I wasn't expecting to find these in the stores yet, but this morning my Toys'R'us was stocked with a bunch of this newest wave. Originally based on designs from the Batman: Brave and the Bold television show, the Action League series has broken out of those confines and is now producing characters from all over the DCU. I love that Mattel and DC are producing toys to counterbalance all the millions of Superhero Squad figures we've seen from Marvel over the years. Of course, they have a LOT of catching up to do. This Element Woman and Flashpoint Wonder Woman are only the second and third female figures in the line so far while the Marvel collection has over 30.
On to the reviews.
The packaging is nice and displays the figures well. I don't know if this is typical of the series or not, but the plastic window has a lot of angled planes that gives it a pretty dynamic look. Check out the angled pics to see what I mean.
The figures themselves are very cool. The colors are bright, the paint apps are very good, and the articulation isn't gummed up like we often see with smaller figures like these.
I don't know much about this character, but it's pretty obvious to me that she's supposed to be a female version of Metamorpho. The details on her "elemental" limbs are great. I especially love the tree-leg. She is articulated, but any pose beyond the suggested one looks kinda dumb.
I love the overall body type of these figures. Big hands and feet with a relatively proportionate head makes for a cool looking little figure. The Transformers attempt at similar 2in figures (Robot Heroes) failed miserably with their females (Arcee and Blackarachnia). They tried to give them dainty little feet, tiny arms, and big heads. This formula is used a lot for SD figures, but I prefer what we're seeing here much much more.
As with Element Woman, Wonder Woman is articulated, but any pose beyond the suggested doesn't look quite right.
Time for some group shots!
Cheers!
I just saw these at K-Mart last night. I was tempted, but am trying to reign in my collecting habits. I do love Element Woman though!
ReplyDeleteBut they don't take up any space! If that's not incentive I don't know what it :)
ReplyDeleteWhat stopped me was that I had no interest in the Cyborg she's packed with, but you have me rethinking passing on her now! Haha now I'll probably never see her in stores again. Phooey!
ReplyDeleteI love that Mattel's putting some real effort into these, and I love that they're finally making some female characters. Unfortunately, I really couldn't care less about Flashpoint or most of these characters. If they released Batgirl, Supergirl, Raven, Black Canary, Huntress, or Vixen, I'd add them to my collection in a heartbeat, but I can't justify that kind of expense for Element Girl or Mirrorverse Wonder Woman.
ReplyDeleteYeah I hear you. When it comes to these little guys (excluding mini-mates), I'm a completist, but I do hope we get some more diversity. Like I said in the review, the Marvel SHS line had a huge depth of character selection.. there's literally only a few more characters I feel like they need (Firestar, Dazzler and Photon come to mind). Mattel mentioned in their AskMatty posts that we would see more females shown at TF2012, so i'm guessing they actually have more planned, but not ready to unveil.
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