When DC Collectibles revealed their new “six inch” line of highly articulated figures, I was interested in what could finally be the continuation of DC Universe Classics/Unlimited/Signature Series or whatever the hell it was called when Mattel finally put a bullet in its head and dumped it in the Gotham River. The new figures looked amazing and I could pick and choose which figures I wanted to upgrade and which DCUC versions I’d stick with. Aaaaand then we saw that when it comes to scale all “six inch” figures are not created equal. The heartbreak hit alongside the realization that they were not at all in scale with DCUC. I swore I would never pick any of these up. Nope, No way I’m going down that rabbit hole again. Scew that and screw you, DC Icons!

And then that happened, so let’s start looking at some DC Icons figures! I’m only missing one from the initial run up through #9, but I’m not going to go in order. Instead, let’s start with Mr. Miracle. Why him? I’ll refer you back to my DCUC Feature on Mr. Miracle and Big Barda to answer that.

Here’s the snazzy new packaging and I do like it quite a lot. Yes, it still clings to some of that stark white and bland style that DC Collectibles has been going with. But I like that each box is themed to match the character. I dig the angled window with the character name, like we saw with the Designer Series and the Flash TV Series figures. Speaking of The Flash, thanks to the convenient numbering system, it was easy find out that the figure I’m missing, #5, is The Flash with his Cosmic Treadmill. (Yup, he’s already been ordered). You also get a great look at the figure and the accessories.

The back does show all four figures available in the first series. Everything is collector friendly and I’m tempted to keep the packaging for this line, but I’m just kidding myself. I don’t have the space for it. There’s no blurb about the character or anything, which is fine with me, although I’ll note that this is the New 52 version, which has made appearances in Earth 2: World’s End and Justice League Beyond 2.0. I’m not currently reading either of those books, but hey… It’s still Mister Miracle!

Well, hello new and sexy costume! I really do like Scott’s new look. It’s certainly recognizable to older fans like me and just all over streamlined and new. Every single detail in the costume is part of the sculpt, so I don’t get that feeling of “let’s just paint a costume on a generic buck” as was often the case with DCUC and still is with Marvel Legends. In fact, everything about this figure feels like it’s been lovingly crafted. And while the scale being at odds with DCUC irks me on principle, I have to admit the figure feels just right in hand. Just how tall is “six inches” these days? Well, he stands a full head shorter than your average Marvel Legends or DCUC figure. If I were to make a size comparison, I’d say he’s just about Figma sized.

The cape is lightweight, made of super soft plastic, and it doesn’t drag on the ground. These are all qualities that make it ideal for action poses. I also dig the way it cinches in the middle. It has a wind-swept look that adds a dynamic air to the figure without looking too pre-posed.

The paintwork is superb. It looks like the figure is cast in a yellow plastic, which only shows through on the head and a bit on the arms. The rest is a meddly of rich metallic red and green along with some gold. The quality of the paint is fantastic with a sharp glossy sheen. Lovely.

Articulation? It’s not too shabby. Let’s run down the points. The arms feature rotating hinges in the shoulders, with nice solid ratcheting joints. The elbows are double hinged with no mushy plastic making the connection. The biceps have swivels. The wrists are pegged in (to allow for swapping) and hinged. The hips are ball jointed and designed to allow for a solid range of motion. The knees are double hinged. The ankles are hinged and feature lateral rockers. There’s a ball joint in the chest and another in the neck and you also get an ab-crunch hinge. Room for improvement? Well, I would have liked some swivel cuts in the thighs, but what’s here is still really damn good.

In addition to articulation, accessories will be a big focus in this line. For starters, Mr. Miracle includes an extra pair of graspy hands to go with his fists.

You also get his Aero Discs, which now appear to be more like energy constructs than physical discs. They’re cast in translucent yellow plastic and peg into his feet.

Finally, you get his tiny little Mother Box.

Every damn thing about this figure screams quality and fun. What’s more, comparisons to DCUC or Marvel Legends are inadequate. DC Icons feels like something new and vastly better. If Mr. Miracle is par for the course, and there’s no reason to believe otherwise, I am going to thoroughly adore this line and I’m very glad I jumped on board. The scale difference is probably for the better anyway. Even if they were the same size, the DCUC figures would have looked out of place next to these guys.