Will Blackest Night save DC Direct’s Bacon?

Following the complete debacle that is the DC Direct 13” Wonder Woman comes the first series of the Blackest Night tie-in figures. Knowing Georg Brewer’s love for things that shine emerald green, the fact that the overall quality of this set is excellent doesn’t come as a total surprise. It’s hard to know, however, if this should be seen as a credit to DCD or just another example of the attention deficit disorder approach the company takes to its product.

I’m not reviewing the Black Lantern Earth Two Superman here because I won’t be buying the “zombie” characters, even Aquaman (gasp!). From what I have been reading this may be a pattern others are following, so I wonder if we’ll be seeing the Black Lanterns hang around for awhile, or if more Modern-Age focused collectors will snap them up.

Saint Walker and Atrocitus are great examples of the intriguing new characters that this saga has brought to the fore that will make great additions to the Green Lantern shelf – as long as they’re not just flash-in-the-pan plot devices that fade into the history books when Blackest Night is older. These figures are very well done – Saint Walker in particular looks like he’s stepped right off the page. His long, thin limbs make him a little hard to stand, but after a bit of peg-forcing he stands fine on his base. I pictured Atrocitus as a bit bigger than this figure, but it’s still an excellent effort. I’m not sure the headsculpt is quite right, but it’s effective. I particularly like the different design for the red lantern, which makes it a real gem to have.

Boodikka is a character that may not be old enough to be called “classic”, but having been around for 17-ish years as a non-Alpha Lantern it would have been nice for DCD to throw us a bone with an “original” Boodikka variant (with removable hand of course). This version is well executed, with the flowing hair and removable face panel very nice touches. She’s also easy to pose.

The kicker here is the scale – all of these figures tower over the Van Scriver Hal Jordan I have in the centrepiece of my collection. Not a huge issue for these three, although I don’t think Boodikka should be that tall, but if Series 3 Arisia ends up on the tall side of Hal, that’s going to be messy. Either we need a Series 5 with Hal or we need DCD to start paying attention to scale between it’s series.

Clearly a Series 5 Hal is our only hope.

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post to enter the November AFB Comment of the Month Contest.

Until next time!

AFB Comment of the Month Contest – November!

First off, thanks to everyone who commented on last month’s blog posts. Congratulations to ryanlb for winning the October Comment Contest! His selected prize the DC Direct Series 2 Fire figure will be on the way shortly from Mike’s Comics N’ Stuff.

Now to November’s Contest: on offer are two great prizes: the winner will be able to choose either from the DC Direct Blackest Night Series Two Kryb or the Marvel Select Kree Captain Marvel. These are two great figures I’m looking forward to having in my own collection!

Here’s a reminder of the basic contest rules:

• every genuine comment on a post from the calendar month will be eligible for receiving the prize. I’m going to stick to my own time zone and call it at 23:59:59 Australian Eastern Standard Time – best to comment often and comment early!
• if my super scientific randomizer comment selector system chooses an Anonymous comment, I’ll skip it and go again – you need to leave a name, a link, your AFB Forum username or email addy so that I can contact you if you are the winner. Blogger comments allows you to do this.
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• you will be given a choice of one of the two figures on offer from the month’s contest – figures will be in their original packaging

• figures will be sent by first class mail within the US (Mike is sending them, remember) and first class international to any overseas winner. An overseas winner can elect to chip in for Priority Mail or Insurance, but otherwise we can’t take any responsibility for a parcel that doesn’t arrive – after this is coming out of AFB’s  not dreadfully deep pockets!

Once again, thanks to Mike for making this all possible for us, and here’s to another happy month of commenting!

Until next time!

DCUC Wave 13 Pics!

A user at TNI posted pics of the full DCUC Wave 13: Blue Devil, Wonder Girl (red costume), Cheetah (Priscilla Rich) and variant (Barbara Minerva), Cyclotron, Blue Beetle III (Jaime Reyes), Negative Man and variant with exposed face, Superboy with jacket and sunglasses, and Collect and Connect Trigon!

Check out the AFB Forum for the full set of pics, but here’s Trigon for a teaser!

Some thoughts on these pics: very glad to get this version of Wonder Girl, and I’m really hoping this is an adult buck. This would be a good sign for some adult-sized Titans down the road. Very happy with the versions of Cheetah we are getting, although I’m not sold on Priscilla Rich’s face for some reason. Loving the fact that we are going to have a Negative Man figure, but I do wish they’d use a slimmer buck, and I’m not sold on the variant at all – Larry in his Negative form would have been my choice. Blue Devil blows the recent DCD HOTDCU version out of the water, Blue Beetle III looks great, as does Cyclotron, but I’m glad he’s reported as coming with the stand so I don’t have to buy him. Superboy is a great figure of a forgettable costume, and Trigon looks amazing, although I’m keen to see a scale comparison.

