Wave 16 DCUC Robin

I haven't been opening enough of my action figures, so there could not have been a better time to bust out this DCUC Wave 16 Robin I got from  Mike's Comics & Stuff  in Anaheim! My last two posts have been about Batman foes, so as an imprompto tribute to the recently departed Damien Wayne, we'll look at the first boy Wonder, Dick Grayson, whom I photographed a week before I heard the news of DC's latest casualty. Oddly, Dick mentored the young Wayne, the two fighting crime as Batman & Robin while Batman was lost in the timestream, after what appeared to be his death in Final Crisis (2008).  I'd enjoyed the recent Batman & Robin Annual, but hadn't  kept up on the series much after the first sixteen issues. He was an interesting character, but I'm not, like, personally affronted or anything. It's DC's book, they can do whatever they want. They already did that to Jason Todd in 1988, anyway. They'll sell a bunch of books. But hey, no hard feelings, let's take a look at this great, classic Robin- a character I've loved since childhood!

There was a variant figure with a Golden-Age head, but I already has a pretty cool DC Direct First Appearance Robin, so I went for this Super Friends version, inspired by my favorite Saturday morning cartoon. Robin has great color, though this is my second, the first returned to Amazon for quality control issues in the paint on the legs. There's some subtle shading throughout the figure that adds some depth. Mattel nailed the Boy Wonder's original look, including his belt, the classic R insignia, and scale shorts! Greatness!

We get all that great DCUC articulation, including double-jointed knees & elbows, though his biceps are a little too big to give him any real, extra range. Robin has an abdominal hinge and a waist swivel, as well as swivels at the biceps & thighs. His ball-jointed neck has acceptable range, but not outstanding range, and he enjoys dual hinge/swivel wrists. I've heard of instances in which breakage occurred at the ankles due to weak plastic, but I feel it's due to the fact that Robin has little articulation in the joint there, and his feet are mistakenly pushed beyond their limit.

The star accessory in this package is the grapple gun, the anchor of which extends via a small black cord attached to the handle. Robin holds it firmly, and can hang from it quite securely. All Batman & Robin figures should come with this accessory, as well as a batarang, which was also included with this figure. Robin's batarang is a little too small unfortunately, making it somewhat tricky to pose him with, but at least he got one. Wave 16 included parts to collect and connect a Bane action figure, Robin's package containing the head and pelvis. To this day, of all the build-a-figure parts I've gathered, I've not the pieces to assemble one, my collection cherry-picked among several waves and some bought loose.

While his ankles aren't the best, Robin can do quite a bit, and is a stunningly great rendition of the Teen Titan! If you've read this blog for any length of time, you'll know Robin is a favorite character of mine, so I'll always try to pick up any action figures of him I can find. Often in the shadow of The Bat, Robin's spunk and enthusiasm offer a nice contrast to his brooding master, and his orphan status reminds Bruce of the fleeting and fragile nature of innocence.

Robin is pleasingly a little shorter than DCUC All-Star Nightwing and Legacy Golden Age Batman. He's in fact smaller in general, as a teenager would be, though his arms seem a little beefy. But Nightwing and Batman have thicker biceps and torsos, Batman appropriately largest in the latissimus dorsi.   

All-Star Joker and Batman Unlimited Penguin Vs. Legacy Golden Age Batman and Wave 16 Robin...!

And finally together out of package, a Bat-Family photo: Wave 16 Robin with Legacy Golden Age Batman, Bat-Mite, and Batgirl.

* Visual checklist & reviews of the DCUC line at DCClassics.Com!

More Later-Make It FUN!