{"id":22355,"date":"2013-01-14T12:58:24","date_gmt":"2013-01-14T18:58:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=22355"},"modified":"2013-01-14T13:58:46","modified_gmt":"2013-01-14T19:58:46","slug":"dc-classics-com-club-infinite-earths-uncle-sam-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=22355","title":{"rendered":"DC Classics.Com: Club Infinite
Earths Uncle Sam Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a> Today was supposed to be my grand return to getting IAT back on schedule. Well, I managed to lose the box with my camera & photo shoot gear, like the infamous blue backdrop, and it\u2019s nearly noon as I finally get started writing. So let\u2019s just call this a slow rollout as we get caught up on Mattycollector items!<\/p>\n

Uncle Sam shouldn\u2019t need a lot of introduction. We\u2019ve all see the poster, right? Sam has various real world origins, but ultimately he\u2019s simply a personification of America that came into use early in the 19th century replacing lesser know personifications like Brother Jonathan and Columbia. His traditional look first appears during World War I in that now-famous recruitment poster by James Montgomery Flagg. And, by World War II, he had transitioned into comics as the feature characters in Quality\u2019s National Comics #1. His stint only lasted a few years, but he was part of the stable of characters acquired by DC in the 1950s. DC let him be for some time, until Len Wein & Dick Dillin used many of the Quality Characters in Justice League of America<\/em> #107-108 when the combined JLA\/JSA traveled to a third earth, one still embroiled in World War II twenty years later. It was there that we first meet the Freedom Fighters, Uncle Sam\u2019s ragtag team of revolutionaries and one of the coolest, at least to me, DC teams that Mattel will never complete. <\/p>\n

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I learned all that later though. My first exposure to the comic version of Uncle Sam was in a silly story that is still one of my favorites to this day; a reprint of DC Super-Stars #10<\/em> in those fantastic Blue Ribbon Digests<\/em> I\u2019m always talking about. In that story, Sportsmaster & the Huntress (no, not that one) are having a marital spat about being villains. Huntress wants to become a hero because she\u2019s tired of always being on the losing side. Sportsmaster posits that villains can win at something, so he picks\u2026 baseball. Yes, one of my favorite Uncle Sam stories is about a baseball game between heroes and villains. Uncle Sam is, due to his love of truth & justice, selected to umpire the game.*<\/p>\n

* – Speaking of toys Mattel will never make, while the heroes baseball roster is complete, many of the villains used in that story are woefully absent \u2013 no Felix Faust, Chronos, Dr. Polaris, Weather Wizard, Tattooed Man, Sportsmaster, Huntress, and no one will ever make Matter Master.<\/em> <\/p>\n

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Anyway, since I\u2019ve wasted that much time explaining about Uncle Sam from memory, it should be pretty obvious that I love the character. He\u2019s a fun addition to the DC Universe and he was written masterfully in both Justice League and Freedom Fighters, some of my favorite Bronze Age comics. He didn\u2019t have as much of a place at DC in my own lifetime though, whether he was turned into the bizarre \u201cSpirit\u201d or made homeless over at Vertigo. <\/p>\n

When Mattel made Gentlemen Ghost years ago, Uncle Sam shot pretty high up on my list (as did Zatara, a figure I\u2019m positive will need to be customized). Granted, I already have an amazing DC Direct Uncle Sam by Tim Bruckner, but I\u2019m more of an articulation junkie than not and that figure, while beautiful, is pretty limited. <\/p>\n

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Unfortunately, Mattel\u2019s Uncle Sam ended up being able to move like I wanted (mostly), but came with a few design & engineering choices that I\u2019m just not particularly happy with. The body, from the neck to the feet, is pretty much what was expected, an easy repaint of the Gentlemen Ghost body with the rocker ankles removed. All that was needed was some new hands and the head sculpt. Continue to Page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n

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The new head sculpt is one of the highlights of the figure admittedly, but I don\u2019t like it. I would\u2019ve preferred a more classic version on the head sculpt, either the slicked back hair or the curly\/bushy hair from the poster. Instead the inspiration appears to be the destitute Vertigo hair or the more recent pre-New 52 appearances. I can\u2019t knock the sculpt, it looks great, like\u2019s he ready to kick ass, but this guy needs a haircut.<\/p>\n

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The other thing I\u2019m having trouble with on this figure is the hands. There aren\u2019t bare hands made for the suit body and even though Mattel put out two suit figures that needed bare hands in November, there still isn\u2019t. Mattel popped two normal hands on both Sam & Constantine and sometimes the figures just don\u2019t like quite right. Sam points \u2013 it\u2019s kinda his thing. His other thing is punching. And we got a figure that can hold a steering wheel. I know I\u2019ve taken Mattel to task both ways on the hands. When there are fists, I complain about open hands. When there are open hands, I complain about fists. What I really just want is some options. Adult Collectible just need alternate hands. <\/p>\n

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The paintwork on Sam is pretty good considering the detail required. The details on the face are great as is the suit, particularly the striped pants. The only paint issues mine had were on the non-removable top hat with both the stars and stripes coming out a little askew. <\/p>\n