Mattel continues to knock this line out of the park. Just a shame we have to wait so long to get these!

Until next time!

It was an Impulse buy….

eBay is rightfully called “ePay” at times, because there’s always someone out there ready to gouge collectors, and when you realllly want something, it can require an iron will to resist.

The flipside of the system is that you occasionally find some bargain gems. I only came to be doing an eBay search for the DCD Impulse Statue because someone at the AFB Forums was asking about the Young Justice Statues. I thought I knew everything DCD had ever done, but this set must have been before my time. I wasn’t wild about the Robin and Superboy statues that bookend the Young Justice set, but the Impulse statue is a standout that really captures the character and something that I knew I wanted for my collection.

Therefore, it was happiness to find an auction for said statue that had a low starting bid and never got off the ground. I snagged this puppy for an unspeakably low sum – even when the shipping to Oz was factored in.

I received this a couple of days ago and I couldn’t be happier with my purchase. This statue IS Bart Allen – it captures all of his cheeky charm through a great headsculpt and pose. It’s a very dynamic piece, with Bart skidding in and a dust cloud forming. The only shame here is that his goggles have fogged over a bit with age, clouding a full view of his eyes. Certainly doesn’t take too much away from a great statue, which I will proudly display in the Flash section of the AFB Museum.

So, for all that that eBay took from me in my green, early years of collecting, it’s nice to strike a blow back by getting such an amazing piece for such a steal! Score one for the little guy!

You can see more pics at Facebook, join in the Young Justice Statue discussion thread at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post to enter the October AFB Comment of the Month Contest.

Until next time!

It’s a Wonder, all right…..

I really don’t know if I can do a blow by blow on this one. Short story is that this is without a doubt one of, if not the most gob-smackingly bad collectibles I have ever seen from a major toy company. Gob. Smackingly. Bad.

So bad in fact, that Mrs AFB, who doesn’t know Aquaman from Spiderman from the Invisible Woman, and never has much more to say than “That’s nice, dear” when I show her my new acquisitions, has not been able to stop criticising this poor Diana wannabe. My youngest, who takes a great interest in my toys and has been waiting for “The Big Wonder Woman” ever since I started my DCD 13” collection, looked at this one and then asked me sweetly if I would be able to get my money back. Out of the mouths of wives and babes…..

To deconstruct the 13” Wonder Woman trainwreck, we need to start with the adult female buck for this line. My big gripes are that the bust is too big to allow for easy fitting of most costumes, and there’s nothing good to say about the lower half of these ladies. The knobbly knees and frightful thigh cuts that really don’t lend themselves to stockings are bad enough, but we also have the hideous hips with gaps between the hips and legs that cause the panty-style outfit to bunch so unattractively. Characters like Catwoman or Batgirl who have full bodysuits can cover these issues, but poor Wondy is exposed on all levels.

The sins of the body are enough to deal with, and then DCD presents us with the dog of all headsculpts. There’s nothing right about this one – hair, nose, mouth, all wrong, but the eyes are the killer here. Too small, uneven, glistening in an off way, it’s all bad. Very different looking from the eyes on the figure used in the photos for the packaging. I think I well could have tolerated  this effort if the face was painted as per the packaging. As is, this is just a big fat bucket of fail, Georg Brewer style.

Having made such noise about waiting to release Wonder Woman to make sure he “got her right”, one has to look at this and ponder if Georg just gave up. I picked up my Blackest Night Wave One at the end of the week, and from these it’s quite clear that he can get things right when he has the motivation, and we all know how he loves his Lanterns.

The question is, can Georg really afford to be so point of interest in the quality of the product he oversees? Methinks not.

Oh, and I’ve heard and read dozens of comparisons of what this figure looks like, but my favourite has to come from Mrs AFB, who said: “She looks like some poor young girl with huge boobs who dressed up as Wonder Woman for a costume ball and then wet herself on the way to the party.”

Probably not what you were aiming for, Georg?

You can see more pics (if you can subject yourself to them) at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post to enter the October AFB Comment of the Month Contest.

Until next time!

The beginnings of DCUC Wave 10 at AFB!

Retailer exclusive lines are not the friend of any collector, but to the international collector they are the enemy. I read in one of the latest round of Mattel Q&A’s that DCUC Wave 10 “will be available to all of Wal-Mart’s international locations”. Seeing as there are NO Wal-Marts in Australia, that’s super helpful!

