DC Universe Classics - Green Lantern Wave 1 Preview

DC is gearing up for the big release of their new franchise movie, Green Lantern.  So be prepared to see a whole bunch of GL related toys.  Mattel and DC have decided to sort of do an offspring set from the DC Universe Classics toy line and start up Green Lantern toy line which will feature various characters from the Green Lantern comics in an effort to bump up awarness for the movie (i assume).  So lets take a look at the very first Green Lantern wave which is just starting to come out at retailers near you.

First up, from the very popular "Darkest Night" series, we have the Black Lantern Abin Sur

Next is Mongul.  This figure appears to just be a re-painted version of the 2 pack which included Mongul and Cyborg Superman (which was previously released in the DC Superheroes toy line).  Although it does appear they gave him a yellow ring for this variant. 

Next is Sinestro Corps, Yellow Lantern Maash.  He has interchangable hands and head to turn him into Low.  Or...

...you could just buy the Low figure (which also includes the head ad hands for Maash).

Next is the Manhunter Robot who comes with a pretty big Green Lantern accessory 

Another Blackest Night character....and a pretty good one....Black Hand.

And finally, we have Green Lantern Kyle Rayner who appears to come with a green lantern and a giant sword accessory. 

Drumroll please........your Collect N Connect, DC Universe Classics Green Lantern Wave 1 action figure is........Sinestro Corps, Arkillo.

So there you have it folks.  That is the first DC Universe Classics Green Lantern Wave 1 set.  Not too shabby.  Rayner, Manhunter and Black Hand are must gets more me.  Not sure that i really need another Mongul. 

What do you think?  Be sure to vote on my pole for which DCUC GL action figures you want the most from this wave.  (all polls are on the left hand side menu). 

Mattel's DC Universe Classics action figures can be found all over eBay right now, including these bad ass Green Lantern wave 1 figures (individually or as a set). 

To find Mattel's DC Universe Classics Green Lantern wave 1 on eBay, click here. 

Thanks for checking out Action Toy Review.  The #1 review blog for Mattel's DC Universe Classics action figures. 

DC Superheroes - Mongul

To find DC Universe Classics action figure by Mattel on eBay, click here

On to the second half of Mattel's Super Enemies Figure Pack from their DC Universe Classics 2 pack series. My last review was of the re-released Cyborg Superman so today I'll review the other figure from that 2 pack, Mongul.

Mongul is bigger than the standard DCUC or DCSH action figure. He is about the same height as Mattel's DC Superheroes Darkseid, 7 1/4 inches tall.

Mongul's face sculpt is very angry looking. Someone really ticked this guy off! The face is very well details with a lot of wrinkles. The body is thick and muscular. Mongul's hands and fee are huge.

There is also a lot of design work through out the body. His costume is very detailed. For an action figure which I didn't really care about, he's actually pretty cool looking.

Mongul does tower over DC Superheroes Superman. His fists are as big as Superman's head.

Mongul's paint job is also pretty good. The face is shaded with a darker yellowy brown. His eyes are bright red with black outlines and are painted on cleanly. Looking over the rest of his body, there really aren't any major painting flaws to speak of.

Articulation is not usually a problem with these Mattel action figures. Mongul has all the standard joints. Neck, shoulders, biceps, elbows, wrists, abdominal, waist, hips, thighs, knees and ankles. The hip joints are a little restricted because of Mongul's thick belt but unless you're going to be making him do the splits, you probably won't care.

Unfortunately, Mongul is one of those action figures that does not come with any accessories. He is big and bad and doesn't need any weapon to beat you to a bloody pulp.

Overall, Mongul was surprisingly a very cool looking figure. If it wasn't for Mattel's Toys R Us 2 packs, I probably would never have gotten this action figure but I'm glad I did. I actually like him a lot more than Cyborg Superman. Great sculpt and paint job once again.

Sculpt/Design - 9, Paint - 9.5, Accessories - 0, Articulation - 8.5, Fun - 8.5

Overall Score - 8.5/10

As mentioned, this figure is part of a Toys R Us exclusive 2 pack. But if your local Toys R Us does not carry these figures, there are plenty of options on eBay.

