DC Universe Classics Wave 17 carded

The next DC Universe Classics wave is almost upon us and mattel has released some pictures carded pictures of the wave 17 line up.  Green Lantern and Blackest Night fans will surely be excited for this set.  You can expect to find DCUC 17 available for sale towards summer 2011.  Now, lets take a look:

First up, Indigo Lantern - The Atom. 

Next up, Black Lantern Hal Jordan

 

And the variant White Lantern Hal Jordan version

Orange Lantern - Lex Luthor in his power suit

Sinestro Corps - Scarecrow who has a very cool looking head sculp.  I really, REALLY hope that Mattel releases a classic version of Scarecrow soon!

And finally Star Sapphire Wonder Woman. 

Im not entirely sure how this wave will end up doing.  It is filled with A list character but the bad part, they are in one time costumes.

If you're looking for DC Universe Classics action figures, check out eBay.  Definitely the best online option with the most variety.  To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics on eBay, click here. 

Action Toy Review brings you the latest news, previews and reviews on Mattel's DC Universe Classics action figures so be sure to check back for more info.

DC Universe Classics - Wave 17 Preview

The much rumored line up for Mattel's DC Universe Classics wave 17 set has now been confirmed.  Darkest Night fans will probably be happy to here it is going to be the rainbow Lantern set. 

The first action figure is Indigo Lantern, Atom

Next, Black Lantern Hal Jordan.  Looks like a cool head sculpt.

Another Hal Jordan, this time a White Lantern.  At least they're changing up the facial expressions.

Next up is Blue Lantern, Flash

Next is Star Sapphire, Wonder Woman.

A transparent Orange Lantern Lex Luthor

And finally a Sinestro Corps Scarecrow. 

And the Collect and Connect action figure for Wave 17 will be Anti-Monitor.

And that's the DC Universe Classics wave 17 line up.  My first impressions are.....why is this wave not part of the newly launched spin off Green Lantern toy line instead of the DCUC toy line???? Also, I would've much preferred a regular Scarecrow instead of a Sinestro Corps version.  The Lex looks cool as does Blue Flash but I can't say I'm foaming at the mouth for this set.  You will probably find this set available towards the 2nd quarter of 2011. 

***Possible Spoiler Alert***

Unconfirmed rumors of the DC Universe Classics Wave 18's line up point to it consisting mainly of characters from the old Super Friends cartoon.  It is being dubbed the Super Friends Diversity wave on the Internet and consists of characters such as El Dorado, Black Vulcan, Samurai, a new Bizarro with interchangeable hands and head to switch to Superman (what about the chest piece?).  Metallo, Manhunter round out the line up with the Collect and Connect figure will be Apache Chief.  Again, this is just a rumored line up.  All i have to say about this is, I truly hope it is only a rumor.  I have no interest in any of the ethnic Super Friends even though i loved the show, they were by far the worst part of it.  

If you're looking for any DC Universe Classics action figures, check out eBay by clicking here.   

DC Universe Classics - 2009 Year In Review

The second full year into Mattel's DC Universe Classics and we've seen some pretty cool action figures through out the year.   So I'll just go over some of the main characters and my favs we've seen released through out the 2009 calendar year.

For starter, Mattel gave us the biggest Collect and Connect action figure thus far in Wave 8's Giganta standing at about 10 inches tall.  Easily one of the best looking CnC figures aswell to date. 

We've also seen the dreded return of the Walmart Exclusive set, much like Wave 5 in 2008, wave 10 in 2009 was another walmart exclusive set.  This set featured a very import action figure of The Joker which would be important to any DC Comics fan.  Joker was arguably one of the best DCUC action figures of the year in my opinion.  We also saw and a repainted Batman figure was released again in this set.  That would make this the 4th repaint using this same sculpt.  Mattel thankfully included some cool new accessories with Bats.

Power Girl, also part of wave 10 and Superman from the Gotham City 5 pack (another wal-mart exclusive).  The unfortunate thing about these walmart exclusives is that so many people have a hard time finding them.  It appears that Mattel or Walmart is only releasing this in certain areas around the US.  If you're in Canada (like me) or somewhere else, you can forget about it.  Ebay is your only option. 