Thanks to my friends at Critical Mess, I’ve managed to get on a DCUC 10 “Want List” and am being helped out by some of the members there to get the figures from this wave. I’m also lucky enough to be close to the top of the list, I’ve already scored Power Girl and Joker and have a Forager on the way!

I’ll save a detailed review for the happy day when I have the whole wave (minus Batman, who I already have enough versions of), but I’ll just say now that this has to be the best 6” version of Joker ever. Amazing that Mattel has done in one what DC Direct has failed to do in so many attempts. Great headsculpt, great props, great everything,

Also, you’ll note in the packaging shot that Power Girl has been strategically positioned to keep the conservative market from goggling too much at her “assets”. The figure is great, but the funny pose curse strikes again somewhat with a slightly warped left leg. Doesn’t take the shine off the figure, but I do wish Mattel would stop creating unnecessary issues with figures through silly packaging.

More when Forager arrives, and hopefully the rest of the wave won’t be far behind!

Until next time!

Enter the Bronze Age Legion!

With my amazing custom Silver Age Legion nearing completion thanks to Jackknight, I’m thrilled to be able to present the first instalment in the next Legion phase: a custom Bronze Age Legion done by Dr. Terrific!

Dr. T. has been discussing the development of this line of customs with AFB Forum member Polarboy3 (who is getting a matched set) and myself in “The Originals” custom section of the AFB Forum. You can check out the thread here to see WIP photos and discussion about each of these and upcoming figures.

Wildfire came first: Doc’s first Legion custom effort and the one that launched the whole idea. I’ve had him for awhile now and still can’t get over it. I have dreamed about having my very own Legion figures since I was a kid, and to see it coming true is so exciting. I’m just glad I finally have some plastic friends for Wildfire! Wildfire’s base was a Crisis on Infinite Earths Earth-Two Superman.

Lightning Lad is probably my favourite of this wave, simply because of the thrill of seeing that iconic costume come to life. You can really see the care that Doc has taken in his work with this figure: his eyebrows matching his hair colour, the clean lines, the great colours. This is a custom masterstroke. Lightning Lad’s base was a Smallville Aquaman.

Doc’s version of Saturn Girl brings one of the Bronze Age Legion’s most memorable costumes to action figure land. As well as capturing the lines of the costume so perfectly through the sculpt, the paintwork has a beautiful metal sheen to it. The base was an All Star Superman Lois.

Cosmic Boy’s outfit, or non-outfit, is certainly one of the most infamous bits of gear from this chapter in the Legion’s history. While it’s certainly my least favourite of Cos’ uniforms, the aim here is to be true to the era, and in that light Doc has done a  brilliant job here, especially when you consider that the base for this figure was an Infinite Crisis Alexander Luthor!

Dawnstar is a whole bundle of major wow. Perfect colour choices, amazing work with the fringing, and those wings! Using an Infinite Crisis Donna Troy and repainted wings from a Marvel Legends Angel, Doc has completed what will certainly be the centrepiece of the whole Bronze Age Legion Collection.

All up, I couldn’t be happier with the first “wave” of Doc’s Bronze Age Legion. He’s knocked these figures out of the park, and if this is anything to go by, then there’s a great deal more Legion happiness ahead in the years to come!

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post to enter the October Comment of the Month Contest.

Until next time!

JLI Series Two – The Boys are Back!

We haven’t had a whisper about a third wave for DC Direct’s Justice League International Series, (No Rocket Red? Criminal!) so it looks like I’m reviewing the second and final wave in the series. The two waves are nothing to be sneezed at, having given us the first Fire, Ice (albeit perhaps not the versions most collectors would have preferred) and G’Nort figures and Black Canary in her 80’s Crisis-Era outfit, plus a cracking Batman that’s become one of my faves.

Now, in addition to Fire, we have Maguire-styled versions of Booster Gold, Martian Manhunter and, to a lesser degree, Blue Beetle. I have a niggle with three figures, and one with a pretty much fatal flaw.

Fire is a great addition to the collection. As mentioned above I’d really prefer Fire and Ice in their later costumes, but this is a start, and perhaps DCUC will come up with the MA goods. It’s a lovely sculpt, however she has a slightly googly eye and a headsculpt that has her looking a little too far down for my taste with a lack of neck mobility due to her hair. Her hair is soft sculpted like Black Canary’s in Wave One but doesn’t allow the same movement. The only niggle with an otherwise great figure.

