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We’ve been a little busy lately and one of the projects that has fallen by the wayside is the completion of our DC Classics Review Archive<\/a>. For the next few weeks, barring a few current reviews to keep us relevant, we’re bringing back our Retro Review as a regular Wednesday feature. This week’s look into the past takes us back DC Classics 7, the Atom Smasher Wave. <\/p>\n![](\"newsimages\/spacer.png\"){kind=spacer}
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Though many of the figures in this wave found a saturation point as pegwarmers, that wasn’t always the case. Believe it or not, Atom Smasher was the C&C it took me the longest to complete. It took even longer (& 1300 miles) for me to find a Flash. Afterwards, I decided I was done trying to get DC Classics that way.<\/p>\n
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Flash<\/strong><\/h4>\n![](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/retro\/dcuc\/7flash.jpg?w=640\")
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Flash is one of my all-time favorite figures in the line. It’s not all the figure, I suppose. I think the Flash has one of the best costumes in comics.* I’ve been a Flash fan ever since I was wee tot. That’s important, because this figure meets my expectations as a lifelong Flash fan. Mattel will be releasing a darker red & gold trim figure later this year and I’m tempted to buy it even though it’s not really accurate to any of Barry’s appearances.<\/p>\n
* – I like the costume so much, I’m starving for the variations: Reverse Flash, Wally West, Walter West\/Dark Flash, Black Flash. Heck, a Lady Flash would be cool too.**<\/em><\/p>\n** – That will never happen, I know.<\/em><\/p>\nFlash is one the figures where the Mattel Buck System\u2122 doesn’t negatively impact the final product. Flash required only a new head and then new lower legs and feet to create his trademark boots. Even with the shortage of new pieces, there are two nice touches on this figure: the tread on the soles of the boots and that the four wingtips (on his cowl and boot tops) are made of a soft, pliable plastic so they don’t snap off. Other than those, Flash is molded entirely in red with thick paint apps on the boots and face and a clean tampo on the symbol.<\/p>\n
Flash was the first figure to include a stand in the DC Classics line and came with no other accessories. I should take a minute to point out that I loathe the blue DCUC stands. Flash is a great example of why they’re inadequate. He features enough articulation to put him in a variety of cool running poses, but it’s not easy to balance him on the stand in hardly any of them.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nKid Flash<\/strong><\/h4>\n![](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/retro\/dcuc\/7kidf.jpg?w=640\")
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I don’t have much nice to stay about this figure. I placed him next to Hal Jordan hoping some of the tremendous amounts of cool Hal’s supposedly has would rub off. I’m just not a big fan of the buck. I’ve never looked into the 4H’s vision for this buck, whether it was intended to be this height or not. It doesn’t work for the modern late-teen Robin that it was first used on in DCUC3 or the early 20s Beast Boy it was used on DCUC10. Kid Flash is probably the best use of the buck, but it makes him an early Teen Titans version of Kid Flash. If a sixties Donna Troy, and pre-pubescent versions of Robin, Speedy, and Aqualad are in the cards, then I’ll be okay with it in the long run. But with Starfire, Cyborg, 70s Donna, and presumably Raven being in the line, the Sinestro buck might have been a better choice here so Wally could be his NTT height.<\/P><\/p>\n
On its own, the figure is a good sculpt, faithfully recreates the classic look, and has good articulation save the head, which can only swivel. And I do like it more when I look at it and think it bears a strong resemblance to Conan O’Brien.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nCaptain Cold<\/strong><\/h4>\n![](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/retro\/dcuc\/7cold.jpg?w=640\")
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You’ve seen this guy on the pegs right? For awhile, I think it was in TRU’s contract with Mattel that each store have 2 Captain Colds on the peg at all times. I never saw a TRU without two in any of my travels. But don’t think he was a pegwarmer because he was a bad figure! He was a pegwarmer because Mattel hasn’t been managing Best of cases well since they started doing them. Cold came packed two to a case in the first assortment of Wave 7, then one to a case in the second assortment, then he kept getting included in “Best Of” assortments until the stores could bear no more.* I don\u2019t know for certain, but it might not have been the best choice to include the old man in the parka over and over. Continue to Page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
* – I keep hearing about how All-Star Power Girls are going to pile. I don\u2019t see how as my Wal-Marts haven’t gotten in DCUC11\/12 because of their DCUC10 Power Girl glut<\/em><\/p>\nCaptain Cold was one of two all-new bucks in DCUC7. He runs a little shorter than the others, but as I said, he’s an old dude in a parka. The new sculpt featured a lot of little details like uniform seams, a unique belt, fluffy trim on the boots\/gloves, treaded boots, and his trademark snarl. The old school glasses aren’t removable, but they don’t need to be either. Captain Cold also includes his classic pistol which fits snugly in the holster.<\/p>\n