To find DC Universe Classics 2 Packs by Mattel on eBay, click here.

To find DC Superheroes/Universe Classics Mongul on eBay, click here.

I've got 3 of the 5 DC Universe Classics wave 6 figures being sent to Action Toy Review cental so hopefully I'll have reviews of them up soon. If there is time while I wait, I may go back and take a look at some of the older DC Superheroes figures which I have not yet reviewed.

So be sure to check back for more new, reviews and information regarding Mattel's DC Universe Classics and DC Superheroes toy lines.

DC Universe Classics - 2 Pack preview

I'm not sure why Mattel has decided to go exclusively with certain stores on some of their products. First the DC Universe Classics wave 5 becomes a Walmart exclusive and then they announce that their DCUC 2 packs will be Toys R Us exclusive. This just makes it even harder to find these action figures.

Anyway, according to Mattycollector.com, these two packs are now available so go check out your local Toys R Us stores. I have yet to see a trace of them myself but I'll be keeping an eye out for them up here in the Great White North. I have a feeling that I'll have to resort to eBay for these as well.


Lets take a look at these new packs in no particular order. (all pictures are from the Mattycollector website) :

The first pack is the Batman figure pack which includes a couple of re-released figures from the DC Superheroes line, Batgirl and Azrael.

Back in 2006, this Batgirl action figure was only available via the Batman/Batgirl two pack. From what I've read, there is no difference between the original figure and this new one. Azrael was part of the DC Superheroes series 3 set and was and still is one of the hardest figures to find from this toy line. I for one am glad to see the Azrael re-release as it gives collectors a 2nd chance at getting this figure at a reasonable cost.

The next set is the Super Enemies Figure pack and also consists of re-released action figures of the DC Superheroes toy line.

First we have Cyborg Superman from DCSH series 6 which is probably the #1 most wanted toy from this series. There were so few Cyborg Supes available during it original release that it was next to impossible for people to find this action figure. eBay prices for this action figure go for between $50-$100 so hopefully with the release of this two pack, collectors can get this figure at retail cost. The second figure is also from DCSH series 6, Mongul. This figure did not have the same distribution issues as Cyborg Superman and the current asking price on eBay for this figure alone is in the $10-$15 range.

The third set is the New Gods Figure Pack and includes a brand new character that we have not seen before in this toy line.

The first figure is a variant of Orion from the DC Universe Classics series 1 set. The difference between this figure and the series 1 version is that Orion's helmet is removable. The other difference is that you do not get the Collect and Connect piece of Rex Mason in this 2 pack. The new figure is Lightray. He appears to have the same body sculpt as Orion with a new different head and paint job.

The final Toys R Us exclusive pack is the Green Lantern figure pack which again includes a variant of a previous released figure and a new character.

First, we have a variant of Hal Jordon from DCUC series 3. This sculpt is exactly the same as the previous version but the uniform is painted slightly different. There is no green on his shoulders on this new version and you do not get the Collect & Connect piece of Solomon Grundy. The second figure is Abin Sur and appears to be the exact same body sculpt as Hal with a new head sculpt. Included in the pack appears to be only one Lantern, which is of course, green.

Mattycollector.com is also releasing a separate two pack with all new characters and can only be ordered online from their store for $25.00 plus shipping.

This Mattycollector.com exclusive is called the Space Heroes 2 pack and consists of Adam Strange and Starfire. Unfortunately this pack will not be available until sometime in December. A hard date has not be set yet. I believe that Mattel has also promised to release an online exclusive 2 pack once a month in 2009 but don't quote me on that.

Some might also be interested in the DC Universe Classics stands available. For $12 you can get a pack of 25 of these stands if you feel you need them. I for one find that my DCUC figures stand well enough on their own so, to me, they're not all that necessary. Depending on how you display your figures, they may prove to be useful. One negative in my opinion though is that they are blue. Why not make them colorless???

I'll definitely be getting the packs with Cyborg Superman and Azrael since they are missing from my collection. I'll see what I can get my hands on and of course post a review.

Thanks for checking out Action Toy Review currently featuring action figures from Mattel's DC Universe Classics and DC Superheroes toy lines. Be sure to check back for more news, reviews and information.