{"id":22868,"date":"2013-03-03T18:56:25","date_gmt":"2013-03-04T00:56:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=22868"},"modified":"2013-03-03T19:05:04","modified_gmt":"2013-03-04T01:05:04","slug":"dcclassics-com-club-infinite-earths-saint-walker-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=22868","title":{"rendered":"DCClassics.Com Club Infinite
Earths Saint Walker Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>Two St. Walker\u2019s walk into a bar\u2026 ah, I forget the rest. Some collectors consider the overlap in character selection between DC Direct & Mattel to be a joke, but I try to look on the bright side – it’s an opportunity to choose the better of two figures. Too bad neither company makes that choice easy.<\/p>\n

I can understand the frustration of seeing two companies bend over backwards to make a figure like St. Walker. If you\u2019ve been waiting seventeen years for an Aztek figure or still long for a complete, in-scale Teen Titans roster, then seeing a relatively new character like St. Walker get two figures in just six years can be disheartening. <\/p>\n

While I understand that frustration (seventeen years for Aztek is nothing compared to how love I’ve wanted a classic Warlord), I don\u2019t harbor any complaints about newer characters getting the action figure treatment early on. In this case, it helps that St. Walker was one of the better additions to the DC Universe before Time Warner imploded their comic universe. <\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

I immediately snapped up the DC Direct St. Walker figure a few years back. I liked that figure well enough. The 100% unique sculpt gave Walker a gangly, alien feel and the bright metallic blue paint still looks fantastic. But it couldn\u2019t escape one thing \u2013 it was a DC Direct figure. The articulation was limited and some odd choices were made in the sculpting stage like the weird open hands and the slack-jawed, clueless expression. <\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t mind adding it to my collection, but I\u2019d be lying if I said that I didn\u2019t want the Four Horsemen to take a crack at the character in Classics. <\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

Now, when I originally wanted that to happen, the line was in a different place. With the Classics line dropping off the retail radar and only giving us thirteen classic figures in 2013 (plus whatever few scraps make it into the Unlimited line), those slots have become super precious. I\u2019m not going to turn into one of those misers who disguise their personal wants behind characters \u201cdeserving\u201d figure treatment or start believing my favorites are wanted by all (I know they aren\u2019t!), but even I have to wonder about giving a spot to Walker with so few spots available.*<\/p>\n

* – Especially in the Subscription when Walker would be at home in the Nu52 retail line\u2026 or is the GL franchise more damaged than we think? There has yet to be a single GL figure announced for DC Unlimited. <\/em><\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

I\u2019m going to put a pin in whether Walker should be in the sub or not and save that for another time. He\u2019s here. He\u2019s fun. And I betcha that he won\u2019t be the most controversial subscription figure by year\u2019s end anyway. Continue to Page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

While I’ve listed the drawbacks of the DC Direct version of Walker, don\u2019t think that makes the Mattel version a clear-cut winner. Mattel’s part reuse is a big drawback. St. Walker use ofthe taller, lankier buck helps somewhat; particularly when many comics artists tend to draw Walker more human and make Mattel’s version inadvertently more accurate. <\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

There are some aggravations with the buck though. The slender buck came along at the same time as when Mattel was flirting with double-joints for the ankles and knees. That means Walker has exceptionally soft plastic in-between those double joints. In some cases, that can be overlooked because of the great range that has been added. The arms, along with the ball-jointed wrist, are fantastic \u2013 perfect for a Lantern figure. The shoulders are strangely tight, but I can get some great upper body poses out of the figure. <\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, I can\u2019t say the same for the lower body. The Mattel hips and the double knees would be great if not for the poorly engineered ankle joints. This buck has featured this since it was introduced and one of my biggest issues with Mattel is an inability to recognize and correct these little mistakes. The sculpt on the ankles blocks much of the movement. They are hinged, but they move barely a fraction of an inch. The lack of rocker ankles on DCUCs is annoying enough, so it only gets more annoying when I pick up a figure like Walker, Sinestro, or the Creeper where the ankle joint is virtually non-existent. <\/p>\n

Walker does get some unique parts though and they are what puts the Mattel version over the top for me. I love the hand sculpts, particularly the fist \u2013 I never understand why any sculptor would sculpt a Lantern\u2019s ring hand open, but they continue to do it. The upper torso and forearms are also new to get costume details correct, but I think the best achievement over the DCD version is the head sculpt. <\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

