Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Action Figure Review: Bombshells Wonder Woman from DC Designer Series: Ant Lucia by DC Collectibles

 As some of you may (or may not know) I went a few weeks without a camera capable of doing solid macro photography. Well, that has changed and I'm now back and better than ever. Well, in my mind, anyways. Yesterday's review of the Mezco One:12 Collective Flash was the first to use my new Canon EOS M10 with a specialized macro lens but today's starts a set of reviews I'm extremely excited to look at and photograph: The DC Bombshells action figures! Technically this series is titled DC Designer Series: Ant Lucia and it's part of the long running series that has featured action figures rendered in the styles of a number of great DC artists. It's no understatement to say that Ant Lucia's DC Bombshells have been one of the most successful DC properties we've ever seen. Starting as only a line of beautiful statues (still ongoing, FYI), Bombshells has evolved into it's own entity with an ongoing comic, merchandise, clothing, costume patterns, Funko POP! vinyls, and now action figures. First up I'm looking at Wonder Woman. Not only is she #1 in this series but she was the subject of the first statue released under the Bombshells banner in September 2013 and she's the first lady of DC Comics. Let's take a closer look at the Bombshells Wonder Woman after the break...



 The Facts:

Height: 7 inches

Articulation: Swivel/hinge ankles, double hinged knees, thigh swivels, balljointed hips, waist hinge, balljointed mid-torso, swivel/hinge shoulders, bicep swivels, double hinged elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, and a balljointed head.

Accessories: Six interchangeable hands, a pipe wrench, and a two piece chain with a cinder block and iron ball.

Non-Scalper Price: $24-$28 dollars

Sculpted by: Paul Harding



 The Positives:

* First off, I am amazed by how much articulation this line has. It seems as good, and possibly even better, than DC Icons. At 7 inches Wonder Woman is in scale with all of your other superhero figures (unlike Icons) and she moves as good, if not better than them. She's solid, durable, and has a pretty great range of motion. I'm really pretty enamored with her.

* The costume design on this figure is incredible and while part of that credit goes to Ant Lucia for masterfully combining Wonder Woman's outfit with the look of Rosie the Riveter, the rest of the credit goes to Paul Harding for an excellent sculpt with lots of detail. I love the detail on the "WW" symbol on the shirt and the big collar! I'm also digging the paintwork here as it's very clean and vibrant.
 * Early on, looking at promotional pictures, there was some concern that Wonder Woman was going to look a bit terrifying and over expressive. That, thankfully, did not turn out to be a problem; she's gorgeous! I love the expressive smile on her face! This is a very joyous look that's just so much fun. We don't see many figures with an expressions like this. The bandanna and long hair also look excellent. I love the light blue drybrushing on the hair; it's almost undetectable at a glance but it looks great and brings out a lot of detail.

 * There are lots of clever nods to Wonder Woman's classic costume such as the yellow bandanna in place of her tiara and her red shirt with blue star spangled shorts, but she does have some more overt details such as her coiled Lasso of Truth (not removable) and the Bracelets of Submission. The small, etched details on the bracelets are really nice.


* Wonder Woman comes with 6 easily interchangeable hands: A pair of fists, a pair of open grips, and a pair of more closed gripping hands. They feel really durable and I have no concern about breakage when changing these out.
 * Wonder Woman did lose an accessory that is shown in the sales images for the figure (a shield) but she retained the coolest stuff. First up is a pipe wrench. Pipe wrenches just look cool and this one has an insanely nice sculpt and paintjob. Seriously, if you didn't know that was for an action figure and couldn't tell the scale, wouldn't you just assume it was a regular ol' pipe wrench? This is a cool accessories that ties in to the Rosie the Riveter imagery Wonder Woman is paying homage to.

 * The second accessory is an chain that's carrying two heavy objects: An iron ball and a cinder block. Again, incredible paintwork (you can even see some rust on the iron ball and chain) and sculpting here. What's the purpose of this accessory though?

* It gives Wonder Woman something to tear apart with her bare hands! The actual Bombshells artwork and statue has Wonder Woman ripping apart some chains, so DC Collectibles made them a bit more interesting. The chain connects in the middle and can easily break apart to show off Diana's strength.
 The Negatives:


* Wonder Woman's boots look cool, but what is with the feet? Don't the seem just a bit two small? I mean, it seems like something is off here, doesn't it? I think it has to do with the placement of the swivel/hinge ankles but it just looks off to me.
 I'm so impressed with this figure and I really hope that DC Collectibles manages to keep this line going. This is not just a fun novelty figure: It's a darn good action figure of Wonder Woman all on it's own. Incredible sculpt and paintwork, solid articulation, and a pair of really fun accessories makes this a real highlight of 2017's DC Collectibles offerings thus far. Whether you're a fan of the Bombshells, the 1940s era pinups, or just Wonder Woman in general, this is one of the coolest figures you'll find. She's a Great and a 1/2 figure!



 If you're looking for more Wonder Woman stuff I have reviewed a few other Wonder Woman products including the Kotobukiya Bishoujo Armored Wonder Woman, the New 52 Wonder Woman versus Katana 2-pack, the Gal Gadot inspired Wonder Woman from Mattel's DC Comics Multiverse: BvS line, the Lil Bombshells Wonder Woman, and a set of Batgirl and Wonder Woman Magnetic Salt & Pepper Shakers.

6 comments:

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    1. I don't think so since I'm already collecting the Lil Bombshells form Cryptozoic. I have all of series one and a case of series two preordered. I saw some of Gamestop last night and I was pretty tempted, though.

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  2. Do they have a Batgirl or Harley Bombshell action figure? It would totally buy those!

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    1. Harley is out and I should be reviewing her in the next few days. Batgirl is slated to come out this fall as part of the second series.

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  3. Yeesh, I don't need more things outside my usual collecting sphere, but DANGIT these are awesome! Everyone is raving about them and it looks like they just came out fantastic.

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    1. They really are pretty fantastic. They hold their own against far more expensive figures in terms of their sculpts, paint, and articulation.

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