{"id":6121,"date":"2010-06-09T04:34:39","date_gmt":"2010-06-09T09:34:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=6121"},"modified":"2012-04-16T03:55:01","modified_gmt":"2012-04-16T08:55:01","slug":"dcclassics-com-retro-review-wave-3-solomon-grundy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=6121","title":{"rendered":"DCClassics.Com Retro
Review: Wave 3 – Solomon Grundy"},"content":{"rendered":"

As we work to make DCClassics.Com<\/a> a complete review archive, we occasionally have to turn back the clock and review figures that were released before IAT was founded. This week, we’re taking a look at the third wave of DC Classics, the Solomon Grundy wave. I pieced Grundy together in late 2008 at a time when I wasn’t very happy with the line overall. In “favorite wave” polls, I usually see this one ranking high, if not first, in the results. I always find that funny, because Wave Three almost got me to drop the line.<\/p>\n

When DC Classics was announced I was as happy as every other DC fan that the DCSH line was not only going to expand to the full DCU, but would include larger figures through a C&C system. Some of that excitement faded after the first couple waves though. Partially, because I wasn’t very happy with Metamorpho or Grodd and partially because I had to piece together the waves slowly – I couldn’t strike the motherload and grab the whole wave at once. And sometimes when I did find them, the quality control, or lack thereof, forced me to leave them behind. While I was excited to have Firestorm, the Electric Supermen, and the best figure of Aquaman by any company, I just wasn’t feeling good about the line’s future. None of the wave three characters were favorites and combined with delays and the hassle, I was quickly losing interest. I told Vault and Rant, on more than one occasion, that I was done.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, images of future figures like Wonder Woman and Cyborg combined with the desire to “have them all” and I stayed in, for good or bad. I’m happy I did because some of my favorite figures of all-time are in this line. But wave three still mocks me, though for a very different reason, which I’ll get to after we take a look at the figures.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Green Lantern Hal Jordan<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Hal Jordan is the reimagining of the Golden Age Green Lantern crimefighter into a galactic policeman. Hal was a fearless test pilot that received a ring because he was closer to his dying predecessor, Abin Sur, than other candidates. Hal\u2019s had his ups and downs – and a few laterals – since then, but in the last few years he’s returned as the title character and is back doing what he does best, living the fanboy\u2019s ultimate dream: flying futuristic jets, scoring babes, looking good, and weilding one of the most powerful weapons in the universe. <\/em><\/p>\n


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

Didn’t I just review Hal Jordan<\/a>? Man… he\u2019s everywhere! This is the first of his four<\/strong> DC Classics figure and for many is the one they’re using in their displays. This deco is Hal in his primary outfit from his heyday in the late 70s and early 80s before he was cancelled, aged, crazed, depressed, killed, resurrected, and ultimately, rebirthed.*<\/p>\n

* – Ewww.<\/em><\/p>\n

The figure utilizes the standard male buck, requiring only a new right fist (w\/ ring) and a new head sculpt. The head sculpt is nicely done. Its molded skintone prevents it from being as nice as DCUC2’s Aquaman, but the sculpt is there regardless. This figure looks like trademark Hal Jordan to me. He’s determined, focused, and ready to punch everyone you know with a giant green first. That’s part of what he does best too. Hey, creativity wasn\u2019t a strong suit, okay?<\/p>\n

Paint wasn’t quite up to the par on early waves, but Hal doesn’t suffer too much. His lines are crisp, it’s just that the black pieces painted green don’t quite match up with the molded green pieces. And, as you can see in the photo, his lantern tampo looks good, it just needs to be a little more level and centered. On my Hal, his ring is painted in a metallic paint, while Vault’s and Rant’s are painted in a dull green (more on that later\u2026).<\/p>\n

Hal also included a lantern accessory because, at that point in the line, almost everyone got at least one accessory. It’s a good sculpt, but it\u2019s not my favorite. It’s one of the few times that I prefer a DCD item to DCUC. I think that the Four Horsemen had an older lantern design in mind when they made it. I’m more familiar with the modern design with a larger center and smaller lenses. It’s a good sculpt, just not my cup of tea. It would probably help if Mattel made it emerald, like the 2up’s, and not bright pearly pea green.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Sinestro<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Sinestro is Hal\u2019s main bad guy, or at least he used to be. He\u2019s questionable nowadays. He\u2019s been revised a few times over the years because his popularity is connected to Hal\u2019s, which has come and gone depending on the decade. He\u2019s a banished GL, control freak, and general thorn in the GLC\u2019s side. Currently, Sinestro is the patriarch of his own yellow lantern corps.<\/em><\/p>\n


