Another figure that I have had my eyes on for quite a while has been the DC Collectibles New 52 Darkseid Deluxe Figure. DC Collectibles decided that it would be appropriate to do a “deluxe” version of the figure so that they could stay true to Darkseid’s real size. There’s no arguing that. It was appropriate.
This guy stands a towering 13 inches tall and is made of solid plastic! That right solid plastic. They didn’t cheap out like Mattel would probably do and hollow him out. He’s a beast. The question is, Is he worth of joining your DC Universe collection? Read on to find out!
As always click on the images to view the full size images.
Packaging
The packaging that this guy comes in is a huge window box package that is similar to what we saw Parademon come in just in a much larger scale.
It is very minimalist but I really like it. A lot of people aren’t fans of minimalist style packaging but sometimes I think it just fits.
The front of the box displays Darkseid in the giant window and then there is the blue on the lower right side that looks like it is being peeled back.
This was done to be just like the DC Comics logo. Pretty cool touch to the packaging if I don’t say so myself.
The back of the package is very basic with just a thumbnail of Darkseid’s head and thumbnails of Wonder Woman and Cyborg (which I am reviewing in the next couple of days). There is also a brief bio for the figure and at the bottom there is Darkseid with a bunch of Parademons.
The back is so basic that I can really understand where people are coming from when they say that they want more on the packages. Especially since the box for this guy is so big.
Sculpt
The sculpt for Darkseid is incredible. Phil Ramirez really knocked it out of the water on him. He stands over 13 inches tall and is made of solid plastic. He’s not just tall, though, he is heavy. He weighs in at almost 4 lbs!(now you know why shipping is so expensive if you buy him online)
His skin has a very well done cracked rocky texture all over it. When I first caught wind of this figure I was expecting a cheap sculpt and nothing really spectacular. The textures on the skin and armor actually look natural, something that is easily messed up. To go along with the cracked skin he has some nice defined cracks in his armor.
He has a pretty mean look on his face and he has some more of the rocky texture. The texture is more defined on his face and really adds to the facial expression. Everything about this guy’s sculpt just says beast.
A new addition that I haven’t seen in the comics is the chest piece. There is a red translucent jewel placed on his chest as opposed to the normal symbol that should be there in the comics. I actually think that I like this jewel on his chest more than the Omega symbol that is in the comics. It really adds to the figure.
His hands are sculpted perfectly for just about any pose that you can think of. Since he doesn’t come with any accessories you don’t need to worry about him grabbing onto anything. With his size I’m actually fine without any accessories. He doesn’t really ever use accessories anyways.
Paint
I had to pick though a couple of figures until I found one that had an ok paint job. There were quite a few that were on the shelf that had a bunch of paint slop. It wasn’t pretty. On my figure, there are a couple of spots here and there with very light paint blemishes but, for the most part, the paint is really smooth.
I think that paint is defiantly going to be something to watch out for on this guy though. I might even suggest picking one out in the store just for that reason alone.
His teeth are painted yellowish and are rather disgusting looking. I imagine he’s got some pretty bad breath. The blue on his suit is two toned and goes perfectly with his grey skin. The paint apps all were applied very smoothly on the figure and he really stands out from other figures if you place him on a shelf.
Articulation
While this guy is huge and made of solid plastic he still does have some articulation. He’s not super articulated, though. He has:
- Ball joint neck
- Ball joint shoulders
- Hinge elbows
- Forearm swivel
- Ball joint wrist
- Hinge hips
- Hinge knees
- Boot swivel
His neck has a good range of motion though he can’t look up into the air. He can look left and right freely as much as he wants, though. With the exception of his knees and elbows, all of his joints move very smoothly. The wrist joints are a nice touch even though they don’t really have that much function. As said his elbows and knees are slightly harder to move and they both move to about 45-degree angle.
I would have liked to see an ab crunch or some sort of a waist crust to fit into todays standards for action figures. Especially for the price point that this figure is sitting at. Don’t get me wrong this guy is still very cool without any of that articulation, though. If he did have more articulation in the hip region this figure would stand above many of the figures on today’s market.
Overall
The sculpt for this Darkseid figure is absolutely mind blowing. The paint has its flaws here and there and is something that you are going to want to watch out for if you decide this is going to be a figure that you need to add to your collection. The articulation is pretty good for a figure of this size and him being made of solid plastic, though it would have been nice to have some more articulation in the hip/waist region.
I love the new redesign of Darkseid and I love the translucent jewel that was placed on his chest even though it is something that is not seen in the comics. This guy is truly amazing.
You may be disappointed if you wanted a figure that you could put in ton of dynamic poses but if you were just looking for a figure that you could add to your shelf and look like a BAMF this guy will suit your needs.
Ordering Options
UPDATE: eBay is your best bet for finding this figure.
Click this link to: search eBay for the DC Collectibles New 52 Darkseid action figure.
This is one of those guys that I think is gonna shoot up in price once the stores stop carrying him…
I think you may be right, he’s really worth the price tag that he’s at now though. Seriously.