Tag Archives: DC

#3357: The Demon – Demon Knights

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

THE DEMON — DEMON KNIGHTS

DC MULTIVERSE (MCFARLANE TOYS)

“Jason Blood, once a mortal man who lived centuries ago, was bound to Etrigan after the Demon was summoned by none other than the wizard Merlin. Jason was rendered immortal and granted the ability to swap places with his demonic counterpart upon saying the magic words. Though Jason has tried many times to exert his will over Etrigan while he is transformed, the Demon is too powerful to be completely contained. Still, more often than not, Etrigan, despite his nature, is interested in the greater good—even if his motives and methods remain suspect.”

It seems quite a mistake at this time to craft a bio that features no rhyme.  Could it really be that hard, I ask of you, to describe the character in a way that rings true?  I suppose I’ll have to try my own hand, and see just how the words may land.  Behold the figure in front of you, which I must now rightly review.  It is a creation of McFarlane Toys, and they frequently avert my joys.  The DC line is often off the mark, due to its focus on the Knight who’s Dark.  This Man of Bats often leads the sales, but it’s not only his stories from whence each toy hails.  In this toy’s case, he’s more obscure, but a fan favorite you can be sure.  He’s brought forth with the proper chime of the summoning words that are a rhyme.  Gone, gone, the form of man, rise the demon, Etrigan!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Demon who’s of Demon Knights inflection is from McFarlane’s DC Multiverse collection.  The time in which this figure was done was the early part of 2021.  Demon Knights of the New 52 was the version that they chose to do.  It seems to me to be quite odd to not launch the character with a more classic nod.  But although it may be on the verge of odd, it could also just be Todd being Todd.  Although the design might not quite ring true, at the very least, he’s something new.  The figure stands just over 7 inches tall and his articulation is 35 points counted in all.  To the line’s other figures his movement matches, although it’s not without its own little scratches.  The ankles could be more secure, to keep him from falling to the floor.  The figure’s sculpt is one that’s completely new, and is really one that gives what’s due.  The character’s look is well reflected, and texturing is well perfected.  The figure’s head is my favorite piece, and really catches the character for this release.  The figure’s paint is well applied, and certainly feels as though they tried.  The color scheme is different there, then what he’s usually known to wear.  It’s very definitely a lot of silver and grey, which not the most eye catching, I have to say.  Still, it’s true to the source, so it’s only fair to let it run its course.  The Demon has amongst his cares a stand and sword, which are his wares.  His sword is hard for him to hold, and takes tricky wedging into his hand’s mold.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The Demon’s a character I greatly enjoy, and so I’d like to have him as a toy.  His costume choice is not my preferred, but still my interest was not deterred.  Getting the figure was no real chore, I just waited for his arrival at the store.  In the end, the figure’s fine, which seems the curse of this whole line.  Even when it’s at its best, it struggles rising above the rest.  The Demon’s cool, that much is true, but as always, odd choices still come shining through.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website.

#3354: Nightwing

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

NIGHTWING

DC LEGION OF COLLECTORS (FUNKO)

