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2-23-00 DC 9" Martian Manhunter!

This week has seen it's second DC 9" figure hit the shelves here in Michigan.  The local Kaybee stores received a bundle of the exclusive Martian Manhunter, packaged under the JLA label.  Here's how he meets my muster:

Packaging - *
Somebody needs to fire the packaging engineers at Hasbro.  Poor Jonn is held in with around 9 twist ties - two for each arm for crying out loud - and his cape is again attached to the back of the package.  I'm sure they believe two things - that MIB collectors want the figure in a 'dynamic' pose, and that this type of packaging also reduces theft.  They'd be wrong on both counts - the theft-notion is long outdated, and MIB collectors would be just as happy if they could remove the figure from the package without damage and put it in their own 'dynamic' poses.

Articulation - ***
This is the same body used on the rest of the series, not including the Batman Beyond figure, so it has the same articulation - cut joint neck, ball joint shoulders, bicep cut joint, elbows, wrists, fingers, double joint at the waist, knees and ankles. While I would like to see a ball joint at the neck, the articulation is solid.

Accessories - no stars
That's because there are none - not even a display stand like the others in the series.  Considering the $15 price tag, the stand would have been nice.

Costume - **
This is a costume that's okay, that could have been fantastic with just a couple tweaks.  I like the molded boots, but I'm sure some folks, particularly customizers, won't be too thrilled.  But the boots look good, and don't interfere with the poseability or ability to stand.  The cross belt is nice, but it's hard to imagine how they could have screwed it up.  The real problem is in the cape and shorts - the cape is *this close* to being terrific - but they didn't hem the outside edge.  While they did hem the shorts, they are a little small - or perhaps just not well designed - so that he is pretty much forced to show you some cheek.  If those two minor spots had been considered, this would have been an easy three stars, and maybe four. 

Sculpting - ***
A terrific sculpt, although the head size is still going to bother some folks.  The picture to the left gives you some idea of the comparison between this figure and a couple others from the line.

Overall - **1/2
I wish I could give this figure a three, but the small problems with the costume just don't allow it.

 


Figure from the collection of Michael Crawford.

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