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DC Universe Classics Wave 16 PART 2
Robin, Mercury, Azarel and C&C Bane...
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In our last review (see HERE) we took a close look at Jonah Hex, The Creeper, and The Riddler from Mattel's DC Universe Classics Wave 16. Today we’ll look at the remainder of the wave that includes Robin (Dick Grayson version), Mercury of the Metal Men, Azrael Batman, and the Collect -and-Connect figure Bane.
There is one variant in this wave to look for and that is of Robin, who comes in two different hairstyles reflecting different years. The Classic version has his hair parted. I went with the Modern version which has a look that I’m personally more nostalgic for.
Like all DC Universe Classics figures, these should be hitting your local retailers like Target already according to Mattycollector, but I personally haven’t seen any signs of them so I went the online route. These are starting to cost about double the price that they used to charge so don’t be alarmed when you see the bill. I’d suggest snagging them all up at $15 if you’re lucky.
The packaging for Wave 16 is an all-new design, reflecting changes requested by retailers (think Wal-Mart) for a slimmer and taller card. The changes were also done as a running change anyway as it is no longer the 75th anniversary of DC Comics. Either way, I think it’s a great look and direction for the line while using the familiar colors of DCUC past. The back of the card still features the familiar bio and stats and a look at the rest of the wave.
Handling sculpting duties are again the Four Horsemen who always do such an amazing job and kudos for Mattel for holding onto them for even this long. Collectors now have incredible high expectations on figures and they definitely deliver. Robin especially is a welcome sight as we’ve been wanting a classic version of this character for quite some time. Here, he’s a bit cheerful while crime fighting but fitting with the character. The variant uses the exact same body with a plastic cape.
Mercury of the Metal Men is a sarcastic looking character and looking at some of the source material, I can get a sense of what they were going for but I think his nose is a tad too big. It’s definitely a preference call but since artwork with normal sized noses exist, not an odd nit.
Azrael Batman is a great figure and quite complicated. Mattel could have easily taken the lazy route but instead, delivered a pretty unique looking figure. The heavy armor on the upper torso is a combination of soft and hard plastic and six harder bat wings down his back. It certainly makes it a more difficult figure to play with but it looks nice at least.
Lastly there’s Bane, a vast improvement over the previous attempt. Gone are the super posed leg stance thank goodness. What we have is a lean, mean villain you wouldn’t want to mess with. Bane sports a soft tank-top worn on top but it’s a completely separate piece from his actual torso. A green tube connects to the back of his head and down into his wrist.
Paint for mass produced figures are sometimes a hit and miss but for these DC Universe Classics, it’s mostly a hit. There ain’t much going on with Mercury as he’s all red, and Bane is flesh toned with a black outfit. Robin is also pretty basic while Azrael Batman is the more complex of this batch, he’s not overly complicated either. But what’s there is done well and that’s all we can hope for.
In the articulation category, some of these figures feature more articulation than others. Robin, for example, offers us double joints in both the elbows and knees. His wrist and heels also have double articulation but unfortunately with the heels, it doesn’t move in the ways necessary to create the best poses.
Mercury is much like Robin featuring the double jointed wrists, elbows, and knees, but makes use of the standard heel joint we’ve been accustomed to in DCUC. He also has an articulated torso but due to his chest plate, it’s severely limited.
Azrael Batman has double knees and wrists while everything else is standard. Bane is actually the most standard of this batch, but that’s perfectly fine too.
For accessories, there’s not much to get too excited about as each figure comes with a different Bane part, but at least Robin and Mercury come with a few things extra. Robin is packed with a batarang and a grappling gun. Mercury comes with an alternate left handed Scissor accessory that also opens and closes! Too bad for Azrael Batman, nothing is included but I suppose his armor is pretty cool. Bane also doesn’t come with anything but his tubing is removable.
DCUC 16 is another great wave from Mattel and I highly encourage everyone who’s made it this far to keep it up. Although with the prices going the way they’re going, I’m not exactly sure how much longer I can say that for.
Review and Photography by David Yeh
