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Introduction
Mattel's DC Multiverse series is living up to the name. Pulling characters from live action film, television shows, and comic books, it's definitely 'multi' when it comes to universes. The latest wave (labeled wave 5 technically, but generally referred to as the 'King Shark' wave) is just now hitting, and epitomizes that concept.
I'm looking at two of the 6 regular release figures tonight - the Jim Gordon Batman from the New 52 comics, and Hawkman from the DC Legends of Tomorrow television show. Other figures in this wave include Zoom in the Earth 2 Flash disguise and regular Zoom, both from the tv show Flash, Batgirl (another New 52 design), and the Joker from the Dark Knight Returns comics. As you might assume, the Collect and Connect figure is King Shark, hence calling this the 'King Shark wave'.
These figures have *just* started to hit, so check your local retailers. I found this pair at Target, and suspect that's where I'll see the other four sooner rather
than later. Expect to pay around $20 each.
Click on the image below for a Life Size version
Packaging - ***1/2
There's nothing new here, although the tri-lingual text is getting on my nerves. It tends to busy up the front quite a bit, reducing the aesthetic. I get it -
it's cheaper this way - but it's still less attractive with that much small text littered across the front.
It's all still collector friendly of course, and the square shape allows for easy storage too. It's a little tough getting Hawkman out of his bubble - you'll
remove the wings first, of course, but he's still a very tight fit - but in general it's easy to work with. The back shows off the entire wave, and tells you which
figure has which CnC part.
Sculpting - Gordon ***; Hawkman ***1/2;
This is a 1/12 scale line, much like Marvel Legends. But the live action and comic lines are quite a bit different in size. While Hawkman is about 6 3/8" tall,
the Gordon Batman is a full 6 3/4" (with the ears).
The style is very different as well, as you'd assume. They've used a DCUC body for the Gordon Batman, with very little additional sculpting. There's the belt and holster, a strap on the right leg...and that's about it. The standard Batman head looks good, with a snarling expression, and the Mohawk Gordon is clean, if not particularly detailed. It's an improvement for the Multiverse line, in any event.
That's true with the Hawkman as well. He's shorter, more detailed, with a greater emphasis on realism. While I have my nits, there's really no comparison to the quality here and what we saw with earlier figures, like the Affleck Batman. We're still not at the level we're seeing with the better Marvel Legends, but it's getting there, and Mattel has clearly upped their game with this series.
The detail work on the costume and wings is particularly impressive, with far more texturing than I expected based on past work. Perhaps Mattel is realizing that Hasbro's current success in this scale is due to their willingness to improve the overall quality, and they are now following suit.
Paint - Gordon ***; Hawkman ***1/2
Like the sculpting, they paint work has certainly improved. Where there were once googly eyes, pupils are now straight and clean. Where there were poor lines, edges are
now crisper. And the number of operations has increased, particularly with Hawkman.
Gordon is clean, but let's be honest, this is a pretty dull Batman. The edges on some of the yellow details are a little sloppy, better than we've seen but still not perfect. The eyes and mouth look good, and the overall black color is fairly consistent. It's good work, but it's not going to blow your socks off.
The overall work on Hawkman is a step up. The face is very clean, with great work on the eyes. The lips could use a little more color to differentiate them from the skin, but it's a minor nit. The costume has greater detailing than usual, and the darker wash on the wings helps bring out the feather details.
Some of the armor still looks like cheap plastic - case in point, the shoulder armor. But as with the sculpt, the paint work here is an improvement over earlier Multiverse waves.
Articulation - ***
Guess what - the Gordon Batman has DCUC articulation. Big surprise there? Not really. The ball jointed neck tilts forward and back reasonably well, but there's little
to no side to side. Swapping heads is a little tricky, but heat up the heads a little and it will get easier.
The rotating hinge shoulders, pin elbows, cut biceps, and cut wrists work pretty much as you'd expect, allowing for decent arm poses but nothing exceptional. It's a good thing the neck works well, allowing the ab-crunch and cut waist to be much more useful. The hinge hips are a little tight, and he finishes off with cut thighs, pin knees, and pin ankles. If I had a nit on the leg articulation, it's with the lack of rocker ankles.
The Hawkman has a similar design, but is surprisingly less posable. The neck does not tilt or lean particularly well in any direction, making the ab-crunch and cut waist less useful. You can't bend him over if he can't look up! The rotating hinge shoulders, cut biceps, hinge elbows, and cut wrists seem a tad less useful than those on Gordon as well. He also has hinge hips (tight, again), pin knees, a cut thigh, and pin ankles. While this might seem similar in number, I found the joints less mobile than with Hawkman.
He does have jointed wings, with a pin joint at the top allowing the two sections to spread out, and a hinge joint at the back that allows them to move in and out in relation to his back. Nothing too surprising here, and the pin at the top of the wings is ugly and easy to pop free. You can snap the wing back in place, but it appears that the more you use the wing, the weaker this joint could get.
Accessories - ***
Both of these figures come with a leg of King Shark as their CnC part. That gets them **1/2 right out of the gate.
Hawkman includes the scepter, and I *suppose* you could count the wings, since they are removable. I'm not, but you could. The scepter is pretty basic stuff, done in a single color and rather soft plastic.
Jim Gordon includes his gun, and a second, unmasked portrait. Swapping heads was tricky, with a very tight fit on a very hard plastic ball, but a little heat applied to the head will go a long way to improving the situation.
The gun is also very basic, but does fit in the holster on his belt cleanly, and in the gun grip right hand.
Fun Factor - Hawkman ***; Gordon ***1/2
While these figures have their warts, they are fun toys. Both are well made, and quite sturdy. With the exception of the pin joints at the top of Hawkman's wings,
nothing should pop loose or break under normal play conditions. Swapping heads on Gordon will be too difficult for kids to do on their own, so an adult should lend a
hand - and a hairdryer.
Value - **1/2
Nothing surprising here, since the usual market price on mass produced figures is around $20 these days. You're getting what you're paying for, nothing more, nothing
less.
Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing.
Overall - ***
I'll be honest - this wave doesn't have a lot that appeals to me. I'm loving the Batgirl, and I need the Joker to finish off my DKR set. But the other four,
including this Hawkman and Gordon Batman, don't do a lot for me in general.
In hand, I'm pleased with both. The key here is the improving quality - the Multiverse of last year, especially those released around the Batman V Superman film, were pretty poor. The comic book based stuff was better, but still not at the level of Marvel Legends. Here we are seeing an overall improvement in both sculpting and paint, and it is certainly welcome. It's ironic that one of these reverts back to the DCUC style to move forward.
I'm all in for the full set of six though. That's the power of a cool BAF (or CnC, in this case), and Killer Shark is cool. Now I just have to hunt down the other four to have the figure I really want!
Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - Gordon ***; Hawkman ***1/2
Paint - Gordon ***; Hawkman ***1/2
Articulation - ***
Accessories - ***
Fun Factor - Hawkman ***; Gordon ***1/2
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***
Where to Buy
These appear to be popping up at Target first, where they run around $20, depending a bit on geography and sales. Online options include these site sponsors:
- Entertainment Earth has the set of 5 for $168, but with free shipping.
- or you can search
ebay
for a deal.
Related Links -
The last Multiverse figures I reviewed were the Suicide Squad Joker and Harley. Earlier I looked at Lex Luthor, the Toys R Us exclusive unmasked Batman, the Knightmare Batman, the Dark Knight Returns set from Walmart, and I did a
Batman comparison and a Wonder
Woman comparison between the Multiverse figure and the regular movie figure.
You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.
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This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.
