If Mattel was trying to really go out with a ‘bang’ in their eighth and final series of DC Superheroes, they only halfway succeeded. This assortment should have been really strong from top to bottom to help build fan anticipation for DC Universe Classics - the upcoming expansion of this line. However, in classic big-toy-manufacturer fashion, Mattel managed to sour the awesomeness of Clayface, Catwoman, and the black-&-grey Bats by including some sub-par rehashes of old versions of The Joker, Nightwing, and Bruce Wayne-to-Batman. Pics and Reviews to follow.

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BATMAN

The Batman released in this series is pretty much just a straight repaint of the excellent Batman we got in the third series, save for one seemingly minor but really important alteration - he gets series 1 Bats’ belt. This smaller, slightly more flexible belt gives his hips a greater, freer range of motion, and it just looks more streamlined than the clunky, oversized belt that came on the series 3 figure. Fans who have been clamoring for a classic black and grey Batman won’t be disappointed by this release.

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BRUCE WAYNE TO BATMAN

Here’s where this assortment really takes a downhill slide. Mattel opted to include several releases from their old 2003 Batman line. The first of these is ‘Bruce Wayne to Batman’ - a gimmicky kids toy that features a poorly articulated Bruce Wayne with snap-on accessories to make him look like a weird, shiny blue armored version of the Dark Knight. The most frustrating thing about this figure is that his silly action feature doesn’t even work. The Bruce Wayne head is spring activated and ’sinks’ into the chest cavity, but there’s no mechanism by which to get it to stay there. So, keeping his ‘Batman’ head and cape piece in place is nearly impossible. And I have no idea what the Bat-themed dual spotlight thing is supposed to be… Sigh…

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CATWOMAN

Catwoman has long been one of the most anticipated figures from this line. She was unveiled as a prototype a couple years ago at SDCC, and since then we’ve been patiently waiting for her to finally make her way to retail. Now that she’s here, the wait seems worth it. The figure itself is outstanding, featuring a subtle retooling of the Batgirl body that has become the DCSH standard for a female sculpt. From her catlike goggles down to her trademark boots, this incarnation of Catwoman really captures the character. And Mattel didn’t short-change us on the accessories. She gets her trusty whip, her pet kitty Isis, her cute little removable backpack, and a string of stolen jewels. Good stuff.

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CLAYFACE

Mattel’s ambition with including Clayface in this line is admirable. The engineering of this figure is really impressive - the 4Horsemen managed to sculpt and design an imposing, superarticulated action figure of a character that is essentially just a giant lump of shape-shifting clay. Their work-around for this was to give the figure a solid torso and legs with classic DCSH style articulation, and then mold his arms in flexible rubber with internal wire guides to make them all bendy and malleable. It all came together nicely, and this guy looks great up on the shelf!

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THE JOKER

This Joker is another of the aforementioned re-releases from the 2003 line. His articulation is limited, especially in the legs, and he is ridiculously out of scale with other DCSH figures, being considerably shorter and smaller than he should be. He comes with a bevy of semi-cool accessories - a gas mask, a squirt gun, a backpack, and his big green oversized mallet, but none of that really makes this figure worth picking up. Hopefully we’ll get a new, better Joker at some point in the Classics line.

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NIGHTWING

Nightwing is the final figure in this wave, and just like the Joker, he’s a rehash from that old line. And, also like the Joker, I find myself waiting for a new version of this character in the Classics line. Again we see limited articulated, and his sculpting/style just really doesn’t fit in with the rest of DCSH. He gets one, just one, of his trademark batons and some kind of weird Nightwing logo shield thing. Eh. This figure’s a pass unless you’re just a huge fan of the character and you missed the first release of this figure.

Tags: Batman, Bruce Wayne, Catwoman, Clayface, DCSH, Joker, Mattel, Nightwing

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