DCUC Wave 10 Power Girl: The Odd One Out

That's what comes to mind for me first thing--she's part of the Superman "family" but doesn't wear the big red 'S'.  Instead she's got, well, literally nothing for a chest emblem.  Ok, not nothing...but rather two whole lots of nothing. :P

I had to get this figure loose on Ebay where not surprisingly, she's the most popular figure in Wave 10, more popular than even the sensationally accessory-laden clown prince of crime, the Joker.  That's based solely on price, where PG was the most expensive of the three Wave 10 figures I got (the other was Man-Bat).



I have to confess: the first thing I did when I got this figure was to compare her torso with the rest of the female figures I had from the line like Wonder Woman and Hawk Girl.  And it's no surprise that Power Girl's is a new sculpt which is bigger in two specific areas. Yup.  Perhaps the extra cost in molding a new chest prevented other nicer add-ons?
But despite being disappointed at the lack of accessories (other than the Imperiex C&C, which I'm kinda meh/blah about, mainly due to the size of the complete figure), I've been pleasantly surprised by the overall integrity of the figure's joints, especially the new thigh/hip swivel/hinges.  It could be just that the fig I got was nice and tight but I'd like to think Mattel has improved on the quality of the line, especially since they've hiked prices.  Still, tight joints mean tight poses, and that's where Power Girl shines.

Like: The face sculpt, viewed head-on.  Unfortunately beside looking all dolled up and pretty, she's barely got an expression from this angle, though her eyes have been painted nice and sharp and blue. :)


Dislike: The face sculpt, when viewed from the side. It's a little flat for my liking. What's worse is that she also looks she has no neck, giving her a little bit of a constipated expression.


Like: The sculpted folds in the boots, cape.  They also did a good job with her, um..."emblem."

Like: That her arms are nice and muscular without being to beefy.  We definitely don't want PG looking like a female body builder although I've read in some places that some fans think she should look that way. Not me.

Like: Her new leg joints, which don't have the hinge cut on the outside of her hips.  She looks more natural when posed in wider stances compared to the older heroine figures.

Dislike: That her left knee piece doesn't match her left thigh, giving the thigh swivel a really mismatched look.  As a result, my Power Girl looks like she's got a bow-leg.  Luckily I can hide it when posing her.  But it's obvious enough that you'll notice it if you look.  Some QC please, Mattel?

Dislike: That she has some blue paint marks on her thighs that I strongly believe rubbed off from her gloves during shipping.  After all,m I did get her loose. (And she flew halfway round the world to Singapore from the US.)  But those should come off with a little bit of alcohol.  If you're getting her in package, there should be no problem here.

RATINGS

Aesthetics: 9/10 - Power Girl looks great, make no mistake about it.  From the sharply painted facial features to the details in the sculpt and the seamless hip joints. They've done a great job, especially with how plain PG's costume is.  It's just too bad her face isn't a nicely done as Wonder Woman's or even Big Barda's.  Ya win some, ya lose some, I guess.

Poseability: 9/10 - PG shines here not because she's more poseable than the standard DCUC female, but because her legs look nice and seamless in poses.  With the new hip joints, she doesn't have weird joints cuts in her hips.  Also, with thinner limbs than the males, her joints are nice and tight so she can hold her poses without falling over.  That's always good.  Oh and get this--she's got extra boot-top swivels. Nice.

The downside though is that she, like all of the new figures after Wave 8, have lost their ball-joint ability in their heads.  Pity, because a flying character like PG could use it.  It also doesn;t help that her ab crunch is partially blocked by the piece used to attach her cape to her back.

Fun: 9.5/10 - I think it's always fun when you get a great female character in a male dominated line like DCUC.  Well, actually most action figures are male anyway.  That's all the more reason to get the females right.  It's also great to have a character like Power Girl because she's not a main main character, but she is vital to lots of storylines.  Take Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, for instance.  They needed her, er...assets in order to persuade the 13 year-old Toyman to find a solution to the Kryptonite asteroid about-to-crash-into-Earth dilemma. Heh. ;P

Value: 8.5/10 - Great as she is, PG's a little shy in the value for money department because she doesn't come with any accessories.  What would come with PG, you ask?  Well that's a tough one.  Alternate hands? Since both of hers are fists...Removable cape?  That would be nice, but not absolutely necessary.  But since when did an accessory have to be necessary to be included? :)

Overall: 9/10 - She's a highly sought after Walmart Exclusive, which makes her price high at the online stores and Ebay.  But do not fret, for she's slated to be released in a future wave as a "World's Greatest Hero" figure with a stand.  Get her then, cuz her price should be lower and they'll probably have worked out QC issues (hopefully.)  She'll also come with a stand! Woot! ;)