When I was a little kid, my dad and I stumbled on to a copperhead in the woods. As I ran off screaming in terror, he did the dad thing and killed it for me. Though that memory still haunts me, there's nothing too terrifying about this toy of the same name. He's a harmless hunk of plastic and it's his time in the spotlight! Hopefully I won't need my father's rescue.
Name: Copperhead
Line: DC Universe Classics Wave 12, Figure 3
Manufacturer: Mattel
Released: January 2010
Price: Retail: $15.00-$18.00, Online: $16.00-$24.00
Scale: 6.00 in.
Collect & Connect Piece: Darkseid's lower torso and head
Accessories: None
Sponsor Listings: Amazon-$17.94, Ka-Razy Kings of Toys-$21.99
Copperhead takes the standard shape and proportions of the solid DC Universe Classics buck and brings it to life with a slick scaled texture sculpted in. Much like Aquaman or Deathstroke before him, Copperhead looks so much more detailed thanks to his simple costume scales. It would have been easy to just paint him green and orange and call it a day, but instead Mattel did what was needed and gave him the necessary new tooling, including great pieces to differentiate between the smooth gloves/boots and the rough scales next to them. The one place they did skimp is with his scaled "bib" which hangs over his neck onto his torso. It would have looked much better to give him a brand new upper torso piece with that sculpted in, because the raised edge makes it so much more obvious and ugly in the back. His head is composed of two pieces, the bottom half which hosts his human face, mouth gaping open and eyes in wild array. It appears to be sculpted as crisply as ever, and the dynamic expression does add a lot of personality. Unfortunately, the top of the snake's head that goes over his face is attached a little crooked, the fangs seem too short, and the triangles in the corner of his mouth don't come flush with the edge of the top like they should, so that almost-neat effect is lost. Other generic problems are the funky feet and flat crotch, which aren't getting any better and still need changed like with nearly every release in this line. This figure looks good when taken as a whole, but there are still a number of small problems holding him back from greatness.
Sculpt Score: 7 / 10
He's so shiny! There is a gloss effect on Copperhead that really makes him glean! And thankfully it's only on the scaled parts of his costume, so its looks almost perfect and totally consistent. I'm not sure I like it exactly, but it is definitely well done. The colors are all fantastic choices too. The green is dark without being drear and the various shades of orange all play well together, fading in and out, bringing out sculpt details along the way. The cut lines at his hips, forearms, and calves are some of the best I've seen in DCUC yet. Despite all my glowing words though, there's one ugly mess, and it's probably in the most important spot: his face. His mouth is a goopy mess with poorly defined teeth (you could say they are blood-stained, but I could say they're bad), and one of his eyes actually goes outside the lines nearly onto his skin beneath it. That said, it's almost impossible to see any of this because it's underneath the roof of his snake mask's mouth, which features much cleaner paint applications around the big reptilian eyes. If I had a mug that ugly, I'd cover it up too, and thankfully for his score, he did just that!
Paint Score: 9 / 10
I love an undeterred articulation model, and that's exactly what Copperhead has. Every joint you see works as well as expected, both from a range of motion and quality standpoint. You can pose him in a variety of entertaining and eye-catching ways, making him an ideal companion for the floor or the shelf. His joints are super tight too, resulting in some fantastic balance (which you'll see two photos down). His neck even allows him to look up to a degree, much better than recent releases have anyway. The only downside to this articulation is that the inside disc on his shoulder joint is quite visible, which isn't usually a problem, but given his scaly torso, it's much more distracting and hurts his visuals a smidge or two.
Articulation Score: 9 / 10
Copperhead's articulation makes him quite a bit of fun on its own, which is a good thing, because neither the history of the character or his lack of accessories is adding much to the pile here. He's not too well known, isn't visually engaging (he's a guy in a lame snake costume if you get down to the facts), and there isn't a single accessory included to spice things up. If you're big into New Gods' crotches (I won't ask), you can bump this score up because Darkseid's crotch and head are included. The Collect & Connect system is a fun challenge most of the time, especially for a major character like Darkseid, so the inclusion of those pieces does help. Wave 12 also marked the debut of a new package style that also includes a collectable button featuring comic book artwork from the DC Universe. It may not be much, but little things like that do add up and help a drab but poseable figure.
Fun Score: 7 / 10
No one much talks about the improved quality control with DCUC lately, and figures like this one really remind me. Copperhead is well constructed and just feels good in my hands, a trait that's hard to describe but weighs in on perceptions of value pretty heavily. We've come from broken hips on every other figure to nicely made, complex pieces of plastic, and it warrants notice. And now with that out of the way, $15 for this toy is just too much money compared to similar products out there in the aisles. He's not big, he's not very unique, and he doesn't even come with an accessory (C&C & pinback button excluded). There's not enough in the package to warrant spending so much on a mediocre character. This price jump came too soon, as $13 was finally starting to feel just right. Instead this toy can't compete with other $15 figures that are larger, completely freshly tooled, and include various accessories.
Value Score: 5 / 10
76 / 100 - This is a Good Toy
Copperhead is another figure that's burdened down by his price. From a technical standpoint, this is a great figure, and if money is no issue, then I fully recommend him. Since it's more likely you're on a tight toy-spending budget, figures like Copperhead are subject to some serious consideration before making a purchase. If you love the character or just love the line, there's no reason to avoid this one. Otherwise, there's no real reason to seek him out.
-The Articulated One
This could be the figure given away in this month's Review Commentator Contest. Join the discussion by leaving a comment on this review for a chance to win!
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