Beast Boy is a character that makes his living transforming into other things. Is this toy so bad that you'll be wishing it would transform into something else, or has Mattel put out another great figure as a part of DC Universe Classics Wave 10? Read on to find out!

Name: Beast Boy
Line: DC Universe Classics, Wave 10, Figure 2
Manufacturer: Mattel
Released: Fall 2009
Price: Retails: $13.00-$15.00, Online: $50.00+ on Ebay
Scale: 6.00 in. (Figure in 5.50 in. tall)
Accessories: Bird
Collect & Connect Piece: Imperiex's right arm

     Beast Boy is composed of the same basic buck body that was used for Kid Flash and Robin earlier in the line's history, but to me, this might be the best utilization of it yet. Thanks to a few added costume elements that were absent from Kid Flash (who looked terrible), Beast Boy looks pretty nifty and seems more proportionate (mostly aided by the belt (which hides the ugly hips/butt connection) and his boots). I can't quantify why exactly this figure looks more natural, but it just does. There is a scale issue to consider though, as this costume is really from a more "adult era" Beast Boy from recent years, so he should be a bit larger than he is here. It's hard to say he belongs with Cyborg and Starfire for a Titans team and definitely not with Robotman for a Doom Patrol display. Mattel could stand some consistency in size for their Titans characters, because any DCUC Titans shelves right now are looking awfully wonky. If you can just take the scales as they are, considering the line its own continuity of sorts, you'll be okay with Beast Boy's size, otherwise, be warned.
     Most of this figure is pretty basic and light on details, but there is a nice sculpted hair effect on his bare arms and hands, and his boots and belt are loaded down with intricate elements too. He comes together nicely thanks to the new tooling being used, and would seem misinterpreted without it. The head sculpt is a nuetral expression, and thanks to his youth, there aren't a lot of facial lines or distinct features, yet it looks good and appropriate anyway, especially thanks to the pointed ears and sharp hair. The bird accessory, which is technically almost a second figure (it is Beast Boy afterall), is the same one we saw with the Wonder Twins, just in green, and looks as good as a tiny plastic bird can look, with lots of feathers carved in, as well as crisp talons and a sharp beak. Unfortunately, the packaging made his wings curve in very different directions, making it look terribly deformed, and trying to get them to match back up is a real pain. There's also an issue with his belt being crooked, just a hair off to the side, and although these might seem like problems unique to this particular figure, I've actually read another review where there were the exact same two problems, so you should be cautious, despite them not being deal breakers.

Sculpt Score: 7 / 10

 

     Relatively basic paint applications used here, with the purple painted on cleanly, the edges even matching up across articulation well. The black is the matte variety, making a nice base for the purple, and contrasting nicely with the green. The colors are all the same shades across different types of plastic, which is tough to do when mixing paint color with plastic color, yet it's done well here. Good drybrushing on both his arm hair and head hair adds a nice touch, and the detail applications on his boots and belt are attractive as well. Even his eyes and eyebrows look great. Although there's obviously nothing amazing about this paint job, it's getting all the important stuff done right, and I only have two small complaints, first of which are two small spots of slop on his back (a green spot and purple spot on black areas), and secondly the huge butt tattoo he's got (see above image). The figure's identifying information is rarely so blatant as that, and it steals a little away from his appearance from behind (probably a huge disappointment for DrNightmare). 

Paint Score: 8 / 10

 

    I'm still loving that Mattel cleared up all of its past articulation problems, so be happy that Beast Boy won't suddenly lose a limb; all of the joints on this figure feel tight and secure, holding him up in a variety of difficult poses. There is a lot of articulation (pictured above), and he's fun to play around with, able take a lot of poses naturally. Even the bird has articulated wings and feet, so flapping away with Joker's cane will be easy. His points aren't too visually interrupting, particularly on the black costume. The head could stand to move up and down, as well as tilt a little more than it does, which seems to be a wave-wide problem; right now it feels more like a swivel, even though technically speaking it's a ball joint.

Articulation Score: 9 / 10

     Well, Beast Boy is a Transformer, and everybody loves to play with Transformers, right? Oh, he's not that kind of Transformer, okay. Beast Boy is a pretty basic character in human form, without any physical features (besides being green) to make him extra fun (such as size, or chainsaw arms), plus he's not a character that a lot of people will put in their list of favorites. Despite that, this is a well articulated action figure that has some potential for play and is poseable enough for display as well. Given all the awesome animals Beast Boy can turn into, I think including more than just an eagle that we've already seen would have been nice. Something like a rhino, or even a turtle would have made Beast Boy a lot more fun to play with, but of course that would have been cost prohibitive. The C&C piece is a fun addition, because putting Imperiex together is in fact a blast. A more era-specific costume and scale would have made him a lot more enjoyable too, because I don't really know what to do with him in my displays.

Fun Score: 7 / 10

     Beast Boy is on the smaller side, and includes a single accessory (but one that is articulated), so there isn't exactly a plethora of plastic in the package. The inclusion of the C&C piece helps again here, adding in 1/6th of a free humongous toy (the arm included is close in height to Beast Boy himself). There aren't a lot of paint applications to add to costs, and the new tooling costs shouldn't have weighed too heavily either. He doesn't quite feel like the $13 figure that Joker does. I wouldn't go so far as to say he's a bad deal though, because he is defect free and feels sturdy enough to me. But then again, you have to ask yourself, what are you even going to do with him? He's not going to fit into many displays, so he may not be worth much to you if you aren't a huge Doom Patrol or Titans fan.

Value Score: 7 / 10

76 / 100 - This is a Good Toy

There is nothing jaw-dropping about Beast Boy, but when considered as a whole, he's still a good toy.

-The Articulated One

This could be the figure given away in this month's Review Commentator Contest. Join the discussion by leaving a comment for a chance to win!

Articulated Discussion is also giving away three DC Universe Classics Wave 10 figures, so check out the DC Universe Classics Wave 10 Classified Contest to see how to win!

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