Remember when those weird subscription boxes were literally everywhere, shipping out, intermittently, a box of actual garbage or a thing that everyone wanted that shouldn’t be locked behind a random subscription box?  Pepperidge Farm remembers.  Yes, it was a simpler time, before people realized that, instead of paying up front for a box that might contain something they actually wanted or might contain actual garbage, they could just, you know, pay for the the things they wanted.  And also that the boxes were perhaps a wee bit scammy.  Whatever the case, everyone and their mother was getting in on the trend, and there’s no trend in the world that Funko isn’t gonna at least try to sink in their own special way, so you bet they were in on this one.  They had a bunch of them, in fact, based on just some of the cacophony of licenses they hold firmly within their grasp, which included DC, which got a service called “Legion of Collectors.”  It was largely a delivery service for more Pops, but they mixed in a few other things, including a totally exclusive line of actual 3 3/4 inch figures.  That’s crazy.  And now I’m gonna look at the Nightwing.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Nightwing was one of the four retro style figures available in the January 2018 box for the DC Legion of Collectors subscription.  The whole box was Teen Titans-themed, and there were four figures in total (Nightwing, Starfire, Raven, and Cyborg), as well as a Nightwing Pop!, a T-shirt, and a comic.  Wooo.  Apparently no one liked the figures, so they’re not, like, super expensive, but also Funko collectors have a stupid sense of value, so they’re, like, still reluctant to let them go for cheap, because there’s a sticker that says “exclusive.”  I like them, so, umm, here I am.  The figure stands just shy of 3 3/4 inches tall and has 11 points of articulation.  Nightwing makes use of the post-ReAction 3 3/4 inch articulation set-up, like we saw with the short-lived Batman ’66 and Game of Thrones lines.  It’s basic, but honestly works pretty nicely; it’s a shame Funko didn’t do more with the style.  The figure gets a unique sculpt, based on the late George Perez’s first Nightwing design.  Like the other figures in this style, it’s got a bit of a retro vibe to it, though not quite so much as the ReAction figures.  Given the use of his original costume, this Nightwing fits well with the established style.  The costume details all translate well, and the head has a respectable likeness of Perez’s look for Dick Grayson.  Nightwing’s paint work is, like the rest of the figure, basic; there’s a little bit of fuzz and slop on some of the edges, and the skin tone is a little pale, but it’s generally a decent set-up.  Nightwing is packed with no accessories, though I’m not entirely sure what you would give him anyway.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I didn’t pay much attention to the Legion of Collectors stuff when it launched or while it was running, so I didn’t actually know of these figures’ existence until a good while after they were shipped out.  The figure that actually hinted to me that they existed was actually the First Appearance Superman from a different box.  I didn’t know of the Teen Titans figures until this one was traded into All Time, loose, about a year ago.  He’s kinda goofy, but I dig him.  I dig him a lot.  It’s a shame they didn’t do the whole team line-up in this style, but Nightwing’s cool.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3345: Dr. Fate

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

DR. FATE

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED (MATTEL)

Justice League Unlimited‘s expanded roster brought with it a mix of characters, some all-new, and some with prior DCAU appearances.  Dr. Fate had shown up a few times before, with a guest appearance on Superman: The Animated Series during the show’s second season, as well as on JLU‘s precursor Justice League, as part of the Defenders homage team in “The Terror Beyond.”  The character had only a few rather brief appearances during JLU‘s run, but it didn’t really take much to justify giving someone an action figure with that show.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Dr. Fate was part of Mattel’s launch line-up for their JLU tie-in line in 2004.  He was in a three-pack alongside Green Arrow and The Flash, in a pack specifically referencing the episode “Initiation.”  Fate’s not really much of a player in that episode, but neither is Flash, so the whole thing winds up a bit odd.  It was honestly a rather frequent occurrence in the early multi-packs for the line.  Fate wound up getting re-packed a good number of times, as a single in 2005, alongside Vixen and Hawkgirl in 2006, alongside Starman and Flash in 2007, and solo once more in 2009.  The figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  Fate was built on the skinny male base body, which was patterned on the original Flash figure.  It generally fits pretty well with Fate’s depiction on the show.  He gets a new head, cape, and arms to fully sell the look.  The head’s a pretty spot-on piece, as is the cape.  The arms add his gloves, and they’re not bad, but they are a touch too long for the base body, giving him something of a monkey arms set-up.  Dr. Fate’s paint work is okay in application, but not so great in accuracy.  His colors are definitely too bright for the animated Fate, and his neck and boots both wind up being done in yellow, instead of blue like they should be for proper accuracy.  The application was at least decent, and the slightly metallic finish for the yellow parts is at least a little more visual pop.  It’s worth noting that the 2009 release actually corrected the layout of the colors, though not the actual shades of them.  For his three-pack releases, Fate got no accessories, but his single releases both got a magic effect for him to hold.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I took a while to get the Dr. Fate figure from this line.  I don’t really know why, honestly.  It’s not like I dislike the character or anything.  In fact, I generally like him, and his animation design as a whole.  For whatever reason, I wound up waiting until his first solo release, which I more than likely got with a gift card after the holidays.  He’s got some issues with accuracy, and those monkey arms are a bit much, but he’s still a pretty fun figure, all things considered.

