DC Universe Classics - Wave 18 announcement

New Pictures added (Feb 20, 2011)

DC Universe Classics Wave 18 rumors have been finally put to rest this past weekend at the 2011 Toy Fair in NYC and it turns out the, unconfirmed rumors of a "Super Friends" theme wave are partially true.   Mattel has not yet released any promo photos yet, but once they do, I will post them (Update: promo pics of these action figures have been added plus a picture from the 2011 Toy Fair posted below).  Here is the official CONFIRMED DCUC wave 18 line up.

From the Super Friends TV series in the 1980s, we have Samurai.

(cool looking sword accessory)

Also from the Super Friends TV series, Black Vulcan

looks as he has hand attachments similar to Red and Blue Superman from DC Universe Classics Wave 2

and again from the Super Friends, Eld Dorado

Unfortunately, by the looks of this pic and his closed fists, I'm guessing no accesories are included with Eld-Dorodo (I thought it was "El-Dorado??)

One of two non Super Friends action figures, Bronze Tiger with removable head (like Low and Maash from the DCUC Green Lantern Wave 1 set.)

So we get a removeable head plus it appears that Bronze Tiger is hold two weapons that are similar to Nightwing's Escrima sticks from DCUC Wave 3....However, in the picture below from Toy Fair, 2011, you'll notice he is holding a sword and a staff of some sort. 

And the other non Super Friends character, a modern version of Captain Boomerang

Hopefully he is comes with some Boomerangs at the very least. 

And at last, the final member of the Legion of Doom (if you include Bizarro and Scarecrow from the DC Superheroes toy line), Toyman.

A bit muscular for Toyman but none the less, glad he's finally coming.  He appears to come with both a yo-yo and spinning top accessory. 

The Collect and Connect action figure for DC Universe Classics wave 18 will be, no surprise here, Apache Chief (Still no pictures yet)

Edit: pic posted Feb 17, 2011

The rumors had suggested that we were getting a new Bizarro action figure in this set with an interchangeable Superman head as well as a Metallo figure in DCUC Wave 18 but those rumors have proven to be false. 

Can't say I'm too crazy about this announcement. Its hard to say who, in this set, is the main action figure in this set.  I will get Toyman to finish off my Legion of Doom collection and another Flash villain is more than welcomed with Captain Boomerang in my collection, but these other characters from the show are not appealing.  I will, in all likelihood skip the rest of this set.  This will give me more time to catch up on other DC Universe Classics action figures I've missed from previous sets.

Look for Wave 18 to make an appearance sometime in the fall of 2011. 

If you're looking to buy DC Universe Classics actions figures check out eBay by clicking here

DC Universe Classics - Cheetah

Its been a while since my last actual review of a specific DC Universe Classics action figures.  To be quite honest, DCUC Wave 12 and 13 havent exactly thrilled me but i do like some of the new wave announcement that Mattel will be bringing us soon.  One of the action figures I was waiting for eagerly, from wave 13 was Cheetah to help complete my "Legion of Doom" collection.  There are two variants, this will be a review on the classic Cheetah action figure. 

Here's a look at the packaging.  A nice change from the first 11 waves.  The back still gives you a breif character bio and pictures of other action figures in this wave.   

Very similar in size to the sculpts of the Catwoman figure from the Gotham City 5 pack and also to Harley Quinn from DCUC wave 2.  My biggest gripe about this sculpt is probably the really thin arms.  They can break if handled to roughly. 

All in all, a good job on this figures design.  Looks just like the Cheetah from the Superfriends cartoon IMO.

As mentioned, the picture belows shows similarities between the different sculpts of these charactors

Compared to Wonder Woman however, is a size difference of about half an inch. 

The paint job is very good.  There are some minor flaws on the eyes but not notifable unless you're closely

Cheetah's articulation is basically the same as the other figures Ive been comparing her to.  You have joints at the neck, shoulders, biceps, elbows, wrists, abdominal, waist, hips, thighs, knees and ankles.  Cheetah has an additional joint, at the tail. similar to the wrist joints and doesnt really add a whole lot of extra movement at all as the tail is still pretty stationary. 

Finally, we finish with accessories.  She does not come with any weapons or add ons. There is the Collect and Connect piece of Trigon's Leg and the collector's pin (see pic in package) but other than that, Cheetah lets her fists do the talking in a fight. 

Sculpt/Design: 7, Paint - 9.5, Articulation - 9, Accessories - 0, Fun - 7

 

 (Legion of Doom minus Toyman)

If you're looking to buy your very own Cheetah, i am a big fan of using eBay for these figures.  I have not seen one of these figures in my area since Wave 1 was released so, although its a bit pricier, i can find which ever Action Figure I want.

To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics Cheetah on eBay, click here.



DC Universe Classics - Giganta

This will probably be my last review for 2009 so why not go out with the biggest action figure Mattel has given us in the DC Universe Classics line up so far.  The wave 8 collect and connect action figure - Giganta.

I was really looking forward to this figure.  I was a big fan of the Superfriends cartoon back in the day and I really would like to see all the Legion of Doom members get released sooner or later.  Giganta is well Gigantic.

