Packaging - ***
I didn't bother to include a packaged shot this time, as I assume regular readers have got the general idea by now. While the package looks the same, the key takeaway is that there are no twisties or rubber bands - the figures pop right out of the trays.

I also didn't have any trouble with the trays warping the knees or ankles on these two, but that's something you always want to watch for.

Sculpting - Sandman ****; Stargirl **1/2
I'm loving this Sandman, and if you're a fan of the Golden Age of comics, I suspect you will too. The suited body looks great, with nice proportions and a soft rubbery material for the coat. The cape is a soft rubber too, and while purple, green and yellow are normally not the best colors together, it works for Sandman.

The detail work on the gas mask is great as well, and the sculpted hand works with the gun. He stands great on his own, even with the extra weight of the cape.

I'm not as thrilled with Stargirl. The seams on the thighs are much too obvious, and the belt sticks out over the hips in a weird, non-realistic way.

And let's not ignore that smile of hers. She's a pretty girl, although there's a bit of a giraffe neck thing going on. But the smile shows all her teeth - and whenever someone smiles and shows off their bottom teeth like this, it just creeps me out.

She does stand great though, and the sculpted hands work nicely with the staff.

Paint - Sandman ***1/2; Stargirl **
The paint work here is a tad sloppy, so if you have a choice on the pegs you'll want to inspect them carefully.

The Sandman I found isn't bad, with just a bit of slop around the mask edges. The tie looks good, and the green suit is fairly consistent from piece to piece, at least in person. In photos the thighs look darker, but I didn't notice it in hand.

Stargirl is a bit more of a mess, with a lot of marks and slop on the white areas of the costume. The red shoelaces are also poorly defined, and it just seems that her costume has a more 'rushed' look to the paint.

Articulation - Sandman ***1/2; Stargirl ***
For regular collectors of this series, this is one of those been there done that sort of categories.  All the usual DCUC articulation is here, it's just a matter of how well it works with the sculpt.

On Sandman, the only joint that doesn't have quite the range of movement you'd expect is the neck. While it is a ball joint, that's pretty much negated by the sculpt and cape. It turns fine, but there's very little tilting going on.

Stargirl's neck tilts a little bet better, but it's still not as good as some DCUC figures we've seen. That's due largely to the long, stiff hair sculpt.

Her shoulders are also quite restricted. At first I thought it was just because they were stuck, and had trouble turning. But in reality, it's how the torso is sculpted, creating friction between the shoulder ball and the overhang.

Her ab-crunch is also restricted by the sculpted uniform top, but the rest of the joints work as you'd expect.

Accessories - ***
Both figures come with one piece of the S.T.R.I.P.E. CnC figure - an arm and a leg. If you bought Stargirl, then I'm assuming you want S.T.R.I.P.E., but maybe you just like chicks in bicycle pants.

Each comes with one more extra - Sandman has his gas gun, and Stargirl has the Cosmic Staff that originally belonged to Starman. Both of these weapons fit nicely in their hands, and have very detailed sculpts. I particularly like the addition of the small loop on the left side of Sandman's suit, with the corresponding hook on the handle of the gun. This gives him a way to carry it when not in use. Be careful with the loop though, as it looks like enough bending back and forth will break it off.

Fun Factor - ****
This is one of my favorite toy lines - an actual line of toys that has real play value, and yet appeals to collectors as well. Kids will find characters like Sandman cool even if they don't know who he is at first, simply because of the timeless design.

Value - **1/2
I used some Matty coupons to get the price down even more, but it's not enough to take these beyond an average value.

Things to Watch Out For -
As I mentioned earlier, you want to be sure to pick them out carefully on the peg if possible, watching for the best paint AND for any warping of the joints caused by the inside tray.

Overall - Sandman ***1/2; Stargirl **1/2
While this wave isn't filled with heavy hitters, I have to say that so far I'm pleasantly surprised. Magog, Hawkman and Sandman are all well above average, and the only real disappointment so far is Stargirl. For me, the creepy smile and sloppy paint are a double whammy.

Score Recap:
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - Sandman ****; Stargirl **1/2
Paint - Sandman ***; Stargirl **1/2
Articulation - Sandman ***1/2; Stargirl ***
Accessories - ***
Fun Factor - ****
Value - **1/2
Overall - Sandman ***1/2; Stargirl **1/2

Where to Buy -
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has a case for $135, the set for $100, or the singles for $18.

- Big Bad Toy Store also has the singles for $18, and the set for $100.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other DCUC reviews include:

- I started this wave by looking at Hawkman and Magog.

- just before that were the series 17 part 1 and part 2, as well as series 18 part 1 and part 2.

- other recent reviews covered the new Green Lantern waves: wave 2 part 2 and part 1, and wave 1 part 2 and part 1.

- Series 16 was split up too, into part 1 and part 2.

- I finished off wave 15 in two parts, one here and one here.

- and wave 14 was also in part 1 and part 2.

- the SDCC Plastic Man was the previous review.

- I split the wave 13 up into two sections, part 1 and part 2.

- I covered half of wave 12, but it took awhile to pick up the second half.

- prior to that was part 1 and part 2 of wave 11.

- big surprise, wave 10 was before that, with some here and some here.

- you can find wave 9 part 1 here, and part 2 over here.

- I split wave 8 up into two parts, one here and one here.

- prior to that was wave 7 (duh), which I covered here.

- I broke wave six into two reviews, one here and one here.

- no, I never reviewed wave 5, but prior to that was wave 4 which I also broke into this review, and this one.

- of course, prior to that was wave 3.

- last up in the DCSH figures were the Clayface and Bruce to Bats figures.

- before that was Mongul, who is also one of the best figures this year and Parasite and Steel. 

- don't forget the 12" version of the smaller Batman, and the 12" Cyborg Superman.

- in this smaller line, the fourth series was Superman themed, with Brainiac and Darkseid. There's also the Batgirl and Superman from the two packs. 

- there's the guest review of series 3 Batman and Azrael.

- a guest review of series 2 Doomsday, and another of the series 2 Superman.

- my review of the series 2 Bizarro and Supergirl.

- my review of the Batman and Killer Croc from wave 1.

- and finally, my review of Bane and Scarecrow that were released internationally as part of the old Mattel line, and then re-released with wave 1 of the DCSH.

- and while the aren't technically DCUC, the new Public Enemies figures are close enough for most of us. I split the review into part 1 and part 2.

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