Packaging - **1/2
If you read part 1 of my review of this series, then you can skip this section - there's nothing new here.

I love the look of the packages, and always have. But this wave has a real issue with the figures fitting into the tray in their 'action' pose. The soft ankle and knee posts are further damaged by the strain put on them by the plastic tray, and most of the figures in the wave ended up with warped ankles or knees.

I don't have an issue with using the trays to give the figure a dynamic look in the package, but they have to ensure that the tray is properly designed, and that the worker/machine inserting the figures into the tray is doing it correctly.

Sculpting - ***1/2
I knew I'd like Validus, because every since I was a boy and received my Captain Action Dr. Evil figure, I've loved exposed brains. Once I had the big guy together, I was happy to see they had met most of my expectations.

I do wish that the brain itself was cut a bit more sharply, with better definition. The lumpy mass is a bit soft in appearance, and I think such a large brain would have looked better with a bit more definition.

Still, the big guy looks great, and fits in nicely scale wise with the smaller figures. He's shy of 10", while the rest of the figures are the usual 6 1/2" - 7", depending on the character.

The other three were a bit more of a surprise to me, largely because I have something less than zero interest in the characters themselves.

Golden Pharaoh was a great Super Powers figure though, and they've done a terrific job capturing his look here. The sculpt is far more detailed than what we usually see with this series, with lots of extra attention show to his costume. I love the attached wings on his triceps, and the use of translucent plastic in several areas gives him an otherworldly appearance.

I haven't found the more modern Starman yet, but I'm not really in a big hurry. Of the two, I prefer this vintage look, complete with cool retro space helmet and long cape.

Finally, there's OMAC, the character created by Jack Kirby back in the 70's. His name stands for "One Man Army Corps", and his time in the comics was very short. Considering the number of times this guy has seen a comic panel, I'm surprised he made it into the DCUC series, but perhaps the fact that he was getting some air time on Batman: Brave and the Bold helped influence the decision.

He's a cool looking character, with a sort of Elvis Mohawk thing going on. The basic, stern expression looks good, and the sculpted boots and gloves are a nice touch. He's nothing to get excited about, and I suspect a lot of folks will buy him largely to get the Validus piece, but he's a nice addition to the shelf anyway.

All the figures stand fine on their own, even with the wonky knee and ankle pins, and the hands are sculpted to work with the accessories where present.

Paint - Golden Pharaoh ****; the rest ***1/2
No upside down symbols this time, and once again most of the lines and edges are sharply cut and clean. There's very little slop, and the face work on all the figures is quite good.

Golden Pharaoh is the real standout in this category. I love the metallic paint job, and there's a ton of color in the costume. The use of the translucent plastic in the 'wings' and torso was a great idea, and he has quite a bit more paint detail than the average DCUC figure.

In the one close up photo it might appear that he has some sort of overspray on the side of his face, but that's actually the light shining through the plastic behind him and casting a colored shadow.

The others aren't quite as detailed, but the quality is still well above average all the way around.

Articulation - ***
Like the other four figures in this series, all the usual DCUC joints are present. And just like the others, the knees and ankles seem to have weaker pins than usual, making it more likely that you'll damage them over time, and making their lower limbs warped right out of the package.

This problem was the worst for OMAC, and I'll have to resort to a hot water/cold water treatment to try to straighten out his legs. I'm concerned at what that will do to the poor quality pegs, however.

Validus doesn't have those issues of course, but as is common with the large BAF's, the range of movement on several of the joints (neck, knees, ankles) isn't quite as good as it is with the smaller figures.

Accessories - Starman ***1/2; Pharaoh ***; OMAC **1/2; Validus Bupkis
Since Validus IS an accessory, at least when he's dissected into his various parts, it makes some sense that he doesn't have any accessories of his own. That's not always the case, since there are exceptions like Kalibak. But those are the exceptions, not the rule.

Golden Pharaoh doesn't come with a Validus part. Instead, he has a Super Powers display stand (which makes perfect sense considering his previous release back in those foggy Stone Age days in the SP series) and hs cool staff. The staff fits nicely in his hand, and while the display stand isn't necessary, it is a nice touch. He also has the collector pin, just like all the other figures.

OMAC doesn't do as well. He has one Validus piece, and the little collector pin, but that's about it.

Starman is the big winner of the entire series, at least in this category. He has the Validus part and the collector pin, but also comes with a neat little blaster that fits perfectly in his holster, and his classic 'gravity rod'. He used this phallic shaped device to manipulate energy, much like Green Lantern's ring. I'm always amazed at how many heroic weapons look like something they bought at the local adult book store.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
Even with the peg problems, these remain one of the best action figure lines currently available to kids. Too bad we can't see this kind of work applied to lines like Airbender, Prince of Persia, or other 'mainstream' movie based lines.

Value - **1/2
These guys are a pretty average value at around $12 - $13 a pop. If you end up paying closer to $16 or so online, you can knock another half star off the score.

Things to Watch Out For -
The only real problem is the soft posts in the ankles and knees. Like the previous four, these all had deformed legs due to these soft pegs and the way they were packed in the tray.

Overall - Validus, Starman, Golden Pharaoh ***1/2; OMAC ***
OMAC is the odd duck here for me. Not a bad figure, but not one I'd go out of my way to find it it weren't for my unabiding desire to build Validus.

Golden Pharaoh and Starman are both great figures, aided with nice accessories. The paint work and detailed sculpting on Pharaoh are also a big plus, but my personal fondness for Martian Manhunter still keeps him slightly ahead as my overall favorite of the series.

That's with the exception of Validus, of course. I love BAF's, and this is another well executed character.

Now the only question is: Will we get wave 16 before we ever see wave 14?

Score Recap:
Packaging - **1/2
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - Golden Pharaoh ****; the rest ***1/2
Articulation - ***
Accessories - Starman ***1/2; Pharaoh ***; OMAC **1/2; Validus Bupkis
Fun Factor - ***1/2
Value - **1/2
Overall - Validus, Starman, Golden Pharaoh ***1/2; OMAC ***

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:

- Urban Collector has them on pre-order for $16 each, including the variants.

- Big Bad Toy Store has them on pre-order for $18.

- or you can search ebay.

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

- I just covered part 1 of wave 15 earlier this week.

- 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.

Discussion:
Want to chat about this review?  Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be discussing it!

Enjoyed this review? Be sure to head back to the main page to find thousands more just like it!

KEEP SCROLLING DOWN FOR LOTS MORE PHOTOS!