DC Collectibles DC Essentials The Flash figure review
There’s a real excitement I get when I start collecting a new line, especially if the first figure impresses me. That was the case with the DC Essentials Batman figure so I was highly anticipating breaking down the DC Essentials The Flash figure from DC Collectibles. Time to hurry up and see if I’m going all-in with this line.
Packaging: DCC will likely never win my packaging of the year honors. They keep it simple and basic besides some character appropriate accent colors. DCC safely assumes collectors already know the characters, but as a guy reared on GI Joes and Transformers, figure bios are a somewhat important aspect to the presentation. And there’s nothing cool about these.
One big plus over the DC Icons is that DCC is finally going the twisty tie route instead of the clips that need scissors. That’s big for them and should prevent accidental scarring on the figures from forceful cutting.
Likeness: For my classic, old school costume looks, I’ve got the DC Classics figures so I’m fine getting more modern looks from DC Essentials. Fortunately this isn’t the hyper obnoxious lines for the sake of lines New 52 costume.
I like the head sculpt as it has a friendly expression yet can still work for a more focused Flash. I miss the wings on the boots, but their omission is consistent with the current look in the comic.
I’m glad DCC sculpted Flash with at least one hand in an outstretched running position. The other is a fist so barring alternate hands, this was the best solution.
MORE:
- DC Comics reviews for the week of 8/1/18
- WWE Elite 63-65 lineups reveal 1st ever Ronda Rousey, Eric Young
- Looking back at the good and bad of DC Rebirth Year Two
- Marvel Legends Doctor Octopus figure review
Scale: DCC is getting some grief for the switch to one main body type. For DC Icons, DCC sculpted the various figures with different parts. Essentials is just using one basic body.
Of course, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez pretty much drew all the Justice League the same size and no one complained. I won’t really have an issue with this until Nightwing or the second generation heroes start popping up.
Paint: No problems here. The logo is nice, big and most importantly clean. The Flash’s blue eyes are sharply painted and there’s no smearing or bleeding with the lightning stripe along the wrists and waist.
I appreciate DCC using the same color mold for the ankle and elbow joints so we don’t have to worry about paint chipping.
Articulation: With 21 points of articulation, the Essentials Flash isn’t the most articulated figure on the market, but he’s got all the important parts for some great poses.
Despite the sturdy body, the figure can support the weight in various dynamic running poses. That’s something that hasn’t been the case with most of DCC’s previous attempts at The Flash. Like with Batman, the ankles require you to find the perfect sweet spot to balance the figure. Even then, I had to be careful for random falls. On the plus side, The Flash fell about four times during my shoot and withstood every fall. That’s a major improvement for DCC’s quality control.
DC Essentials The Flash has:
- neck
- ball-jointed shoulders
- elbow (double-jointed)
- wrist
- wrist hinge
- torso
- waist
- hip
- thigh
- knee (double-jointed)
- ankle
Accessories: Batman felt skimpy on accessories and he came with a Batarang. While I wasn’t expecting a scale cosmic treadmill an alternate set of hands would have been nice to have two fists and two flat running hands.
Worth it? At $26, DC Essentials are higher than mass market figures and have less accessories and a Build A Figure piece. That dings the value down a bit. Fortunately, I had a 20% off coupon at my comic book store so the price was much better.
Rating: 9 out of 10
An alternate set of hands or some other accessories really would make for a better value, but otherwise this is a strong take on The Flash and another solid addition to the DC Essentials line.
Where to get it? Start off with your local comic book store. Failing that you can always try Amazon or Entertainment Earth.