Green Lantern Series 3: Sculpts Pass, Scale Fails

I was a huge Star Wars fan was I was a kid. I had all the original toys and playsets, in fact I sold off the majority of that to fund the start of my superhero toy collection - keeping my main characters and of course Admiral Ackbar, who for some reason has always been one of my favourite toys.

The thing I loved about getting toys from each wave of the Kenner line was the expansion of the Star Wars "world". That bit more of the universe to explore, display and enjoy. Now I've been collecting DCD long enough to know that having an aim like that with these toys will only lead to frustration. I just collect the lines I like and put them together where I can. It usually works for me. Sadly with this line that's not the case. I'll give you a rundown on the four new figures on their own and then show you why.

First to the good: I appreciate the way that DCD gives each wave its own distinctive packaging and styling and usually keeps it consistent between waves. This is the case here, and despite the distance in time between waves these would fit in perfectly with the previous for the MIP collector.

The overall look of these figures is great. The paint apps are very clean - no issues on any of mine. I really dig Sinestro's new uniform, so much so that I am almost tempted by the 13" version, but not if it's going to be as purple as this guy is. Grape Ape attacks! He includes a yellow lantern and a Despotellis figure which is a bit lacklustre - a bit more detail would have made it worth the effort.

Star Stapphire is pretty hot - I've heard her described as "Turnerized" but the main difference is she has a bigger noggin than the pinheaded ladies from the Identity Crisis line. This is an excellent figure and easier to pose than the original. She has basic articulation, but her head is pretty impossible to move because of her hair and her collar.

I don't own the original Cyborg Superman to compare with, but this one is a very adequate representation of his appearances in the Sinestro Corps War. The biggest annoyance with this and the other male figures is the lack of ankle articulation which makes them difficult to pose upright. I haven't been able to get Cyborg Superman to stand without a base. CS does have some nice touches, like a set of yellow Sinestro Corps rings.

I was totally not buying Bat Lantern, despite the fact that actually really liked the story that inspired the figure, but - what can I say? He looks great!! Not sure about the thing poking out of his Bat Symbol tho - I think it's supposed to be a projected it looks a bit wonkyville. It's a great toy for any Batfan, but I still think it will be the peg warmer of the wave.

And so the time has come once again for AFB to sadly blow a giant, juicy scale raspberry in the face of DC Direct. As has been discussed previously, I don't get hung up on scale as much as some collectors, but the very least I do expect that is that figures within the same series are in scale with each other (JSA Atoms, anyone........?). While these four figures work together on their own, things start to go pear shaped when you introduce figures from previous waves, and the biggest clanger of all is the Hal Jordan GL from Series One. Shorty City! Obviously the figures from the newer waves are fed a much more nutritious diet than those poor Series One guys were. However it happened, it doesn't make for a very impressive display.

And that's the rub, as so often happens with DCD. The character selection on this wave is bizarre - why not slip in one long-awaited GL Corps member like Arisia to keep the collectors happy? How hard is it to ensure that figures in the same series are at least in scale with each other? Why can't DCD seem to go those few extra inches to really deliver?

I wonder what vintage Star Wars figures are going for on eBay these days?

DCUC Fan Poll: Save Ragman!!!

If you haven't come across it yet, the promised DCUC Fan Choice poll is now up at Wizard and will also be featured in this week's Toyfare. The picks are Huntress, Question (Vic Sage), Jack Knight Starman, Catman, Vixen and Ragman.

I'd actually love this to be a wave on its own. - they're all great characters! For a Fan Poll, It's not a great list - it's hard to imagine that Huntress, Vixen, Catman, Vic Sage and even Jack Knight really need the help of a fan poll to get made.

Ragman's the one in the bunch that I'd say we're least likely to see without the help from something like this, so to that end AFB is coming out in full support of Ragman, who's currently coming dead last in the poll.

C'mon guys, I want a Question and a Catman too, but we're going to get those anyway. Rags is the one!

Vote early, and if you can, vote often!

Previews Picks: July

It's a bit of a sad statement on my months, but one of the highlights of each 30/31 days is picking up my copy of PREVIEWS and flicking to the Toys section to see what goodies I can't afford for the coming months. With early solicitations etc alot of it's not a surprise but there are always a few goodies in there which make the choosing and budgeting challenging!

In celebration of this pleasant monthly ritual I'm going to post a monthly overview of my picks from the Toys etc. section of Previews each month. It may not match anyone's else's top wants but hey.... it's my blog!

Top Pick: Bowen Northstar & Aurora Mini-Bust Two-Pack
I kid you not, on the day I picked up the new Previews I was thinking how cool it would be if they finally put out a Northstar mini-bust, and wa-lah! Jean-Paul and Jeanne-Marie in one go - even better! If only I'd known my thoughts were going to be so productive, I would've wished for that pony, or at least a better golf game!

