Tag Archives: Hal Jordan

#3911: Hal Jordan – Armor Suit

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

HAL JORDAN — ARMOR SUIT

DC MULTIVERSE (McFARLANE)

“After years of faithful service, Hal rebelled against the Guardians when they refused to let him change history and restore Coast City after Mongol destroyed it. Unbeknown to anyone, Jordan was infected by the fear parasite Parallax, which had been imprisoned for eons in the Central Power Battery on Oa. It drove Hal to attack hundreds of his comrades, stealing their power rings as he stormed across the universe to a titanic confrontation with the Guardians’ last hope—a freed and restored Sinestro.”

If nothing else, McFarlane’s run with the DC license has certainly gotten us a lot of looks that have never seen toys before.  After exhausting pretty much every Batman variant possible early in their run, they then started doing this with other DC characters.  We got a whole plethora of Green Lanterns, and Hal Jordan in particular got some decent coverage of a lot of his major looks.  And also some not so major ones, too.  How about that?  Well, let’s look at one of those not particularly major ones, shall we?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Hal Jordan in Armor Suit is a 2025 release for DC Multiverse.  He shipped alongside Eradicator and Western Batman.  He and Eradicator are both from the “Return of Superman” story.  Crazy that we got a white-streaks in his hair Hal and you’ll never know it.  Hal’s seen here in his armored up look from his fight with Mongul after the destruction of Coast City.  It’s a rather minor look, but also kind of a cool one, since it serves as something of a precursor to his eventual Parallax costume upgrade.  The figure stands just shy of 7 1/2 inches tall and he has 35 points of articulation.  This figure’s entire existence more or less relies on one thing: parts re-use.  As such, he is almost entirely re-used from the Steel figure released last year.  He gets a new head and a modified torso to sell it all. As with other instances of McFarlane doing this sort of re-use, it relies on half-stepping between both looks, and as a result neither is truly accurate to the source material.  In Hal’s case, that’s ultimately kind of forgivable.  The armor was a construct of his ring, and that allows a little more room for interpretation and imagination, I feel.  The new parts are pretty decent.  I like that the head keeps the same general facial structure as the Silver Age Hal from last year.  I also appreciate the decision to keep the helmet consistent with the body armor, rather than making it specifically comic accurate and risking it not really matching.  Hal’s color work is a lot of molded greens, of differing shades.  For the most part, they’re supposed to be different, but the elbows and knees notably don’t match the rest of the arms/legs around them, which looks a bit off.  The symbol on his chest is painted with a textured paint that made me think it was supposed to glow, but it appears it doesn’t.  He’s also got a tiny bit of painted shading on his lower torso and upper legs, which seems a little out of place.  It’s not awful, just strange that there’s not more of it, honestly.  Hal is packed with Steel’s hammer, a display stand, and a collector’s card.  The hammer’s a pretty essential part of the scene, so it’s good it’s here, though it’s really kind of floppy and prone to bending under its own weight.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

While I’ve cooled somewhat in more recent years, there’s very definitely a part of my ape brain that if there’s a neat Green Lantern figure, especially Hal Jordan, then I need to own it.  This figure was definitely activating that part of my ape brain.  Thankfully, I ended up getting him as a birthday present from my parents this year, so, hey, ape brain needs fulfilled.  He’s not accurate, and the droopy hammer is silly, but I do think he’s quite fun.

#3847: Spectre – Hal Jordan

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

SPECTRE — HAL JORDAN

OTHER WORLDS (DC DIRECT)

