Review: DC Universe Classics John Stewart
In terms of balancing the Justice League of America, I'll take John Stewart over Hal Jordan any day of the week. While I like Jordan, he's a maverick, and the League's got plenty of those as it is. Stewart adds some military discipline, as well as some much needed diversity. Plus, he just looks cooler than Jordan.
In the interest of full disclosure, I was watching Justice League on Cartoon Network before I was reading many of the comics, so in my mind that's always going to be the iconic version of the team.
Mattel released Hal Jordan a little more than a year ago, and I reviewed him at the time. I liked the figure a lot - so much, in fact, that I awarded him "best action figure" back in the first 2008 Best of the Bin awards. Granted, that was out of a pool of something like two dozen toys, but that's beside the point.
Anyway, Mattel recently released Wave 11 of the DC Universe Classics line, and this one's heavily weighted towards the Lantern Corps: counting the build-a-figure, more than half represent the Corps or their enemies. For the second time, I broke down and picked up the whole wave (I really wanted that build-a-figure), so expect to see a lot of these reviews over the next month or so.
In the interest of full disclosure, I was watching Justice League on Cartoon Network before I was reading many of the comics, so in my mind that's always going to be the iconic version of the team.
Mattel released Hal Jordan a little more than a year ago, and I reviewed him at the time. I liked the figure a lot - so much, in fact, that I awarded him "best action figure" back in the first 2008 Best of the Bin awards. Granted, that was out of a pool of something like two dozen toys, but that's beside the point.
Anyway, Mattel recently released Wave 11 of the DC Universe Classics line, and this one's heavily weighted towards the Lantern Corps: counting the build-a-figure, more than half represent the Corps or their enemies. For the second time, I broke down and picked up the whole wave (I really wanted that build-a-figure), so expect to see a lot of these reviews over the next month or so.
Appearance and Construction: 9/10
I don't feel so bad getting fleeced by Mattel when they give me toys that look like this.
I'm actually going start with the negatives to get those out of the way. The largest issue I see here is the lantern symbol on John's chest. Sure, it's clean and well applied, but it's a little less bright than I'd like. Maybe if they'd sculpted the symbol or used the shimmering paint used on his gauntlets it would work better, but as is it's slightly dull. The paint line around his left shoulder is a bit messy. And, while we're talking about his shoulders, the undersides have the same green-ball joint that plagued Hal.
That's about it for the issues. Let's talk about what's good. Actually, let's bypass good and get right to what's great.
First of all, the head sculpt is absolutely fantastic, capturing a modern version of the character. Of course, I'm used to getting great sculpts on these figures. What I'm not as used to is getting paint work on the same caliber. Well, maybe not quite the same caliber, but close. Note that John's head and hands are painted in a realistic flesh tone. They could have thrown on some shading and detail work around the mouth, but it works fine as is.
I mentioned the gauntlets above, but want to come back to them here. The paint used there and on the ring has a slight metallic quality that creates the illusion of texture. I wish they'd used some on the lantern symbol as well, but that's nitpicking. Besides, I already covered that.
This is an excellent, well constructed figure. I've loved this line since the beginning, but it's only now starting to approach the level of the DC Superheroes line it's following.
I'm actually going start with the negatives to get those out of the way. The largest issue I see here is the lantern symbol on John's chest. Sure, it's clean and well applied, but it's a little less bright than I'd like. Maybe if they'd sculpted the symbol or used the shimmering paint used on his gauntlets it would work better, but as is it's slightly dull. The paint line around his left shoulder is a bit messy. And, while we're talking about his shoulders, the undersides have the same green-ball joint that plagued Hal.
That's about it for the issues. Let's talk about what's good. Actually, let's bypass good and get right to what's great.
First of all, the head sculpt is absolutely fantastic, capturing a modern version of the character. Of course, I'm used to getting great sculpts on these figures. What I'm not as used to is getting paint work on the same caliber. Well, maybe not quite the same caliber, but close. Note that John's head and hands are painted in a realistic flesh tone. They could have thrown on some shading and detail work around the mouth, but it works fine as is.
I mentioned the gauntlets above, but want to come back to them here. The paint used there and on the ring has a slight metallic quality that creates the illusion of texture. I wish they'd used some on the lantern symbol as well, but that's nitpicking. Besides, I already covered that.
This is an excellent, well constructed figure. I've loved this line since the beginning, but it's only now starting to approach the level of the DC Superheroes line it's following.
Packaging and Extras: +1
New price, new figures, but the same old packaging. I hear Wave 12 is different, for what it's worth:
I don't have much more to say on the subject: Mattel gives you the standard bio and stats demonstrating they're either serious comic fans or know how to use Wikipedia. Either way, it's more than I can say for some toy companies.
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Stewart comes with three extras: the left arm of Kilowog and a pair of translucent energy constructs.
