GREEN LANTERN WEEK: Movie Masters GREEN MAN

**JeffSaylor** · 04-20-2011, 09:43 AM

Matty Collector exclusive takes being green to a whole new level...

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On Monday we started small with the Guardians of the Universe two-pack (read it HERE), and today we’re going the other direction to the massive Movie Masters Green Man figure! One of the coolest things about Green Lantern going all the way back to Hal Jordan’s introduction in 1959 is the science fiction element. As “space cops,” the Green Lantern Corps isn’t made up solely of humans, and often its members reach into the non-humanoid and beyond. From the vegetable to the mineral and even a sentient smallpox virus and mathematical equation, the alien species introduced in the GL stories are incredibly varied. Fortunately, the upcoming Green Lantern film will continue the tradition of including cool aliens. A number of them have been revealed already, most notably in the latest trailer that shows a wide range of alien beings at a Green Lantern convocation. One of those is the hero known as Green Man.

On Uxor the whole is dominant over the individual, and being unique is shunned. Thus it was for two different rebels who left Uxorian society to become a Green Lantern. Known only as Green Man, each has served the Corps with distinction. The modern incarnation was partnered with the robot Green Lantern Stel before receiving cybernetic upgrades and becoming an elite Alpha Lantern. The Uxorians of the comics are large humanoids with green skin covered in darker green blotches; they have no hair. For the film, Green Man has been reimagined as a hulking frog-like alien that’s only mostly humanoid. This Uxorian has a huge body with long arms, four paddle-like fingers, short reverse-articulated legs, stumpy feet, and a forward-jutting head under a large hunchback!

All of the Green Lantern Movie Masters figures come in specially designed packages that have some really cool elements. Central is, of course, a huge window through which you can see the individual Green Lantern, ally, or enemy. Around that is a hefty plastic outline reminiscent of the Green Lantern symbol with an insert of swirling green and black GL energy. Behind the figure is a huge GL symbol, further reinforcing the brand. Now, while the standard figures you’ll find on store shelves put all of that together on a tall cardback, there will be two Mattycollector exclusive releases in the line bringing you the largest and most powerful Green Lanterns.

Green Man (and most likely the future release of Kilowog) will arrive at your door in a sturdy outer box that has the figure’s name and the movie logo. Within, you’ll see that Green Man gets an oversized box instead of a card and bubble. The overall design is the same, but with the full box Mattel was able to create even more of that familiar shape with a great mix of angles and arcs. The back of Green Man’s box has the standard Movie Masters description along with a large image, brief bio, and statistical information on the mighty alien.

Green Man is big, real big. Standing 7 inches tall, this behemoth is in scale with the other Movie Masters figures! He’s an excellent example of an alternatively designed humanoid in toy form with an interesting body shape and unique limbs. The sculpt really helps sell the alien in Green Man. Besides being big and lumpy, the GL’s skin is entirely irregular with a bumpy texture. Limbs are bulky yet curvy, with unnatural shapes and a weird musculature that challenges the eye. Green Man’s unique hands have long and thick paddle-like fingers, and on the right hand is a great sculpted Green Lantern ring. His legs too are otherworldly with their conical feet ending it large padded “toes” like an elephant’s. Green Man’s head, really just a protruding face, is strongly frog-like with wide set round eyes, thick lips, and sagging jowl. Viewed from the side, the alien’s profile is profoundly angled from his forehead to his chin, with only nostrils to delineate his nose.

As with a lot of Green Lantern figures, Green Man might seem like just a whole lot of his namesake color at first glance. But, look closer and you’ll see a style and paint scheme all his own. The film’s Green Lantern uniforms incorporate various elements of their wearers’ physiology, but that’s no different from the comic books. Green Man goes beyond that to incorporate his own natural coloring and patterns into his uniform! Simply put, it looks like the alien’s uniform radiates out from his torso with dark green on his midsection and upper limbs. A bright metallic green extends up his chest, over his shoulders, and down his arms, while it also appears on his lower legs.

What’s really cool are all of the yellow-rimmed black spots on Green Man’s limbs, and the non-bordered bleed of uniform energy onto his bare hands and feet; these places are where the paint job really shines. Green Man’s head is a muddled drab green decorated with pale lips, a metallic green mask, orange eyes and nostrils, and a pattern of bio-luminescent spots.

Mattel is doing some interesting things with the Movie Masters in regard to articulation, including character and design-specific joints wherever possible. Green Man has a unique articulation scheme thanks to his shape and size. Starting from the top, he’s got a rotating face/head, shoulders, ball-jointed elbows, ball-jointed wrists, a ball-jointed torso, front-back and side to side V-cut hips, ball-jointed knees, and ball-jointed ankles. The number and type of joints is impressive, but you’ll find some limitations due to the design. Unfortunately, the hips end up looking a little weird when his legs are spread, but with the lower leg articulation you won’t have to in order to get him in cool poses. Overall for a large, bulky, and oddly proportioned figure Green Man has good poseability.

Green Man will be available exclusively on Mattycollector.com here for $25. That’s not bad for a deluxe 7 inch figure in this line with his level of quality. While we won’t know how much screen time the character gets until the film is released, the Green Man figure is going to be a mainstay of Green Lantern collectors with his imposing size. He looks great posed with “normal” GLs like Hal, Abin Sur, and Tomar Re. Stick around for our next review that takes a look at more of the Movie Masters figures, including a couple more of those alien Green Lanterns!

Review and Photos by Scott Rubin

Review Sample Courtesy of Mattel