Day 73: Yoda

Yoda is a fictional character from the Star Wars universe, who appears in all of the franchise's films except for Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Frank Oz provided Yoda's voice in each film and lent his skills as a puppeteer in the original trilogy and The Phantom Menace. Yoda first appears in the saga in The Empire Strikes Back as a Jedi Master, and trains Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Jedi. In the prequel trilogy, he serves as Grand Master of the Jedi Order.

Download the PDF file here!

DC Universe Classics - The Demon, Etrigan

Continuing with my DC Comics action figure theme, today's review is:

DC Universe Classics Series 1 - The Demon, Etrigan

So, I've already reviewed Mattel's DCUC series 2 and series 3 (check the blog archive) and from series 1, I've gone over The Penguin & Red Tornado. So I might as well finish getting through the rest of the first set before series 4 comes to my door. The Demon, Etrigan is not one which I'm overly familiar with. I believe my first exposure was actually the Batman animated television series in the 90's which featured Etrigan in one episode towards the end of its run. For more character info on The Demon, Etrigan, check out Jack Kirby's The Demon.

Etrigan is the tallest figure from DCUC series 1 set standing at 7 inches tall. As usual with these Mattel action figures, the head is the highlight. There is a lot of detail on the head from his ears to the wrinkles around his face and pores in his skin. The torso is big and thick but not overly heavy. The belt has a slightly worn leather look with a detailed buckle. The hands have pointy fingers but are made of a soft plastic so you or your children won't hurt themselves. The cape is made of a heavy plastic which is typical for DC Mattel action figures with capes. It sometimes can be an issue for posing as it can weigh the toy backwards. Its not a huge issue though.

Etrigan's paint job is clean...perhaps too clean. Well, what I'm referring to is the cape. Looking at the cape's design, its all torn and ripped apart. But its painted a bright blue and looks like Etrigan may have just picked it up from the cleaners. I would've like to have seen a dark wash over the cape to give it a rougher look. That's just my preference. Aside from that, there are no paint runs or slop and everything is paint relatively within the lines. The face is nicely done. There is minimal shading on the torso but overall the paint is well done, miles above Red Tornado's paint job.

Not much to talk about in the accessories department. Of course, Etrigan does come with the collect & connect piece of The Element Man, Rex Mason (Metamorpho). Other than that, Etrigan will have to rely on his pointy fingers when in battle.

Articulation is great as with most of the DC Universe Classic Action Figures. He comes with all the standard joints as you would expect from this toy line. Neck, shoulders, biceps, elbows, wrists, abdominal, waist, hips, thighs, knees and ankles. I think there comes a point where you can have too many joints that takes away from the figures look but in the case of the DCUC toys, Mattel has got it just about right. All joints out of the package where fairly tight as they should be.

Overall, despite not knowing too much about the character himself before purchasing it, this action figure is quite good. He would fit in great with any toy line in the 6 inch range from DC Direct to Marvel Legends if you like to mix them up. Despite some small issues and lack of accessories, he fits in well with comic book toy collections or would be great for the kids as well.

Sculpt/Design - 9, Paint - 8.5, Accessories - 5, Articulation - 9, Fun - 8

Overall Score 8/10

This figure was released in early 2008. There might be the odd one still on shelves at your local Walmart but it is still widely available online. Generally, Etrigan will sell for about $10-15 bucks plus shipping. But sometimes there are deals. I was able to pick this bad boy up on eBay for $4.99 plus $5 shipping.

To find DC Universe Classics - The Demon, Etrigan on eBay, click here and good luck.

Thanks for checking out my action figure review blog currently featuring DC comic book characters. Be sure to check back for more DC Universe Classics, DC Superheroes & DC Direct action figure reviews.

DC Superheroes - Scarecrow

Today's review: DC Superheroes - Scarecrow.

Scarecrow is from the series 1 set of Mattel's DCSH action figures released in 2006. This particular sculpt is actually a re-release of a figure from Mattel's previous Batman toy line which ran between approximately 2003-2005.

Scarecrow is thin, tall and lanky, standing at 7 inches tall to the tip of his hat. The figure is well crafted with plenty of detail from head to toe. His face has a great evil smirk and the costume looks like it was put together with rags and rope. Very classic Scarecrow and very well done.

The paint is mostly done in various browns, orange and has a dark wash over most of the figure that really gives the figure some depth. The face is cleanly painted (always a good thing). No complaints really.

Scarecrow comes with 2 accessories. A sling blade and a skull bomb. The skull is very small but has some a good amount of shading and detail as well. There are two canisters on the back of the skull which are probably meant to hold Scarecrow's fear toxins. The sling blade also has great detail. The grains of wood are seen on the staff and the blade is made to look very rough with chips and scratch marks all over it. The skull sits nicely in the palm of Scarecrow's left hand but will fall out if the hand is not positioned correctly. The sling blade also has a pitch fork on the opposite end and can be held by two hands or just one.

