Review: DC Universe Classics Beast Boy
Beast Boy is one of those characters you either love or hate. Actually, he's really one of those characters you either love, hate, or know nothing about. And if you hate him, it's probably because you don't know enough about him.
Seriously, read the first few books in Geoff Johns's Teen Titans run and tell me Beast Boy isn't awesome.
While best known for being a member of the Teen Titans, Beast Boy actually got his start with Doom Patrol. I'm not really an expert on Doom Patrol, but I understand them to be a team of monstrous superheroes who protect a world that fears them and slightly predate the X-Men. Of course, their leader's a old man in a wheelchair.
These days, Beast Boy is probably better known for his portrayal on the Teen Titans animated series, where he was unfortunately relegated to comic relief most of the time. When they let him act like an adult (or at least a mature teenager), it led to the best stories of the series (those would be seasons 2 and 5, incidentally).
The toy I'm looking at is based on his comic portrayal and is part of Mattel's DC Universe Classics line. He's in Wave 10, which is actually a Walmart exclusive.
Seriously, read the first few books in Geoff Johns's Teen Titans run and tell me Beast Boy isn't awesome.
While best known for being a member of the Teen Titans, Beast Boy actually got his start with Doom Patrol. I'm not really an expert on Doom Patrol, but I understand them to be a team of monstrous superheroes who protect a world that fears them and slightly predate the X-Men. Of course, their leader's a old man in a wheelchair.
These days, Beast Boy is probably better known for his portrayal on the Teen Titans animated series, where he was unfortunately relegated to comic relief most of the time. When they let him act like an adult (or at least a mature teenager), it led to the best stories of the series (those would be seasons 2 and 5, incidentally).
The toy I'm looking at is based on his comic portrayal and is part of Mattel's DC Universe Classics line. He's in Wave 10, which is actually a Walmart exclusive.
Appearance and Construction: 9/10
You know, this is a fantastic figure. Sure, he's not very big, but then again he probably shouldn't be. There's not a huge amount of detail here, either, but I don't think he needs it.
The head and arms are great, featuring some nice, subtle work on the expression. I also like that there's some sculpted green fur on the arms.
The outfit is fairly simple but effective. The paint lines are clean here, and the belt looks good. Also, while the plastic feels a little light, it looks a lot nicer than what was used on earlier lines.
Beast Boy is really on the edge between an eight and a nine. Maybe I'm being a bit generous, but I'm going to round up this time.
Packaging and Extras: ----
To be perfectly honest, I'm getting a little tired of the plain, orange packaging. Fortunately for Mattel, I'm not remotely tired of the toys inside.
Guess what's on the back! If you said, "A concise and well-written blurb about the character," then you've been paying attention. Kudos.
 |
Beast Boy comes with a couple of extras. You get the standard chunk for your build a figure (one of Imperiex's arms, this time around), and you also get... an extra Beast Boy. Actually, that sounds a bit better than it actually is, though I still really like what this comes with. The extra, in this case, is Beast Boy transformed into the form of an eagle. This is actually a really nice figure with a great sculpt. The feathers, in particular, look fantastic. Its also articulated: the wings are hinged, and the claws rotate. This is a great accessory. If this had come with a figure in waves 1 - 9, I'd be handing over a bonus point. |
But this is wave 10. What's different about wave 10? The price point, I'm afraid. Mattel has more formally upgraded these to collectibles, and they've increased the price at the same time. From what I hear, these are going for fifteen dollars now.
At that price, they've pretty much erased the border between these and DC Direct figures. At fifteen bucks, I expect a toy this small to come with some good extras. Needless to say, I'll have some more to say about value in the conclusion.
At that price, they've pretty much erased the border between these and DC Direct figures. At fifteen bucks, I expect a toy this small to come with some good extras. Needless to say, I'll have some more to say about value in the conclusion.
Play and Display: +1
What needs to be said? Several years ago, Mattel found an astounding balance between articulation and design, and they've been running with it ever since.
