Mattel SDCC DC Comics Exclusives Review

Mattel released a number of DC Comics-related exclusives at this year’s Comic-Con International: San Diego to showcase the release of the Suicide Squad movie and to commemorate Wonder Woman’s 75th Anniversary.

Mattel is offering fans one last chance at these SDCC DC Comics exclusives with an After-Party sale on August 15th, beginning at 9:00 a.m. on their collectibles website, Matty Collector. Quantities will be limited, so take a close look at the items below in order to make an informed choice ahead of the sale.

Mattel commemorated the 75th Anniversary of Wonder Woman with a Golden Age-styled 3 and 3/4-inch Wonder Woman action figure in her Invisible Jet. Note that it says “in” at the end of that last sentence as it does not appear as if the figure can be removed from the jet without significantly damaging it, even though the figure was individually molded.

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The Invisible Jet is a lightweight, but relatively sturdy clear plastic. It was constructed in two halves and then sealed together with the Wonder Woman figure inside. The jet does have a good amount of detail considering it is invisible, which is both good and bad. There is what appears to be a vent above the cockpit which makes it a tad difficult to get a good view of the figure’s face. It is by no means an integral part of the jet’s design, nor is it even on the version of the plane depicted on the box. It could have easily been scrapped, allowing a clean look at the figure inside.

That said, the figure itself, for what it is worth, looks well sculpted. It is the Golden Age look for the character with the shorts, small bracelets, and hair pushed back by the tiara. There is no Golden Lasso accessory, not that it would have any utility if it did, though it would have looked nice with the figure. The sculpt features about 10 points of articulation, including at the knees, hips, shoulders, neck, and torso. So, if one does opt to rip open the jet and take the figure out, it is one with good playability.

More importantly, for a collectible such as this, it comes with a sturdy clear plastic base. It is adjustable in both height and angle, so the Invisible Jet can be positioned as taking off, landing or in flight. The sides of the Jet each have a small notch so that the base attaches firmly to the plane.

Despite the fact that the figure is not removable and a bit of the Jet’s detail obscures the figure’s face, the Wonder Woman action figure with Invisible Jet is an apt commemorative piece for this iconic character. It makes a great, affordable display piece with a degree of playability, as well.

Additionally, Mattel offered an exclusive DC Super Hero Girls Katana action doll at SDCC this year. This remarkably impressive 12-inch doll is based off the animated DC Super Hero Girls series of animated shorts produced by Warner Bros. Animation and geared specifically towards girls.

The packaging itself is pretty ornate, and it is tempting to just keep the doll inside in its staged action pose with a sliding door on the box to reveal Katana and her arsenal behind it. But what kind of review would that make?

The Katana doll comes with multiple points of articulation, namely, at the knees, hips, elbows, shoulders and neck, as well as a set of interchangeable hands. The costume is well-crafted with the costume aspects made out of fabric and the individual samurai armor pieces molded out of hard plastic. All of which is removable, including a hand guard over the right hand, which can then be placed on the interchangeable hand.

The doll comes with a number of samurai-inspired accessories, including Katana’s sword (presumably, since this version is a high schooler, it is sans a soul) with a sheath, four shuriken, two sai, a tanto (short blade) with removable sheath, and a naginata (bladed pole weapon). Each accessory bears significant detail for such small items. The blades are vac-metallized with the handles given a rubber plastic cover to resemble leather. The tanto sheath comes with a string which allows one to loosely tie it to Katana’s leg.

All of this is supported by a nicely-detailed base for the figure. It comes with a nameplate that can hold the sword’s sheath, another thoughtful detail that this collectible is abundant in. The underside of the base is hollow, so the smaller accessories can be stored underneath when the base is placed on display.

The only downside to an otherwise amazingly well-designed figure is that the hand grips are too wide to hold the sai and shuriken. Granted, one can stick Katana’s finger through the hole in the middle of the shuriken, but that is hardly the appropriate form. The handles on the sai are just too thin to fit in Katana’s hands regardless of which way one tries to place the weapons.

It is a shame that with the clear amount of forethought that went into the design of this doll, they would let something as basic as holding the accessories slip through the cracks. The sword, tanto, and naginata all fit well in hand. Although, only firmly enough for display or demonstration purposes. Moderate contact with another figure or obstacle and they are likely to become dislodged.

The DC Super Hero Girls SDCC exclusive Katana action doll is a well crafted piece, melding the standard 12-inch doll with classic action figure features. Katana’s 12-inch size, rooted hair, removable costume pieces, interchangeable hands, enhanced articulation, and a multitude of accessories are truly the best of both worlds and will satisfy any collector of either style.

Finally, for Mattel’s DC Comics-related SDCC exclusives, is the DC Comics Multiverse Suicide Squad The Joker and Panda Man action figure two-pack. These 6-inch figures are based on designs from the Suicide Squad movie, in theaters now.

The duo come in “The Joker-O’s” cereal box-styled packaging. Keeping with the cereal box motif, the box has a Belle Reve Prison maze on the back and comes with a “free prize inside” in the form of a wearable Bat-mask. The front of the box does open to reveal a window pane, if one would prefer to display this set in the box.

The Joker figure depicts the character in his “boxer” outfit with purple trench coat. The sculpt of the figure captures the look of the character pretty spot on and the separately molded portion of the trench coat adds further dimension. The articulation count on The Joker is about 21 points. The only accessory for this figure is a gold chain, which the Joker can either wear or hold firmly in hand, as if he had just torn them off the neck of some wealthy Gothamite passing through Crime Alley.

The Panda Man figure appears to be some sort of henchman to the Joker in the movie. Despite being nothing more than a man in a panda suit, Panda Man is a beast of a figure. Very hefty for a figure of its size. And, best of all, the panda suit is flocked. Ever since Moss Man, from the original Masters of the Universe toy line, flocking has been greatly improving action figures and Panda Man is no exception. The flocking is well done, evenly coating the black portions of the bear costume.

The figure has an impressive amount of articulation, despite its bulk, with roughly 18 points. In addition, the figure does come with a rifle that fits firmly in both his and the Joker’s hand. Although, scale-wise, the rifle seems too small for either figure.

The two-pack also comes with a dual base shaped like a knife piercing the Bat symbol. Both figures can fit on it at once and there are additional pegs for varied posing. Any fan of the Joker from Suicide Squad is sure to enjoy the DC Comics Multiverse The Joker and Panda Man set.

In order to get any of the items reviewed above, head over to Matty Collector on August 15th, starting at 9:00 a.m. for Mattel’s SDCC exclusives After-Party sale.

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