Starcraft II Series 2 Terran Marine Tychus Findlay figure review

Hopefully you're familiar with Starcraft a sci-fi based 'tower defense' style game. Tychus Findlay is one of the Terran Marines in the game and pretty much a main character as he's seen in the promos, trailers, and box art. But even if you have never played the game you're going to appreciate this figure. First noteworthy point, it's a fully articulated figure by DC Unlimited ( DC Direct's video game brand). That alone raises an eyebrow.

Normally I don't cover packaging but this one is special. It's collector friendly meaning you can put the figure back in, with some twiste-tie work. The box walls are strong, almost shipping-class strong and there's glossy logos that stand out on the excellent matte graphics. Keep it in case you ever want to sell the figure. Thychus is a big figure standing at 9" and weighs quite a bit. The box as big and sturdy as it is was a good idea.

Sculpting for this Terran Marine is nothing short of extraordinary. Pistons, armor plating, hoses, rivets, exhaust ports, it's all been rendered in perfect detail. Fold up the visor and you're treated to an amazingly realistic human face staring back at you. Tychus' hands and feet are particularly well rendered. I like the handles on the back of the shoulder pads, presumably to help the occupant load himself into the armor.

Paint work for the armor and human head inside are downright amazing. There's scratches, scuffing, dirt covered feet, each hose is detailed, and there's danger striping on sections. Neat additions like the scribbled words 'suck it down' and the ace of spades on the shoulder add personality to the figure, crisp and cleanly applied. The two-tone metallic visor looks great and so does Tychus' human face with glossy eyes and scarring.

Now let's address the elephant in the room. This is DC Direct we're talking about, a company known for producing unposable plastic statues. Well not here. It's like they took every joint never given to their figures and stuffed them into one big ball of articulation. He literally has Marvel Legends style articulation with the exception of ankle rockers. Shoulder pads move, biceps/hips swivel, toes move, even the fingers on his right hand are articulated. Unfortunately you can't move his inner head without needle-nose pliers, your fingers aren't going to fit inside the visor space.

Range of articulation is surprisingly good. He can walk, step, aim, twist, and do just about anything  aside from Spiderman flying kicks. This is a giant armored suit, not an acrobat's leotard. His gun is quite well designed and painted. It's hollow and light enough he can aim it with one hand. It's his only accessory but looks amazing. I can see a lot of Hulk Buster Iron Man and Warhammer 40K customs based on this figure.

I wasn't expecting much from these figures and I hear the other figure in this series Sarah Kerrigan didn't fare nearly as well as Tychus in articulation or paint, doomed to be another plastic statue. This is angering a lot of DC Direct fans. Here you see what they are actually capable with Findlay, an amazing figure in every aspect. Yet they are holding back even in the same series.

The verdict? If you're into power armor, space marines, giant robots, or just sci-fi in general, buy this figure immediately. I can't imagine it sitting around for very long on the shelf. Our sponsors Big Bad Toy Store and Past Generation Toys have both Tychus and Sarah Kerrigan.

DC Direct Flashpoint Cyborg Review

DC Direct is know for it's ability to pump out a lot of different characters sculpted in a particular artist's style very quickly, usually right after a series has hit the newsstands. I'm not sure if this is the case since I haven't read any of the Flashpoint arc but Cyborg is looking pretty spiffy in his new duds. There's three other characters in the line, all with different looks than their classic ones. Batman, The Flash, and Wonder Woman.

Cyborg looks really, really nice. His armored body is perhaps one of the nicer sculpts I've seen with all sorts of panel detail, portholes, and overlapping plates. His facial sculpt is by far one of the better Cyborg likenesses I've seen. His arm blaster is really well done and there's a red grating inside the barrel. Some bulky shoulderpads adorn his shoulders and his oversized feet remind me of, well, Megaman. Probably why I bought a few to customize with.

Now let's address the elephant in the room. This will sound like a gripe and by all means it really is. Cyborg's articulation is virtually non-existent. His ball shoulders barely move because of the hard plastic shoulderpads. He has no waist joint. His hips are T-joints and the leg raises up maybe 30 deg. The pic left is the maximum range of movement he has. Only his head is decently articulated and it's kinda stuck hunched over.

Paint apps fare quite a bit better and are the saving grace here. As a statue he looks excellent. The silver is a deep metallic with a wash and shading blended in. The red ports are bright, the black suit parts matte, and they gave his lips and eyes a gloss that adds an extra bit of realism. If only DC Universe figures were painted like this. The only color molded in plastic is his skin tone and that's how it should be.

So what's the verdict? He's a 6" tall robot brick that looks cool. Honestly, DC Direct could make amazing figures if they just took the time to add a few more moving bits. But they still maintain they're 'collector oriented' and don't realize collectors pose their figures too. It's a real shame because this figure fits in with so many different playstyles, a half-man half-machine. Pick him up at our sponsor BBTS and customize some joints into him, make the shoulderpads move up and down. Or take him apart for customs. I of course did the latter.