DC Unlimited GOD OF WAR Series 1

[JeffSaylor]

The Ghost of Sparta returns, but this time he's not alone...

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DC Unlimited's God of War Series 1 is IN-STOCK now at BigBadToyStore.com. For a great selection of other great video game action figures and collectibles, check out BigBadToyStore.com.

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The God of War franchise has revolutionized gaming in many ways and the game’s vengeful protagonist Kratos has become a worldwide video game icon. While several great collectibles of Kratos have been produced, video game fans have been yearning for other characters from the God of War games. Now thanks to DC Unlimited, fans receive not only a new version of our main hero Kratos, but a trio of additional characters, including Zeus, Hercules and Hades. Today we take a look at this brand new figure collection for your viewing and reading pleasure.

PACKAGING: The new God of War collection comes packaged in square clamshells of varying sizes dependent on each character’s dimensions. While this assortment consists of characters from the third installment of the God of War games, the indication of this assortment being Series 1 hints at possible additional figures in the future. The artwork on the package while cool looking, is not anything out of this world as it is made up of several existing illustrations from God of War strategy guides.

SCULPT: The sculpting on each individual character varies significantly from downright awesome to rather mediocre. The almighty Zeus and the god of the underworld Hades are the most impressive figures in the assortment, both featuring an extensive amount of sculpted details. Hades is the most complex of all the figures as most of his body is covered in gaping wounds with a plethora of black spikes protruding out of most of them. Hades also features a removable helmet which conceals his hideously deformed head and exposed cranium. His removable hook weapons can also be placed on Kratos’ hands as an added bonus.

The Hercules figure includes the iconic and powerful Cestus gauntlets which are beautifully rendered in three-dimensional form however, the actual Hercules sculpt is a bit bland in terms of detail and overall look. I was personally not a big fan of the ugly battle helmet that Hercules wears in the game and was relieved to find out that the hideous thing is removable allowing you to display the figure sans helmet. While collectors may not be very excited about this figure, DC has cleverly made the lion-headed Cestus gauntlets removable allowing them to be placed firmly around Kratos arms as well.

The Zeus figure is beautifully sculpted and looks exactly like he appears in the video game. The figure is posed in a lightning-hurling battle stance that is very dynamic in nature. Zeus includes two translucent blue lightning orbs that can be placed in each hand. While the orbs are a nice added touch to the figure, the pieces do not attach easily to the hands which could have been easily corrected if they would have been able to peg snuggly into each palm.

Sadly, the Kratos figure is the most disappointing of this entire wave. Kratos comes in a battle-ready crouching pose with Blades of Exzile in hands which could have been a great thing but sadly the overall details on him are rather plain and his facial expression looks horrible. The only good thing about the Kratos is the fact that he can hold Hades’ hooks, the Cestus’ or Blades of Exile in his hands.

PAINT: In my opinion, the paint applications on the God of War figures are a bit lacking and rather plain looking. This is was a series of figures that I was looking forward to a lot and with DC Unlimited's track record on their World of Warcraft figures; I expected a much better paint job. The God of War Series 1 collection had the potential to be great but the final paint apps and decos on each figure are nothing more than satisfactory. The best looking parts on these figures are the weapons which significantly stand out on each character.

ARTICULATION: From the very first moment I saw these figures on display at the DC Direct booth at last year’s Toy Fair, I knew that the figures were going to be mostly static with minor articulation. It seems that the reason for this assortment’s delay in being released was a result of cutting costs on production and that a lot of tooling was sacrificed as a result. This is evident in the cut lines visible in the group shot on the back of the package which shows waist articulation on Hades and Hercules and swivel necks on all except Zeus. The bottom line is that while the articulation was extremely limited from the beginning, DC decided to remove even more movable joints before the line went into production thus resulting in a series of plastic statues and not figures. The articulation on the God of War figures is the following:

Kratos: swivel waist, swivel wrists, swivel thighs
Zeus: swivel thighs, swivel arms
Hercules: swivel biceps
Hades: swivel biceps

OVERALL: While there are several issues with the new God of War figure series, it still has its strong points in terms of the interchangeable weapons which not only fit the DC Kratos but the NECA version as well. Its also great to finally own three dimensional figures of several other characters from the God of War III game which can be displayed alongside the Kratos of your choosing for some great looking dioramas and of course the added bonus of the mythical weapons that can be used with other Kratos figures is a big plus. The God of Wars Series 1 figures are available now from BigBadToyStore.com for $69.99.

FOR OVER 120 NEW DC UNLIMITED GOD OF WAR PHOTOS, CLICK HERE!

Review and Photos by Jorge Pelaez

Review Samples Courtesy of BigBadToyStore.com

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