I got a pleasent welcoming present in from Fed Ex when I got home today in a full case of DCUC Series 2. I already have most of the wave but ordered this one for a Jason Rusch Firestorm, and that's exactly what I got. This modern version of Firestorm is a great figure that's renewing my hope in Mattel's quality control for this DC Universe Classics line.

Sculpt

  Firestorm actually features quite a few unique sculpted elements compared to most of the characters in this line who just use a standard buck. He has calves with nice kneepads added on, detailed forearms, unique baggy sleeves, an upper body with a different shape as well as a few protruding dots and lines of costume work. His head sculpt is also brand new, with a good neutral facial expression and some great looking fire sprouting from his scalp. It's hard to make sculpted fire look good, but this looks great. Firestorm is also the right size and the costume is dead on (unlike Ronnie's who compromises some to share parts with this guy). This is a solid sculpt that does everything it needs to do and looks the part.

Sculpt Score: 9 / 10 - Nice costume details on chest and forarms, unique profile compared to other characters, really strong head sculpt.

Paint

Firestorm's paint is pretty well done too. First off, his colors all look good and are applied evenly. The only spot of bother with the color is his right shoulder piece, which for some reason came out a hair darker than the rest of the red on his costume.The linework on Jason's costume is also really well done, with nice crisp edges and straight lines. There is a little bit of overlap on the chest emblem, where the paint goes outside the sculpt, but it really doesn't distract. There is an organge wash on his chest that gives off a nice effect too. Firestorm's face is well done with a good skin tone and glowing yellow eyes. One big chunk of slop on this figure's right hip, green slop nonetheless is problematic but better than average for mass produced figures. 

Paint Score: 9 / 10 - Really well done applications, good variation between shiny and matte where necessary, could use at least one more distinct color. 

Articulation

Even though Jason's costume may not look like it supports the full range of DCUC articulation, he does. He has great movement possibilities for fighting or for posing. Amazingly, all of his joints worked so smoothly right out of the package I could hardly believe it. I'm used to trying to fix 1-2 joints every Mattel figure I get now, but this guy was as smooth as butter. I don't know if it's a new standard or I just lucked out, but I'm loving it. Each point is nice and tight and holds the figure in lots of poses. There are no restricting movement ranges and you can hardly tell he's articulated, it meshes with the sculpt so well. The kneepads hide his knee articulation well and the way his bicep swivels are sculpted into the bagginess of his sleeves make them hard to detect as well. This is great articulation all around, just not an enormous amount.

Articulation Score: 9 / 10 -Lots of points, I was stunned that they all worked well, looks good with sculpt.

Fun

Firestorm probably isn't a character that a lot of people recognize but he has a cool, bright design that will grab people's attention. Kids love nothing more than a guy with a flaming head. His articulation and inclusion of "atomic gloves" don't hurt his fun score either. The accessories are cool, but they don't really offer an play functionality. It's hard to even pretend they're projectiles. A play feature or a little more fame would boost his score here. 

Fun Score: 8 / 10 - He has a fun design, but isn't really recognizable, limiting his fun factor. Comes with some questionable acessories and doesn't have any action features.

Value

Firestorm sells for about $12 depending on where you get him. For that price you get an averaged size 6" figure with some small acessories and a build a figure piece. That's not a bad deal considering you get a free $20 equivalent figure if you buy five figures. Firestorm is also free from defects and seems really durable which is a huge bonus for people trying to get their money's worth. He's a pretty decent deal and I think he's worth every penny. 

Summary

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9
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Overall Score: 88 / 100 - This is a Great Toy

Firestorm is renewed hope in the DC Universe Classics line and proves to be a good figure across the board with a nice sculpt, solid paint, and a great articulation model.

-The Articulated One