Packaging - ***
I like look of the boxes, done up with a fifth panel, decent text and several photos. The box stores well, and once you have the figure out, you can put it back relatively easy.

Getting it out is not so easy though, due to the damn twisties. This figure is in a tray designed to hold him in place. It's in a tightly held plastic insert tray. And it's being sold in specialty stores and online, not at some mass market retailer where theft is a major issue.  So why are there five twisty ties holding him down? It's that damn twisty tie cartel, I'm telling you.

Sculpting - ****
I'm a sucker for great sculpting. And when I get great sculpts on not just one but FOUR heads, I'm in heaven.

The regular Hal head looks good, with that stern you-really-shouldn't-do-that look to the eyes. There's a little asymmetry here, with on eyebrow cocked slightly different than the other, and one eye squinting a bit more as well. This gives the expression a lot more personality and life.

And yet, it's a comic book sculpt.  Yes, it's a very life-like comic book sculpt, but they haven't strayed from the roots of the character too much.

The other three heads have very detailed, intricate texturing. Of these three, my favorite is Tomar Re, or beak-boy. The design and detail look terrific, and even though I have no interest in the character, the head is *almost* good enough to convince me to pick up a second to be able to display both the regular Hal and this guy.

The new character, fish faced NautLeKoi, is interesting, with a bit of a Creature From the Black Lagoon thing going for him.

Abin Sur is the least interesting to me, but he does have a striking appearance. It's sort of like Marty Feldman joined the GL Corps.

The attached hands are sculpted in fists, properly proportioned. The extra bendy open hands are still annoying because they are bendy, but have an improved sculpt over past releases, with properly sized fingers. No sausage mits this time!

By the way, he's tall. As have been all the figures in this line.  It's a 13" line, not 12", so if you were hoping to display this guy with the average sixth scale figure, you'll be out of luck.  This was a bigger deal to me early in the line - now there are so many figures in this series, that they fit together fine on their own.

Paint - ***1/2
The paint application is generally clean, although some of the extra heads are better than others.

The standard Hal is very well done, including the highlighting on the hair, which might be too much for some folks. It does have a sort of wood grain look to it in closeups, but in person it works quite well.

His details are also clean, like the eyebrows, eyes and lips. I missed the original GL, so this is the one I'll be displaying this figure with.

But the Tomar Re has a very solid paint job as well.  The colors are bright, with clean cut lines and consistent coverage. 

NauLeKoi has some errant marks, and the cut lines aren't quite as clean.  I do like the clear plastic used for the fins on his head, but the paint work doesn't quite support the head sculpt as well as it should.

The red skin on Abin Sur is good, but he does have a bit of slop around those bulging white eyes. Because they are so prominent, even the slightest issue here is very obvious.

But while there are small issues here and there, overall the figure deserves high marks. Because of all the extra heads, and because these heads have very colorful looks, the sheer amount of paint work is much higher on this figure than most deluxe releases.

Articulation- **1/2
This is the standard DC Direct Deluxe superhero body.  If you've bought these figures before, you won't be surprised.

It has all the usual joints, and the ball jointed neck works better or worse depending on which head you have attached.  It works best with Abin Sur and worst with Tomar Re and NautLeKoi, because of the lower cut jawline.

The cut biceps and thighs show through the spandex outfit, just like usual, but it does seem to be a bit less noticeable this time.  Maybe it's the black color, or maybe it's simply that they used a thicker uniform.

The joints were all tight enough to hold deep stances, and you'll have no problem getting him into proper heroic poses. 

Had there not been these damn bendy hands, he would have gotten another half star here easy. But the softer rubber hands don't stay on the short pegs well, and will pop off with the slightest brush. The harder plastic fists don't have this issue.

The bendy fingers also don't bend well. The wires only run to the first knuckle, and while you can find a decent open handed pose if you work at it, I really wish they'd drop these for properly sculpted hands.

Outfit - ***
The outfit is well made and fits great, but it is relatively simple.  The full body suit looks great, although the zipper in back is a bit large.  Likewise, the boots still sport the zippers up the back, and these are a bit too large as well.

