DC Universe Classics - Deadman

Today's review will be on Mattel's DC Universe Classics, Deadman from Wave 11 which came out earlier in the year.  There is a varient version of Deadman which has transparent legs and hands.  This review is on the regular version of the action figure. 

Wave 11 was the last wave to have the original packaging.  From wave 12 on, the packaging has been updated a bit.  As you can see on the back of the packaging, you get some nice graphics of this wave along with a breif description of the Deadman character.

Deadman is nicely sculped all around.  He has a skinnier body frame than you're typical DC Universe Classics action figure

Up close, you can see the cool details in Deadman's face and chest.  Great face sculpt here. 

and, as i mentioned, you can see the difference between Green Lantern, John Stewart and Deadman's body sculpt.  Deadman's legs, arms and torso are all a lot thinner. 

The paint job is great, like most other DC Universe Classics action figures we're seen.  I've been seeing a lot less flaws in the paint jobs compared to the first 4 or 5 waves.  Articulation is no different with Deadman getting all the standard joints all around.  The only bummer, which i guess is a character design flaw, is from the sides and back, you cant's see Deadman's head cuz of the big collar...but hey...the guy is a ghost so i guess he can see though it anyways....

Unfortunately, othere than the collect and connect piece of Kilowog, Deadman does not come with any additional accessories.  What you see is what you get. 

Overall, Deadman is a cool action figure which compliments your DC Universe Classics collection quite well.  Even if you're just collecting this set to put Kilowog together, Deadman is still worth the price.  The transparent version of Deadman is a little harder to find and most eBay sellers are asking for a couple bucks more compared to this version. 

  

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

Mattel released DCUC wave 11 earlier in 2010 so to find this action figure in stores....well, is not gonna happen.  Your best bet, as I always state on my reviews is eBay. 

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

To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics Wave 11 on eBay, click here.

On the workbench...

Ok, so this may be my favorite paper toy I've designed so far. A working paper marionette of Pinocchio! I've been cooped up all weekend because of the snow storm and was able to make a lot of progress. I have the character down and the technical aspect of making him move correctly is finished. He's fully jointed and will move and dance just like any other marionette. I just need to design the controller and string him up! He should be available shortly.

Groovy Vinyl Records

We dug out an old vinyl record player from the storeroom, and a whole bunch of old dusty awesome records.

Nutcracker and Mouse King Holiday Paper Printables

The classic story of the Nutcracker and Mouse brought to life as printable paper toys. Now you can reenact the epic battle between the Nutcracker and Mouse King. I'm not sure what they were fighting over, the Sugar Plum Fairy or just peanuts?

The Nutcracker even has a movable jaw! Although I wouldn't try cracking any nuts with it. The Mouse King has this cool feature which allows you to roll it on the floor. Not only will the kids love the rolling mouse but your cat just might too.

DC Universe Classics - Kilowog

With the Green Lantern movie coming up in 2011, this is one DC Universe Classics action figure which everyone will be itching to get the hands on, if they havent already.  Kilowog is the Collect and Connect action figure from DCUC wave 11 which came out earlier in 2010. 

This is probably one of my favorite CnC action figures to date, mainly because of the character more than anything else.  That aside, it is well sculpted and has a great paint job like most CNC figures.  Actually, there havent been too many complaints regarding the CNC in general thus far. 

Kilowog is approximately the same height as the DCUC Wave 3 Solomon Grundy CNC figure

Close up, you can see the detail put into his face and the wrinkles around his neck in the picture below. 

Comparing Kilowog to Hal Jordan and John Stewart, there is an obvious size difference.  Should give you guys a good idea of how he will look in your collection. 

The shot above should give you an idea of Kilowogs size compared to the other regular 6 inch figures from the DC Universe Classics toy line.  He looks good with the other Green Lantern action figures. 

As far as articulation goes, you're getting the same amount of joints you would with 95% of the other DCUC action figures. He is well articulated and all joints move great. Not to tight or loose.

There are no accessories included with Kilowog.  Technically, he is an accessory himself to the  7 other DCUC figures that come in Wave 11 so there should be no complaints in that department.  HE does have his huge green lantern ring on his right hand.  Unfortunately the John Stewart accessories dont fit on Kilowogs big hand. 

