DC Universe Classics Green Lantern Wave 1 - Manhunter Robot

How quickly some things become old new.  All the cool new toy announcement at Toy Fair 2011 like, Wave 18's line up, the Batman Legacy toy line, the new Crime Syndicate 5 pack and DC Universe Classics Wave 16's release in stores, we've almost forgotten about the Green Lantern Classics line up.  I'm sure there are still some of you out there hunting for this action figures so today I'm going to review, Manhunter Robot from the Green Lantern Classics Wave 1 set.

Ahhh the packaging.....No complaints on this front by me but it is irrelevant.  It just gets tossed in the trash anyways but for all you collectors out there who insist on keeping their toys in the packaging, this is what it looks like (see below).  If you look closely at Manhunter Robot's picture of the back of the packaging, you'll see a slight difference in that picture compared to the actual action figure.  In the picture, Manhunter Robot is holding the lantern in his right hand and his left hand is a closed fist.  The actual action figure is the opposite.   

Manhunter Robots torso ,upper arms and upper leg pieces are standard pieces we see on a lot of  DCUC action figures.  The boots and forearms are more unique armor type pieces which look really cool and have nice detail in them.  The head piece, of course, is also unique to the character and looks really good.

From the side, you can see more detail in the boots and forearms. 

I love the metallic blue color used on Manhunter.  The metallic paint is a nice touch and I think looks much better then if they had gone the non metallic route.  The face is painted with just one shade of silver and red eyes which, is a little boring.  Wish Mattel would have at least used a dark wash over the teeth to give them some texture. 

Now for a closer look at the articulation which, for Manhunter Robot, is a plus and a minus.  First, as we saw with the awesomeness of the Black Hand action figure from this wave, Manhunter Robot also has the double hinged joints which is super cool.  You can bend the knees more so with these joints to get them into more bending positions.  BUT unlike Black Hand, Manhunter Robot only has these joints on his knees.  No double hinged elbow joints.  An a little bit more bad news, the movement of the elbow joints are obstructed by his forearm piece limiting to about 80% of normal joint movement.  All other joints are pretty standard compared to other DCUC action figures.  Neck, shoulders, biceps, wrists, abs, waist, hips, thighs and ankles are all there and in fine working condition 

Manhunter robot comes with this extra large sized green lantern which fits nicely into his right hand (left hand is closed).  He also comes with the Collect and Connect upper torso piece of Arkillo. 

Overall, Manhunter Robot is another great DC Universe Classics action figure. A great sculpt job that is painted with a cool color pallet (love the metallic blue).  The new knee joints are awesome but i wonder if Manhunter Robot could have benefited by added the double hinged elbow joints too.  Still, he is well worth the buy and a must have for Green Lantern fans. 

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

Value - 8

To buy DC Universe Classics GL Manhunter Robot on eBay, click here

To buy other DC Universe Classics action figures on eBay, click here.


That's it for another ATR Review.  Be sure to check back for more news, info, reviews and previews on Mattel's DC Universe Classics action figures. 

DC Universe Classics Green Lantern Wave 1 - Kyle Rayner

The main action figure from the DC Universe Green Lantern Classics wave 1 set that most people have been waiting for is Kyle Rayner.  So take a guess at who today's review will be on:

First up we have a look at Rayner in his packaging for those who do not want to take their action figure out of the packaging.  It's very similar to the DCUC toy line.  Action figure is encased in solid transparent bubble plastic.  Cool cartoon graphics behind that of the main Green Lantern characters.  On the back, there is a nice little bio on Rayner as well as pictures of figures from the entire wave.  We've all see this before so time to move on. 

Taking a look at the actual action figure now, as far as a sculpt goes, we see a lot of reused parts here.  The head being the only main difference.  Unlike with the Black Hand action figure from this wave, Rayner does not have the new double hinged elbow or knee joints.

Kyle's Green Lantern costume difference from the classic Hal Jordan.  You can see the GL symbol is not centered on his chest but more centered on his left pectoral muscle (reminds me of Robin's "R" symbol for some reason).  The costume is really true to what you would expect in a Kyle Rayner action figure.

Up close we can get a better look at the head sculpt which is one of the main highlights of this Kyle Rayner figure.  The mask is sculpted really well on his face and the hair is nicely detailed.  You can also see up close a few minor scuff marks in the paint on the left side of his chest.  Slightly sucks but overall, its not a big deal. This is really a luck of the draw thing.  Sometimes it happens, especially when you're ordering online instead of being able to pick them out at a store. 

