I’ve already talked about how much I love the Action League line. The first Flash has never left my desk, unless I’m taking pictures of him punching things. The think I don’t like is how inconsistent the line is. I found the Flash/Zoom line randomly in a Toys R Us one day long after the line was supposed to be launched. For the Flash/Cold set I broke down and picked it up off eBay.
The new figures in the line are much like the ones that came before them. They turn at the neck and waist and at the shoulders. They are stylistically posed, so even though you can move the arms there may not be many poses that you can put to figure in. How stable the figure is also depends on the pose. The “running Flash” sculpt actually comes with a figure stand, I wish the Captain Cold did.
In the Zoom/Flash set we have a brand new Flash sculpt. Flash comes with a tornado accessory that slides over his fist. The Professor Zoom uses the original Flash sculpt, the one I like to call “running Flash.” The back of the box had a strange background blurb. “A longstanding enemy of the Flash, Professor Zoom fulfilled a prophecy when he saved his foe from the Speed Force.” I’d have put something easy for the kids to understand like, “Professor Zoom is from the far future and travels back in time to battle the Flash.”
The Cold/Flash set also uses the “running Flash” sculpt. This time he is made out of a translucent red plastic to better signify…yeah I don’t know. Maybe he’s vibrating his molecules really quickly? I have no idea. Someone probably thought it looked ‘kewl.” Captain Cold is a new sculpt though. The ice shooting from his gun is not removable, so getting him to stand can be a balancing act until you get his pose just right. That is a minor complaint though, the figure looks great.
Not everyone likes the Action League line. I personally love them. I want more Flash sets. I don’t know that I want any more of the “running Flash” pose. When three of the figures in the display have the exact same sculpt it starts to show. Again, this is a very small gripe though. If each set with a newly sculpted Flash villain and another “running Flash” I’d still buy them.
If you include the Action League figures from the Batman Brave and the Bold show Flash starts to have a pretty formidable group of enemies. I know not all the characters in the group shot would normally work together, they still look good together. Besides, we still need to be impressed they actually made a Top figure. Now we just need Mirror Master, Weather Wizard, Trickster, Piper, etc…
I think the strangest thing about the two Flash sculpts is how different the heads are. The “running Flash” head is rounder and thicker. The “tornado Flash” has a longer, thinner head. If you have to call one Barry and one Wally, it would be very easy to call them two different characters.
I juuuust got the Citizen Cold and Professor Zoom packs on my trip to the US last weekend. They were my goal to acquire (toy distribution in Canada is awful and I've never seen them here), but I only found one of each despite going to quite a few stores. Looks like they're mostly sold out now, at least in northern New York state.
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah, since Action League Top is the only Top figure ever (unless you count Heroclix), I am incredibly grateful they made him. I suppose now that he's been replaced by Turbine he's even less likely to get another figure in the future :\
Ken, do you have the Eaglemoss lead figure Flash?
ReplyDeleteWolfie: Yup. The Wally and the Jay Flashes!
ReplyDeleteLia: In my area there is no rhyme or reason on what ends up on the store shelves.
Ken O: Great score! I found these guys a bit ago and posted some pics on my site, FastestFanAlive.com as well. Check them out if you like: http://fastestfanalive.com/search/dc+action+league
ReplyDeleteI've even got a similar pic of the Action League Rogues together too.
You can also find the packs at DC's newly launched, ShopDCEntertainment.com:
http://www.shopdcentertainment.com/product/dc+universe+flashpoint+mini+2pack+the+flash++citizen+cold+dcmtaf04.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn
http://www.shopdcentertainment.com/product/dc+universe+mini+2pack+the+flash++professor+zoom+dcmtaf06.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=fn
I always look forward to your Flash Fridays. Keep 'em coming!
I do tend to kick people in the ass. Great write-up. I've yet to see the Zoom set in stores, already picked up the Cold set, but both sets are available from the new DC online store, there's a link to them on last week's entry, if anyone is looking for them. Love the shot of the Action League Rogues. I have a similar set up on the desk in my office, but I went ahead and included the Gentleman Ghost Action League figure on my end.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised by how few DC figures there were in general, actually. The last time I was in the US was in 2010, and my on last two trips found tons of DC stuff. This time, hardly anything. A lot more Marvel toys, mostly Avengers stuff due to the movies.
ReplyDeleteBut selection was still better than in Canada. Here I expect to find nothing and am always surprised if something appears.