J’onn J’onzz is a real reminder of happier times in comics. Very happy that a lighter and more obvious shade of green was chosen, true to how he was depicted in this era. This is a true Maguire-inspired sculpt, with the exaggerated brow and bemused look, and of course his trademark cookie in his left hand. My one niggle? The fact that the cookie can’t be removed. I suppose it was most likely get lost, but I’d still have the option.

Booster Gold is a fun figure, one which really embraces the comedy that was the JLI. If this was the first Booster figure ever, I’d be disappointed by the high degree of camp, but as we already have the serviceable DCD “52” version and the even better DCUC versions, this one is fine for a JLI group shot. My one niggle? His teeth are just a liiiiitle too big and his chin a bit too thick. Is that two niggles? Let’s combine them so we don’t break the pattern.

Blue Beetle is where the wave breaks down for me, quite literally. Every figure I’ve seen had issues with Beetle’s goggles. I chose one with just a warped left goggle, but even so it’s still coming away from his head at one point. Sad to think this was best looking one of the bunch! Thankfully we have the excellent original DCD figure and the very good DCUC Beetle. As for the JLI group display? Beetle will have to stand at the back.

Despite this one blot on the JLI copy book, this was a very welcome series of something a bit different from DCD’s usual SuperBat MA fare. A third wave with Captains Atom or Marvel, Dr Light II, Rocket Red and Maxwell Lord would really put it up there as one of the better recent DCD series. Sadly hoping that DCD might snap out of its attention deficit disorder is probably wasted energy.

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post to enter the October Comment of the Month Contest!

Until next time!

A Slice of Plastic Heaven – DCUC Wave 9

There’s no better title for the review of DCUC 9 – and not just because I actually got my order despite the distribution issues that have plagued this wave (thank you Mike’s Comics N’ Stuff!). This line truly gets better with each wave, and Wave 9 is no exception. There are some missteps, but the combination of an outstanding Collect & Connect and one of the line’s best figures yet gets it well and truly over the line.

When the wave was introduced, I would have picked Black Canary as the star of the wave, but the shine has been taken off her somewhat in the execution, first by the addition of some dark streaks in her hair, and secondly by less than perfect paint apps on her face. She is still an excellent figure, and the use of blue legs underneath her fishnets makes her a perfect addition to a Golden Age  JSA or a Satellite JLA display – so much so that I’m buying a second so that I can do both.

Guardian is the second figure that was better in the solicits than the final result. His helmet and shield were gold in the Two-Up shown, and looked a darn sight better than the final all-yellow, all-bland product. Now, I’m not turning up my nose at actually having a Guardian figure (one which again would warrant a double purchase for Golden Age and Modern Age displays), but it is a shame that Mattel scrimped on the final product. I may have to cajole one of my customising friends into fixing him up for me.

Wildcat is a huge step forward from the DCD “Wildcat taking a dump pose” version, but I really can’t get my head around why Mattel would make a variant version of this figure and not make one without taped hands so that we could have a Golden Age version. Hard to imagine this would have been a challenge, or that a Golden Age Wildcat is going to get a separate release. A great figure, but a sad omission.

On the flipside, Black Adam is a character that I’m not wild about, and yet the perfect execution of this figure has made me very happy to have him. Great headsculpt, great execution, without a doubt the quintessential Black Adam figure. One shame, as you can see in the group shot, is that the neck articulation is different in the figures in this wave, and the vertical articulation has been removed, making flight poses awkward. Hopefully this “running change” will run back to the better version!

I would have loved an unmasked Deadshot variant (perhaps a possibility for a Secret Six boxed set?), but for the moment it is enough to be able to put the horrendous DCD version behind us. Mantis (Comic Version) is also brilliant – the caped arms effect is excellent and fun to pose.

The winner of the wave, and perhaps the whole line, is Green Arrow. The DCD Hard Travelling Heroes version has always been one of my favourite figures, and I wasn’t expecting the DCUC version to top it, but this one does. At first I was dismayed to find that a small arrow is moulded to the bow, but this allows you to pose Ollie in a “bow drawn” stance, making a very dynamic pose. The moulded arrow does make the extra arrows redundant, especially since Green Arrow’s backpack has no storage space, but the figure looks so great I don’t care. Definitely in the running for 6” Male Figure of the Year!

After all this action figure goodness, Chemo is the icing on the cake. I got the “running change” Chemo with the extra bubble insert. This is one of my favourite Collect & Connects from any line. He cuts an impressive and imposing figure, and he’s just darn good fun. A great way to cap off a brilliant wave. Hopefully something can be done about the distribution issues that Mattel “can’t discuss” so that everyone who wants to enjoy this wave can do so.

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum and enter the October AFB Comment of the Month Contest by commenting on this post.

Until next time!