Ball jointed head (in theory at least), ball jointed shoulders, hips that might as well be ball jointed (though they're a bit more complex), pin jointed ankles, knees, and elbows, a giant pin joint in the abs, and cut joints on the upper leg, biceps, wrists, and waist.
Like most of the smaller figures, Beast Boy's balance is fine. You can choose the pose you'll want and, provided he's in a secure location, he'll hold it. Some of the joints on mine feel a little loose, but they're not too bad.
The eagle, while certainly awesome, has more limited posing options. Fortunately, the feet turn, so you can set him up like I've got him on the right, perched on Beast Boy's arm.
Of course, this has some logic problems, since Beast Boy is really perched on his own arm. If you want to set up a couple of separate displays, I suppose you could pose him on Robin's arm or something.
At any rate, the bonus point is for the same articulation and balance we've come to love and expect from Mattel's six inch figures.
Ball jointed head (in theory at least), ball jointed shoulders, hips that might as well be ball jointed (though they're a bit more complex), pin jointed ankles, knees, and elbows, a giant pin joint in the abs, and cut joints on the upper leg, biceps, wrists, and waist.
Like most of the smaller figures, Beast Boy's balance is fine. You can choose the pose you'll want and, provided he's in a secure location, he'll hold it. Some of the joints on mine feel a little loose, but they're not too bad.
The eagle, while certainly awesome, has more limited posing options. Fortunately, the feet turn, so you can set him up like I've got him on the right, perched on Beast Boy's arm.
Of course, this has some logic problems, since Beast Boy is really perched on his own arm. If you want to set up a couple of separate displays, I suppose you could pose him on Robin's arm or something.
At any rate, the bonus point is for the same articulation and balance we've come to love and expect from Mattel's six inch figures.
Price Tag and Final Analysis: 10/10
This is a great figure, but is he really worth $15? It wasn't a choice I actually had to make: this was a Christmas present. Good thing, too, since he's an exclusive at a store I can't get to (no Walmarts here in NYC). That said, if I'd seen him in the store, I'd have been sorely tempted to drop the fifteen bucks.
After all, that's what I'm used to paying for these, anyway. Mattel, I suspect, isn't stupid. A couple of things are happening here. First, the quality on these figures, particularly around paint and materials, seems to be improving. Meanwhile, Mattel is pushing the retail price on these up to what the secondary market has been charging for a few years now (causing the secondary market, incidentally, to up their prices to twenty). Wave ten is exclusive to Walmart, but wave eleven will be everywhere.
Including Mattel's website. I've ordered my set, since it's easier and ultimately cheaper than tracking down elsewhere. I'll be interested to see if this makes DC Universe figures more accessible for casual collectors and kids at Toys R Us, since it's going to hurt the scalpers. And, as much as some of Mattel's practices irritate me, I'd rather support them than scalpers unloading these on Ebay.
I may be overly optimistic, but I think there's a real chance this could clean up the distribution issues that have haunted this line. Time will tell.
After all, that's what I'm used to paying for these, anyway. Mattel, I suspect, isn't stupid. A couple of things are happening here. First, the quality on these figures, particularly around paint and materials, seems to be improving. Meanwhile, Mattel is pushing the retail price on these up to what the secondary market has been charging for a few years now (causing the secondary market, incidentally, to up their prices to twenty). Wave ten is exclusive to Walmart, but wave eleven will be everywhere.
Including Mattel's website. I've ordered my set, since it's easier and ultimately cheaper than tracking down elsewhere. I'll be interested to see if this makes DC Universe figures more accessible for casual collectors and kids at Toys R Us, since it's going to hurt the scalpers. And, as much as some of Mattel's practices irritate me, I'd rather support them than scalpers unloading these on Ebay.
I may be overly optimistic, but I think there's a real chance this could clean up the distribution issues that have haunted this line. Time will tell.
It's that time again! Time for shameless self-promotion. Here's the link to my blog, THE UNDISPUTED GREATEST BLOG ON THE INTERNET*!!!! Also, I wrote a book or something.
* This is, in fact, in dispute. Probably because it's not true. But, hey, who wants to track down the best when you've got a link right here. See, you don't need to work at all....
