Tag Archives: wonder woman

Nov 24 2017

DC Multiverse (Ares Wave): Queen Hippolyta by Mattel

As promised, I’m back to dish out an extra helping of content on this beautiful Post-Thanksgiving, DC Friday evening. It’ll help make up for taking yesterday off, and also start to balance the scales against all those damn Marvel Monday Double Features. I so desperately want to give DC Comics action figures some love, they just have to give me something to work with. So… continuing on through the DC Multiverse Ares Wave, let’s check out The Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta!

This is one of those figures that I may not have bothered with if I weren’t hunting all the C&C parts in the wave. Shhh… don’t tell Hasbro and Mattel, but this strategy to get me to buy an entire wave usually works. The package is identical to what we saw earlier today, only with photos of Hippolyta on the front and side panel. It’s also branded for the Wonder Woman film at the top J-hook flap. Everything is collector friendly, and these look pretty good lined up on the shelf with the character photos showing.

But forget about pretty good, because this figure turned out surprisingly great. I mean, just look at this lady! For a figure of a relatively minor character, Mattel invested a crazy amount of work into this one. And nowhere is that more evident than in her beautiful armor. The sculpted layers, the tiny etchings, the eagle motif on her chest, I’m quite beside myself. This is so far removed from what I’m used to seeing in the Multiverse line. Even the skirt has a lovely snakeskin like texturing to it. The gold and copper deco looks luxurious and the whole ensemble gives off this wonderful Art Deco vibe.

Hippolyta also sports sculpted armor pieces up near her shoulders, and bracers with sculpted straps. Over her armor, she dons a sleeveless cloak on  with a sculpted fur lined collar. It looks great, but it’s also easy to take off if you want to give her a little more range of motion.

The facial features on the head sculpt are a bit soft, but certainly not bad. At the right angle I can see a little resemblance to the actress in there, but not a whole lot. The sculpting on display in the crown, however, is superb, as is the detail in her hair.

Hippolyta’s articulation is identical to the Diana figure I looked at this morning, so I’ll just refer you back to that review. The cloak obviously inhibits things a bit, particularly with the legs, but if you take it off, it frees her up a lot, thanks to some strategic slits in the skirt.

Queen Hippolyta comes with two weapons: A spear and a sword. The spear is measures a bit longer than the figure itself and features a smooth brown shaft and some nice sculpted detail on the golden tip. She can hold it in one or both hands.

The sword features a rather ornate gold hilt with swirling patterns making up the guard. The stout blade is painted silver and has two fullers running down the center. The grip is extended, so she can wield it in one or both hands, and her articulation allows either option.

Hippolyta was certainly a pleasant surprise. Diana was a solid figure, but I think this one raises the bar quite a bit. I don’t know if it’s because they’re DCEU based figures or if Mattel has been upping their game with this line in general, but I’m happy to have picked up this figure, not to mention finally dug it out and opened it.  Next Friday, I’ll open up Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor and maybe just throw together the Ares Collect & Connect figure too!

Nov 24 2017

DC Multiverse (Ares Wave): Diana of Themyscira by Mattel

Well, I saw Justice League last week, and to my surprise I actually loved it. Yes, I appear to be in the minority, and I’ll grant you that my emotions were probably grading it on a curve, but I don’t care. This was the first time I came out of a DCEU film happy and it felt great. So great, that I bought up all the Multiverse movie figures. Then I realized I needed to get caught up reviewing some of the ones that I had kicking around and unopened, so I made myself a deal. I’d finally go through the figures from the Wonder Woman movie, before I allowed myself to open up any from Justice League. I can be a real strict asshole sometimes, but fair enough. And since it’s been a little while since I’ve had a proper DC Friday, let’s double up and check out a couple of them today, starting with Diana of Themyscira!

Here’s the DC Multiverse packaging and it’s pretty much the same as we saw when I last attempted to review a wave of these. Remember that? I got through a little more then half of the Doomsday Wave before I gave up in disgust because the figures were so awful. Oh, I’m going to finish that wave some day… I promise! As for Wonder Woman… I came away from seeing it the first time liking it, but not loving it. Or to be more precise, I loved the first half and really didn’t like the second half. Nonetheless, I picked up all the DC Multiverse figures back then and it’s going to feel good to finally open them with a renewed confidence in the direction of the DCEU. The package features some lovely photos of Gal Gadot in costume on the front and side panel, and the back shows the rest of the figures in the wave. Surprisingly there are only four figures needed to collect in order to build Ares, although there are two additional figures not pictured, which I think were exclusives. I’ll check them out in a couple of weeks, after I’ve finished with these.

So, this figure depicts Diana donning her native garb, and overall I think it’s a pretty good effort. The dress has a subtle texture and features a metallic copper color up top and a tan skirt, which gradually gets darker toward the bottom. There’s also some darker copper paint on the straps to give the outfit a little added pop. The bracers feature panel lines and sculpted straps holding them in place. They’re neatly painted silver with gold borders on the edges, and she has sculpted brown wraps around her hands. The knee-high sandals are also sculpted and painted, although my figure has a little splotch of brown paint on her right toe.

The skirt is cast in a separate piece of soft plastic and attached at the waist. It’s rather thick, and it isn’t all that flattering from some angles, like there’s a little too much gear in her saddlebags, if ya know what I mean. Again, not bad, but maybe could have been executed a little better and with thinner plastic. There’s a part in the front of the skirt by her right knee, which helps a little with articulation, but I went ahead and razored it all the way to the top to make it a little less restrictive.