For his picture, we went old school with a pre-IAT photo I took back when I bought him. I love that comic even if it looks a little dated compared to what we do now.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nBig Barda & Big Barda with HAIR!<\/strong><\/h4>\n![](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/retro\/dcuc\/7bard.jpg?w=640\")
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Big Barda is a nice looking disappointment. First, she’s called Big Barda because she’s… big. The figure should be about an inch taller than it is. In a line of bucks, you could say that things like this happen, but she’s almost entirely made of new parts. There’s little reason she should have been produced at this height. Second, is the variant. Barda has two distinct costumes: the one depicted and a bikini costume. There could be a variety of reasons Mattel didn’t go for the bikini look, but it\u2019s real shame regardless because we ended up with one of the worst variants in the line – Barda without her helmet on. I’m ashamed I bought it.<\/p>\n
Despite the big picture drawbacks, the figure itself is decent. The armor gives us a level of detail found on few DCUCs and gives Barda a unique look while hiding most of her articulation better than a standard female figure. She’s comic accurate in either version, though it’d have been better if her helmet had been painted in gold to match the rest of her armor. Barda also included her trademark accessory, the Mega-rod.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nBooster Gold & Booster Gold<\/strong><\/h4>\n![](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/retro\/dcuc\/7boos.jpg?w=640\")
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While Barda’s variant represented a waste of a slot, Booster Gold’s variant was a decent use of a slot. The standard figure has Booster’s classic 80s look while the variant features his modern costume. The figures aren’t tremendously different. The modern Booster simple loses the collar and gets a wider blue area across his shoulders. He should also have blue gloves, as seen in the 2up photos, but the final product ended up with incorrect yellow gloves. I like having both, but I would have really liked to see Booster’s modern costume feature some of the ad-space and logos he sold as part of his suit (think Nascar driver) during 52<\/em>.<\/p>\nThe figure has a sharp metallic paint job on both versions and good articulation with full range on all his joints. As I said above, the only different piece between them is the wide collar. Booster also sports a pair of clear goggles. This goes a long way to making the figure look great. Booster and Beetle are light years ahead of DCUC5’s Black Lightning and Eradicator for that very reason.<\/p>\n
Booster also comes with Skeets. I’m not sure if he counts as an accessory. I’ve heard reports that some fans bought Booster and found Skeets glued to the figure, but that wasn’t the case on any of the ones I bought. He was easily removable, though since he’s attached to the clear yellow stand there’s not much you can do with him on his own. Classic Booster featured a regular Skeets while modern Booster featured a Skeets that opened to reveal a tiny Mr. Mind inside.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nOcean Warrior Aquaman<\/strong><\/h4>\n![](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/retro\/dcuc\/7aqua.jpg?w=640\")
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I have to tell you up front that I think this figure is great. I may lament it later when I don’t have a Mera or an Aquagirl II, but I think its funny now. If you’re not familiar, Aquaman wore this costume in a mid-80s mini-series. It didn’t really catch on other to serve as the inspiration for the black\/red version that Tempest would wear later. Still, this version of Aquaman reminds me that the line can be weird\/crazy\/cool sometimes when Mattel lets it.* <\/p>\n
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** – That will never happen, I know.<\/em><\/p>\n Flash is one the figures where the Mattel Buck System\u2122 doesn’t negatively impact the final product. Flash required only a new head and then new lower legs and feet to create his trademark boots. Even with the shortage of new pieces, there are two nice touches on this figure: the tread on the soles of the boots and that the four wingtips (on his cowl and boot tops) are made of a soft, pliable plastic so they don’t snap off. Other than those, Flash is molded entirely in red with thick paint apps on the boots and face and a clean tampo on the symbol.<\/p>\n Flash was the first figure to include a stand in the DC Classics line and came with no other accessories. I should take a minute to point out that I loathe the blue DCUC stands. Flash is a great example of why they’re inadequate. He features enough articulation to put him in a variety of cool running poses, but it’s not easy to balance him on the stand in hardly any of them.<\/p>\n I don’t have much nice to stay about this figure. I placed him next to Hal Jordan hoping some of the tremendous amounts of cool Hal’s supposedly has would rub off. I’m just not a big fan of the buck. I’ve never looked into the 4H’s vision for this buck, whether it was intended to be this height or not. It doesn’t work for the modern late-teen Robin that it was first used on in DCUC3 or the early 20s Beast Boy it was used on DCUC10. Kid Flash is probably the best use of the buck, but it makes him an early Teen Titans version of Kid Flash. If a sixties Donna Troy, and pre-pubescent versions of Robin, Speedy, and Aqualad are in the cards, then I’ll be okay with it in the long run. But with Starfire, Cyborg, 70s Donna, and presumably Raven being in the line, the Sinestro buck might have been a better choice here so Wally could be his NTT height.