Finally! A DC Club Infinite Earths
Signature Collection action figure that feels like the sort of thing
we were told we would get!
Mostly.
But Platinum here not only finishes off
a team, she also comes with Tin. It might have been nice to get a
fully articulated version of the most diminutive of the Metal Men,
but after a few years of Managing My Expectations I feel lucky to
have gotten him at all. And as far as accessories go he’s not too
shabby.
First Glance: Seeing two
figures – regardless of size and level of articulation – in a DC
Signature Collection box is mind-blowing. On top of that, they both
look really good. I’m as enamored of shiny objects as the
common crow or raccoon, but even taking that into account Platinum
and Tin look neat.
Articulation: Platinum
has what is basically the standard for Mattel’s DC figures.
Head – ball joint
Shoulders – swivel/hinge
Biceps – swivel
Elbows –pivot
Wrists – swivel
Abdomen - pivot
Waist - swivel
Hips – swivel/hinge
Thighs - swivel
Knees – pivot
Ankles - pivot
The hair is short enough that it
doesn’t interfere with the movement of the head and the joint is
built in such a way that it can move as much as you would want it to.
The triangular piece on Platinum’s
front limits how much her abdominal joint can bend forward, but not
much.
The skirt obviously interferes with the
hip movement, but that’s just part of the look of the character.
I’m okay with it. Better than the weird alternative of a skirt that
is part of the sculpt with joints cut into it.
Sculpt: Platinum has a
new head, forearms, and calves.
Platinum’s hair looks great – a
real standout sculpt amongst the ladies of Mattel’s DC lines. I
like that it has a definite shape and almost a weight to it. I feel
like the sculptors knew they could do something a little different
with a character that is consciously able to manipulate her hair
regardless of gravity, product, or humidity. The little hat on top is
silly, but it looks like it should. I’m not crazy about her face.
It’s just a bit too long and narrow. She looks kind of alien. I
would have preferred a rounder, more Marilyn Monroe type of face.
Don’t get me wrong – it looks fine, it isn’t a bad sculpt. I
just would have preferred a different shape.
The new forearms and calves are done
with rivets at the tops of the boots and gloves to match the triangle
on Platinum’s torso. They look good and the placement of the rivets
is precise.
Otherwise Platinum uses the same body
as most of the rest of the DCUC females. It works much better when it
is all one color than it does in some other cases. Ideally – in my
opinion – Platinum would have been a little more curvy and 50’s
pinup shaped as opposed to this athletic build, but I understand why
she isn’t. All in all what we’ve got here works well.
Coloring: Aside from the
black used for her eyes, eyebrows, and the “P” on her hat
Platinum is a uniform metallic grey. It looks nice and is a different
hue from Tin and Steel. I think Mattel’s designers did a great job
with giving all of the Metal Men distinctive colors that still worked
together.
The black used on Platinum’s
detailing looks very good and is applied well, particularly the eyes.
They used a bit of white within the eyes themselves to give the
figure some life and it looks really good.
Flair: Platinum has a
separate but attached skirt and triangle thing on her torso.
The skirt is a softer plastic that
allows for just a bit of movement in the hips. It has a good shape
and the top blends well with the upper torso, creating a look that is
uniform and appears to be a short dress rather than two separate
pieces of clothing.
Which makes that triangular piece a bit
weird. The way it is sculpted suggest it is supposed to be a sort of
front piece of the dress, but the placement creates an odd thing when
the figure is viewed from the side – sideboob.
Since these DCUC
bodies are sculpted to be women with catsuits or unitards or whatever
on, the sculpt means that when you put another piece on top it looks
like that is clothing and the boob part… isn’t. Honestly the
triangle just becomes confusing when the figure is anything other
than standing and being looked at straight-on. But they did the best
they could and for the most part Platinum looks good and like she
should look.
Accessories: Platinum
comes with Tin, a full separate figure. The sculpt on this little guy
is fantastic and since Mattel was able to make him from scratch he
look just like he is supposed to. He only has three points of
articulation – head and shoulders – but that’s okay. He has a
distinctive color and looks great standing amongst his larger
brethren. I give Mattel all the credit in the world for their
execution on this little guy.
The problem here is that – like Lead
– Platinum does not include any arm attachments. The rest of the
Metal Men came with one or more pieces that attach to their arms to
represent the various tools or weapons that they could morph into. I
understand that Platinum comes with Tin and that’s great, but we
have a precedent here. This is pretty much like if Hasbro decided to
stop including lightsabers with Jedi figures. It just isn’t okay.
Packaging: It’s a neat
little window box. I dig the packaging and I love the art on the
backs. It looks very classy and does work to make these bare-bones
figures seem more special than they really are. The bio on the back
tells you as much as you need to know:
This bio would work for any of the
Metal Men minus the last couple of lines. I didn't realize Platinum
was first.
Value: $23.70 (including
shipping) actually isn’t too bad for what you get here. I still
feel like arm attachments are a necessity, but to get a whole
separate figure is pretty good.
Overall: Aside from the
lack of attachments I think this is the best Platinum we could expect
from Mattel. I’m happy to own her and think Matty did a pretty
solid job.
4
out of 5
If you want the Metal Men you’re
going to have to buy Platinum. If you don’t care about the Metal
Men, I can’t imagine you’ll feel the need to own her. I doubt
very much Matty will offer her again, so you’re stuck going to eBay
or BigBad if you really need one.
-Phantom
So, are you going to be doing the Hit Monkey series of Marvel Legends?
ReplyDeleteProbably not. I don't think there are a lot from that series that I want.
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