Jay's Toy Shelf : DC Icons

Friday, July 17, 2020

DC Icons - Blue Beetle

Just like many characters in the comic book universe, there have been a few different Blue Beetles. This one is the latest, first appearing in comics in February of 2006. Previously, the Blue Beetle scarab has a magical artifact discovered by the first Blue Beetle, an archaeologist by the name of Dan Garrett. They have retconned all this and now the Beetle scarab is alien tech from the Reach, a group of marauders who themselves have gone through a few changes over the timeline. Oh wait, they retconned that in the DC Rebirth and Ted Kord, formerly a Blue Beetle in other timelines, has investigated the Scarab and determines that it is once again magical in nature. Oh, comics.

Jaime Reyes is a young teenager who quickly bonds with the Scarab and over the course of the first year learns to control its powers. From this, the Scarab acts a lot like Cyborg's tech in that it can create a lot of different items to help Jaimie fight villains: energy weapons, a sword, wings, communication satellite etc.

This figure is a super well-styled and looks a ton like the comics. He's got the standard first-generation wave of DC Icons articulation but comes with a few really nice accessories. Overall, I really like this figure and got him for a steal on Amazon.

Sculpt/Paint: 3/5 He's a pretty basic version of the Jaime Reyes' Blue Beetle. Really nice contrast with the blue and black. I like how the ribcage areas of the beetle legs are soft and rubbery so you're not too worried about breaking them while handling the figure (dammit DC Icons Flash...). There's not a lot of shading or any other detail aside from the segmented texture of the undersuit but they did it fairly well.

Articulation: 4/5 (28, 30 if you count the wings): So I erred on the side of 4 rather than 5 since the wings, while cool, are more accessories with movement rather than strictly part of the figure itself. He's got really good range being a slim figure in his double-jointed knees and elbows. The wrists are good and there's a mid-forearm swivel in place due to the swappable gun accessories. The waist swivel offers a decent amount back and forth, and unlike other bulkier DC Icons, he can actually swivel from the diaphragm joint. The head can only swivel horizontally. The wings can be placed in a few creative ways as well!

Accessories 3/5 He comes with his wings that are pretty well done. I like the veiny texture but it would've been nicer painted or more prominent. They move quite well to place him in different aerial poses. The two gun arms he comes with are really neat but have only the slightest touch of grey for some of the barrels.

Fun Factor: 3/5 He's definitely fun to pose around, though mine has some loose knee joints that make him flop a bit in certain poses. I like his dynamic, alien look and how he brings more colour to the Icons shelf. With the wings, it's a bit trickier to pose him but he looks good!

Verdict: 13/20 Good He's a good figure and I think a really good Jaimie Reyes Blue Beetle Figure in general. You'll definitely have fun with this one if you're a Blue Beetle, Teen Titans or DC icons fan. For everyone else, this is a pass but still a good figure with this scale.