Thursday, June 1, 2017

Review - Wonder Woman Diana of Themyscira and Steve Trevor DC Multiverse Figures by Mattel


Wonder Woman finally hits theaters this weekend and all signs point to it being a critical and financial success. After a rocky start it’s great to hear that the DC Extended Universe is on sure footing, especially with Justice League right around the corner. Mattel’s latest wave of DC Multiverse figures have been hitting for a while now so today I’m going to be taking a look at two of the central characters, Princess Diana (better known as Wonder Woman) and Steve Trevor.


Way back in 2006 Mattel released their first wave of DC Superheroes 6 inch action figures. They were DC’s answer to Toy Biz’s Marvel Legends, and a prototype to the DC Universe line that lasted for years. For a long time the DC film figures would fall under the Movie Masters heading, beginning with The Dark Knight in 2008, but in the last year or so has merged with the new DC Multiverse line. All of your DC Comics needs under one roof.


The PACKAGING of these guys fits right in with the rest of the DC Multiverse figures we’ve been getting for the last couple years. This time the front of the box has been branded with the Wonder Woman movie logo and has a great picture of the character in the box. On the back of the box, there’s not much personalization between the figures, but it does a great job of showing off the Collect & Connect Ares figure.  You also get a head shot of the other figures in the wave. This may be a Canadian/Multi lingual card thing, but they don’t have the character names under the figures just an item number. There is also a ton of text cluttering up the back of the box.


The SCULPTING on each figure is fantastic. Diana has a great likeness to actress Gal Gadot, and Steve Trevor’s likeness is even better. Diana’s eyes may be a touch too far apart, but I think she is still instantly recognizable. There are some really nice textures throughout her costume, and some awesome detailing on her bracelets. Her skirt is on the thick side, so it does limit her leg articulation somewhat. The hands are sculpted to work with her accessories, but the plastic is really firm so it’s difficult to get her sword in her hand.


Steve Trevor looks great as well. He looks exactly like Chris Pine. There’s lots of nice detail work throughout his sculpt, especially on his legs and boots. The coat has no texture to it really, so it does look a little plastic-y. His coat is a separate piece which helps sell its look, and allows for some added articulation.


Both figures have some excellent PAINT work. Whenever I’m picking out action figures, the first thing I look at is how well the eyes are painted. Diana’s eyes are excellent, even for maybe being a touch wide. Her makeup looks fantastic and isn’t overdone either. The one other thing I was a little worried about were her boots. It can be really tricky to keep the paint on all those straps clean but they did a pretty good job. I’ve got one rogue dot, but they aren’t a huge mess. The metallic colors on her costume look great, and I really like the gradient paint on her skirt. The one issue is the paint on her neck and chest is just half a shade different from her head and arms.


Steve has a couple extra little washes in his paint applications. His hair has a nice wash to give him that dirty blonde look, and another wash over his leg wrappings and boots. None of it is overdone and really helps sell the look of the figure. Steve’s eyes are great too, even though his left eye is a little wonky, it’s not that noticeable. The buttons on his coat are all nicely done, and his belt buckle is razor sharp. His neck is a little sloppy where it meets his sweater, but overall the paint is clean and consistent.


The ARTICULATION on each figure is your standard DC Multiverse fare. All the joints are really tight, which is always nice to see. Like I said earlier, Diana’s skirt limits her hips a bit but the break in the sculpt allows for some dynamic posing. Steve’s arms don’t work great with his shotgun, he can shoot from the hip but can’t hold it up into his shoulder. His ab crunch is a nice addition, but does really break up the sculpt. These guys both have single pin knees and elbows so you don’t quite get the same deep poses you can with a Marvel Legends figure. But it is well more than you get with old school DC Direct figures.


Each figure comes with character specific ACCESSORIES and some Collect & Connect pieces to build Ares. Diana comes with her sword and Lasso of Truth, and a single Ares piece. Steve comes with a shotgun and two Ares pieces. Diana’s sword looks great and has some intricate detailing throughout, and the lasso is made out of a rubbery material. Steve’s shotgun is alright but looks a little flat. Both Diana’s sword and the shotgun were slightly warped by the packaging, but can be easily straightened out. The Ares Collect & Connect pieces look great, I’m not sure how big he’s going to be in the movie but I would have liked them to be a little bit bigger.



OVERALL, these figures are a great addition to the DC Multiverse line. Excellent sculpts, tight articulation, and outstanding paint make the whole Wonder Woman series worth picking up to build a great looking villain. I’ve already got my tickets for tonight, and these have gotten me even more excited to check out Wonder Woman on the big screen!















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