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

Sinestro could’ve been a contender. I like his head sculpt and he’s got molded details on his collar, belt, gauntlets, and boots. He even has a unique buck to suit his body type. But, somewhere along the line, that body was shrunk and we were left with Shrimpnestro. On the plus side, Mattel wised up and is using this buck for older teens and Desaad, but it has still put Sinestro on a long road of disappointment. It’s been two years and we’re still no closer to a much needed apology figure. Mattel’s even intentionally making an awful GL Sinestro (no mask, tiny head on the regular buck) that they expect us to buy as part of a very flawed 5-pack. Hopefully, someday, we’ll get a proper Sinestro. I only need it in his yellow SC diggs, but I’m sure many classics fans would like to see his old school costume redone as well.<\/p>\n

Sinestro was available in both costumes the first time around, though I\u2019m not sure which was rarer, and both figures look good when not placed next to other figures. Paint was an issue for me on the Sinestro Corps version. You can see in the picture the fuzzy lines and the extra dollop of paint on the shoulder – but I was lucky – mine has a clean tampo for the symbol. Sinestro also included a lantern accessory based on an early design for his corps (later comics would depict it as a regular, albeit yellow, lantern). I like the design here, but again Mattel chose to cast it in a weird pearlized color instead of matching the color the 4H sent in. Continue to Page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Nightwing<\/strong><\/h4>\n

It\u2019s grown up Robin! But everyone knows that, right? Dick Grayson’s trapeze artist parents were murdered and he was left an orphan. He was taken in by kindly Bruce Wayne, let it on the secret, and provided much needed optimism in Batman\u2019s life. Robin got tired of the sidekick bit and struck out on his own as Nightwing in the 80s and his costume got continuely cooler until it arrived at this version in the 90s. Currently, he\u2019s Batman. It’s cool.<\/em><\/p>\n


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

Yes, I couldn’t find one of his batons. I know. But I’d put off this review for long enough, so I forged ahead with one baton. I’m sure it was in the parts\/accessory box, but I didn’t want to dump it out. Moving on…<\/p>\n

Nightwing is one of the better figures in this wave. He utilizes a standard buck, but with a unique head, forearms, and lower legs. He also has a clip in his back to hold the batons. The head sculpt is another home run, but it would have been better served painted instead of having molded skin. The details on his arms and legs are all that’s needed to make this figure accurate in terms of design. Nightwing had a clean, simple costume and the figure reflects that. The paint is similarly low-key, just the large blue symbol across his chest and down his arms. It’s surprisingly clean and looks sharp. The base figure is a mix of glossy and flat plastics, but sadly not always in the right places (more on that later). Finally, Nightwing includes two batons. Just not mine.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Robin<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Hey, this guy\u2019s Robin too! Tim Drake is the third Robin after the second one died (he got better, sadly) and has been a great Robin for most of his publishing history. He deduced Bruce\u2019s double identity on his own and wormed his way into the role. Two things to really like about Tim was that he kept his personal life in good balance despite crimefighting (until recently when unnecessary death became a past time at the DC offices) and he was tech savvy. You really got the idea that he would be a good future Batman, except that he never wanted to grow up and be Batman. He’s currently Red Robin.<\/em><\/p>\n


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

This review is really hard on me. I don’t usually buy things I won’t like, and as such, I don’t really have to write “bad” reviews. But, to be upfront, I don’t like this figure either. See, I really was almost out! It’s not the figure’s fault per se, the sculpt is accurate and uses a new, if undersized, buck as the base model. The problem here is the awful costume. I didn’t like it on TNBA and I didn’t like when they brought it into comics in “One Year Later” (though, some of that could be Robinson’s awful, awful writing in those first OYL issues). Worse still, this figure has been repainted into the ‘classic’ Robin III costume where it’s nice details make it rather off-model for the costume I actually want this figure in.<\/p>\n

