Booster Gold is a relatively new comics character in the scheme of things, and one who is regaining the modest popularity he once had. Exposure through one of the biggest toy lines around shouldn't hurt, especially when this figure in Mattel's Wave 7 of the DC Universe Classics line is pretty good. Booster Gold does has some flaws, but the benefits do outweigh them.
Name: Booster Gold (Classic)
Line: DC Universe Classics, Wave 7, Figure 4
Manufacturer: Mattel
Released: Early 2009
Price: Retail: $11.50-$13.99, Online: $12.99-$17.99
Scale: 6.00 in. (figure is 6.25 in. tall)
Accessories: None
Collect & Connect Piece: Atom Smasher's Left Leg
From the waist down, Booster Gold is just another standard DCUC male. His only unique parts are all above the belt, relying instead on the basic, oft reused leg molds. Even the new pieces on the rest of his body aren't substantially different. There are just some small cuffs on his wrist and a big disco-collar (see comic) on his neck. Since this collar is a separate piece from his chest, it has a bit of the "custom sculpted" look, like it was done at home, although that shouldn't be a big issue without a microscope and some anal retention. His hands are totally new too, featuring a raised square on the back and an actual Legion flight ring with a small engraved "L" on his right hand. That small detail shows that somebody is indeed paying attention, and I'm thankful for it. This basic body may have been seen a 100 times in the past, but it still looks good, especially on Booster here. It has an attractive style with superhero proportions and muscles that please the eye. Nothing is over or under sized and he fits in well with the rest of the line coming in right around 6.25 inches tall.
The real bonus with this figure is the inclusion of his floating robotic sidekick, Skeets. He's attached to Booster using a translucent curved piece of plastic via holes in both of their backs. This extra "appendage" bothered me at first, but the more I look at it, the more natural it appears. It's almost as if it is just a visible exhaust path or flight contour as Skeets shoots over his shoulder. It's important to note that it's glued in pretty tightly, so removing Skeets will take some work if that's what you're inclined to do. Skeets' design seems to be a blend of a variety of different eras, combining the classic and modern, meaning he doesn't look exactly right for either of them. His metal pal does have a few sculpted details to go along with a few cloth wrinkles and the carved hem on his collar. The face looks just fine due to the sharp features and textured, wavy hair. He even has a subtle dimple exposed in his wry smile. The goggles are glued right on and in the process obscure his eyes in the bubbly plastic, so it's hard to tell just how well they're sculpted underneath, but I'm sure it's quite well.
Sculpt Score: 8 / 10
I may be in the minority here, but I don't think this pseudo metallic paint on Boost Gold works very well. For the modern version, I think it's almost perfect, but with this classic version of the character, I would have preferred a much more vibrant yellow and blue. I'm disappointed by a number of the more important applications on this guy. If you look at the "V" on his waist, just like Kid Flash, it's pretty fuzzy and distorted. The other costume edges aren't quite so bad, but they're not perfect either. The "V" on his chest has better edges, but it's way off center, making the logo look wonky. The gold doesn't run all the way to the edge of his shoulder sockets either, leaving a thin line of blue between the gold sections. The star decal is centered perfectly with super crisp edges, although it looks off because of the triangle underneath it. There is a bit of color fading on his gloves and wrists, making the outlines of his sculpt unclear. I also wish they had painted over the peg that is inserted into his back, making his costume cover a majority of it, instead of having a translucent yellow chunk in his back. That might have been difficult to do though, so I'll cut them some slack there. On a good note, Skeets look really nice, and Booster's face is well done too. His hair is the perfect color with some natural streaking, and his eyes and eyebrows are obviously well done underneath his goggles (look through the distortion), except for the huge white reflection specks.