As I anxiously await having more Super Powers to review, I’m going to be getting my DC fix by taking a dive into my back catalogue of DC figures from years gone by.  In the late ’90s/early ’00s, DC Direct started making a splash in the DC toy world by offering up figures of the non-Batman and Superman denizens of the DC universe, especially giving focus to the weirder element of things.  In 1999, after a redemptive death as Parallax, Hal Jordan was chosen as the new host for The Spectre, DC’s spirit of vengeance.  For about 6 years, that was Hal’s main bit, and during that period, he managed to get an action figure of him in the role, courtesy of those oddballs over at DC!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Spectre — Hal Jordan was released in DC Direct’s Other Worlds line-up, which hit in June of 2001.  A roughly year and a half turnaround time was actually quite quick for such a line, so that was quite a cool bit for Hal.  This was Hal’s second figure under DCD, following up on his Hard Traveling Heroes release from the year prior.  It is, to date, the only figure of Hal from his time as the Spectre.  The figure stands just under 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 9 points of articulation.  Hal’s presence in this set owes to two things: firstly, the Jim Corrigan version of Spectre had been released the year prior, so they needed a different one for this spirit-based line-up, and secondly they needed a parts re-use heavy figure to offset costs.  As such, he’s an almost complete re-use of the Hard Traveling Heroes Hal.  Given that Hal’s Spectre design intentionally referenced his GL design, it’s far from the worst choice.  It helps that it’s just a pretty strong sculpt in the first place, and really holds up as one of DCD’s best from their early days.  It’s not terribly posable, I suppose (the v-hips in particular are tricky to work with), but it’s got a good balance to the proportions and there’s a cool Neal Adams vibe to it that’s just always super cool.  The only new sculpted part is the left lower arm, which is now an open gesture, rather than a grip.  What’s interesting is that they chose to replace his left hand, not his right, meaning the figure still has a sculpted right on his right hand, which is kind of funny.  It’s all topped off with a cloth cloak piece, which is a really nice piece, with an inner lining, and a wire on the edge for posing.  Hal’s color work is generally basic, but by far the coolest thing about it is the glow-in-the-dark plastic used for the bulk of it.  I’m a real sucker for glow-in-the-dark stuff.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

The Hasbro 9-inch Hal was my first Hal Jordan figure in general, but this one was my first Hal in a more conventional scale.  My dad had a friend who worked at Diamond, and he would get us DC Direct figures, and my dad made sure he ordered me this one.  Even though he wasn’t a GL, this guy got a ton of play time as my primary Hal Jordan.  The fact that he has a generally green palette allowed me to fudge things a bit as to which identity he was using.  I remember in particular him accompanying me to our attempt to go see the Fourth of July fireworks in 2001, which got rained out, and holding him up to the window as we passed road lights trying to get his glow feature to charge.  He remains one of my favorites to this day.  Looking back on him, I’m still impressed by just how good a sculpt he’s got, and it’s neat that we got this look at all, given how scarce it’s become overall.

#3843: Green Lantern

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

GREEN LANTERN

DC UNIVERSE CLASSICS (MATTEL)

For the first time since the middle of February, I don’t have a Super Powers figure set for review today.  I know, I’m sad too.  Alas.  Back in January, I had a pretty solid run of DC Universe Classics reviews, with a pretty good focus in particular on the many Hal Jordan Green Lantern variants Mattel did during the line’s run.  I had one that was *not* featured in January, for rather a good reason: I didn’t own in.  But, well, as the photo above this intro may have clued you in, that’s changed in the months since then.  It was inevitable, I feel.  Anyway, here’s another Hal Jordan Green Lantern.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Green Lantern was added to Mattel’s DC Universe Classics line in 2010, as part of a larger Toys R Us-exclusive line of repaints.  He was the second of four figures offered quarterly throughout the year, following Batman, and preceding Flash and Nightwing.  This figure was also functionally re-released the following year as part of a DC Universe vs Masters of the Universe Classics two-pack with Zodac, with only the included accessory changing.  The figure stands 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 23 points of articulation.  He uses the same assembly as all the other GL Hals from the line, so medium body, standard Hal head sculpt, and the right hand with the ring on it.  It’s a sculpt I continue to like, but I will say that, as nice as the head is, it’s maybe not quite on the mark for a more modern Hal, which is what this one’s aiming for.  Still, it’s not bad by any stretch of the imagination.  That said, there’s some issues with some of the green plastics from around this time getting brittle, and that happened with mine, resulting in a small chunk of his neck breaking off.  The joint still works and it’s not super visible, but it’s annoying.  Hal’s paint work is the main change-up.  He’s using a similar approach to the one from the 2-pack, with a glossy, metallic finish for his suit.  However, instead of a Super Friends inspiration, Hal’s using his post-Rebirth costume.  So, he loses the “trunks” element of the costume, as well as the other figure’s visible pupils.  I still really like the overall look of the color scheme, but I’d be lying if I said the classic design didn’t still land a bit better for me.  But, at least this one gives other people who didn’t like the last one’s “creepy eyes” a version of the head without them.  Hal’s single-packed release included a power battery, while the two-pack release got a recolor of John Stewart’s gun construct.  Because we certainly wouldn’t want Hal to have the fist construct.  That would be wrong.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I remember this figure being released, but, as much as I love Hal, I was getting a bit worn thin on him in 2010.  So, I didn’t track this one down when it was new.  But, as I’ve gotten more of the others I missed, I felt the need to go back and get him.  Thankfully, in my line of work, these sorts of things tend to just land in front of me, which is exactly what happened with this guy.  He’s cool.  Kind of a lot of the same stuff as others, and it’s a bummer mine’s got a slight break, but that’s the cost of DC Universe Classics.

