Intereview > Cyborg (DC Universe Classics)

In the early 1980s, the New Teen Titans were DC Comics’ answer to Marvel’s enormously successful X-Men, and both series sold very well. One of the new Titans introduced during that era was Cyborg. After an accident in which Victor Stone’s mad scientist father accidentally released a gelatinous extradimensional horror that killed Victor’s mother and mutilated Victor himself, his father grafted a number of cybernetic enhancements onto his son to ensure his survival. Initially repulsed by his new appearance, Victor eventually learned to accept it and became a superhero.

If I may say so, Vic–can I call you Vic?–that whole “getting mutilated by an extradimensional beast” sounds pretty awful.

It was.

Well, no need to get into it. Unless you want to.

I’d really rather not.

Of course, sure. (laughs nervously) Talk about getting off on the wrong foot, huh?

Yeah.

Right, um, so let’s see. Your sculpt is clearly based on the way George Perez drew you back in the early 1980s, rather than your slightly more modernized look these days.

Yep. The Four Horsemen did a really good job with it, though. It’s dead-on to Perez’s art.

It’s funny how it still looks somewhat dated, though it’s just a metal suit. These days you’re drawn with a more streamlined look. Sort of the difference between the Millennium Falcon and Amidala’s starship in The Phantom Menace.

But the sculpting is exceptional, which is what we’ve come to expect from the Four Horsemen. Seriously, those guys keep setting their own bar higher and higher. There’s some great detail on the cybernetic parts.

Don’t forget the paint work. Silver can often be hard to pull off, but Mattel did a great job with me. It has just the right blend of shininess and texture to suggest smooth, futuristic metal, with a very light wash to bring out the details. The flesh tones are also very well done–good flesh tones seem to be a hallmark of this wave.

Indeed! Now, your trademark weapon is his transforming arm. Have Mattel and the Horsemen done right by you?

Definitely. I’ve got three interchangeable hands–and one exclusive one. There’s a regular right hand, a claw and what seems to be a laser arm of some sort. I wish the claw had some articulation, like Trapjaw’s, but I guess that didn’t cost out. Still, three accessories is pretty cool.

And that’s not all, is it?

Right. If you buy my KB Toys exclusive variant, you can get my trademark sonic blaster. Unfortunately, you don’t get any of the other accessories.

As for articulation, I see you’ve got the usual DCUC style: ball-jointed head and shoulders, H-hinge hips which allow for ball-joint like motion, swivels at the biceps, thighs, waist, and wrists, and hinges at the knees, elbows, ankles and torso

Regarding your fellow Teen Titans from that early era, Mattel has announced Starfire and Kid Flash for the near future. Any other fellow Titans you’re hoping for?

Well, ideally I’d like to have all of them. Especially a Dick Grayson Robin, since he seems like a longer shot than, say, Beast Boy or Raven.

Not Terra, though. We…we don’t need a figure of her.