The Golden Age Comes to DCD’s 13” Line

I’ve had a bit of a break from the DC Direct 13” line – between characters that haven’t caught my imagination, the increase in the cost and the delays that have been plaguing so much of DCD’s product these days – so I was very much looking forward to the arrival of the Golden Age Flash figure. I’m happy to report it’s very much worth the wait.

The presentation of the packaging of these figures is usually a bit bland for my tastes, and this is no different. I’d like to see a juxtaposition of photos of the actual figure with pictures from the comics to create a more dynamic look as opposed to photos of the figure only, which is what we have here. It’s a bit of a yawn, however I do like the display window and the fact that the packaging allows you to open and inspect the figure and repackage if desired.

Turning to the figure, kudos to MA-centric DCD for presenting Jay Garrick in his prime. The headsculpt is excellent, as is his removable helmet. The helmet fits nicely with the aid of what seems to be a magnet. One of the best headsculpts in this line.

Jay’s outfit is excellent – not sure what it is about this particular design, but the dreaded bicep and thigh cuts are not as obvious on this figure as they have been on many of the past efforts in this line. Whether this is by chance or design, it’s a very good thing. His belt is not attached to the outfit – I didn’t realise it was out of whack until it was too late to retake the photos – oops!

All I can say is that I am very hopeful that Jay Garrick won’t be alone as a GA character in DCD’s 13” line for long! In his SDCC Interview with AFI. Georg Brewer foreshadowed and Alan Scott figure, which would be very welcome – along with Wildcat, Dr Fate and any other Golden Age JSAers! Bring them on!

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post to enter the October AFB Comment of the Month Contest!

Until next time!

AFB Comment of the Month Contest – October!

First off, thanks to everyone who commented on last month’s blog posts. Congratulations to AFB Forum member fishmilkshake for winning the September Comment Contest! His selected prize of either the DCUC Wave 9 Green Arrow  or The DC Direct History of the Universe Black Lightning will be on the way shortly from Mike’s Comics N’ Stuff.

Now to October’s Contest: on offer are two great prizes: the winner will be able to choose either from the DC Direct JLI Series Two Fire or the Star Trek: The Original Series Salt Vampire. As well as being great individual figures, these two could be combined together to make an excellent “Before and After Smoking” Set!

Here’s a reminder of the basic contest rules:

• every genuine comment on a post from the calendar month will be eligible for receiving the prize. I’m going to stick to my own time zone and call it at 23:59:59 Australian Eastern Standard Time – best to comment often and comment early!
• if my super scientific randomizer comment selector system chooses an Anonymous comment, I’ll skip it and go again – you need to leave a name, a link, your AFB Forum username or email addy so that I can contact you if you are the winner. Blogger comments allows you to do this.
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• you will be given a choice of one of the two figures on offer from the month’s contest – figures will be in their original packaging

• figures will be sent by first class mail within the US (Mike is sending them, remember) and first class international to any overseas winner. An overseas winner can elect to chip in for Priority Mail or Insurance, but otherwise we can’t take any responsibility for a parcel that doesn’t arrive – after this is coming out of AFB’s  not dreadfully deep pockets!

Once again, thanks to Mike for making this all possible for us, and here’s to another happy month of commenting!

Until next time!

Second rate heroes, first rate Customs!

The fantastic Jackknight has come through again with some great additions to my SA Legion Collection!

We’ve finished off all of the actual Legionnaires from that era and have started on the Subs. I now have Color Kid and Chlorophyll Kid to add to Polar Boy, Night Girl and Fire Lad. They look great!

I had always said I would stop the SA collection at the Subs, which means there’s still Stone Boy to do, but now that we’re coming to the end I am thinking about SA Legion villains – Fatal Five anyone? I’ll have to see what Jack has in mind, but a nice Emerald Empress would look great on my Legion shelf! If you have any other suggestions, I’d love to hear them!

Next up in the custom department: a new customizer kicks off my Bronze Age Legion! Great ready for more Legion awesomeness!!

You can comment on this at the AFB Forum, and don’t forget you can enter the September AFB Comment of the Month Contest by commenting on this post.

Until next time!

Marvellous-ish Marvel Girls for Marvel Select

I need to say up front that I bought these figures mostly for the prop.  Marvel Select’s new Jean Grey Marvel Girl and Rachel Summers variant each come with one half of the gate to Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters (reversible to show the more modern age Xavier’s Institute of Higher Learning). After complaining in my Sabretooth review that recent Marvel Select Stands / Props have been lacklustre, it’s nice to see a turnaround. The two sides of the gate don’t quite line up, but I don’t care. It’s the freaking gate from Xaviers!