The head sculpt isn’t great, especially when you get in close with a camera, but in hand it doesn’t look terrible either. Alas, it also doesn’t look much like Gal Gadot. I do, however, really like the detail in her hair and the way the ponytail is executed. On the downside, they could have done a better job matching the flesh tone between her torso, which is a shade darker, and her head and arms, which are a shade lighter.

The articulation here is actually much better than what I’ve seen in my past run ins with the DC Multiverse. The arms feature rotating hinges in the shoulders, hinges in the elbows, and swivels in the biceps and wrists. Oh look, Hasbro! 6-inch female figures can have bicep swivels! Her legs have rotating hinges in the hips, swivels in the thighs, and hinges in both the knees and ankles. There’s a swivel in the waist, no articulation in the torso, and a ball joint in the neck. Again, the biggest issue here is that thick skirt, which really hinders the hip articulation, unless you’re willing to do a little modification.

Diana comes with two accessories, the first of which is her sword. I thought it was supposed to be The Godkiller, but the pommel design doesn’t match what we saw on screen, so I think it’s just a regular sword. The sword is a cool little sculpt, with a gold hilt and a silver painted blade. There are sculpted symbols running down the center of each side of the blade, presumably meant to be Greek lettering. Mine came out of the package rather warped, but I was able to get it to straighten out fairly well. Sadly, there’s no loop on her hip or back to store the sword, but then I’m not sure if I remember her wearing it while she was on the island.

The other accessory is her Lasso of Truth. It’s sculpted in a coil and cast in very soft gold plastic. Like the sword, there’s nowhere on the figure to attach this, so she just has to hold both.

Overall, I find myself liking this figure quite a bit, even though there’s certainly room for improvement. Granted, much like the Justice League movie, I set my expectations pretty low here, based on my past experiences with DC Multiverse, so I’m probably being a lot more forgiving than I should be. The head sculpt and paint are a long way from what Hasbro is doing with their MCU figures in Marvel Legends, although I’d say the rest of the figure holds its own pretty well. My original plan was to look at Queen Hippolyta now too, but I went a little long discussing Diana, so I’ll come back later tonight to check her out.

Oct 6 2017

DC Designer Series: Wonder Woman (Frank Cho) Sixth-Scale Statue by DC Collectibles

DC Collectibles has been throwing some serious love to everyone’s favorite Amazon Princess with not one, but two Designer Series statues released within about a month of each other. In September we got the magnificent revamp of the Adam Hughes Cover Girls Statue, and now we’ve got a new release based on a stunning piece of art by Frank Cho.

If you’ve picked up any of DC Collectible’s statues than you have a pretty good idea about what to expect from the packaging. This piece comes in a fully enclosed box, mostly white, featuring plenty of shots of the statue. Diana comes encased in two halves of a styrofoam brick and requires very little assembly. Just peg her foot into the base via the metal rods and peg her sword into her hand and she’s all ready to go. The statue is limited to a production run of 5,000 numbered pieces and there’s a piece of tape on the flap with the individual number.

Great Hera! Just one look at the solicitation shots for this statue had me mashing the pre-order button. Yes, it helps that I adore Frank Cho’s work in general, but there was something specific to this piece that called out to me. Measuring in at about 12-inches tall, the pose has Diana standing poised to engage in battle. She has one foot on the base with sword and shield in hand and a determined gaze as her hair blows in the wind. There’s so much I love about this figure I hardly know where to begin. I think one of the things that struck me early on was how powerful she looks and that’s something very faithful to Cho’s art and credit also has to go to sculptor Jonathan Matthews. This Amazonian Princess has some muscle on her, particularly in those thighs and I just love the muscle definition sculpted into her back. I’ll also note how much I appreciate that the shield is being held in a manner so as not to diminish the figure itself by obscuring it from view. Even if you’re viewing her from dead on, it’s still off to the side just enough.

And then there’s the costume, which exhibits some magnificent sculpting and paintwork. The gold eagle and WW Belt look as if they are actually layered over the red corset, despite all being sculpted from one piece. The corset and bracers include sharp cut lines and the skirt is textured to look like leather with sculpted stars and border edges. The boots include sculpted creases where her ankle flexes as well as shin and knee armor with nicks and scrapes from battle. The deep crimson, lustrous gold leaf, and deep blue paints are masterfully applied with virtually no slop or missteps to be seen. And all of the colors contrast beautifully with her warm, soft skin tones.

The portrait is a classical beauty and her blue eyes are hauntingly bright. I love the attention given to her clavicle. The paint on the face is nice and clean, and the skin tone looks incredibly lifelike. The only place where the paint on this statue fumbles a bit is the star on her tiara. It’s not something I notice when admiring the statue on the shelf, but when I get in closer with the camera, I can see it needed to be a little sharper. They did a particularly nice job with the wind-blown hair.

Diana’s gear includes her sword, shield, and golden lasso.  The bottom part of the hilt is sculpted as part of her hand, while the blade and crossguard are one separate piece that pegs in through the top of the hand and holds together quite securely. The golden hilt features a sculpted, ribbed grip and a simple pommel and crossguard. The double-edged blade has a deep fuller running through the center and tapers rather quickly to a sharp point.

The shield is a striking piece of work on its own right. The face in adorned with a bird sculpted to look like hammered bronze, and a segmented border that looks like it might be meant to simulate a rope pattern. There are some stray scrapes in the surface to show the shield has seen some action. The reverse of the shield featured sculpted straps sculpted and painted to look like calfskin and are detailed down to the faux rivets that hold them into place. It’s also painted in bronze finish, which distinguishes it nicely from the gold paint on her costume. I’ve always loved her depicted as an actual warrior and while she’s strong and skilled enough to best most foes with her bare hands, she just looks so much more bad ass with her sword and shield in hand.