#3340: Nemesis

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

NEMESIS

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED (MATTEL)

Beginning as the star of a back-up feature running in Brave and the Bold (which was then serving as DC’s equivalent to Marvel’s Marvel Team-Up), Thomas Tresser aka Nemesis has never been a particularly high profile DC character, but he’s had a few notable moments over the years.  He’s certainly a different sort of character, especially for his era, being more of an espionage type of character who nevertheless still regularly interacts with the main DC heroes.  He’s kind of like a Black Widow type almost.  In this day and age of media, it’s honestly downright baffling that his only appearance outside of the comics is as a couple of cameos in Justice League Unlimited.  He did at least get a toy out of it, though.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Nemesis was released in 2007, under the third iteration of Mattel’s Justice League Unlimited line.  He was in the fifth series following the line’s move to the purple “DC Universe” branded packaging, and was available only in a three-pack alongside Lightray and a winged variant of Amazo.  The figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  Nemesis was built on the medium male body, which was reworked from the basic Green Lantern.  It’s a good, balanced build, and was very definitely the line’s best base body.  He got the new fancy-booted legs from the prior year’s Lex Luthor, as well as that figure’s shoulder harness add-on.  Those pieces, coupled with a brand-new head sculpt, made for a really solid recreation of Nemesis’s design as seen on the show.  The head sculpt is honestly one of the line’s best, and is just a great recreation of Nemesis not only from the show, but from the comics as well.  The paint work on this guy is very basic.  Largely, he’s just molded in black.  There’s a little bit of painted add-on work, and it does what needs to, and does it pretty well.  Nemesis was *technically* not packed with any accessories, but he’s a master of disguise and the other two figures in the pack were both built on the same base body, so maybe they’re just disguises?  Yeah, let’s spin it that way.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

My knowledge of Nemesis really came from his stint as a supporting player in Wonder Woman.  I really dug the character there, and liked how they worked him into the overall story, fitting him loosely into that Steve Trevor role.  Beyond that, I’ve always thought he had a pretty cool look.  JLU was still very hard to find at retail when this set hit, but Cosmic Comix happened to get one in back when they were still relatively new, and I was enough of a fan of all the figures included to pick it up.  Nemesis is a great example of the line’s parts re-use really working well to give us characters we wouldn’t otherwise get.

#3335: Shining Knight

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

SHINING KNIGHT

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED (MATTEL)

In the 1940s, DC’s premiere team of super heroes was the Justice Society of America.  They weren’t the only grouping of heroes under DC at the time, however.  Some of their lower-tier heroes were banded together in 1941’s Leading Comics as the “Seven Soldiers of Victory.”  Though they never got far beyond obscurity, Justice League Unlimited‘s “Patriot Act” brought the team into the DCAU, as a deployment of Justice Leaguers handed parade duty.  The episode serves as a particular focus for Sir Justin of Camelot, aka the Shining Knight, who had been a background character throughout the show’s run.  He also got a figure from the tie-in line, because why not?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Shining Knight was released in 2006, under the second iteration of Mattel’s Justice League Unlimited line.  He was in the third series following the moving of the line under the larger “DC Universe” banner, and was packed in a three-pack with Zatanna and a repackaged Batman.  He was then re-packed on his own the following year.  The figure stands 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  Shining Knight is built on the slightly larger mid-size male base body, patterned on the original Batman mold.  While a lot of the figures that used this base were in a weird spot, but it honestly works pretty well for Shining Knight in regards to how his build was portrayed on the show.  Shining Knight gets a new head, as well as an add-on piece for his tunic.  It’s not really the best parts selection the line had to offer.  The head is plain and simply just too small for the base body, in addition to not being a particularly good sculpt, no matter it’s sculpting.  He just looks kind of goony and off-model.  Not helping things is the tunic piece, which is rather bulky.  It just makes the head look even smaller.  Its actual sculpt isn’t bad, though; the folds are nicely rendered, and it hands pretty believably.  The color work on Shining Knight hits this weird spot that all the metallic characters hit, which is which direction do you go with the coloring.  In contrast to most of the other gold-clad characters, Shining Knight gets a flat yellow, which is honestly not a bad call.  There’s even a little bit of detailing on the arms and legs to do the scales, which is pretty cool.  The rest of the paint is pretty basic, but gets the job done.  Shining Knight was packed with no accessories for the three-pack release, while the single-pack added his sword to the mix.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

At the time Shining Knight was added to the line, the figures had gotten pretty hard to find, and I wasn’t actively searching.  Adding to that, I just didn’t really like the figure’s look, so I didn’t go out of my way.  Christian wound up getting one for his collection one way or another, so I ultimately wound up getting his when he got out of action figure collecting.  It’s not a great figure.  It’s not even a particularly good figure.  It’s the only Shining Knight figure, though, so there’s that.