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.

#3796: Green Lantern – Hal Jordan

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

GREEN LANTERN — HAL JORDAN

SUPER POWERS (McFARLANE)

“Hal Jordan’s life was changed twice by crashing aircraft. The first time was when he witnessed the death of his father, pilot Martin Jordan. The second was when, as an adult and trained pilot himself, he was summoned to the crashed wreckage of a spaceship belonging to Abin Sur. Abin explained that he was a member of the Green Lantern Corps, an organization of beings from across the cosmos, armed with power rings fueled by the green energy of all the willpower in the universe. Upon his death, Abin entrusted his ring and duties as the Green Lantern of Earth’s space sector to Hal Jordan.”

I’m angling a lot more towards “comfort” reviews these days, so expect more of that, I guess.  That manifested in a Toy Biz Marvel review yesterday, because I’ve got plenty of those, and they make me happy.  Continuing on things that make me happy, I’ve got a whole stack of McFarlane Super Powers figures, and I genuinely can’t believe that’s where we are, but it is.  My favorite vintage Super Powers figure was Green Lantern, whom I’d already reviewed, but McFarlane did a remake of that one, so, you know what, here’s that one!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Green Lantern – Hal Jordan was released in the sixth assortment of McFarlane’s Super Powers line.  It was the first assortment of 2024, and he paired off with the previously reviewed Sinestro.  He was the line’s second GL, and the first under the “new” style that is actually the old style.  The figure stands about 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 7 points of articulation.  In a departure for this line, Hal is actually slightly *shorter* than his vintage counterpart.  Not by much, but it’s there.  Hal’s sculpt, courtesy of Owen Oertling, is designed as a replica of the vintage Kenner one.  It’s actually a pretty close match.  If anything, it takes him a little closer to the Jose Garcia-Lopez illustrations than the original.  I quite like it.  It’s a good, solid update.  In terms of coloring, he’s completely painted, which is an interesting set-up.  His color scheme is the same general look as Kilowog, with the more muted shade of green.  It’s got more of that Super Friends shading, which is a vibe I can certainly appreciate.  Hal is packed with his power battery, which, like the main mold, is modeled on his original, while being slightly different.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Obviously, I’m a bit of a late convert on the McFarlane Super Powers, so I wound up missing this guy at retail.  A lot of people did, as it turns out, which means that this figure is currently more expensive than his vintage counterpart, which is quite an interesting turn of events.  I was thankfully able to get a good deal on a loose one through All Time, which was a good thing, because I really do like this one a lot.  I loved the original, and I love this one too, and I love them for similar, but different reasons.

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.

#3775: Hal Jordan vs Thaal Sinestro

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

HAL JORDAN VS THAAL SINESTRO

DC UNIVERSE CLASSICS (MATTEL)

Hey, hey, hey, it’s another DC Universe Classics review!  I’m enjoying the weekly rhythm on these, so I’m keeping it going for a bit.  I’m also keeping the Hal Jordan theme going, because why not?  Last week, I brought up how there were no Hals in 2009, but there were three of him in 2010.  Well, he’s another one of the 2010 ones, facing down his arch enemy, Thaal Sinestro, in exclusive two-pack form!  Who doesn’t love that?  Well, a few people, for, admittedly, valid reasons.  But let’s not dwell on that here.  Onto the review!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Hal Jordan and Thaal Sinestro were released as a Toys “R” Us-exclusive DC Universe Classics two-pack, which hit towards the later part of 2010.  It was one of six two-packs released in 2010, and one of the two released at TRU.  The pack contains the two figures, accessories for each of them, and a split color yellow and green power battery for them to fight over.

