[TAO's Note: Clark's making sure we don't fall behind when it comes to Super Powers tribute figures, as he's already covered the DC Universe Classics Red Parademon, and now he's turning his attention to Brainiac from Mattel's earlier DC Superheroes line..]

Name: Brainiac
Line: DC Superheroes
Manufacturer: Mattel
Released: 2006
Price: Online: $35.00-$75.00
Scale: 6.00 in.
Accessories: Comic book
Sponsor Listings: Amazon-$39.97

This figure is based on the short-lived 80’s Brainiac design (I think his body was destroyed so his conscience was put into a robot).  I know a lot of Brainiac fans who did not appreciate this look, but for me this is Brainiac, because my first introduction to the character was when I received the Super Powers figure as a child.

 
     The Four Horsemen did a great job of updating the old figure.  Starting off, he has a great head sculpt, with piercing, emotionless red eyes, and the great “brain dome” that is clear plastic (with a honey comb pattern on the inside) through which you can see red and yellow circuitry.  He also has this circuitry on his shoulders (I don’t think this was on the SP figures, but I’ve seen drawings to suggest that this was a part of this design).  His long arms are finished off with clawed hands.  He also has a huge upper body, which sits upon a skinny pillar-like torso.  You can see that there are cut lines and a few rivots throughout his sculpt to emphasize that this is a robot, because a robot is not a robot without sharp details like lines.  His feet have an odd shape, like a six-toes design (these can create some balancing issues, but Mattel helped a bit with this by adding some articulation).  One thing that looks a bit odd to me is how Brainiac has very skinny arms, skinny lower torso, and then muscular looking thighs.  I know that this is the design, but it always looks just a little bit odd to me that his legs were the only part of the body that was sculpted to look like human muscle structure.  But I digress, this is a really great looking sculpt, given that you like this character design.  If you don’t, then with a bit of help from your imagination you can still get a great robot figure designed by Brainiac for Superman to fight…eh?

Sculpt Score: 9 / 10

 

     The original Super Powers figure was completely vac-metallized with the clear dome on the head being the only part to break up the monotony.  I’m glad Mattel did not attempt that look with this figure (although a chromed Brainiac could be a cool exclusive).  This figure is painted a flat silver, with a light blue wash on top of that.  The blue wash serves two purposes:  1. It brings out the details of the sculpt and 2.  It makes the figure look like he stepped off a comic book page.  There are other details painted such as the eyes, and the circuitry on Brainiac’s shoulders and head.  The blue was is not applied evenly everywhere, it is heavy on his face, and on the back of his right leg.  This is not really a big deal, because it looks good on the face, and I don’t display him with his back facing me.  There is certainly nothing wrong with the paint.  It is applied very well, and over time has show no sign of wear or chipping, but it could be considered a little boring as the shoulders and eyes are really the only color that you see from the front.  I don’t know what else they could have done to make him look more interesting, I think it is just a weakness of the robot body’s design.

Paint Score: 8 / 10

 

     Brainiac is packed with plenty of joints, a little bit more than the typical DCUC figure.  He not only has a swivel waist, but he also a swivel/hinge torso.  This does not allow him to lean forward at all, but he can arch his back pretty radically.  He has the mid-thigh swivel typical of the line, but he also has swivel shins.  These additional swivels can be a real help when balancing Brainiac, due to the unique design of his feet mentioned above.  On my figure the thigh swivels are very tight, and difficult to move.  Unfortunately, although the head is on a ball joint, it is limited to acting as a swivel.  The shoulders do not allow the arms to go down flush to the body, the elbows cannot bend a full 90 degrees, and the rocker joints on the feet allow limited adjustments.  Other than those few items there is not a lot of weaknesses here, and Brainiac can hold some cool poses when displayed.

Articulation Score: 8 / 10

 

      What kind of man can not find plenty of fun in a skull-faced, domed-head robot with claws.  Could that person even really be called a man? [TAO's Note: No, they can not.]  Long story short, the skeleton inspired design, along with plenty of articulation allow for some fun times with this figure.  Brainiac did not come with any accessories, which is unfortunate, but he is still a fun figure on his own merits.

Fun Score: 8 / 10

   

     I bought this figure for $9.99 when he first came out, and that is a pretty decent deal for a quality 6” figure.  Back in the DCSH days there were never these issues with “gummy” plastic that we’ve had with some DCUC waves, and there were very few paint issues or loose joints.  I don’t know what has changed, but you could always count on getting a well-made toy for your money when these figures were released under the DC Superheroes title.

Value Score: 8 / 10

 

9 / 10 - Great update to a classic (if not all that popular) robot design.

8 / 10 - A little boring, but well done paint applications.

8 / 10 - Typical DCSH/DCUC articulation, with a couple of added surprises, the range of motion on a few of these POAs is the only thing holding it back.

8 / 10 - Who couldn’t find fun with a figure that has a mug like this?

8 / 10 - $10 was a very good price at the time, under $20 is a deal if you love this design. 

82 / 100 - This is a Great Toy

If you are a fan of this design, then this is a great figure to add to your collection.  I love it because this was the first Brainiac that I knew of, and later in my childhood, when I saw the green-skinned hot pants wearing version, I was a little taken aback.  What this Brainiac lacks in personality, he makes up with evil red eyes and skeleton grins.  I loved the original Super Powers figure as a kid due to his design, but I would love to see a Superman: TAS inspired figure come out too, because it wasn’t until that show that I truly started to appreciate Brainiac as a character.

-Clark

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