#3330: Sand

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

SAND

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED (MATTEL)

After Robin made kid sidekicks all the range, a lot of other heroes dabbled in the concept.  In house at DC, they even reworked their pulp/mystery hero Sandman into a more conventional hero (complete with a yellow and purple spandex costume) and gave him his own sidekick, Sandy Hawkins, aka Sandy the Golden Boy.  Sandy stuck with Sandman until the end of his original Golden Age run, but was curiously absent when Sandman returned in the ’60s.  To explain what happened to Sandy, writer Len Wein crafted “The Creature in the Velvet Cage”, which revealed that Sandy had been turned into a silicon monster when one of Westley Dodds’ experiments went awry.  He would eventually be returned to his human form, and years later was added to the relaunched JSA book in the early ’00s, where he manifested sand-based powers, and took on the identity of “Sand.”  Sand wound up being one of the background filler characters in Justice League Unlimited, which netted him an action figure for all his trouble.  Silver lining, right?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Sand was released in 2007 under the third iteration of Mattel’s Justice League Unlimited tie-in line, after they’d moved it under the larger DC Universe banner.  He was part of the seventh series of products under the set-up, which was also the first one to sport the purple packaging.  He was packed in a three-pack, alongside Star Sapphire and a re-pack of the more posable Superman figure.  Sand was based on his show design, of course, which was itself patterned on his first proper costume under the “Sand” name, which he’d gotten early into the ’00s JSA run.  The figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  Sand was built on the slightly larger mid-sized base body, which was patterned on the original Batman body.  It’s honestly the weakest on the male base bodies, due to how oddly posed it is, but it’s not terrible, and it does slightly break up the monotony of putting every one on the Amazo body.  He got a new head sculpt, as well as re-using the shoulder harness from the Injustice Gang Luthor and the legs from Mirror Master, both of which had been added to the line the prior year.  The new head is actually a really nice recreation of his animation model, and the other parts make for a respectable match as well, translating to a figure that’s really one of the more accurate JLU figures sculpturally.  His paint work does alright, too, covering all of the important details that aren’t sculpted, as well as adding the proper coloring to the parts that are sculpted.  His paint is a little thick, and definitely on the shiny side, but overall not bad.  Sand was packed with no accessories, unless you count the other two figures, I suppose.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Sand’s one of those characters I have this weird affinity for.  I was starting to get more into comics reading on my own when JSA was really hitting its stride, and Sand had this really cool look and was also getting a lot of focus.  I was honestly pretty thrilled when he was added to this line.  I got this set, as well as the one with Obsidian from the same assortment, on my way back from my family vacation, at a Walmart that served as the mid-way stop on most of our return trips.  He’s a pretty nifty little figure, and he’s the only version of Sand out there, so he’s also the best version of Sand out there.  He wins on a technicality!

#3300: The Question

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

THE QUESTION

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED (MATTEL)

