Review: DC Direct 13" Green Lantern Corps
Recently, I've been finding myself in FAO Schwartz more and more often. A few years ago I hardly ever stopped by: overall, it's a tad more expensive than the places I usually shop.
But when they put things on clearance, they don't kid around. Apparently, they're getting rid of their action figure section, and that means cleaning out their stock.
While I'm sad to see the section go, I was pleasantly surprised to find several of DC Direct's thirteen inch figures included in their sale. While this isn't a scale I generally collect, there are some bargains I just can't pass up.
The first figure I grabbed is Green Lantern Corps, the subject of today's review. This style of figure is something of a first for The Clearance Bin, so we're going to have to play this one by ear. I want to stress that I'm going to be holding these figures to a MUCH higher standard than I've used previously: these are, after all, far more expensive (or at least they were supposed to be). I'm going to base my decision on similar figures I've seen in this scale, as well as my expectations for high end collectibles.
It's a little liberating, actually, to review a figure without having to think about whether I'm being fair relative to earlier reviews. As the first figure in this scale, everything really is subjective: when I say this is a seven out of ten for appearance, I'm really defining it as such. Ah, the power.
But then I'm getting ahead of myself. If you aren't lucky enough to grab this at FAO Schwartz or another store trying to unload them for a fraction of their retail price, you can also find these at comics and collectibles stores or look online.
But when they put things on clearance, they don't kid around. Apparently, they're getting rid of their action figure section, and that means cleaning out their stock.
While I'm sad to see the section go, I was pleasantly surprised to find several of DC Direct's thirteen inch figures included in their sale. While this isn't a scale I generally collect, there are some bargains I just can't pass up.
The first figure I grabbed is Green Lantern Corps, the subject of today's review. This style of figure is something of a first for The Clearance Bin, so we're going to have to play this one by ear. I want to stress that I'm going to be holding these figures to a MUCH higher standard than I've used previously: these are, after all, far more expensive (or at least they were supposed to be). I'm going to base my decision on similar figures I've seen in this scale, as well as my expectations for high end collectibles.
It's a little liberating, actually, to review a figure without having to think about whether I'm being fair relative to earlier reviews. As the first figure in this scale, everything really is subjective: when I say this is a seven out of ten for appearance, I'm really defining it as such. Ah, the power.
But then I'm getting ahead of myself. If you aren't lucky enough to grab this at FAO Schwartz or another store trying to unload them for a fraction of their retail price, you can also find these at comics and collectibles stores or look online.
Appearance: 7/10
Like I said before, I'm not so much comparing this to anything to arrive at this score as I am deciding this is going to be a seven.
Complicating this is the nature of the figure. Rather than provide one or two head sculpts, DC Direct has provided four. The packaging, while favoring Hal Jordan in the photos, makes it clear that this is a GL Corps figure.
But, in keeping with the overall format of reviews here, I've decided to only consider Jordan's head here (we'll consider the others below when we look at accessories).
Hal Jordan looks good here, though, honestly, he might be a little TOO detailed for my tastes. While I appreciate they were trying to sculpt a face displaying intensity and focus, I think they overdid it a bit. In addition, his paint gets sloppy at the hairline behind one ear. It's not a huge issue, but it's a rare blemish on what's otherwise a near perfect paint application. The only other issue I can find on the head is with the eyes, which are good - really good, in fact - but not quite perfect.
The underlying body works phenomenally well here, with muscles that look realistic beneath the tight outfit. There's a price for this, though, and that's with the outfit itself.
Complicating this is the nature of the figure. Rather than provide one or two head sculpts, DC Direct has provided four. The packaging, while favoring Hal Jordan in the photos, makes it clear that this is a GL Corps figure.
But, in keeping with the overall format of reviews here, I've decided to only consider Jordan's head here (we'll consider the others below when we look at accessories).
Hal Jordan looks good here, though, honestly, he might be a little TOO detailed for my tastes. While I appreciate they were trying to sculpt a face displaying intensity and focus, I think they overdid it a bit. In addition, his paint gets sloppy at the hairline behind one ear. It's not a huge issue, but it's a rare blemish on what's otherwise a near perfect paint application. The only other issue I can find on the head is with the eyes, which are good - really good, in fact - but not quite perfect.
The underlying body works phenomenally well here, with muscles that look realistic beneath the tight outfit. There's a price for this, though, and that's with the outfit itself.
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I don't mean to imply that it looks bad: in fact, it looks quite good. But it doesn't look realistic. The largest problem is the fabric. While I'm thrilled it sits right on the body, it has a shiny, spandex quality that hurts the illusion. I know that superheroes are sometimes described as flying around in spandex, but that's supposed to be a joke. When you've got a toy this nice, you don't necessarily want it to look like a toy. The fabric doesn't help.
