Grundy’s Gang: A DC Universe Classics Wave 3 Review

August 20, 2008 on 1:52 pm | In Toy Review |

This week, Mattel sent us a box of the currently available DC Universe Classics Wave 3 figures. The set includes Nightwing, Robin and Green Lantern Hal Jordan in their current costumes, Sinestro in both his classic and Sinestro Corps costumes and Deathstroke with masked and unmasked head, plus a Solomon Grundy build-a-figure.

Full disclosure time, I am a big DC fan and a huge fan of this line and Wave 3 does not disappoint whatsoever. Before I get into the individual figures, I’ve got to say that this wave has excellent playability right out of the box (assuming you buy the full set…in a box). You’ve got archenemies Hal Jordan and Sinestro who can fight right out of the package along with the tag team duo of Nightwing and Robin taking on Deathstroke the Terminator. Or you can have everyone throw down with Solomon Grundy, newest member of the Sinestro Corps (though that might involve some paint customization).

SOLOMON GRUNDY

Okay, usually I’d start with the individual figures, but I’m super-jazzed about this build-a-figure. Grundy looks like he crawled right out of the swamp on Monday with his huge fists and boots. I’ve noticed with some previous snap-together figures that the joints don’t feel right and don’t really move in the way that I like when I’m playing with a figure (right now, Nightwing and Robin are doing the best they can to topple Grundy on my desk), but Grundy doesn’t have that problem. He moves a bit stiffly, but once you get the joints worked he’s a great figure. And HUGE. He stands at just under 9.5 inches and 11 with his fist pumped proudly in the air.

NIGHTWING

Good old Dick Grayson makes his first DCUC appearance here in his current costume accompanied by those two small bars he throws at people. You can snap them neatly on his back when he’s not doing that whole beating the crap out of bad guys thing. LIke the rest of the figures, Nightwing is super-flexible. Heck you could pose him in all your favorite Scott McDaniel stances. My only problem with the figure is that the face looks a little dull. There’s not a lot going on there. I’d like to see maybe a smirk or something, showing that he’s not as dark and brooding as his former partner.

ROBIN

Speaking of former partners, Tim Drake makes his first Mattel action figure appearance in his current costume with this line. I actually had the pleasure of getting this figure early before the First Annual ToyFare Hall of Fame awards and have been staring at him on my bulletin board ever since. as he hangs from a peg by his trusty bo staff (he also comes with a batarang). Another highly poseable figure (I’m going to stop saying it because they all could rollerskate under a really low limbo bar), Robin’s face captures some of the seriousness of the character (his mom, dad, best friend and, for a while, girlfriend were all murdered). He’s also a little bit shorter than Nightwing which is a great touch.

DEATHSTROKE

We got the mask-less version of the Terminator in our case, though I think I would have preferred the masked (I’m just a big fan of that half and half look). Deathstroke comes decked out in those cool boots that only pirates and superheroes/villains wear, plus he’s armed to the teeth with a sword and hand gun that slide into his (evil) utility belt, a big honkin’ rifle and bandoleer of bullets that you can sling over his shoulder and his famous shock staff that attaches to the bandoleer. The unmasked version shows of the weariness and sharpness that characterizes Slade Wilson and, of course, he comes with enough pouches and leg belts to make Liefeld proud.

HAL JORDAN

Earth’s number one GL come with a just-a-bit-too-fluorescent GL battery and the confindence the comes with being Hal Jordan. You can pose him in cool action poses both on the ground and in the air. My only complain is that the paint work on the ring comes off as a little sloppy. Yes you can see the indent of the GL symbol, but the paint around it kind of bleeds off the edges. It’s a small gripe, but hey, I’m a big GL fan.

SINESTRO

Like with Deathstroke we only got one version of this figure in house: the Sinestro Corps version. I’ve always thought his other costume is a bit goofy and you can’t go wrong by referencing the best GL story in years (maybe ever). I do have to say that the figure leaves me just a little flat. Part of it is that the thigh joints don’t seem to match up in the right way to get him to stand properly. I mean, you can get him to stay erect if you fiddle with the joints enough, but the lines aren’t super-clean. His bicep joints also don’t seem to line up quite right and I think he should be taller than Hal, but I might be mis-remembering my comic history there. Besides these minor cosmetic (and in-my-head) flaws, I do like the figure, he’s got a great look that says “You will bow before me” and I like seeing him throw down with Hal Jordan. He also comes with a an actual Yellow Power Battery that’ll look great sitting with the Green ones.

–TJ