Mattel had to dig deep into the DC Comics character pile to find this rendition of Guardian. Though he may not be the brightest star in DC Comcis nowadays, that doesn't necessarily mean he's a bad action figure. Read on to see if DC Universe Classics Wave 9 Guardian is worth your time or if he's just another generic hero that'll only take up more space on your shelf.
Name: Guardian
Line: DC Universe Classics, Wave 9, Figure 3
Manufacturer: Mattel
Released: Summer 2009
Price: Retail: $12.50-$14.99, Online: $12.99-$19.99
Scale: 6.00 in. (figure in 6.50 in. tall)
Accessories: Shield
Collect & Connect Piece: Chemo's right leg
Sponsor Listings: Past Generation Toys-$14.95, Amazon-$16.99
Guardian is as basic as a DCUC figure can get, with only a new head to make him unique. Even the head sculpt is even pretty generic, with no expression and a very neutral male face without any distinctive features or shapes. The helmet does look like a separate piece and adds a lot to the sculpt with its depth. The basic body fits the character well and has good proportions, so it's not terrible, just not particularly exciting. He features the smooth back-plug to great effect. His shield is done well, except for a few dips in the plastic on the front where the straps attach on the back; it's not that noticeable, but sometimes the light will catch these imperfections. On a simple figure like this the flat crotch is so much more obvious and ugly.
Sculpt Score: 7 / 10
It doesn't get much easier than this, as a majority of the paint applications are one single color, but unfortunately that yellow doesn't sit on the blue too well, and many color edges for Guardian turn out just a shade green. The boots turned out better than the forearms, and still yet both have visisble green "fuzziness" at all the cut lines, while his neck is especially bad. Despite that, everything is mostly straight, and the applications on his face and eyes are decidedly clean. I love the individual color choices, as they carry that classic boldness and look so naturally heroic. The subtle airbrushing on the blue parts of his costume isn't as bad as some other figures and generally helps to bring out details in the sculpt nicely.
Paint Score: 7 / 10
As seen above, Guardian has a significant number of articulation points. This helps him to find various poses and his joints are tight enough to hold those lively stances. Nothing is broken or feels like it might be anytime soon, and every joint (except the neck) can move in its full intended range. The neck is a bit too thick for the head to cock to the side or move all the way up, but it's not totally reduced to a swivel either. The joints aren't terribly distracting visually and fit within the sleek silhouette of the figure.
Articulation Score: 9 / 10
Let's face it, Guardian is a pretty boring character. Even his biography has trouble making him sound interesting (he helps with homework, yes!), and I don't think many people will be drawn to the toy's design, and definitely won't be caught on name recognition. He's probably destined to be scooted to the back of the display shelf, and despite having a cool shield and great articulation model to use it, there still isn't much about him that suggests high levels of enjoyment. Including a piece of the Chemo C&C certainly helps, as building that giant and fun figure is definitely entertaining. Nothing is too frustrating about Guardian to make him lose any points here.
Fun Score: 6 / 10
Guardian is a very plain toy, and to collectors of the line, it will be quite evident that they're really just getting new paint here. Only two instances of new tooling make this a very cheap figure for Mattel to produce, and knowing that, it's hard to feel like he's worth a lot of money. The straightforward paint and articulation certainly don't do anything to change that notion. Guardian does come with an accessory, which is always nice to have, as well is the C&C piece (which in this case, is enormous). Between all that and the decent packaging, Guardian helps to save his score, but for $12-$13, he's definitely not a steal. If Mattel does increase the price to $15, fellows like Guardian are going to be a rip-off.
Value Score: 7 / 10
72 / 100 - This is a Good Toy
Guardian is certainly a simple action figure for this line, and while that may not be what you're looking for, it doesn't mean he's a bad figure. There are no fatal problems with him, and thanks to the solid articulation model, plus being average everywhere else, Guardian is still a good toy.
-The Articulated One
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