PLASTIC MAN

DC MULTIVERSE (McFARLANE)

It would seem I haven't reviewed a single Plastic Man figure here on the site since my first year, where I had a veritable surplus of a whole two of them.  That's quite a hiatus, huh?  I blame my need to really project that Elongated Man-stan site energy.  Is that the right use of "stan?"  Should I even be using "stan?"  Probably not, but I've gone and used it anyway, about Elongated Man.  I mean, if I'm gonna cross that line, Elongated Man's a good reason.  But, I'm not supposed to be talking about Elongated Man, now am I?  Right, it's Plastic Man.  He's okay, I guess.  Anyway, here's a Plastic Man figure.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Plastic Man is the Build-A-Figure from the '90s JLA-themed assortment of DC Multiverse from last year (you know, the one that inexplicably included a not even remotely '90s John Stewart as its Green Lantern).  The figure stands a little over 7 inches tall and he has 35 points of articulation.  With the exception of the slightly changed up neck joint, his articulation is more or less the same as your average DC Mulitverse figure.  On my figure, the standard arms are quite loose at the shoulders, but I don't know if that's an across the board thing or a just my figure thing.  Aside from the John Stewart, this set is supposed to based on the team's late '90s depictions.  For Plas, that keeps his general classic look, but results in him being more exaggerated in his proportions and appearance. Plas makes use of the arms and upper legs of the Blue Beetle base body, along with a new head, torso, pelvis, and lower legs.  In general, he feels maybe a touch bulky for Plastic Man, who is usually a little skinnier than others.  I can't help but feel that maybe the body used for Ambush Bug might be a better starting point?  The new parts are okay, though.  I do like finally getting a set of shins for this body without the sculpted boot cuff.  The feet are a bit freaky and grotesque, and the head's giving me slight Elvis vibes, but on a whole, it works okay.  Plastic Man's color work is serviceable.  Nothing too crazy.  I do dig the reflection in the goggles, so that's certainly a plus.  Plas is packed with an alternate head and arms, which are more stretched out.  Generally, I prefer them to the standards, with the head in particular just feeling more true to the character.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

While I liked the general look of this guy when he was shown off, I didn't exactly want to buy a whole set of figures just to get him.  And, honestly, I didn't really expect to get the chance to get one, because I haven't really seen many of the McFarlane BaFs resurface.  I was proven wrong on this one, because I actually had a loose complete one land in front of me at work, in a relatively short span of time from release.  Every time I've passed on a figure of Plas in the past, I've wound up regretting it, so I tried to avoid running into that here.  He's okay.  He's got some slight issues, but at the same time, he's still worth the time.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

Originally published on February 4, 2025