Anyway, anyway, the figure is fine! I do wish it were taller since it’s representing the older OYL Tim Drake, but it would work for a young one. I really like the belt and clasps and he is a fun figure to play with, quality control aside. I had no paint issues with the figure, but the neck articulation is hindered by the tall collar on the cape. Robin also included his trademark bow.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Deathstroke<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Slade Wilson is like an evil Captain America. He was a veteran that took a super-soldier forum and became\u2026 a mercenary for hire, the Terminator! (Deathstroke was added later). Anyway, he ran afoul of the Titans because his kids just kept dying around them and he was intent on making them pay for it. His mad on for the Titans pretty much extends to any team bearing the name, even if the roster wouldn’t know his kids from Adam. He\u2019s also known to be heroic given the right circumstances or a complete bastard depending on the writer. It\u2019s complicated.<\/em><\/p>\n


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

Deathstroke, if he were in any other wave, would be one of the greatest figures in the line. He has a ton of unique detail. There are only a handful of reused pieces because nearly everything needed a telling detail. A lot of love went into Deathstroke and it shows. In addition to the new pieces on the figure itself, Deathstroke also includes a bandolier, staff, rifle, handgun, and a sword – and here’s the best part, all of it stores on the figure! I love when that happens. Deathstroke was also available with a variant unmasked head, which also happens to be one of the best sculpts in the line too.<\/p>\n

But Deathstroke was in Wave three. His paint isn’t always where it needs to be. His rifle is super soft. And he’s got some issues with the plastic used to make him, but more on that lat… wait… it’s time! Continue to Page 3…<\/a><\/p>\n


\n

<\/p>\n

Quality Control<\/strong><\/h4>\n


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

The “you’re contaminated” joke might have not made sense until you see the above picture and no, that’s not just dust. Mattel has had some serious quality control problems with the line over the years. In my opinion, the two biggest where the stuck\/tearing hip joints on DCUC5 and the early 2pks and the low grade plastic used on this wave. You can’t see it in all my pictures, but the soft plastic parts all of my Wave 3 figures are decaying in some fashion. I chose Deathstroke for the close-up because he’s the worst, but this same white powder can be found on the knees, elbows, and upper hips of nearly every figure in this wave. Mattel switched factories, so you should only be affected if you bought the figures early on, like I did. My two variants are not affected (thus, Slade’s quarantine of his non-variant self up there), so what makes them different? Well, everyone at IAT pooled their wave three figures and we found a common theme in the footstamps. None of the figures ending in “CL” have any white powder on them, but all of the figures ending in “OB” do. Now, this is just based off our relatively small sample and if you have a CL figure exhibiting the white dust, write in and let us know.<\/p>\n

There are some good figures in this wave, buy honestly, my recommendation is to pick up a secondhand Grundy from another collector or eBay and grab the All-Star releases of these characters<\/strong>. Hal, Nightwing, and Robin have all been reissued. There are “CL” versions of these guys, but with the paint issues, the All-Stars are simply a more attractive option if you’re trying to play catch up. Ideally, there will be a Sinestro apology figure and that will leave Deathstroke as the one figure Mattel needs to reissue. If you just can’t wait or don’t have hope that will happen, there are “CL” Deathstroke’s out there – Vault has one. You can’t see the footstamps in package, but you could always buy loose and choose wisely.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Solomon Grundy<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Golden Age Golem. Silver Age Zombie Hitman. Modern Age Mess. Grundy was originally a guy that died in a swamp and over time was reanimated into a swampy golem that ran afoul of the GA Green Lantern. He would die and get reanimated, so Alan Scott just got in the habit of leaving him on the moon after he caused trouble. Fun. In modern times, his origin has been tweaked endlessly. He’s been a failed Swamp Thing. He’s been a pedophile chased into the swamp by a mob and beaten. Geoff Johns decided to make him a suicide. Also, sometimes he’s a cold, calculating dude and other times he’s a mindless zombie. Basically, he’s a lower tier villain that writer’s use without doing much research. Oh, and he was born on a Monday…<\/em><\/p>\n


