Tag Archives: McFarlane Toys

#3757: The Riddler

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

THE RIDDLER

SUPER POWERS (McFARLANE TOYS)

“Riddle us this: what cerebral criminal with an affinity for purple and green loves challenging the Dark Knight with cleverly calculated crimes and puzzling plots?”

The Riddler is a character notable in the context of the vintage Super Powers line in an interesting fashion that hinges on him *not* being in the vintage Super Powers line.  He’s not even one of the scrapped figures from after the line ended.  However, after the line ended in the US, it was picked up by two companies in Argentina, Pacipa and PlayFul, who released the figures under the Super Amigos branding.  They added a single new character to the line, and it was, you guessed it, the Riddler (called El Acertijo), who was just a straight repaint of Green Lantern.  Toy Biz’s re-purposing of the Kenner molds also resulted in a Riddler (this time a re-worked Flash), and all this time later, McFarlane is getting in on the Riddler fun too.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

The Riddler is part of Series 9 of McFarlane’s Super Powers line.  He’s designed to pair off with the Batman in the assortment (who’s the “classic” mold, but in black and grey this time).  The figure stands 4 3/4 inches tall and he has 7 points of articulation.  Like the Argentinian figure, which this one is clearly meant to be emulating, he’s a total parts re-use.  However, it’s not strictly Green Lantern this time around.  The head’s still GL, re-purposed from the McFarlane update to Hal, which I actually haven’t yet gotten.  It’s different from the Kenner one, but not in any major way; just different.  Instead of re-using the body from that figure, this guy is instead on the Nightwing body.  It’s a bit of a bummer, since the Nightwing body’s an older one, and therefore too large for the proper scaling the line’s moved into more recently.  Also, while I *get* not re-using the GL body, since it has the ring and such, and is therefore inaccurate for Riddler, it’s weird to be clearly referencing the old figure while not actually recreating the old figure.  Even the early renders of the figure on the back of the box are using the GL mold, so they got it at *some* point in the process.  As it stands, this one exists in a strange middle ground.  In terms of coloring, they’ve aimed to recreate the original Amigos version, and not done a terrible job of that.  I mean, the original is actually a bit terrible, with the lesser plastic quality and all, so this one’s even a touch better.  Riddler is without any accessories or extras.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’ve always been fascinated by the Amigos Riddler, and it’s one of those figure’s I’d love to own at some point, but never gotten the chance to.  This one represented a nice runner up, especially based on the early renders with the different body.  Ultimately, I don’t like it as much as I’d hoped to.  Instead of being a quirky reference figure, he winds up as more of a middle of the road standard figure.  Not bad, but not much to write home about.  In terms of a Riddler that fits with the vintage line, the Toy Biz one might actually be a bit better, since he’s a more unique offering.  Still, this one’s a perfectly serviceable figure on his own.

#3755: Bizarro

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

BIZARRO

SUPER POWERS (McFARLANE TOYS)

“Bizarro is an imperfect clone of Superman created by Lex Luthor to destroy the Man of Steel, but the defective duplicate has never succeeded.  And, as a superpowered being with very low intellect, Bizarro is a brute known for his childlike and dangerous temper tantrums.”

