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Review of Raven, Jemm, Martian Manhunter, Sinestro Corps Batman
DC Universe Classics wave 15 action figures

Mattel
Date Published:
Written By:
Overall Average Rating: 3 out of 4

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DCUC Raven, Jemm, Batman, Martian Manhunter figure by Mattel

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Introduction

You might be wondering why I'm reviewing wave 15 of DC Universe Classics - what happened to wave 14? That's an easy answer. Wal-mart happened to wave 14.

You see, that wave is a Wal-mart exclusive, and so far they have yet to show up at the stores in any quantity. I'd assume we'll see something by Christmas, but how much and when is anyone's guess.

Meanwhile, K-mart showed them up with wave 15. I thought this wave was originally just showing up at Kmart first, then other stores, but the big "Only at Kmart" sticker on the front says different. You can pick these up at online retailers, however, if you are short a Kmart location near you.

There are seven figures in the wave - Sinestro Corp Batman, Martian Manhunter, Jemm, Raven (all reviewed tonight), Omac, Starman, and Golden Pharaoh. Buy them all (actually, buy all but Golden Pharaoh) and you can put together the Collect and Connect figure of Validus.

There are also two variants, as usual. I haven't found either yet, but don't expect that any of the figures in this wave is going to be particularly difficult to find. There's a martian version (different head sculpt) of the Martian Manhunter, and a more modern version of Starman.

DCUC Raven, Jemm, Batman, Martian Manhunter figure by Mattel

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Packaging - **1/2
I still love the card art and inserts. The text is good, and they show off the entire ave on the back of the package. They even do a good job of showing off the nifty pin. So why the low score?

Because several of the figures are suffering from warped ankles and knees, and it's because of the interior tray. The pins are soft as it is, but the figure is posed in the tray in such a way that it puts additional stress on the joint, warping the legs.

DCUC Raven, Jemm, Batman, Martian Manhunter figure by Mattel

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Sculpting - Martian Manhunter ****; Raven, Jemm ***1/2; Batman **
Let's start with the best - Martian Manhunter. I'm a big fan of the character in general, and this is an excellent rendition. I love the head sculpt and expression, and the body is sculpted with just the right amount of detail for this style. The cape isn't too heavy to allow him to stay standing, and it doesn't restrict any of the articulation. Yes, it's a simple design, but sometimes the most beauty is in the simplest design.

DCUC Raven, Jemm, Batman, Martian Manhunter figure by Mattel

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Sinestro Corps Batman. I hate the snarling, weirdly shaped mouth, which looks more animalistic than human, and has an oddly warped shape to it. This is a portrait that leaves me cold.

He does have a nice touch though with the sculpted ring on his right hand, and the cape looks good.

DCUC Raven, Jemm, Batman, Martian Manhunter figure by Mattel

Raven has an excellent cape (yes, these four all have capes) with a flowing design and large wing-like folds. It's a tad heavy, and does tend to pull her over backwards, but it's long enough to rest on the floor and keep her standing.

She also has a beautiful portrait, as all ladies should. The hand poses are excellent, and the overall costume looks great.

My only complaint with the lovely lady is the goofy librarian shoes she's got on. Yea, I suppose it matches up with the style of the day, but it hurts the overall appearance of the figure.

Finally, there's Jemm. Originally intended as the cousin of Martian Manhunter but later turned into a Son of Saturn, Jemm is very much a B-list character. Still, they've done a nice job capturing his look, including the funky long ET fingers. He wasn't a must have for me, but now that he's in the collection, he'll make a nice conversation piece next to the Martian.

DCUC Raven, Jemm, Batman, Martian Manhunter figure by Mattel

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Paint - Batman **1/2; the rest ***1/2
Thankfully, all the figures have above average paint work, much like you'd expect from a largely collector focused series.

Some have pretty basic paint operations, like the Manhunter. But the green skin tone is very consistent across the different body parts, which seems to often be an issue for this color.

The yellow and black on Sinestro Corps Bats looks great, with sharp cut lines between the two colors. These two colors are always tough to keep clean, with bleed between the two very common. They've manage to avoid all that this time around.

But as a helpful reader pointed out, the symbol on his chest is upside down. Some folks are getting it right - others, like me, aren't. That's why he loses the extra star over the rest of this set.

Raven has a fairly simplistic costume, but the work on her face is terrific, with beautiful lips and eyes. I also like how the hands are painted with the index finger and thumb uncovered.