Rayner's articulation is pretty standard compared to the old DC Universe Classics action figures between waves 1 to 15.  As we mentioned above, Mattel now appears to be incorporating double hinged knee and elbow joints to add more movement to these action figures.  It appears as though some figures from this Green Lantern Classics Wave have them as well as some from the upcoming DC Universe Classics Wave 16 set will also incorporate these new joints.  Unfortunately Kyle does not but his articulation is still as good as any previous DCUC figures.  He's got all the standard joints we've been use to over the last 2 plus years. 

One of the other highlights of this Kyle Rayner action figure is the accessories that come along with him.  I love it when we get addition green lantern accessories.  Kyle comes with a cool looking green lantern, much more sci-fi like than the one that comes with Hal Jordan.  He also comes with a giant sword that attaches on to his ring hand.  The good thing about these accessories is that you can use them with other Green Lantern members. 

As per my ATR poll that was asking which GL Classics wave 1 figure(s) they would purchase, readers responses was heavily favored to Rayner, and Mattel did not disappoint.  It is a bit of a bummer that he did not get the new double hinged joint treatment like Black Hand, but overall, Kyle Rayner is another great action figure.  I'm not sure how many Green Lantern Classics waves we'll be seeing but Rayner was definitely a must have figure for any DC or Green Lantern fan.  With the new Green Lantern movie due to come out in the next 6 months, you can bet these action figures will be very popular for at least the first half of 2011. 

Sculpt/Design - 8.5, Paint - 8.5, Articulation - 9, Accessories - 10, Fun - 9, Value - 9

If you're looking for your very own DC Green Lantern Classics Kyle Rayner action figure, ebay has a lot of good auctions available to get a decent deal for those of you unlucky souls that cannot find these Mattel bad boys at your local Wal-mart, Toys R Us or Target store. 

To find DC Universe Classics Green Lantern Kyle Rayner on eBay, click here

To find other DC Universe Classics action figures on eBay, click here

So many DC Universe Classics action figures coming out this year.  Ive just ordered my DCUC wave 16 which i expect will be in next week, not to mention, I'm still looking for a few more of these Green Lantern Classics wave 1 figures.  GLC wave 2 will be coming soon as well as DCUC wave 17, probably in March sometime.  One thing is for sure, alot of reviews to come so be sure to check back. 

Feel free to leave any comments regarding this review below or check out my poll questions on the left hand side of your screen. 

DC Universe Classics - Green Lantern Wave 2 Preview

Quite a lot of new stuff coming out in 2011, so much that i find I'm doing more previews of new stuff than reviews lately.  As I await the arrival of my DC Universe Classics Green Lantern Wave 1 figures, lets take a look at what wave 2 is going to look like.  The line up for this wave was announced a couple months back but you probably wont see these babies Q2, 2011.  And here we go....

First up, we have a 3 in 1mini set of Despotellis, Dex-Starr and B'dg.  I believe they are all suppose to come together in one package.

Looks like Mattel is going to continue giving us action figures with interchangeable heads and/or hands.  Medphyll and Nautkeiloi.  Looks like the hands are exactly the same on these guys.

I'm pretty sure these next two figures also will have interchangeable head and hands, Night Lik and Skallox

Next is Sodam Yat

And finally, Star Sapphire

ahhhh...but there is one more.  A secret action figure modelled specifically from the upcoming Green Lantern movie.  Guess who....

Finally, the DC Universe Classics Green Lantern Wave 2 Collect and Connect action figure - a very cool looking Stel. 

So there you have the DCUC GL wave 2 line up.  Green Lantern fans will have nothing to cry about in the coming months, thats for sure. 

That's it for this preview.  Hopefully I'll get a chance to actually post a review in my next post.  I still have some from as far back as wave 11 to review.  Be sure to check back with Action Toy Review for all the latest news, previews, info and reviews on Mattel's DC Universe Classics action figures.

If you're looking to add to your collection of DC Universe Classics, I strongly suggest you troll through eBay.  There are good deals to be found if you look hard enough. 

To search for DC Universe Classics action figures on eBay, click here.