The golden lasso is attached to her right hip. The vibrant lasso is made of a strong rigid wire-like material and fashioned to resemble braided rope. It’s secured to her belt with a sculpted “leather” buttoned loop.

The base is pretty standard stuff. In fact, it’s identical to the one DCC used for the Adam Hughes Designer Statue. It’s a thick black disk with the familiar WW logo sculpted into it and painted in gold leaf. I really dig the way she’s only got the one foot on the base and the other on the ground beside it. It not only accommodates her action stance by allowing that one knee bend, but the fact that she’s only half on the base gives the whole composition that extra little dynamic kick to it. The limitation is noted on the bottom of the base. In this case, mine is #1,024 of 5,000.

After having the Adam Hughes Wonder Woman for only a few weeks, I never thought my head could be turned by another statue treatment of the character so quickly. That’s not to knock the Hughes Wonder Woman, because it’s a fantastic piece. Indeed, the two of these statues compliment each other perfectly. The Hughes statue has a smoother and less complex costume, emphasizing the more classic blue starfield panties, whereas this one features Diana as the grittier warrior princess. Despite being in the same Designer Series line, this statue was a smidgen pricier than the Hughes statue, but only by about ten bucks. Either way, she was well worth it.

Aug 18 2017

DC Designer Series: Wonder Woman (Adam Hughes) Sixth-Scale Statue by DC Collectibles

The last bunch of DC Fridays haven’t been terribly cheery ones, as I’ve been slugging my way through a wave of Mattel’s subpar DC Multiverse series. As a result, I’m extremely pleased to be able to take a look at something of quality for a change. Anyone who’s been kicking around my blog for a while, should know that I’m a big fan of the latest run of DC Cover Girls statues, but I confess that I often feel bad that I didn’t jump on board with the original Adam Hughes run. A lot of those statues are difficult to come by for reasonable prices these days, so I’ve dismissed any prospects of ever going back and collecting them now. Fortunately, DC Collectibles has decided to take one of the best pieces in that line and give it a remake in an up-scaled sixth-scale format. Let’s check out the new DC Designer Series Adam Hughes Wonder Woman statue!

This Amazon Goddess comes in your typical fully enclosed DC Collectibles statue box and is limited to 5,000 pieces. The box is mostly white, has a blue side panel, and features several photos of the statue inside. It also has a logo celebrating Wonder Woman’s 75th Anniversary. The packaging is totally collector friendly and the statue itself comes sandwiched between two styrofoam bricks with the stand stored in a separate compartment on the outside of one of those trays. Once you get her unwrapped, all you have to do is plug her foot posts into the stand (the posts on mine went in easily, but are not quite flush with the base) and she’s good to go. I will pause here for a moment to say while this statue was billed as a cold cast porcelain piece (much like the Cover Girls statues, there are parts of it that look and feel more like resin, so I’m not entirely sure about the materials we’re dealing with here.

But whatever materials are used here, Diana is absolutely gorgeous! This iconic pose comes from the cover of Wonder Woman V2, Issue #150, which is itself a stunning piece of art, and I’ve got to say that the sculptor, Jack Mathews, has pulled it off perfectly in 3D. Her arms are stretched above her with each hand holding on to her golden lasso as the gilded magical rope coils and dances around her. The composition here is bold, majestic, noble, and bespeaks everything there is to be said about the Princess of the Amazons. And while this is a sixth-scale statue, the fact that she’s on a base and has her arms stretched upward, she actually measures in at just under 15 inches tall.

The outfit is both classic and simple, consisting of her iconic one-piece. The front features the wide golden wing border over her chest and the very large gold belt around her waist. Both areas are painted in a lush gold leaf paint that gives off a brushed metal look when viewed in the right lighting. Both the chest and waist pieces are sculpted as well as painted and the lines between them and the red middle are fairly clean. I had to get in pretty close and view it from a low angle to really see any minor deviations in the line. Diana’s blue “undies” are painted with a very vibrant shade of blue and speckled with razor sharp white stars. Lastly, her boots are red with white stripes running down the centers and white borders circling the tops. They also feature a very cool texture to make them look and feel like leather.

I’m extremely happy with the way the portrait came out as well. Her chin is lifted slightly upward, but no so much that it interferes with viewing the statue from dead on. Diana features soft, but well-defined facial features and crisply painted lips, eyes, and eyebrows. Her hair blows backwards and off her shoulders, and her gold tiara can be seen on her forehead, peeking out from her hair. If there’s one gripe I have, it’s that the ears didn’t receive quite the same level of detail as the rest, but they’re mostly obscured by her hair anyway. Now’s also a good time to come back to the question of materials, because I’m pretty sure that all the exposed skin is resin. It definitely isn’t flesh paint over porcelain. Whatever the case, I love what they did here. It gives her skin an extra warm and more realistic look, which contrasts beautifully with the matte paint used for much of the outfit.

And speaking of materials, the golden lasso is made of a springy wire, which is perfect in that it allows it to hold its intended shape, while not being brittle and prone to breaking. It’s even patterned to look like actual rope. I anticipated having to go through a lot of fussing and bother to get her lasso to look the way it’s supposed to, but it turns out that none of that was necessary. The statue actually comes out of the box with the lasso in it’s intended position, and that fact by itself is pretty damn impressive to me.

The base is a simple black disc, but it is extremely heavy. The figure is no slouch either, but in this case, the base clearly makes up most of the weight. That means you don’t have to worry about this lady toppling over, probably not even if you bump her. The stand includes Diana’s sculpted Wonder Woman emblem, which is also painted in the same lush gold leaf paint used for her costume. The bottom of the base features the statue’s hand numbered limitation. Mine is 3064 of 5000.

