overall Score - 9/10

If you can't find Hawkman at your local toy store, there are many online retails that will have this figure for a short period of time. Ebay is always my favorite option.

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


Be sure to check back soon for more reviews on Mattel's DC Universe Classics action figures.