Nor do the large zippers dangling on the back. But, then again, both of these are more trade-offs than they are problems. If I had to choose between having the clothes fit or having them a more realistic color, my objection would evaporate. If I had to choose between having the costume be removable... well, honestly, I'd happily have dropped the zippers. But that's me. The armbands also need to be addressed. While they're not awful, they're probably the least impressive part of the ensemble. These should look more like gauntlets than padded cushions, and they're a little disappointing. In addition to these issues, I have a little more nitpicking to do. The chest symbol is somewhat underwhelming: while the shape is right, it really should be more vibrant and noticeable. Likewise, the costume looks a little silly near the hips, though I doubt there's a good solution to this. Finally, the paint on the ring is somewhat dull and sloppy. |
While I like the overall look, there's enough to give me pause. Make no mistake, if I had a six inch figure that looked like this, they'd be getting a nine or ten. But in this league, I'm calling it a seven.
Packaging and Extras: +2
The packaging is nice, with cool pictures, an opening flap (so you can inspect before buying), and decent descriptions.
I didn't have much trouble pulling the toy loose, and I expect collectors who are so inclined will be able to reinsert him with little difficulty. This is a nice, perfectly collectible box.
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Of course, as far as I'm concerned, a high-end box is high-end trash. I barely have room for the toys; I can't store packaging.
Now then. lets discuss the accessories. In this scale and retail price, I expect a lot. Giving me a stand may garner some goodwill in the six inch scale, but here it's required. In addition, I want to see something exceptional, be it an alternate head sculpt or awesome accessory. And that's just to break even. So, the way I see it, getting a bonus point shouldn't be easy. Want to know why Green Lantern gets two? |
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I don't know where to start. DC Direct took a character who really doesn't demand a lot, and they piled on extras. Lacking a better place, lets begin with the stand.
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While I'm less than thrilled with the simple design and lack of paint (come on: why not give us the lantern symbol?) it does its job and holds the figure up. In fact, it does that job really well, but that's something we'll want to discuss below.
Rather than sculpt the mask on, DC Direct made it an extra. By all rights, this really shouldn't have worked: after all, it doesn't have any straps. But it snaps right onto Hal's furrowed brow, and it doesn't seem to fall off much. I assume it would have been easier to leave this out, and I'm impressed they found a way to make it work. Really, it looks as good as if they'd sculpted it as part of the face. |
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Moving on, the figures comes with something I understand are a staple of this series: a pair of alternate "bendable" hands. For all the horror stories I've read, I was actually impressed when I pulled these out. They're a perfect size, they look surprisingly good, and the fingers bend nicely. I was pleasantly surprised... until I tried putting them on. Remember those armband/gauntlets I mentioned before? Good luck getting the spare hands on over them. Even when you do, don't expect them to stay in place long. If gravity doesn't pull them down on its own, they are incapable of holding any weight. And, given the next accessory, that's a real shame. |
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Other than a stand and mask, the only thing I really demand in a Green Lantern figure is, well, a green lantern. And DC Direct delivered. The lantern looks good and, more importantly, it lights up. And I don't mean "lights up" in the sense of a "faint glow." No, this sucker is blinding. You'll see it in brightest day, blackest night, or anything in between. On or off, the lantern looks great. Actually, off it looks great, and on it looks fantastic. This is an excellent accessory.
At this point, incidentally, the figure has broken even. I'm not entirely sure what compelled DC Direct to include a whopping three additional head sculpts with this figure, but I certainly think it's cool they did. |
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That's right, in addition to the "Hal Jordan" head, you get Abin Sur, Tomar Re, and NautKeLoi. Of these, I suspect Abin Sur is the most recognisable. Abin is the red-skinned Green Lantern who originally handed the ring over to Jordan. The head itself is nearly perfect: the eyes could be painted a little better, but that's really stretching. Tomar Re is the guy who looks like some sort of bird. Of the four heads, this is probably my least favorite, which is a shame, because I like the original character design. Here, I think they tried a little too hard to make him look tough and not quite hard enough to make him look interesting. His beak is particularly disappointing: I wish they had chosen a better pose, maybe open a little wider. |
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Finally, there's NautKeLoi, a character I know absolutely nothing about. Apparently, he's from a water world, since he's got a fish head on top of his shoulders. Both the sculpt, design, and paint work here are topnotch: this guy's awesome. What's more, NautKeLoi's head comes with an extra accessory. And it's a good one. To keep him from suffocating (or having to waste the charge on his power ring), he's got a large fishbowl that mounts on his shoulders. It looks great (if a bit hilarious), and it snaps together easily. As if that weren't enough, DC Direct included some neck covers matching the skin color on the aliens' heads. These aren't much, and they're really not all that necessary (the uniform covers all but a small patch on the back of the neck, anyway. Still, it's a nice touch. As much as I love the alternate heads, I do need to mention a few issues. First, the scale feels a little off here. While they're the same size as Jordan's, they look a little silly on his body. Maybe I'm just conditioned to assume that aliens have tiny bodies and huge heads, but these don't look right to me. The one exception is NautKeLoi, who looks perfect... provided you're using that helmet. |
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In addition, while I love these, I expect they're destined to be the nicest additions in my spare parts drawer. Let's be realistic: the vast majority of collectors buying this are going to display Hal, not Tomar Re.