I can’t even express how happy I am that DC Collectibles decided to give this beautiful statue a new lease on life.  She’s an absolutely gorgeous update to the original piece and displays a level of quality and craftsmanship that actually feels like it exceeds the cost of the piece. And at just a smidge over $100, she actually clocks in at considerably less than you’re apt to find the smaller, original release. I own a lot of DC Comics Statutes, but this one is going to get a place of honor somewhere in my display. Previously, my favorite Wonder Woman statue was the first Wonder Woman Bishoujo statue by Kotobukiya, but this piece may usurp that one. Now, the only question is can the next DC Designer Series Wonder Woman (by Frank Cho and set to release next month) possibly upstage this one? I’m excited to find out.

Apr 21 2017

DC Bombshells (DC Designer Series): Wonder Woman by DC Collectibles

On the last DC Friday, I started digging into the first wave of the new DC Bombshells action figures. These figures are based on a line of statues, which conceptualize DC Characters (mostly the gals) in a 1940’s style. I kicked things off with a look at Batwoman, and boy was I impressed. Today, I’m pressing on and opening up my second figure in the assortment… Wonder Woman!

Clean, attractive, functional, and collector friendly. These are all words that I would use to describe DCC’s packaging these days. You also get some wonderful Bombshells character art on the side panel so you can line these up on a bookshelf and still know who is who. In this case, you also get a sticker on the window proclaiming the 75th Anniversary of Wonder Woman, and my doesn’t she still look great for her age! Normally, I’m quick to throw out action figure packaging, but I’m actually holding on to these boxes for now. I know, I probably won’t be able to keep them for long, but I want to at least give myself the option up until wave two hits.

And here she is out of the box and ready to go! If Batwoman represented America’s greatest pastime, then Wonder Woman here is going for the Rosie the Riveter, “We Can Do It!” angle. It’s a little more subtle here than a full on baseball uniform, but I still think it works very well. A big part of the success of this design for me is in the way the costume manages to stay faithful to Wonder Woman’s traditional look, while still embracing the 40’s style. The blouse, for example, features her emblem on the front, but adds a wide white collar and cuffs on the short sleeves. The blue shorts feature her iconic white stars, and her red high-heeled boots have white decorations and stars as well. The outfit is rounded out by a belt with a sculpted gold belt buckle and her famous lasso hanging off her right hip. She’s even got her wrist bracers, which are beautifully etched. All the details in the costume are part of the sculpt, and the paint is sharp and clean.

The portrait is over-the-top cheese, which certainly fits with the original statue. Wonder Woman is offering her biggest “Can Do” smile and has her hair tied up with a yellow ribbon while the bulk of her coif blows off in the breeze. I really love what they did here, but I have a feeling that it may be a little too singular a look for some collectors. It conveys the original art beautifully, but with a perpetually smiling expression, you are certainly limited in some of the poses you can pull off with her, whereas Batwoman’s portrait was more versatile. With that having been said, apart from adding in a second head, I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

The articulation here is every bit as good as what we got with Batwoman. The arms have rotating hinges in the shoulders, swivels in the biceps, double hinges in the elbows, and hinged pegs in the wrists. The legs are ball jointed at the hips, have swivels in the thighs, double hinges in the knees, and hinges and lateral rockers in the ankles. There’s a ball joint in the chest and another in the neck. Once again, I’ll point out the irony that these are figures based on a line of statues, and yet they feature some of the best articulation that we’ve seen out of DCC yet. And no stuck or gummy joints, either!

In addition to three sets of hands (fists, tight gripping, and loose gripping), Wonder Woman comes with two fun accessories. The first is a wrench, and let me tell you, if you’re in the market for a wrench in this scale, this is probably one of the best ones I’ve seen. It also fits the theme here quite well. I’m sure Wonder Woman is going to use that pipe wrench to tighten the bolts on the bomb that’s going to blow up Mr. Hitler! If not, then it’s just a great metaphor for the whole “Put America to work” mobilization that made up the CCC and WPA leading up to Doublya-Doublya-Two!

The other accessory is a chain with a cinder block on one end and a ball on the other. The original statue had her breaking a chain, which obviously inspired this piece. At first, I thought it an odd accessory, but I have to confess that I’ve had a ton of fun playing around with it.

If Batwoman spoke to my love of Baseball, Wonder Woman here does the same for my love of history. Everything about this figure gels so perfectly. The design, the execution, and the amazingly fun level of articulation. I was originally on board with these figures as some inexpensive alternatives to buying the statues, but I never expected them to be so engaging, or so difficult to put down. These figures are retailing for around $25 at most online retailers, and if this style is your jam, then you really can’t go wrong. On the next DC Friday, I’m going to take a mid-wave break to check out a statue, and then I’ll start opening up the second half of this assortment of amazing figures.

Nov 11 2016

Cover Girls of the DC Universe: Wonder Woman (Ver. 2) by DC Collectibles

Back when Cover Girls got rebooted, Wonder Woman was one of the first statues out of the gate. That initial release remains one of the very few of these ladies that I don’t own. It’s nothing against that particular statue, I just never got around to going back and picking her up. Well, now DCC has done a second version of her, and it’s spectacular, I doubt I’ll have any desire to revisit the first.

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There’s nothing new to say about the packaging. It’s the same fully enclosed box that houses a brick of styrofoam with the statue inside. The back of the box has photos of Bleez and the second version of Harley Quinn. Wonder Woman comes wrapped in plastic and measures at just around 9 1/2-inches tall. All you need to do is plug her into the base via a pair of metal rods and she’s all ready for display.

