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Modern Starman

By Hervé St-Louis
September 21, 2003 - 14:43

Is the Starman action figure as endearing as the character from the cult comic book series? Not so much. It was one of the first DC Direct action figure designed. Like many early DC Direct figures, its pose was figurative of a typical scene from the comic book instead of enhancing the play value.

Likeness

This figure is an almost replica of a Tony Harris drawing. He sports plain clothes, a rockabilly hair cut, and his signature Starman jacket. If I'm not mistaken, there is another version with a goatee.

Sculpt

As mentioned above, the sculpt favours a specific classic pose from the comic book. Here we have jack Knight, the son of the original Starman holding his cosmic rod with both hands, and looking sideway, ready to shoot cosmic energy at his opponents. His legs are wide apart. His neck and face function only when turned leftward. The left hand is over the staff, the other underneath.

Paint

The paint job for this figure is plain and uninteresting. The pants, T-shirt, shoes and the jacket all have one basic colour without any toning. Not even the hair nor the lips have any highlights. Overall, this cause the figure to look cheap. The elaborate Starman logo on the back of the jacket is the most significant highlight of the paint.

Scale

Because Starman crouches and that his legs are wide apart, he's a small guy. His upper body is much longer than his legs. Nevertheless, the figure looks good next to JSA characters such as his father, the Golden Age Starman, Wildcat, The Birds of Prey Black Canary, the Golden Age Green Lantern and the Golden Age Flash. Villain Solomon Grundy makes a great desk partner, though he towers Jack

Stability

This figure has problem standing up. Its soles are slippery and polished, making it difficult to grip on some surface. Also, the figure has no peg holes in the feet. The wide apart legs, the angle, and the staff, Starman carries in his hands complicate matters. As mentioned above, the legs are too thin for the figure's upper body. Drilling a peg hole in the figure's feet should be seriously considered.

Articulation

Surprisingly, the figure has ten articulations at the neck, shoulders, waist, hips and knees. The wrists' articulations are limited because of the internal circuits running from the figure's palms to his chest. Once disabled, it might to twist them easily, although they look fragile. Because the circuits run inside the figure's arms, the elbows cannot have articulations. The sculpt limits the usability of the articulations



Plastic

The plastic used on the figure is cheap. It is the hollow and breakable type. The reason for this is simple. It has been chosen to encase the internal circuitry allowing the figure to light up the cosmic rod better. Areas without the circuitry contain the traditional soft plastic used by DC Direct. You can find that type of plastic in the legs and the head, and the jacket's belt hanging in the figure's back.

Props

Starman's cosmic rod lights up when plastic pegs press against metal switches in his palms. The clear plastic upper ending of the rod, lights up and gives a low orange light. The rest of the rod is covered with gold paint. Jack comes with a pair of goggles that he can wear over his eyes or across his forehead. Aligning the rod's peg with the palms is difficult. Batteries are accessible withing the figure's back.

Packaging

Starman comes in a blister pack.

Cost

One can buy the figure at the regular DC Direct price which is higher than most other comparable action figures lines.

Availability

Though one of the oldest DC Direct action figures, one can find the regular version at several comic book retail and online stores. Several retailers and collectors are often trying to get rid of this figure so be on the look out for good deals. This is a figure that's often seen in discount bins. The variant with a goatee is rarer but does not command the high price of other rare DC Direct action figures. Copyright © 2003.Use of material in this document—including reproduction, modification, distribution, electronic transmission or republication—without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.

Update February 6 2005:

This figure has sold out from Diamond Comics, the exclusive distributor of this action figure.

Last Updated: July 21, 2024 - 13:40