DC Universe Classics - 2010 Year in Review

Happy New Year everyone.  Its time for the 3rd annual DC Universe Classics Year in Review.  Mattel started off the 2010 year by releasing the DC Universe Classics wave 11 set which featured such characters as John Stewart, The Question, Kilowog and Deadman.  Personally, I feel this was the best set of the year.  A current poll of Action Toy Review readers asking which DCUC Collect N Connect figure was their favorite, is showing an overwhelming response for Kilowog compared to the other 4 CNCs.  I myself, did not go for this entire set but went out of my way to make sure i bought the all the right pieces to finish Kilowog.

Wave 12 features characters such as Dessad, Eclipso and Copperhead with the Collect and Connect action figure being a much bigger Darkseid than the one we were previsouly given in the DC Superheroes toy line.  Some decent characters but in my opinion, this was one of the weaker waves we've seen so far. 

Wave 13 had a bit of a Teen Titan theme to it featuring Superboy, Donna Troy, Blue Beetle and Trigon as the Collect and connect figure. 

I was very happy to get a classic version of Cheetah from this wave. Even by todays standards, the show sucks, when i was a kid, i loved the Super Friends cartoon with the Justice League vs the Legion of Doom so this action figure as a no brainer.

Trigon, well....i felt completely meh about him.....It looks like a very cool connect and collect action figure, but I was not ready to dish out $120 plus for this set.  I will keep my eye out for good deals on eBay on both wave 12 and 13 figures. 

Much like DCUC wave 5 and 10, when the wave 14 line up was announced, it was also announce that it would be a Walmart exclusive which pisses off a lot of collectors who already find it hard enough as it is to get their hands on these babies.  Walmart exclusives make it even harder because they're not sold at every one. 

The most appealing figures to me in this set were Zatanna, Alan Scott and the Collect N Connect figure, Ultra-Humanite.  This set also included Hourman, Gold and Tyr. I was not one of those people that ran out around from Wal-Mart to Wal-Mart stores looking for this set. 

Wave 15 was a tad bit more interesting.  First we have the winning character voted by the fans in 2009, Raven action figure released.  Also a main Justice League character, Martian Manhunter (2 versions actually), the first ever action figure of Jemm and a new Batman figure with a new face sculpt in a Sinestro Corps outfit.

By far my favorite figure in this set was J'onn J'onzz.  Very cool. 

The Collect N Connect figure for wave 15 was Validas. 

We've seen a number or re-released figures in two packs this year. Yet another Batman 2 pack this time with a repainted Robin, As well as an Aquaman/Black Manta 2 pack, both figures from wave 2 which again were just repainted.  Also (Below) you'll see the "Power Struggle" two pack which features Superman from the Gotham City 5 pack in 2009 as well as a re-release of Parasite from the DC Superheroes toy line in 2007. 

Also re-released, was a Hawgirl/Gentleman Ghost 2 pack which i assume was because of the ridiculously low supply of DCUC wave 8 figures that were out back in 09.  These two figure were VERY hard to find.  I have seen the original Gentleman Ghost figure alone go for $80.00 plus on eBay auctions recently.  The bad part of this set...no Giganta pieces included.

Mattel is also starting to gear up on the Green Lantern merchandise in anticipation of the Green Lantern movie coming out in June 2011.  A 5 pack called "Green Lantern's Light" was released in mid 2010 which included a few repaints as well as a new Guy Gardiner and Tomar Re action figure. 

Also just released towards the end of 2010 was a 2 pack featuring a taller Sinestro (compared to the shorter version in wave 2 which sooooo many people cried about).  and a repaint of Hal Jordan in shiney green. 

Finally we've also seen a DCUC spin off set featuring Green Lantern Characters.  I'm not too sure how many wave's we will see of this toy series but wave 1 has already started invading ebay and online stores as well as an official announcement for the wave 2 characters.  I hope the GL movie isnt a flop....Here is the GL Wave 1:

And GL Wave 2:

And finally, for all you hard core collectors out there, the 2010 San Diego Comic Con exclusive action figure is Plastic Man.  As you can see in the picture below he comes with a large assortment of accessories which may lead to hours of fun and excitement if you want to pay about 40-60 bucks for him on eBay. 

Well, thats it for my DC Universe Classics 2010 year in review.  Be sure to check back multiple times in 2011 for news, previews, info and reviews on Mattel's DC Universe toy line.  Wave 16 has some promising characters and Blackest Night fans will probably love the just recently announce DCUC Wave 17 line up.  Green Lantern fans will have it good in 2011 so we should see some more interesting characters in the coming year.