These look pretty much perfect. I just hope that they're in scale with the other Bowen busts and not more "mini" because there are two. Cannot wait.

Pick: DCD 13" Supergirl
I'm a big fan of this line (but not addicted, really!) and it's great to see another female character in the line. From the pics I might say this could well be the best female entry in the 13" line yet. The headsculpt is excellent and for me puts a true end to the sculpted vs. rooted hair debate, if there ever was a need for it.

The inclusion of Streaky is great fun, and the lack of a peekaboo hole in the breastal area means Mrs AFB will let this one in the house. Everyone's a winner!

Pick: Previews Exclusive Mighty Muggs Admiral Ackbar
I've already talked about my

developing Mighty Mugg addiction, and this Admiral Ackbar is a must! A double "Grrrr!" then that these aren't available to Australia through Previews. An eBaying I will go.....

Possible Pan: Heroes Action Figures Series 3
I'll hold out final judgement until I see Series 1 in person, but I just can't get into these Heroes figures because the headsculpts just seem sooo off. Some of them are just bad likenesses, but what power is the Peter Petrelli in S3 exhibiting? Super wrinkledness? Super constipationedness? Hrrrmmm. Love the show and I'm hoping they look better in person, but these pics don't fill me with confidence.

You Wish Pick!: 1:1 Thor of Asgard Helmet Replica
As much as I would love this (totally for display - I mean it would just look silly without the hammer...), this little collector just doesn't have a spare $400 lying around. Yeargh.

Those are the main highlights and possible lowlights as I see them. As always, too much good stuff, too little in the bank account.

Ciao!

Which Bulleteer is better? Doosh Custom Con 5

AFB is a lucky judge of the current Custom Con taking place over at the crazy and anarchic message board known as the Doosh. As you know if you've read much here, I'm a great lover and consumer (as in buying and displaying, not eating) of custom figures and I don't know many better customisers than the dudes that hang out at that site.

The way these Cons work is that folks from the amazing crew of customisers over there match up on set characters and then a panel of judges decides a winner for each character without knowing whose custom is whose.

Little did I know how challenging this job was going to be! We've done our first four match-ups today and they were all close calls in my book. Check out these two Bulleteer customs as an example of the amazing talent that is over there.

If you want to find out which Bulleteer I voted for and see the rest of the customs, have a look here:

As I've mentioned before, if you decide to venture outside of the linked thread on the Doosh, send the kiddies out of the room first and keep an emergency eye washing kit handy, just in case! And it goes without saying that AFB takes no responsibility for any psychological damage or therapy you might need after.

Oh, and if you see anything you want to buy or commission another version of for yourself, you'll probably have to get in line - I've started my list already!

AFB is now on Twitter

When it comes to technology, I'm what's called an early adopter. I love new toys, new sites. Can't help it.

I don't quite know what Twitter is good for yet, but I'm not gonna be the last kid on the block without one, so if you look on the left you'll see that AFB now has Twitter updates. You can also "follow" me on Twitter if you wish.

Everyone needs followers, right?

Anyhoo, join in if you wish - love to "see" you over there.

A small plug for The Geek Hub

They say that once you get one tattoo you get addicted and start thinking about the next one. I used to dream of a little GL or Atom symbol etched somewhere discreet, but Mrs AFB made it pretty clear awhile ago that was a no go - something about melting all my toys into a giant vase.. or that might have been melting my boys into something - either way it sounded pretty dire....

Anyway, I've discovered blogging is pretty addictive too. There's lots of stuff outside of toys that I have a take on, but I try to keep AFB as on-topic to the action figure world as possible so I've refrained from posting it here.

The solution: I'm officially bi-blogual. I'd love you to have a look at The Geek Hub, which is where I'm going to be geeking out on more general comics, SciFi, TV/Film and web stuff. I don't know what shape it will take yet but I'll try to keep it current.

The url is http://www.thegeekhub.net/

Nothing will change here, and the other blog may not be for you, but I thought I'd give it one plug to give it a start!

Enjoy!

Scott

Mini Toygasm

My great customising friend Jackknight92 has some breaking news pics of the Alex Ross JSA Wave One toys over at the Doosh. (Worth a look, however if you've never trod the hallowed and harrowing boards of the Doosh before- be warned, some of it isn't for the faint-hearted!)

I'll let you look at the whole range over there because it's Jack's scoop, but I had to have a Legion-related geek-out about the Starman figure here. I'm generally enthusiastic about the wave - good to see Jay looking his age, but I'll be throwing things around the room if Sand doesn't have a removable helmet or swappable head. I could also start writing all the irate posts people will be making when these coming out about how they don't fit with any other JSA figs - get over it now guys!!

