Technically these two figures are variants, although they are obviously completely different figures, unlike say Martian Manhunter who’s variant is just a partial resculpt of the same figure. It’s important, because you don’t need to buy both of these versions of Starman to complete your C&C Validus figure. They both come with the same C&C part, on the same card and have the same collector button. Considering that to most people Starman is something of a B-lister, you may not want to have to buy two versions. I was actually more familiar with the original Starman, and picking up one of his sons in the role was just a cool extension of the history a character I already loved.

The packaging hasn’t changed much from the last time we looked at some DC Universe Classics, even though that seems like ages ago. You get the same huge bubble, that takes up the space of the entire cardback. The card features a montage of different DC character’s faces and the back panel offers a blurb about the character’s history and some of his powers. This is one of my favorite cardbacks on the market today because it packs so much useful information onto it. Not only do you get the character in a nutshell, but you also get photos of all the other figures in the wave. Needless to say, the bubble shows off the figures splendidly as well as the collector button.

Let’s look at Ted Knight first as he was the original Starman and the one that I’m most familiar with. He’s one of those DCUC figures that features a pretty generic body sculpt and depends primarily on his coloring to personalize his character. His outfit is mostly red with green boots, cape and super-panties. He’s got a yellow belt and star on his chest as well as his cape. Starman also has a brown soft plastic holster with a flip up retaining flap. If you have Blue Beetle or Captain Cold, you have a good idea what the holster is like. The paint apps are super crisp and bright with no slop or chipping. The head sculpt is excellent and I love the hood with the crest as it gives him a cool retro sci-fi look.

Ted Knight comes with the left leg of Valdius as well as Starman’s cosmic rod and a pistol. The rod is gold and features some basic sculpted detail. The pistol is silver, has a retro laser gun look and fits into his holster. He can hold either accessory in either hand. He also comes with the tiny little collector button.

His son, Jack, is a big departure from the original figure, which is significant because if I recall Jack wasn’t a big supporter of his dad wearing a goofy costume. As a result, Jack sticks to street clothes, which makes him a pretty unique looking DCUC figure. He’s wearing brown trousers, a green t-shirt and a black leather jacket. [This figure reminds me of a human Hellboy, probably because of the goatee, the jacket and the fact that his goggles look like Hellboy’s horn stumps -FF] He’s also got an amazing looking and elaborate star emblem painted on the back of his jacket. The sculpt is amazingly well done with a loads of detail in the wrinkles and folds of his clothes. The jacket also looks great with a high collar and a little star pin on his lapel. The head is also fantastic. His goggles are sculpted to his forehead and he’s got his little trademark goatee. I love the way this guy turned out.

Jack Knight also comes with the left leg of Validus and the same button as his father, which is kind of a bummer because the button shows Ted and not Jack. [But honestly, I don’t really care. These little buttons don’t do anything for me. It’s a nice little bonus, I suppose, and I don’t throw them away, but I have no idea where any of the buttons are that came with my other DCUC figures, and these will probably get lost in the bottom of some tote as well. -FF] Jack also comes with the larger and more impressive Cosmic Staff. It’s gold and sculpted with some cool details. He can hold it in either hand or in both.

Both Starman figures have almost the same points of articulation, which is pretty standard by now for this line of figures. You get ball joints in the neck, the arms have ball jointed shoulders, swivels in the biceps and wrists and hinges in the elbows. The legs have universal movement in the hips, swivels in the thighs, and hinged knees and ankles. The difference is in the torso, where Ted has the swivel waist and ab crunch hinge, but Jack has neither, presumeably because of the sculpted jacket.

Mattel did a great job with both of these figures, and I think it’s really cool that they offered up both versions. It’s impossible for me to decide which one is my favorite. I’m most familiar with Ted Knight as I’ve actually read some of his funny books and I love his retro Buck Rogers design. I’ve never been as fond of Jack, but I have to admit his figure turned out looking amazing. I may have to track down some of his appearances and give them a read through.