Wow, would you look at that?  I haven’t even gone a whole week, and here I am, reviewing another McFarlane DC figure.  They just keep getting closer and closer together.  Well, this particular figure is Super Powers, so I give myself a little more leeway on that front, at least.  To follow-up on the updated Superman I looked at last month, here’s his opposite number of sorts, Bizarro.  Bizarro’s notable in the realm of Super Powers, having been one of Kenner’s proposed figures from the scrapped post-Series 3 line-up, meaning he’s not really new, he’s just really, really overdue.  He also keeps to the Legion of Doom theme, much like Sinestro and Black Manta from prior assortments.  Also, I’m doing this entire review without the backwards talking gimmick because I just don’t hate myself enough to do that sort of thing anymore.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Bizarro is part of Series 9 of McFarlane’s Super Powers continuation under the DC Direct banner.  He’s the counterpart to the Superman from the same set, following McFarlane’s recurrent theming of good guy/bad guy pairings.  The figure stands a little over 4 1/2 inches tall and has 7 points of articulation.  Bizarro is, unsurprisingly, re-using a lot of Owen Oertling’s updated Superman sculpt.  It’s a great sculpt, and it’s very likely Kenner had planned to re-use a lot of their own Superman mold when they got to Bizarro, so it adds up.  He gets a new head sculpt, which is slightly more modernized, but not crazily so.  Honestly, Kenner’s proposal for Bizarro had some more contemporary art mixed in with the “classic,” so this isn’t that far out.  It’s sharp, clean, and sufficiently different from the Superman sculpt, so I dig it.  He also gets his “Bizarro No. 1” sign, which looks the part and hangs well on the body.  He also gets the cloth cape, with that same neck connector I’m iffy on, but beyond that it works fine.  Bizarro’s color work generally matches Superman, which is good.  The application’s not too bad, but the red seems a little thin in some spots.  He’s got some decent accenting on the face, which isn’t strictly authentic to Kenner’s style, but is exactly the sort of thing I’m willing to give McFarlane a pass on, because it just looks so nice here.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

As has become my very surprising standard operating procedure for this line, I wound up preordering this guy through GameStop, along with the rest of the set.  He was particularly high on my list from this set due to his spot as one of the proper Kenner continuation figures.  I was happy to see him included.  He’s got a slightly more unique spin than some of the others, but in a good way, and certainly in a better fashion than the early run “unique” spins from the line.  He’s a good match not only for the updated Superman, but also the vintage one, making him a great use of the line’s status.

#3751: Superman – Our Worlds at War

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

SUPERMAN — OUR WORLDS AT WAR

DC MULTIVERSE (McFARLANE TOYS)

Man, the McFarlane DC toy reviews are becoming an almost monthly occurrence here on the site.  Am I okay?  I honestly don’t know, guys.  Look, I like DC, and my collecting options are limited there, and Todd’s made enough figures that even with a low percentage of hits, there’s still a fair amount of okay stuff.  That being said, one figure that seems to evade Todd is a solid, basic Superman.  There jus always seems to be something off.  At best, there are some very dialed-in and specific looks, which is kind of what we’re dealing with today.  Yes, today’s entry comes of the early ’00s crossover “Our Worlds At War,” a storyline that was a big deal at the time of its release, but has generally had minimal impact moving forward.  I mean, I guess in introduced Imperiex?  You know, that guy that everybody loves?  He was in the second season of the Legion of Super Heroes cartoon?  Another thing that people consistently talk about?  Right?  Well, if nothing else, they made a tweak to Superman’s logo for a bit, and the toy companies do like reminding us of that.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Superman is part of the second assortment of “Digital” figures from McFarlane’s DC Multiverse line, released under the DC Direct banner, alongside Atom and “Longbow Hunters” Green Arrow.  As noted in the intro, he’s patterned on “Our Worlds At War,” or more specifically Superman’s altered look from the year following the event’s conclusion.  The figure stands 7 1/4 inches tall and he has 35 points of articulation.  As with a lot of the McFarlane figures, the articulation count may be high, but actual range is rather restricted.  The elbows don’t get a full 90 degrees, and the neck and mid-torso are also very stiff, so he’s mostly gonna be doing standing around poses.  Superman is largely making use of the DKR Superman mold, which is one that they keep returning to for some reason.  It’s based on Miller’s very bulked-up Superman, so it’s a very specific sort of mold, that’s not as all-purpose as they seem to think it is.  All that said, the two primary artists for Superman’s post-OWAW look, Ed McGuinness and Mike Wieringo, both depicted him as rather bulked up, so it’s not terribly far off.  Chalk it up to all that extra energy he picked up when he flew through the sun.  He gets a new head sculpt, which appears to be sort of an averaging of McGuinness and Wieringo’s styles.  They’re not completely incompatible, so it’s alright.  It’s definitely got McGuinness hair (or at least the front of it) and a Wieringo chin, that’s for sure.  He also gets a modified insignia piece, making it a little more classic and all-purpose than the more Miller-inspired piece from the original mold.   In terms of color work, he’s got a lot of molded colors, but what paint’s there isn’t bad.  The logo gets the black background, so it’s proper to the source material, and they’ve also given him a more artistic take on the shorts, being black with a red highlight rather than just red.  It honestly looks pretty decent.  Superman is packed with two sets of hands, a display stand, and an eagle.  The eagle is a re-use of the one included with Beast Boy, and notably has no way of interacting with the included figure, so you just sort of have to set him somewhere and hope he doesn’t fall over, which is kinda weird.  The figure also includes the weird NFT thing, but I ain’t messin’ with that.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’ve been rather displeased with the McFarlane Superman figures up to this point, and have been looking for a good one.  This one didn’t look *awful* and was even better than I’d expected when I finally saw him in person.  Unfortunately, I hesitated on snagging him, and he sold, so I missed him.  At least, until I found him at Cosmic Comix while picking up my comics a month or so back.  My daughter Aubrey, still in the midst of her obsession with “Man” helped me open him, and she had a wonderful time flying him back and forth, which has certainly helped to cement him as one of my favorite Superman figures, even if he may not be strictly “standard.”