<\/P><\/p>\n On its own, the figure is a good sculpt, faithfully recreates the classic look, and has good articulation save the head, which can only swivel. And I do like it more when I look at it and think it bears a strong resemblance to Conan O’Brien.<\/p>\n You’ve seen this guy on the pegs right? For awhile, I think it was in TRU’s contract with Mattel that each store have 2 Captain Colds on the peg at all times. I never saw a TRU without two in any of my travels. But don’t think he was a pegwarmer because he was a bad figure! He was a pegwarmer because Mattel hasn’t been managing Best of cases well since they started doing them. Cold came packed two to a case in the first assortment of Wave 7, then one to a case in the second assortment, then he kept getting included in “Best Of” assortments until the stores could bear no more.* I don\u2019t know for certain, but it might not have been the best choice to include the old man in the parka over and over. Continue to Page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n * – I keep hearing about how All-Star Power Girls are going to pile. I don\u2019t see how as my Wal-Marts haven’t gotten in DCUC11\/12 because of their DCUC10 Power Girl glut<\/em><\/p>\n Captain Cold was one of two all-new bucks in DCUC7. He runs a little shorter than the others, but as I said, he’s an old dude in a parka. The new sculpt featured a lot of little details like uniform seams, a unique belt, fluffy trim on the boots\/gloves, treaded boots, and his trademark snarl. The old school glasses aren’t removable, but they don’t need to be either. Captain Cold also includes his classic pistol which fits snugly in the holster.<\/p>\n For his picture, we went old school with a pre-IAT photo I took back when I bought him. I love that comic even if it looks a little dated compared to what we do now.<\/p>\n Big Barda is a nice looking disappointment. First, she’s called Big Barda because she’s… big. The figure should be about an inch taller than it is. In a line of bucks, you could say that things like this happen, but she’s almost entirely made of new parts. There’s little reason she should have been produced at this height. Second, is the variant. Barda has two distinct costumes: the one depicted and a bikini costume. There could be a variety of reasons Mattel didn’t go for the bikini look, but it\u2019s real shame regardless because we ended up with one of the worst variants in the line – Barda without her helmet on. I’m ashamed I bought it.<\/p>\n Despite the big picture drawbacks, the figure itself is decent. The armor gives us a level of detail found on few DCUCs and gives Barda a unique look while hiding most of her articulation better than a standard female figure. She’s comic accurate in either version, though it’d have been better if her helmet had been painted in gold to match the rest of her armor. Barda also included her trademark accessory, the Mega-rod.<\/p>\n While Barda’s variant represented a waste of a slot, Booster Gold’s variant was a decent use of a slot. The standard figure has Booster’s classic 80s look while the variant features his modern costume. The figures aren’t tremendously different. The modern Booster simple loses the collar and gets a wider blue area across his shoulders. He should also have blue gloves, as seen in the 2up photos, but the final product ended up with incorrect yellow gloves. I like having both, but I would have really liked to see Booster’s modern costume feature some of the ad-space and logos he sold as part of his suit (think Nascar driver) during 52<\/em>.<\/p>\n The figure has a sharp metallic paint job on both versions and good articulation with full range on all his joints. As I said above, the only different piece between them is the wide collar. Booster also sports a pair of clear goggles. This goes a long way to making the figure look great. Booster and Beetle are light years ahead of DCUC5’s Black Lightning and Eradicator for that very reason.<\/p>\n Booster also comes with Skeets. I’m not sure if he counts as an accessory. I’ve heard reports that some fans bought Booster and found Skeets glued to the figure, but that wasn’t the case on any of the ones I bought. He was easily removable, though since he’s attached to the clear yellow stand there’s not much you can do with him on his own. Classic Booster featured a regular Skeets while modern Booster featured a Skeets that opened to reveal a tiny Mr. Mind inside.<\/p>\n I have to tell you up front that I think this figure is great. I may lament it later when I don’t have a Mera or an Aquagirl II, but I think its funny now. If you’re not familiar, Aquaman wore this costume in a mid-80s mini-series. It didn’t really catch on other to serve as the inspiration for the black\/red version that Tempest would wear later. Still, this version of Aquaman reminds me that the line can be weird\/crazy\/cool sometimes when Mattel lets it.* <\/p>\nKid Flash<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/center><\/p>\nCaptain Cold<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/center><\/p>\nBig Barda & Big Barda with HAIR!<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/center><\/p>\nBooster Gold & Booster Gold<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/center><\/p>\nOcean Warrior Aquaman<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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![](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/retro\/dcuc\/7beet.jpg?w=640\")
![](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/retro\/dcuc\/7atom.jpg?w=640\")
![](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/retro\/dcuc\/7all.jpg?w=640\")
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