I'll admit that my excitement for this figure has always been a bit more subdued than other collectors'. I like the character Chemo, and I love Collect & Connect figures in the DC Universe Classics line, but combining the two just wasn't working for me. See if my hesitance was well-founded or if Mattel has actually managed to surprise me in a positive way with the crowning achievement of this 9th Wave.
Name: Chemo
Line: DC Universe Classics, Wave 9, Collect & Connect Figure
Manufacturer: Mattel
Released: Summer 2009
Price: Can't be purchased without buying the entire wave for about $85.00
Scale: 6.00 in. (figure in 10.50 in. tall)
Accessories: None
I'm going to start my complaints with Chemo the same way I have with the last couple DCUC C&C figures, which is his scale. Chemo is another character that's supposed to be a hulking giant, 50 feet tall or more. Just like Giganta and Atom Smasher before him, that makes this figure way too short, and a bit more in line with 3.75 inch figures instead. I understand that mattel can't cram a 40 inch figure into the standard DCUC packaging, and that's why I'm not going to rant on for 3 more paragraphs. With Atom Smasher and Giganta they had the choice of making them their "normal" heights equivalently around 7 feet tall, but Chemo doesn't really change from small to big (just from big to big), so this was Mattel's only option. You can't fault them for making him as big as possible, but just be aware he's not exactly in scale. And on that note, he is huge, coming in over 10 inches and 6 inches wide, by far the thickest C&C figure yet. Despite being too small, he still holds quite a presence on the shelf anyway thanks to his size (if that makes any sense!)
The actual sculpt itself does a good job capturing the feel of the character. His body is very rounded off, with only the most basic human shape, and no muscle definition or finer details like a butt. That's precisely how he should look, and although I wish there was a bit more of a belly, his body turned out great as a whole. The various bronze colored "costume" elements are pretty smooth too, but not totally devoid of sculpting work, in fact offering quite a bit of sharp detailing. There are tech looking grooves, panels, bolts, and other neat little additions to bring him more in line with super-detailed figures like Metallo. I initially thought he looked a bit too "Playmobilish", but it's these finer details that save him from that fate. Two of my favorite touches are the nicely segmented fingers and his boots that have deep treads on the bottom.
If you've been following the story of Chemo online, then you might know there are actually two different version of this figure depending on which case your Wildcat figure comes from. Some have an extra piece placed inside the chest piece of the figure which makes Chemo look much more bubbly. Mine does not have that extra piece, so the only bubbles visible on my Chemo are those sculpted onto the inside of his body. I've seen photos of the other version, and in fact Chemo looks very bubbly, a neat effect that this particular figure just doesn't benefit from. These bubbles are okay, although they don't really improve the look any; they feel kind of thinly dispersed, especially around the arms and legs where instead the inner workings of the figure's articulation and structure are visible. It's really just a jumbled mess inside him, and as I'll discuss more in the paint section, I'd rather have seen him painted than translucent. The last couple problems I have are a bit pickier. First off, his boots feel about 10% too big to me, they're very close to looking quite silly down there, compounded by the feet which point every so slightly inward instead of outward, making this the pigeon toed Chemo. The last small complaint is a ding in the plastic on his his left eye, where it looks like Green Arrow got him dead-on with an arrow. I think this fellow could stand some improvements, but given the natural limitations of the character and C&C format, I still think the sculpt is pretty good.
Sculpt Score: 8 / 10
Just so you know, most of the points I'll be docking here are based on a design decision, and if it's one you agree with, then you'll probably be much happier with his paint than I am. That decision is to make him translucent. I get the idea, he'll catch light, look more chemical-like, and generally catch people's eyes if he's translucent, but without the extra piece in the stomach that this one is missing, and without some more attention to "bubblifying" him, it just doesn't work. I would have much preferred a solid green figure here, but one cast in a bit lighter shade of green, frosted with some paint to really bring out his chemical nature. Looking inside to the very obvious articulation and structural elements of an action figure just doesn't make me think of Chemo, and you're welcome to disagree, just add a couple points here. Even in bright lights, he just looks empty and mechanical, two things he shouldn't, and two things which keeping him more like the prototype would have prevented.
Aside from that issue, this is an okay paintjob. The bronze color of his costume looks just right, made even better by the darker brown airbrushing added on in various spots. The airbrushing does go a bit wild in some spots, veering crazily, but overall it's a strong addition. There are some very small applications, like tiny silver bolt heads that look surprisingly crisp. The bronze container pieces that are attached right to his body (well, they're a part of the mold I think, but attached to the character's body) had to be painted to match the parts that were just molded in bronze, and although the colors do seem to match, the pieces on his body don't get any airbrushing, making them look decidely different. There's also just a little bit of overspray on each of the edges, but it's hardly noticeable. There may not be a lot here that I like, but the problems aren't unforgiveable, because about 40% of him looks great as a whole (again, if that makes any sense), while the actual body is a big disappointment.