#3737: Superman

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

SUPERMAN

SUPER POWERS (MCFARLANE)

You know what’s a line that I’m surprisingly excited to collect right now?  McFarlane’s Super Powers.  I did not see that coming.  I mean, sure, I’m a huge fan of the Kenner line, so I was an easy mark in that capacity, but McFarlane’s handling of DC has been pretty rocky, and I was really turned off by this particular set’s first few rounds of figures.  Of the earliest figures, his basic Superman and Batman were definitely some of the worst.  Batman got a ground up rework relatively quickly, but it’s been a wait for a corresponding Superman mold.  But, the wait’s finally over, and we’ve got another go at the Man of Steel!  Let’s check it out!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Superman is part of the ninth series of McFarlane’s Super Powers, which is officially under the DC Direct banner.  This is the line’s seventh Superman, and the first to use anything other than the initial mold.  He’s also the line’s second “classic” Superman, following the first series release.  The figure stands just a bit over 4 1/2 inches tall and he has 9 points of articulation.  He’s sporting a brand-new sculpt courtesy of Owen Oertling.  It’s patterned on the original, but not a direct copy, with some slight updates here and there.  The most notable change-up is the head, which gets a grinning expression, which works very well, and is still very much in keeping with the character.  In general, it’s a very strong update to the Kenner mold, which feels different enough to justify its existence, but also not so different as to feel out of place with the line.  I like that.  The only thing I don’t love is the cape, specifically the clip used to attach it to his neck.  It’s not a traditional C-clip, and is instead sort of oblong and flatter on one side.  It seems to be patterned to the necks of the earlier, more angular figures, and it doesn’t quite sit right on the new mold.  Todd’s gotta Todd in some way, I guess?  At least the cape doesn’t have a hole punched through it.  The color work on this guy’s not bad.  The colors aren’t far from vintage, which is good.  Application’s not bad.  There’s some smaller spots of slop, but I think it generally looks okay.  Superman doesn’t get any extras, but he’s at least got the cape, so it doesn’t feel too lacking.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

With the line sort of drying up at retail, pre-ordering seems to be my best option.  This round in particular seemed to sell out quickly at most online retailers, so I was back to ordering him on GameStop’s site.  He’s the first of the latest set I’ve gotten, which is honestly a nice little preview.  He’s quite fun.  And, as an added bonus, my daughter Aubrey, who’s been consuming a steady diet of Superman cartoons recently, got to help me open him, because she’s downright obsessed with “Man”, as she calls him.  We opened this one while watching the Filmation show, and she kept taking his cape off and swinging it around, which is really just too cute to contain.