HAL JORDAN

This was Hal’s fifth entry into DCUC, and it was sort of an amalgam of some ideas that had come before.  Structurally, he’s the same as the last two Hals I looked at.  The figure stands 6 1/2 inches tall and has 23 points of articulation.  He’s using the medium base body and the standard Hal head sculpt.  They were good the first few times, and they were still good.  In fact, on my figure at least, he’s got even better plastic quality than the prior two.  The main change-up here is the paint work, which is pretty drastic this time.  This one is a glossy, metallic finish, which I actually really like.  It’s very sleek, and an intriguing contrast to the flatter colors.  He also takes some inspiration directly from his Super Friends appearance, with a slightly adjusted logo (something that not even the officially Super Friends based figure got right), and visible pupils.  The eyes got him labeled as “creepy eyes Hal” by a lot of the fanbase, but I’ve never been quite as bugged by them myself.  While prior Hals were without any constructs, this one gave him a few options: a gun attachment (from John Stewart), buzzsaw (from Gold), and a mace (from Iron).  It’s crazy that they went into the John Stewart molds for a construct and didn’t give him the giant fist that always felt tailor made for Hal.  It’s even crazier that they *never* gave that attachment to Hal in the whole of the line.  But, at least he got something.

THAAL SINESTRO

What, didn’t you know Sinestro was his last name?  Yeah, he’s actually Thaal.  I *totally* knew that before this pack came out and didn’t totally discover it when the set was announced.  I’m a proper GL fan.  I couldn’t miss a detail like that, right?  Right.  Last week, I discussed the height issues of the original DCUC Sinestro.  The 5-Pack didn’t really come up with a good solution, but this pack aimed for something a little better.  Generally, it succeeds, but there’s certainly some Frankensteining involved.  He starts with the skinnier base body of Deadman, and adds on the forearms, head, collar, and belt of the Series 3 release.  Honestly, it’s not terrible.  His forearms are perhaps a little short, and the neck joint is rather tight, but otherwise, it goes together alright, and is certainly a better end product than his original diminutive showing or the 5-pack version.  Sinestro’s paint work is basic and clean, and generally a good match for the stuff that came before.  Sinestro gets his own assortment of constructs in yellow, including Gold’s pickaxe, Iron’s wrench, and Hawkman’s mace.  The mace is handheld, which is weird, but it’s just one of the three, at least.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I remember this set’s release, and I remember the frustration around it at the time.  It was kind of pricey for an ultimately unneeded repaint of Hal and the Sinestro we should have gotten in the first place.  I, being a college freshman, with not a ton of money, didn’t go out to get one right away.  I did, however, find a loose pair not too long after the fact, while trying to build back up my GL collection.  Honestly, this set’s not a bad one.  It gets a bad rap, but Sinestro’s the best one Mattel offered, and I do like the Hal a lot more than I’d initially expected.  There were certainly worse offerings from the line.

#3770: Green Lantern’s Light

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

HAL JORDAN, GUY GARDNER, JOHN STEWART, SINESTRO, & TOMAR RE

DC UNIVERSE CLASSICS (MATTEL)

Last week, I did my first dive back in to DC Universe Classics since early last year, because that’s the space I’m deciding to occupy right about now.  I kicked things off by looking at the very first Green Lantern from the line, so I guess I’ll keep that particular theme running.  Green Lantern was at something of a high point for the property while DCUC was running, with the main comic being consistently at the top of DC’s list, plus multiple events building out of it, and, of course, the movie on the horizon.  In 201, there was quite a bit of lead-up to the film tie-ins, which included not just a whole GL-sub-line, but also a fair bit in the main line as well, such as today’s big ol’ boxed set!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

Officially titled “Green Lantern’s Light,” this 5-pack was a Walmart-exclusive DC Universe Classics offering, which hit retail in 2010.  It was the second of three such 5-packs offered up by Walmart during the line’s run.  In contrast to the prior year’s set, all of the figures included here were unique in someway, and would remain so going forward (though that doesn’t mean the set didn’t have a lot of re-hash).  In addition to the five figures, the set also included 5 power batteries, this time in a more sensible color than the first release.

HAL JORDAN

“While training in a flight simulator, test pilot Hal Jordan was suddenly transported to the crash site of an alien spacecraft. The injured pilot passed on to Jordan his green ring and uniform. The ring allowed him to make real anything that he could imagine, from flying unaided through space to lifting mountains. With it, Jordan, chosen by the ring itself because of his fearlessness, must fight evil as a member of the Green Lantern Corps.”

After kicking off the GL-theme in 2007 and getting a two-pack release in 2008, there were notably no Hal Jordans to be had in 2009.  It’s okay, because 2010 made up for it by putting out three of them.  Like his standard Series 3 release, this one stands about 6 1/2 inches tall and he has 23 points of articulation.  He’s the same exact mold as that one, which was pretty much expected.  It’s a solid starting point, since it’s a pretty nice sculpt in the first place.  In order to mark a little more change, this guy was specifically based on Hal’s post-Crisis appearances, when they gave him the graying temples to signify his status as one of the last hold-outs from the Silver Age.  It actually works pretty well, and differentiates the figure more than you might think.  In addition to the hair change, this Hal gets the same iridescent green for the uniform as the rest of the set, which works a touch better than the flat green used previously.  I also find the paint to be generally cleaner and sharper than on the earlier figure.