Hey, it’s time for another installment of me reviewing a figure of The Question on The Figure in Question!  I really was expecting that joke to come back around quicker than it ultimately did.  I mean, it’s been, like eight years, with no additional reviews.  That’s on me, you guys.  There are many great things about Justice League Unlimited, but the undeniable best thing about it is Jeffery Combs as The Question.  He’s just so, so great.  Every moment with him’s just fantastic, and it’s really just the definitive take on the character.  Unfortunately, due to a weird contractual thing, Mattel was unable to add the character to the tie-in toyline until very near the end of its run.  But, they did at least get him in before they were done.  That’s gotta count for something.  So, let’s take a look at that figure!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Question was released in the first assortment of Justice League Unlimited three-packs post Mattel launching their larger DC Universe branding.  It followed them getting the full DC license, which allowed them to finally produce the figure.  Question was packed with re-packs of Flash and Wonder Woman…which was borderline predatory on Mattel’s part, really.  Question doesn’t ever really interact with the two of them in the show, and Mattel knew very well that people were buying this set just for him.  Couldn’t hey have at least thrown people a bone and packed him with, I don’t know, maybe Huntress?  Heck, you could even go for a “Question Authority” theme and throw a Superman in there.  See?  Heavy hitter.  Actually, it looks like they paired those two off with Galatea at the same time.  Well, there it is.  Whatever the case, it is what it is.  The figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  He used a base body derived from Mattel’s take on the animated Two-Face, which they’d made a little more basic.  It would be re-used for a few others down the line, but it kicked off here.  He got a unique head sculpt, as well as an extra piece for his overcoat.  The overcoat is a little bit clunky, but the head sculpt is pretty decent.  There’s no face, of course, but there shouldn’t be, so it tracks.  The color work is basic, but what it needs to be.  The application is pretty clean overall, and the colors match up well with his look from the show.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The Question was my favorite part of the show, and I desperately wanted him as a figure for the show’s whole run.  I even tried my hand at making one of my own, but it’s honestly for the best that I don’t have it to compare.  It was pretty bad.  This figure was one I was really excited for.  Not super thrilled about having to buy the two extra figures, but by this point in the line, I was desensitized to the whole thing.  He’s actually a pretty nice little figure.  Basic, but that’s the whole line.  He definitely felt worth the wait.

#3295: Atom

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

ATOM

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED (MATTEL)

When reworking their slate of Golden Age heroes into something that better fit the more “modern” audience of the ’60s, DC banked far more heavily on science and “space age” ingenuity for the backgrounds of their superheroes.  Where the Golden Age Atom was just a kinda small guy who was a bit of a bruiser, his replacement in the Silver Age was a man who could shrink down to the size of the thing he took his name from.  Well, okay, probably still a bit bigger.  Actual Atoms are pretty darn small.  Ray Palmer’s turn as the Atom reshaped the character, and has been the standard going forward.  He’s found himself as a supporting player in a number of DC projects.  He first got his name dropped during Justice League’s second season, before becoming a member of the titular team in the following season, when the went “Unlimited.”  He was voiced in the show by Dr. Percival Cox himself, John C McGinnley, and got two focus episodes of his own, as well as a little bit of action figure coverage.  I’m looking at his main JLU line figure today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Atom was part of the first single-carded assortment of Mattel’s Justice League Unlimited line.  They largely kept the new team members confined to the multipacks at the start, so he was largely packed in with a bunch of unnecessary variants of the core 7, making him by far the most desirable in the bunch.  He was re-released a couple of times after that in multipack form, but this guy’s the original release.  The figure stands 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  Atom was built on the skinniest of the male base bodies, which was patterned on the original Flash sculpt.  It’s perhaps a touch skinny for how Ray was portrayed on the show, but it was a closer fit than any of the other options.  He got a new head sculpt, which was a strong recreation of the animation design, and just a pretty strong sculpt in general.  It’s very cleanly handled, and instantly distinct from the other characters in the line (well, apart from the Hourman figure that re-used the head, but that’s a whole other thing).  His paint work is pretty basic stuff, but it covers his needed set-up pretty well.  The insignia on the head and belt is decent, and the blue and red are fairly close to what they should be.  As a single-release, Atom actually got an accessory; it’s a miniature version of himself.  Interestingly, this smaller Atom appears to have his mold based on the mid-range body, which was patterned on Batman, making him look a little bulkier than his full-sized compatriot.  Given the scale, though, it’s a pretty minor difference.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Atom was my first JLU figure.  The three packs were hard to get at first, and my dad wound up finding this one for me, which he presented to me as sort of a gift of acomplishment after I lost a tooth mid-way through a school play and still went on with the show.  I was determined, I tell ya.  He was always one of my favorites from the line, and I stand by that.  He kind of exemplified the kind of stuff the line could do very well when it played to its strengths.

