Some toys just seem to get more and more disappointing the longer they've been out of the package, and then there are other toys that manage to grow on you over time. Donna Troy was one of the latter, in that I hated her at first, and only really dislike her now!
Name: Donna Troy
Line: DC Universe Classics Wave 13, Figure 7
Manufacturer: Mattel
Released: 2nd Quarter 2010
Price: $15+
Scale: Figure is 6.00 in. tall
Accessories: None
Collect & Connect Piece: Trigon's head
Let's go ahead and get one thing out of the way before we move on: this is an ugly and misproportionate base body. Females in the DC Universe Classics line all suffer from intense anorexia and severe elongation of the legs. There are very few angles where this figure actually looks like a real human. Her legs are too long, her arms too thin, and her waist ridiculously skinny from the side. These physical deformities are nothing new to the line despite this being a partially newly-tooled body, and Donna Troy suffers from it as a whole. I'm slightly more tolerant of the weird proportions here since she is supposed to be a teenager. The lanky limbs and thin frame make a little more sense.
There are some details in Donna's sculpt that turned really well (the inside of her boots have sculpted zipper lines, for instance), but she just doesn't have enough costume detail; it's all painted on instead. The bracelets and belt add some layers to an otherwise flat sculpt that could have used some sculpting to differentiate it (a sculpted tank top would have been nice (see comic)). At least her breasts are well defined and she doesn't suffer from the "uniboob" syndrome of her friend Starfire. The lasso doesn't look so impressive, as it turned out clumpy and crooked. The "W" on her belt is tilted to the side and asymmetrical, which (after looking at some reference materials) may have been an intentional sculpting choice, but will still be found annoying by some people no doubt. Donna is equipped with two closed fists, making any poses with her lasso in hand or at the ready on her hip more difficult. The hands look awfully small too. As if she needed another issue, there are some very distinct mold lines visible across her body as well. I'm usually very forgiving with that kind of thing, but some of these are too thick and set improperly, making them really noticeable and even apparent to the touch.
The one piece that could save this otherwise very mediocre figure is her head. And thanks to a pair of crazy eyes, it's completely unsuccessful. Her eyes are oddly separated it seems, giving her a very vapid stare and empty expression. This isn't helped by the lazy paint, but it's a sculpt-specific problem too. Her hair came out just fine with big flowing curls and long waves, and so did the rest of her facial features. It's just doesn't come together at all, leaving her an intimidatingly ugly face. To end on a good note, her ears have nice and sharp star earrings decorating them, a cool extra little touch.
Sculpt Score: 4 / 10
Donna's paint is slightly more appealing than her sculpt, but it's still not good by any means. We already discussed her eyes, one of which looks up and to the right, while the other looks down and straight ahead. Add that wild arrangement in with her sloppy lipstick and already problematic eye placement and this is a hideous woman. It doesn't appear that any of the individual problems are all that severe. Adding everything together creates the real big issues. Her hair at least has attractive and subtle blue streaking throughout to highlight the sculpt. We've seen some absolute messes with DCUC females' hair before, so I'm relieved that this turned out good; Donna needed at least one compliment.
Moving to her torso, things start to get better. The tank top is very cleanly applied along her chest, with no blurry edges or slop to ruin the effect. The star decals placed along her sides and bracelets are also perfectly sharp and evenly spaced. There's a little overspray at the top of her boots. Nothing major though, and there's none at all along her bracelets. I don't like the color of her belt and lasso, as they're too yellow and even a little too green, when they could stand to be a richer gold. The other colors are all just fine, but there is an issue with the red not matching across her thighs to her lower legs that's bothersome to the eye.
Paint Score: 6 / 10
One of the main reasons I like Donna Troy better now than I did originally is because I "figured out" some of her articulation. Initially when I opened her, her hips were a total mess, unable to bring the legs in to the middle at all (leaving her in a perpetual wide stance), with huge gaps between the edge of the thighs and the hip sockets. When you pushed the legs together at the knees, it felt like the hips were going to tear, and then the legs would gently just slide back out into a wide stance again. It took some fiddling and experimenting, but after finally pushing the legs firmly into the hip sockets at an angle, the hips seemed to become less gummy and the legs suddenly took center positions easily. I suspect that the peg connecting her legs to her crotch is just a little soft and had to be worked into its intended position more firmly before it allowed the leg to move freely. After that small manipulation, this is a much more poseable and entertaining figure.
All her other joints work well, and though they don't feel extremely sturdy, they don't feel too weak either. The ranges of motion in her legs are all good, but the elbows are frustratingly limited. You can only close her arms to something like a 110 degree angle, not the 90 or even 45 degrees that you'd prefer. Her torso hinge is equally restricted, totally unable to move forward at all. She can bend backwards, but doing a sit-up would be impossible. Her neck is slightly better; it's a good ball joint when you can get it to move around her hair, you just have to deal with her hair. Despite these disappointing upper body posing options, she's still fun to play around with and can take some cool stances on a shelf. It may not be perfect or even good, but it's a serviceable articulation model by all rights.
Articulation Score: 6 / 10
Donna Troy has always been generic to me as a comic book character, and though she's had some shining moments, she's still relatively unknown, especially in this costume. I'm surprised Mattel didn't offer up an easy repaint variant figure here, because this is a rather bland figure in almost every respect. She's got a plain costume and frame, she's a female (which is fine with me, but typically draws in less interest), and doesn't even include an accessory to use. Compared to a toy like Blue Beetle which had loads more articulation, multiple accessories, and and much more engaging visual design, you can see how this figure is considerably less fun. She came with a Collect & Connect piece of the Trigon figure, and also included a small collector pinback, but those are not enough to keep her entertaining. She's small, boring, a bit frustrating as a figure (considering the problematic hips and limited articulation), and doesn't come with any extras to liven things up. This isn't a very enjoyable toy.
Fun Score: 4 / 10
I don't consider good DC Universe Classics figures a strong value, so for a poorer figure like Donna Troy, it's easy to imagine how she's worth even less. There isn't nearly enough plastic in the package to support the $15-$20 this figure costs. A lack of accessories and a tiny little body don't back up those kinds of expenses. I don't think she's going to fall apart or suffer from any other catastrophes, but a toy that's this ugly and not much fun to play with to boot just isn't worth much at all, because she's no good for playing or displaying. There are so many better alternatives out there in this price range or lower, that Donna Troy seems like a ripoff to anyone but the biggest fans of her character or those who absolutely must have a Trigon Collect & Connect figure.
Value Score: 3 / 10
4 / 10 - Absurd proportions and a simple body aren't a good combination.
6 / 10 - A couple major flaws hold back an otherwise respectable paint job.
6 / 10 - Some joints are too limited and it may take some work to get your Donna fully functional before you can enjoy her articulation.
4 / 10 - There's just not much to do with this uninspiring figure.
3 / 10 - She's much too expensive for a disappointing and boring toy.
49 / 100 - This is a Poor Toy
Mattel could have done a few things to make Donna Troy a worthwhile figure. Instead, the costume choice, ugly base body, poorly painted eyes, lack of accessories, and prohibitive price are just too many downfalls for a mediocre toy to overcome. Even big fans of Donna Troy might be disappointed by this figure, while the average collector is sure to be.
-The Articulated One
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