CTR Review: Mattel's Green Lantern Movie Figures
Recently, it has been brought to our attention that for a site called "Cool Toy Review"....we don't feature very many "reviews", at least not in the written sense. This is by design....when we came up with the site, we decided that the "review" of the "cool toys" would be a photographic one, showing off the details on the featured toy, whether it be an action figure, statue, bust, replica, etc. We wanted to focus on the sculpting, deco, articulation of the collectible. It is our belief that the audience can see all this for themselves through our photography, and even participate in the "review" process by checking out the updates. If you like what we're showing you, then you may want to add the featured toy to your own collection.
Honestly, does anyone really care what a couple of guys think abut little plastic men? It's the pictures that people want to see! Still, it seems that there is a demand for a special report from time to time on the new toys, so I thought I'd give it a shot with a brand-new line that is just around the corner...Mattel's Green Lantern Movie Figures!
These toys are not due to hit retail until May 1st, but reports have already come in of some stores ignoring the street date (Good. Street dates are ridiculous anyway, especially this year when most stores are in desperate need of new product!)
   | To be honest, when I first heard that Ryan Reynolds was cast as Green Lantern, I was worried. I think he'd be the PERFECT actor for Guy Gardner....but Hal Jordan? Not so much. Time will tell of course...he is a good actor, after all. As far as the figure itself goes, the sculpting is dead on to the look of the designs of the film. The uniform is more organic that in the comics, but it looks good overall. The deco is very shiny, which it seems is pretty common with the Movie Masters line. The articulation is where this figures falls short. The insert-molded/ball-hinged joints really limit the poseability here, and does not allow for a full range of motion. Strangely, Hal only has swivel wrists. You'd think that this figure would include all the bells and whistles. But since he is the star of the movie, it's likely we're going to get multiple Hal Jordan figures... Hal comes with a power battery...but he is unable to hold onto it (it is balanced very carefully in the above photo). The right hand is (appropriately) sculpted as a fist, but his left hand is sculpted in a way that looks like it is meant to hold the battery, but it's nearly impossible. The power battery is also the same exact accessory used for the 4" line, and that figure CAN hold onto it (see below for that). Maybe a larger battery is needed here? This is the first figure in the single-carded MM line, which includes a Collect & Connect piece of Parallax. Apparently, movie Parallax is some kind of cloud creature made of skulls, and this is a tendril. I don't really know, but it looks pretty cool. |
   | If a single-carded Hal Jordan isn't your thing, then you have options: the same exact figure is also available in a Toys "R" Us 2-pack, packed with 2 oval display stands. So just re-read the Hal Jordan review above for comments on that figure. Abin Sur is very nicely done, and as hinted at earlier, even more articulated than Hal. The few glimpses we've gotten of him in the trailers show that he looks quite different than in the comics, but the details here are top-notch, as is the deco. The different shades of green are nicely done, and his uniform is much more than just a carbon-copy of Hal Jordan's. Although these ball-hinged joints work well on smaller-scale figures, it's not very successful here. The elbows and knees don't bend as far as you want them to, and the figure seems fragile. Not to worry though...it's actually pretty sturdy. Then again, I didn't try to force anything...I learned my lesson when the DC Infinite Heroes figure switched over to this style of joint and I broke a few joints! |
   | This set includes another Hal Jordan. The same Hal Jordan as both sets above. This set also includes 2 display stands. It's funny...I always thought of Tomar-Re from the comics as more of a "fish alien", but the movie design is clearly more of a "chicken alien" right down to the clawed feet. Once again, this figure looks like the character does in the trailer, and the sculpting and deco is nicely done. Although the limbs are very skinny, they are actually pretty sturdy. BTW, the figures all have pegholes in the left foot, so they can use the display stands, but Tomar-Re does tend to fall over eventually. This is due to the flexible plastic used: gravity will eventually take over. |
   | To tell you the truth...I don't know who this character is. I remember the "Green Man" from the comics, but this figure looks nothing at all like him. This is more of a "frog alien" who looks like he stepped out of an episode of FARSCAPE...which is a GOOD thing, mind you. The variety of aliens in the Corps is one of the most interesting aspects of the comics, and it's nice to see this element carried over into the movie (and the toy line of course!) This figure is BIG, so big in fact he warrants his own unique box packaging, which is really sharp. The sculpting and deco are nicely done....with multiple shades of green, as well as some non-shiny parts. While there are multiple points of articulation, the range is very limited. Also, there are no accessories included this figure. |
   | This set is the first in a series of 6 2-packs that we will see at Walmart, each pairing a Green Lantern with a Guardian of the Universe. This set includes Hal Jordan, a female Guardian named "Baris", and a power battery. This smaller-scale line is targeted to kids, and playability is the primary focus here. While the sculpting and deco isn't nearly as good as the Movie Masters line, there is still a lot of detail here and the deco has some nice subtle shading in it. The articulation is where this line is really lacking. If you are looking for a super-articulated 4" toy line...this isn't it. Baris has very limited articulation. In fact, there's very little to her, since she's just arms, a big see-through head, and a robe. I don't know if the lack of a body is a design from the film or just a shortcut for the toys, but it's weird to see that there's literally nothing underneath the robe. As mentioned above, the power battery is the same size as the one from Movie Masters line. So it looks huge when Hal is holding it. But, at least he CAN hold it! |
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