GUY GARDNER

“When Abin Sur crash-landed on Earth, his power ring detected two equally suitable replacements: Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner. Jordan got the ring because he was closer to the crash. Later, Guy received a second chance to join the Green Lantern Corps, but he often clashed with Jordan. Still, the Guardians sensed great potential in him. After proving himself, Guy Gardner was promoted to ‘honor lantern,’ one of the highest ranks in the Corps.”

Hey look, it’s Nathan Fillion!  That’s a joke I could have done above, as well, I suppose.  It’s funny that he’s played two different Earth Lanterns, though.  With Man of Tomorrow hitting this year, Guy is set to get some focus, which is good for him, I suppose.  Personally, I never resonated much with guy, and he was always my least favorite Earth Lantern (at least until Baz showed up, but there’s a lot of layers to that one).  I’ve grown to appreciate him more in recent years, though.  Guy represented he heaviest allotment of new tooling in this set, given his more unique design.  He got a new head, forearms, and lower legs, as well as a new overlay piece for his vest.  Generally, it’s an okay set-up.  Certainly different.  The head’s notably very cartoonish, and I was never a huge fan of that.  He’s seems especially out of place with the other Lanterns, even just in this set.  Something just a little more refined might have worked a bit better. The rest of the new parts work out alright, though, and I do like the vest piece. The paint is also a little bit sloppier on this one, especially on his vest.  The white detailing seems to have given them difficulty in particular.

JOHN STEWART

“When Green Lantern Hal Jordan was incapacitated en route to a JLA adventure, Hal’s power ring selected John Stewart to be Hal’s ‘alternate’ peacekeeper of Space Sector 2814. Honest and utterly without fear, John was eventually awarded his own power ring and full-time status as a Green Lantern in his own right. He continues battling evil as a Green Lantern, his dedication earning him full membership in the JLA.”

John Stewart had been added to DCUC the previous year, with a pretty fantastic figure at that.  This one takes that one and sort of tweaks it and it sort of works but it sort of doesn’t.  Since he’s re-using parts from the last John, that places him on a different base body than the other four figures in this set.  He’s still got the same basic articulation set-up, and he’s only fractionally taller, but the upper torso in particular is a bit more bulky.  In general, the initial John sculpt is a very good one, on par with the initial Hal Jordan.  The issue it runs into here is that it’s clearly a modern John Stewart…and his costume isn’t.  The paint attempts to place him in one of his earlier suits, earlier in the Mosaic run…more or less.  It’s a bit of an amalgam of sorts.  It’s not a bad one, mind you, but the hair on the sculpt doesn’t really match, nor do the raised edges on what were originally wrist bands on the first figure, now supposedly gloves.  Overall, it’s not terrible, but he’s certainly off.  The application of the paint is at the very least pretty clean; not quite as sharp as Hal, but a little better than Guy.

SINESTRO

“Sinestro was chosen to patrol space sector 1417 as its Green Lantern, but instead he ruled Korugar with an emerald fist. While he trained fledgling GL Hal Jordan, the Korugarians freed themselves and exposed Sinestro’s abuse of power. The Guardians of the Universe stripped Sinestro of his mantle and power ring, subsequently banishing him to the anti-matter universe of Qward.”

Ooooooooh, every party has a pooper, that’s why we invited Thaal!  In short, this figure is not good and by far the worst in the set.  In long?  Well, the original Series 3 Sinestro wound up too short during production.  Something about his skinny stature just got sort of lost, and they made him just  a little guy.  People weren’t thrilled.  This one, which was originally shown on a skinnier body, overcorrects the problem by moving Sinestro over to the medium base body, which is just too big for him.  He’s still using the original head, though, which was sized for a much smaller body, and therefore looks way too small.  And to top it all off, he doesn’t get his mask, which is somewhat understandable, but also still rather annoying.  I just don’t care for this one.

TOMAR RE

“An ordinary scientist from an obscure planet named Xudar, Tomar-Re never dreamed he would be chosen to serve in the Green Lantern Corps, much less that his name would one day stand for courage and integrity, assigned to protect Space Sector 2813, Tomar-Re distinguished himself so thoroughly in the line of duty that the Guardians of the Universe promoted him to their elite honor guard.”

