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Red Tornado

By Hervé St.Louis
October 10, 2006 - 07:23

The Red Tornado is the member of the Justice League that was created at the same time as the Avengers' Vision in 1968. Yes, it's one of those historical hic ups that historians can't explain. Formerly known as the Tornado Champion and the Tornado Tyrant that plagued the planet Rann, the Red Tornado joined the Justice Society of America only and later the Justice League, where he created the secret identity of John Smith and dated Kathy Sutton. The Red Tornado is at the centre of the new Justice League of America series published by DC Comics and written by Brad Meltzer and illustrated by Ed Benes. The Red Tornado controls winds and can create hurricanes and of course, tornados.
 
Likeness
 
This sculpt is based on the costume the Red Tornado wore during the latter half of what fans refer to the Satellite years of the Justice League when the team's headquarter orbited in space. Instead of the red and purple theme he had before, when he was a member of the Justice Society, the Red Tornado was all red with bright yellow lines over is body.
The character also has a face now, which is different from the version that appeared in the Young Justice comic book series in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Other notable marks are the large buccaneers' boots and the yellow "T" surrounded by a circle. This version of the character is the one reused for the new Justice league of America series relaunched by DC Comics in 2006.

Sculpt

People have accused this figure of having a bear gut from day one. The most apparent problems of this figure are the short legs. He does have a pronounced abdominal area, but it looks unbalanced next to his lower body, making the bear gut more obvious. His feet are also too short compared to the rest of his body. The Red Tornado puts all his weight on his right leg, making him look unbalanced.

Paint

The painters did not take care with this figure. All the yellow lines bleed on top of the figure's body. The yellow paint is not consistently the same hue everywhere. Sometimes it's more canary yellow, other times, it has more orange. The top edges of the boots and gloves have a dusty look, because the painters reduced the amount of yellow paint in that area. It makes the figure look unfinished. To highlight his prominent abdominal and mouth, the painters used a black ink. They should have used something paler that did not make the figure look dirty.

Scale

The Red Tornado is one of the tallest of the old DCDirect action figures, although one would find him short by today's standards. He's shorter than the Martian Manhunter, with whom he was first released. The problem with the scale of the Red Tornado, is that although his height may match other Justice league characters from the DC Direct line such as the Silver Age Superman and the Silver Age Batman, he feels too fat for them. His head is bigger than theirs. Next to the Silver Age Flash, this is more evident. Only early figures like the Hard Travelling Heroes Green Lantern, Black Canary and Green Arrow look right next to him. Zatanna also fits well with him.

Next to recent figures like the new Green Lantern, the JLA Flash or Aquaman, he feels out of scale. But although he seems to fit with larger DCDirect action figures, if one were to put him next to say the Knightfall Nightwing, which is very tall by all standards, The Red Tornado would feel like a dwarf, although his body proportions match Nightwing's better. Of course, The Red Tornado will fit with the Martian Manhunter, perfectly.

Stability

The Red Tornado is stable. His feet are flat and his weight well distributed. He feels like he's leaning forward too much and is about to fall, but he will stay put.

Articulation

For a character whose power is to control winds, the Red Tornado feels unmovable. His ball jointed shoulders can raise his arms, but not enough. He can't twist his wrists, although that would be a perfect articulation for him. Of note, his waist can twist, but it doesn't do much for him. He has other articulations at the elbows, the hips and the knees.

Plastic

The PVC used for this figure is one of the old stock used for all the old DCDirect action figures. It's heavier but tends to deteriorate at the joints. For example, my five-year-old Red Tornado figure has loose elbow joints because of the plastic. Back then, DC Direct made all the capes in hard plastics instead of soft rubber like today. It constrains the figure�s articulations and makes it heavier and less fun to play with.

Props

A cool prop for this figure would have been a tornado base, but none were provided.


Packaging

This figure was packed on a cardboard and sealed in a clear plastic bubble. On the side was featured a picture of the Martian Manhunter action figure. Back then, the art on DCDirect's action figures' packaging was lame, but already rings a nostalgic tune with me.

Cost

Way back in 2001, this figure would cost next to $20 Canadian, and often, $12 US. Since, DCDirect has lowered the costs of its figures.

Availability

This figure is probably sold out at DC Direct which means collectors can only find it in the secondary market. And where should that secondary market be? Well, auction sites and classifieds are a good place to locate this figure. I doubt that there are still stores that carry it. If you do find one and the price is like those quoted above, grab it right away. Back then, DCDirect made less action figures than today. Also, unlike the Martian Manhunter, the Red Tornado was never released a second time. The only six-inch Red Tornado action figure is the Alex Ross' version, which has basically the same costume but probably a better sculpt. Yet, I like the fact that the Red Tornado is one of those rarities that people talk about using the past tense.

Last Updated: July 21, 2024 - 13:40