DC Essentials Wonder Woman figure review

While I’ve slowed down my DC Essentials purchases significantly there was no way I wasn’t gonna grab the Wonder Woman. That’s pretty much a given whenever you start a line and buy the Batman and Superman figure, right? I saw all the flaws when I picked up the figure, but when I opened it? This might be my favorite Wonder Woman figure yet.

 

 

Packaging:  I really like the Essentials packaging with white and accent color scheme. Maybe red would have made more sense than blue, but it’s fine. This is a simple package style, but one that shows the figure nicely. There’s a lot of text on the back and a mini bio that doesn’t really explain anything.

Likeness:  I’m kinda torn on the likeness as it’s Wonder Woman on the quick and obvious glance, but a closer look makes it easier to see some of the flaws.

I like the general idea of the head sculpt and appreciate that it’s not too slight. This is going to sound like a weird complaint, but Wonder Woman’s hair seems too flat up top and lacks the fullness I associate with the character.

In absolute fairness to sculptor Paul Harding this look is almost exactly like line designer Jason Fabok’s reference guide. There’s something about the eyes that keeps throwing me off a little, but I think it’s more of a paint issue than anything else.

The anatomy is a little wonky on this figure as Wonder Woman’s torso is basically the same size as one of her thighs. That looks really weird as if Diana needed a wasp like waist. Maybe that could work for a Harley Quinn or Batgirl, but not for an Amazon who doesn’t have to look dainty or malnourished.  Again, this follows Fabok’s design.

I like the intricate work done on the armor from the chest plate, the gauntlets, belt, skirt, kneepads and layered boots. Like the Aquaman figure, there are not a lot of reuse possibilities so Wonder Woman is pretty much an all-new sculpt.

While I think some parts could be done better, the overall work put into the figure is obvious and it’s impressive to see despite my gripes on the waist and hair size.

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Scale:  Unlike the tiny Batgirl, Wonder Woman is scaled much better and is about the same height as Superman and Batman.

Paint:  There’s more detail line work on Wonder Woman than any other DC Essential figure up to this point and the paint team is largely up to the task. Some of the gold trim on the skirt is a little sloppy and there’s some run off on the boots. I’m not sure how tricky it would be to find a figure with a perfect paint job, but the issues here weren’t enough to make me hold off on getting Wonder Woman.

Like I mentioned with the eyes, there’s something that’s throwing me off. Maybe it’s the lighter shade of blue DC Collectibles used for her iris?

Articulation:  DC tried to make the Essentials series its most articulated line yet. And after fiddling around with Wonder Woman, I’m convinced they’ve accomplished that mission. This is a figure I don’t think you can fully appreciate until you start posing and doing signature Wonder Woman poses.

Wonder Woman has:

• neck
• shoulders
• bicep
• elbow (double-jointed)
• wrist
• wrist hinge
• torso
• hip
• thigh
• knee (double-jointed)
• ankle

Accessories:  One of the biggest and legitimate complaints with DC Essentials especially compared to the DC Icons line is the limited amount of accessories. The Icons figure was loaded with a rolled up lasso, an extended lasso, alternate hands, a sword and a shield.

Wonder Woman’s DC Essentials figure comes with…an alternate open right hand.

I guess it adds some extra posing potential, but it’s not as useful as a bigger lasso Wonder Woman can hold.

Worth it?  I got Wonder Woman for $26. That’s not a terrible price for a 7-inch figure with so much original sculpting, but compared to a NECA figure that’s similarly smaller market and features more accessories, this cost seems a few dollars too high.

Rating:  9.5 out of 10

Wonder Woman is a necessary DC Essentials figure and I think DCC did a good job. I wish the budget could allow for more accessories to get more bang for your buck, but I don’t have any buyer’s remorse adding this to my DC Essentials collection.

Where to get it?  You should be able to grab the DC Essentials Wonder Woman at any worthwhile comic book store or you can go the online route with Amazon.com or EntertainmentEarth.com, which has her for $23.