The great prop makes the figures just a bonus for me, and  when it comes to the variant, that’s a really good thing. The Jean Grey figure is more than adequate. My main complaint with it is that the face sculpt is a bit benign, which takes some of the punch out of the figure’s possible poses, which have the potential to be quite dynamic. The colouring of her outfit is spot on, but the sloping neckline is painted, not sculpted, which is not what I’d expect at this price point, even with the groovy prop. The ankles on the Jean figure are quite loose which makes her a little hard to pose, but the peg in the base assists with this.

As for Rachel, well, ugh. As if the strange almost olive green that’s been used in her uniform wasn’t enough to kill this figure, the headsculpt is. It looks either like it’s all been squashed together a bit too much, or like some middle age housewife has squeezed herself into Rachel’s uniform. I’ve tried to work out if it’s the shape of her head, the way the face is painted or perhaps the flaps of hair that stick out the back. All I can be certain is this is all kinds of wrong.

I do like the way that these figures almost go with the recently released Wolverine and Sabretooth figures. It would be nice to at least have a Cyclops to go with Jean – again this makes me wonder if MS has any sort of direction or just looks at individual figures. I guess time will tell.

All up – some average to icky figures with a great prop. Not great, but manageable.

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post to enter the September AFB Comment of the Month Contest.

Until next time!

DC Infinite Heroes Crisis 4-Pack: A Bit Warped

The “Crisis” theme for the first series of Mattel’s DC Universe Infinite Heroes has been loosely applied, so the idea of a pack straight from the pages of CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS was very appealing, and I happily placed my order when this became available at Mattycollector.com.

On first inspection of these in package, they look fun. On closer inspection, however, the thrill of having two of the stars of Crisis in their dead / nearly dead form fades a bit, especially due to the execution.

Psycho Pirate and Monitor are both basically well designed. Pirate’s mask doesn’t come off, which is understandable at this scale. I wondered if it was removable at first, because it protrudes from the face quite a bit, making it look a little more clunky than needed. Monitor is fun and much needed for a “Crisis” line. My only criticism here is that he appears to be a couple of sizes too small for his outfit because of the huge collar around his small head and neck.

Flash is straight out of the pages of COIE #8 – crumbling head and all. His right arm is at an odd angle – not sure if this is part of the whole crumbling body thing or what. I wouldn’t display my DCD 6” Crisis Flash with his crumbling head, and displaying this funky Flash doesn’t really appeal either.

I hesitated to open Supergirl, as the imagery of Superman holding her would be lost (he’s a picture on the card only), and once I did open her, I really regretted it. As well as just looking plain silly standing there all bloody and torn, her left leg has been seriously warped by the way it’s been packaged. She stands, but she looks ridiculous. Bummer, especially since I’m not buying the whole four-pack again to have another one to keep in package.

So, two out of four for this Mattycollector.com effort from me. Glad to have Psycho Pirate and Monitor, not so excited about the warped dead-ish plastic people.

You can check out more pics at Facebook, discuss this on the AFB Forum and comment on this post to enter the September AFB Comment Contest.

Until next time!

For research purposes only – Uni-Formz Superman

Usually everything that is presented here is purchased solely because I want it, but after ranting awhile ago about Uni-Formz and Blammoids!, I promised to get some of each to either confirm or deny my dislike.

The first thing that surprised me about DC Direct’s Uni-Formz Superman is that this puppy is BIG! The box is well designed and fun to look at – so much I was torn as to whether or not to open it or not – unfortunately once the box is opened there’s no going back – there’s some ripping and tearing involved.

This is a chunky toy which has basic articulation – neck, arms, wrists, waist, legs. feet. He’s not terribly poseable, but he’s pretty fun to look at. The basic Uni-Formz idea of the big arms and fists works for me, but it’s interesting looking at Supes and the previously released Batman (which I didn’t buy) in contrast when it comes to the headsculpts. Whereas Batman has a bit of a scowl on his noggin, Superman has squinty eyes and a cheesy smile which, combined with the way his black hair is sculpted, make him look like, well, a buff Ronald Reagan in a Superman suit.

In fact, when Mrs AFB saw him, she was a bit freaked out and said she thought he was scary (which was probably reinforced when I chased her around the house with him..). I don’t get that vibe, but the headsculpt doesn’t totally work for me. Still, this was more enjoyable than I thought it was going to be, and while I won’t be collecting the whole line, I’m up for favourite characters like the upcoming Green Lantern and an Aquaman or Green Arrow if they eventuate.

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post for a chance to win the September Comment of the Month Contest.

Marvel Select sinks its teeth into Sabretooth!