Anyway, back to Thom - I'm going to have to have one of the for the Kingdom Come display and one one for the JSA display, and then I'm going to have to have one that can be customised to a Levitz-era LSH Thom with a beard - can anyone suggest a figure with a good bearded dude headsculpt???

Of course, he's prolly not going to fit in with any other BA Legionnaire I get made, but right now, I really don't care!!

Anyone want to help a mate out?

Gotta love Con exclusives, especially when you live a bizbillion miles away from all of the cons! Action Figure Insider has given the heads up on a couple of exclusives that this Aussie (by marriage) lad is drooling over, but the household coffers probably aren't up to funding an overseas trip just to get them. I just thought I'd put these out there in case any of AFB's tens of loyal readers (actually it seems like we're building up to more than that but I'll be cautious in my estimating) are feeling super generous in the con season.

Firstly, I loves my new Battlestar Galactica and related figures, even if the 2nd wave of DST toys is taking FOREVER to come out and the 3rd wave seems to have lost the plot a bit with the inclusion of Razor characters before we have key players like Cmdr. Adama, Roslin, Tigh or Baltar.....

But I digress - my BSG collection simply won't be complete without the groovy DST SDCC Exclusive Blood-Spattered Cylon!! Colour me weird, but why does this one appeal to me 100 times more than the non blood-spattered version?? Maybe we don't want the answer to that.

And then there's the Alex Ross Flash Gordon. I know that lots of folk have "issues" with Ross' seeming need to remake everything he likes into his own image, but I'm a bit of a Flash Gordon tragic (Flash!! Ah-ahhhhhhhhhh...!! - need I say more??)

This exclusive is "Classic Flash" in his football gear - complete with football!! Even better, it's in the 7" scale so will fit right in with Ross JUSTICE figures. That sounds cynical, but I really do want this figure. Even though it's Ross. It's Flash Gordon. That wins. Just.

Last year my LCS managed to get in the Star Trek TWOK SDCC Exclusives so I'm hoping they can help me. Dang it's hard to be on the other side of the world at this time of year!

I just keep reminding myself that my mother and I get along much better on different continents.......

Flash!! Ah-ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Many thanks to AFI for the news and pics)

Showcase: Towering over the rest

Scalists beware: Showcase Presents Series One is not the wave for you. Stay away, and I mean you need to give this a really wide berth, unless you want to run into Batgirl's hips. Trust me, if you do, you won't win.

Now AFB is not a scalist, but totally understands why his scalist friends would and are going bananas (like, brown and squishy bananas) about these figures. The best way for someone who wants an in-scale DC Universe to enjoy these is either to pretend they don't exist or to keep them MIB in their lovely packaging. Opening them up will only end in tears.

From all I'd read and seen before I got my own set I was all ready to do some serious hating on these mammoth monstrosities, but once I'd opened them and had a look I had a bit of an epiphany as to the state of the world which I'll get to in a moment. With that in mind I'm willing to give the wave a review on its own merits.

The packaging of these is a definitely a highlight, so much so that I really hesitated about opening them. I decided that I'll probably pick up a second version of my favourite (tell you in a moment) to have an example of the packaging for posterity. The card enclosed is very nice and folds out to promote recent DCD waves which is a nice touch. The back of the card is different for each figure which is also a bit special.

Overall quality control on the figures I bought are excellent. I have read a number of complaints about sloppy paint apps on these but mine are pretty much perfect and the other figures I've seen are the same. The figures are well articulated and apart from Batgirl are well accessorised.

Superman is great if you look at him as a Silver Age Superman, not so great if you were hanging on this to be your Curt Swan Supes. His body proportions are just a bit off and the headsculpt isn't really Swan. I like the extra heads and hands. My eldest daughter, who has previously expressed great interest in the properties and effects of Kryptonite, is over the moon about this figure. I would have liked a lion's mane that extended past the flesh colour on Supes' neck to complete the effect. If I forget that this is meant to be a Curt Swan Supes then I quite like this figure.

Jonah Hex is nothing short of awesome. I love the headsculpt and facial scar, the pattern of the colour on his jacket which well simulates denim and his two guns, one of which fits snugly in his holster. One improvement would have been a hat which fits a little more snugly on his head as it sits a bit "on top" of his head as opposed to "on" it. But that's pretty picky - this is a figure to love for sure.

From the solicits, I expected to like Hawkman the least because of his headsculpt which I wasn't really familiar with, but this has turned out to be my pick of the wave. I've read that others struggled to find a Hawkman with a well painted Hawk symbol but thankfully mine is neat and tidy. His wings fit in easily and he's well proportioned. I hadn't realised that his mask fits over a headsculpt. My big disappointment with the Justice Hawkman was that the Carter head underneath was a pinhead in order to fit the helmet - this one is a big improvement on that. The only thing about displaying him without his helmet is that the way his head is structured to fit the helmet means that without it his face is very downcast.

