Monthly Archives: January 2011

Jan 11 2011

Lego’s Pharaoh’s Quest: Cursed Cobra Statue (#7325)

Next up on our jaunt through Pharaoh’s Quest is the Cursed Cobra Statue set. For this set, we jump from 125 pieces (which was the brick count for Flying Mummy Attack) and up to 213 pieces. Like the last two sets we looked at, this set still includes three minifigs and a vehicle. Oh yeah, the artifact du jour is a golden scarab shield. I was really hesitant to get this set, because the Cobra takes up most of the brick count and building it looked like it was going to be a really redundant and tedious affair. Plus, if you’re working your way up from the bottom like I am, this set is going to give you a duplicate minifig and that’s always a bummer. So let’s see if the Cursed Cobra Statue set is really worth the thirty bucks in the end or if Pharaoh’s Quest has finally derailed.


The box includes an instruction manual and five unnumbered bags of bricks. You also get a small sticker sheet and the translucent plastic sheet to punch out the part that makes up the Cobra’s hood. The minifigs include a Mummy High Priest, [Seems to be officially called a Snake Charmer. Just sayin’ is all. -FF] the third new hero in the series, Helena Tova, and the same Jack Raines figure that came with the Scarab Attack set. You also get a jeep and the Cobra and his temple base. Let’s start with the minifigs.

There’s not much point looking at Jack again, as we already saw this figure in the first set. While I can appreciate having a spare to display with this set, it’s still kind of a bummer getting a duplicate figure in a set that cost me thrity bones. Helena, on the other hand is new, and she’s very cool. She has printing on the front and back of her shirt as well as two expressions on her face and a satchel. The heroes come with two pistols, a rifle, a bundle of dynamite and a shovel. The dynamite and rifle are the same pieces that were released in previous PQ sets. The Mummy Priest is the same body and head as the regular Mummy Warriors, but he has a new headdress and comes with two snakes. Why’d it have to be snakes? Oops, wrong series.

The jeep is very cool and it was almost as satisfying a build as the biplane from the last set we looked at. It can comfortably fit three minifigs, two seated in the front and one standing in the back. It also has clips on each side for the rifle and shovel, or whatever else you want to put in there.

The Cobra statue and temple represent most of the building here and while it is true that the Cobra consists of building the same two components over and over again, I didn’t seem to mind it so much while I was doing it. The Cobra is designed to coil around and attach to the temple, but it can be removed and thanks to what I believe are some Bionicle ball joints, it has a nice amount of articulation for when it comes to life to protect the scarab shield. It’s mouth also opens and closes. I do think the use of the plastic sheet for the Cobra’s hood is a bit of a cheat, but it looks good, and I can’t see any way round it. The temple has a platform for the Mummy Priest to stand so he can chuck snakes at the heroes.

I bought this set expecting to be disappointed. Yeah, sounds crazy, huh? But I wasn’t at all. It was still fun to build, even though it didn’t take me much longer than the last set, and the end result is great looking. I’m really happy with the way the Cobra looks on the shelf coiled around the altar. I still wish a unique version of Jack could have been included, and it’s the first set where the price, in this case $30, started to feel like a bit of a reach, but apart from that this is a pretty solid set in the Pharaoh’s Quest.

Jan 10 2011

Lego Pharaoh’s Quest: Flying Mummy Attack (#7307)

Another day, another Pharaoh’s Quest set, and this time we’re beefing things up just a wee bit more, with the 125-piece Flying Mummy Attack set. Again, it’s not quite twice as big as the last set, and it still comes with three minifigs, but the vehicle and the obelisk here are a lot more substantial than anything we’ve seen in the previous sets. But forget all that because, Lego, you had me at Flying Mummies.


The box includes an instruction booklet, a small sticker sheet and three unnumbered baggies of bricks. The three minifigs include two Flying Mummies and a new version of lead hero, Jack Rainer. You also get a bi-plane and an obelisk monument to hold this set’s priceless artifact: The Soul Gem! This set had me pretty excited to get going and I have to say the build was pretty satisfying. But first things first… to the minifigs!