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There’s so much I love about this piece, I’m not sure where to begin. Yes, it’s a very conservative and conventional pose. Diana is standing with her left hip to the side and her hand resting on it. She holds her golden lasso in her right hand and her right foot is behind her with the toe of her boot touching the back of the base. It’s not action packed. It’s not even all that original. But, I think the composition here just captures the character so well. It’s heroic, it’s noble, and perhaps most of all it’s confident. And those are all qualities that I associate with this Amazon goddess.

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The costume here is most definitely the New 52 look and I’ve never had a problem with it. It pays respects to her traditional look with just a little extra oompf. Her one piece features the red segmented middle with the reinforced silver border on the top, an integral silver “belt” and finishes at the bottom with the blue “undies” with white stars. She has her simple blue boots with the white border at the top that points in the front, her silver arm bracers and the silver band on her left bicep. The muscle tone in her arms is particularly well done and she’s certainly packing some assets up front.

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As good as everything is from the neck down, the portrait is even better. In fact, I’d say this is one of the best since the line rebooted. Not only is Diana beautiful, but I’m in love with her eyes and her little grinning smirk. Again, she just exudes confidence. She looks like she’s about to get into the fray and is thinking, “this is going to be fun.” The fine details on her choker and tiara are fantastic and I just love what they did with her hair as it cascades down and behind her right shoulder. She’s just plain dreamy.

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I’ve had a few slight issues with paint on a couple of my recent Cover Girls, but where they fumbled, Wonder Woman grabs the ball and goes the distance. In fact, I might as well start by pointing out the only issue on the whole piece and that’s a tiny stroke of stray silver paint near her left elbow. The rest of this piece is meticulously painted with sharp edges and barely a brush mark to speak of. The red and blue are both rich and the silver is bright and beautiful. I also love her skin tone. It’s soft, warm, and appropriately tanned.

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So, if I had to pick something to gripe about, I’ll go with the translucent yellow plastic they used for her coiled lasso. I get what they were going for here, I don’t think it looks bad, but I think it would have looked better had they just painted it with a nice gold leaf paint, like the kind they used on the base.

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Speaking of which, the base is the standard Cover Girls oval with a gold surface and accents and the edges painted white. There are tiny WW emblems at the cardinal points, all painted gold. As usual, these statues are limited to 5,200 pieces and hand numbered on the bottom of the base. Mine is 2,504.

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I was looking forward to getting Wonder Woman on my Cover Girls shelf ever since they revealed this second version and I’m happy to say she did not disappoint. In fact, she’s instantly become one of my favorite pieces in this line. Everything about this piece just comes together so beautifully and the quality of craftsmanship on display here should be the standard they look to. To make things even better, I got a ridiculously great deal on her. While I would have been perfectly happy paying the MSRP of a hundred bucks, I was able to pick her up for $60. Not too shabby at all.

Jul 15 2014

DC Comics: Armored Wonder Woman Bishoujo Statue by Kotobukiya

It’s time for more plastic crack from Kotobukiya. They get my paychecks direct deposited to them now to save me the trouble. What do they do with what’s left over? Ha, there’s never anything left over! Anyway, a couple of years back, Koto gave Wonder Woman the Bishoujo treatment and the result has remained hands down my favorite piece in my Bishoujo collection. When I heard they were doing her again, I was certainly intrigued. Could they improve upon perfection? And why bother trying? Well, the result is their new Armored Wonder Woman Bishoujo, a completely new take on everyone’s favorite Amazon from Themyscira. I had this lady sitting in the receivings pile for a little while now and today is the day I’m finally getting to open her. Can she rival the previous Wonder Woman release? Let’s find out!

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If you’ve been collecting the line, the packaging here should be readily familiar to you. The statue comes in a two-sided window box with an extra window on top to let the light in. It gives you a passing peek at the statue itself, but she’s imprisoned behind plastic wrap and a couple of trays so you’ll need to get her out to fully appreciate her. The box is mostly white, but kitted out with plenty of colorful shots of the statue and the beautiful source art to make it exciting. The back of the box features a little blurb about Wonder Woman and, oh wait… what’s this?

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Awwww…. Yeah! While Spider-Woman will be the next Bishoujo Statue I look at here at FFZ, Starfire is still due to ship this month. With the exception of maybe Zatanna, Starfire has been tops on my list of characters I wanted to see in this line. Needless to say, I’m really looking forward to her release. Ah, but let’s not steal any of Diana’s spotlight… back to Wonder Woman. The statue requires very little assembly. You need only plug her into the stand and she’s ready for display.

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Ooooh… my! The photos I’ve seen of this beauty just don’t do her justice. The first thing you may find yourself asking, “this is Armored Wonder Woman? Really???” Well, her boots look like they feature a little extra reinforcement so her feet will be OK, but I’m not sure a pleated skirt, bodice, and dainty cape constitutes armor. Not that I’m complaining mind you. Diana’s got her bullet-deflecting bracelets so why does she need armor? The composition here is a spectacular blend of action and glorious cheesecake muggery. Diana has one foot on the base with the other leg bent back, her left hip tossed to the side and her bracelets crossed, no doubt to deflect the onslaught of fanboy overtures. The piece displays great from a number of angles, but if you rotate her off to the side just a little bit, you can get her gaze looking straight at you and it makes for what I think is the statue’s sweet spot. As far as height is concerned, this statue is slightly taller than the previous Wonder Woman, but right in line pieces like Power Girl and Huntress. The only Bishoujo on my shelf that stands above her is Storm and that’s mostly because of the base.

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So, let’s swing back and talk about her costume. The sexy high heeled boots feature intricately detailed buckles running up the outer sides and the somewhat chunky raised white bands do indeed give them a sense of extra fortification. The paintwork on the boots is truly exceptional. That deep, metallic red is absolutely gorgeous and contrasts beautifully with the matte white and metallic gold.

