Review: DC Universe Classics Green Arrow
Green Arrow is an odd character to try and explain to those who aren't comics fans. He's basically Batman, only, instead of using dozens of gadgets and gizmos, he's got a good old-fashioned bow and arrows. Oh, some of those arrows have boxing gloves for knocking out bad guys.
It shouldn't come as much a surprise to anyone looking at his picture that Oliver Queen's alter-ego is based, in no small part, on Robin Hood (incidentally, so is Batman's sidekick, but that doesn't come up much anymore).
Green Arrow has gone through a lot of changes over the years, usually exploring different aspects of Robin Hood. Some writers have tried to turn him into a dark hunter; others have gone with a zanier "Errol Flynn" style character. He's had an on and off relationship with Black Canary for decades now. The two finally got hitched a couple of years back and, as far as I know, they're still together.
The current wave of DC Universe Classics contains both Green Arrow and Black Canary if you can find them. Apparently, there were some production and distribution issues, though: these are difficult to come by. A lot of small retailers are marking them up quite a bit, too. I've seen Arrow going for $45 online.
If you don't want to get fleeced, try the big retailers and be patient: these will PROBABLY show up eventually.
It shouldn't come as much a surprise to anyone looking at his picture that Oliver Queen's alter-ego is based, in no small part, on Robin Hood (incidentally, so is Batman's sidekick, but that doesn't come up much anymore).
Green Arrow has gone through a lot of changes over the years, usually exploring different aspects of Robin Hood. Some writers have tried to turn him into a dark hunter; others have gone with a zanier "Errol Flynn" style character. He's had an on and off relationship with Black Canary for decades now. The two finally got hitched a couple of years back and, as far as I know, they're still together.
The current wave of DC Universe Classics contains both Green Arrow and Black Canary if you can find them. Apparently, there were some production and distribution issues, though: these are difficult to come by. A lot of small retailers are marking them up quite a bit, too. I've seen Arrow going for $45 online.
If you don't want to get fleeced, try the big retailers and be patient: these will PROBABLY show up eventually.
Appearance and Construction: 8/10
It's funny: I really wasn't all that impressed with the Battling Bowman when I saw him in his package. Something about his pose or the plastic around him just threw him off. But, as soon as I got him out, my feelings changed.
I'm sure there are collectors out there claiming this is the best figure of the entire line, and I can certainly see where they're coming from. Green Arrow is a fantastic toy with very few issues.
The sculpt work on the face is awesome, capturing his likeness excellently. On top of that, almost any element on the costume that could be sculpted is: the arm bands, the lacing on the vest, and the boots are all sculpted on.
The paint is little more complicated. First of all, let me start by pointing out something that's not ambiguous at all: the skin tones are fantastic. Not only is this painted on, it's done with a couple of different colors, giving his cheeks and arms a flush, realistic look. The beard and mustache are also clean and well done. The area I'm less impressed with is the outfit.
Other than sloppy paint on his right arm bands, there's not a lot of specific problems I need to address. Rather, there's the overall effect and choice of color.
I'm sure there are collectors out there claiming this is the best figure of the entire line, and I can certainly see where they're coming from. Green Arrow is a fantastic toy with very few issues.
The sculpt work on the face is awesome, capturing his likeness excellently. On top of that, almost any element on the costume that could be sculpted is: the arm bands, the lacing on the vest, and the boots are all sculpted on.
The paint is little more complicated. First of all, let me start by pointing out something that's not ambiguous at all: the skin tones are fantastic. Not only is this painted on, it's done with a couple of different colors, giving his cheeks and arms a flush, realistic look. The beard and mustache are also clean and well done. The area I'm less impressed with is the outfit.
Other than sloppy paint on his right arm bands, there's not a lot of specific problems I need to address. Rather, there's the overall effect and choice of color.
 |
The light green is just a little too vibrant for my tastes: it's almost fluorescent. Granted, there's precedent from the comics, but when you're making a figure that's not based on a single artist or era, you're free to pick which elements to include. And, frankly, they could have chosen a bit better.
