Review: Barbie Supergirl
So, a while back my wife and I were in Toys R Us scanning various action figures to verify the prices. By the way, if you don't do this, you're missing out on deals you never knew existed: I ask you, isn't that worth your pride? Anyway, one of the toys we checked was a Barbie Supergirl action figure. And, when I say "action figure", I mean doll. Unless you listen to this guy.
This wasn't the first time we'd scanned this particular toy: this is one we'd been checking on and off for a while. But this time fate was with us. At one time, she'd been forty-five dollars: but on this trip, aided by an additional 20% off clearance, Supergirl was going for about fourteen.
Times may be tough, but that deal was one we weren't missing. As a side note, I'm proud to report that I mentioned the price to a mother whose daughter was looking at Supergirl at the same time, and they picked one up as well. That young girl could well grow up to be a superheroine herself one day. Or at least a geek.
Barbie, of course, is a subsidiary of Mattel (or was Mattel a subsidiary of Barbie? - I forget). Supergirl is "Silver Label", which means she's a lot more expensive, she's a little nicer, and there are fewer of them made than other Barbies.
This wasn't the first time we'd scanned this particular toy: this is one we'd been checking on and off for a while. But this time fate was with us. At one time, she'd been forty-five dollars: but on this trip, aided by an additional 20% off clearance, Supergirl was going for about fourteen.
Times may be tough, but that deal was one we weren't missing. As a side note, I'm proud to report that I mentioned the price to a mother whose daughter was looking at Supergirl at the same time, and they picked one up as well. That young girl could well grow up to be a superheroine herself one day. Or at least a geek.
Barbie, of course, is a subsidiary of Mattel (or was Mattel a subsidiary of Barbie? - I forget). Supergirl is "Silver Label", which means she's a lot more expensive, she's a little nicer, and there are fewer of them made than other Barbies.
Appearance and Construction: 9/10
For the purposes of this category, I'm going to consider this the way I would consider any Barbie, irrelevant of price or production run. Of course, this doesn't help too much, because I've never reviewed a Barbie before. Fortunately, I was able to get my wife to give me a quick primer on doll construction and costuming, so hopefully I'll be able to sound as though I know what I'm talking about.
What I didn't need help identifying is that this is a nice looking collectible. Supergirl was picked up to go with on the same shelf as my thirteen inch DC Direct Green Lantern and Joker figures. And, you know something? She holds her own.
The head is nearly perfect. The paint application is both well designed and executed. In particular, I love the layered effect on the lips, which mirror her cape and shield beautifully. The hair, consisting of a couple different colors, is absolutely gorgeous, though up close the cut on her bangs is slightly uneven.
There are a few imperfections in the figure itself. The worst of these are in the hands, which look relatively cheap up close. The wrist joint is also a bit ugly, though it's usually covered by her sleeve. The legs have very faint molding lines in the front, though they're difficult to see from most angles.
The costume has a few weak points, but overall it's awesome. Aside from the stitching on the sleeves, which could have been a little cleaner, the top piece is nearly perfect. Her shield looks beautiful, and the tailoring is excellent. The back of both that and her skirt is less impressive, but that's covered by her cape, anyway.
The skirt is good, though the belt is fraying a bit on the top. The stitching on the boots is a little uneven, but that's a minor complaint: they look excellent. Finally, the cape is very impressive. It's not quite the traditional look for the character, but it works here.
The issues mentioned above are all minor: together, they only drop her to a nine. If I was scoring this as a high end figure, I'd need to be a bit tougher.
What I didn't need help identifying is that this is a nice looking collectible. Supergirl was picked up to go with on the same shelf as my thirteen inch DC Direct Green Lantern and Joker figures. And, you know something? She holds her own.
The head is nearly perfect. The paint application is both well designed and executed. In particular, I love the layered effect on the lips, which mirror her cape and shield beautifully. The hair, consisting of a couple different colors, is absolutely gorgeous, though up close the cut on her bangs is slightly uneven.