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The skirt is fabricated from a light, slightly transparent blue plastic, which looks fantastic and naturally it’s kicking up in the back to showcase her star spangled panties. In this case, Wonder Woman could take a lesson from Mara Jade and lose the cape because it’s blocking the view. Of course, the cape does add a lot to the kineticism of the piece. It’s flowing out to the side and perfectly counterbalances the composition of her left foot reaching down to the base. The bodice follows the same outrageous coloring of the boots with that sumptuous metallic red paint and beautiful gold paint on her belt and eagle emblem. The right side of the belt features Diana’s coiled lasso and a finely detailed little snap to hold it in place.

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The portrait here is everything I’ve come to love about this line. Her face is a little more angular than some and her eyes are a little better proportioned, making this piece a maybe a tad more accessible to the non-anime fans out there. Most of the Bishoujo’s feature a down-turned head, but Diana’s is more cocked to the side so her face isn’t really obscured and I like that a lot. The windblown hair effect is particularly good here and compliments the cape for a nice sense of energy. Naturally the paintwork on the face is immaculate and we get more of that lush metallic red and gold paint on her tiara.

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The statue does actually feature a swappable left hand that’s holding a dagger. The dagger is a great looking piece and I’ll concede that it does work very well with the composition by throwing a little more balance to oppose the cape. As a matter of preference, however, I think I’ll stick to the dagger-less look for my display.

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I’ve never been all that big on Wonder Woman using swords and such and I think the pose works better without it. Nonetheless, it’s always nice when you get some display options on pieces like this one. Somebody out there is going to prefer the look of the dagger.

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Last up is the base. I’m sure I’ve said it before, but you never quite know which way Koto’s going to go with their bases. They’re either going to be the elaborate diorama-type (like we saw with the first Wonder Woman) or just simple and utilitarian and in this case they went with the latter. You get a very simple transparent blue circle that sweeps up at the back. I like the fact that the base is small, because my Bishoujo shelves are getting a little congested these days. However, I do kind of wish they had just gone for regular clear plastic because I’m not sure the blue tint makes much sense here. Maybe it was just to add a little more blue to the overall pallet.

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I really tried hard not to come at this review as a comparison to the original Wonder Woman Bishoujo. In style and composition, the two statues are about as different as they can get and still be in the same line. The original strikes me as something that could still appeal to a Wonder Woman collector who doesn’t happen to enjoy the anime influences of this line. It also has a serene sense of nobility and beauty that’s quite remarkable. Now, that’s not to take away from this new version, which is an absolutely fantastic piece that goes for more energy but still manages to capture everything there is to say about the character. I think this one fits in with recent Bishoujo releases a little better than the previous one. Is the original release my favorite of the two? Had you asked me that based solely on the pictures of this new one, I’d say there was never any doubt. Now that I have them side by side, it’s a much harder decision. I think the original still holds its own as my favorite statue in my collection, but I never thought it would be this close and that’s a huge credit to this new version.

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Armored Wonder Woman is readily available now at around $55-60 and that’s a hell of a deal for such a gorgeous piece of work. Of course, Koto has yet another Wonder Woman coming out soon in their ArtFX Sixth-Scale line and that one is looking mighty damn fine as well!

Jan 17 2014

DC Comics: Wonder Woman ArtFX+ Statue by Kotobukiya

Last week I started checking out Koto’s ArtFX+ Justice League statues with Supes himself and since we are dealing with the “New 52” verse, I thought it fitting to move on to his main squeeze Wonder Woman. This is also where I resist the urge to comment on any recent casting announcements made by Warner Bros. regarding a certain Amazon for their Man of Steel sequel in fear of pissing off any fans of that movie or that casting decision. Oh, look! We have a statue to look at!

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The packaging is similar to what we saw last time only now we get a Wonder Woman motif and her emblem looks particularly nice on the side panel. Everything I said about Superman’s box applies here as well. The printed art on the clear plastic looks great, and it’s designed that you can even display the statue pretty well while still in the package. On the downside it’s very fragile. Case in point, mine must have gotten bumped in shipment. The outer box is fine, but the inner tray was cracked at the bottom. The trays protected the statue just fine, but a regular cardboard box probably would have prevented any damage at all. I always keep my statue boxes and I’m rather concerned about these boxes getting scratched up or crushed over a long period of time.

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Out of the package, WW looks gorgeous. I’ll get to her pose in a moment, but first I really need to gush about how beautifully the matte plastic used for her skin contrasts with the high gloss metallic paint used on her costume. Granted, she’s showing a lot less skin than the older and more iconic WW costume. Here she’s graduated to wearing full pants and a corset-style top leaving just her arms and shoulders bare, but the effect is still striking. I probably like WW’s “New 52” outfit least of all the Justice League member makeovers, but I do still like it. I miss the gold, I think the boots should still be red, and the darker blue and lack of colored stars mean that it’s not quite colorful enough for me, but Koto still did a wonderful job recreating the new look here and they even managed to include her short sword. Still, it’s the sculpting on the corset is what really grabs me. The eagle motif on top and the panel lining are both fantastic.

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And then there’s the portrait. Koto is no stranger to sculpting some lovely looking ladies and Wonder Woman here is no exception. There’s still a bit of an anime influence here, but I don’t find it as overt as what we saw in Superman. She’s looking slightly down and off to the side, which is practically Koto’s trademark look by now, and sporting a stern and noble expression. The sculpted work on her hair is splendid and I love the way they carried it over to her face with paint apps. The tiny choker necklace and tiara tie the whole portrait together.