And what teeth they are! I’ve been a bit underwhelmed by some of Marvel Select’s recent efforts, particularly because they’ve been on the small side for the price. Select’s latest release, Sabretooth, is much more like it – this fella’s massive!

The figure is packaged in a dynamic pose, and this made me worried that it may not stand properly on its own. I needn’t have been concerned – he stands easily both in a crouching position and also in the overarm pose he’s packaged in – makes for an imposing stance over a shorty like Wolverine!

This is a well sculpted and painted figure. Still some issues with the awkward ball-jointed hips that MS uses, but it’s less irritating at the larger scale. His base is pretty useless, and in fact doesn’t come with much of what’s pictured on the back of the box. Why bother then?

It’s nice to see Select hitting the mark again in terms of figure quality – however I’d be more confident in continuing to add them to my collection if there seemed to be some kind of plan in terms of character selection / team completion, especially since the quality of the bases seems to be going downhill (although I am looking forward to having the front gate to Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters when the Marvel Girl figures come out). There’s a great deal that could be done with this line to bring either groups of characters or more obscure characters into plastic, and it would be nice to see the Marvel Select line proceed with a bit more of a sense of direction.

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post to enter the September Comment of the Month Contest!

Until next time!

You think they could have thrown in some ankle articulation….

I mean, it is the whole History of the DC Universe after all. New buck, new articulation, new direction for DC Direct…. but still no blinking ankle articulation. Why, oh why is DCD so allergic to such a basic articulation in the 6” scale?

I was more excited for Wave One of the History of the DC Universe line than Wave Two based on the character selection, but was a little let down by the product – great paint apps, but I’ve found both Batman and Manhunter impossible to stand on their own and impossible to stand up straight on their bases. No matter how good a figure looks, if they don’t display properly, it’s a bit of a buzzkill. Still, the solicits for Waves Two – Four and the nice surprises - especially Kobra and a Ditko-styled Captain Atom in Wave Four – have made me keen to see where this line goes.

The buck is a sticking point. I see that the point of this line is to have something more standardised and more articulated, however the buck really needs to be a tad less roided-out to work for a wide range of characters. While there is certainly more articulation here than in the average DCD figure, it falls short for me. Ignoring a basic like ankle articulation is incredibly frustrating – rotating legs do not make up for this. The upper arm and chest crunch articulation are pretty useless. At a basic level figures should be easy to pose. Good articulation accomplishes this, and this just isn’t it.

As for Wave Two, there are things to like and dislike about each figure. I was looking forward to a classic Black Lightning the most, and he is definitely the standout of the wave. The main issues here are that the bulkiness of the buck is exaggerated by his low cut shirt and lapels, and his feet have to be splayed out for him to stand properly. The colours and paint application are perfect, and the headsculpt is excellent.

Creeper’s mane, or boa or whatever it is, is flocked, and in my opinion this flocks up the figure somewhat. It’s hard to see this ageing well. I suspect there will flock-haters and flock-lovers. This bit of sculpting does help downplay the buck, as Creeper shouldn’t be so wide in the chest. Again, an excellent headsculpt, and a great addition to the plastic hero world. Not a classic Outsider, but one for the collection, although DCD’s Metamorpho and Geo-Force efforts would look positively anorexic next to these guys.

I’m always inclined to like an Aquaman figure, but this one’s hard love. His outfit features a plain orange top with no scales, he has a ridiculously cheesy grin, and the nice touch of hands with fingers extended is negated by the awkward arm articulation which means he can’t be put in any decent swimming pose, the end result being his arms look too long. Necessary for the gang to be complete, but certain to be stood near the back of the set as it grows to hide as many of its shortcomings as possible.

Flash is a character I’ve never seen captured brilliantly in plastic form. This doesn’t fall in the brilliant category – the bulkiness really doesn’t suit – but it is serviceable. For some reason Flash makes on best on the arm articulation front and therefore looks a little more natural – except that his head has an odd tilt that I can’t correct. Call him Contemplative Flash and all is well. A yawn, but not a fail.

This series is a very transparent attempt by DCD to line up alongside DCUC, and while it will certainly get my business as long as the new characters are being produced, it’s at least five years too late if the aim is to arrest DCUC’s rise. For the pricepoint, however, I would be expecting a few different bucks and a more thoughtful approach to useful articulation.

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and comment on this post to enter the September Comment of the Month Contest!

Until next time!

Zatanna adds some magic to the Women of the DCU Statue line.

