Packaging - ***
I threw in a packaged photo this time for those that may have a short memory. Nothing really new here, but on these two I didn't have any issues with the interior bubble putting any awkward strain on the ankles or knees.

Sculpting - Naga, S.T.R.I.P.E. ***1/2; Atom ***
All three of these are good sculpts, capturing the intended costume and period with the right amount of detail. Sure, there's still plenty of re-used parts (particularly with Atom), but they have enough unique aspects to make them stand out.

I particularly like the scale pattern on Naga, and the mechanical details on Stripesy look good. There's some additional details on Atom that probably should have been sculpted, like his boot edges and the edges of what is supposed to be straps on his V neck, but these are minor nits.

Scale is good, and these fit in properly with the rest of the series. Again, Atom seems a little tall (this version was short in and out of the costume) but considering the need to re-use body parts, I can't say I'm surprised.

All the figures stand great on their own, and the hand sculpts for Naga are designed to hold the accessory. Stripesy and Atom's hands are done as fists, which works fine since neither has any accessories to hold.

Paint - Atom ***1/2; Naga, S.T.R.I.P.E. ***
The paint work is decent, with bright and consistent colors. They match the general comic book look, and most of the smaller details are nicely done.

There's still some sloppy cut lines though, and there is some areas on Naga's armor that looks like the paint was put on too thick and ran a bit.

These slop issues are more prevalent on Naga and S.T.R.I.P.E., at least in my case. Atom looks pretty damn good, but I have a sneaky suspicion that these figures vary quite a bit. Make sure you check them out carefully on the peg if you can.

Articulation - Naga, Atom ***1/2; S.T.R.I.P.E. **1/2
All the usual articulation is here with Naga and Atom - ball jointed neck, shoulders, swivel hips and biceps, pin elbows, knees and ankles, cut waist, hinge hips - it's all here, and it works quite well on both of these figures. You can get them to easily stand in a number of excellent poses, and they remain tight and upright. They could use swivel ankles to allow the feet to remain flat on the ground, but that's fairly minor.

Stripesy doesn't fair as well. The neck is restricted to a simple turn, and without any cut thighs, the legs are far less posable than the usual DCUC figure. He can't take very many poses, and is pretty much restricted to standing straight, looking formidable.

Accessories - Naga ***; The Atom **;  S.T.R.I.P.E. Bupkis
S.T.R.I.P.E. doesn't have any accessories, but as a CnC figure, that's not surprising. It would be the exception if he did.

The Atom only comes with the CnC part for the big guy, and that's only valuable if you're looking to complete the figure.

Lord Naga comes with his snake staff, which is a slightly different sculpt than other Mattel snake staffs we've seen. It fits in one or both hands easily.

Fun Factor - ****
Sure, none of these figures is going to be instantly recognizable to your average 8 year old, but all three are cool designs. Kids love robots in general, and Naga has an excellent evil mastermind look. He can easily fit into another 6" scale line as a villain.

Value - Naga **1/2; The Atom, S.T.R.I.P.E. **
I suppose I have to accept the $15 price tag, and with Naga, you're getting one accessory along with the CnC piece. But Atom lacks that extra accessory, and is a pretty basic figure, even if he does look good. 

And while S.T.R.I.P.E. is technically free, you have to spend a pretty hefty chunk of change to get all the parts, probably buying at least one or more figures you aren't all that interested in. If he were a great CnC figure, that'd be fine, but for me he lacks a certain pizzazz.

Things to Watch Out For -
With DCUC, it's always a good idea to watch for improperly positioned figures inside the tray. This can lead to pressure on the ankles and knees that warp and damage them.

Overall - Lord Naga ***1/2; The Atom ***; S.T.R.I.P.E. **1/2
Naga is a solid addition to the series, even if he isn't the most recognizable character. The detail work on the sculpt sells him, at least for me.

Atom is a true classic, and this version helps round out the golden age DC heroes. He's wasn't on my must have list, but he's a reasonable B character considering how far we are into the series.

For me, the same can't be said or S.T.R.I.P.E. He's not even in the same ball park as a must have figure - in fact, had they never produced him, I would have never thought "gee, I wish they'd done a Stripesy". As CnC figures go, he's not going to be on my Best Of list for 2011.

Score Recap:
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - Naga, S.T.R.I.P.E. ***1/2; Atom ***
Paint - ***
Articulation - Naga, Atom ***1/2; S.T.R.I.P.E. **1/2
Accessories - Naga ***; The Atom **;  S.T.R.I.P.E. Bupkis
Fun Factor - ****
Value - Naga **1/2; The Atom, S.T.R.I.P.E. **
Overall - Lord Naga ***1/2; The Atom ***; S.T.R.I.P.E. **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,. then Sandman and Stargirl.

- 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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