Mr. Miracle is probably my second favorite comic book character (behind Martian Manhunter) so it may be difficult for me to make this review unbiased. Trying my best, I'll just say that Mattel has released another good, though not stellar figure in this 6th series of DC Universe Classics.
Check out the rest of the review...
Mr.
Miracle uses one of the base body styles found within the DCUC line.
This isn't inherently a bad thing, because it's a great body sculpt
that looks stylish while remaining artist neutral. All of the muscles
and definition look good and accurate to Mr. Miracle, because he isn't
overly buff or big looking. The great thing about this figure is that
he isn't totally reliant on reused parts, and does in fact have a
number of unique sculpts at his calves, forearms, and the bottom of his
feet (which have some crazy fourth world technology on them). These
pieces may not look like much, but they do add necessary costume details and a sense of individuality when compared to other figures in the line. His face is sculpted with a pained or angry expression, as if he's trying to break out of some prison. It is a strange choice and yet it still works well I think. The costume detail on his head is sculpted in instead of just painted, and touches like that are always nice to see. His cape is also unique with the New Gods style clasp and huge collar. It's a little too stiff and hangs oddly, but it's okay for the most part. The accessories bundled in with this toy are also pretty well sculpted, his tiny mother box full of tech circuits and buttons, the high tech handcuffs and discs are much the same, chock full of detail and comic accurate.
Sculpt Score: 8 / 10 - Great body sculpt accented with unique pieces, good accessory details, face sculpt is strange but good,
Mr. Miracle doesn't do quite as well in this category as in others. The colors are for the most part perfect. His red and yellow section are vibrant and bold just like Kirby would've hoped for. His green is almost there, but just a shade too dark in my opinion. That one could go either way for most people, and is probably close enough to eliminate the need for complaints. The problems arise with applications, which aren't as good as I'd hoped for. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing terrible here, just annoying oversights and mistakes. First off, most of the yellow dots on his costume aren't full circles, ranging from crescent moon shapes to squares. It might be hard to paint a circle, but my expectations were a little higher than what I'm seeing here. The line of his green trunks is also wildly mismatched through the hip joint and some green paint slash made its way onto red territory. The wash that's applied also looks pretty iffy in most spots, particularly his abdomen and thighs which just looks messy. I'm not sure why they thought a red wash was necessary, I would've rather just seen the solid yellow and the black wash on his thighs doesn't go down to his knees, so there's a huge visual break there. Some green is showing through on his cape clasp's yellow and there are a couple places where paint has been chipped off on his back. All of his costume lines are actually very crisp and straight and the details in his face are well done too. His accessories are also really well painted with a nice silver color and various crisply painted details. He's kind of hit or miss here, but still competitive at the mass market level with this paint.
Paint Score: 6 / 10 - Colors are almost perfect, good face detail work, straight color shift lines, some bad circles, weird wash problems, chipping on back, good accessories.
This figure has an almost perfect set of articulation. The only thing really holding him back is that he could have just a few points more for maximum posing options. Everything worked right out of the package (a hopeful new standard for DCUC) and each of the joints are appropriately tight. His hips might be showing signs up loosening up, but for right now they're okay. Everything has a full range of motion and looks reasonably good with his basic sculpt style. His arms are easy to get into his handcuffs and find interesting positions, and his legs work reasonable well with his hover discs too.
Articulation Score: 9 / 10 - Great articulation model with enough points for posing or play, looks natural with sculpt, everything worked smoothly.
Mr. Miracle is a character without a lot of exposure to people outside of the comic world. He was quite prominent in an episode of the JLU cartoon, but past that I can't think of many important appearances. As such, many people may not see him as a lot of fun simply because he isn't popular. Aside from that, he has an interesting and vibrant design and backstory, as well as unique power that improves the fun score. The figure itself has all the necessary articulation to be fun as well as including a lot of accessories, of which the flying discs and handcuffs could be particularly enjoyable in play scenarios. He may not be the first or last toy that anyone picks up to play with, though he does have some interesting characteristics to make him a lasting part of a display or carpet battle.
Fun Score: 7 / 10 - A less well known character, but one with a bright design and awesome superpower, lots of articulation, quite a few neat accessories.
This figure retails for around $12, which is a pretty reasonable amount of cash for a 6" figure nowadays, in my ever so humble opinion. He's not a huge figure, but isn't too small either. Miracle feels sturdy and weighty in your hands, not like he's going to fall apart. Similarly, the improved quality control on this guy compared to previous DCUC figures automatically makes him worth more than previous, and generally broken, figures in the line. He's also loaded down with accessories, which always help the perception of value. Last but not least, this guy also comes with a big chunk of Kalibak, the collect and connect figure that you can assemble by buying the 5 main figures of the wave. Getting another 1/5th of a figure really helps you feel like you're getting your bang for your buck, though Mr. Miracle wasn't particularly lacking anyway. The only way this guy isn't worth the money is if you're just buying him to get a build-a-figure, since he's not a character that everyone knows or loves.
Value Score: 9 / 10 - Well constructed and high quality figure, loaded with accessories, includes C&C piece, might just be a step in the way to Kalibak for some.
Summary
8
6
9
7
9
Overall Score: 78 / 100 - This is a Great Toy
Mr. Miracle's weak paint and marginal fun are the only thing holding him back from greatness with a strong sculpt, superior articulation, and a high value.
P.S. This could be the figure I'm giving away this month, just leave a comment for a chance to win (if he's the one).
-The Articulated One