Again, last but not least there's Jemm. His costume is a little more complex than Martian Manhunter's, but not by much. The pastel costume is certainly unusual for a superhero, but it goes well with the red skin color.

DCUC Raven, Jemm, Batman, Martian Manhunter figure by Mattel

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Articulation - ***
All the figures sport the usual articulation - ball jointed necks and shoulders, pin elbows, knees and ankles, hinge hips, ab-crunch, cut wrists, waist and thighs. The ball jointed neck works pretty well on most of the figures, and I didn't have any trouble with broken or loose joints.

The basic design of the articulation is one of the best currently on the market, and these figures can take fairly natural poses.

However, the pins on both the ankles and the knees were pretty soft this time around, and with the plastic trays creating so much stress on the joints, they were very weak right out of the package. The joints themselves were tight, but the pins felt like they could tear  very easily.

DCUC Raven, Jemm, Batman, Martian Manhunter figure by Mattel

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Accessories - Batman ***; the rest **1/2
The big selling point here is the body parts for Validus. Without them - or if you have no interest in the BAF - these figures are pretty weak in this category.

All four figures have some piece of the big guy, with Martina Manhunter getting both the head and pelvis.

They also all have the little pin with a graphic specific to that character. I like the pins, and they are certainly better than some lame-0 paper pack in, but they are still only mildly amusing at best.

Sinestro Corps Batman is the only figure with anything additional (at least of these four), and he comes with a batarang like weapon that attaches to his fist, and is obviously created by the ring. It fits tightly and looks good on his arm.

DCUC Raven, Jemm, Batman, Martian Manhunter figure by Mattel

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DCUC Raven, Jemm, Batman, Martian Manhunter figure by Mattel

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DCUC Raven, Jemm, Batman, Martian Manhunter figure by Mattel

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Fun Factor - ***1/2
I think these figures are consistently great toys. My only concern with this wave is the weak ankle and knee pins, but otherwise they are great for kids and collectors alike.

DCUC Raven, Jemm, Batman, Martian Manhunter figure by Mattel

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Value - **1/2
You'll pay around $12 - $13 for these at Kmart, although the price is a bit higher from online retailers. That's about the same as we've seen for some time now, and pretty average in the current market.

DCUC Raven, Jemm, Batman, Martian Manhunter figure by Mattel

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Things to Watch Out For -
Just those damn soft pegs. You'll want to free up all the joints carefully, as they tend to stick due to the paint.

A helpful reader also pointed out that some folks are getting different biceps on their Martian Manhunter and Jemm figures. On mine, Jemm's do seem a bit thin, but MM's look good. He also said that sometimes people are getting one big, one small - clearly something to watch out for.

DCUC Raven, Jemm, Batman, Martian Manhunter figure by Mattel

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Overall - Martian Manhunter ***1/2; Raven, Jemm ***; Batman **1/2
The only consistent issue across these four figures (particularly the men) is the weak ankle pins and knee pegs. This is the only issue holding back the Martian from a full four stars. He's a pretty simple design, but they've pulled it off extremely well.

Raven and Jemm are both solid, but have basic issues that keep them in the middle of the pack. It's those pins again, but Raven also has the goofy shoes that are really annoying.

Finally, there's Sinestro Corp Batman, the weakest of the bunch due to that goofy facial expression. Perhaps a head swap would help things.

I'll wrap up my look at wave 15 later this week, including the BAF Validus.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - **1/2
Sculpting - Martian Manhunter ****; Jemm ***1/2; Raven ***; Batman **
Paint - Batman **1/2; the rest ***1/2
Articulation - ***
Accessories - Batman ***; the rest **1/2
Fun Factor - ***1/2
Value - **1/2
Overall - Martian Manhunter ***1/2; Raven, Jemm ***; Batman **1/2

DCUC Raven, Jemm, Batman, Martian Manhunter figure by Mattel

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Where to Buy 
The retailer to hit is K-mart. Yep, they're still very much alive and kicking, and they've been doing a pretty good job of getting wave 15 to the pegs. Online options include:

- has them on pre-order for $18.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

DCUC Raven, Jemm, Batman, Martian Manhunter figure by Mattel

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Related Links -
I've covered plenty of these boys and girls:

- the SDCC Plastic Man was the last 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.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

Discussion:
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DCUC Raven, Jemm, Batman, Martian Manhunter figure by Mattel

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This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.

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