The Flying Mummies are basically the same minifigs as the Mummy Warriors that we saw in the last set, with some new accoutrement to make them stand out. Namely, they get new, swankier headdresses that look like bird heads. They also get plastic wings that clip in between their head and torso. The wings look really coo and have a surprisingly long wingspan, but if you would just rather beef up your ground armies, you can leave them out and use these as regular Mummies. They each also come with a spear. The Jack Raines figure is in his aviators outfit, which includes a smartly painted flight jacket and the same helmet and goggles that came with Mac McCloud in the last set.

My first impression of the biplane was that it was smaller than I thought it would be, but in retrospect, I think my expectations were a little high, since this is just a twenty dollar set. It’s actually perfectly scaled to fit the minifig and it was lots of fun to build. It features twin machineguns,which are cleverly modified from regular hand-held machine gun pieces. There’s also a large grappling arm that swings down from the bottom to scoop up the Soul Gem right off the top of the obelisk. Naturally the propeller turns as well. I love pretty much everything about this little plane.


The obelisk is just a more elaborate structure to hold the artifact, just like the little altar in the last set, only it’s pretty tall and it has some stickers to improve it’s overall look. There’s not a lot to building this thing, but it does look impressive and it fits the theme really well. The Soul Gem just sits on the top, so that you can scoop it up with the bi-plane’s grappler arm, which works with varying degrees of success, depending on how good your imagination is.

This is the set I wanted to get right off the bat, before I decided to confine myself to going for the smaller sets first. Between the obelisk and the biplane and the Flying-freaking-Mummies, this set looked like fun and it sure was that. Sure it costs twice as much as the last set and isn’t really twice as big, the build is definitely substantial enough and the end result definitely seems like a decent value for the money. So far, this one is definitely my favorite in the series. Can the next set in the line, the Cursed Cobra Statue, beat it? We’ll find out tomorrow.

Jan 9 2011

Lego Pharaoh’s Quest: Golden Staff Guardians (#7306)

Last time we looked at the smallest set of the Pharaoh’s Quest assortment, today we’re climbing up a notch to the Golden Staff Guardians set. It’s not quite twice as big as the Scarab Attack set, but with 70 pieces, including no less than three minifigs and a vehicle, things are starting to get a little more serious. As indicated in the title of the set, this time around the featured artifact is the Golden Staff.


The box contains an instruction sheet and two unnumbered bags of bricks. The minifigs consist of two Mummy Guardians, or Warriors if you prefer, and the second of the heroes in the line, mechanic-slash-adventurer Mac McCloud. You also get the pedastal containing the Golden Staff and McCloud’s motorcycle, along with some weapons and equipment. Let’s start with the minifigs.

The two Mummies are identical, but they do have double printed faces, so you can at least make them each look unique. Personally, I’m not a fan of the one-eyed face, so I’m fine with them both looking the same. Their torsos are printed on both sides, and the detail is very nice. They each come with a sword and a scarab shield and also a black headpiece. Then you have Mac McCloud. His torso is also printed on both sides. He’s wearing an oil stained A-shirt with suspenders. He’s also wearing a motorcycle helmet with flip down goggles. He comes with a bundle of dynamite and a rifle. 

The motorcycle is pretty cool, but the build was a little disappointing in that the bulk of it is made up of just two pieces. I know, this is only a ten dollar set, but I buy these things to build, and slapping the bike together was just way too simple. I also preferred to go with just the one headlight as opposed to using the extra block to give it two. It just looks more natural. The back of the bike has clips to hold both the dynamite and the rifle. Mac fits on it fine, and it’s not too hard to get it to stand up, but it does have a habit of toppling over.

The altar is just a little construct to house the staff. It looks ok, and I like the little palm brick on the side to give it some garnish. I think it could have used a couple of stickers to help it along, but it’s fine for what it is. There is a a rod through it, which is designed to blast the staff off the altar when you hit it. This gimmick works with varying degrees of success.

This set retails at just under ten bucks, and I’ve got to say I think the value for your money here is pretty high. Not only do you get a brand new hero for the line, but you get two army builder minifigs, another artifact to chase after and the motorcycle is pretty cool too. It didn’t take very long to put together, but that’s to be expected from a set at this price point. All in all, it was a satisfying step up from the last set, and I definitely recommend picking it up.