Paint Score: 6 / 10
Booster Gold has exactly the articulation DCUC fans would expect, which is to say the exact same points as almost every figure in the series. This includes a ball-style neck and shoulders; swivels at the wrists, biceps, thighs, and waist;
swivel/hinge hips that operate somewhat
like a ball; and finally hinges at the abs, elbows, knees, and ankles. This provides enough movement options for Booster to find some personality-filled poses next to his buddy Blue Beetle. You can put him into action or just fine tune his heroic stance to exactly how you'd like to see him. I do wish Skeets was a bit more dynamic, with a swivel at the peg in Booster's back as well as a swivel at Skeets' back. This would really add some life to the little fellow. All of his joints do work well, tight enough to hold poses, while still easy to manipulate. Nothing's broken or stuck, and every single point gets its full range of intended movement. Nothing is too distracting visually, except for possibly his waist, which has a pretty big gap and isn't hidden by any costume elements like a lot of other figures. The hips look wonderful compared to typical ball joints and other points are hidden within the sculpt well too.
Articulation Score: 9 / 10
My mother doesn't know who Booster Gold is, and neither do 99% of other mothers. They know superman, but Booster Gold sounds more like a cleaning product than a superhero, and the reason is because he just isn't that popular. He might be a great character, but he's currently doomed to relative obscurity. Only the hardcore DC Comics fans are going to enjoy Booster Gold for Booster Gold's sake, meaning the figure has to do a little extra to make it on to people's good sides. Sadly, this toy doesn't really do that. The only accessory included is the attached Skeets, which is basically a statue since he can't be removed or played with at all. The only real playable feature in this package is Booster's good articulation, which will let you punch, kick, and pose with the best of them, but there's not much else. There was nothing particularly frustrating and that helps retain points; he still needs to offer more than a huge collar though. The packaging is nothing amazing, it just gets the job done with a short biography and historical information. There is a Collect & Connect piece included to help assemble Atom Smasher, and collecting those pieces to make a giant action figure is a definite blast. Booster isn't terribly boring, he just doesn't do enough to make him that enjoyable.
Fun Score: 7 / 10
Booster Gold will run anywhere from $12 to $18 depending on where you can find him and when you can find him. At the lower end of this range, you're getting a pretty good figure at a fair price. He is an average sized 6 inch scale figure, coming in a little tall actually, and he has a nice feeling when in your hands. There may not be a lot of new tooling used, but there is some, and that always helps me see the cost they put into making a figure, thus helping me perceive it as more bang for my buck. Booster has no noticeable deficits when it comes to quality and although his paint isn't perfect, it's still average for a mass-market toy. He doesn't include any real accessories, just the glued Skeets, and even he is showing signs of weakness, because the plastic arm holding him up has already lost its tension, allowing a once erect Skeets to slide down into a resting position on Booster's collar. Everything else is tight and feels durable to me. He may not survive a nuclear blast, but a few falls shouldn't hurt old Gold too much. The inclusion of his C&C piece only adds worth to the package, because it's somewhat like getting a free figure for being an avid collector of the line. The bonus plastic and potential huge character never hurts in this category, and in fact helps quite a bit.
Value Score: 8 / 10
Summary
8 -
Basic body is used a lot but it still looks good; collar looks a little too custom; nice new details and attention paid with flight ring; Skeets attachment looks good; Skeets is lost in time design-wise; face sculpt looks great.
6 -
Colors don't do much for me; some weak applications; fading colors in spots; face looks great; clean logo on chest; no slop or mess in sight.
9 -
Waist and thigh swivels are visually distracting; everything works very smoothly; able to add life to the character through dynamic poses; lots of different points; could have a few more to really max his movement out.
7 - Articulation is great for play or display; Skeets is there but unplayable; design and backstory are nothing special; no accessories to add fun; includes a C&C piece that's fun to collect, and connect; nothing is problematic; packaging does its job.
8 -
No accessories, but a C&C piece helps; Skeets is showing signs of fatigue; nothing is broken; quality control is high and attention to detail exists; not a small, or large figure; feels durable and sturdy.
Overall Score: 77 / 100 - This is a Good Toy
Booster Gold has a lot to offer fans with good sculpt and great articulation, but he won't be luring in too many fresh eyes with his weak paint and marginal fun.
P.S. This could be the figure I'm giving away this month, just leave a comment for a chance to win (if it's the one).
-The Articulated One