Paint Score: 5 / 10
Chemo is the DCUC figure with the most limited articulation yet (except for the mini Atom I suppose), with very few functional points. Even a majority of those diagrammed above don't have any real value, only his shoulders, ankles, and waist offering their full range of motion. His hips can move forward approximately 45 degrees, restricting the already ridiculously restrictive swivel even further, while the elbows and specifically the knees are even more useless, offering 30 degrees of movement at best. The huge ankle hinges have a lot of range, and still they're useless thanks to the rest of the weak leg articulation. It's difficult to find any interesting poses with this toy, and all you can really do is move his arms around while the rest of him stands perfectly upright. The waist swivel becomes quite vital since you can't turn his head.
I know what you're thinking, "he couldn't be articulated and and still look like Chemo!", and for the most part you're right. The way he looks make it difficult to articulate him, but making his head swivel, adding a swivel at his boot tops, and making those hips the standard swivel/hinge style all would have been feasible changes that weren't made, and he suffers because of it. There also an issue with his left shoulder, which is loose to the touch and flops around a bit, but it holds whatever position you put it in, so it's not a problem, yet. The joints look okay from a general standpoint, particularly the elbows, ankles, and waist, although once again, thanks to his transparency, the articulation becomes quite the eyesore. That's a paint issue though, and I won't subtract from him score here. There's just not much score to begin with, because Chemo doesn't move ...me.
Articulation Score: 5 / 10
My fun scores are usually very dependant on a toy's articulation, but this is one case where terrible articulation doesn't prevent Chemo from being a fun figure. He's an enormous toy that can wreak havoc on your superheros. Even Gorilla Grodd, Solomon Grundy, and Lobo will have to run in fear from this monstrosity, and there's nothing more fun than having that one gigantic toy to pummel the rest. Setting up battle scenes with this guy as the target would cause a ton of enjoyment, whether you're the kid punching away at him, or the collector patiently assuring that Black Canary's fist is in fact touching his gut and not just hovering nearby. Some people will enjoy the transparency, because it's a cool action-feature-like trait that's something to talk about, while others will love that you can actually put stuff inside him (if it's small enough)(see comic). Chemo is also an interesting looking character, with a dynamic element to his design that's very non-human and carries story implications right along with it. Collecting all of the various pieces from separate figures and then finally sitting down to put him together is a real joy, even if he is a disappointing figure. I know that due to another Mattel snafu, that this will actually be a nightmare for some folks who can't track down certain parts, but if you have the completed figure (which Iis what I'm reviewing), then it's going to be a blast assembling him, especially for those who took their time hunting each piece down. I do wish he was a bit more in scale, because he'd be more fun to plop into DCUC displays, but all the other positives here keep him entertaining.
Fun Score: 9 / 10
This is a really difficult category to consider with Collect & Connect figures, because you can't just go to Wal-Mart and buy Chemo by his lonesome. If you could, I expect he'd be a $25-$40 figure, but instead you have to spend $80 or more to buy each of the necessary figures to assemble him. So for collectors like myself who are going to buy every single figure in any given wave anyway, C&C toys like Chemo are an absolute bonus that are worth every penny spent, because many of the regular figures are a reasonable deal anyway. If you start buying $13 toys just for a piece of Chemo, then his value starts to dwindle, which I'm afraid will be the case for many people. Even purchasing him on Ebay or buying singular pieces in hopes of completing him will be an expensive endeavor, so it's hard to say that Chemo is a strong value. Other factors to consider might be that he's composed entirely of new tooling, he's a heavy and durable figure, and finally that Mattel probably cut a few corners with his articulation. So what does all of that mean for his score? It means I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say he's an okay deal.
Value Score: 6 / 10
8 / 10 - Looks like (a tiny version of) the character with a good mix of smooth shapes and fine details.
5 / 10 - Being translucent makes him ugly, among other small problems.
5 / 10 - He can barely move.
9 / 10 - A huge toy that's got a cool design and shelf presence.
6 / 10 - Even with the added costs to individual figures, this is a big toy with unique parts.
66 / 100 - This is an Okay Toy
Chemo definitely would have been improved with a few more points of articulation and better management of his green body, but thanks to a good sculpt and the fact that he's a joy to mess around with, Chemo isn't a bad toy. For DC comics fans who want a huge figure that's actually a tiny Chemo, he might just hit the spot. For the rest of the world, I don't know if he's a good enough toy to warrant chasing down an entire wave of elusive toys.
-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!
_________
Looking for more DC Universe Classics reviews? Find them here!
