DC Universe Classics Green Lantern Wave 1: Kyle Rayner

Seriously, how many DCUC figure come with big swords?  None.  None, except Kyle Rayner here.  But what's truly impressive is the amount of work that's gone into making sure a top notch accessory came out right.  And I guess that's all we as fans ask for: quality.  We don't need a bunch of crude constructs packed in with figures (though that would beat no constructs at all), we just need one; one with quality and that will excite our imaginations.  And that's just what (wrong as it sounds) Kyle's big sword does--Excite us!

Kyle is Figure 1 in Wave 1 of the DCUC Green Lantern Series.  I hear that the series will last all of 2 waves, but I have a feeling Mattel has more planned for our Emeral heroes and their enemies in upcoming DCUC spin-off waves. DCUC GL 1 is the first wave I pre-ordered in its entirety--I liked the characters, I liked the new articualtion, and I liked the Collect and Connect figure.  How could I pass it up?

Unfortunately, it's also the first wave I'm paying the new higher retail price for, having cherry picked in past waves and/or holding back till I found the figures I wanted for reasonable prices. This wave cost me S$35 (US$25) a figure, bringing the total to S$210 ($150).  But thanks to Vincent at Toyrealm, I managed to get 'em at S$30 (US$21.40) a piece!

So how did Kyle do as the first figure of the series? Well let's see!

Like: The great sword accessory, of course!  Just look at the detail they put on it.  Runes on the blade, hilt etchings, decorated gauntlet.  Just the right size too--huge!

Like: That he's got a different costume from the other Green Lanterns. Yet the differences are only slight--he's a shade darker green and his Green Lantern insignia is off center.  Along with a slightly more matte finish than the other GLs, the suit sets him apart from the rest of the GLs without being wildly different, and makes for less for a uniform and more of a costume.

Like: That even his Lantern insignia is different from the standard fare of green on white of most other GLs.  It's also Rayner's own unique design of it, with green on black with a white border.  He's also had a lot of costume changes and insignia changes to go along with them, but like the current costume itself, I think this Lantern badge makes him look like part of the Corp without being completely different.

Like: That what little paint he has on him is sharp, with especially crisp lines for his mask and hairline.

Like: That they used the old school sculpt for him.  I love the articulation on some of the newer figures like Black Hand and Wave 16's Robin, both of whom have double-jointed knees and elbows.  But these two do take a hit in the looks department as far as those joints go.  The double-joints just look too glaringly obvious on lighter tones like skin.  They'd probably be more hidden on a costume that has black parts like Kyle's, but I'm glad that he doesn't have those joints to spoil the overall aesthetics of the figure.  In this instance, I feel he doesn't really need the articulation.  That being said, I wished they'd fix the existing PoAs so that they'd work as intended, for example, the head...

 
Dislike: That the head ball joint has gone back to not being able to look up much.  The problem crept in when Wave 8 was released and heads were reduced to swivel-only movement.  In his case Kyle can look down and around without any problem, but can't look up at all.  It's a problem because the head is an especial articulation point for characters who can fly.  Even then, not being able to look up in shock as the entire Sinetro Corps swoops down an ya is kind of a bummer.  The poor guy wouldn't even know what hit him.








RATINGS

Aesthetics: 7.5/10 - Unique uniform that will make him stand out among the Corp, but side by side with other heroes, he seems a little dull.  the standard GL uniform sticks out better among the groups outside the Corps.  But all in all, a well painted figure, a great looking sword and lantern.

Poseability: 8/10 - He's just your regular DCUC figure with standard articulation. What makes the difference for him is the sword, and a real difference it is.

I also like that he's got nice and tight joints, especially in his legs and ankles.  Some of the figures from previous waves like The Joker I got have very weak leg and ankle joints.  If Mattel made an effort to correct this, then I say bravo.  And this certainly looks to be the case because I got the entire DCUC GL 1 wave and the joints of all the figures are consistently tight.

Fun: 8/10 - Swords are always fun.  That the sword also fits on any standard DCUC male fist is a big plus.  They could've just made it a big-ass sword but they came up with the idea of a gauntlet to hold it securely as well--this sure adds to the fun of posing ol' Kyle over here: who needs a shield when you can block with the same construct you're fighting with? ;)

Value: 8/10 - Great accessory, unique lantern, and Arkillo's big ass Right Leg.  Simple additions to go along with a new head with some new tooling for the mask and hair.  Again, the focus on quality (the sword, the new lantern) to go with what already works in the standard buck ad you've got yourself a decent deal for retail price.

Overall: 7.9/10 - Sure, he may not be everybody's favourite Green Lantern of Sector 2814, but he still ranks pretty high up there in the Green lantern Corps.  He's a must have to go along with Hall, Guy, and John.  The Four Musketeers of the Corp!

While there's not much to gush over about him except maybe his sword, there's not much they did wrong with him (the head movement) either.   If Mattel continues to produce this sort of quality as a baseline for future figures (like the Riddler), we'd have a very little to complain about.  That being said, Matty, please don't let it stop you from producing winners like Black Hand and Wave 16's Robin!

Get it? Get it?

(Hit the jump if you don't! Heh. ;])