On her own, Batgirl really is quite an outstanding figure and I quite prefer her to the insipid SA version from the original boxsets. I do think she could have come with some accessories like Batarangs etc especially since the other figures in the wave are well set out in this area. She's the only figure I'll go into detail about scale about: she really is disproportionate to alot of figures you'd want to display her with. She sortof fits in with Justice but is out of place era wise. Obviously DCD wasn't aiming to make these figures in scale with others, but even so Batgirl seems like a production mistake, which is a shame because the sculpt is absolutely excellent.

Batgirl in fact isn't even really in scale with Superman, but it was looking at these two together that something dawned on me: these figures come from a time in comics when stories stood on their own, and characters weren't "in scale" with each other, let alone a "universe", since the concept didn't exist. A time when fans would have been tickled pink to have these amazing representations of their favourite characters and taken them for what they are: great toys.

Before Brewer and co grab this article and make me their poster boy, I'm not defending them. Someone accused me today of being a DCD apologist. O-kay. Look, this little blogger knows that Brewer doesn't understand his client base and that this wave is the latest in a long line of either extremely incompetent or extremely arrogant moves. No question. Is it wrong to want an in-scale DCU? Of course not. Could DCD have delivered that? Yes, and those who set out collecting thinking that would be the case have a right to be jaded and cynical.

I'm not talking about DCD, I'm talking about us. Maybe, just maybe, we contributed to this mess in the first place by wanting everything to connect, by wanting "universes", by wanting everything "in scale". What's the cost? In my book, we've sacrificed good stories, sound writing and characterisation for continuity, crossovers and meaningless event after event. The idea is so appealing. I read CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS as a teenager and it felt like a new age was dawning, so exciting, but where are we now? Has it been worth it? The best comics I've read recently, DC, Marvel or other, don't connect to anything, they stand as outstanding stories on their own. Good times.

These figures could have integrated into existing lines if the scale had been nailed, but it wasn't. Let that stop you from buying them if you want, that's cool. Mine are going in their own spot to remind me that end of the day we all take this stuff a bit too seriously at times.

And now? Back to the LCS to get another Hawkman to keep an example of the packaging, and another Superman for the eldest daughter's Christmas bag.

Mmmmm!! Mighty Muggs!!

The last thing AFB really needs is another obsession. I have quite a number of shelves and storage boxes full of them after all, not to mention that growing section of the linen press that Mrs AFB keeps mentioning she'd like to reclaim for stuff like.... well, linen.

So when I first saw the Hasbro Mighty Muggs versions of some of the Star Wars characters, I breathed a little sigh of relief that they were pretty likely to show their cute little faces in Aussieland, because I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to resist them.

BIG mistake then to go to the big comic shop in the city last weekend! There they were, flashing their funny little forms and big heads, their clever and attractive packaging, and I was very lucky to walk out with just Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia.

Don't know why, but while the Marvel superhero versions of these don't really appeal to me, I can't get enough of the Star Wars line. They're so funny looking they really work. They're made of 100% recycled materials, and everyone that looks at them needs to touch them to see if they're inflated, metal or what. They feel more solid than you expect.

The lines are very clear, colours bright and well applied. They have arm, leg and neck artculation and come with cute accessories in the same inflated-look style.

Definitely an A+++ product, but like I said I don't need another obsession, so Luke and Leia are going to the bookshelves at work, and I'm definitely not buying any more. Really.

That guy that called the shop to ask them to put aside C3PO and Yoda using my voice? Total impersonator.

DCD Pops its Con Exculsive Cherry

It's been a long time coming: DC Direct will officially issue its first Convention Exclusives at this year's San Diego Comic Con and Wizard World Chicago. Opinion is strongly divided on whether this long awaited entry is a bang or a whimper.

On offer will be retooled versions of the Batman and Joker figures from the recent Batman & Son series. The Bats is a black & grey version of the original blue and grey and interestingly the Bat Prongs are less stumpy than the original. The Joker is a bigger retool with a straight jacket and bare feet similar to his appearance in the recent Batman vs. The Joker statue. (Thought: I hope this new Joker is steady on his feet - my Batman & Son Joker toppled off the shelf so many times I had to put him away!!)

The packaging of these exclusives is outstanding. The style of the design and artwork is very similar to the boxes for the 13" figures and it seems that the packaging inside allows for good looking display in package if desired.

