toy-collectwhore: Brainiac

Finally! This week DC Direct dropped the New Krypton line on all of us that shop the fig-pegs. And with the release comes a toy that I have been dying to break out of its packaging to join the shelf army of mad, tight sculpts. Yes, I am talking about Brainiac my ninjas!

With you now being a part of just review #3-- I will drop again how I flex the architect on reviewing that's based on these three things:
#1 Artistic Integrity: How well does this sculpt interpret the original art/concept from the source material?
#2 Fun Factor: Out of the box, what you got? Stiff articulation, serious poser or wot?!
#3 Fo-reals brah: This is where we round it all up and connect on relevance, significance and just about anything else that comes to mind on dakine.

Brainiac

Artistic Integrity: There is a reason DC Direct got in the toy biz rather than just let the Kenner, Hasbro and Mattels of the world play with their properties in return for some royalties. And that's to change the game. Like McFarlane before them, DC Direct is now busting the most closely linked figures that you can look at and spit out the illustrator that the sculpt was influenced from-- Gary Frank! Yeah, its that easy kids. Stick to the main source and get your props.

Frank and Geoff Johns refresh of the villainous Coluan is one of the illest modernized reboots I have seen in a prominent character in the last 5 years or so. All of the immaculate detail in the costume is obvious and to remain faithful in the sculpt size-- standing well over the 7.25" is just freaking sick.

5 out of 5 shakas

Fun Factor: All of the magnificent sculpt texture, paint and other OCD tinkering to make the figure look like it stepped right outta the book only goes so far when you have articulation that allows limited posing. That is my biggest gripe with most DC Direct figs-- as is the case with Brainiac. At least throw me in a bottled up Kandor or other robotic-parasite accessory if all I can do is move him around in different profiles to have a new viewpoint. Also, the sculpt joints almost seem like they don't want you twisting and turning the fig. Boo!
3 out of 5 shakas

Fo-reals brah: The classic Brainiac Robot fig that came out back in the Super Powers line has been the most influenced sculpt of Brainiac of everything out there except for the silly-speedo wearing one, and this sick revision-- though I think it's a bit too Doc Ock. Going forward I expect this version to be the standard by which other Brainiacs are made-- like when are we getting us a Vrill Dox??!!