Mattel is making a massive push back into our collections. While many adult collectors are eagerly awaiting the high-end releases slated for next year, the “Core” mass-market line is hitting retail shelves right now. I recently tracked down the brand-new Mattel DC Core 12-inch figures of Batman, Superman, and The Flash. Priced at a budget-friendly $12.95 each, these large-scale entries are clearly aimed at retail toy aisles and parents looking for incredible durability and value. But as an absolute die-hard collector, I had to open them up to see if they hold any appeal for our display shelves, or if they are strictly kid fodder.

To put it bluntly, my feelings are incredibly mixed after getting them out of the packaging. There are aspects of these figures that are genuinely nice, but Mattel also made a few frustrating design choices that left me a little let down.

You can stop reading here, and watch the video below, but by all means, continue on before watching.

The Sculpt and Cape Surprises

When looking at these items in the blister packs, I expected the worst, especially regarding the capes. I assumed Mattel would copy the rigid, cheap aesthetic we often see from competitor budget lines. Fortunately, I was completely wrong. The soft goods fabric capes on Batman and Superman look surprisingly great out of the box, draping naturally behind the characters.

The sculpts also vary wildly in quality across the trio. The Flash is the most basic, featuring almost zero costume texture outside of his head and boots. Superman fares a bit better with clean panel lines breaking up his suit. Batman, however, completely steals the show. The sculpted texture on the Dark Knight’s legs is incredibly intricate, mimicking a fabric weave so well that it looks almost like fabric. Furthermore, Mattel utilized inkjet printing for the face details, resulting in some beautifully clean, lifelike expressions, especially on Superman’s classic, heroic portrait.

The Major Articulation Letdown

Where these figures struggle to compete is the engineering. These figures only sport 9 points of articulation. While the shoulders, wrists, and boots rotate fully, Mattel completely omitted elbow and knee joints. This choice severely limits poses, restricting these massive 12-inch frames to basic museum stances.

Is the limited articulation a dealbreaker, or does the aesthetic sculpt work save the wave? How do they stack up directly in hand against a standard $10.95 Spin Master figure? To see the up-close paint blemishes, the red plastic color bleeding, and my final, definitive grading on whether you should buy or bypass this Trinity, you will have to check out my full video review embedded above!