There are a few imperfections in the figure itself. The worst of these are in the hands, which look relatively cheap up close. The wrist joint is also a bit ugly, though it's usually covered by her sleeve. The legs have very faint molding lines in the front, though they're difficult to see from most angles.
The costume has a few weak points, but overall it's awesome. Aside from the stitching on the sleeves, which could have been a little cleaner, the top piece is nearly perfect. Her shield looks beautiful, and the tailoring is excellent. The back of both that and her skirt is less impressive, but that's covered by her cape, anyway.
The skirt is good, though the belt is fraying a bit on the top. The stitching on the boots is a little uneven, but that's a minor complaint: they look excellent. Finally, the cape is very impressive. It's not quite the traditional look for the character, but it works here.
The issues mentioned above are all minor: together, they only drop her to a nine. If I was scoring this as a high end figure, I'd need to be a bit tougher.
Packaging and Extras: -2
The packaging is actually quite impressive, including a layered, cardboard city backdrop. Like the DC Universe Classics figures, the back of the package includes an accurate - and surprisingly updated - character bio:
If the costume left any doubt, the back of the package verifies that this is the modern version of Supergirl, as opposed to the one who died during Crisis on Infinite Earths.
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Besides her outfit and packaging, Supergirl comes with two accessories: her base and her certificate of authenticity. The certificate verifies that she is, in fact, authentic and was, moreover, created through the efforts of artists and designers working for Mattel.
Yeah. Ah. Thanks. The straddle stand she comes with isn't really the best base for Supergirl. Apparently, the "designers and artists" didn't consider the added height of her boots, which means it doesn't work in all poses. In addition, for a fairly upscale doll, I'm a little disappointed the base is this generic. I've gotten unlabeled Barbies with specialized bases: I'm not sure why they didn't at least stick her shield on the top. But that's not the reason I'm hitting Barbie with a two point deduction. The rationale behind that is the lack of any real accessories. |
I accepted this as a Barbie under appearance, but now I have to consider the original price tag. Regardless of the deal I got, this was supposed to be a forty-five dollar figure. In comparison, that's the same price the Speed Racer Gift Set went for. And BOTH of those figures came with accessories!
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Before someone points it out, I know that the Speed Racer set was Pink Label while Supergirl is Silver. But all Silver Label means is that Mattel isn't making more than fifty thousand of these: that's still quite a few. At forty-five bucks, there should have been a lot more here. First and foremost, why not make a Streaky? Okay, I appreciate including Super-Cat with the modern Supergirl is a bit anachronistic, but who cares? Streaky rocks, and that would have greatly enhanced the value of this pack. Alternatively, Supergirl has had MANY different costumes over the years. Why not include an alternate super-suit? Or maybe some Kyptonite: a conventional option, but still a worthwhile one. Of course, the punchline to all of this is that I'm really, really happy Mattel DIDN'T do any of that. I honestly believe that, if they had, these would have sold out closer to their original price, and I wouldn't have gotten one clearanced. The lesson here is that people like getting their money's worth. Out of respect for everyone who paid retail price for this doll, I'm deducting two points from her score. |
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Play and Display: ----
Supergirl actually has some impressive articulation for a Barbie, but nowhere near what you'd expect from other toys.
The highpoint here is in the arms. You basically get three ball-joints in each arm: on the shoulder, elbow, and wrist. Really, it's a little more complicated than that: the wrist and elbows are really double-pin joints... but those are basically a type of ball joint. Or at least they work the same way.
Moving on, the head is attached via ball joint, giving you a far wider range of motion that you'd get from most action figures: for instance, she can actually look up.
The hips are ball jointed... after a fashion. If you're not familiar with these, they're a little hard to describe. They give you a good range of motion forward and backward and just a little side to side. They'll let you choose a wide or narrow stance and even cross her legs, but don't expect her to do any splits.
