Something about this figure just looks good. And although it's hard to quantify what exactly it is that's making him so pleasing to the eye, I think it stems from the shape of hit boots. How could so little a detail add so much you say? Well, I'm not sure either, but I love the shape and design on his boots, which are a pretty integral part of the costume to a character like the flash. From the treads on the bottom, to the sleek lines, and natural folds at the ankle, these boots are the only unique tooling that the Flash features, and they make a huge difference. The rest of the figure's body is just the standard "thin male" buck that a number of other DCUC figures have, but it works wonders for the Flash. It fits his slimmer and athletic style perfectly, without coming across as too weak, and definitely avoided the muscle-bound Flash that we've seen before. It's hard not to like the lines and shapes in this sculpt, and the perfect proportions and natural shapes only help that perception.
     Although light on details, the Flash has a few little flourishes that add that extra ounce of class to the figure. The now expected wrinkles at his hips still look good, as does the bunching in his fists. Muscles are well defined without looking overbearing, and the wings on his boots and ears have some nicely sculpted lines too. With nice little details like these, I don't see how they find this totally flat crotch acceptable. I know you're tired of hearing about DC Universe crotches, but the flat and perfectly rounded middle hip piece here looks absurd on an otherwise anatomically correct toy. Flash's face is also a slight disappointment to me. It just comes across as dull. It's technically very sound, with crisp features, straight mask lines, and a perfectly shaped head, but the expression or look are just missing a certain something. There's nothing terrible about it, and it might just be me, so your opinion might easily differ. Whatever the case, this is a great looking toy no matter what the pose or angle, and it's by far my favorite Flash sculpt yet. 

Sculpt Score: 9 / 10

      Lately I have been more and more critical of the DC Universe Classics' paint jobs, but Flash has quieted my fears with a slightly better offering. His paint may not be perfect, but it's pretty good. First off, I love the colors used here. The red is a shade darker than might be expected, but it looks great in plastic and contrasts with the yellow parts of the costume perfectly. This is only heightened by Flash's already attractive design elements that have been perfected in the comics over the years. The white on his chest emblem turned out very bright and clean, and the color used for his skin is a nice neutral tone. There are some effective extra paint techniques being employed, including the dark wash on his body, and red airbrush effect on his boots. While I normally frown on more blatant airbrush work such as that on Flash's boots, I'm actually okay with it here, because it adds a nice visual touch to these already gorgeous boots.
     Applications are for the most part good. The lightning lines and chest decal are all done very neatly with crisp edges and clear color contrast. There are a few odd spots on the lightning, which may be impossible to describe, but don't look great. The black outline on the chest emblem is perfect and really makes it pop out from the red. Flash's eyes look almost perfect, and that's always an accomplishment, but the red mask around his eyes and at his cheeks isn't following the sculpt lines too well, coming across messy and thin instead. It's more obvious in my photos than in person, but it's still there and doesn't look too wonderful.

Paint Score: 8 / 10 

      With the standard DCUC articulation model, Flash has a lot of points. It's certainly not an excessive amount, but it's still a lot for a normal figure. The only problem is that Flash is a super dynamic and pose worthy character that needs an articulation model to bring his poses to life, and this one is missing a few key points that are necessary to do that; namely mid-foot hinges and ball ankles. I know that it would break up the "line consistency" if they switched up his articulation, but they're doing it for Wave 9's Green Arrow, and they could find out a way to make it look reasonable for Flash too. To get specific, the points he does include are as follows: ball style shoulders and neck; hinges at the ankles, knees, abs, and elbows; swivels at the thighs, wrists, biceps, and waist; and finally the swivel/hinge combo hips that operate almost like a ball-style joint.
     Thankfully none of his joints are broken or stuck, neither are any too loose. In fact his leg articulation is really nice and tight, which helps getting him into a number of running poses that would otherwise be impossible. I know Hawkman's legs were really tight for me too, so it seems like they're able to fine-tune the articulation for characters that need more sturdiness, making me wonder why they don't do it for all the figures. Unless of course this was just a coincidence. Sadly, his waist has an unecessarily large gap that doesn't look good, but the rest of the articulation blends into the sculpt well enough. This blending allows Flash to retain much of the attractiveness that his sculpt affords.

Articulation Score: 9 / 10

Fun Score: 8 / 10

     At around $12-$15, Flash is a pretty normally priced 6 inch action figure. He may not be awesomely cheap, but nor is he outrageously high either. He's a nice figure with strong mass-market production values that seems unlikely to break anytime soon. He feels nice in your hands, and looks like he could be the crowning achievement in your superhero display, making him worth the investment. On the amount of plastic for your money side of things, he doesn't do too well, considering the total lack of accessories and the measly, not to mention ugly, stand. He is an average sized figure, so you're not getting a huge hunk of a man, but neither are you getting the runt of the litter. I think the real measure of value is how much you're going to enjoy the figure, and I know Flash will be a proud addition to my shelf that was a well spent 13 dollars, but he still would have been a more proud addition at 10 dollars.

 

Value Score: 7 / 10  

Summary

9 - Just looks great for some reason; boots are super well done; face is boring but technically all right; good use of basic body; the flat crotch attacks!

8 - Colors work well alone and together; good use of airbrush and wash effects; decals are clean and tight; some imperfections on his face; some poor looking spots on his lightning stripes.  

9 - Has a solid number of points, but not enough for the Flash; everything works smoothly; appropriately tight leg joints; a big gap at the waist that's distracting, but otherwise attractive looking points.

8 - Everybody loves the Flash; articulation makes him enjoyable for either play or display; doesn't include any accessories or an important C&C part; packaging has some fun information.

7 - Not particularly big or little, but at a fair price; doesn't include any accessories and only an unnecessary C&C piece; is an enjoyable figure; reasonable price in today's market.

 

Overall Score: 85 / 100 - This is a Great Toy

Flash is almost amazing across the board, but small problems here and there limit him from reaching the top. There's still something about this figure that's hard not to love, and he's quickly become one of my favorite DCUC releases so far. 

P.S. This could be the figure I'm giving away this month, just leave a comment for a chance to win (if it's the one).

-The Articulated One