Overall, this is a MUST have action figure for all Green Lantern Corps fans out there.  If you can get your hands on Kilowog or just the parts one by one and put him together, its totalyl worth it.  Very cool.

Sculpt - 10, Paint - 10, Accessories - NA, Articulation - 9, Fun - 9

Wanna buy Kilowog?  I totally suggest you check out ebay.  I myself, did not buy all 7 figures from DCUC Wave 11.  I got 4 and then bough the remaining Kilowog pieces seperately.  There are good deals to be had on ebay, so check it out. 

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

To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics Wave 11 on eBay, click here

Thats it for this review.  I have cut down my reviews a lot lately, :( , but it is difficult to find these action figures in my neck of the woods.  Be sure to check back as i have a few more reviews i hope to do before the end of 2010. 

Things to Look Forward To

Christmas is coming, and we hope these adorable toys will end up in some happy homes.

Angry Birds Stuffed Toy from Toywiz strikes fear in your enemies (and pigs)!! (pic via Techcrunch)

Joel the Recycled Monkey packed in a claustrophobic cyclinder

Sarah the Organic Elephant looks makes us wanna tuck ourselves in bed.

Printable Paper Crafts - Tools for Making Paper Toys

Printable paper toys are a fun and inexpensive way to craft. Printables are often available as PDFs and can be downloaded for instant gratification in minutes. To those of you who are new to printable paper crafts I thought I would have a couple of tutorials available to help educate the basics of paper crafting. If you're into scrapbooking and paper crafting I'm sure you have these items on hand. Most of these tools can be purchased at your local office supply or craft store.

Tools for making printable paper toys. Starting from the lower right going counter clockwise.

1. TOOTHPICKS I use toothpicks to put a thin layer of glue on the tabs for gluing. I will put a dollop of glue on some scratch paper and load the toothpick up with some glue. I then layer the glue on the tab as if I was buttering a piece of toast. If you use large amounts of glue especially on large shapes and tabs the glue will tend to warp the cardstock. This is why I prefer this method.

2. SCORING TOOLS Scoring tools are necessary for precisely folding a paper toy. Scoring is making a slight indentation in the cardstock so it easily folds. My favorite tool of all time is a 5" tapestry needle I found on clearance at the craft store. I have used this tool for sculpting small details on dolls and now I use it for scoring all my paper toys. I have also included a bone folder in the photo which is commonly used to score cardstock. Some other tools that can be used to score cardstock are a blunt knitting needle, dried up pen or edge of a paper clip.

3. CRAFT KNIFE A craft knife/X-acto knife is used for cutting small details that a scissors could not do. Most of my paper toys do not require one but I will occasionally use one for cutting small bits out. A craft knife should always be used with adult supervision. They are very sharp and not recommended for children.

4. SCISSORS I have two pairs of scissors for paper crafting. I use the large pair for cutting out large shapes and the small pair for small detailed cutting. The small pair of scissors is invaluable for getting around tiny shapes and corners.

5. RULER A stainless steel ruler is used to assist with scoring a printable toy. I will run my scoring tool along side a ruler to make a straight crisp fold. A plastic ruler will work in a pinch but a stainless steel ruler is best because a plastic ruler will often chip or be cut into by a craft knife.

6. SELF HEALING MAT A self healing mat is used when cutting the cardstock with a craft knife. It will protect the surface you are working on. It is not necessary, as a piece of cardboard will work as well.

7. CRAFT GLUE My favorite glue is Aleene's Tacky Glue. I use this glue for felt appliques and paper toys. Its tacky enough to hold two pieces together and dries quickly with cardstock. Two paper pieces will bond together within 30-45 seconds. I have never used anything else but have heard most white glue will work.

Not pictured here:
8. CARDSTOCK 8 1/2" x 11" heavy weight 60lb. -110lb. cardstock is what I recommend to print paper toys on. The cardstock I buy at my office supply store is labeled white index.
9. COLOR PRINTER Any color printer will work fine when printing a printable. I use a home ink jet printer for designing my paper toys. When I'm finished with the design I will put the document on a flash drive and bring them to my local printer for printing. A professional printer will bring out the vivid colors a home printer will often not. I am often asked if you need color cardstock for the paper toys. A color printer will print out the solid colors and additional color cardstock is not needed. I design all my paper toys as color documents to be printed on white cardstock.