Jan 8 2011

Lego Space Police: Lunar Limo (#5984)

Yeah, when I make a New Year’s Resolution I stick to it. Unless it’s about drinking less and sucking down fewer cheeseburgers. Or drinking less. Anyway, I set out a few mornings ago to pick me up some Lego. A serious set. And I really lucked out, because I found the one set that I’ve been wanting to pick up for a while now, and it was in Walmart’s clearance aisle and marked at $32, which made me happy. When I got to the register and it rang up at $16, I was even more happy. Cheap and Lego don’t usually go together, but in this case the Lego Gods are obviously pleased to welcome me into their cult. Plus, it meant I had money left over for beer and cheeseburgers. This Lunar Limo set, along with the Space Truck Getaway were the two sets that attracted me to the Space Police series (and back to Lego in general) in the first place, and as much as I hate to say it, this one totally blows away Space Truck Getaway.

The set comes in a nice big box that boasts 391 pieces, which makes this the largest Lego set I own. Yeah, that’s not saying a lot, but give me a break, this stuff is still relatively new to me. The piece count includes three minifigs, but that still leaves quite a bit of bricks to make up the single ship. Inside the box are four big bags of bricks and a nice big instruction sheet. There’s also a sticker sheet. I was pretty surprised how few stickers this ship needed, considering how big it is, but I think that’s a testament to its design that it doesn’t require a bunch of stickers to look great.

It took me just under three hours to build this baby. It was lots of fun to build, although each set of wings and thrusters needed to be built twice. I’m not a big fan of having to duplicate assemblies, but it’s obviously a necessary evil to create a ship with symmatry and it’s worth it to get to the finished product. I think the best thing about building this set is the fact that you basically build each have separately, so when the time came to put them together, I was totally unprepared for just how long this thing was going to be. It’s huge. It also means you can pull it into two halves for easier storage.


Let’s get the minifigs out of the way first. You get a Space Police officer, Brick Daddy, and his driver. Brick Daddy is easily one of the coolest Lego minifigs I’ve ever seen, but I think that goes without saying since he’s a squid-faced alien space pimp. Considering the age range for these sets, it’s probably too much to ask for a couple of alien space whores to go with him, but it might just be a custom project that would be worth doing.


It may be ironic, but the thing that got me into the Space Police line has very little to do with the Space Police themselves, and more to do with the awesome designs of the alien vehicles. I mean, just look at this thing. It’s a pimped out space limo and it’s glorious. It makes me want to get a Lando Calrissian minifig so he can fly around in this beauty. The black, purple and gold deco is really sharp and I absolutely love the little gold hood ornament. The Limo is also a really solid piece once it’s built, which is sadly more than I can say about the Space Truck. The only thing to be really careful about here are the two front laser guns, as they are very thin and probably rather prone to snapping or stressing. Other then that, this is one awesome intergalactic ride, man.

The Lunar Limo also has some decent little play features. The roof opens up to show inside the cabin, where the two minifigs sit. Brick Daddy actually sits on a little escape rocket inside the cabin, with what looks like a giant minigun on the front of it. The trunk also opens, which can fit the Space Police minifig. I’m not sure if he’s hiding back there or if Brick Daddy is driving him out to some distant nebula so they can whack him. He’s got a flick-fire gun, so it’s probably the former. There’s a little bit of articulation in the front wings and in the guns on the rear wing assemblies. There’s also a concealed missile launcher in the front of the limo, which fires a pretty hefty missile a pretty good distance. The whip antenna on the top is hinged, and I got an extra antenna in the box in case this one snaps.

This set is the fourth Space Police set I’ve picked up and it retailed originally at $39.99 and is still pretty easy to find both online and in stores. My Walmart actually had a ton of them on clearance. I would have been happy with it at full retail, but I won’t complain about getting it on clearance. Right now, there are just two more must-have sets in this series for me: The Hyperspeed Pursuit and Smash and Grab, although the Galactic Enforcer is still trying to wear down my resistance.

