DC Universe Classics Wave 12 – The Pros and Cons

And stay tuned, Buzzy Fret is going to have his review of Wave 12 right here on AFP pretty soon too. – Ron

Wha’?! Oh yeah, Wave 12!

That’s right true believers, with hardly a chance to catch our breath from Wave 11, DC Universe Classics Wave 12 has come crashing down on us like a big ole Action Figure Tsunami! And what an interesting Wave it is. This is the first DCUC Wave sporting the new 75th Anniversary packaging and Collector Pins and the last (for only a little while I hope) to have a Fourth World character in the line-up. Whatever your feelings about DCUC 12, it is packed with character(s).

I’ve been busier than a one legged man at a butt kickin’ contest since I got my DCUC 12 set from Enchanted Toy Chest (thanx, Scott!) so I’m just gonna hit some highlights and let y’all spend most o’ yer time enjoying the pics. 😉

Mary Batson

Mary is the 50/50 variant of DCUC 12 and can be had in her classic red or more modern white costumes. Mary is beautifully sculpted but unfortunately she’s not much good for more than vanilla posing.

Cons:

• Hair inhibits head movement
• Skirt inhibits most leg movement
• No ab crunch articulation
• Thick, stiff cape that is going to make her take up even more space on your shelf
• Face sculpt is not well liked by many fans
• Legs are kinda skinny

Pros:

• Nice tight joints
• Fists!
• Extremely good paint apps
• Besides the face and skinny legs the rest of Mary is very well sculpted

Sure she looks like a strange mix of cheerleader and drum majorette with a vacuous smile that says “perkier than a badger” but it takes a little more than fresh faced high school charm to win over the Buzzster. C’mon Mattel, if ya can’t make her poseable, then make her hawt! Bring on the Black Mary version. Now that’s a girl that makes a fellow stand up and shout; “Shazam!”

Eclipso

Based on the first Eclipso incarnation in the DC Universe, Bruce Gordon, Eclipso is good, creepy fun and screams to be posed like Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull at his emotive best.

Cons:

• Belt inhibits the torso waist swivel a little bit (I’m sure this varies)
• Facial Expression might be a bit over the top to some
• Black Diamond isn’t very diamond like

Pros:

• The twisted grin, warped features, pointy ears, expressive hands and bizarre costume will definitely add some life to your DCUC collection of stern smoldering stares
• The head/neck articulation restored with an impressive range of movement
• Amazingly sharp paint apps

Mattel and the Horsemen knocked Eclipso out of the park.

Dr. Mid-Nite

Another member of the classic JSA! The announcement of Chaz McNider’s inclusion to DCUC 12 without a variant of the modern version of Dr. Mid-Nite was greeted by many in the Fwoosh Multiverse Forum with the same enthusiasm they would a jab in the eye with a pointed stick. Personally, I wasn’t too broken up about it but in retrospect a modern Dr. Mid-Nite variant would’ve been much more welcome than a 2nd version of Mary Batson.

Cons:

• Mid-Nite’s head seems to sit a bit too low on his neck which inhibits a lot of articulation or it could be the neck peg construction that plagued the last couple waves
• The lower part of his tunic is made of thick, stiff rubber and hinders his hip articulation a bit

Pros:

• Very sharp looking and dead on accurate
• I really love the sculpt of his cape, it’s not as thick/heavy as the capes for Batman and Superman which cause those figures to topple backwards all too easy
• Hooty! Dr. Mid-Nite comes with Hooty, his “pet owl and crime-fighting assistant” hoo is well sculpted and has great paint apps
• Hooty’s arm gripping design is pretty nifty – once you have Hooty gripping Chaz’ forearm you can’t shake him off

Iron

The first member of the Metal Men hits DC Universe Classics! I think old Iron here has become the sleeper hit of the Wave.

Cons:

• The rubber overlay that gives him his Comic Accurate look kills the ab crunch articulation
• Wrecking ball attachment would have benefited from a poseable chain

Pros

• Rubber overlay nails his look
• Sculpting and paint apps give him a very realistic iron look
• Diecast Wrench and Wrecking Ball attachments! The Wrench works too – will be a boon to customizers needing an extra hand
• Getting Iron means more Metal Men are coming, like Gold in Wave 14

Copperhead

When I saw the prototype pics, I knew Copperhead was going to be bad ass and the production figure does not disappoint.

Cons:

• The overspray used to give a shine to Copperhead’s scales can freeze up the joints a bit
• Mask inhibits head movement
• Have read a few reports in the forums of Copperheads with loose floppy hips (the hips on mine are actually very tight)
• No tail, Cliff Francis will hate this figure because of that

Pros:

• Just look at him! What is there not to love about a guy in a snake get up like this?
• Another great facial expression to spice up your collection
• The mask!! It’s so cool looking

Copperhead and Eclipso are gonna liven up the party on your DCUC shelf.

Desaad

Now for our last Fourth World character in DCUC for the time being, Darkseid’s whipping boy; Desaad. Desaad is also the Super Powers tie in figure for the Wave and comes packed with a special edition ‘Super Powers” stand. Or at least he’s supposed to. Mine came with a plain, see through, light blue DC Universe stand. Boo. Like the Super Powers version, Desaad also comes with his Fear Siphon so that he may absorb the terror his victims feel as he tortures them.

Cons:

• In keeping with what seems to be the underlying theme in this Wave, Desaad’s articulation suffers for keeping him comic accurate. I’m sure it’s something Mattel and Four Horsemen had to struggle when designing these figures but I’m glad they chose to go with an accurate look. Desaad isn’t the kind of character that is known for super action poses anyway. He spends most of his time torturing, scheming, being killed by his boss and then resurrected by his boss.

Pros:

• A dead on interpretation of Desaad is necessary to a complete Apokolips/Fourth World display.
• If you don’t want him, he doesn’t come with a C&C part!
• Desaad’s Fear Siphon is wicked, fits him well and is easy to remove if you want to take it off
• Most importantly, he’s a very cool, well made figure of a sick, evil, little god.

The Spectre

The Spectre was the figure I was most excited about in DCUC 12 and even though it appears that something was lost in the translation from 2-up prototype to production figure, he’s still my favorite of the Wave. The Spectre is the 70/30 variant figure of the Wave with the variant being a glow in the dark version.

Cons:

• Hood seems to have shrunk and less dynamic when compared to the prototype
• GITD version is very bland in regular lighting

Pros:

• For MOC collectors – cool embossed skulls on packaging
• Nice subtle shading on the standard version to make his details pop
• Lighter cape like Dr Mid-Nite
• So cool to pose on flight stands with his hands outstretched as he judges the wicked

Darkseid

Finally! A Four Horseman sculpted Darkseid with a correctly proportioned head! If that wasn’t enough, he comes with his Motherbox and Desaad designed Killing Glove! There are no Cons here, just an individual decision as to whether or not you think he’s too big to fit in with your other DCUC Fourth World figures. Even if you think he’s too big, I believe you will admit the C&C Darkseid is still an awesome figure.

So that’s it for DC Universe Classics Wave 12. I hope it was informative or at least slightly entertaining. I hear that this Wave is still hitting hard at Wal-Marts and can be found from online dealers like Enchanted Toy Chest, Corner Store Comics, Big Bad Toy Store and Entertainment Earth.

Cheers!