Packaging - ***
I discussed the packaging in the previous review, but it's worth it to
mention it again. The cardbacks are smaller than the old Hasbro
releases, and that's a good thing. Let's face it, space is always at a
premium.
I also like the use of the 'embossed'
appearance on these and the other Mattel Batman lines. They've done
this using the bubble itself, and it looks terrific. They are also
fairly sturdy because of this, and you aren't likely to see any serious
damage on the pegs.
Sculpting - ***1/2
Both sculpts are solid, and extremely close to the maquettes produced by DC
Direct. Wonder Woman's stand is a little different, but not a lot.
Scale between these figures and the rest of
the line is also fairly good, which is refreshing to see.
Paint - **1/2
Unfortunately, the paint ops here aren't any better than the first
series. While they are a vast improvement over Hasbro's work,
especially in the last half of 2002, they aren't up to the quality of many
other companies.
Areas on Manhunter, particularly with the
yellow paint, have sloppy boundaries and bleed. Of the two, my Wonder
Woman was the better looking figure from a paint perspective, but there was
room for improvement on both.
Another area for big concern is the shade of
green used on MM. He's way too dark in my opinion, although he'd be
set for forest camouflage.
Articulation - **1/2
Say hello to the new boss, same as the old boss. We get the usual five
points - neck, shoulders and hips. No surprises here, but some
additional cut joints would go a long way to making these less maquette-like.
I have heard of some people having trouble
over time with the ankles bending on some of the figures. Batman,
Superman and MM are the most likely to have this issue, with huge upper
bodies and skinny little ankles. I haven't had any issues with any of
mine up to this point, but I can see where it could occur.
Accessories - **
There are two with each figure - a plastic display stand, and a little
lenticular card that fits in the back of the stand.
The stands fit together (loosely - they
don't snap in place) to form the words Justice League. The little
cards are fairly nice, although not much of a substitute for a 'real'
accessory. At least now with the entire word spelled out, it won't
look quite so silly on the shelf.
Value - **1/2
$7 for a fairly basic figures with little in the accessories department is a
buck or so too much. Considering what we are getting from other lines
in the $7-$8 range, this is not a great deal. You aren't getting
ripped off, but you won't feel like you saved a bundle either.
Overall - ***
Both figures look good on the shelf, and both fit in nicely with the rest of
the line. I don't know how far we'll really see these go, but we can
always hope to see some of the villains eventually. There are some two
packs planned - Superman/ Lex Luthor, World's Finest Batman/Superman and
Superman/ Solomon Grundy (with another only rumored so far) - along with
some very basic 'playsets' and some great looking vehicles.
Where to Buy -
I picked mine up at Target, although I've since seen them at Toys R
Us. Those are your best bets right now, although I suspect we'll see
them hitting Wal-marts as well.
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