I've read a lot of complaints about the choice of figures for these con exclusives, but it seems to me this is a bit short sighted. Sure, I'd rather DCD was putting out B'wana Beast and a Silver Age Brainiac as much as the next collector, but are we really the target audience for these exclusives? It seems to me this is a great opportunity for DCD to pull in a wider range of fanboys and girls, and capitalising on the Batman / Joker hype from The Dark Knight movie is a pretty sensible move.

The flipside of course is that by offering retooled figures as opposed to originals the core DCD fanbase is less likely to chase these down and go crazy over them the way us crazy fanboys / girls (fanpersons???) tend to do. Doubtless a whole swag of these will still end up on eBay at ridiculous prices.

All up I think these are a great effort for the big picture and I don't think DCD is deserving of the bad rap some are giving them in this instance. Obviously this little Aussieland resident won't be hitting the cons to pick these up, but I'll be hoping one of my reliable Yankee mates will help me out so I don't have to go down the auction road.

Now, DCD, about that B'wana Beast................

The Killing Joke Boxset: A Killer Indeed

I'm sure it's just a weird coincidence that the DCD stuff I don't pre-order is somehow always strategically positioned near the counter of my LCS when I come in to pick up my standing order. Am I that predictable that my resolve not to buy something can be melted so quickly? Well, duh. To be fair to myself, I am developing a more steely resolve - it's not just about what I like, but what I can afford / have room for. I'm learning, if slowly.

I really hadn't planned to buy The Killing Joke Boxset. A couple of things influenced my decision to pick it up: firstly I didn't own a copy of the Killing Joke TPB, secondly the prices of figures here are really dropping at the moment thanks to the strong Aussie dollar. and finally I think this Batman would be displacing the recent JLA version as my favourite Bats to date, if not for one little thing I'll get to in a moment.

I like the 2 pack with TPB idea, and it's extra nice to see DCD offering a 2 pack with original figures again, even if these are going to be recycled in slightly different forms in another wave later in the year. I would love to see this concept branch out past the Superbat world but the market doesn't seem to want to support that. They know not what they miss!

I wasn't sure I really needed the Joker in Hawaiian garb, but these are solid figures to be sure. Paint apps were excellent on all of the sets that I saw. My Batman has the tiniest bleed of flesh paint from his chin to his mask, so small I didn't notice it when I looked him over in the shop. Bats also has a very visible seam down the front of his left leg which seems as though it could have been ironed out in QC.

I love the Joker's camera accessory, but was surprised that his hat wasn't removable. Works for me since these little bits tend to get lost in my world quickly (I have a cat that looooves to play with fallen accessories) but I have a feeling this might irk keener collectors. I like the camera accessory very much and his gun and glass of drink sit snugly in his hands. His facial expression captures the artwork very well, and he may well be my favourite Joker representation to date - if his hat came off he surely would be.

Batman is an excellent figure - I love the peaks on the shoulders of his cape - it really enhances the Bat-look. I like that they seem to have worked out how to give him an ominous cape that doesn't prevent him from standing properly (finally had to put my Batman & Son Bats, or as my youngest called him, "Batman with little prongs", away for that reason). I also want to throw a ticker tape parade for DCD for producing two Batmen in a row (this and JLA Bats) with straight Bat-prongs, after a nasty run of the bends on previous figures. Huzzah!

The "but" for me in this Bats is the acid burn on his arm. Why oh why??? It's quite an effectively done acid burn, with bubbly flesh and all, but was it that essential to the storyline as to be immortalised in plastic? Interestingly, the burn doesn't feature in any of the packaging photography - in one photo it is obscured by his cape and on the back the Joker's arm is posed to hide it. It also isn't pictured on the DCD website. Why include that and then not make it a feature? Because it's dumb, that's why. Accurate, but not significant enough to warrant a figure = silly. Here's hoping the Secret Files Series 3 Hugo Strange with alternate Bats figure is as good a shot at this figure minus the acid burn - could be an excellent Bats.

The biggest snag for me in this set was quite unexpected: reading "The Killing Joke" after all these years reminded me about a time when comics were actually written instead of just a set of semi-scripted action sequences. It made me nostalgic for really good comics and caused me to reevaluate my pull list!

Again, I'm a fan of the 2 pack / TPB idea, especially with first-run figures. This was a good effort and a fairly obvious storyline to exploit for the genre. As with most things, It would be great to see DCD edge outside the Superbat world for this format, or even work a but more creatively like going back some old Brave & the Bold or Superboy & the Legion fun to bring us something really different alongside something they know will sell.

Not a home run, but not a bad effort - besides that acid burn!! Let's stick to the truly essential wounds from now on, okay, DCD?

ST Wrath of Khan, Series "Two"

Everywhere you look, there's a closet Trekkie. I uncovered another one at my workplace the other day. Some you can guess a mile away, but I always get a kick out of the ones you wouldn't pick. I also get a kick out of the people that don't "get" Trek and its fans - little do they know that we think they're the suspect ones!

