While Mezco's One:12 Collective line has been around since
the summer of 2015, things really started heating up for the line in early
2017. During February and March of 2017, within the span of about two
months, Mezco began released a number of excellent figures back to back
in both the Marvel and DC lines: Daredevil, Green Arrow, The Flash, The
Punisher, Zoom, and the Joker. This sudden influx of exceptional
versions of popular characters seemed to really ignite a passion for
this line that still seems to be going strong. The DC Universe side of
One:12 Collective turned out to be one of my favorite toylines from 2017
(if not my favorite) and here's a look at my 10 favorite figures from
the line released in 2017. I've went through and put these in order with
number 1 being my favorite. Check out the countdown out after the break...
10. Arsenal
If this list were
organized by my favorite characters then Roy Harper would definitely be
closer to the top of the list. As a figure though he's good, but he
definitely has a bit of a "been there, done that" feel due to being
heavily based on the Green Arrow who was released earlier in the year.
Arsenal's tunic and headsculpt are different, so I definitely give Mezco
props for that and wouldn't call this guy a repaint or anything, but I
would have liked to have seen a few more unique accessories and trick arrows
to make Arsenal feel a bit more different than Ollie.
When it comes down to it, Harley Quinn is simultaneously one of the most flawed and one of the most ambitious One:12 Collective figures of the year
. While Harley has some odd problems with her articulation and with the
placement of her tattoos, she also has a rather complex outfit that
overall looks pretty impressive along with three portraits and some
great accessories. While 2017 had a few figures that seem to show how
Mezco is stepping outside of their comfort zone and attempting some new
techniques to improve the line, Harley still managed to impress me
despite her faults.
8. The Joker
The Joker was released during one of the busiest release period of the
year and at a point when many collectors were starting to really
discover the line. Visually, the Joker is one of the most impressive
figure released this year. Packed with two of the best portraits ever
sculpted of the character and wearing a quite nicely tailored outfit
(along with some cool Batman themed socks) Mezco delivered an incredible
rendition of the Clown Prince of Crime. While he has some nice
accessories, though, the figure's lack of accessories and more limited
articulation was definitely a bit unsettling. Being released alongside
top tier figures like Daredevil, the Punisher, Green Arrow, and the
Flash, the Joker definitely looked a bit weak by comparison. Mezco
already has a Joker 2.0 on the way in 2018, in some ways making this
figure feel obsolete. It's still a solid Joker figure, though and had it
been released earlier in the year it may have been more well received.
7. Zoom
The Previews exclusive Zoom was one of the first villains we received in
One:12 Collective and while he is essentially a variant of The
Flash, it's amazing how well he complements that figure. While Zoom only
has one headsculpt, he includes all of the
accessories included with the Flash remolded in red instead of yellow
to better mesh with his color scheme. He's a very cool looking figure
who looks even better when posed alongside of his nemesis.
6. Superman
With a history of delays and shifting release dates, Superman was a
very highly anticipated release in One:12 Collective. Oddly enough, he's
also a figure I almost passed up. From early feedback it seemed that a
number of collectors weren't happy with how he turned out. Wondering if
he may not be worth it I actually went ahead and cancelled my initial
preorder. Fortunately, as more reviews flooded in and folks started
posting varied pictures of the figure, I changed my mind and picked one
up right away. That turned out to be a good choice for while Superman is
a good figure, his accessories definitely make him something special.
Including magnetic bullet shards that can bounce off of his chest, a
shard of kryptonite, bendable chains, and even the bottled city of
Kandor, Superman turned out to be one of the most impressive releases of
the year.
If you want to talk about the most out of left field DC release in
One:12 Collective this year than look no further than the Elseworlds
inspired Red Son Superman. Released around the same time as the standard
Superman figure Red Son Superman is anything but a variant; the only
thing they share is a headsculpt which looks quite different from the
standard release due to the paintwork. Red Son Superman has an
incredible outfit that will absolutely command the attention of whoever
checks out your collection. Add in some cool accessories and you have a very satisfying
figure.
4. Green Arrow
The Green Arrow is another extremely impressive figures that showed up
during the massive surge of releases between February and March of last
year that really seemed to be the point when the line took off. Wearing
an outfit that borrows from a number of the Ollie's appearances over
the years to create something that is familiar yet incredibly modern and
equipped with a quiver filled with trick arrows, Green Arrow is an
impressive release that helped DC fans realize there was more to One:12
Collective than Batman.
3. The Flash
The Flash
has one of the best superhero costumes ever and it was nice to see
Mezco take such a classic looking character and bring it into the One:12
Collective aesthetic. The Flash looks great and the added lightning
effects really allow for some incredible displays. The addition of two
heads, one for Barry Allen and one for Wally West, also allows for some
excellent customization in setting up your One:12 Collective
collection.
2. Shazam
Shazam/ Captain Marvel has a long and storied history as a top tier
character but I don't think anyone would try to argue that he's one of
DC's big guns right now. Still, that doesn't mean that Mezco didn't give
Shazam their all as he turned out to be one of the best releases of
2017. His outfit looks incredible (it meshes with this style of figure
so well) and the presence of multiple headsculpts, a cool lightning
effects, and even Mister Mind and the head of Mister Atom make him feel
like one of the most packed One:12 Collective figures of the year. He
really is quite super!
1. Deathstroke
Deathstroke is absolutely my favorite DC One:12 Collective figure of
2017. His unmasked headsculpt is insanely good, the paintwork and
sculpting on his armor are incredible, and he includes a few fun weapons
that look fantastic. While I do wish he included a staff, there's no
doubt that this is one of the coolest versions of Slade Wilson ever
produced. He just barely made it out at the end of the year so not
everyone received him in 2017, but he definitely was a cherry on top of
the delectable sundae that was the 2017 DC Universe One:12 Collective line-up.
About the two I didn't purchase...
The only two DC One:12 Collective figures I didn't pick up this year
were the BvS Superman and Black Adam. I didn't grab the BvS Superman
because I've decided to ignore the non-Batman related One:12 Collective
movie figures to focus on just the comic versions. Superman also didn't
appear to be that interesting to me and, with the release of two other
Superman figures in the same year, he didn't seem that significant.
Black Adam is a figure I plan to pick up in the next month or two but
the fact that I decided to hold off on him for a bit is kind of telling.
While he looks great, his lack of interesting accessories and an
alternate portrait definitely made him a less desirable purchase,
especially considering that he's a Previews exclusive with an extra $5
dollar mark-up.
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