DC Universe Classics: SDCC Exclusive Plastic Man Review!

Having friends is a great thing, and this is coming from an anti-social ass. I can’t make it to SDCC and doubt that I will ever make the trip- this of course tends to screw me in the ‘complete the damn collection’ situation. So before I begin I want to thank my friend Chris for helping me out- I know how much of a pain in the ass it is to acquire these buggers and I really appreciate it.

So Plastic Man, for those who do not know, was a Golden Age character (a cute term for comic characters made when The History Channel was simply called ‘The News’) and has a fairly interesting origin, and that’s saying something since most old school origins range from mundane to completely bat shit insane.

Eel O’Brien was a prick. Seriously, this was the guy who batman beat up every issue in his title- and not the cool villains either. I’m talking henchman level. Suffice to say things changed the day O’Brien was shot in a heist gone wrong (it’s always the ‘gone wrong’ ones isn’t ?) and his gang decided ‘screw em’ and took off. Eel (which DAMN so couldn’t name a children’s character that now) found himself at a monastary (don’t ask why this would be in the middle of a city…) where the kindly monks nursed him back to health. So remember, like Nuns, Monks are pure tempered Awesome. Don’t argue.

Of course this being a comic when old Eel (hee hee) recuperated he discovered that he’d been changed from his injuries (since it should be mentioned he’d been shot and then doused in freaky chemicals…..this happens alot in comics) either way our boy here now possessed powers that Reed Richards would later steal…the jerk. Now seeing the kindness shown him despite being a total tool Eel was a changed man dedicating his life to fighting people like what he once was. So it’s like ‘My Name is Earl’ but with super powers.

Oh and Crazy…because well who knows? It makes him awesome so don’t fight it.

Like just about every Mattel convention exclusive Plastic Man here comes in a cool package. In this case he’s his own box! Pretty cool- oh those goggles can be worn.


Comparing him to my other DC figures leaves me thinking the boy has a true rarity in this line- A completely new sculpt. Originally I believed Plastic Man shared parts with fellow skinny hero Deadman, and nope! Not a thing! Deadman carries a distinct crosshatch style of showing muscle definition- not so with Plastic Man, who rolls with a smoother muscle sculpt- more superheroey if that makes sense.

Tell me, have you seen the DCUC figures? If so then you know what to expect with regards to movement- nothing new to be seen here Which is fine by me, Mattel’s DC line boasts what I feel is as perfect a balance of articulation and sculpt so there’s no need to add anything. Sadly Plastic Man here suffers from the same limited neck movement that damn near every figure since around Wave 8. Seriously Mattel this is getting annoying just fix the damn neck already! Aside from THAT Plastic Man offers an adequate range of movement lacking any major obstructions (except that DAMN NECK!!!)

Paint is what you’d expect- good but not fall down awesome. His goggles shows wear. Of course being that he is an exclusive in short supply…well beggars can’t be choosers.


Now this is all and good- but I know what you’re really interested in- Plastic Man’s accessories! When he was first unveiled I was ‘oh cool’ and then came the announced accessories….well let’s just the next exclamation was far more colorful.


I say ‘accessories’ but really it’s alternate body parts. Two sets of ‘weapon’ hands, two rubber arms, a neck extension, spring legs and finally a DEO file on Plastic Man. My least favorite of the group are easily the neck extension and rubber arms. My main beef with them is being they aren’t plastic (which really shouldn’t PLASTIC MAN be plastic only?) and the effect just looks ‘off.’ The arms aren’t poseable either, hanging limp by his sides. The neck piece, which is difficult to attach and looks just plain ugly on him. Another issues with the neck piece deals with my fear of eventually ruining the damn thing- each time I’ve had to remove it the rubber feels near to tearing off. The arms dodge this via a release button for the arms on the figures back (great feature by the way).

Now onto the bits I actually LIKE.

First we have his hands: a Fly swatter and paddle-ball. I’m well aware at how stupid these are, but Plas is notorious for being mental so weird ass ‘weapons’ are appropriate for him. Just be careful switching them out with his normal fists. Usually this would be where we’d stop, as a general rule these sort of figures get only alt hands and head (or in this case:neck) but good old Plastic Man gives us what may be my favorite- his spring legs! A real spring is encased in plastic leading up waist (his belt is oversized and hides the seam) snaps on at the waist (obviously) and just gives the whole figure that tiny bit extra to make it even more special. Really wish we’d see more accessories of this range appear more often, moreso now what with the price hikes.

He also comes with a paper goods item- the DEO file. Just look at is a cool bio card with more detail than you usually find. Mattel really should continue with these on the mass produced figures- anything to make that 15 buck price tag just a little more palatable.

Before I drop off this subject I have to mention one final accessory, a piece that could only be found at SDCC (leave it to Mattel to make an ‘exclusive’ exclusive) Plas’ suitcase body. What really amounts to a bonus torso- it resembles a suitcase (that opens revealing three classic comics!) with the distinctive markings making it evident that it’s Plastic Man in disguise (he can’t change color…be wary of yellow,red,black and skin tone objects), attatching the head with extended neck and arms complete the piece. It’s a nice surprise, far more suitable a con exclusive than say….Gleek so it appears Mattel is learning…slowly but surely.

So another year, another San Diego Comic Con gone by with the slew of exclusives. Plas is a great one- popular character with a ton of cool accessories. I highly recommend it.

About kylethoreau 146 Articles
KyleThoreau is a time-traveling axe murderer from the 1800’s. He stopped in the 2000’s because he ran out of the secret time-travel juice that the cyborg clone of Abe Lincoln gave him. He must now find the clone of Abe to return to his time-travel duties. In the meantime he has decided to report on geeky news and read comic books.

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