The knees are also intrinsically "Barbie" in nature. They snap in place, giving you four separate options for posing (though one is bending the wrong way). None of these are more than a forty-five degree angle, but it doesn't hurt the sculpt and it's better than nothing.
That's basically it for articulation, though the nature of dolls provide some additional display options. First of all, the rooted hair can of course be arranged however you'd like. In addition, the costume pieces are - obviously - interchangeable with other Barbies.
I wouldn't trust her to stay upright indefinitely, but Supergirl's balance is good enough that she was able to stand for the photos. My wife assures me this is highly unusual for Barbies; that most can't stand at all. In addition, the base, while being a tad short, still gives you the option of some flying poses.
Even though she's got unusually good articulation and balance for a Barbie, it's still unusually bad when compared to similarly sized action figures. I'm calling this category a draw.
The highpoint here is in the arms. You basically get three ball-joints in each arm: on the shoulder, elbow, and wrist. Really, it's a little more complicated than that: the wrist and elbows are really double-pin joints... but those are basically a type of ball joint. Or at least they work the same way.
Moving on, the head is attached via ball joint, giving you a far wider range of motion that you'd get from most action figures: for instance, she can actually look up.
The hips are ball jointed... after a fashion. If you're not familiar with these, they're a little hard to describe. They give you a good range of motion forward and backward and just a little side to side. They'll let you choose a wide or narrow stance and even cross her legs, but don't expect her to do any splits.
The knees are also intrinsically "Barbie" in nature. They snap in place, giving you four separate options for posing (though one is bending the wrong way). None of these are more than a forty-five degree angle, but it doesn't hurt the sculpt and it's better than nothing.
That's basically it for articulation, though the nature of dolls provide some additional display options. First of all, the rooted hair can of course be arranged however you'd like. In addition, the costume pieces are - obviously - interchangeable with other Barbies.
I wouldn't trust her to stay upright indefinitely, but Supergirl's balance is good enough that she was able to stand for the photos. My wife assures me this is highly unusual for Barbies; that most can't stand at all. In addition, the base, while being a tad short, still gives you the option of some flying poses.
Even though she's got unusually good articulation and balance for a Barbie, it's still unusually bad when compared to similarly sized action figures. I'm calling this category a draw.
Price Tag and Final Analysis: 7/10
This is an exceptional figure, but she's just not worth forty-five dollars. Really, walk into a Toys R Us and take a look at some of the other Barbies at that price point: they tend to have far more elaborate costumes and really nice accessories. On the other hand, as a display figure, this is far nicer than those 2-up DC Superheroes Mattel is selling. Those tend to start around thirty, and some - like the new twelve inch Joker from the Dark Knight - is actually going for as much as forty-five dollars. While I can't recommend Barbie at full price, I think she's a better deal than that Joker.
Still, Mattel overshot here, and a lot of these ended up going for half their original price or less.
And frankly, that's a hell of a deal. This is a toy with a great deal of cross-market appeal: anyone who collects DC Comics action figures owes it to themselves to check this toy out. Forty-five dollars is ridiculous, but twenty-five or even thirty isn't unreasonable. If you can snag one for twenty or less, like we did, you're really getting a deal.
I know it's tough walking into that sea of pink, guys, but sometimes - just sometimes - it's worth it.
Still, Mattel overshot here, and a lot of these ended up going for half their original price or less.
And frankly, that's a hell of a deal. This is a toy with a great deal of cross-market appeal: anyone who collects DC Comics action figures owes it to themselves to check this toy out. Forty-five dollars is ridiculous, but twenty-five or even thirty isn't unreasonable. If you can snag one for twenty or less, like we did, you're really getting a deal.
I know it's tough walking into that sea of pink, guys, but sometimes - just sometimes - it's worth it.
Cultural anthropologists: Don't forget to head over to my blog to further investigate this strange and confusing geek phenomenon.
