#3867: Amazo

AMAZO

AMAZING ANDROIDS (DC DIRECT)

“Created by the infamous Professor Ivo, Amazo was the world’s first android. His “absorption cells” give Amazo the ability to absorb the powers of any super-being he meets, something he has done time and time again in his many battles with the Justice League.”

You know, I’ve got two Super Adaptoids reviewed here on the site, but thus far only a single review dedicated to the *original* green guy that replicates the super hero team’s powers, Amazo!  Introduced in 1960 (six whole years before the Adaptoid), Amazo is a Justice League foe that resurfaces with a decent regularity, since power mimicry is usually a pretty good angle for fighting a super hero team.  It took him until 2000 to finally get any sort of action figure treatment, courtesy of DC Direct’s early look into the weirder side of DC.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Amazo was released in November of 2000, as part of the Amazing Androids line from DC Direct.  He’s the set’s one proper antagonist.  He’s based on his original design from the comics, which had also just resurfaced pretty recently at the time of this figure’s release.  The figure stands about 7 inches tall and he has 9 points of articulation.  You’d be forgiven for expecting that to be 10, since it sure does look like he’s got a waist swivel, but he, in fact, does not.  It’s got no motion, just an awkward assembly point.  The figure’s sculpt is unique to him, and a little bit pre-posed, which was still rather a new concept for DCD at this point.  There’s enough articulation to *sort of* change him up, but not really in any meaningful way.  But, his chosen pose is at least an okay one.  The details are a little on the simpler side, but are generally sharp and pretty well defined.  He looks the part, for sure, and I quite like that scowl on his face.  His paint’s also pretty simple, but generally okay.  The skin’s a little thick, which hides the sculpt a bit, but I do rather like that inhumanly green pallor he has.  Amazo was originally packed with his replica of Wonder Woman’s lasso.  It was just a simple spool of gold string, but it could hang on the little spot on his hip if you wanted.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I had no clue who Amazo was when this figure was first shown off, but he fascinated me, and I really wanted one.  It was probably the Green Lantern ring that really sold me, but that’s hardly the point.  My dad gave me a few appearances to read, and made sure I got the figure, which I seem to recall showed up while I was away on a trip of some sort.  He was waiting for me when I got home, alongside a bag full of promotional Mr. Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite pins that I was still giving out to people well into my teens.  He’s not the most technically impressive figure, but he does look cool and he casts an imposing silhouette amongst the other early DCD figures.

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