If there's one thing my fellow podcasters have learned during our off-air conversations during our tenure at the Fanholes Podcast, it's that one of my action figure collecting pet-peeves is buying action figures who are dead. So it's no surprise then, that I tend to avoid buying any Game of Thrones action figures for instance. At least 2 exceptions will creep up in my coverage of the DC Direct Legion of Super-Heroes line. One of which is the Legionnaire who makes the Ultimate Sacrifice against the menace of the Sun-Eater, Andrew Nolan a.k.a. Ferro Lad!
Sculpt:
While most DC Universe Classics are around 6.5 inches and fit within the 1/12 collector scale,typically adult-sized DC Direct (and now DC Collectibles figures) fall into more of a 7 inch scale. Having said that, Ferro Lad is more of a teenage-sized figure and comes in exactly at 6 inches. Although the Mattel practice of buck re-use doesn't always come into play in these lines, you can see that Ferro Lad shares some parts with the DC Direct Ultra Boy and Star Boy. Also, despite having some specialized original sculpt piece, the same can be said of Timber Wolf. Like those figures Ferro Lad has a pair of closed fists. The head sculpt is an original piece, and although he is a masked hero with only his eyes left exposed - - you can see the details of the nose, mouth and cheeks protruding through the mask. The eye slits have a nice raised frame around them. The cuffs on the hands and the belt around the waste are also original to this figure.
Articulation:
DC Direct figures are better known for their sculpts then articulation. There are 11-points of articulation that I count on Ferro Lad. The head is on a swivel joint and can move 360 degrees. It cannot tilt, nor move up or down. Arms can only rotate at the shoulder, up or down, in a circular fashion in 360 degrees. Arms cannot move out to the sides, but there is a 90 degree elbow cut, so the arm can go from being straight to a 90 degree angle. The closed fists can also rotate in a in 360 degree circular fashion. There is a "T-Crotch"which allows for only forward movement of the legs at a 90 degree angle. If needed, Ferro Lad could be seated. Finally the knees also articulate from straight to a 90 degree angle.
DC Direct figures are better known for their sculpts then articulation. There are 11-points of articulation that I count on Ferro Lad. The head is on a swivel joint and can move 360 degrees. It cannot tilt, nor move up or down. Arms can only rotate at the shoulder, up or down, in a circular fashion in 360 degrees. Arms cannot move out to the sides, but there is a 90 degree elbow cut, so the arm can go from being straight to a 90 degree angle. The closed fists can also rotate in a in 360 degree circular fashion. There is a "T-Crotch"which allows for only forward movement of the legs at a 90 degree angle. If needed, Ferro Lad could be seated. Finally the knees also articulate from straight to a 90 degree angle.
Paint:
The paint job is nicely executed and does not have any noticeable bleed between the four-color reds or shiny blues and pearl white colors. The blacks take care of the Fe logos from the periodic table. The smaller version located at the center of the head and the standard sized Periodic Logo on the chest. The Pearl-White look on the head, arms and legs, alongside the light blue shine on the chest, crotch and boots.
The paint job is nicely executed and does not have any noticeable bleed between the four-color reds or shiny blues and pearl white colors. The blacks take care of the Fe logos from the periodic table. The smaller version located at the center of the head and the standard sized Periodic Logo on the chest. The Pearl-White look on the head, arms and legs, alongside the light blue shine on the chest, crotch and boots.
Overall:
Ferro Lad's death notwithstanding, he is another character that never had a DC Universe Classics representation. Therefore, when filling in holes in my Legion of Super-Heroes gaps, Ferro Lad was one of the earliest DC Direct Legion figures I strove to obtain. Similar to when Barry Allen died and still got a lot of play even after his death, Ferro Lad continues to make fun appearances throughout
the DC Universe. Perhaps it is because he is fully-masked, but Ferro Lad is one of the figures that works the best for me from this line. He can fit into a happy-go-lucky Silver Age group of bright-eyed smiles, but you can also get away with sneaking him in with some of the more serious looking action figure lines as well.
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