Mattel’s Justice League Unlimited action figure line showcases the best and brightest characters from the DC comics canon. So it’s no surprise that Mattel has decided to include in their collection one of the most beloved and enduring comic book icons of all time: Wonder Woman. While the Justice League Unlimited Wonder Woman figure has a few problematic paint issues, as well as a noticeable lack of accessories, ultimately she is a fitting tribute to DC Comics’ leading lady. Not to mention that with a suggested retail price of only five dollars, she’s an absolute steal.
The small scale of Mattel’s Justice League figures serves their design extremely well. Based on the Cartoon Network animated series of the same name, these figures create strikingly accurate 3-D representations of Bruce Timm’s (Designer of Batman, the Animated Series) slick artwork. Standing just over 4 inches in height, the miniature size allows the figures to effectively differentiate themselves from the standard, 6 to 8 inch comic book action figures, while still retaining their more cute “cartoony” looks. In the case of Wonder Woman, her small stature does not limit her regality, and she stands with a willowy poise befitting the Amazon princess.
The wonder Woman figure’s sculpt is top-notch all around. Her face and hair are exact reproductions of her Justice League look, and her costume is accurately sculpted onto her body; not just the painted-on shortcut that many companies take. She looks absolutely stunning. The only problems with the sculpt concern the materials used to create Wonder Woman’ hair and cape. While they’re well designed, they’re cast in a soft, squishy rubber. This substance allows for more flexibility, and it looks great while Wonder Woman is still packaged, and for about two weeks after she’s been removed from her blister card. However, if she’s left on display long enough, the rubber begins to lose its sheen, and slowly starts to discolor. The rubber almost seems as if it’s at risk of eventually decomposing, so I would suggest either keeping your Wonder Woman figure carded, or displaying her in a cool, dry room, out of direct sunlight.
It’s not difficult to imagine keeping your Wonder Woman in her package, as all of the Justice League figures are adhered to compact, well-designed, color coded blister cards. My card was the yellow variety, signifying from which series my Wonder Woman was produced, and it boasted the Justice League Unlimited logo, as well as a lovely illustration of the team’s core members. It’s attractive, small enough to be easily stored, and could quite simply be thumbtacked to a wall for display.
Additionally, the Wonder Woman figure’s lack of accessories eliminate part of the need to remove her from the package. The only item she is shipped with is a gawky face-shield/chest-plate attachment. Luckily, she’s not packaged wearing this thing, as it’s terribly unattractive, and covers up the best feature of the figure- Wonder Woman’s face. Although her hands are sculpted into a grasping position, and appear ready to hold it, Wonder Woman’s classic lasso is nowhere to be found. Coupled with the fact that stands are not included with these Justice League Unlimited figures, there’s very little to play with once Wonder Woman has been de-boxed.
As stated, the real reason to buy the Wonder Woman figure is her face. It’s often rare to find female action figures, and it’s even harder to find ones that actually look feminine. The Justice League Wonder Woman is gorgeous; she looks womanly and beautiful, with not even a hint of the awkward masculinity common to female action figures. The paint on her face is pristine, which is an impressive feat considering the small size of her features.
Unfortunately, the paint job is not as clean on the rest of her body, although it’s still passable. When I bought my Wonder Woman figure, there was a small dribble of renegade red paint just below her collarbone. Luckily, this scraped off, but it’s representative of how her costume is painted as a whole; it’s all a bit blobby and uneven. Luckily, this doesn’t distract much from the overall beauty of the figure, but a little extra care with Wonder Woman’s outfit could’ve made her even more of a catch.
All of the Justice League Unlimited 4 inch figures have an amazingly low price of $4.99. I can’t stress enough how much of a good deal that is for such a high-quality figure. If you want a toy with a great playability factor, this probably isn’t the best way to go. But if you’re looking for a detailed, accurate sculpt of a quintessential DC Comics superhero, the Justice League Wonder Woman figure is for you.