Jan 8 2011

Lego Pharaoh’s Quest: Scarab Attack (#7305)

The big unlicensed Lego series hitting the stores now is Pharaoh’s Quest, [Actually, right now that would be Ninjago, but I’m not all that interested in those, so bear with me, folks. -FF] the epic story of adventurer Jack Raines and his quest to steal a bunch of mystical Egyptian artifacts from a slew of baddies. Each set is themed around a specific artifact, which is noted on the package. I think this line was a stroke of genius coming off the licensed Indiana Jones sets, since it offers up the same general flavor with free reign to get as wacky and imaginative as they want, and of course without any of those pesky licensing fees. Plus, your Indiana Jones minifigs will feel right at home with any of these sets. The initial assortment of sets offers something for every size group. I’m going to start from the bottom and work my way up (more or less), so today we’ll begin with Scarab Attack.


Scarab Attack is the smallest of the current assortment, weighing in at just 44 pieces. The box contains an instruction sheet and two unnumbered baggies of bricks. It recreates Jack’s campsite as he gets set upon by a Giant Scarab. The set comes with a Jack Raines minifig, the Giant Scarab, a cooking pit, and an equipment stand. There’s a slew of tiny pieces, but it took no time at all to slap thsi set together.

The Jack Raines minifig is great. His head is printed on one side with a smarmy expression. I don’t think he’s too worried about that giant ass scarab coming at him. His shirt is printed on both sides, and the gold paint they are using on this set looks great. I love the bandalier strap of cartridges running down his chest, as it goes well with the rifle that comes with the set. He also comes with a pick axe, binoculars and the Golden Crystal artifact.

Next up is the Giant Scarab, which keep in mind is just giant when compared to normal scarabs, but he’s still a good size compared to Jack. I love this figure. The construction is really clever, and the articulation is pretty good. It also looks great. Instead of stickers, the back is printed with a cartouche and part of a brick wall. He’s a fun figure.

The rest of the set is kind of meh. The cooking pit comes with a flame piece, a turkey leg and a coffee cup. The equipment box can hold the rifle and the pick axe. I would have preferred a second minifig in this set over the campsite, but that probably goes without saying.


If you’re opening sets like I am, from smallest to largest, I think you’ll be happy with this set. It’s new and fresh, which is cool and it does exactly what it needs to do. It introduces you to the main character and gives him something to fight. But even if this isn’t your first set, you’ll probably find some nice stuff in here to compliment some of the bigger sets, particularly the scarab figure. The retail here is only $4.99, and honestly, I think the Jack Raines figure and the Giant Scarab are worth the price of admission alone, although I don’t think this is the last we’ve seen of this Jack Raines minifig.

Jan 8 2011

The Real Ghostbusters: Retro-Style Figures by Mattel

A lot of collectors were saddened to hear that Mattel opted out of doing regular figures based on The Real Ghostbusters cartoon in line with their movie based figures. I’ll admit, I was bummed out about it at first. But then I saw the early production shots of their Mego-style figures and I wasn’t sad anymore. We already had a whole line of regular Real Ghostbusters figures back in the day, and with how Mattel’s regular line of Ghostbusters figures has plummeted after such a little while, I was glad that Mattel went with this other venue. So glad, that I pre-ordered these things back in August of last year. My set finally came in earlier in the week, and I am thrilled with them.


When I ordered these guys, I was seriously considering keeping them on the cards and just hanging them on my wall. They really do look that awesome in the package, but my willpower wasn’t strong enough and pretty soon I had them all torn open. The cards feature artwork from the cartoon with portraits of all four Ghostbusters on the front, plus Mr. Staypuft himself. The back panel shows all four boys with their names along with Slimer and Janine and it says, “Collect Them All.” Does that mean we’re getting a Janine figure? I doubt it, but if you’re listening, Mattel, I vote for her in the Ghostbusters jumpsuit as seen in the Season 1 episode Janine’s Genie. She wore the same jumpsuit as Peter, so you’d just have to do the headsculpt and slap it on one of teh female bodies. Just saying is all! Anyway, the cards are all identical and the only thing distinguishing the packages from each other is the personalized splatter sticker on the bubbles with each of the Ghostbuster’s name on it. The figures and their equipment are also left loose to rattle around inside the bubble.