Articulation is normal for the line. The suit body features everything the main bucks do, but I can\u2019t turn the waist on my figure. I\u2019m not sure if it\u2019s just supremely stuck or not meant to be turned. If I remember, my Joker was really frozen at the waist too, so it may just be the buck is prone to locking up that joint. <\/p>\n

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Finally, Uncle Sam did include an accessory. It\u2019s yet another thing that ended up not where I thought it was in the move, but Vault was kind enough to snap a few pics and send them over this morning. First, I\u2019m absolutely thrilled that Mattel tossed Doll Man in for this release! That\u2019s awesome, particularly because I would\u2019ve put Doll Man up there with Matter Masters as a never gonna happen. The execution was a little lacking though, both mine and Vault\u2019s had bent legs from the packaging and both of ours has the cape stuck\/glued around the chin instead of being pushed all the way down to the shoulders. That\u2019s gonna be a messy fix I think. <\/p>\n

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Overall, I\u2019m happy that Mattel got Uncle Sam in the line. It\u2019s a decent figure that just falls a few points shy of being great (he really needed new hands) and has a great head sculpt even if it isn\u2019t to my preference. The inclusion of Doll Man is particularly exciting to me because I want all the Freedom Fighters. Some of you may say \u201cwho?\u201d, but I\u2019d kill to get the Human Bomb, Black Condor, Phantom Lady, the Ray, and toss in Firebrand there to boot. <\/p>\n

Thing is though, if any of those figures are going to be coming, it will be in the subscription. And I\u2019d really like to be wowed by something in the subscription. The character selection has definitely wowed me, but the execution hasn\u2019t always. The subscription DC figures seem to be being made because they can be or because no one\u2019s come along to say stop. I remember when buying DC figures felt like the folks making them where as excited as I was. I\u2019d like to get back to that some day. <\/p>\n

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More DC Universe Classics Reviews:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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For all our DC reviews, check out our
\n DC Universe Classics Collector’s Guide<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today was supposed to be my grand return to getting IAT back on schedule. Well, I managed to lose the box with my camera & photo shoot gear, like the infamous blue backdrop, and it\u2019s nearly noon as I finally get started writing. So let\u2019s just call this a slow rollout as we get caught […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[6,34,10],"tags":[1166,2557,21,1821,589,20,59],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pObc6-5Oz","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":18758,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=18758","url_meta":{"origin":22355,"position":0},"title":"Ask Mattel May 15th Link Roundup","date":"May 15, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Ask Matty - May 15th Edition DCClassics.Com Asks: What accessories, if any, do you have planned for the Black Mask from Club Infinite Earths \/ Signature Series? He will come with a few accessories including a dagger that goes through Batman's loose cowl! DCClassics.Com Asks: Will more 8\" stactions debut\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ask Matty"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18945,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=18945","url_meta":{"origin":22355,"position":1},"title":"Ask Mattel June 1st Link Roundup (Updated)","date":"June 1, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Ask Matty - June 1st Edition DCClassics.Com Asks: The DC Death Staction is listed at 8\" - does that include the base or is that the specific height of the figure? The base makes her even taller. It adds about 2 inches. DCClassics.Com Asks: Will the Club Infinite Earths Platinum\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ask Matty"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":21298,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=21298","url_meta":{"origin":22355,"position":2},"title":"DC Classics.Com: Club Infinite Earths Black Mask Review","date":"October 3, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"DC Comics has got a slew of characters that wear boring ol\u2019 suits. Mattel has a figure subscription specifically targeted at collectors. When Mattel announced Club Infinite Earths, I was excited at the prospect of getting some boring ol\u2019 suit figures. Black Mask wasn\u2019t on the top of my list\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DCClassics.Com"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":22388,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=22388","url_meta":{"origin":22355,"position":3},"title":"Vault Review: DC Classics John Constantine","date":"January 18, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"In our never ending quest to get caught up on toy reviews, I\u2019ll be taking a look at a figure that originally came out way back in November.\u00a0 Like Swamp Thing, Constantine is a character that I was really looking forward to.\u00a0 Unfortunately he didn\u2019t live up to my expectations.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DCClassics.Com"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/jcon7.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":21080,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=21080","url_meta":{"origin":22355,"position":4},"title":"Vault Review: Club Infinite Earths Mirror Master","date":"September 26, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"With DCUC currently MIA and DC Direct focusing on video games and all things Nu, the Club Infinite Earths subscription has been my only link to the comics and characters I love.\u00a0 And now with Rocket Red out of the way, it\u2019s pure character gold for the rest of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DCClassics.Com"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/mima7.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":21555,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=21555","url_meta":{"origin":22355,"position":5},"title":"DC Classics.Com: Club Infinite Earths Poison Ivy Review","date":"October 22, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Classics got its erstwhile start as a Batman line nine years ago. Six years ago, a Batman theme held down every other wave of DCSH. And DC Classics (2008-2011) certainly never strayed too far from Batman & his rogues. With all that Bat-history, it\u2019s inconceivable that we\u2019re just now getting\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DCClassics.Com"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22355"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22355"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22355\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22364,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22355\/revisions\/22364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}