So I was finally able to track down a case of DC Universe Classics Series 5 thanks to 20silence at AFI. These weren't in a Wal-Mart in the tri-state area and 20silence got me a reasonable deal. So the first one up to be reviewed is the classic JLA villain, Amazo. This guy may look a little silly to some of you but he's an incredible android that absorbs the JLA's powers and uses them for evil purposes. The figure itself isn't bad at all with some rather strong features only hampered by its simplicity and goofiness.

Sculpt

  Amazo has a very very simple sculpt. This entire Wal-Mart wave seems to skimp on the sculpts (except he build-a-figure), probably because Mattel had to rush it out the door to appease Wal-Mart. Anyway, Amazo just uses the large male buck, and although simple, it really does fit the character. The only sculpted details are the ring on his hand and his head. The ring hand is an exact copy of Hal Jordan's from Series 3 with different paint, so the head sculpt is the only unique piece on the whole figure. It does Amazo justice with the pointed ears, the widow's peak hairline, and the glaring face, but it isn't a stunning sculpt by any stretch of the imagination.He's a simple character that doesn't require much, yet it's hard to give him a great score either because he's so simple. 

Sculpt Score: 6 / 10 - Just the basic body buck with no changes. Accurate head sculpt with good details and expression. Nice that they sculpted a ring on his hand, which is accurate. 

Paint

Amazo's paint is facing the same problem as his sculpt. It's very good and comic accurate, but just not stunning in any way. His costume does involve a lot of straight lines which can be difficult and these are actually really well done. I also really like the color variation, it's enough to draw the eyes in but the greens don't fight with each other either. His skin tones look as 'natural' as they should for an android. His 'hair' is a nice shade too. A couple problems annoy me a little bit. First off, I think he has a huge dried glob of paint in the middle of his chest. There's a big circle right between his pecs in the middle, and I don't think it's a sculpted detail, because I've compared him to others' pictures. I thought it might be softer if it was paint, but it's as hard as the rest of the plastic. Any insight into this would be helpful, because I don't know what it is. He also has a little bit of dirt/grime on his right shoulder that won't come off. This figure also suffers from a little bit of a cross eyed problem, his right eye is looking off to the side instead of straight on. Finally, his crotch piece isn't color matched very well with the rest of his "outfit".

Paint Score: 6 / 10 - Well done lines in costume. Good color choices, but some small problems drop score. Googly eyes, dirty paint, paint drop on chest, mismatched crotch (I don't feel altogether comfortable with that phrase).

Articulation

This figure's articulation is a definite high point. He came out of the package in perfect condition with all joints as smooth as butter but strong and sturdy too. I would easily pay $2 to $3 extra for every figure to have articulation like Amazo's. I would hope that this was a sign of a turn around for Mattel if other figures in my case weren't falling apart. Amazo also has every standard DCUC joint which is just enough for me but not as spectacular as it could be. The articulation looks pretty good with the sculpt all things considered and I don't have anything to complain about here.

Articulation Score: 9 / 10 - Good number of points, everything worked wonderfully, doesn't mess with sculpt. Some more articulation would be a 10 easy.

Fun

So just how fun is a random DC character that most people don't recognize? That's a good question, but my gut says not much. I love Amazo to death, and some of my favorite JLA stories include him as the villain (even in this costume) and yet this figure just isn't much fun. Sure he has lots of articulation and you could play with him to death or pose him in all kind of JLA fight scenes, but there are not features about him screaming 'fun'. He doesn't have any cool robot parts or weapons or action punches. He doesn't look scary or big or have much of a presence at all. He's just not very much fun. 

Fun Score: 5 / 10 - Kind of silly design, no features or acessories, articulation that's varied enough to make him a little fun. 

Value

Amazo is a pretty average sized 6" figure that feels pretty good and sturdy in your hands. He retails for around $12 if you can find him in a store, or more like $20 if you buy on Ebay. At either price he feels a little overpriced on his own because of a distinct lack of accessories or size. On the other hand, he thankfully comes with a piece of an awesome (and rather big) build a figure which makes his value skyrocket. It's well worth it to get all 5 figures to get the sweet collect and connect Metallo for this wave. 

Summary

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6

9
5
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Overall Score: 68 / 100 - This is an Okay Toy

Amazo is a strange character that often evokes a 'love him' or 'hate him' kind of vibe and this figure is the same way. Amazo fans or classic JLA fans will probably love him while some people will just wonder 'why?'. He has a strong articulation model and because of the collect and connect Metallo he's worth the money, but a weak sculpt and paint leave him from breaking into better territory. 

-The Articulated One