I just can't get enough of DST / Art Asylum's Star Trek series. Apart from a slight scale slip-up in the Next Generation Series (teeny Data and Geordi) these figures have been pretty consistent and very rewarding to collect. Basing a series on the Wrath of Khan film, which IMHO is the best Original Series film by far, is a great idea.

"Series Two" is actually the third series of TWOK figures (the second was a SDCC exclusive wave). It consists of Spock, Uhura, Saavik (the Kirstie Alley one) and Kirk in his Starfleet winter jacket or whatever the technical term for it is.

This wave picks up where the previous two have left off: excellent QC and great likenesses of everyone except Kirk. I have read that for whatever reason Shatner's face is hard to reproduce in plastic and once again that is proven true here, but the rest of team and the overall look is so authentic that I was able to look past it and call this wave a near home-run.

I would say it certainly isn't for lack of trying: the likeness of Leonard Nimoy is spot-on, and Uhura and Saavik aren't too bad (altho Mrs AFB reckons Saavik doesn't look anything like Rebecca from Cheers. Hello.) I do find the DST Star Trek females can have a bit of a vacant expression and that is somewhat the case here.

The paint apps are excellent and the detailing on the uniforms is intricately done. My winter jacket Kirk has a tiny paint rub on the front of his hair which may be from wear in the packet - I didn't notice it until he was out.

One thing that I find bemusing with the DST Star Trek figures is that almost all of the men seem to stand just ever so slightly crooked, as if one leg is incrementally longer than the other. Maybe it's all that exposure to space rays and stuff that happens when you're a futuristic astronaut....

As usual, extra hands and weapons abound. Not being a huge accessories person I could live without these but I know that for some they are a drawcard of the line.

Scalewise, these figures fit in perfectly with the previous waves, as per the sample photo. No full group shot sorry - I don't have room to display this set at present so they're not all out of the packet. One quibble: the IMDB lists Nichelle Nicholls as 5' 5" and Kirstie Alley as 5' 8", and yet the Uhura figure is a but taller than Saavik. Seems someone should have picked that up.

Hearty congratulations to DST / Art Asylum for excellent work with this wave - very rewarding. I did see the "Death of Spock" 2-pack in my LCS but budget restrictions prevent its purchase as present, however it also looked very good.

I am looking forward to the next wave of Next Generation figures (Ensign Ro!) but the jury is out on the Original Motion Picture Kirk / Spock two-pack - that will be a wait and see. Those figures will have to be pretty darn amazing to erase my memories of the dreadful film.......

Like a Page of Perez: New Teen Titans Series 2

Life throws up challenges all the time: your car gets stolen, your neighbour's dog eats your favourite bed of pansies, a cyclone wipes out your house, or maybe your wife asks you to skip your Friday afternoon trip to the comic shop because she's sick and the kids are being more than a handful, and it happens to be the week that the New Teen Titans Series II figures are coming out.

What do you do? Well, you do what any loving and responsible toy collecting husband would do, and race your ass past the comic shop as quickly as you can and hide the toys in your briefcase so you don't upset your beloved when she's not feeling well. Duh.

Anyhoo, risking, life, limb and an extended lack of nookie was totally worth it. This is a great set of figures. especially if you use your retcon powers to pretend that the maskless Deathstroke isn't a part of the wave. I'll get to him in a moment - happy stuff first.

The great: I'm not the most obsessive when it comes to scale, but even I would have been throwing my toys around the room if my Terra towered over my Starfire, a likely possibility considering DCD's track record. Considering this. they have to be given props for nailing the scale here - these figures are a perfect fit with the original series.

I'm also in love with the packaging. Great use of the original Perez art, the logo from the comics, and the little vignettes at the bottom are excellent. I display my figures loose, but have to admit I ended up going back and buying an extra Terra so I could keep one MIB and enjoy the packaging.

....and that's all I can put here. Everything else is either just that little bit or more than a little bit flawed.....

The could have been great: I'm not one for looking gift horses in the mouth, even if I've waited almost a decade for them, Terra and Jericho are already treasured items in my collection, and while some arm articulation for Terra and an interchangeable head with non-possessed eyes for Jericho would have made them 10/10s for me, I'm gonna deal with it. The extra head is a bigger deal for me, and in fact I was pretty sure that I had seen solicits of Jericho with such a paint job. The ad for the wave in this month's Toyfare confirmed my memory - a shame they didn't stick with it.

Props for the inclusion of Terra's rock - a good link to the props / stands that came with the original series Starfire and Raven, and definitely something DCD should be doing more often.