#3290: Wildcat

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

WILDCAT

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED (MATTEL)

First appearing as a second fiddle of sorts to Wonder Woman in Sensation Comics #1, Wildcat became something of a journeyman hero.  He didn’t officially join the JSA until after the Golden Age had wrapped, but became quite a fixture for the team in the ensuing years.  He’s found his real footing in recent years as the old-timer hero involved in training a good chunk of DC’s street level heroes.  That was the role he found himself in for Justice League Unlimited, where his role as Black Canary’s mentor served as the basis of their shared debut episode “The Cat and the Canary.”  His part in the show got him his second time as an action figure, and I’m taking a look at that figure today.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Wildcat was released in the second series of three packs for Mattel’s Justice League Unlimited line, alongside Metamorpho and a re-packed Batman figure.  He was subsequently re-packed as a single with a few extra accessories later down the line.  The figure stands about 4 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  Wildcat is based on the larger male base body, which was based upon the first Superman sculpt from the line.  It’s a decent build for the character, but he does have a little bit of trouble standing.  He’s got to lean all the way back to really balance, which doesn’t quite feel very true to the character.  Wildcat got a unique head and arms.  The head’s a little bit on the tiny side, but is otherwise a nice mold, which does a respectable job of capturing the animation design.  The arms are similar to the standard ones, but with slight tufts of fur on the forearms.  It’s a small touch, but an effective one.  The figure’s paint work is fairly minimal.  Largely, he’s just the molded off-black/purple.  He does get a little bit of paint for his face and his hands.  Nothing too crazy, but it gets the job done.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

When it first launched, JLU was a rather tricky to acquire line, especially when it came to the three-packs.  After finally managing to get most of the first assortment, I actually lucked into almost all of the second series at once, while vacationing with my family back when they first dropped.  I’ve always had a soft spot for Wildcat, and I liked his appearance on the show, so I was happy to have gotten him.  He’s a pretty basic figure, but he does what he needs to, and he fits the line well.

#3285: Warhawk

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

WARHAWK

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED (MATTEL)

“In the not too distant future, an older Bruce Wayne trains high school student Terry McGinnis to become the new Batman, ensuring the protection of Gotham City for years to come. This new Batman eventually joins the future JLU, teaming up with heroes such as Warhawk, the tough-as-nails son of John Stewart and Shayera Hol.”

Since Batman Beyond‘s tie-in toyline from when it was on the air wasn’t particularly comprehensive, and was effectively non-existent by the time of the later seasons, its best toy coverage came not in its own line, but rather as part of the line for its follow-up show, Justice League Unlimited.  JLU the show was used to more clearly tie the entire DCAU together, in particular giving a little more time to Beyond, as well as its own continuation of the Justice League, the Justice League….Unlimited.  Team member Warhawk, who had previously been something of a blank canvas, was given an actual proper backstory, which wound up being a key plot point within JLU‘s last couple seasons.  As such, he was a pretty natural fit to get his first action figure in JLU‘s tie-in line.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Warhawk was released in one of the final retail three-pack assortments for Mattel’s Justice League Unlimited line, alongside the previously reviewed Batman Beyond and Bruce Wayne.  The figure stands about 4 1/4 inches tall and has the usual 5 points of articulation.  Warhawk’s starting point was the medium base body, which was patterned on Green Lantern.  Given Warhawk’s parentage, as well as his usual build in the shows, it’s a pretty solid choice of base.  He gets a new head and an overlay piece for his shoulder plating and wings.  The head is a solid piece, though it seems to be a little more inspired by his Beyond appearances than by JLU proper.  They’re not terribly different, so it’s not like it’s really terribly noticeable, especially at this scale.  The overlay is pretty basic; while the hawk symbol appears to be a cut out piece on the show, it’s just painted here, probably for the sake of integrity of the piece.  The wings are separate pieces, glued in place here.  Warhawk’s paint work is fairly well handled.  It’s again going more for the Beyond appearance, given the shading of the skin, but the rest of the colors are pretty neutral for both sets of appearances.  Warhawk was without any accessories.  Most of the three-packs didn’t get any extras, and Warhawk already got quite a few new parts, so it’s not terribly surprising.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

As I noted in my review of Bruce and Terry, I was mostly out of the line by the time this set came along.  I saw the prototypes, but never anything in person.  Through All Time, I was able to get the other two a couple of years back, which was pretty cool.  But, I certainly had this distinct lack of a Warhawk figure in my collection, and, as luck would have it, the missing piece of the set made its way into All Time.  Boom.  Warhawk.  I’m glad I got him, because he’s honestly the best in the set.  Sure, it would be nice to have the whole team, but at least this guy got a cool toy out of it all.