Yes, there are still problems. It feels like there is some rule that St. Walker should get a dopey expression. I blame the beady eyes I suppose, but the mouths are really the problem on both figures. Why does Walker have to have an open mouth? And why can\u2019t he be happy or, y\u2019know hopeful? What\u2019s the deal? I\u2019m wondering if removing the paint on the mouth will help, but I\u2019m not sure. That said, the head sculpt is definitely superior. The 4H did a great job on the little details and gave their Walker a skull instead of leaving his head looking like a partially-inflated balloon. The articulated tentacle(?) is also a great touch and really adds to the figure. <\/p>\n

The paintwork on my Walker is sharp enough for me. He looks good in flat blue even if it\u2019s not as pretty as the metallic blue. Also included was the standard Mattel Lantern in blue. I suppose I\u2019d be annoyed if we didn\u2019t keep getting those for the figures, but the lack of constructs for Atrocitus, Walker, and soon-to-be Larfleeze will always be a source of disappointment for this collector. <\/p>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

Overall, I\u2019m happy enough with the Mattel version to retire my previous DC Direct figure. It really shouldn\u2019t be a surprise \u2013 I\u2019m much more into articulation than sculpt. The Mattel figure could have better articulation, particularly those ankles, but he\u2019s still light years ahead of the DCD offering and the sculpt is solid enough to just beat out the DCD too, even with the reused parts. <\/p>\n

I\u2019m with my collector brethren still waiting for classic Flash Rogues or a Silver Age Adam Strange, but I\u2019m happy to have St. Walker from Mattel all the same. Hopefully, the last couple slots in 2013 are filled with some older characters though\u2026 like Prometheus & Zauriel. Heh. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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

<\/center><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

<\/center><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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":"

Two St. Walker\u2019s walk into a bar\u2026 ah, I forget the rest. Some collectors consider the overlap in character selection between DC Direct & Mattel to be a joke, but I try to look on the bright side – it’s an opportunity to choose the better of two figures. Too bad neither company makes that […]<\/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":[1431,1166,665,40,20,325,1546],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pObc6-5WQ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":23428,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=23428","url_meta":{"origin":22868,"position":0},"title":"DCClassics.Com Club Infinite Earths Larfleeze Review","date":"May 13, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Alright, I\u2019m still getting back in the groove here, so you might forgive any typos or grammatical errors today (this means you, Brainlock :D ). Well, it might be that I\u2019m exhausted or it could just be I\u2019m tired of doing Rainbow Lantern reviews? I\u2019m thinking even Larfleeze wants to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DCClassics.Com"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":20017,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=20017","url_meta":{"origin":22868,"position":1},"title":"Ask Mattel August 1st & Link Round-Up *Updated*","date":"August 2, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Ask Matty - August 1st Edition DCClassics.Com Asks: Were all Club Infinite Earths accessories shown at SDCC? For example, will Saint Walker include a Blue Lantern or will Constantine really ship with no accesssories? Yes and yes. MOTUClassics.Com Asks: In the online pics Castle Grayskullman featured rocky shoulders, but the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ask Matty"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":20246,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=20246","url_meta":{"origin":22868,"position":2},"title":"DC Classics.Com Club Infinite Earths Atrocitus Review","date":"August 13, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Every once in awhile, time just gets away from me. I didn\u2019t realize how long I\u2019d had Atrocitus sitting here when a reader asked me to not skip Atrocitus last week. I was always planning on reviewing him, but somehow he snuck past my sense of urgency. Let\u2019s check him\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DCClassics.Com"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":27739,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=27739","url_meta":{"origin":22868,"position":3},"title":"Vault Review: Club Infinite Earths Aquaman","date":"May 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "Comics"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/hham4.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":23743,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=23743","url_meta":{"origin":22868,"position":4},"title":"DCClassics.Com Club Infinite Earths Red Hood Review","date":"June 26, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "DCClassics.Com"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18758,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=18758","url_meta":{"origin":22868,"position":5},"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":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22868"}],"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=22868"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22868\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22879,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22868\/revisions\/22879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}