The far from great: What's this with the blue? Last week it was Harley Quinn's face, this week it's Dick Grayson's hair. Holy blue streaks, Batman! Actually the streaking is a theme - if you look closely at Terra and Jericho's coiffures, they're splotchy as well, just not as noticeable because they're blondies. There have been alot of Henny Pennies bemoaning Dick's blue locks. For me, it's just DCD reminding us they're DCD. Gotta love 'em.

Oh and there's that Deathstroke I'm retconning out of the wave. Meh. I'll hang for the DCUC version thanks.

The rage: I got a genuine set of chills when I put the gang together and had the complete team, in-scale team, and then it hit me: the chills aren't just because its my beloved Teen Titans in-scale, it's because this is pretty much a first, which is pretty crappy for all these years of DCD collecting. Pretty much every other team has gaping holes in the roster or has been cobbled together from different series with a clash of styles and scales. Is it any wonder that so many people are over the moon about the promise of an in-scale DCU from DCUC? I think not.

That makes me sound ungrateful, and I'm not. Whatever moved DCD to give us this much awaited and much needed wave of three pretty great figures, I'm thankful, really.

Oh, and while I'm being nice, DCD, give us a better Kid Flash and Wonder Girl. Starfire and Cyborg could use an update as well if you're feeling generous.

Just, no more streaky hair, okay?

DCUC 2: The Thrills, the Chills and the Freaky-Fugly........

"Trials and travails" has never been more appropriate than when it comes to tracking down DCUC in Australia. While Australian collectors site Ozfigurama reports a couple of random sightings of DCUC 1, there's been nothing happening in my neck of the woods. While there has been a promise that Aussie store Casefresh is going to stock DCUC in the future, I've had to resort to online purchase from the US, which is fraught which challenges in the shipping department. Some sites were asking more to ship to Australia than for the case - I think not! I have to give a shout out to Cornerstore Comics for their consistently reasonable overseas shipping charges - thanks!

With all this behind me I picked up my case of DCUC 2 from the post office with a great sense of relief. First off, I was pleased to get the figures I wanted: classic Aquaman and Firestorm plus one each of Blue and Red Superman. I'll find a MA Firestorm eventually, but I don't get the "Modern Age" Aquaman at all - what Aquaman does he look like exactly? Pass.

Now to the toys:

The best: Aquaman is not only the best figure in this wave, I'd go so far as to say he's the best Aquaman figure ever, and that's in spite of the chest joint which is something I just don't get in these figures. The headsculpt is one of the best versions of Arthur we've seen.

Apart from the scale issues, I've always been a fan of the DCD JLA Firestorm from a few years back. The DCUC Ronnie is a good in-scale alternative, but doesn't capture his face as distinctively as the DCD version did.. I like the nuclear wrist thingies though!

Grodd also goes in the "best" category for me - this is the Grodd I've been waiting for! I thought I'd want to take the weird electrodes off, but I actually don't mind them - they're kind of cool, so I left them on. Mattel also get extra props for limiting the C & C to five pieces and not forcing you to buy the variants to collect the entire figure.

The almost best: Black Manta is excellent - I like the shape of his head and his groovy gun. The Justice Manta has a hand up on this one because of the removable helmet, and personally I like the "wet" look as opposed to the matte look used here. I like the inclusion of a trident for Manta - nice touch.

Blue & Red Superman are fun, and the different headsculpts are appreciated. Even though they were minor players, they help to flesh out my Morrison JLA, so they're winners with me. The only gripe is not being able to take the red/blue flame / electricity thingies off of their backs - that's a bit weird.

The bad: crickets, nothing to see here, skip straight to:

The Freakish. Sorry, but this Harley Quinn goes straight in the "storage / sell / feed to dog" pile for me. It's not just about the blue face, but what's with the blue face??? Harley's a Smurf now is she? Ewww. Beyond that, her joints are loose and her hands won't hold either accessory properly (won't hold the mallet at all and the gun only loosely). Overall in this line Mattel is doing a great job of creating toys that look and feel expensive. Harley looks and feels like a dimestore bauble. Yuck and double yuck.

Overall QC: Paint apps overall are good,with a bit of sloppiness on Harley's wrist being the only noticeable blotch. Apart from Harley's trick hips (hey, maybe that's not so bad after all.....), Red Superman's joints are also strangely loose to the point where standing is precarious. On the flipside, I'm glad I had a backup left Grodd arm from the second Superman, because the left arm from Blue Superman was totally locked at the joint. At first I was too afraid of breaking it to push hard, but when I realised I had a second, working arm, I still couldn't budge it.