Captain Cold and Flash from wave 7 were some of the A list characters released in 2009.  I like how Mattel has been releasing a big name hero with one of their popular arch enemies with each set. 

We also saw some New Genesis/Apokolips characters introduced such as Big Barda from wave 7, Mister Miracle from wave 6, Kalibak also from wave 6, Mantis from wave 9 and Parademon from wave 8.  Look out for more of these characters including a new Darkseid in 2010's wave 12 set. 

Below we have Hawkman from wave 6 and Gentleman Ghost from wave 8.  There were some complaints about low numbers of wave 8 and 9 being released.  I myself still have not been able to finish either set.  Gentleman Ghost was very hard to find at a reasonable price.

Below we have some of the DCUC wave 9 action figures.  Left to right is Black Canary, Green Arrow, Deadshot and Mantis.

As mentioned above, Batman fans saw a few repaints of the wave 1 Detective Batman sculpt and also got some new additions for their rogue collection.  In the pic below we have from let to right, Two-Face (DCSH repaint), Catwoman (DCSH repaint), Killer Moth from wave 6, Batman (Gotham City), Deadshot and The Joker.  Is it just me or is there a lot of purple here?

There were a few two-packs released this year.  Below we see the Clash of the Cosmos Superman and Brainiac pack.

And of course, a classic Lex Luthor which also came in the Gotham City 5 Pack.  This was the only original sculpt in the set and I'm sure a lot of people bought the set just for this figure.  Fans of the old Superfriends cartoon were surely happy with this release. 

Well, thats Mattel's DC Universe Classics 2009 wrap up for you.  2010 looks to have some interesting new releases.  Waves 11, 12 and 13 have been announced and I've also got my own person list of characters I hope to see wave 14 and 15 or any new two packs.  To check out some previews of waves 11, 12 and 13, click on the links below.

DC Universe Classics Wave 11

DC Universe Classics Wave 12

DC Universe Classics Wave 13

DC Universe Classics - Flash

Finally, my DC Universe Classics wave 7 has arrived and the action figure I've been waiting for most is the Flash so I am going to start my review of this wave with him.

If you are looking to purchase any of the DC Universe Classics action figures, check them out on eBay by clicking here.

Mattel is continuing to package these figures in the same standard double plastic bubble and cardboard back packaging. You will notice that Wave 7 is made up of 7 action figures plus the Collect and Connect figure instead of the previous waves which only included 5 figures + C.A.C.

The sculpt used for the Flash is very similar to the Atom's sculpt from wave 5. There are some slight differences, specifically Flash's boots and the little wings on his ears and boots.

Flash's face sculpt is also a little different from The Atom's. Mattel could've cheaped out and just used the same face with different paint colors but they didn't in this case as they've slightly altered the chin and mouth and nose.

Speaking of the paint job, its not too shabby but there are red spots that cross over the lines and overlap onto Flash's face. The uniform is painted very well, included the logo on his chest and the yellow lightning bolts across his waist and arms. His yellow boots have the nasty red wash that I've complained about in some of my other reviews such as Red Tornado and Robin. For the life of me, I don't know why Mattel decides to use a red wash on yellow areas.

As far as accessories go, Flash comes with nothing. Not even a Collect and Connect piece. He does however come with a blue transparent stand which help you pose him in a better running position. I believe these stands can also be ordered from Mattel's collector web site. I wish they weren't blue. They should just be a clear plastic in my opinion.

Flash's articulation is no different than 90% of the other DCUC action figures. Joints include neck, shoulders, biceps, elbows, wrists, abdominal, waist, hips, thighs, knees and ankles

To compare, in the above pictures is a DC Direct's Flash on the left next to Mattel's DCUC Flash on the right.

I've been waiting for the Flash for quite some time. Gorilla Grodd needs someone to beat up.

Overall, Mattel's DCUC Flash is pretty good. My only complaint is the red wash on his yellow boots. Other than that, he meets the high standards that Mattel has set with this action figure series.

Sculpt/Design - 8, Paint - 6, Accessories - 2, Articulation - 9, Fun - 8.5

Wave 7 is fairly new but starting to sell out in online stores. With wave 8 already appearing on eBay, a lot of sellers will be looking to dump their older figures so Flash should be available at a reasonable price.

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