I
am/was a big DC fan since I was a kid. Growing up I sided with DC
more than Marvel (just by a bit). I was a Marvel fan too and a big
fan/collector of the Marvel Legends line. It was almost perfect
timing when Marvel Legends started to wind down and DC Universe
Classics (DCUC) started up. I had already started picking up this
line when it was the Superman and Batman themed DC Superheroes line.
So when I restarted as the DCUC line, I jumped in from the beginning
and have almost every figure with the exception of a few 2-packs and
any Nu52 figures that I skipped. The line ran for 20 waves plus a
ton of exclusives, 2-packs, 5-packs, the Legion of Superheroes
collection, etc. It was a great toy line with an insane amount of
great figures. When the official line was done and the subscription
was announced I signed up right away. I was looking forward to
completing some teams and filling in some holes in the collection.
Jay
Garrick
- He’s a fairly simple figure but definitely a needed one. He was
a big/obvious hole in the JSA roster. The metallic hat looked good.
Definitely a solid start.
Atrocitus
- Matty really didn’t want you to forget who you were dealing with
and released a figure with an accessory (yeah!) he can’t use
(boo!). With all the different Green Lanterns they’ve made and no
one thought about the fact he can’t hold his lantern is nuts. The
figure looked pretty good but the non-working accessory is pretty
annoying.
Metron
- The 1st
exclusive was a pretty good to very good figure. The chair was solid
and nice. He sits on it well. The only complaint I had was that I
wished they would’ve sculpted more of the lines of his costume.
Starman
VIII
- Another simple but solid figure. The stars in the costume look
pretty cool up close. Just have to decide if he is displayed with
Legion or JSA.
Rocket
Red
- This was by far the biggest disappointment of the entire
subscription (both years) for me. They failed on almost every level
in the execution of this figure. I was really looking forward to
this when they announced it because I was a huge JLI fan. The look
of the character is taken from much more recent comics so I was a
little bummed. But the scale was all wrong. He’s basically a guy
in armor (like Iron Man) but they made him like a giant (along with
visible veins in the muscles in the arms). He should have been wider
not taller. No way a standard DCU sculpted character would fit
inside that armor and it just looks weird/wrong.
Mirror
Master
- Another solid figure and another figure off my wish list. I’m a
big fan of the Rouges so getting another one was great. His guns and
holsters ended up looking really nice. I thought he ended up being
one of the better figures in the sub.
Black
Mask
- He was a meh for me. I wasn’t overly familiar with the comics he
was in. I liked the suit ok (which is good because I was going to it
a few more times). For the 2nd
time in the 1st
year Matty gives us another figure that can’t work with his
accessories properly.
Poison
Ivy
- She was a good figure and definitely a must for Batman villains.
Elasti-Girl
- One of the better figures in the 2012 batch. She finishes off a
team (mostly) and looks good.
Uncle
Sam
- This was a really nice looking figure, plus it came with Dollman as
an accessory. If this line had lasted for another year I would’ve
hoped for a Ray, Phantom Lady, or Human Bomb to start the Freedom
Fighters. As it is, Sam will have to hang out with the JSA all by
himself.
John
Constantine
– A great figure and a great re-use of the suit body. The loose
tie stands out. My only complaint is the cartoony oversized hands.
The just don’t seem to be in scale with the rest of the figure.
He’s a relatively major character and a great addition to the line.
He would hang out with Swamp Thing and Death on the shelf but looks
funny due to the other 2 figures poor scaling/size.
Platinum
- A good looking sculpt plus we get a separate figure out of the
deal. Both are okay but they lack the additional accessories that
the other Metal Men have. Tin was great as an add-on but is way too
small. He should’ve been at least an inch or 2 taller to fit in
with the rest. Speaking of the rest, next up is…
Lead
- A great looking figure and another team finished. As a group they
really look awesome together. And Lead definitely stands out due to
his size.
Saint
Walker
- Another Green Lantern figure and another meh. I never would have
guessed how many Green Lantern figures this line would end up
cranking out. The sheer amount is impressive and this is a nice
addition to the GL shelf.
