Action Figure #446: DC Direct Jericho

  Damn, those mutton chops ran outta style years ago!

 I don't remember if I mentioned it on this blog, but I've been reading the New Teen Titans... and through this little comic I met good ol' Jericho, Deathstroke's son! Being, what I feel, is a core part of the new Teen Titans, I needed his action figure!

 As with other DC Direct figures... they prioritized sculpt over articulation... and as far as sculpt goes, they knocked it out of the park. The yellows were painted gold, and the purples look metallic, which makes him stand out. He has his green-on-black eyes, which he had whenever he used his powers, which is a neat detail. His 'fro seems to have an orange wash. all in all, he is a good looking figure.

 But the articulation is a but limited. Legs go only back and forward, and while he has swivels on his feet, the feet are pre-posed, so it might be a bit hard to get him to stand and look badass. No waist swivel, and all his joints are single jointed. Y'know, par for the course. He is slightly shorter than Bucky Cap.

 He is a good looking figure of a rather obscure character. I honestly love how he came out, and he helps me complete my New Teen Titans team.... now I only need Donna...

7.5

Action Figure #445: DC Universe Classics Black Manta

  Oh, right... remember when Black characters had to had Black on their names?

 While Black Manta's villain name might've not aged the best, I feel like his design has! I've always loved Aquaman, and he's had one of the nastiest villains around.... I mean, Black Manta actually murdered his child! 

 So... I bought the guy used, so no accessories for me! But that won't detract from how good he looks. Sure, he is a basic black figure, but he was given a matte finish that makes him stand out from other DCUC figures, and the mask looks great on him.

 Same articulation as with other DCUC figures. Sadly, the head is NOT on a ball joint, so he can only look to the sides. The helmet makes him stand slightly over the Bucky Cap mold.

 A bit basic, but this is as much as you can get out of Black Manta's design. I like how he came out.

8.0

Action Figure #444: DC Universe Heroes Azrael Batman

  Just pure 90's Edge. I love it.

 If you grew up in the 90's you met energy Blue and Red Superman... as well as Azrael Batman. He was almost a clunky parody of the type of characters McFarlane and Liefeld used to draw! Be that as a it may, Azrael Batman is an interesting part of Batman mythos, so I love having this figure!

 Well, it probably wasn't easy, but they brought Jean Paul Valley's Batman into plastic life. He is not overly detailed, but a lot of interesting sculpting was done on the upper part of his body, mainly on the gauntlets and cybernetics. The upper part of his cape is made of a soft-rubber material BUT the wing-parts are made out of a hard plastic. I love the metallic colors on the upper part of his body. It's hard to explain, but as clunky as he looks... it's also kinda endearing.

 Articulation is about what you'd expect, but for whatever reason he has double-jointed knees. I don't know why they did him like this, but it helps pose him.... and you need the extra mobility, because the hard-plastic wings will get in the way. He is slightly taller than the Bucky Cap mold.

 This is as far as he can raise his arms due to the cowl. Pretty decent, if you ask me.

 I owned a few of Knightfall's and Azrael Batman's comics, so I like the guy out of nostalgia alone. That aside, I've been needing a 90's Batman to stand alongside my 90's energy Superman. I might've done the gold parts a bit less dull, but he is a good representation of Jean Paul's Batman.

8.0

Action Figure #443: DC Universe Classics Dove

  Sadly, no Hawk... for now.

 Well... I do know about Dove, but the male version. I had to learn about Hawk and Dove since Hawk made an appearance in the New Teen Titans! Anyways, I thought this heroine looked kinda nice, and she does appear in Death and Return of Superman.

 The bad news? It's the same ol' DCUC female buck. The arms are extremely thin and she looks kinda plain.... but, BUT, the sky-blue and white color scheme is very pleasing to the eye, and the red-lipstick breaks it up, without clashing with the rest of the ensemble, in a pleasing way. It's a figure I like to look at, at least.

 Same articulation as other DCUC female figures. Her white cowl does hamper arm movement a bit, but it's not too bad. She is a bit shorter than Buck-Cap.

 This is as far as she can kick forward. A bit... limited, but not awful.

 She is a bit of a plain figure, but she is pleasing on the yes. Now, I only need to get Hawk...

7.0

Action Figure #442: DC Universe Classics Man-Bat

  Move aside Owlman, Joker, this is Batman's true nemesis!

 Well, Man-Bat is a toy I was looking forward to a lot, since Man-Bat's animated Series' action figure was one of my favorites growing up. And this one is the proper upgrade for my adult self! 

 The sculpt on this guy is AMAZING, he looks fantastic. There's a lot of detail on his furry hide, and his wings are both veiny and translucent. The head-sculpt is particularly creepy, and this guy would look great on non-super hero displays.

 Alright, so the articulation is a bit different on this guy than on other DCUC figures. From the waist up it's exactly like you'd expect. The shoulders are a bit tighter than I would've liked, but other than that, you get both hand and bicep swivels as well as a hinged ab-crunch and a swivel waist. The legs is where it's a bit different. They don't move out to the sides, but rather, only forward and backwards. There are no swivels on the legs, BUT, there are two hinges on them. He can bit a bit hard to get to stand, but it's not impossible. He is much taller than Bucky Cap.

 He is not a perfect figure, but I love him a lot. He looks really nice outside a super-hero display, which is something I appreciate a lot, and he is an upgrade from a figure I had as a child, so bonus points for that!

8.5

Action Figure #441: DC Universe Classics Firestorm

 Seems like he is a bit of a hothead.

 Well... yeah, Firestorm is another DC character I know very little about. He probably tows the line between obscure and popular, being the most obscure among the popular characters, I'd say. Whichever the case, I needed him among my DC heroes.

 A Hero clad in yellow and red, related to fire, of course I love how this guy looks. Besides his amazing translucent firey head, he had a fair amount of work done on his chest, puffy arms and gloves. Some of the red pieces, like the neck, are in a much lighter shade than his limbs, but I think he looks nice enough. He comes with two effect pieces... but I bought him used, so I didn't get them, bummer, they look kinda cool.

 Articulation-wise it's exactly what you'd expect of the line. He is slightly taller than the Bucky-Cap mold.

 His forward-kick movement could've had a bit more range, but other than that, he is pretty dope.

 While I know little about the guy, I'd say he is a pretty solid action figure. He'll look really nice next to Ghost Rider!

8.0