02.02
Wave 1 contained some DC heavy hitters (Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Joker) and wave 2 seems to be consolidating the ranks with some second tier characters. Up first for review are the one-time comedy duo of Booster Gold and Blue Beetle, both involved in some of DCs big crossover stories in the last couple of years.
After Playalong/Art Asylum’s “Minimates with building blocks” attempts in the ill-fated C3 range, DC Direct decided to snap up the licence, bringing us 2-packs of Minimates a la Marvel, but with no chase figures.
Packaging
The packaging style for this wave is the same as the first, which is no bad thing as it was good, simple packaging which showed off the figures and accessories effectively. The Minimate’d picture is of Batman, which is slightly strange as he doesn’t actually feature in this wave! I guess DCD had shot themselves in the foot giving Superman the pic in the first wave. The figures are held into the back tray of the blister by twist ties.
The back of the card shows off the rest of the wave. I’d’ve liked to see some small bios incorporated like the newer Marvel sets.
The Figures
Booster Gold
The first Minimate in this set is Booster Gold. Michael Carter, originally from the 25th century, travelled to his past (our present) to be a superhero, using his knowledge of events yet to come. He is aided in this by Skeets, a robot.
Booster’s generally a bit of a pompous, arrogant sort, and his expression is perfect on this Minimate, with a very self-satisfied, smug smirk on his face. The googles are well done, with clear orange allowing his eyes to be seen through them. He has a big collar, which is a separate piece and actually can turn along with the head slightly.
The body is well detailed, with thick lines of musculature (seemingly a DC trademark for their Minimates) and the star on the chest. Dark blue and bright yellow are always going to be tricky paint apps on a figure this size, and there is some slop and bleeding, notably on the front of the collar piece. Some blue also shows up in Booster’s hair too.
The only accessory Booster has is a great one. Skeets, his robotic time-travelling companion, is also included in this set. Instead of giving us a simple Skeets-shaped piece of plastic, DCD tried something rather ambitious. As Skeets is usually hovering by the side of Booster’s head (much like a wasp), they simulated this by having a clear plastic tube from the belt piece loop around the back and put Skeets in place. A blue energy trial imitates Skeet’s own propulsion systems. It’s a very cool accessory!
Overall, some minor gripes over paint apps aside, this is an interesting and innovative Minimate.
Ted Kord is the second Blue Beetle and longtime friend to Booster Gold.
The first thing that catches your eye is obviously the Blue Beetle mask. The bug eyes look great and you can actually see Ted’s eyes magnified in them. The alignment of the eyes on the head block means that the mask has to not be pushed all the way down on his head or they will not line up. Without the mask Ted’s somewhat goofy smile is lessened by his intense blue eyes and his cheekbones.
The body is a very simple design, but it has been executed excellently. The two colours – light and dark blue – go really well together and the look is helped by some thick detailing lines for musculature and for making the scarab symbol pop, on both front and back. The paint job on this Minimate is flawless and it a fantastic job, even on areas that have been problematic for Minimates in the past, such as the black lines separating the boots from the shin.
Blue Beetle gets a belt piece with a holster (not many heroes get a place to store their weapons in the Minimate ranks, so that’s nice work). He also gets a big yellow pistol to put in it. In the comics the gun is designed to disorientate enemies using flashes of light and air rather than firing bullets. It’s a nicely designed weapon which Blue Beetle looks good holding.
Overall this Minimate exemplifies all that is good about our beloved block figures. It’s bright, colourful, fun and adorable.
MMC Score – 8 out of 10
Review and pictures by Danny Mills
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