Wildcat and Golden Age Flash. Pic from DC Direct.
By Dragon
Wildcat
Design: Wildcat features his more current costume, which looks really nice in Minimate form. Interestingly, the mask is more like the ones we’ve seen in the Marvel Minimate collection than the ones in the DC collection. The DC masks have been full face masks with the character’s face painted onto the mask. Wildcat’s mask, however, offers the layered look but cutting out around the mouth of the character. It’s really well done and in my opinion looks much better than if they had painted a face onto a full face mask. Design: 5 out of 5
Attention to Detail: Wildcat’s detailing looks great. Individual strips of tape have been drawn around his wrists and even on his hands, which is something of a first for a Minimate. The chest detailing works very well on the darker colored figure, and the work on the face is phenomenal. The sculpting of the mask is impressive with the wrinkles and grooves that are etched into the plastic. The only downside is the lack of toes on the feet. The character is usually portrayed with claws on his feet, which are absent from the figure. Still, this is only a minor oversight and one that can easily be forgiven. Attention to Detail: 4.5 out of 5
Accessories: Wildcat comes with an additional hairpiece, which looks great on the figure. Wildcat comes with no weapons or other accessories, though given the character this figure is based off of, this does not seem to be an oversight, nor does it take away from the character in any way. Accessories: 5 out of 5
Parts Implementation: Wildcat features a unique piece in his mask, which was necessary, as nothing else existed up to this point that would have done the character justice. His hairpiece is a reuse of Aquaman’s hair, but this is no serious crime in that the figure didn’t have to come with hair at all. Parts Implementation: 5 out of 5
Overall: Wildcat is very well done, ranking amongst the best figures to grace the Minimate lineup. The implementation of the design and the high level of detail really help this figure excel.
Overall: 4.875 out of 5
Golden Age Flash
Design: As the name implies, Golden Age Flash is a representation of the original Flash from the “Golden Age” of comics. The design is well done, particularly on the large helmet. The lightning bolt on his chest is also well laid out. One thing to note, however, is the lack of wings on his boots. In all source art I could find for the character, the boots were always portrayed with wings, so their oversight here is rather odd. Design: 4 out of 5
Attention to Detail: Flash carries with him a high level of detail, as is the case with all the DC Minimates. The contrast between yellow and red on the chest is well done, as is the lines portraying the muscle structure. The hair that hangs out from the helmet features the white streaks worn by the character in this modern era. The neck is even flesh colored to match the small patch of skin showing at the top of his shirt. Even Flash’s belt has been reproduced with faithful skill. The only area in need of improvement is the before mentioned lack of wings on the boots. It just seems like one detail that should have been addressed in some fashion.
Attention to Detail: 4 out of 5
Accessories: Golden Age Flash comes with no accessories. Accessories: 0 out of 5…although considering that Flash’s power is his speed, and that he uses no weapons or tools, I can think of no accessory that would have benefited the character, other than perhaps some sort of blur effect that could attach to his feet, though I don’t know how they could have implemented such a thing. Adjusted Accessories: 5 out of 5
Parts Implementation: Flash comes with two unique sculpts in his helmet and his belt. The helmet is very character specific, but the belt seems like an interesting choice in new sculpts. There’s nothing overly specific about the design, and the lack of depth to the sculpt makes one wonder why it was made. Painting the belt on the waist would have achieved the same results. The boots are a reuse of Deathstroke’s boots from an earlier wave. Again, it’s an interesting choice, because Golden Age Flash’s boots should have wings on it. The use these boots would be less odd if they had painted wings on the boot at least, but I can’t help but think that the money spent sculpting the belt could have been better spent on more character specific footwear.
Parts Implementation: 3 out of 5
Overall: Overall, Golden Age Flash is fairly well implemented. The design is fairly accurate to the source material, but it overlooks a very character specific detail that hurts the overall image. The addition of a unique belt that wasn’t really necessary only further emphasizes the oversight on the part of the boots.
Overall: 4 out of 5
Final thoughts: The first few waves of the DC Minimate line really raised the bar with its attention to detail, high level of design, and decent amount of accessories mixed in. The choices in characters thus far have been well thought out, not focusing solely on the bigger names, but incorporating some lesser known characters as well. Still, this level of excellence can only last for so long, and I think this wave starts to show it. The character selection is top notch, but the design, detail, and extras are starting to settle into what I hope is the average for the line as a whole. This is still a good, strong wave and the design is still great, it just seems to be the first wave of the line where I’ve started to question some of the decisions made by the design team. Still, if this is as far as the series slumps, then we should look forward to a long, prosperous future with the DC line.