And from what I hear, I’m not the only one who thinks so. The owner of my LCS told me that they’ve never had more pre-orders for a statue than this, DCD’s latest addition to the Women of the DC Universe statue line. I picked up mine last week and was only allowed a peek before handing it over to be wrapped up as a Father’s Day present (Father’s Day is the first Sunday of September in Oz). Just from that glimpse, I knew that none of those pre-orderers (I love creating new words!) would have cause for disappointment.

In a few words, this statue is just plain hubba-bubba-liciously gorgeous. It captures the look of the Adam Hughes cover art (CATWOMAN #58) pretty much perfectly, which includes no fishnets. When I first saw the previews for this statue I thought they would be added later. The Black Canary statue was first shown with bare legs and then fitted with fishnets, but this isn’t the case here, because Hughes drew her without them.

I thought this might have been a deal breaker for me but the look has quite grown on me, and I think that apart from the fact it would not have been true to the art, it wouldn’t have looked great for the pose that she’s in. All good in fishnet-less land.

This statue is beautifully sculpted, right down the stray strands of hair and Zatanna’s trademark top hat. Her cane (not really a classic Zee prop, but true to the cover) is made out of a flexible material, making is less easy to break, which is a nice touch. The base is very solid, no toppling here. The hand painted finish makes for a pretty perfect effort.

Kudos to DCD not just for this instalment, but creating a full-sized statue line that is a bit more in the affordable range for the average collector. Looking forward to Black Canary, Catwoman and beyond!

You can see more pics at Facebook, discuss this at the AFB Forum, and enter the September Comment of the Month Contest by commenting on this post.

AFB: Now Braver and Bolder!!!

The retail gods have once again smiled on AFB. Thanks to a tip-off from AFB Forum Mod fishmilkshake (yeah, I know…) I managed to find Batman Brave & The Bold’s Plastic Man and Green Arrow at our local Target, and thus wrap my B&B Wave Two – I’ve already found and reviewed Atom and Sportsmaster.

These two figures just reinforce BTB&B as a very fun line for kids and collectors alike. The fun of the animated series comes further to life with the addition of new characters, particularly Green Arrow, who provides some of the comic relief in the series.

I like the way that the style chosen for each character in the series isn’t bound to current continuity: for instance a SA- styled Green Arrow alongside a MA Blue Beetle, Aquaman in his classic costume with a beard, etc., just adds to the mish-mash fun of the series.

I’m getting used to the holes in the joints of these figures, especially when they make sense for holding props, accessories etc, which is the case of both of these figures. Neither of their accessories quite hit the mark, however: Green Arrow can’t hold his bow, rather it sits on the outside of his arm, and Plastic Man’s stretched out arm doesn’t rest neatly over the small arm, meaning that his original hand is still visible. I doubt that matters to the target audience for these toys, but it’s a bit of a bugbear for the collector.

The enjoyment in this is going to be in the growing collection – with the new characters previewed at SDCC it looks like that will continue for a while to come. All up – more cartoony goodness in what is turning out to be a very fun line to collect!

You can see more pics on Facebook, chat about this on AFB Forum, and comment on this post for your chance to win the September Comment of the Month Contest.

AFB Comment of the Month Contest – October!

First off, thanks to everyone who commented on last month’s blog posts. Congratulations to AFB Forum member fishmilkshake for winning the September Comment Contest! His selected prize of either the DCUC Wave 9 Green Arrow  or The DC Direct History of the Universe Black Lightning will be on the way shortly from Mike’s Comics N’ Stuff.

Now to October’s Contest: on offer are two great prizes: the winner will be able to choose either from the DC Direct JLI Series Two Fire or the Star Trek: The Original Series Salt Vampire. As well as being great individual figures, these two could be combined together to make an excellent “Before and After Smoking” Set!

Here’s a reminder of the basic contest rules:

• every genuine comment on a post from the calendar month will be eligible for receiving the prize. I’m going to stick to my own time zone and call it at 23:59:59 Australian Eastern Standard Time – best to comment often and comment early!
• if my super scientific randomizer comment selector system chooses an Anonymous comment, I’ll skip it and go again – you need to leave a name, a link, your AFB Forum username or email addy so that I can contact you if you are the winner. Blogger comments allows you to do this.
• you will be given a choice of one of the two figures on offer from the month’s contest – figures will be in their original packaging

• figures will be sent by first class mail within the US (Mike is sending them, remember) and first class international to any overseas winner. An overseas winner can elect to chip in for Priority Mail or Insurance, but otherwise we can’t take any responsibility for a parcel that doesn’t arrive – after this is coming out of AFB’s  not dreadfully deep pockets!

Once again, thanks to Mike for making this all possible for us, and here’s to another happy month of commenting!

Until next time!