Ha-ha!  I’ve already reviewed this one, way back in #0422!  All by his lonesome.  Really, I’m just putting him here from the turnarounds, since I wasn’t doing those yet in 2014.  Also, to reassert that even with the other four around, this one’s still my favorite, so there.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I never saw this set at retail.  Not a huge shock, since I wasn’t doing much hunting, and I almost never went to Walmart at the time.  I recall being sort of “meh” on most of the set, so I ultimately settled for Tomar on his own, because he was the main one I wanted anyway.  But, the other four landed in front of me just before the end of last year, and I felt compelled to finish the set.  I’m glad I did.  Sure, Sinestro sucks, but I knew that up front.  Guy and John aren’t perfect, but they’re both still decent.  I really do like this version of Hal, though.  In general, I think it’s a set that’s better as a whole than as individual figures.

#3765: Green Lantern

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

GREEN LANTERN

DC UNIVERSE CLASSICS (MATTEL)

“While training in a flight simulator, test pilot Hal ‘Highball’ Jordan was suddenly transported to the crash site of an alien spacecraft. Recognizing Jordan as a man without fear, the injured alien passed to Jordan his green power ring and energy battery or ‘lantern’ which charged the ring. Jordan has since used the ring’s fantastic powers for good, distinguishing himself as one of the finest members of the elite intergalactic police force known as the Green Lantern Corps.”

Well, it hasn’t been a *whole* year since my last venture into DC Universe Classics, but it’s still been since April, which is a fair bit.  But, I’m feeling the need to dive back into it for a little bit.  Perhaps it’s some residual nostalgia from Friday’s Super Powers review, perhaps its that I snagged a stack of loose DCUC figures just before the end of the year.  Whatever the case, DCUC is a line that well and truly gripped me for most of its run, so I do have quite a good number of them.  Today, I’m delving into the earlier days of the line, with Earth’s second Green Lantern, Hal Jordan!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Green Lantern was released in Series 3 of Mattel’s DC Universe Classics, which hit in the fall of 2007.  While this wasn’t Mattel’s first Hal Jordan (the infamous Holiday Hal from JLU hit in 2005), it was the first to go to retail.  He was the assortment’s heavy hitter, and was paired off with Sinestro for the hero/villain dynamic that headlined the first few assortments.  The figure stands 6 1/2 inches tall and has 23 points of articulation.  Hal was built on the medium male base body, which was first used by Black Manta in the prior series, along with a new head and right hand, all of them supplied by the Four Horsemen.  The head’s the real star piece, as it has to do the heavy lifting.  It’s a really strong, sort of quintessential Bronze Age Hal.  It’s not *exactly* Jose Garcia-Lopez, but the vibe is certainly quite similar, and it just reads well for the character.  It’s also very sharply defined, and avoids being too reliant on paint to sell it.  That said, the paint does alright selling it, and does do more of the heavy lifting on the rest of the figure.  GL’s one of those character’s where a fully painted suit isn’t too distracting, since it’s supposed to be sleek and one-piece anyway.  Application’s generally pretty clean, and there’s even som slight accenting on the green sections to highlight the sculpt.  At this point, I do have to address the one major oddity of this figure: the residue.  Yes, the first batch of Hals, which my copy hails from, have some sort of issue with the interaction of the plastic and the mold release, and when exposed to air for long periods of time, they develop a white filmy substance over the arms and legs.  Said substance wipes off with a damp cloth, with not notable harm to the figure, but it will re-appear over time, and he’ll have to be wiped again.  So, just remember to wipe your Hals periodically.  It’s not weird.  Don’t make it weird.  Mattel did a later re-release of Hal under the “All-Star” banner, which fixed this issue, as well as tweaking some of the paint/color choices.  Both versions included Hal’s power battery, which seems to be an oddly bright green; I’ve always envisioned it being more on par with the color of his suit, but it’s more of a lime green here.  The Series 3 release also got a piece to the Solomon Grundy Collect-N-Connect, while the “All-Star” version got a stand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Hal’s the figure that sold me on DCUC as a while.  I’d been a solid DC Direct devotee, and had been buying pretty much every Hal they’d put out, looking for that perfect version.  This one came along and blew them all away.  I was so excited by the prototype shots of this guy, that I bought what I could find of the first two series solely based on the fact that he was coming.  This set hit right around Baltimore Comic Con in 2007, so he was at the very top of my list of things to look out for.  I snagged him almost immediately after making it through the door, and was very happy and content.  Almost 20 years later, I’m still quite happy and content, even if it does involve the periodic wiping of the Hal.  I did manage to snag the later release as well, so I’ve got one without need of wiping, which is well enough.  In general, though, this Hal is a figure that makes me quite happy.