I'm also a little disappointed in the hat, the quiver, the belt, and the sash. There actually is some paint on the back of the quiver, but other than that, these are dull and uninteresting. At the very least, the feather in his hat should be white and the belt buckle should be different than the belt: that's just common sense. If they'd fixed those two issues, this would have pulled a nine, even if they didn't improve the arrows sticking out of the quiver. Even so, these are all minor complaints on an amazing figure. I might complain about things like the sash, but that doesn't mean I'm not grateful it was included. There are no construction issues I can find other than some minor scratches around the wrist and arm joints and some green plastic being visible on the shoulder joints. Not only is this a high eight, but it's a high eight on a highly complicated design. It's relatively easy to make a simple toy look good, but something like this takes a lot of work and thought. |
Packaging and Extras: +1
As usual, we'll start with the packaging. Unless you're new to this hobby, you're likely used to these packages by now:
As usual, the biography and statistics all seem to be in order. You also get to take a look at pictures of the other figures in this line, along with the Collect & Connect Chemo, a piece of which comes with every figure... except this one.
|
Instead, you get a figure stand, a recent policy which lets Mattel increase the size of each wave at virtually no further expense. You won't see me complain, though: I don't really need a Chemo. In addition to the stand, you get a bow with an arrow glued on and four additional arrows. The attached arrow is an explosive arrow; you get a second one of those, a bola arrow, a boxing glove arrow, and, last but not least, a normal arrow. This is one stupid mistake away from a plus 2. |
 |
Not only is an arrow glued to the bow, it's glued in two places: on the string and again on the bow. First of all, as we'll discuss again below, there's no reason for this to be glued on at all: it adds nothing while reducing your display options.
 |
But, if you are going to glue an arrow in place, it should be attached to either the bow or string. Otherwise, the string can't be drawn back. It's particularly upsetting, because they actually did a decent job with the bow: the handle is a different color than the rest, which gives it some contrast. That said, the green string looks ridiculous. The arrows are, without exception, awesome. They're surprisingly detailed and well made: just be careful you don't lose them. I wish there was a way to store the arrows in his sheath, but, honestly, if there were, I'd probably just be complaining that it looked bad. The display stand is actually useful here: while Green Arrow certainly doesn't need it to stand, it opens up some great poses (more on that in a moment). Honestly, I can't think of anything they should have included that's absent. |
I've already said this would have been at least a two-point bonus if they hadn't glued on that arrow. If they'd also have done something about the green string - even if they'd just painted it black - I'd have gone to three.
Play and Display: +2
As a rule, DC Universe Classics have fantastic articulation. I bring this up because this figure is easily the best of the bunch, at least from what I've seen.
First of all, you've got all the normal articulation: ball joints on the head and shoulders (though the head really functions like a cut joint here), pins on the elbows, stomach, knees, and feet, cuts on the upper legs, waist, biceps, and wrists, and the Mattel hips, which are basically an ingenious hybrid of a pin and ball joint.
In addition, Mattel has wisely upgraded the wrist to a double-pin joint (effectively a ball joint). It doesn't give you a huge range of back and forth motion, but it gives you enough. In addition to the poses shown here, this is essential for working a bow.
Both of his hands are capable of holding arrows: his right even has a split between his index and middle fingers, so you can pinch it around the fletching of an arrow. He can sort of hold an arrow like this along with a bow string, but it's a tight fit.
And that, I'm afraid, brings us back to the only major problem we have to contend with: he might work with a bow, but his bow isn't going to work with him. Of course, there are options: some slight surgery, and you can whip up a working bow in no time. Or, if you've been collecting for a while, you probably have a six inch-scale bow you can give him (I've got some pictures at the bottom of him with one I pulled out of a bin of weapons - I have no clue what it originally came with).
First of all, you've got all the normal articulation: ball joints on the head and shoulders (though the head really functions like a cut joint here), pins on the elbows, stomach, knees, and feet, cuts on the upper legs, waist, biceps, and wrists, and the Mattel hips, which are basically an ingenious hybrid of a pin and ball joint.