The Wrap-up: While I've been tough on DCUC for some aspects of upcoming waves, this is a winner for me. With Aquaman being my all time favourite character it couldn't help but please, but he's well supported by the rest of the wave - if you pretend like I am going to that Harley doesn't exist. (Hey, if the writers can retcon, why can't we??) The accessories are great (again ignoring Harley's which she can't hold..) and the overall QC is excellent.

Thanks DCUC and thanks for reading! As always your comments are most welcome!

Oh My Gods!

It's been awhile since I bought a whole DCD wave, but New Gods Series one was a no-brainer preorder for me based on the solid Kirbyesque style captured in the designs. It didn't hurt that due to a shipping delay these ended up coming in on Free Comic Book Day and I got 20% off them as part of a storewide sale!

Not much to be disappointed about with this wave, in fact I would have to say it's the best since the New Frontier.




I'll try to be sequential: Packaging: very colourful, very Kirby. A larger carded blister this time as opposed to the smaller carded recent JLA figs or the boxes for Trinity or Justice etc. It did make me wonder if the lack of consistency in packaging is an annoyance for MIB collectors in terms of storage. Doesn't bother me because I unpack mine, but I wonder if it makes packing them away a pain? Just a thought.

Sculpts: this is a time when we want a wave to be artist specific, and there's no disappointment here. The lines, the shapes of the faces, it's all Kirby and all good. Even the bases have Kirby dots on them. Pretty cool!

Paint apps: nearly spotless. Mr Miracle has perhaps a tiny bleed between the red and yellow section of his uniform, other than that it's great. Excellent bright colouring, they really look like they've off the pages of the New Gods.

Scale: Well.... if you're obsessive about it you'll be annoyed. They're a bit taller than say the recent JLA figures - I've put in a shot with the JLA Superman for comparison. If you're like me and planning to have a separate New Gods display then you won't worry.

Accessories: Each character has his own Mother Box, but as the hands have no grip the only hope is to position their hands with palm facing upwards to rest them in it. This works for everyone except Mr Miracle - when I tried to twist his hand at the glove it was very tight and felt like it might pop off if I twisted harder. Fairly shortly it made no difference as I had already managed to lose one of the Mother Boxes. Grrr.

Orion has his angry head, and Darkseid has his evil glove, the name of the device is escaping me at the moment and I can't be buggered to look it up. They both interchange easily with the standard parts.

I have read alot of complaints about the lack of Orion's harness, but I actually don't mind having a more BVP Orion to go in this display. The harness does tend to hunch the figure over and in the case of the DCUC Orion he looks terribly constipated.

For me these are the best impressions of any of the characters ever done. There are some great Darkseids out there but this tops them by far. I've given you some comparison shots to help you make up your own mind.

All in all three thumbs up from me (there's a bit of hillbilly in my bloodline) for this excellent series. I am looking forward to Series Two: unlike alot of folks I understand why Superman is in there, but I do hope they fix his fugly headsculpt, and I am puzzled by the version of Kalibak we're getting which isn't what I want.

There are still so many great characters that could be made in this series, so I hope it continues - at least until we get Granny Goodness!!

Words to warm a father's heart.....

Well folks, my work here on earth may just be done.

Walking through the shops this weekend hand in hand with my eldest, Miss Seven, this proud papa's heart nearly burst with joy when she stopped, gazed meaningfully into my eyes, and asked a detailed question about the properties of Krypton.

My enthusiastic answers triggered a lengthy discussion that went on throughout the day's duties, and ended in a web search on all forms of K and the various effects of each form. We found this very useful chart which helped us on our way. I believe that Miss Seven is planning to take this to school for news later in the week.

While Mrs AFB bemoans the loss of a daughter to the "dark side", I'm sleeping easy in the knowledge that the family tradition is going to live on.......

Oops! Supergirl does a Britney

Elsewhere at NYCC, an array of the DCU's finest put in dutiful appearances for the premiere of the INFINITE HEROES line. Players like Flash's great friends the Weather Wizard and Professor Zoom were particularly excited to make their long-awaited debuts in plastic.

Their shining moment was dramatically upstaged, however, when Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, took her place at the back of the podium. A stunned hush filled the auditorium as heroes, villains and the paparazzi alike quickly realized two things: firstly, Supergirl was wearing no underpants, and secondly, she is clearly a fan of the Hollywood wax. (Look it up boys, this is a family blog)

The clearly disoriented Zor-el was quickly ushered out of the press conference, but not before her cousin's regular foe Bizarro could shout: "Bizarro hate Naked Girl! Bizarro never want to look at Naked Girl again!", creating an even bigger stir.

At press time no-one from Zor-el's camp would comment. It was understood that she was being seen to by her cousin Superman, close friend Wonder Girl and Dr Phil McGaw.

Custodial arrangements for Comet the Super Horse and Streaky the Super Cat were unclear at this stage.