#3636: Parallax

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

PARALLAX

TOTAL JUSTICE (KENNER)

Fun FiQ Fact #0115: According to Wikipedia, a parallax is “the difference in the apparent position of an object viewed along two different lines of sight,” which is honestly not a terrible name to attach to a former hero driven to extremism.

Growing up, thanks to my dad’s old comics and re-runs of Challenge of the Super Friends, I became rather attached to Hal Jordan, despite his having been replaced by Kyle Rayner in the role before I started reading comics.  Options for Hal figures were, admittedly, a little limited in the ’90s, with the only option in 5-inch scale being not a Green Lantern figure, but Parallax, Hal’s villainous turn from the comics.  Of course, in my collection, he was never *really* villainous.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Parallax was released in Series 3 of Kenner’s Total Justice, which wound up being the line’s last series.  Each set got one “villain”, which was Parallax…I guess.  Like I said, never so much to my eyes.  The figure stands just under 5 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  Total Justice‘s sculpts were always very heavy on the pre-posing, and Hal’s no exception.  This one’s definitely one of the better ones; Hal’s flair for the dramatic during this era translates well into the sculpt, and he’s got a pose that reads as dynamic, without being too absurd. The sculpted elements of the costume are a pretty good match for the source material (certainly a closer match than McFarlane’s attempt from two decades later), and there’s a nice sharpness to them. The head’s my favorite part of the whole thing, capturing Hal’s likeness, while also getting the crazed expression he was so wont to have during this period of time. The last set of Total Justice got a lot of its paint budget slashed, resulting in a lot of unpainted elements. For his part, Parallax was pretty fortunate, getting all of the base details he was supposed to, and really only missing out on a few metallic details. The end result still looks totally fine, and you’d be unlikely to guess what was cut if you didn’t know it was supposed to be there. Another notable change-up for the last round was making the accessories into things that made a little more sense for the characters. Rather than “fractal armor”, Parallax gets a missile launcher and a shield, both molded in clear green.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I had a few Total Justice figures when they came out, but Series 3 was pretty rare at the time. I wanted a Parallax, of course, since he was the only option for Hal, but it took a bit for me to find one. I wound up getting him just a few years after his release, at a toy show my dad took me to, I think for my birthday. He’s a solid figure, even now, and remains my favorite of the Total Justice line-up.

#3612: Green Lantern – The Silver Age

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

GREEN LANTERN — THE SILVER AGE

DC MULTIVERSE (MCFARLANE TOYS)

Fun FiQ Fact #0091: Hal Jordan’s original appearance was patterned on actor Paul Newman.  Does that mean that Hal should have his own line of salad dressings?

What?  DC Multiverse?  Haven’t I kicked the McFarlane habit?  Well, as it turns out, no.  I keep trying.  I keep getting very close, but then there just keeps being *one* more figure that pulls me right back in.  In this case, I’m falling back into my earlier love of Green Lantern, especially when there’s even a semi-decent figure on hand.  In particular, I’ve got quite a love for a good, solid classic Hal Jordan.  McFarlane’s done two Hal Jordans, neither of which are *terrible*, but it mostly got by on “McFarlane” standards, and neither of which were classic versions.  So, how about a third?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Green Lantern — The Silver Age is part of the “Digital” assortment of DC Multiverse, which also sports a classic Aquaman and a less classic Batman.  The figures are all officially under the “DC Direct” banner, but they’re effectively indistinguishable from the ones without the banner, so…there it is, I guess?  The figure stands 7 inches tall and he has 35 points of articulation.  For the most part, GL is re-using the standard male build base body introduced in the Blue Beetle/Booster Gold set.  It’s a solid super hero body, with reasonable proportions, a not atrocious articulation scheme, and minimal detailing to throw off a clean look.  He’s still got the ridge at the top of his boots, but it at least flows with his costume design, and it’s a far cry from the excessive extra detailing that prior GLs have gotten on their suits.  He gets a new head, which is…I don’t know how to say this: it’s really good.  Like, just genuinely a really strong sculpt.  No “for a McFarlane figure” caveat or anything.  It aims to be a Silver Age Hal Jordon, and that’s where it lands, pretty cleanly.  His hair’s got that right flippy quality, the expression has that right level of cockiness, and the mask is crisp and sharp in its detailing.  He’s got a new right hand sculpt as well, which is in a fist and sporting his ring, you know, as it should be.  GL’s paint work is minimal, but what’s there is pretty sharply handled.  I also feel that the shade of green is a more appropriately Green Lantern-y shade, though that’s most certainly a personal thing.  GL is packed with three different left hands (in fist, flat, and gripping), as well as the power battery and two hand effects pieces from Parallax (why he’s got an effect for his left hand is beyond me, but I won’t complain about getting something extra), and a display stand with “McFarlane Toys Digital” on it.  He’s also got a collector’s card and a card with the information for whatever digital totally-not-an-NFT-with-a-different-name thing McFarlane packed with all three of these figures.  I have no idea what the thing is, because I’ve got no interest in downloading the app or setting up an account.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