Sure, you COULD buy four and display all versions, but even on clearance I can't afford four of these figures. Even if I could, that would just compound the problem: instead of three extra heads, I'd wind up with twelve! Eventually, I might try to find some other bodies and incorporate them in some sort of custom project. After all, I still think these would look better on a smaller figure (say, twelve or even ten inch). Honestly, sticking with the human Green Lanterns would have been a little more logical. If they'd have given us John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, and Guy Gardner, I suspect they'd have seen more use. But those extra heads definitely up the value of the figure, at least objectively. Plus, while I'm not planning on displaying them on GL's body, they're fun to play with. |
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Play and Display: ----
Green Lantern came a hair's breath away from a bonus point here, but I decided this section should also have a high bar.
As it is, he almost clears it.
The most impressive area on Green Lantern, at least in terms of articulation, is the chest and abdomen. There are two cut joints in the stomach as well as a chest joint similar to those on the smaller DC Universe Classics (though it works better, of course). These allow you to fine tune the character's pose while still looking natural.
The arms and legs are joined to the body with ball joints, and they've got all the joint's you'd expect. I should add that some of the cut joints are visible in certain positions under the outfit, but they're neither overly conspicuous nor is it hard to find poses that conceal them.
In addition, I've also had some issues with one of the ankles. While the right tilts on a pin, the left is locked in place. I'm assuming it's just stuck, but I'm certainly not about to force it and risk it breaking. Ultimately, it doesn't severely impact the character's articulation, but it is a notable problem.
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The head is attached to a ball joint, which provides a decent range of motion, but nothing exceptional. You're not going to be able to have him looking straight up, for example, but he can look around. This is one of the few areas, however, where the joint becomes visible in some poses. The bendy hands give you some interesting poses, too. Just be aware that they only bend forward and back, not side to side. In other words, Hal Jordan can't do the Vulcan "live long and prosper" salute. Believe me: I tried. On the other hand, if they ever make a Sinestro, Hal can flip him off. |
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What the bendable hands can't do is support any weight. In fact, I couldn't get them to even support their own weight: they kept falling off. So while you can bend the fingers into a pose where they could hold the lantern, the hand's liable to fall off the second you let go.
I had better luck holding up the lantern with the "fist" hands. In fact, from the right angle, this looks pretty good. Even so, I'd hesitate to display him this way: I just don't trust the pegs holding the hands in place. The fists stay on far better, but there's no way I'm taking chances with the light-up lantern: it's just too cool. I also want to say a few words about the stand. While it's nothing exceptional in terms of appearance, it clips on and holds the figure steady. It's sturdy enough to hold both feet off the ground, so you can display him flying if you're so inclined. The helmet also adds some added display value, but really only if you're displaying NautKeLoi... which I doubt anyone is. A pity, though: he looks absolutely fantastic with it. I'm not going to hand over any bonus points here, but I'm very happy with the amount of articulation the figure has. |
Price Tag and Final Analysis: 9/10
For a figure competing with Hot Toys and Sideshow, I think a 9 is a pretty impressive score. I should add, though, that it's really his accessories that elevate him. If you don't have any interest in those extra heads, you'll want to think of this guy as a seven.
At full price, I have a hard time recommending him, unless this is a favorite character or style. The collectibles being made at a modestly higher price point look strikingly better. Sure, Green Lantern is cool, but are two of these really better than one Hot Toys figure?
Anyway, I paid about thirty bucks for Green Lantern. That's what I call a bargain.
Really, if you can find him for fifty or even sixty dollars, he's still a good deal; even seventy wouldn't be outrageous. But this guy generally goes for closer to ninety, and I've seen him selling for even more than that. This is an awesome toy and a cool collectible, but that seems a bit much to me.
The head sculpts add a lot of value to the figure, but only if you're planning to use them. Sure you can go out and buy a body and do some sort of custom project... but then you've got to consider the cost of the materials and work. Of course, if you've already got some suitable bodies lying around....
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