Before getting into the actual figures, let me preface things by saying that two issues worried me as the final production versions of these figures began turning up. First off, the proton packs were blue, as opposed to the black one that came with the SDCC Venkman figure. The blue is show accurate, but I was worried that my Venkman figure would be the odd man out with a black proton pack. Luckily, all the figures shipped with the blue ones. If you want a matching set and you already have an SDCC Venkman, you may want to consider ordering the regular version for the blue proton pack. Next, early reports had some of the figures showing up without the Ghostbusters emblem on their shoulders. Again, it all worked out fine as all of my figures have the logo present.


As in the traditional Mego style, each of The Real Ghostbusters figures features the exact same body sculpt. It works pretty well, except for Ray who was pretty portly in the cartoon. I may try to stuff some foam into his uniform to bulk him up. The articulation is serviceable, but still below what we get in many action figures these days and it’s kind of tough to get them to hold their particle throwers in a very dynamic position. The headsculpts on these figures are what give them all the distinctive character and I’ve got to say that Matty did a fine job bringing the cartoonish caricatures of the Ghostbusters to life in plastic. I don’t have any issues with any of the head sculpts, although I’ll give the special nod to Egon, with his glasses and crazy hair, they really nailed him right out of the park.  The uniform patterns are identical on all four figures and they are each colored to match the uniform each character wore in the cartoon. They fit the figures very well and really round out the package nicely and there’s no sloppy stitching or anything like that. As mentioned earlier, each one has a Ghostbusters patch on their right shoulder. The figures also have their chests painted black to simulate the t-shirt worn under the uniforms in the cartoon. They all have the same pair of black boots and the same belt.

Each Ghostbuster comes with an identical proton pack and all but Venkman come with an extra piece of equipment. The proton packs look appropriately like cartoonified versions of the ones on the movie figures, although there are far from cartoon accurate. The biggest differences are in the particle thrower, as the plastic versions look a lot closer to the movie ones than the ones seen in the cartoon. Nevertheless, the proton packs are removable and you can peg the wand onto the pack for storage, just like they do in the cartoon. The packs are easy to get on and off the figure and fit on them very well.


As for the rest of the equipment… Egon comes with a PKE Meter, which looks a lot different then it does on the episodes of the cartoon that I’ve seen recently, but it might have been redesigned at some point during the show’s long run. Ray comes with a cartoon version of the ghost sniffer that Peter used in Dana’s apartment in the movie. I don’t remember it ever being seen in the cartoon, but it’s a cool movie-cartoon tie-in. This accessory shows off the only quality control issue I have with the whole set, as there’s some serious yellow paint slop all over the sniffer want. Winston comes with a ghost trap, which does not open, but you can actually attach it to the side of the proton packs, which is how the Ghostbusters carried them in the cartoon.

I was still pretty young when Mego figures were ruling the toy shelves, but my brother and I got a bunch of Mego’s Star Trek, DC, and Planet of the Apes figures handed down to us from our Uncle. We played with them a lot, but for whatever reason I didn’t retain a lot of nostalgia for the style and that’s probably why these Real Ghostbusters were the first Mego style figures I’ve picked up since the whole retro-style revival began. I’m still not sold on the style in general, but I can’t deny that they work perfectly for these figures, and I highly recommend you fans of the cartoon give them a look, even if the Mego style ain’t usually your bag. The figures retail for around $20 each, which is pretty standard for this type of thing and I’m really glad to have them in my collection.

Jan 7 2011

DC Universe Classics Wave 13: Collect & Connect Trigon by Mattel

Man, it’s been a long week. If a few of these posts have seemed a little abrupt, it’s because I’ve been fighting a ridiculously busy week at work that has been sapping the very soul out of me each and every day. I also haven’t had a day off in eight days. There have been a few days this week where almost all I did before crashing in bed was one of these posts. But Friday’s here, I’ve finally got two days off, and so let’s kill off the week by taking a look at Wave 13’s Collect & Connect figure. He’s big, he’s red, he’s a sadistic bastard from another dimension… he’s Trigon!

