The 16th wave of Mattel’s DC Universe Classics have been on the shelves for a little while now, and despite this fact I have only seen Azrael Batman on the shelves ONCE during that time frame. Regardless of that minor inconvenience, it’s nice to see these figures hitting a little more regularly. With several Batman-related characters and a few household names, wave 16 is quite likely going to be one of the few remaining waves that are popular throughout, with Mattel focusing more on Blackest Night and other less popular characters in future waves. Wave 16 features six new figures – Azrael Batman, Creeper, Jonah Hex, Mercury, The Riddler and Robin. There are actually two Robins on the market, one with the modern head and another with a classics head sculpt. Buy the lot, and you’re equipped with all of the pieces needed to build the large Bane Collect & Connect figure.

Mattel has created a pretty strong wave, and I’m sad to hear that this will be one of the final themed waves in the DC Classics line (rumor has it that wave 19 will be the last with a theme). You pretty much can’t go wrong with a Batman-themed wave, especially when you introduce a few new characters. Wave 16 is the first to be issued in the new Classics packaging. The new design is nice enough, being not quite as attractive as the original and 75 Years of Super Powers packaging, but equally as vibrant and eye-catching. My big beef with the new design is the unbelievable waste of space. The cards are HUGE, and the bubbles take up far more room than they need to. There is a good 2″ of space on each side of the figure, and while it helps display the card artwork in better fashion, it’s really a waste of resources and a waste of space for collectors who keep their figures carded.

Here are some details and images for each of the figures in this series.

Azrael Batman

Let’s start off with one of the most kick-ass figures in recent history, as well as one of the most memorable characters. Azrael is seen in his Batman outfit from the Knightfall storyline, a story in which he temporarily takes up the mantel of Batman. Azrael is equipped in his blue and gold armor, which is done is a nice metallic finish. The large, black bat symbol distinct to Azreal rounds out what is ultimately a very impressive and eye-popping figure. The armor is a bit on the back-heavy side and tends to cause problems getting him to stand, but a little adjustment and he’s on his feet with no problem. The armor also restricts his movement somewhat, particularly around the elbows, wrists and neck. The blades on his wrists and calves, as well as the back of his armor, are done is a very thin, flimsy plastic, which helps prevent breakage but can easy get twisted out of shape. He features the standard buck and articulation found in most DC Classics figures and comes with the right leg of Bane.

The Creeper

One of the more odd characters in the DC universe, Jack Ryder as the Creeper comes complete with his yellow skin and large red boa. With his clawed hands and devilish grin, Mattel really brought out the creepy in this figure. I would have liked seeing the boa rest a little closer to his body – it sticks way out in the back, almost like a tail, and in turn Creeper ends up a little back-heavy and hard to stand. For the most part the paint applications are truly outstanding on this figure, with a lot of detail given to his grin and the black accents in his green hair. His green undies leave a bit to be desired though, with the black lines painted on somewhat sloppily. Creeper is given the thinner DC Classics body style and is one of the few figures equipped with double elbow and knee joints and the swivel-hinge wrists. This combination gives him an impressive 29 points of articulation. Creeper comes with the right arm of Bane.

Jonah Hex

I think Jonah Hex was intended to be released in conjunction with 2010′s titular movie, but I don’t even think this cool figure could have got more people to see the movie that fell well short of expectations. The figure is certainly worth the $14.99 price tag, however, featuring a beautifully brushed and “dirtied” paint scheme and great sculpt detail. Hex’s outfit is detailed with creases, burns, dirt, scratches and every kind of rough accent you can imagine. From the feathers on his side to the ammo-laden belts to the working holsters for each of his weapons (side for the pistol, back for the rifle), the outfit is spared little detail. Being what appears to be a completely original sculpt, Jonah looks almost more like a DC Direct figure than a Classics representation, but he’s outfitted with the great articulation we’ve come to expect from Mattel – about the only thing missing is the torso hinge. Hex comes with Bane’s left leg.

Mercury

Mattel continues to pump out the Metal Men, with wave 16′s Mercury following wave 12′s Iron and wave 14′s Gold. I can only hope we haven’t seen the last of the Metal Men, because the group is filling in nicely and I’d hate to see it fall short of characters. Mercury is one of three figures in this wave to feature the dual hinges on the knees and elbows as well as the swivel-hinge hands, and like Creeper he comes with the thin body style and 29 points of articulation. In the package he’s equipped with a set of formed scissors as his left hand (which can also be held in his right hand for support), but for those that prefer a more neutral look he comes with an alternate left hand. With his slightly metallic red body, Mercury doesn’t need a lot of paint, but I’m a little disappointed in the way what little paint he has turned out. Both logos are a little sloppy, and it’s more noticeable on the most important emblem – the one on his chest. Mercury comes with the upper torso of Bane.

The Riddler

I may be in the minority, but I prefer the wave 5 Riddler to the tight-adorned Super Powers version. That being said, this version of Edward Nigma is still worth picking up. The Riddler comes with his standard question mark cane, which is the same as the accessory that comes with the wave 5 figure. He has the typical DC Classics buck with 23 points of articulation and is graced neck-to-toe with his signature question marks. The paint applications on the question marks is near flawless, and the paint on his belt and mask are also top-notch. Mine has a couple of black marks around his hair-line, but otherwise I’m really impressed with the way this figure turned out. He comes with the left arm and hose of Bane.

Robin

The Boy Wonder, Dick Grayson, rounds out the set of six standard figures in Wave 16 and features Robin in his heavily-requested Super Powers gear. You can find Robin with one of two different head sculpts – the modern head with hair parted on the side or the classic head with a more serious look and hair parted down the middle. While the Super Powers version fits in a little better with most collections, I actually prefer the intense look on the classic head sculpt. Robin is equipped with a batarang and a rappel line and claw. The claw post can slide into the hand portion of the contraption and stays in there with no problem whatsoever. There is no action feature in the accessory, but it was relieving to see that the claw and rope wasn’t forced to dangle out from the gun. Robin is equipped in the small, muscular body style and also includes double joints in his knees and elbows as well as the swivel-hinge hands. One thing to be careful of – his ankles do NOT have hinges. They are only swivel-equipped, and in turn Robin has some serious trouble standing on his own. You can give the ankles a little bit of a forward bend, but be careful to take it slowly and not push too hard…they break rather easily, as I unfortunately found out by experience.

Modern

Classic Variant

Bane (Collect & Connect)

With Bane being part of the DC Classics predecessor, the DC Super Heroes line, I never fully agreed with fan requests to make Bane as a C&C figure. Now that he’s in hand, however, I will be the first to say I was wrong and thank Mattel for revisiting this figure. Bane stands roughly 8″ tall, a good inch and a half taller than the DCSH figure, and features every bit of articulation that the smaller figures do and more (swivel boots). The green, translucent venom tube that comes attached to his left arm also fits into the back of his headpiece. My chief complaint – well, maybe my only complaint – with Bane has to do with his paint application. Mattel chose to give his skin some dark accents that look more like bad spray tan jobs than natural skin tones. A flat, consistent skin tone would have made this nearly a perfect figure.