As one of the more famous characters in the DC Universe as of late, the Green Lantern has been getting a lot of love in plastic lately. This Hal Jordan was part of a 3-pack with the Green Arrow and Black Canary, each figure is about 3 3/4-inches tall and the articulation seems to be closer to the toys of the 1980s and 1990s-- but enhanced-- and this tends to match their proportions. Mattel made a great toy line rather than a line of collector figures, each figure has about 10 points of articulation. The ball-jointed shoulders are the most modern element, and every other joint is a standard swivel. His hands are a little larger than expected for the size, but the slightly exaggerated proportions theoretically make for better toys. (At least, that's what Playmates used to say about their Star Trek line in the 1990s.)
Hal's sculpt is pretty plain stuff-- all the detail is painted on. Aside from the head, the figure's costume is largely made from the benefit of paint. A single muscled body can be a number of heroes, the ring, gloves, boots, and other elements are just dabbed right on to cut costs on what is probably a more limited appeal line. Since the figure can stand, sit, and generally look good without a problem, that's a high mark of quality. On the other hand, if you look at it, it feels like a slightly more primitive toy-- if you handed this to some action figure newbie and said "this was made in the 1990s," they'd probably believe you.
I picked up this figure 3-pack because I really wanted a 3 3/4-inch Hal Jordan, and because the set was cheap. I think it was down to about $5 at Wal-Mart about two years after it came out, as the line languished on the shelves and may still be at Kmarts, Toys "R" Us stores, or other oddball toy outlets near you. Popular, it was not, but there were over 150 different characters plus tons of exclusives released in short order. Today, the line is on hold.
New Green Lantern toys in this size will be made for the movie, but they're seemingly all (or mostly) movie-specific right now. There's never been a better time to dive in buying the 2008-2010 stuff as clearance prices, cheap lots on eBay, and people dumping their collections might help you get a ton of toys quickly. This particular figure is neat, but not as amazing as one might hope given that we're in the 21st century. No sculpted ring? Well, you gotta take shortcuts for budget reasons, but a green dot on a finger isn't the same thing. No lantern was included, but hey-- if you want a small version of Hal for your desk that's fun to play with, it won't disappoint. Sometimes simple works.
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