#3720: Ambush Bug

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

AMBUSH BUG

DC MULTIVERSE (McFARLANE)

There are three acceptable (and honestly expected) responses to finding out I’m reviewing Ambush Bug.  The most common is “Who’s Ambush Bug?”  Fair.  Second is “Why Ambush Bug?” Unfair.  And the third is “Hey, cool, Ambush Bug!”  To answer the “who,” Ambush Bug is a fourth-wall-breaking, intentionally silly DC comics character created by the late Keith Giffen, who was, amongst other things, voiced by Henry Winkler in Batman: Brave and the Bold (making it the first of the two times Winkler’s played a DC character).  To answer the “why,” because I want to, that’s why.  And to respond to the “hey, cool,” thank you.  Anyway, Ambush Bug’s pretty rare when it comes to figures, previously having only a Minimate, but he somehow made it into McFarlane’s line-up, so here we go!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ambush Bug is a 2024 addition to the DC Multiverse line, in an assortment that also sported paint variants on Booster Gold and Mr. Freeze.  Kind of an odd line-up, but Ambush Bug’s an odd guy.  The figure stands 7 inches tall and he has 37 points of articulation.  I was kind of expecting another re-use of the Blue Beetle/Booster mold, but I suppose that was deemed to bulky for Bug.  Instead, he’s using an altered version of the Jon Kent Superman body.  Generally, it’s not bad, especially since it’s a good match for his build, and it’s got a respectable articulation set-up.  What’s sort of weird is that, while the front’s been tweaked to remove the logo, the sculpted collar and the detailing on his back remain, which looks a little odd.  It’s also not as wrinkly as Bug is usually depicted as being, but that’s not terribly surprising.  He gets a brand new head sculpt, which is quite a nice piece.  It’s definitely a more recent take on the character, but it’s very sharp and I love the expression they’ve given him.  Ambush Bug is almost entirely colored via molded plastic, which is fair, since he’s supposed to be all green.  He gets paint for his face, which is well-handled and clean in its application.  The pattern on the eyes in particular is quite impressive.  Ambush Bug is packed with an alternate gripping hand for his left side, his “sidekick” Cheeks The Toy Wonder, a display stand, and a collector’s card.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Honestly, I never expected to see a figure like this.  Back during the DCUC days, I was always pulling for him, especially given how deep the line went, but tooling always seemed to hold him back.  Once that line ended, and DC Direct fell off, I figured that was kind of it for his chances.  I was definitely surprised when this one was shown off.  Of course, it would have to be after most retailers have given up on consistently stocking the McFarlane DC stuff, wouldn’t it?  Fortunately, when I went in to get my comics a few weeks ago, Cosmic Comix had one hanging there, and that made the whole endeavor that much easier.  He’s a surprisingly good figure.  He’s got the issue with the weird extra details on the upper torso, but beyond that, he’s really good, and I’m very happy to have him.  And, since I already reviewed the Minimate, I’ve reviewed 100% of the Ambush Bug action figures!  Oh yeah!

#3695: Atom

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

ATOM

DC MULTIVERSE (MCFARLANE)