As you can expect with these Mattel figures, Scarecrow has a good number of joints. The neck can be moved forwards & backwards as well as side to side. The main problem with the neck joint is that it can not be moved very far back so for the most part, Scarecrow appears to be looking slightly downwards. He has joints in his shoulders, biceps, elbows, forearms, waist, abdominal, hips, thighs, knees, shins and ankles. All joints were reasonably tight out of the package. He can sometimes be hard to pose due his lankiness but overall it is not a big hassle.

Overall, Scarecrow rules! This is a great action figure to compliment a cool Batman villain. He fits in great with all DCSH, DC Universe Classics and even DC Direct collections. Even in 2008, this toy is still reasonably priced online (not in stores anymore) and there are deals to be found on eBay. He can easily be purchased in the $10 range which is quite cheap compared to other Mattel DC toys.

Sculpt/Design - 9, Paint - 9.5, Accessories - 9, Articulation - 9, Fun - 9.5

Overall - 9.5/10

To find DC Superheroes Scarecrow by Mattel on eBay, click here

Thanks for checking out my DC action figure review blog. DC Universe Classics series 4 will be arriving shortly. Be sure to check back for more.

Day 72: Shrek

Shrek is a 2001 computer-animated American comedy film, directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, and starring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow. Based on William Steig's 1990 fairy tale picture book Shrek!, the film was produced by DreamWorks Animation. Shrek was the first film to win an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, a category introduced in 2001.

Download the PDF here.

DC Superheroes - Superman

Looking for information on DC Comics Action Figures? You've come to the right place. Welcome to Action Toy Review. My main focus is the DC Universe Classics and DC Superheroes toy lines by Mattel but I will also throw in some DC Direct and even the odd Marvel Legends & Star Wars figure just to mix things up.


Today's review will be from Mattel's DC Superheroes series 2 - SUPERMAN.

Since I've already gone through a few Batman characters from this toy line, I figured it's time to look at DC's other poster boy.

This Superman was originally released in the 2nd series of the DC Super Heroes toy line back in 2006. It was re-released again in the 5th series in the newer purple packaging. The only other difference was the Series 2 Superman came with a short comic book. The series 5 figure did not. Check out my Mattel DC Superheroes checklist for the others figures from these sets. This figure also came in 2 separate Two-Packs. One packaged this figure with an original Clark Kent figure. The other pack included both Superman & Bizarro from DCSH series 2.

If you only get one Superman action figure, then the DCSH Superman is the one you need to get. The face sculpt is the best I've seen. DC Direct as a few decent figures but I really like this one. The figure has a strong and classic look. I'm not a fan of the older looking Supes either. The cape is big and looks great but it is very heavy and can sometimes weigh the figure backwards. Like some of the other figures from this line, Superman's legs have a bit of a wider stance and can't be closed together.

The rest of the figure's design is also just classic Superman. Red undies & boots, blue tights and a yellow belt.

DCSH Superman (below middle) about 6.25 inches tall. About the same as the DCUC series 2 Blue Superman (below right) and a bit shorter than the DC Direct Doomsday Collectors set Superman (below left). If your collection mainly consists of DC Direct figures, then this DCSH version may be a bit short compared to the rest of your figures.

Like all the figures from this toy line, the paint job on DCSH Superman is reasonably well done considering it is a mass market toy. Generally, it's not uncommon to find some minor issues with the toy's paint job in certain areas. My Superman has a few sloppy areas. In the pictures below, you'll see on his right hand, a bit of the blue has run over onto his hand. (click pics to enlarge). Also the red paint on his belt is a little sloppy. The other issue was on the face. One eyebrows was painted on thicker than the other. As i mentioned, each figure might have some minor issues like this. You're best bet when buying anything from the store is to examine it before you purchase it and pick the best one.

Superman does not come with any accessories. The DCSH series 2 version came with a comic book but the series 5 does not. The Superman from the Doomsday set also comes with a Doomsday figure and the Death of Superman comic graphic novel. For info on Blue Superman, check out the DC Universe Classics series 2 review.

DCSH Superman has great articulation, like all of Mattel's DC toys in the 6 inch size range. Starting from the top, he's got joints at the neck, shoulders, biceps, elbows, wrists, abdominal, waist, those awesome Mattel hip joints, thighs, knee and ankles. The same as Blue Superman. DC Direct Superman lacks the waist and abdominal joints. None of the joints on DCSH Superman gave me any problems out of the package.

Overall, I really like the look of the DCSH Superman. The face makes the figure. The paint job is great and it fits in nicely with the other DCSH & DCUC toys. I really feel its the best of the bunch.

