It Figures > DC Universe Classics Wave 3

Poe here with another installment of It Figures! By popular demand, as determined by a reader poll, my guests today are the six members of DC Universe Classics Wave 3–namely, Robin, Nightwing, Deathstroke the Terminator, Hal Jordan, Sinestro, and last but certainly not least, the vegetative zombie known as Solomon Grundy. Welcome, all!

Robin: Thanks for having us, Poe. This is pretty cool.

Nightwing: Yeah, this is neat. I’ve never had Thai food before.

Sinestro: I specifically requested not to be seated next to Jordan. It was a rider on my contract! A rider!

Hal Jordan: Oh, let it go, Sin-bad. By the way, the Leader called. He wants his fivehead back.

Sinestro: How dare you–!

Poe: Gentlemen! I would appreciate it if you all could call a brief truce for the duration of this interview.

Deathstroke the Terminator: Of course.

Solomon Grundy: What “troos”?

Sinestro: (mutters darkly under his breath)

Poe: Now, some are saying you’re the best wave of superhero action figures since Marvel Legends series 6, which features such classics as Dark Phoenix, the Juggernaut, Deadpool, and brown costume Wolverine, one of my very favorite figures. What do you think makes your wave so sublime?

Nightwing: I think it’s just good character selection. We’re all fairly heavy hitters–even Sinestro, since last year’s Sinestro Corps War.

Sinestro: What do you mean, even me–?! You almost got killed off in Infinite Crisis, you living redundancy!

Nightwing: …plus you get Robin in his newer costume, which many people think looks better than his old one.

Robin: Yeah. No more Christmas colors.

Hal Jordan: And I’m not exactly a slouch in the fan department either. Especially after the whole JLU thing–

Poe: Shhh! That’s the Exclusive That Shall Not Be Named. Let’s talk about sculpting–are you all pleased with your sculpts?

Deathstroke: I am. Check out the stippling on this chainmail…and the stitching on these boots. And for the first time, I look like I have a face behind this mask.

Hal Jordan: They nailed my face–and my gorgeous hair. The hair’s important. I haven’t looked this good in years.

Nightwing: I’m glad I got a resculpt. The slimmer body they used for me–and Hal too, come to think of it–fits my athleticism. I shouldn’t be as buff as, say, Superman.

Robin: I’m happy with my new sculpt, but damn, I’m short.

Nightwing: You are short. In the comics.

Robin: Shut up.

Sinestro: Speaking of, I’m MUCH TOO SHORT!! This idiot Jordan has half a foot on me! What’s the deal with that?! I’m supposed to be five inches taller than him!

Robin: Ah, chillax, dude. They used to draw you pretty short back in the sixties and seventies–

Sinestro: I will NOT “chillax”! I should be taller–

Nightwing: It’s true. His forehead alone should be add about five inches.

Sinestro: Exactly, I–HEY! You will die for that, human!

Poe: What about you, Grundy? How do you like your sculpt?

Grundy: Solomon Grundy, born on a Monday…(trails off, stares blankly at interviewer)

Poe: …I guess that says it all. OK, let’s talk paint applications–

Sinestro: FINALLY!! Look–have you SEEN my chest emblem? It’s smeared beyond belief! You can actually see the fingerprint of the factory worker who screwed it up! I want him fired! I’ve seen CSI, I know they can get a print off this–

Nightwing: My paint apps are fine. Smooth and tight.

Robin: Same here, I’m pleased.

Deathstroke: The orange on my boots could have used a bit of a wash, and I’m not a huge fan of the silver used on my ammo belt, but everything else looks very good. Especially on the chainmail–the shiny blue and the wash came out great.

Hal Jordan: My chest emblem’s a little off-center. Also, I would probably have rather had my more modern look, without the green on my abdomen and crotchular area…but whatever.

Grundy: Grundy like paint. Smooth gray skin look good. Hair have nice wash. Eyes good. Muddy pants well done.

Poe: I see you’ve all got the basic DCUC articulation: a ball-jointed head, ball-jointed shoulders, hinges at the elbows, knees and ankles, swivels at the waist, biceps and thighs, and your unique hinge/swivel joint at the hips, which allows for ball-joint-like movement without hurting the sculpt. Great, great stuff. Now, let’s discuss accessories, which have been rather hit-or-miss for DC Universe Classics, and it seems your wave is no exception. Considering your average retail price of $11, how do you feel about what you came with?

Deathstroke: Well, like my clone Deadpool from the aforementioned Marvel Legends, I come with an arsenal of weapons. He had two swords and two machine guns–I come with a machine gun, a sword, a staff, a pistol, and a piece of Grundy here. And all of it can be placed in holsters on my person.

I’m happy with the staff and pistol, but each of the other weapons has an issue. The sword, for instance, wouldn’t fit in my holster because of the way it was glued on. It had to be sanded–very carefully with a Dremel–before the sword would fit properly. Also, my machine gun, while painted (which is a nice touch), is far too rubbery–it bends at the slightest pressure, so doesn’t look right when held in both hands.

Nightwing: I’ve got my eskrima sticks, and really, that’s all I need. I like the fact I can holster them on my back. The sticks hang a little loosely in my hands, though. But the knurled handles are a nice detail.

Robin: I’ve got my staff and a couple batarangs. All I need.

Sinestro: I’ve got a Yellow Lantern. This is one thing they got right…while in the Sinestro Corps War crossover, we only had yellow versions of the usual Green Lantern lanterns, the Four Horsemen based their sculpt on a concept drawing of a different, Sinestro Corps-specific lantern based loosely on our emblem. I’d much rather have this than that ugly monstrosity Jordan is holding.

However, the Yellow Lantern doesn’t make much sense when included with my classic variant (the blue and black suit).

Grundy: Grundy AM accessory! Figures cost $11, yes, but getting Grundy like getting giant sixth figure free. If Grundy sold separately, he cost like $20 or more. So really, you paying $60 for five $8 figures and one $20 figure.

(All stare at Grundy)

Grundy: Um…born on a Monday…?

Poe: …right. Well, I’d like to thank my guests for taking time out of their busy schedules to sit down and have a chat with–oh, I see Sinestro just hurled his yellow curry into Hal Jordan’s face, and Deathstroke is facing off with Nightwing and Robin. I guess the truce is off!

In closing, I’d like to say that this is one of the best action figure waves in recent memory. The sculpting, articulation, and accessories are excellent.

However, the quality control leaves something to be desired, from the smeared chest emblem on Sinestro to the somewhat rubbery plastic that is being used for these figures in general. When shopping for these at the store, be sure to watch for off-center chest emblems, paint smearing, and other issues, such as an over-sized right hand on Robin. However, be aware you probably won’t find a Deathstroke with a straight gun–fortunately it’s very bendy, and can be straightened with a little heating and then a douse in cold water.

While the QC problems are an annoyance, this is still my favorite wave of DC Universe Classics so far. With a little more work on the QC issues, Mattel’s line will be a more than worthy successor to Kenner’s Super Powers.