You know, for someone who hasn’t generally vibed with McFarlane’s handling of the DC license, I sure do feel like I review a lot of the figures here. Of course, as of late, it’s mostly been the Super Powers figures holding my interest, and I’m out of those to review right now. I haven’t looked at any of the main 7-inchers since the surprisingly well done Silver Age Hal Jordan, who was inexplicably saddled with some sort of weird and stupid NFT thing (though, to be fair, all NFTs are weird and stupid, not just the ones Todd bundled with the figures). There’s been another round of the nice figures inexplicably saddled with NFTs, and it includes a classic Atom, and I’m kind of a sucker for that sort of thing.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Atom is part of the second “Digital” assortment of the DC Multiverse line, alongside a “Longbow Hunters” version of Green Arrow and a “Our Worlds At War” Superman.  He’s under the DC Direct banner again, but I’m honestly not even sure what *isn’t* under that banner at this point.  He’s McFarlane’s second Atom, but the less said about the Page Punchers version, the better.  The figure stands 7 inches tall and he has 35 points of articulation.  Atom is using the same base body as Hal was, which is the one designed for the Blue & Gold two-pack.  It’s not a bad base body, and it’s definitely some of McFarlane’s cleanest work for the line.  That said, it’s starting to feel maybe just a tad repetitive.  The boots are notably still the thing that’s wrong with pretty much every use.  While the shaping was at least right for Hal, if not the extra ridge.  For Ray, though, they’re actually the wrong shape.  On this release, I did notice the pelvis cover was starting to split a little bit, which does concern me.  Speaking of the pelvis, the belt this time around is just painted on, not sculpted which looks a little lacking.  Atom gets a new head sculpt.  It’s alright, but not quite as strong as Hal’s.  And, continuing the theme started by the boots, the mask’s shaping is incorrect, missing the extra ridges at the cheeks.  The paint work on the figure is alright.  Bright and eye catching.  The application’s a little fuzzy on some of the edges, especially around the mask.  Atom is packed with four hands (pointing and fist for right, gripping and open gesture for left), a miniature Atom figurine, and a display stand with “McFarlane Toys Digital” printed on it.  He’s also got his collector’s card, and the card with the weird NFT info.  The miniature has the same inaccuracies as the larger figure, which is I guess good for consistency’s sake.  He’s rather static in his pose, which is a little limiting, but generally he’s pretty cool.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I didn’t really know much about this guy before encountering him in the wild.  I was running some errands, and stumbled across him.  I wasn’t sure I’d be grabbing him, but he made his way to the register with me, and I’m a sucker for a classic Atom.  The fact that I missed out on the DCUC release back in the day didn’t help matters.  This one’s ultimately got a similar vibe to the DC Direct JLA figure, which I did rather like.  This one lacks some of the polish of that one, and of the GL from the last round, but he’s fun enough.

#3692: Nightwing

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

NIGHTWING — KNIGHTFALL

SUPER POWERS (MCFARLANE)

“Dick Grayson began his crime-fighting career as the original Robin—Batman’s protégé and crime-fighting partner. An expert acrobat and skilled fighter, Dick eventually left the nest and ventured out on his own as a new hero called Nightwing. His childhood experiences as a circus acrobat and trapeze artist make him extremely agile. He is a superior fighter and a highly skilled martial artist who has been personally trained by Batman. Nightwing is a keen detective, a natural leader, and a strategist with advanced knowledge of a variety of technologies.”

My first McFarlane Super Powers figure, which I reviewed over a year ago now, was Nightwing.  He was a figure I remarked wasn’t terrible, but which missed the mark of “Super Powers” by, amongst other things, putting Dick into a modern costume, rather than something more era appropriate.  Well, it’s okay, because they did another Nightwing, and he’s in an older costume.  Surely there will be no problems with this one, right?  Riiiiiight?  Look, let’s just get into the review, shall we?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Nightwing (Knightfall) was released in Series 5 of the McFarlane Super Powers line under the DC Direct banner.  He was accompanied in the line-up by a similarly Knightfall-themed repaint of the Tim Drake Robin figure from just a series prior.  So, here’s where we encounter our first problem: costume choice.  The last figure was in his modern costume, which didn’t exactly fit with the vintage line.  This one goes earlier, but it’s only a little bit earlier, since this one made its first appearance in 1992.  That would place the vintage of this design not with Kenner’s run, but honestly closer to, say, the Toy Biz run, continuing to add to my theory that Todd’s actually trying to homage the TB line, not the Kenner one.  The figure stands just shy of 5 inches tall and has 7 points of articulation.  We’re back again to the figure’s being too large, but that’s really because of the parts re-use, since he’s just a repaint of the Series 3 figure.  And here we are again with the problems.  See, if we’re throwing in the towel on an accurate costume choice for the line, can’t we at least get an accurate depiction of the costume we’re getting? Well, it would seem no.  The most glaring thing here is that there are two distinctive hairstyles associated with this costume: the mullet and the ponytail.  This sculpt is neither of those, and it robs the design of some of it’s punch.  I can forgive the body sculpt re-use, but couldn’t we at least get a new head?  His new paint is at least alright.  I dig the metallic color choices, which give him a rather nifty appearance.  Nightwing is packed with his eskrima sticks, now in black.  They’re also not really accurate to this costume, since he was pretty exclusively using the discs at the time, but this one I’ll let slide, because you could have just as well left him with no accessories.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This figure frustrates me immensely.  I got the first Nightwing, and I accepted him for what he was, but getting a second Nightwing who’s still in the wrong costume, and said wrong costume not even being done the right way seems downright insulting.  So, why’d I buy it?  It landed in front of me, it’s a Nightwing, and I’m week.  Honestly, I don’t hate him.  The choices are weird, but I still kinda find him fun.

