“Birds gotta fly, and fish gotta swim.” Truer words have rarely been spoken, even if in this case it pertains to Atlantian Kings and winged Neanderthals. Mattel has just released their 2nd series of DC Universe Classics vs. Masters of the Universe Classics (DCUC vs. MOTUC) 2 packs, and this time the battles are fought in the sea and in the air. While we already collect both lines (cause we have a serious addiction to toys), the repainted figures appeal to us, while the availability of MOTUC figures on store shelves appeals to collectors not yet willing to brave the monthly Mattycollector.com sale days. Aquaman vs. Mer-Man & Hawkman vs. Stratos make up the 2nd series, and offer up 4 really nice figures that are exclusive to Toys R’ Us.
All 4 of these figures have been previously released through their respective lines, but there are a few differences in the paint department. Since there’s no real sculpting or articulation differences, we’re gonna keep this review short and sweet. Of course, by “short and sweet” we mean “we took a bunch of pictures, cause we don’t mind seeming lazy”.
The packaging is the same as series 1, with the blister bubble being made to look as if the two packages are being smashed together. Behind each character is a generic scene of clouds and sky, or clouds, sky, and water depending on the pack. The artwork for the characters is definitely not on par with series 1, but Mattel has stated that they’ll be working with DC Comics to have the quality of the artwork upped in future releases.
Mer-man is the biggest departure, having his skin painted a nice shade of blue to match his original mini-comic appearance. His sword has been painted to match the figure, and his overall look is different enough that when compared to the original MOTUC Mer-man, he can practically be passed off as a new character. The shades of blue, coupled with the yellow armor really make Mer-Man stand out as our favorite figure of the bunch.
Aquaman is the same figure as the original from DCUC Wave 2, but with a lighter paintjob on his scaled shirt, and the addition of a gold belt instead of the glaring yellow. He comes with his trident, and it has the same paint scheme as it has the previous 2 times it’s made its way onto shelves as an accessory. With his first release being rather pricey and rare, Aquaman is definitely a selling point for this set.
Stratos has managed to get reversed colors on his backpack and wings (that are mercifully not glued permanently at his wrists), but otherwise is the same as the original MTOUC release; including his utter lack of accessories. His jet pack and belt employs two shades of red to really bring out the detailing, and help to make this monkeyman worth your hard earned dollars, even if you have the original.
Hawkman is the hanger-on of the bunch. While his figure stayed on the racks for a while upon first release, it has been a while since we’ve seen him. Of course, the lack of any new paint apps really hurts the need to own another figure of Carter Hall; but, the same could be said for DCUC vs MOTUC series 1’s Superman figure… and it was said. A lot! It’s bound to happen though when two “themed” characters are being placed together. We mean, c’mon, it’s not like there are a plentiful supply of DC heroes who have giant feathered wings right? Okay, maybe there is, but they haven’t gotten the DCUC treatment yet. Hawkman comes with his mace, and his massive wingspan.
While these 2 packs don’t have the heavy hitters like Series 1, they’re still solid sets. The repaints of Mer-Man and Stratos are obviously gonna be the selling points of the packs; but, don’t count out Aquaman since he is on more than a few DCUC collector’s Want Lists. These are starting to hit TRU shelves right now, and have appeared on the toysrus.com site for all of you that aren’t near brick and mortar stores.
You might be wondering if Mattel is gonna be bringing out any more of these DCUC vs MOTUC 2 packs in the future, and we’re here to say “yes”! A photo has been released recently of an upcoming Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) vs. Zodac pack, so that takes care of the space battle. However, these puppies come out in pairs, so who’s gonna be in the other 2 pack? Nobody knows, but we’ll do our best to find out as MTV Geek covers The 2011 American International Toy Fair next month!
Related Posts:
Our Back-Breaking Review Of Mattel's DC Universe Classics: Bane Figure
REVIEW: Masters Of The Universe Classics King Grayskull
--
Discuss this story in our Toys forums! Follow @MTVGeek on Twitter and be sure to "like" us on Facebook for the best geek news about comics, toys, gaming and more!
