DC Comics Toys
JLA Classified Wonder Woman
By Big Bear
April 25, 2007 - 09:18
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics super heroine created by William Moulton Marston. Wonder Woman first appeared in All Star Comics #8 (Dec. 1941). She is possibly the most famous female super hero, and is a founding member of the Justice League of America. As a member of the Justice League, Wonder Woman is powerful force for freedom, fairness, and equality and is an inspiration for women all over the world.
Likeness
Sculpted by Tim Bruckner and based on the artistic renditions of Ed McGuiness, the Amazonian Princess is given a distinct likeness. While I am not too familiar with any of McGuiness's artwork concerning Diana, he does give Wonder Woman a unique look. This is not your typical rendition of Wonder Woman. Do not expect a traditional style of Wonder Woman, but instead look to see a character based strictly on the work of a specific artist, in this case, Ed McGuiness, as found in the comic book, JLA Classified.
Sculpt
For those who are familiar with the designs used on Superman/ Batman series 1 and 3, which are based on the art of the aforementioned Ed McGuiness, you can expect a muscular and well-defined figure. Tim Bruckner has sculpted an impressive action figure with a physique that reminds you of Marvel's own She-Hulk. This version of Wonder Woman looks powerful! The JLA Classified version of Wonder Woman is also very well built but still feminine.
One of the things that I liked the most was that the shorts of her costume actually covers all of her buttocks instead of the cheesy thong style that many comic book artists like to portray on their female characters. Diana is a Princess not a call-girl and it shows. This figure gives her class mingled with raw power. The only thing that may hold back this figure in the sculpt department is the face. At first she appears to be very cartoony in nature, but is actually a decent face that does showcase the expression of slight anger. This version of Wonder Woman is given a grim expression to let the world know she means business. Do not expect the beauty pageant look on this Wonder Woman for this is truly an artist-specific rendition over a classical one. This however, does not take away from the overall beauty of the design. She is given a well-toned musculature, well-defined hands that are solid fists, and even wrinkles in her boots.
Paint
The paint on Wonder Woman is simple and straight forward. The application is very clean and the only sign of bleeding is on the back of legs in the buttocks area. That is because the shorts are painted with a glossy blue that highlights the stars that are painted onto the lower torso. Aside from that, Wonder Woman looks colorful without over doing it. The black of hair and the red of her boots also have a slight gloss and that accentuates the quality of this figure. The one thing to watch out for is that since the coating of paint can be soft underneath the ball joints you can expect peeling in the underarm area.
Scale
Wonder Woman is a nice sized action figure that shows off her muscle tone and power. Because of Wonder Woman's sculpt and powerful design, she is pretty big for a female action figure, yet she is in scale with the average figures made by DC Direct. She is bigger than the average Marvel Legends or DC Super Heroes figure and fits in well with the other figures of the JLA Classified set.
Stability
Wonder Woman is very stable. Since her boots are made on a flat foot design, she will not topple over as if she had heels. In fact, although she comes with a special stand, it is not needed for she is easily able to hold a pose on her own without falling over.
Articulation
Wonder Woman is surprising well articulate for a DC Direct figure. She has ball joint on her neck, but it is practically useless due to the amount of her that she has on her head. There are also ball jointed shoulders which allow the arms to ease up and stick straight out from the sides. She also gets 90 degree bends out of her elbows and knees. At the top of her bracelets there are cuts that allow the wrists to rotate. She also has a funny motion for her legs. The legs are made to move in a "T"-crotch motion, yet the shorts on her lower torso have a slight "V"-cut build. This limits the rise of her legs, but it really does not take away from the overall quality of Wonder Woman. The only thing that her male counterparts in this toy line seem to have over her is the ability to twist her calves at the boot marks. Sadly, Wonder Woman is simply not given the option to do this. All in all she has 14 points of movement which is better than the standard 9 - 11 points of movement that many figures of the DC Direct line seems to have.
Plastic
DC Direct is improving their plastic use. This plastic is pretty strong compared to the slimmer plastic used in toy lines such as the Teen Titans. The plastic however, is still malleable so one must be careful when it comes to storing as too much heat can change the way in which the knees and legs bend over a period of time.
Cost
I was fortunate to buy Wonder Woman and two other figures from the JLA Classified figures for a discounted price. Otherwise, I would have to expect to pay about $15.00 each for each figure.
Availability
Wonder Woman and the other members of the JLA Classified Series are easily available at either your local comic shops or online.
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