I’m not being the biggest Teen Titans fan around. Trigon wasn’t necessarily tops on my list of DC Universe characters I needed to own in figure form. Or at least that was true until I saw the figure. Love him, hate him, don’t know who the hell he is, it doesn’t matter because this figure pretty much sells himself with his sheer awesomeness. Weighing it at twice as tall as many DCUC figures, he’s certainly an imposing fellow and his sculpt has the chops to back it up.
Ok, so in terms of body sculpt there isn’t a whole lot going on here. He’s mostly a slab of red muscle with his boots painted on. He does have sculpted arm bracers and a strap across his torso. He also has a loin cloth to protect his delicate demon modesty. But check out that head sculpt. It’s like Thor, Mr. Spock, Red Hulk, and an antelope had an orgy and this is the unholy product of that forbidden congress. Trigon’s mouth is agape with wonderfully sculpted and painted teeth, soft plastic antlers, and that extra set of eyes that is all the rage in Azarath these days. Obviously Raven gets her looks from her mother’s side.

Trigon also breaks tradition for the DCUC with a bonafide softgoods cape. The cape and plastic high collar are of course removable, since they were one of the components of his BAF nature. The cape even has a bendy wire frame that allows for some posing. Trigon also comes with a staff, cast in a really cool looking pearl colored plastic.

No two ways about it, Trigon is an awesome figure and definitely one of the more impressive of the C&C family. He looks amazing on the shelf and was well worth picking up the likes of Negative Man in order to complete him. Sorry, Negative Man, that was a low blow.

[Ok, so I was planning on slipping in a Justice League Unlimted 3-pack to round out the week, but I’m ready to move on to other things for a little bit, so I’ll come back to it later. I did get in the first wave of Green Lantern Classics yesterday, and it is a spectacular set of figures, but I’m going to hold off until Monday to look at those and rather then make another week of it, I’ll pack the whole thing into two or three posts to help keep those of you who aren’t that into DC stuff from getting bleary eyed. In the meantime, this weekend is going to be all about Ghostbusters and Legos. But right now, it’s all about booze and sleep. See ya tomorrow. -FF]

Jan 7 2011

DC Universe Classics Wave 13: Donna Troy by Mattel

The last figure [Next to last… don’t forget about Trigon! -FF] on our Wave 13 whirlwind tour is none other than Donna Troy, Wonder Woman’s sister… er, magical clone… er, Wonder Girl… um… Multiverse composite with the… um, memories… oh, the hell with it. Go get yourself a copy of Brave and the Bold #60 to start to track Donna’s tortured continuity, but then this figure isn’t even modeled on that version, so let’s just forget it and take a look at the goddamn figure.

As with many of the DCUC figures, Wonder Girl relies as much on paint apps as she does on sculpting to make her who she is. She dresses a lot less gaudy than her sister, at least in this later incarnation. No red white and blue panties and she also shows off a lot less skin. Instead she’s wearing a red jumper with some yellow stars, a gold belt with the “W” beltbuckle, and her trusty golden lariat hanging off her hip. I’m usually happy with the face sculpts on the female DCUC figures, and Donna here is no exception to that. The sculpt is excellent right down to her star earrings and her perfectly sculpted hair. I’m also really happy with the paint apps on this figure, except for maybe the sleepy eyes. But apart from that there’s really no slop or bleeding to speak of.


Donna Troy doesn’t come with any accessories, unless you count her emotional baggage, and her permanently mounted lasso. She does, however, come with the pelvis and head pieces to build the Trigon C&C figure.

I purposely saved Donna for last because I didn’t want to write this post. It’s easy to blather on about a character you know, and it’s just as easy to claim total ignorance. Either way, I still like to attach something of the character’s backstory with the figure, but I’d need a week off from work and a prescription for some pretty strong stimulants to write that article and even then it wouldn’t make any sense. Besides, which I just don’t think the character is all that worth the trouble. Nonetheless, Donna Troy here is a fine, well-executed figure, which looks great standing on my Teen Titans shelf. The next and last stop? Trigon!

Jan 6 2011

DC Universe Classics Wave 13: Blue Beetle by Mattel

Folks, I am a crazy huge fan of the Blue Beetle. Of course, I’m talking about the Ted Kord Blue Beetle. I probably wept over his death more than Booster Gold himself, [Ok, that’s probably not possible. Seriously BG, get over it already. -FF] and I continually shake my fists in anger at DC for bringing back every other dead superhero except him. But enough about Ted, we’re here to talk about Jaime Reyes. I’ve got nothing against this kid. He’s ok. I might even try watching that live action series if it ever comes out. Or is it already out? I need another Scotch. So anyway, let’s take a look and see how his figure turned out.


