Super Friends' Sinestro Action Figure

DC Comics Toys
Super Friends' Sinestro Action Figure
By Hervé St-Louis
May 25, 2003 - 13:37

Likeness

If there is one constant in this line it's that every action figure resembles its cartoon counterpart to a tooth, even, with the Green Lantern, adopting the bad design elements of the original. Yet Sinestro is interesting for another reason. This is the second Sinestro action figure released by DC Direct. The first one was based on the comic book.

The first figure had limited articulation and posing. The Super Friends' benefits from the experience DC Direct has gained in the production of action figures. Some fans, such as yours truly therefore see the Super Friends' Sinestro as a possible apology figure.

Sinestro is grinning, like all self respecting villains. He is tall, very tall. He's also quite skinny. He also has that elongated forehead, the classic sinister eye brows, moustache and receding hairline. Unlike the comic book version, his costume is light blue, where there should be black. There are fewer spikes on his neck collar than the comic book version and his belt is more detailed.

Sculpt

The sculpt of this figure is great. Unlike the heroes, the villains in this line have detailed facial expressions that make them suitable to be posed with regular DC Direct figures. This figure is quite skinny. Sinestro's smooth hair is not detailed. It's as if he were wearing a helmet. His is posed as if he were hovering over his enemies, ready to launch a power ring attack. This is great.

Paint

Again, the entire figure is covered in a thick layer of paint. Brush strokes are still visible, and several scratches and craters are noticeable on the figure. The yellow hue used on the power ring is not ideal. It has a greenish hue because of the ring's details. Sinestro's forearms and boots are covered with polish. Polish should have been applied to the entire suit and his hair.

Scale

Sinestro's scale is off the charts. He is taller than Vandal Savage, Black Manta, the Mist, Gorilla Grod and Eclipso. However, he looks great with each of them. He is of course taller than the Super Friend's Green Lantern, the Silver Age Hal Jordan, the Hard Travelling Hero Green Lantern, Guy Gardner, John Stewart and Kyle Rayner. Again, he looks great with each of them, because his size is so distorted.

Standing upright

This figure has problem standing up. His feet are not thick enough to offer sufficient counter balance to his body. The figure is not heavy, but his legs are so slim, that they cannot support his upper body. His head being larger than most increases the problem.

When using the figure stand that came with him, Sinestro will lean forward or backward after a few hours. You must bend his knee to find the right balance. Be careful to put the peg bar as far back as possible to allow the figure to be well positioned on the stand. An extra peg hole in his left foot with an extra peg bar would have helped maintain the figure solidly on its stand. I may have to drill one myself.

Articulation

Sinestro has the standard nine points of articulation at the neck, the shoulders, the elbows, the hips and knees. A waist articulation would have been great. Wrists' articulations would also have helped the figure mimic his power ring action. Sinestro's ball-jointed shoulders are easy to manipulate.

Plastic

Both figures are made from lighter plastics than other DC Direct figures. When holding the torso of the Super Friends' and the Silver Age Green Lanterns in each hand, you will notice that the former is lighter, though they share the same sculpt. This new plastic does not stink and there are no greasy residues under the figure's arm pits. Nonetheless, they catch dust as quickly.

Diorama

The figures come with a small replica of the Hall of Justice. It is covered with silver paint. The windows are turquoise. It is a very enjoyable prop that could be used to create fake perspective shots with the characters hovering in the sky.

Props

Both figures come with similar Green Lantern rings painted differently. Sinestro's is yellow with the green logo. Hal's is white with the green logo. The power rings' are based on the Hard Travelling Hero Green Lantern. Green Lantern does not come with a lantern prop, as shown in the picture. He couldn't even hold one, since his fist is closed. New DC Direct collectors might have wanted one.

Packaging

The packaging for this set was great. They came in a big box that sets up the diorama. The inside of the box is rainbow-coloured. The box proudly claims that the set is based on the "classic animated TV show." In the back of the box, there is a picture of the Green Lantern, Sinestro and the props. Of note, DC Direct removed the lantern from Green Lantern's hand. Other Super Friends figures are listed on the box' back.

Cost

This set cost me about $49.99 Canadian. Apparently I have one the best price in town. Local stores sell these for $65 Canadian. Whether you're Canadian or not, it is getting hard for me and probably many other fans to justify paying so much money for so little. The variation in prices is also a killer for real fans. How many will not pick up this set because of this?

I urge DC Direct to enforce a serious pricing policy and to reduce the cost of these figures. I still do not understand why deluxe sets always cost more than twice the regular price of single figures. Instead of gaining new fans, DC Direct is alienating many potential Super Friends' fans.

Availability

Since both figures were released in the past and are still available, I do not know if it will become a chase set like the Aquaman/Black Manta set. Green Lantern and Sinestro, while featured often in the Super Friends' cartoons, were not as present as the other characters. Green Lantern was not even featured in each season. The reason DC Direct created a set for these is probably because Green lantern stuff sells.

If you are a casual Super Friends' fan, this set is not necessary. If you are a Green Lantern fan, this set is not necessary, unless you need Sinestro as an apology figure to replace the first one released by DC Direct. If you wanted a Hal Jordan action figure, this is not the best one. The Silver Age Hal Jordan shares the same sculpt, but has much better articulation and paint colours. 1 2

Rating: 8/10