It’s a triple play today, folks, as I tear into a boxed 3-pack from DC Collectibles. Back when Mattel inexplicably shit-canned their amazing DC Universe Classics line, they re-branded it into “DC Unlimited” and it looked like we would continue to get the same DCUC style figures based on The New 52 continuity. Alas, it didn’t last long and while we did get five Justice League members, we never got Green Lantern or Cyborg. I spent a long time agonizing over whether to start DC universe building all over again with DC Collectibles and pick up their boxed set of the complete New 52 Justice League, but I never did. Fast forward to now, and after unintentionally amassing a sizable collection of DCC New 52 figures, I thought it was finally time to go back and start picking up some main players. Yeah, there’s a bigger boxed set out there with the entire Justice League in it, but I decided to go with this one for now because it was super cheap!

It may be a three figure set, but the box is more or less the same style that we’ve been seeing all along. It’s just expanded to hold more plastic. While the box is still kind of bland, I can’t deny it shows the figures off beautifully. The back panel also shows off the Super Heroes vs Super Villains 7-figure set, which is a good way to pick up Flash and Aquaman, but will of course make me double up on the Batmans. Anywho, I’m just going to go from left to right, so let’s start with Superman!

Superman dons his spiffy New 52 panel-lined costume, which I’ve actually been a fan of since the beginning. I don’t think it adds all that much to the comic art, but when you reproduce it as a statue or an action figure like this one, I think it looks fantastic. All the panel lines are sculpted right in, as are all the other details, like the S-Shield and the boots. To top things off, this version of Supes also features a new sumptuous, metallic paint job, which really makes this piece look like an articulated version of Kotobukiya’s gorgeous ArtFX+ Superman. I think it looks rather stunning.

The soft plastic cape is attached to the front of the shoulders and cascades nicely over the shoulders and down the back. The cape features the black S-Shield tampo’d in the middle and it looks perfect on the figure. It’s relatively light so it doesn’t make the figure back heavy.

The other big difference between the regular DCC Superman release and this figure is a new head sculpt. This one features a slight smirk on Superman’s face, which adds a little personality. I like it, but it doesn’t fit the Trinity War theme of the release, as Superman was going through some pretty serious shit during that particular arc. That having been said, it’s a great sculpt and I particularly like the detail in the hair. Next up is Wonder Woman…

Looking beautiful as always, Wonder Woman dons her one-piece red, blue, white, and silver costume. All the details are picked out in the sculpt, right down to the segmentation in the red area and the stars. The silver paint has a subtle metallic sheen to it, which is duplicated for her wrist bracers and tiara. The blue used for her “shorts” and boots is metallic, but it doesn’t pop as much as what we saw on Superman. Possibly because it’s a darker shade and there isn’t as much of it. The flesh areas are all bare plastic, which is definitely the way to go as it avoids any paint mishaps and looks great.

Wonder Woman’s golden lasso is sculpted all coiled up and attached to her right hip. Her right hand is sculpted into a fist, and her left hand is sculpted to hold her sword, which sadly this set does not include. There isn’t even a loop for it on her belt, like there was on the Mattel figure. That seems like a huge oversight, or just a devious plan by DCC to get you to buy one of the other releases. I’m still torn on whether I like Diana’s bare leg look or the blue pants. Both have their merits, but this version is accurate to her Trinity War look.

I’m pretty sure this is a completely new head sculpt over the one in the “We Can Be Heroes” 7-pack. Either way, I like it a lot. The hair looks a little straighter and the face a little more angular. It’s a very pretty portrait and the paint apps for her eyes, lips, and tiara are all sharp. And that brings us to Batman…

Of all the characters to don the New 52 panel lined armored look, I think it suits Batman the most. It just looks like some fancy new Wayne Tech armor. As with Supes, every line is part of the sculpt and all the details on his boots, gauntlets, and utility belt are as well. Even the exposed mesh between his shoulder and chest armor is conveyed through textured plastic. This is a great looking suit and it has been beautifully executed for this figure. Of the three figures, Batman also seems to have changed the least for this set. Again, I don’t have the 7-pack, so I can’t compare directly, but I don’t see a lot of differences. The belt looks like a paler gold on my figure than the yellow I see in pictures of the WCBH boxed set version, but that could just be a trick of the light.

The cape is longer and heavier than Superman’s, but that’s appropriate. It’s very light and soft to avoid pulling the figure back and even if it did, it rests on the ground behind him to add as a further support.

The head sculpt here is solid. Naturally, Batman shows the least of his face, but what’s exposed is a nice strong and well defined mouth and jaw. The cowl features some great glossy paint that matches his boots and gauntlets and offers a nice contrast to the matte grey and black used on the rest of the figure.

Articulation is where this set stumbles, but as an earlier DCC release, that’s to be expected. These figures’ articulation definitely draw a link back to the DC Direct Days. All three figures feature the same points. The arms have rotating hinges in the shoulders, swivels in the biceps, and hinged elbows. The legs feature T-crotches in the hips and hinged knees. The necks are all ball jointed, but with Wonder Woman, you get very little movement because of the hair sculpt. That’s it. Obviously posability here is limited. I will, however, add that all of the figures’ joints feel great right out of the box and I had no issues at all.

I’ve had my eye on this set ever since it first came out and it took a sale to push me over the edge. At $30 shipped, it was just too good to pass up and I’m glad I went for it. The sculpting and paint on these three are top notch and It’s going to feel good to have the Trinity on display with all the other DCC figures I’ve been picking up over the last couple of years.