In addition, Mattel has wisely upgraded the wrist to a double-pin joint (effectively a ball joint). It doesn't give you a huge range of back and forth motion, but it gives you enough. In addition to the poses shown here, this is essential for working a bow.
Both of his hands are capable of holding arrows: his right even has a split between his index and middle fingers, so you can pinch it around the fletching of an arrow. He can sort of hold an arrow like this along with a bow string, but it's a tight fit.
And that, I'm afraid, brings us back to the only major problem we have to contend with: he might work with a bow, but his bow isn't going to work with him. Of course, there are options: some slight surgery, and you can whip up a working bow in no time. Or, if you've been collecting for a while, you probably have a six inch-scale bow you can give him (I've got some pictures at the bottom of him with one I pulled out of a bin of weapons - I have no clue what it originally came with).
 |
If you do either of these things, you can basically upgrade this to the equivalent of a figure with a +2 or +3 in extras and another +3 in play. But I can't reward Mattel for your work or accessories: Green Arrow's bow should have been better.
There are a few other areas I can fault, but they're all minor. First up, the elbows on DC Universe Classics figures never bend as far as I think they should, but it's usually not worth mentioning. This time, I'm afraid, it is: your options for holding the bow are constricted a bit. A little more irksome are the hip joints: these are loose on my figure, which makes some poses difficult (yes, I know how that sounds so close to that kick, but you have no idea how long that took to set up). Other than that, the rest of the joints are great, and his balance is incredible. The included display stand (or any other you've got lying around) increases the number of display options at your disposal even further. If every one of Mattel's figures was this well articulated, I'd be even poorer than I already am. |
Price Tag and Final Analysis: 10+/10
Ten-plus is the highest score I've ever given, and I've awarded it to several figures. It is not, however, the highest score I'm capable of giving. If they'd have added those little paint details to the belt and feather, that would have pushed his initial score to a nine. Then, if they'd have fixed the bow, that could have pushed the other categories as high as three each.
Even if there'd have been a few lingering issues keeping on of the bonuses at +2, that would still be sufficient for a 10++. I am eagerly awaiting the toy good enough for that honor. I have a few figures like that in my collection - the series 1 Jack and Sally from NECA's Nightmare Before Christmas, for example. This came close, but it was just shy.
It's still an amazing toy. If you can find one for a decent price, I highly recommend grabbing him. What constitutes a decent price? Obviously, if you can find him for ten to twelve, you've received a gift from the gods. I'd say he's easily worth fourteen or fifteen, even, if he's a character you like. I paid a tad more for mine: a comic store in Midtown had him for seventeen. The only other store I've seen him in was asking twenty.
Here's my confession: if the store where I bought him had been out, I was going to go buy him for twenty. And, you know something? I still wouldn't have felt like I got ripped off.
Even if there'd have been a few lingering issues keeping on of the bonuses at +2, that would still be sufficient for a 10++. I am eagerly awaiting the toy good enough for that honor. I have a few figures like that in my collection - the series 1 Jack and Sally from NECA's Nightmare Before Christmas, for example. This came close, but it was just shy.
It's still an amazing toy. If you can find one for a decent price, I highly recommend grabbing him. What constitutes a decent price? Obviously, if you can find him for ten to twelve, you've received a gift from the gods. I'd say he's easily worth fourteen or fifteen, even, if he's a character you like. I paid a tad more for mine: a comic store in Midtown had him for seventeen. The only other store I've seen him in was asking twenty.
Here's my confession: if the store where I bought him had been out, I was going to go buy him for twenty. And, you know something? I still wouldn't have felt like I got ripped off.
Imagine a blog that has everything - absolutely everything you've ever dreamed of, updated regularly with insightful, brilliant posts that are always offbeat and interesting.
Want to know a secret? Nothing like that exists. Sorry: you'll have to make do with things like this. To make up for shattering your hopes and dreams, here are a few more pictures. Yeah, that seems fair....
Want to know a secret? Nothing like that exists. Sorry: you'll have to make do with things like this. To make up for shattering your hopes and dreams, here are a few more pictures. Yeah, that seems fair....