One of my favorite Hal Jordan figures growing up was the DC Direct Silver Age Hal.  He’s older now, but I still really like him, and I hold pretty much every other Hal up to that figure.  McFarlane has done a few Hals, and they’ve all been fine but not quite right.  This one?  He’s like an update to that DCD figure I loved so much.  He’s that, but with more modern toy making sensibilities.  I can’t believe I like a McFarlane figure this much, but I really, really do.  Shout out to Max for helping me out with snagging this one, by the way!

#3266: Green Lantern

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

GREEN LANTERN

WORLD’S GREATEST SUPER HEROES (MEGO)

I’m just about done with this year’s batch of post-Christmas reviews, but I’m wrapping up with a look at something that’s not quite as much a holiday fixture for me as Super Powers, but is still pretty high up there: Mego.  2022 marked the 50th anniversary of Mego’s World’s Greatest Super Heroes toyline launching.  At its start, WGSH was exclusively dedicated to DC Comics, something that is true of the modern WGSH line, thanks to Mego picking back up the license for 8-inch figures in 2020.  In celebration of the 50th, Mego is returning the line to its roots, with packaging based on the original boxed look for the line.  While the line-up is mostly recreations of figures from the original line, it also features two additional figures, Green Lantern and Flash, the two most glaring omissions from the original run, in fancy throwback packaging and all.  I’ve got the GL, of course, and I’m taking a look at him today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Green Lantern is part of Wave 16 of the post-relaunch Mego line, under the World’s Greatest Super Heroes 50th Anniversary banner.  He’s one of the eight retro throwback figures in the set, and one of the two that’s not a re-issue of a vintage Mego counterpart.  This GL is the Hal Jordan version, specifically sporting his classic ’70s appearance, making him through and through the correct look for a proper vintage Mego release, which is pretty cool.  The figure stands just shy of 8 inches tall and he has 26 points of articulation.  Hal is built on the brand-new Type-S Mego base body, which takes the vintage Type 2 body aesthetic, and reworks it to remove the band construction, as well as improve the general articulation set-up for the body.  It removes the issues of long-term viability of the band construction, creates a generally more solid feeling base body, and also gives him better posability…for the most part.  The only thing I’m not super crazy about is the knees, which are a bit more restricted on this body than earlier Mego base bodies.  Hal gets a unique head sculpt and hands as well.  They’re quite impressive pieces; the head sculpt in particular is really a star piece.  He’s the spitting image of the quintessential ’70s Hal, which is exactly what I want on this sort of figure.  The paint work on GL is on the head and both hands.  The head’s pretty clean, apart from just a touch of missing paint near the nose of the mask.  The hands are fully painted, with white for the gloves and everything, which gives them a slightly glossier finish, helping them match closer to the costume.  GL’s costume is made up of a jumpsuit and a pair of standard boots.  The jumpsuit is made up of separate cloth pieces stitched together, rather than just being silkscreened, which gives it a little more pop.  GL is packed with his power battery, which, unlike the 14 inch figure, he can actually hold.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Like Friday’s Mister Miracle, GL was a Christmas gift to me from my parents.  Ever since I was a kid, I’ve wanted a proper Mego GL.  I made my own custom back in the day, which tided me over, and then I had the Mattel one, and even the Figures Toy Company one.  Of course, none of those were official Mego.  There was also the 14 inch version, but he was, you know, really tall and all.  It’s been a road of small steps and improvements, but this one is really, really nice, and he’s a proper, official Mego GL.  Only took us 50 years, but, hey, here we are.  Feels like it was worth it.  Genuinely couldn’t be happier with him.