Sculpt/Design - 8.5, Paint - 8.5, Accessories - 5, Articulation - 9, Fun - 9

Overall Score - 8.5/10

This figure is discontinued but can still be found at many online retailers, eBay & Amazon. You should be able to find it still in the $10 range or even less for a "loose" figure (meaning out of the package). Just watch out on the shipping.

If you're into the DC Direct instead, you can probably find the DC Direct Doomsday Collectors set for around $25 bucks. For 2 figures and a graphic novel, that's pretty good value.

Mattel's DC Superheroes Superman on eBay

DC Direct Superman/Doomsday set on eBay

Series 4 of Mattel's DC Universe Classics should arrive next week at my door step. Living in Canada, I pretty much have to rely on eBay and online stores to get these toys. Other than Series 1 of the DCUC toy line, I haven't seen any of figures at my local toy stores from series 2, 3 or 4. Once I receive series 4 (aka wave 4) a review of each figure will follow. Apparently Series 5 & 6 will be coming out soon just in time for Christmas shopping followed by series 7 early 2009. My DC Universe Classics checklist will show you which characters you can expect to see in the upcoming waves.

Thanks for reading my action figure review blog. Be sure to check back for more reviews on Mattel's DC Universe Classics, DC Superheroes and other action figures.

Day 71: Marge Simpson

Marjorie "Marge" Simpson is a fictional character featured in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the well-meaning and extremely patient wife of Homer Simpson and mother of Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson. Her most notable physical feature is her blue hair, styled into an improbably high beehive; she is proud to have never met anyone with taller hair outside Graceland. Marge was named after, and loosely based on, Margaret "Marge" Groening, mother of series creator Matt Groening.

Download the PDF here.

DC Superheroes - Clayface

Welcome to my action figure review blog. Right now, my main focus is action figures from the DC Comics world.

I'm still waiting for my DC Universe Classics wave 4 to arrive so today we'll pick another one of the great DC Super Heroes action figures by Mattel to review.

Today's review is Mattel's DC Superheroes - Clayface

This action figure was part of the 8th series from the DC Superheroes toy line by Mattel which was released in Q3 2007. Unfortunately, there were distribution issues and it was very hard to find these figures meaning many collectors had to rely on eBay and online merchants. Other action figures included in this set were Batman, Joker, Catwoman, Nightwing and Bruce Wayne. I have posted a full checklist of Mattel's DCSH toy line for people to see what other characters are available.

This Clayface figure was a completely unique sculpt compared to the others from this set. It was the first time that Mattel has made a Clayface action figure and there weren't any other characters like him so they could not re-use any old parts from previous models.

The design of the figure is great. The sculpt seems to be inspired by the Batman Animated Series version of Clayface. Its just layers and layers of oozing clay like skin. The arms are also unique compared to other figures. They are a softer rubbery type material with bendy wires inside that give the arms a little more flexibility. This was a bit of a questionable route in my opinion. I'm not sure how these arms would hold up over time but for collectors who take care of their action figures, it probably won't be an issue. The arms are also different sizes too. His left is bigger with a few spikes sticking out while the right arm is more like the rest of the body. The sculpt is nicely detailed and looks really awesome in my opinion. Probably the best figure from this set. Clayface stands just over 7 inches tall.

The paint job is mostly done in different shades of browns and yellows and its done well. The face cleanly painted with bright yellow eyes outlined in black and the few teeth that stick out are more of a dull yellow color. The inside of his mouth has a purple shade to it.

Clayface does not come with any accessories which is a shame. He could really use some arm attachments in the shape of different weapons like a hammer or a blade much like Rex Mason from DCUC series 1. Instead we just get the bendy arms which works fine with this figure. Probably due to the fact that this figure is so big and heavy, they probably could not fit anything more into the package anyways.

Aside from the arms, the rest of Clayface is quite articulate. He has joints in the head, shoulders, waist, abdominal, hips, knees and ankles. As mentioned, this figure is heavy and all the joints hold the weight up in various positions really well.

Overall, Clayface is great. Even though Clayface is probably not considered an "A list" Batman villain, this figure is one of my favorites and a must have for Batman collectors. There is no other Clayface figure like this out there.

Sculpt/Design - 10, Paint - 10, Accessories - 0, Articulation - 8, Fun - 10

OVERALL SCORE - 9/10

So, once again, the best place to get this toy is from eBay due to the toy line being discontinued and also the fact that its kind of rare. There are usually a few auctions for this figure every couple of weeks but be prepared to pay in the area of $25-40 for it plus shipping. You might save a couple bucks if you look for one already out of the package.
To find Clayface on eBay click here

Thanks for checking out my Action Toy Review blog. Be sure to check back for more action figure reviews.