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.

#3690: Green Lantern

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

GREEN LANTERN

SUPER POWERS (MCFARLANE)

“John Stewart is a former U.S. Marine who uses his military training and discipline to protect Earth, and the rest of Space Sector 2814, as a member of the intergalactic peacekeeping force known as the Green Lantern Corps. As Green Lantern, John wields a power ring, which creates a protective shield around him, allows him to fly, and generates hard-light energy constructs in the form of anything he imagines. Fueled by willpower, Green Lantern’s power ring is one of the mightiest weapons in the universe!”

Introduced as the second back-up Lantern of Sector 2184 (which makes him the back-up back-up, I guess), John Stewart’s introduction under Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams provided DC with their first African American super hero. John subsequently took over as the primary Lantern from Hal Jordan on and off, and was notably chosen as the central Lantern for the Justice League animated show, which elevated his status tremendously, placing him more or less on the same level as Hal Jordan.  He’s had quite a number of figures over the years, but his first *would* have been a Super Powers figure, had Kenner gotten a fourth year out of the line.  Instead, he had to wait for McFarlane to revive the line…to mixed results.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Green Lantern was released in Series 2 of McFarlane’s Super Powers line under the DC Direct banner.   He’s from that early era of the line where it was still just a Walmart-exclusive.  It’s also the era of the line where the figures are all using modern designs, hence John using his post-return, animation-inspired costume.  It’s not the design that Kenner was going to use (as they were more than likely just going to do a straight repaint on Hal), and it’s not a look that quite vibes with the rest of the line.  The figure stands 5 inches tall and he has 7 points of articulation.  As with all of the early line figures, he’s scaled about 1/2 an inch too tall, and is just generally too round and puffy to fully fit in with the Kenner figures.  The sculpt’s a bit on the soft side, and the shaping of the face is…I don’t know exactly how to explain it, but it’s off, that’s for sure.  In general, I find he looks not like a Kenner Super Powers figure, but rather like a Toy Biz DC Super Heroes figure.  Even the right hand is held vertically, rather than horizontally, much like the TB Hal.  This is further continued with the coloring, as the green in particular is a very close match to the TB GL.  Otherwise, the paint work is fine.  Fuzzy on the edges, but generally fine.  John is packed with his power battery, which he can hold in his left hand.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I saw this figure a number of times, and couldn’t bring myself to buy it.  It upset me, because it’s a John Stewart Green Lantern for Super Powers, which is something I very definitely wanted.  Why finally buy it?  Well, a loose one landed in front of me, right in the midst of me buying all of the more recent figures.  And, I mean, it’s one of the lost Kenner figures, in a continuation of the line.  What’s not to love?  Well, honestly, everything about the execution.  I mean, he just manages to get every possible detail wrong, and is quite possibly the most demonstrative of the core problems of the line’s beginnings.  It’s gotten a lot better since then, but if anything, it makes me more frustrated that this is the John we got, rather than a figure that’s more thematically appropriate with the rest of the line.

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.

#3685: Metamorpho

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

METAMORPHO

SUPER POWERS (MCFARLANE)