Phantom
Stranger
- A great figure. He’s a character I wanted and fits in well with
the Satellite JLA. The shading on the face works and he looks
perfect posed in the right way. Definitely a figure deserving to be
in the sub.
Elongated
Man
- Finally! Ralph was way overdue. Unfortunately he came after the
awesome Plastic Man figure with lots of nice accessories. So the big
hand and magnifying glass were nice but it felt like he should’ve
had a couple more things. Overall I was glad to have him, though.
Larfleeze
- Yet another Green Lantern figure and one of my favorite new GL
characters. Very happy to include him in the GL collection. He was
a great sculpt. The only complaint is that his arms aren’t long
enough for him to hold his lantern in the way he’s mostly depicted
in the comics.
Monsieur
Mallah and Brain
- This is why I love the DCUC line. They made this and I was able to
buy an intelligent monkey who is in love with a robot with a human
brain.
Wally
West
- Wally is my Flash. I vividly remember Barry dying in Crisis on
Infinite Earths when I was a kid. I bought Flash #1 when Wally took
over and I grew up with him as he grew into the role of Flash. I
couldn’t wait for this figure and couldn’t believe he didn’t
show up in the previous retail waves. So I was glad to get him
unfortunately he was a little plain being that he was a simple
repaint.
Red
Hood
- I wished they had gone with the old version and used the suit body
and done the classic look from Killing Joke. He ended up being a
pretty good figure but my indifference to the character and design
makes it a meh for me.
Captain
Marvel, Jr.
- Another needed figure. He was fine if not overly exciting. Glad
the subscription finishes another team/set.
Fire
- As a fan of JLI she is a figure I was definitely waiting for. I
always assumed she was on the list and that she’d be in a 2-pack
with Ice but unfortunately she was used as bait for next year’s
sub. Luckily we’re still getting Ice as a quarterly figure next
year. Unfortunately it will be at a premium and I’ll have to fight
the infamous white screen of death to get her
(Ed. Note – No you won’t. I have a Club Eternia sub – Early
Access).
Fire looks OK but she’ll look great next to the rest of JLI
(except maybe Rocket Red).
Huntress
- A needed/wanted figure but I wish they had gone with a more classic
version of the character. I always hated the Jim Lee designed belly
showing costume. I think the Nu52 costumes prove he’s not the best
costume designer. So another mixed bag. It’s a character I really
wanted just not the figure I wanted.
Ocean
Master
- Another solid figure. Aquaman doesn’t have the impressive
catalogue of villains so it was good to get this guy to go along with
Black Manta. The cowl and cape had a nice sculpt and he definitely
belongs in the sub.
Ra’s
al Ghul
- Another needed/wanted figure. I would say you couldn’t sell an
old guy in a suit at retail but the Dark Knight Rises line did it
with Ra’s, Alfred, and Jim Gordon. And they helped piece together
a working Bat Signal (one of my all-time favorite
build-an-accessory). He looks OK. He’s a little more cartoony
than I wanted and with a crazy huge sword. But still glad to have
him and a must for the Batman shelf.
Batzarro
- And the line ends with more of a whimper than a bang. Of all the
figures people wanted, I doubt this guy was on very many lists. He’s
an OK figure but there are so many other well-deserving characters
out there that should’ve been in this spot.
Looking
back at it I was glad to get a lot of the figures we did. Sure there
were a few skippable characters but overall it accomplished its
mission of finishing teams and giving us figures that would never
make it to retail. I just try not to think about how much the past 2
years cost me.
Looking
ahead I’m glad we’re getting some of the remaining figures over
the next year. Ice is a definite must. So are Damien and 90s
Aquaman. Superboy is probably a skip for me. The Doomsday is a joke.
They advertised it as the most requested figure that finally gets
made. Unfortunately it’s a version of the character no one was
asking for. That being said, I will still probably pick him up given
the chance.
It
was a good series but it had run its course. The sculpting was
consistent throughout and the huge number of figures make for an
impressive display. RIP DCUC!
Belligerent
Monkey Website: http://belligerentmonkey.com/
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Good post! Nice to see them all, as I don't have the subscription
ReplyDeleteThanks- we had fun doing these.
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