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Like Superman, the pose here is very much “museum style” with just a hint of action. Wonder Woman is practically mugging for the camera with her left arm cocked and her fist is resting on her hip. Her right arm poised at the ready to grab her golden lasso. The way her back is arched is almost poetic and I think she looks best when positioned on her base at a slight angle with her left foot pointing forward.

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Speaking of bases, you get the exact same base that came with Superman. It’s a simple black metal square with “Justice League” on the front. The magnets in Wonder Woman’s feet help her to stand up, which is a good thing because she’s hard to keep standing without the assist. The magnet system also ensures that you can position her anywhere on the stand. She looks particularly nice when sharing a stand with Supes.

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I was already sold on this line with Superman, but with the acquisition of Wonder Woman I was further assured that there was no turning back now. She’s an absolutely gorgeous statue. Initially I had some minor doubts about the scale on these pieces. 1:10th scale seemed a bit too close to the action figures and I tend to associate Koto’s work with 1:8th scale and above. Those doubts, however, are starting to fade and I’m thinking that these statues are going to be the perfect size for assembling the entire team on my shelf. Wonder Woman originally retailed at around the $40-45 mark, but I was able to pick her up off of Amazon for just under $30. A very nice deal for a very nice statue! Next week, we’ll check out The Flash!

May 7 2013

DC Comics Unlimited: “New 52” Wonder Woman by Mattel

Last week I hit y’all with a triple play of Marvel, and yesterday I did my usual Marvel Monday. In case you’re all Marveled out, I thought we’d see what’s going on in the other camp. Today and tomorrow I’ll be delivering a one-two punch from Mattel’s DC Comics Unlimited series, and we’re starting with Wonder Woman. I’m sure I’ve said this before, but I really dig the New 52’s Wonder Woman. The art isn’t among my favorite of the current DC books, but it gets by. The story, on the other hand… conceptually, the story is just everything I wouldn’t have expected. The first year played out as a bizarre tour of the tortured relationships between Diana’s extended family, The Olympian Gods. The take on these Gods is nothing short of brilliant. Their dialogue is dry and witty, their character designs are fresh and original, and in a lot of cases, their characterization is so entertaining that they make Wonder Woman take a backseat in her own book! I can see why this sort of thing would irk Wonder Woman fans to no end, but ultimately the book is so imaginative and entertaining to me, I’m willing to forgive what sometimes feels like a bait-and-switch.

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DC Unlimited is just another one of the confused splinter lines which rose from the ashes of the now defunct DC Universe Classics. Like the Signature Collection, or the short-lived All-Stars, these figures are designed to be right at home on your DCUC shelves, while drawing primarily from characters as they appear in contemporary DC Comics media. I had a lot of fun poking fun at the “reinvention” of the DCUC line into DC All-Stars when the package and branding barely changed at all, but the packaging for DC Unlimited got a full revamp, and the result is pretty spectacular.

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The cards really stand out on the pegs, thanks to the huge panel of artwork inside the bubble. The artwork featured here comes from Jim Lee’s Justice League, rather than WW’s own book, which is a good thing, because I think that book looks far more dynamic and exciting. The back panel features a little blurb about the character and brings back the little list of stats. Overall, this packaging is just every bit as colorful and exciting as a comic book action figure deserves.

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The first thing I noticed about WW was that she seems rather smallish, so much so that the regular DCUC WW stands about a head taller. On the plus side, all the New 52 figures have been smaller than their predecessors, so Diana fits in fine with my DC All-Stars Batman and Superman. I’m not sure if Mattel did this to save plastic or just because these are supposed to be younger versions of the characters, either way it does make them stand out when displayed with DCUC figures.

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That having been said, what’s here is quite good. The skin tone on Diana’s face is a bit waxy, but the sculpt is beautiful. Again, she’s patterned after the Justice League art as opposed to Cliff Chiang’s larger eyed version from the Wonder Woman book. The hair is particularly well sculpted, although it does render her neck articulation useless.

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DCUC used to get by with a lot of painted costumes, but that’s certainly not the case here. With the exception of her arm band, every detail on Wonder Woman’s outfit is actually sculpted onto the figure. That includes not only the boots and bracers and the crest running along the top of her “swimsuit” but also all of the panel lines, the stars, and the choker. Her lasso is permanently coiled and attached to her hip, and she has an oddly placed loop on her butt to hold her sword. The sword came out of my package warped to hell. I was able to straighten it out and it looks pretty good in her hand, but it’s still a very soft and flimsy piece of plastic. The one downside of the sculpt is Mattel’s decision to plaster the copyright information in huge lettering across Diana’s back. Yes, some of it is obscured by her hair, but it’s really ugly. This kind of thing belongs on the bottoms of the feet or inside of the leg in tiny letters, not like a billboard on the figure’s back.

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Wonder Woman’s paintwork is mostly ok, but it varies a lot. The paint on her face is solid, although there is a stray mark between her eyebrows. The paint on her one-piece is practically immaculate. On the other hand, the white striping on her boots is rather sloppy. I do like the red and blue and silver they used, although I’m not a fan of the blue boots over the old red ones. But that’s an issue I have with the character design, not Mattel’s figure.

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Diana’s articulation offers most everything you would expect to find in a DCUC figure. The arms are ball jointed in the shoulders, hinged at the elbows, and have swivels in the biceps and wrists. The legs have the usual DCUC joint in the hips, which allow for lateral movement, hinges in the knees and ankles, and swivels in the biceps. There is no ab crunch hinge, instead, there’s a swivel in the upper torso. It feels like it might be a ball joint, but it really only allows for side to side movement. The neck is ball jointed, but as already mentioned, the sculpted hair renders it useless.