One of the neat things the Kenner’s Super Powers did was pull the occasional oddball character for no reason other than “they’d make a cool toy.” While he wasn’t on the docket of what got cancelled when Kenner packed up the line, Metamorpho, Ramona Fradon and Bob Haney’s oddball element man from the ’60s, sure does feel like he would be right up the line’s alley. McFarlane seems to have agreed on this point, since he’s in the latest assortment of their revival line.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Metamorpho is part of Series 8 of McFarlane’s Super Powers, released under their DC Direct banner. He’s another all-new character for the line.  The figure stands right over the 5 inch mark and he has 7 points of articulation.  The height puts him taller than even the standard figures from when the line launched, which did initially surprise me, but it comes across more as an intentional thing than a “just got the scale wrong” thing.  While I myself tend to think of Metamorpho as being a more average height, there have been depictions with all sorts of ranges of size to them, and adding a little bit of variety to the heights isn’t the worst thing. Metamorpho has an all-new sculpt, and it’s generally a pretty decent one. The build feels right, and he’s got a pose that’s similar to the original Martian Manhunter and Shazam figures. The texturing is also quite nice, giving each of his four “quadrants” its own feel. The only thing I’m not crazy about is the head, which feels strangely lacking in detail. Maybe it’s just the more reserved expression, but this is the first of the more recent figures that feels like one of the earlier figures to me. I almost have to wonder if this was a sculpt that was prepared earlier and just didn’t make it out until now. It’s not bad, though; just off. Metamorpho’s paint work is alright. The biggest issue he faces is matching molded plastic with painted colors, but honestly it doesn’t wind up looking that bad. Metamorpho is sans accessories. It would have been cool to maybe get some clip-on element parts, but ultimately it’s not the end of the world.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Going into Series 8, there were two figures I knew I wanted for certain. The first was Booster, and the second was this one. Metamorpho is the last of the batch I ordered from GameStop, and also the last to arrive, because he got shipped on his own for whatever reason. Booster is one of my favorites from the line in general, while Metamorpho? Well, he gets the job done. I won’t lie, after the swing for the rafters on the last few I got, I was a tad disappointed by this guy. It’s not really his fault. He’s honestly not bad, he just suffers from not being quite as good as the others.

#3682: Black Manta

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

BLACK MANTA

SUPER POWERS (MCFARLANE)

“Aquaman’s greatest enemy is the scourge of the seven seas, David Hyde whose heart is as cold as the ocean depths he hunts.”

Last week, I was talking about Challenge of the Super Friends in reference to its impact on the toy world.  Though the Super Friends and the Legion of Doom were in many ways meant to be parallels, right down to their membership, the Legion came up short on most of their toy coverage.  Much like Sinestro, Aquaman’s opposite number Black Manta, wouldn’t get his first figure until DC Direct came along.  Humorously, it was in a throw-back to a vintage line, Pocket Super Heroes, which, I feel, makes a solid lead-in to today’s DC Direct branded throw-back to a vintage line Black Manta figure.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Black Manta is part of Series 8 of McFarlane’s Super Powers line, under the DC Direct banner.  Manta’s actually been in the line before, as a purely Walmart-exclusive figure that wasn’t part of the assortment structure, and was on the rarer side of the Walmart releases.  So, he’s effectively new.  The figure stands 4 3/4 inches tall and he has 7 points of articulation.  The scaling is pretty good again; he’s a little taller, but it’s easy to write that off as being the helmet.  The articulation is pretty much the line’s standard, but the neck’s restricted by the cords running from the helmet to the backpack, which causes it to kind of spring back to a point just off of center.  The construction of this figure is using the same base body as Vigilante, with a modified torso to add the collar for the helmet, as well as unique parts for the head and lower legs.  The head is pretty spot-on for the classic Manta helmet, filtered through the Kenner aesthetic.  The paint work for this figure differentiates him from the prior release; the last one was lots of blues, while this one goes for actually black for the suit, as well as giving him red lenses on his eyes, rather than the yellow of the last one.  Generally, application is pretty cleanly handled, and he fits in well with the rest of the line, as well as the vintage stuff.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

So, um, I don’t think I’ve ever bought a Black Manta figure before?  It’s that whole Aquaman thing, where my dad has the whole collection devoted to the guy, so he just naturally winds up with all of the Manta figures.  It’s not that I *don’t* want a Black Manta, just I’ve never happed to get one.  Even this Manta was a bit of an impulse purchase, honestly.  I was ordering Booster, and I decided to see who else was available.  I knew I wanted Kilowog for sure, and since I was ordering, and I’d already gotten one Legion of Doom member from this run, I threw this guy in too.  He’s rather by the numbers, but he turned out pretty nicely, and he’s certainly a sensible fit for continuing the line, and a great counterpart for the original Aquaman.