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

Solomon Grundy wants pants too. At least that’s how Adult Swim forever ruined the character for me (in a good way). Grundy is an all-original sculpt that is, in my opinion, a little too big. I like that he’s massive, and if you have him hunker down, it’s not as bad, but I don’t think he should be that much taller than the regular figures. He’s likely been depicted that big a couple times because comic books are funny like that.<\/p>\n

The sculpt is great with tons of little detail throughout – the buttons, shoelaces, tears, flaps, etc. The Four Horsemen really outdid themselves on this one and, even better, the paint lives up to their sculpt. He’s a great figure and if you like him big, you should be perfectly happy with him. Despite being a unique figure, Grundy has the standard articulation and everything is in good working order. His-ab crunch doesn’t really do much under the plastic coat, but it’s there. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In Conclusion…<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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

Overall, I’m glad I stayed in the line even if Wave 3 is kicking my ass and making me want\/need to re-buy the figures as All-Stars later even though I’ve yet to do it. The Four Horsemen’s underlying sculpts are excellent and if I’d bought the reissues of the three available so far, they’d all probably pass with flying colors (well, maybe not shorty Robin). The paint work is sloppy, but the cheap plastic is what really puts the final nail in this wave’s coffin. Thankfully, Grundy appears to be immune – his softer plastic parts are free of the fine white dust even two years later. That’s great, because he’d be the hardest to replace and would probably further sour me on this wave. Mattel did okay with DCUC3 and they’re willingness to switch factories helped keep the line in fan’s good graces, but we still need that apology Sinestro figure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As we work to make DCClassics.Com a complete review archive, we occasionally have to turn back the clock and review figures that were released before IAT was founded. This week, we’re taking a look at the third wave of DC Classics, the Solomon Grundy wave. I pieced Grundy together in late 2008 at a time […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":5484,"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":[560,564,40,561,563,562,327],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/dc4TN.jpg?fit=50%2C50","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pObc6-1AJ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10149,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=10149","url_meta":{"origin":6121,"position":0},"title":"DCClassics.Com Sortable Checklist Added","date":"November 16, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"In IAT's ongoing efforts to update and expand the DC Universe Classics Checklist at DCClassics.Com, I've added a new page with a text checklist. I can hear you now... \"text is so 2000s, Noisy\", but there's more. This new checklist includes C&C information, accessories, and release dates, but the best\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DCClassics.Com"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1474,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=1474","url_meta":{"origin":6121,"position":1},"title":"Truetorial: A Wave of Doubt (DCUC12)","date":"September 10, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Toy collecting can be a strange endeavor for me. Sometimes I love it and sometimes I hate it. I imagine there are a variety of factors involved. There\u2019s the joy of finding the latest stuff, usually after a fair amount of frustration caused by not finding it up to that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DCClassics.Com"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2876,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=2876","url_meta":{"origin":6121,"position":2},"title":"Matty on Facebook: DC 2010 Packaging","date":"December 17, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Matty:\"Hey DC toy fans! As we get close to 2010 we wanted to reveal the all new look for DC Universe toys from Mattel! Every DC Universe Classic and Infinite Hero figure in 2010 will be in an all new package which will include a DC 75th collector button featuring\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DCClassics.Com"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2825,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=2825","url_meta":{"origin":6121,"position":3},"title":"DC Classics Wave 13 – Retailer Images","date":"December 15, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"BBTS has placed Wave 13 sets and singles up for pre-order as well as providing images of the figures. I've grouped the images together below and resized them evenly, but scale may not be accurately represented. I have one nitpick that I have to point out. For Superboy, I hope\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "DCClassics.Com"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2789,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=2789","url_meta":{"origin":6121,"position":4},"title":"Retro Review: DC Classics Wave 5 (Metallo)","date":"December 14, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "DCClassics.Com"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15233,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=15233","url_meta":{"origin":6121,"position":5},"title":"Mattel Announces their 2012 DC Line: “All-Stars”","date":"November 7, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Reminding us that the \u201crebranding\u201d of the DC Universe Classics line is coming all too soon, Mattel has announced the names and shown the first images of initial wave of the new line. I\u2019m not trying to be negative, but I\u2019m not that impressed, by the name or the character\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\/6121"}],"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=6121"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6121\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18039,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6121\/revisions\/18039"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}