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Packaging - **1/2
While these are theoretically for collectors, the packaging is certainly
not collector friendly. It shows off the figure well enough if you're
a MIBer though, but for those of us opening him up, the package won't
survive the operation.
One thing I found interesting - the old DCSH packaging for these hyped
the collector aspect. They've made a slight switch here, hyping the
figures for both collectors and kids on the back of the package.
Sculpting - ***
This Croc is a two up of the Croc from the DCSH
line. However, this version has much more detail than his smaller
comrade, which is part of the point of making the larger version.
The sculpt of the figure itself is fantastic. The amount of scale
detail, the realistic folds and wrinkles on the pants, and the wonderful
work on the teeth and eyes all look fantastic in this scale.
He's a big boy too, clocking in at 13 inches tall without the display
stand. While he'll
look best with other members of this same series, you can probably get away
with having him mixed in with the DCD 13" line as well. He'll be a
little short, but the hefty bulk of his chest and arms will allow him to
take up enough volume that it won't be as big of an issue. His height
is also a little deceiving, since his knees are bent quite a bit, and
permanently so.
So why not another half star or even a full star in this category?
Because you know how much I hate it when a figure can't stand on its own.
That's not quite the case here, but almost. Without the display
stand, you'll need to work to get him in a pose that allows his center of
gravity to remain, well, centered. In the pose directly above this
text column, he's facing straight ahead and appears to be standing fine.
However, on the left and down one photo you'll see that exact pose in
profile, and you'll see how far back his arms and torso have to be to stay
upright. This is because of the deep bend in both his knees and
ankles.
Now, the smaller version of this figure had the same deep knee sculpt,
and yet he had no trouble standing. Why the difference? It's all
in the ankles. The smaller figure had pin jointed ankles, so the ankle
bend could be reduced, shifting the hips further back. Here, the
ankles are sculpted permanently in a deep bend, throwing the knees and hips
forward. Therefore, to keep him standing, you have to shift the upper
body backward.
It's not a deal breaking problem, and I was able to get a couple good
poses out of him without his stand. With the stand, anything was
really possible. Still, they really should have either a) resculpted
the ankles or b) given us the pin joints in this scale too.
There's one other flaw in the sculpt, at least for me. Whether or
not Croc has a tail is a matter of huge debate. Some folks hate it,
others love it. The old Mattel version (a predecessor of this figure)
had a much more reptilian head and full croc
tail, while the 6" version this one is based on did not. Oddly
enough, this version has a weird stub tail, splitting his pants in back and
sticking out a little, but not too much. It's almost as if they wanted
to make both groups happy this time, but I gotta say that seeing Croc's
scaly butt hanging out the back of his jeans really isn't doing for me.
Paint - ***
Like the sculpt, the paint work on this larger version has a lot more
detail, shading and subtle definition than the smaller version.
There's a number of different shades of green, used to give the skin a
very crocodile-like appearance. While in some photos it may appear
that the hands are a very different color than the arm, that's merely an
artifact of how you pose them. The back of the hands are colored to
match the back of the arms, which is a much darker, scaly green. The palms
of the hands match the inside of the arms, where the green is lighter and
creamier. When you turn the hands on the arms, it can appear as though
they are too dark, but that's not the case.
In fact, the green on various parts matches up quite well. The
various cut lines are relatively clean, although there is a little slop
around the eyes and teeth.
The wash used on the jeans works pretty well, giving it a dirty, worn
appearance. It adds to the realism, since a straight bright blue would
have screamed 'toy'.
My biggest issue with the paint is the amount of nicks, rub marks and
damage. The outer coat of paint is definitely not a sturdy one, and
damaging it doesn't take much effort. If you store this guy loose in a
box with other toys for any period of time, be sure to wrap him well to
avoid damage. And if you're lucky enough to see more than one on the
shelf, pay attention to any rub marks and damage right from the factory.
Articulation - **
The articulation here is far less than what we had with the six inch figure.
I'm assuming that's because Mattel thinks collectors don't want the sculpt
damaged by the appearance of joints.
There's a cut neck, cut wrists and cut waist, to go along with T hips and
pin socket shoulders. The shoulders might *look* like ball joints, but
they aren't. There's simply a pin that goes straight into the torso,
allowing the arms to move up and down, but not out to the sides.
Another joint that might appear to be there but is not is the jaw.
The cut neck works better at getting some interesting poses than I
expected, but the lack of knee or ankle joints interferes with his ability
to stand, thus hurting both this score and the Sculpt score.
Accessories - *
The only accessory he comes with is the blue base, with the Killer Croc
moniker on it. This is a sticker, not paint, but it looks good
nonetheless.
It's also a very important accessory, since you will need it for most
poses. There is one peg for the left foot, and it's long enough to
keep him from falling forward even with his arms in front of his body and
his hips shifted well over the balls of his feet.
Fun Factor - ***
The back of the box claims these are great for collectors AND kids, and I
have to agree that kids would have plenty of fun pairing up this Killer Croc
against a decent Batman. He has enough articulation to have fun, but
the difficulty in keeping him standing would end up frustrating some kids.
Value - **
He's big of course, but he's also largely rotocast. Still, the
technology has come far enough that the detailed sculpting remains.
Thirty bucks has always been a high price point for these however,
especially since we got the 12" Marvel figures for $20, even after Hasbro
took over. If they could knock off another five here, I'd be happy to
give them that extra half star.
Things to Watch Out For -
If yoiu get the chance to pick one out (they appear to only be one per case
right now) be sure to look for the best paint job.
Overall - ***
I almost cut another half star off this Overall, and technically I
probably should. He's not a cheap figure at $30, and has issues with
the sculpt and the paint. And yet, I really do love the way he looks
on the shelf. I have to stick with the display stand, and he's the
only one of the 12" DCSH or DCU figures so far that requires that, but
there's an 'it' factor about this figure that keeps him up that extra half
star for me.
It is a bit of a missed opportunity though, because with just a few minor
tweaks this figure could have been outstanding. I'm very happy to see
they're expanding this line outside of the basic Bats/Supes, and I would
kill for a Mr. Freeze. Now there's one I'd gladly pay $30 for!
Score Recap:
Packaging - **1/2
Sculpt - ***
Paint - ***
Articulation - *1/2
Accessories - *
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **
Overall - ***
Where to Buy -
These are a Toys R Us exclusive at this point, so your local store
(or tru online) is your best bet.
- Related Links -
I won't try to discuss ALL the DC
reviews, let's stick with DCUC and the DCSH stuff:
- The Fighting Figures were the last DCU
review.
- I've covered the regular DC Universe Classics series 1 in two parts - part
1 and part 2.
- and out of the 12" series, I reviewed the first
Batman and the Cyborg Superman.
- and before this line became the DCU, it was the DCSH, with figures like
Clayface and Bruce,
Mongul,
Parasite and Steel, Brainiac and Darkseid,
Batgirl and Superman,
Batman and Azrael,
Doomsday,
Superman, Bizarro and Supergirl,
Batman and Killer Croc,
Zipline Batman and Joker,
Mr. Freeze and
the other Killer Croc, and
Bane and Scarecrow.
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