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Overall, I think Wonder Woman turned out ok. She’s not exceptional in any way, just competent. There are some tweaks here and there that could have made her a better figure, but she fits in fine with the growing ranks of my New 52 Justice League. I picked up mine online for around $18, which feels a little steep. I think these figures are closer to $15 if you can find them on the pegs, but there’s only one store in my area that even stocks DC Unlimited and all they have is Hawkman, and I’m not keen on his new design to pick warrant a purchase.

Ok, folks, time to pay the kitty, I’ll be back tomorrow with a look at DC Unlimited Flash!

Apr 13 2013

DC Comics: Bishoujo Wonder Woman Statue by Kotobukiya

Here’s one that’s been on my want list for a long time. She’s also been sitting on the shelf at my local comic shop taunting me to buy her every time I go in for a visit. Sure, she’s about ten bucks more there then I could get her online, but my last visit just seemed like the right time to pull the trigger. And I’m fine with dropping an extra tenner on a collectible if it means supporting a small business. Anywho, Wonder Woman happens to be one of my favorite books in the New 52 and I’ve recently picked up the first two collected volumes in hardcovers. I’m enjoying revisiting them just as much as when I went through these twelve issues for the first time on my Kindle. That probably explains my sudden incentive to finally buy Koto’s Bishoujo statue. Sure, this is Wonder Woman before they put her in pants in #600, and then changed her up again for the New 52 Reboot, and that’s cool because as much as I am enjoying her new book, I still dig her more traditional look best.

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Alas, your pal FigureFan was hitting the Jameson pretty good the other night and decided to open her up before taking the in-package shots. Sure, she’ll go back into the box, but I didn’t feel like putting her back in once I had her on my shelf. Besides, you get the idea. The presentation here is very standard for Koto’s Bishoujo line. You get a box with windows on two sides, as well as on the top. The other panels consist of a mix of the original art design for the statue and some photographs of the actual piece. There’s also a blurb about Wonder Woman and the statue on the back. The box lets you get a passing look at what’s inside, but she’s wrapped in plastic and sandwiched between two plastic trays, so you’re not yet seeing her at her best. There’s also some assembly required on this piece, so you really need to bust her out of there to fully appreciate what you’re getting. As always, the package is collector friendly. My statue’s box is a little rough around the edges, but I think she’s been banging around that comic shop for quite some time.

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What sort of assembly is required? Well, Diana comes already affixed to her base. You just need to put her lasso in her hands and place the spears and helmet on the base. The way the lasso works is very clever. Each of the loops has a break in the top with each side pegged to go into her hands. The result is an effect that actually looks like she’s holding a coiled rope, when in fact it’s all cool fakery. The spears are inserted into tiny slots in the cloak behind the shield. The helmet doesn’t peg or fasten down in any way so you can just place it anywhere you like, or leave it out entirely if you prefer.

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Out of the box, all assembled and hot damn, this is one gorgeous statue. The pose is very simple, with WW standing tall and favoring one hip ever so slightly. Her arms are held out at her sides, clutching her golden lasso, which runs behind her back. Her head is cocked a little down and to the right. In theory, I like the positioning of the head, but it does mean that you really need to pick up the statue and peak underneath to get a good look at her face. The face is classic Bishoujo, enhanced by some exceptionally well-sculpted hair blowing off to the side. She’s also wearing her trademark gold tiara and she even has a pair of red star earrings.

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WW’s body type is just the right balance of power and femininity. She’s definitely all woman. Koto was extra generous with her upper assets, but that’s to be expected with these statues. The enhancement is noticeable, but not quite taken to ridiculous proportions. Her skin is beautifully sculpted and has that great, soft and realistic texture that Koto manages to nail on these statues every time.

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Of course one of my favorite things about the Bishoujo statues is the way Koto contrasts the soft skin tones of the ladies with the costumes and this statue is no exception. WW’s one-piece outfit is exquisitely reproduced and uses some of the most gorgeous metallic red paint that I’ve ever seen. It’s so vibrant, it makes the metallic gold look somber by comparison. The blue is no slouch either. The same luxurious red is used for her high heeled boots. There are some brush strokes showing up on the white of her boots. It doesn’t detract much from the statue, but it’s conspicuous just because the paint on my Bishoujo statues is generally peerless.

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You never know what Koto’s going to do where the base is concerned. It could be anything from a simple disk to an all-out environment and Wonder Woman’s base is pretty elaborate. The disc is sculpted with a rough ground texture. On it is a sculpted, crumpled cloak with a beautifully painted shield resting on top at an angle and the aforementioned spears protruding from behind it. If there’s one gripe I have about this statue, it’s the layout of the base. The spears stick out pretty far beyond the back of the base, meaning this piece takes up a lot of precious display space. If you have a place of honor for the statue and planning on displaying her alone, it’s probably not that big a deal. On the other hand, if you are adding her to a somewhat crowded shelf of other statues, you may want to consider removing the spears to economize your space. Also, while the helmet is an extremely nice piece, but it because it doesn’t attach to the base I tend to forget it’s going to fall off when I pick up the statue.

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I’ve only been collecting these statues for a little over a year, but my collection is growing and I have to say Wonder Woman is probably my favorite one on the shelf right now. It may just be that I’m smitten by “new purchase” love, but I think she’s going to stand the test of time. As with Power Girl, I think Koto was able to deliver the bishoujo style here without compromising one iota of the character. It’s a totally iconic piece, and those are the ones that I love the most. I tend to forget how much I enjoy these statues until I actually get a new one and then I fall in love with the line all over again. There are a couple more sitting at the comic shop, and I’m really tempted to drive over there next weekend and give them a home as well.