Unlike Ted Kord, who was just a costumed hero with only his wits and technology, Jamie dons an alien powered supersuit, which explains the huge difference in the look. Jaime’s suit has a really cool, and just a tad creepy, alien design, which is wonderfully translated into this figure. Although the head sculpt reminds me of Forager. I think it’s the diamond shaped eyes.The black and blue really look great and I love all the little sculpted segments and decos throughout the body of the suit. This is a very striking figure, even more so because it’s a 100 percent unique sculpt, and let’s face it, that’s something of a rarity in the DCUC line.


The wings are attached to his back in one solid, sculpted piece. They look fine and I particularly like the semi-translucent plastic that looks like a membrane. Alas, they do not feature any articulation. Blue Beetle’s body on the other hand, brings some new tricks to the old DCUC articulation in that he has double hinged elbows and knees, instead of the standard single hinge. It looks like Mattel has taken a page from Hasbro’s GI Joe/Marvel Universe book and it seems like we’ll be seeing this new body type in future waves, as it’s already in partial use in the just released Green Lantern Classics wave.
Blue Beetle comes with a clip-on sword, that is supposed to be an extension of his suit. I would have liked it better if this piece fit over the fist as with the Green Lantern constructs or the Metal Men weapons. The clip tends to be a little loose and the piece will fall off. Beetle also comes with the left leg piece for the Trigon C&C figure.

I think fans of the Jamie Reyes Blue Beetle should be very happy with this figure. It’s not only a fantastically unique addition to the DCUCroster, but it definitely does the character design justice. But even if you’re not willing to let Ted Kord (or Dan Garret for that matter) go in favor of the new blood, I think you’ll still have to agree this is an excellent figure.

Jan 5 2011

DC Universe Classics Wave 13: Superboy by Mattel

Pushing along through DC Universe Week, we’re more than halfway through Wave 13. The next figure up for scrutiny is none other than Conner Kent aka Kon-El aka Superboy!

I’ve never been all that keen when DC focuses on teenage heroes, but Superboy tends to be the exception to that rule. [The other big exception will be Young Justice, assuming the series pans out as well as the two part premier. -FF] But beside the twisted idea that Kon-El is cloned from both Superman and Lex Luthor, I find what would be an otherwise annoying edgy and youthful wrecklessness a refreshing change from Superman’s insipid whitebread boyscout nature. As such, I was pretty happy to finally be getting this figure. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the figure looks outstanding.
Slapping superflous leather jackets on characters is one of those lingering fashion fetishes from the world of 90’s comics. A lot of times it looked gratuitous and just silly, but here I’m tempted to say that Superboy comes close to pulling it off, even if it still makes him look dated. But it is beautifully sculpted and really gives the figure a very distinctive look. The black jacket is sculpted in soft plastic, like a vest with the arms sculpted with the jacket sleeves and an immaculately painted Superman symbol in yellow in the back. The various zippers are also very nicely painted. If I’m going to criticize anything about the jacket, it’s that the way it bellows out at his waist is too exaggerated, but overall the effect is still nice.

Under the jacket, Superboy features a pretty standard DCUC body with a sculpted belt and strap around his right leg. The rest of the details are achieved through paint apps, including the Superman emblem, again beautifully painted, on his chest. The overall ensemble is a nice mix of iconic Superman with attitude-addled teen. It just works for me. The head sculpt adds to the look with the sculpted on shades and the flock of bangs over his forehead. Superboy features the standard DCUC articulation. Mattel was even able to make the ab crunch joint work with the jacket in place, which was a nice surprise.

You probably wouldn’t be expecting any accessories to be included with Superboy, so you won’t be disappointed. All he comes with his the Left Arm piece for the Collect & Connect Trigon figure.

As I’ve mentioned at least once before, Wave 13 is not an assortment that is bogged down with a lot of A-Listers and heavy hitters. Nonetheless, Superboy here definitely garners the most name recognition of the lot and his figure turned out absolutely gorgeous. Granted, a lot of collectors looking for a Superboy figure aren’t necessarily going to be seeking out this design, but I’m sure Mattel will grace us with a more modern, black shirted version. Perhaps when all this Green Lantern stuff starts to die down.