Towering over the 6 inch Wonder Woman figure as well as wave 3's Solomon Grundy, Giganta stands at an impressive 10 inches tall. 

Giganta is not really complex as far as her costume goes but because she is so big, it allows for the little details to come out more. 

The paint job is great, especially in the hair.  Different shades and a darker wash highlight her hairstyle really well.  The face is also perfect.  A great determined expression and also quite beautiful.  There are no paint issues what so ever on this figure. 

Giganta sort of comes with an accessory but really, this is a Gentleman Ghost accessory and that is the very tiny action figure of The Atom.

Giganta's articulation is pretty good but actually not as articulate as some of the smaller female action figures.  For starters, the head can move but is limited due to the hair sculpt.  Not a big deal.  We've seen this issue with most female figures with the exception of maybe Harley and Catwoman.  But joints missing in action on Giganta are the abdominal joint and the waist joint.  Instead we have gotten a swivel joint at the chest.  Also a little different are the hip joints.  They are ball joints instead of the usual multi-moving hip joints we've see on most DCUC action figures.  Not sure if this has anything to do with the fact that my Giganta's legs are fairly loose and i find it difficult sometimes to get her to stand. 

Overall, Giganta is a GREAT Collect and Connect action figure.  She is huge, beautiful and a great Wonder Woman villain/LOD member to fill out your collection. 

Sculpt/Design - 10, Paint - 10, Accessories - 5, Articulation - 7, Fun - 9

Since Giganta is a CnC action figure, you technically have to buy the entire set DCUC wave 8 set to put her together.  You can however sometimes find someone selling her on eBay without the other action figures.  So follow the links below if you're looking to get you're very own DCUC Giganta action figure.

To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics Giganta action figure on eBay, click here

To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics wave 8 action figures on eBay, click here

DC Universe Classics - Lex Luthor (Gotham City 5 Pack)

When I first heard about the DC Universe Classics Gotham City 5 pack which includes an exclusive Classic Lex Luthor action figure, it was easily considered a must buy for me. Ya, the other 4 figures are just re-paints but we're talking Lex Luthor here. The greatest criminal mind of all time. The other figures included in this pack are Batman, Superman, Catwoman and Two-Face. I'll get to the other figures down the road but lets get right to the main piece of this set, Lex Luthor:

First, as you can see, like many of the DCUC action figures the main parts of the torso, arms and legs are basically re-use parts. Giving this Lex figure its own individuality are, of course, the new head sculpt and some additional fine tuning here and there.

Wrapped around LL's chest is an X shaped....belt (?) with 4 canisters on the front....at least its what i think are canisters. The chest belt is a separate piece from the torso and has a leathery look to it but cannot be removed. There are also canisters placed on each side of his thighs and calves. One thing that you can really see in these pics (above) is that Lex's right arm sort of sticks out which is probably due to the tight packaging.

Lex's paint job is tight and his face is highlighted with a rosy skin tone shade over his forhead and cheak bones. The costume is fairly basic with no difficult areas to get messed up. There aren't any complex designs here. Green pants and gloves, purple shirt and boots, done.

Comparing DCUC Lex Luthor to DC Superheroes Battlesuit Lex Luthor (below), You'll notice that they really are two completely different action figures, different sculpts from head to toe.

The other major difference I thought was the lack of accessories included in the Gotham City 5 pack. Again, comparing the two action figures in the picture above, the old Battlesuit Lex Luthor came with a gun and a piece of Kryptonite. GC5 Lex Luthor comes with Zippo, nadda, nothing. He is sculpted with one closed fist and one open hand so he could've been given a weapon of some sort.

DCUC Lex Luthors articulation is standard from the DCUC toy line. If you have any of these DCUC action figure then you've got a pretty good idea of what you're getting. All joints were in proper working order out of the box.

Overall, Lex Luthor is a must have figure if you're any kind of a DC Comics or Superman fan. The problem is, Lex is not sold separately and you have to fork over 50 bucks or more to get him in a pack along with 4 other re-paints of previously released DCUC action figures. So you need to decide if this exclusive action figure is worth the cost.

Sculpt - 8, Paint - 9, Accessories - 0, Articulation - 9, Fun - 7

You have a few options on how to get your very own DCUC Lex Luthor action figure. First is you can head to your local Wal-Mart store (in the US only) and see if your store is one of the few that have the Gotham City 5 Pack in stock. The second option is to check eBay for the GC 5 pack (i paid $48 US plus shipping) and the third option, is to also check eBay but see if anyone is selling Lex Luthor by himself (loose). Its very possible but expect to pay about $30.00 for him on his own plus shipping costs.

To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics Gotham City 5 Pack on eBay, click here

To search for the Lex Luthor action figures on eBay, click here

Thus concludes another DCUC action figure review. I'll be jumping around finishing off reviews of Wave 8 and the remaining Gotham 5 Pack figures, plus starting on reviews of wave 9 and 10 (if i can get my hands on wave 10 at all) in the near future. So be sure to check back with Action Toy Review for more news, previews, info and reviews on Mattel's DC Universe Classics action figures.