Minimates Central

2011
01.01

Throne Room Battle with Superman Vs Darkseid – C3: Wave 1

Category: DC/C3 / Tag: c3w1 / Add Comment

The Throne Room Battle is in the first wave of C3 construction sets. It is a small set, comprising 67 pieces and 2 Minimates, Superman and his enemy Darkseid.

Packaging

The packaging is a small semi-window box. The Justice League logo appears at the top left. The boxart shows off the set and the figures very well, and the addition of the Superman artwork on the left hand side is a nice contrast to the multitude of Batman artwork from the other sets. Hopefully this is a design idea that will continue in future sets because I really like it. To the right, you can see the Minimates in the window portion of the box. The first figure is totally visable but the second figure only has their head and shoulders shown.

The C3 pieces are all bagged up in the main part of the box, and the Minimates are packaged in a tray on the right hand side. In this set, neither Superman or Darkseid have twist-ties holding them in. Presumably because twist-ties aren’t made of Kryponite so it’s just not worth the bother.

The back of the box shows the cross-sell of the other C3 sets and a “technical specification” type drawing to show off the set itself.

The Figures

Superman

The first figure in this set is the Man of Steel, Superman, who is a welcome addition to DC Minimate ranks that are already looking Batman-heavy.

This is certainly a very good representation of Superman. The blue eyes, sincere expression and the little cowlick on the hairpiece is all there. However, the face looks a little too pink – the skin tone is a little “off” but that’s a minor nitpick.

The costume looks spot-on, with simple detailing done perfectly. The more complex areas, like the “S” symbol, are flawlessly painted. The cape looks great, with the bunched shoulder bits and open neckline. It is also well implemented, having a very small “shelf” on the inside-back that pushes it out slightly rather than draping round his shoulders. This means that it looks more dynamic when using the clear stand that comes with the C3 set.

The Superman Minimate comes with no accessories but as you will see in the C3 set review below this is more than made up for by the Throne Room itself.

Overall, this is a fantastic Minimate version of an iconic character.

MMC Score – 9 out of 10

Darkseid

The second figure in the set is Darkseid, evil ruler of the planet known as Apokolips. The helmet piece does two jobs, it accentuates his craggy forehead/brow whilst also being a neck guard and helmet. He has a very mean expression and two fiery red eyes, from which he can shoot death rays.

The costume is light purple, not always a good colour for a villain to pull off, but Darkseid manages it, mainly due to the excellent black detailing on the helmet piece, torso and legs. This gives him a simple yet effective look. One of the flaws with the Minimates with long robes or coats has always been that they restrict leg articulation. Darkseid here has found a way to combat this. The front of his “skirt” has a hinge on it, allowing him to fully extend his legs forward. This is so that he can sit on his throne without having to remove items of clothing. For the 2″ Minimate scale this kind of improvement is most welcome.

Darkseid does not come with any accessories, but then the Throne Room is his so it’s not too bad.

Overall, it’s nice to get another villain into the C3 ranks, and Darkseid is solid enough.

MMC Score – 6 out of 10

The Construction Set

Throne Room

The C3 construction set is Darkseid’s throne room. This was a simple set to put together, first you make the base, then you make the throne itself and then you add the big orange thing. The instructions are clear, and the set was fun to put together.

There is a nice riot of colour in this set that has been missing from the mostly black and blue Batman sets. The coloured blocks for the throne are shades of grey mixed in with cream, and obviously the tower is that bright orange. As a set it’s bigger than the Chemical Warehouse but lacks that set’s multi-level approach.

There are 3 main gimmicks to the Throne Room set. First there is a clear stand piece which you can attach to the base of the Throne Room. The C3 holes in Superman’s feet fit into the end of the stand, allowing him to be displayed in a flying position. This is a very fun gimmick, Superman himself looks great on the stand, but it works with anyone who has C3 feet. Second, Darkseid’s throne itself can be used as a flying vehicle. It just looks like a flying chair, but still, it’s a feature. Thirdly, the other side of the tower is a holding cell, complete with green Kryptonian shackles to hold Superman prisoner. This really makes the set worthwhile, because it’s a much better “situational” set as a prison than just as a throne room.

The bottom line on this set is that it’s simply a lot of fun. There is a lot of playability here, and the fact that the two included Minimates are enemies makes it all the better.