The boots have hard soles, glued to the spandex uppers.  These look good, and the soles follow the bottom of the foot pretty well, so that the heel isn't hanging off the back.

Accessories - ****
Giving me a lot of accessories goes a long way toward making me happy. And there's lots here!

I've already mentioned the four heads, but it's worth pointing it out again.  The heads swap back and forth easy enough that you can pop them on any time without worrying about damaging the neck post.

DC Direct was also smart enough to know that if you have one of these heads on, the neck color had to match. They included three plastic slip covers that go over the necks, making the head and neck look correct together.

There's also the light up lantern, which came with the first deluxe Green Lantern as well.  I'll talk more about it in the next section, but suffice to say that it's well proportioned and looks good.  There's a few mold/assembly lines, but it's a fairly minor issue.

The removable mask works great for Hal, and they've done a good job with this concept for most of the series.

I already mentioned the extra bendy hands, and while I might not be happy with the whole bendy situation, I have to admit that at least from an appearance perspective, these are an improvement over past releases.

Finally, there's a helmet for fish face, NauLeKoi. It pops apart into three pieces, and fits over the head to be reassembled in place. It doesn't fit particularly well, but it's an interesting addition.

That's a ton of stuff, even at this price point. If DCD can provide this level of quality accessories, they're higher price point is far more palatable.

Light up Features - ***
The lantern lights up, as mentioned above. You turn the top, and center lights up, shining out both sides.

It's cool, but not perfect. I found that the switch was very touchy.  Barely turn it and the light would flicker, and you had to find just the right spot to keep the lantern glowing steady.

Fun Factor - ***
Even though these aren't 'toys' in a traditional sense, the figure is sturdy enough for normal play. He's certainly as sturdy as any G.I. Joe I had as a kid, and while the lantern might break and the mask get lost, that's nothing different than many mass market toys. The price point is going to keep parents away of course, but this kind of quality means that collectors can handle the figure freely, swap heads, and repose him without worrying about breaking something every time they look his way.

Value - **1/2
If you pre-ordered this figure, like me, you probably paid around $85. That's not cheap, but I have to say with other market prices right now, I actually felt like I was getting what I was paying for. Three extra heads? A light up lantern? These extras make the price feel much less painful.

Better yet, if you waited and are buying it now off ebay, you can get it for $10 - $20 less than that! If you pay $65 for this guy, you can add another half star easy.

Things To Watch Out For - 
Take your time with the head swaps, and you should be fine.

Overall - ***1/2
I wasn't a fan of this line at all in the beginning.  Between the oversized bodies, bendy hands, and high prices, I was not a happy camper.

However, over the last few releases, they've improved with more complex costumes, a greater variety of accessories, and improved sculpting and paint.  Yes, they still have those damn bendy hands (although that's not always been true - the recent comic book Joker had sculpted hands all around), but the other improvements in the series have won me over.

There was a reason the first Deluxe Green Lantern was a big seller. The sculpting, costume and working lantern set it apart from other figures in the line up to that point.  They've taken all the good from that figure, and improved it with the additional Corps head sculpts.

Score Recap:
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - **1/2
Accessories - ****
Light effects - ***
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **1/2
Overall -  ***1/2

Where to Buy -
There are several options with my sponsors:

- you can find these on ebay right now for as low as $65 BIN.  Use sponsor MyAuctionLinks to search for him.

- Alter Ego Comics has them for $85.

- Things From Another World has them for $90.

- for the UK readers, you can pick him up at Forbidden Planet for 65 GBP.

Related Links -
Other DCD Deluxe figures:

- the last one was the Joker, done up in a classic style, along with his main squeeze, Harley Quinn.

- two of my favorites are the Dark Knight movie based Batman and Joker.

- before that, we had Bizarro, Green Arrow, Robin, two versions of Batgirl, as well as Batman himself in the old school 70's outfit, Nightwing, a guest review of Catwoman, and my reviews of the Martian Manhunter, Two Face, Batman Begins and classic Batman. *whew*

Discussion:
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