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 - Martian Manhunter

I have to admit that the last few DCUC waves have not knocked me over in terms of "wow-ness".   Not the quality, but more so the character selection.  Mattel has released some decent characters but just not as many that appeal to me like in the first 10 or 11 waves.  That being said, a must have DC Universe Classics action figures, from wave 15 is J'onn J'onzz aka Martian Manhunter.  Any collector who is a Justice League fan has got to want to get their hands on this action figure. 

Here is a breif look at the packaging.  Pretty much the same since wave 12. 

A very nice likeness of the comic book character.  A good sculpt job all around. 

Those who collect this toy series will notice a lot of reused parts to create J'onn J'onzz however the action figure is still unique enough on its own and you don't immediately notice that say, the torso peice is the same as Superman. 

Thankfully the four horseman did not make Martian Manhunter the same height as most of the normal DCUC action figures as his character is generally taller than say most of the other Justice League members.  So two main things are different to give him that taller look.  The first is that the lower piece of leg below the knees is longer on J'onn J'onzz than all the other standard figures, like say Superman and Batman (see below).

The other difference that gives J'onn J'onzz that much needed extra height (as he is taller than most human characters) is his head generally bigger than the other figures.  The effect is a slightly bigger action figure, even though most of the other parts are the same as Supes and Bats.

As you can see in the picture above, close up, J'onzz looks great.  You can see little veins in his shoulders and arms (since he is not wearing a shirt) which is a little cool added touch.The face looks great.  Couldn't be happier with the way this figure looks. 

Articulation has not changed.  All the important joints are included on this Martian Manhunter action figure.  If you follow this toy line, then you know what to expect. 

J'onzz comes with no accessories except for a collector's pin and the head and waist parts of Validas which is the collect and connect action figure for wave 15. 

Despite the lack of accessories, this Martian Manhunter is still a cool action figure and can be displayed in many ways thanks to the great articulation of the figure If you are a action figure collector and a Justice League of America fan, I strongly suggest you pick this action figure up. 

Sculpt - 10, Paint - 10, Articulation - 9, Accessories - 0, Fun - 8. 

Martian Manhunter is currently available now in a lot of online stores, eBay and probably in some of your local collector and toy stores as well.  I use eBay, religiously for my collection.  It is a good resource for collectors as there they usually have a great variety

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

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

Thanks for checking out Action Toy Review, the best blog to check out information on Mattel's DC Universe Classics action figure toy line.  Be sure to check back for more news, previews, reviews and information. 

DC Universe Classics : Wave 15 Preview

Welcome back to Action Toy Review.  If you missed my previous post, I previewed Mattel's DC Universe Classics Wave 14 so lets follow that trend and go ahead and look at the upcoming DC Universe Classics wave 15 set. 

There are 7 figures in wave 15 with 2 figures that have variants.  So lets take a look see.

For those of you who can't get enough variations of Batman action figures, myself included, here is another Batman in the Sinestro Corps outfit:

He looks pissed!! 

Next up is Starman who comes in a classic and modern variant:

Super Powers character, Golden Pharaoh:

OMAC:

Voted by the fans, Raven:

The Son of Saturn, Jemm:

and finally, Martian Manhunter with 2 versions.  Same body for both, just a different head:

And finally, your Collect and Connect figure is Validas:

So that's it for wave 15.  Personally, I'm all about the Batman figures.  Sinestro Corps Batman has a different head sculpt but not so sure I would get it.  Perhaps if i can find it for a lower cost.  Raven and Martian Manhunter are of great interest to me and Jemm is pretty cool but the other figures i will put under my "meh" list.  Validas looks like a cool C&C figure but not enough for me to go out and scoop up this entire wave.  If I can find the others at a cheaper cost, then maybe.

Action Toy Review would love to hear your thoughts about DCUC wave 15.  Check out the polls on the left hand side menu or simply leave a comment on what you think of Mattel latest line up. 

As the time of this post, DCUC wave 15 is not yet available for purchase but if you're looking to buy any of the DC Universe Classics action figures from previous waves, your best choice for selection, is ebay.  To purchase Mattel's DC Universe Classics on ebay, click here