The arm is a good enough arm, I suppose, but unless you're customizing, you really need to collect the whole set (well, actually you can skip Steppenwolf, since he just comes with a stand). As for Kilowog, we'll get to him eventually, but that's another review. The green energy constructs are a bit more interesting. If you're not familiar with the comics, these are some of the infinite number of things a member of the Lantern Corps can create with their ring. |
Both are detailed and well made. They're easy to snap on and pull off, as well, so you shouldn't have any problems switching them out. I'll probably give the fist to Hal and display John with the gun. If I were reviewing these a few waves ago, I'd have gone with a +2, but as the price for these has increased, so has the expectation. I'd have given him a second bonus point anyway if Mattel had thrown in a lantern.
Play and Display: +2
When I reviewed Hal Jordan, I gave him two bonus points, not because he was more articulated than other DC Universe Classics figures, but because the same articulation just worked better. All that applies here as well, and I've got some more good news, too.
The articulation is what you're used to: ball-jointed shoulders that work, ball-jointed head that doesn't (well, it turns side to side and you can get a little up and down motion right in the center, but it's really closer to a cut), pins on the elbows, knees, and ankles, cuts on the wrists, biceps, upper legs, and waist, a hinge in the abs, and finally those weird hips that function like ball-joints without ruining the sculpt.
Just like with Hal, this same articulation is more useful here than most other figures. Because the Green Lantern figures are streamlined and the characters are suited to action-movie-style poses, the articulation gives you options that are just a little more impressive.
The joints this time all feel sturdy and the figure is well balanced, so you shouldn't have too much trouble getting him to hold whatever pose you settle on.
The accessories don't hurt, either. Like I said in the last section, these are easy to apply and remove from Hal's fist. And, frankly, they look awesome. All of this is easily worth two points. If Mattel used a better neck joint that let him look up, I might even have gone to three.
The articulation is what you're used to: ball-jointed shoulders that work, ball-jointed head that doesn't (well, it turns side to side and you can get a little up and down motion right in the center, but it's really closer to a cut), pins on the elbows, knees, and ankles, cuts on the wrists, biceps, upper legs, and waist, a hinge in the abs, and finally those weird hips that function like ball-joints without ruining the sculpt.
Just like with Hal, this same articulation is more useful here than most other figures. Because the Green Lantern figures are streamlined and the characters are suited to action-movie-style poses, the articulation gives you options that are just a little more impressive.
The joints this time all feel sturdy and the figure is well balanced, so you shouldn't have too much trouble getting him to hold whatever pose you settle on.
The accessories don't hurt, either. Like I said in the last section, these are easy to apply and remove from Hal's fist. And, frankly, they look awesome. All of this is easily worth two points. If Mattel used a better neck joint that let him look up, I might even have gone to three.
Price Tag and Final Analysis: 10+/10
As much as I've loved this line, it's had problems. I'm glad to see some of those are finally getting addressed, but there is a price involved. In this case, that price is about four bucks.
DC Universe Classics figures have traditionally had a retail price around eleven bucks. Now it's fifteen. The other side of that coin, though, is that these are suddenly a bit easier to find. I picked up the whole wave for fifteen a piece on MattyCollector, Mattel's toy site aimed at adult collectors. Of course, that's before shipping, but it didn't end up being too bad.
The other thing to keep in mind is that I've been paying around fifteen bucks for most of the DC Universe Classics figures I bought last year: that's what most places around here have been asking. If you're living near a Target or Walmart in an area without a lot of collectors, maybe you'll feel this price increase more than I am, but this is the same as I've been paying.
The real test is whether this discourages scalpers and causes the toys to remain on the shelves at Toys R Us for more than fifteen minutes.
So. Is this worth fifteen? I'm going to say maybe. I'll have a different answer for some of the figures in this wave, but this is one of the great figures from this line. He's pricey, but the constructs add a lot of value. If you don't care for the character, there's no reason to pick him up, but if you like John Stewart, you'll be happy.
DC Universe Classics figures have traditionally had a retail price around eleven bucks. Now it's fifteen. The other side of that coin, though, is that these are suddenly a bit easier to find. I picked up the whole wave for fifteen a piece on MattyCollector, Mattel's toy site aimed at adult collectors. Of course, that's before shipping, but it didn't end up being too bad.
The other thing to keep in mind is that I've been paying around fifteen bucks for most of the DC Universe Classics figures I bought last year: that's what most places around here have been asking. If you're living near a Target or Walmart in an area without a lot of collectors, maybe you'll feel this price increase more than I am, but this is the same as I've been paying.
The real test is whether this discourages scalpers and causes the toys to remain on the shelves at Toys R Us for more than fifteen minutes.
So. Is this worth fifteen? I'm going to say maybe. I'll have a different answer for some of the figures in this wave, but this is one of the great figures from this line. He's pricey, but the constructs add a lot of value. If you don't care for the character, there's no reason to pick him up, but if you like John Stewart, you'll be happy.
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