The Good: Great sculpt, Good balance, Good accessories (could use more!)
The Bad: Low articulation, Could use more accessories.
The Basics: A cool, but ultimately average action figure Agent Diana Prince is great for fans of “Wonder Woman,” but not a big seller in the general market.
For those who might not follow my many, many reviews, I have declared 2010 my “Wonder Woman” year. I've been reading all I can find of “Wonder Woman” to better understand the character and to actually learn why she's never had a cinematic franchise on the order of Superman and Batman (I mean, honestly, a woman running around barely-clad fighting for truth and justice while speaking articulately and promoting peace and honesty, what's not to love?!). But when it comes to the merchandising, there is very little in the way of “Wonder Woman” memorabilia I've actually collected or reviewed. In fact, to date, the only “Wonder Woman” toy I've ever reviewed was the 1999 Justice League “Wonder Woman” figure (click here for my review of that!). That changes today with my review of the “Wonder Woman” Diana Prince action figure.
For those unfamiliar with Agent Diana Prince, this is not a surprise at all. In the current comic incarnation of “Wonder Woman,” starting in the anthology Who Is Wonder Woman? (click here for my review of that graphic novel), Princess Diana has taken on an alter-ego In order to work in the Department Of Metahuman Affairs, Diana has taken on the name, persona and glasses of Agent Diana Prince. For that role, she has shed her usual one-piece bathingsuit type outfit and runs around in a catsuit. It is Agent Diana Prince in her field outfit with the catsuit, rose colored glasses and hair efficiently back that is the subject of the Agent Diana Prince action figure.
Basics
Agent Diana Prince figure is well-detailed, though she comes from a comic book and thus has very little detailing that could be done. The professional spy/superheroine stands 7" tall as an action figure. Her costume is appropriately white with blue highlights on the arms and legs, which make her look perfectly like the secret agent rendered in the pages of the DC Comic books where she had this persona. Agent Diana Prince is from DC Direct.
This toy is a fairly impressive sculpt; for a character that has only had two-dimensional references, Agent Diana Prince looks good in all three dimensions. DC Direct did not make the character insanely busty, which is reassuring and she comes with her left hand closed in a fist (of righteous rage!) and with a toolbelt that is not molded on, but is attached. The white catsuit has a pearlescent quality that adds a depth and realism not seen in the comic book incarnation of Agent Diana Prince.
What is most impressive, arguably, about the Agent Diana Prince figure is the sculpting work on her face. Agent Diana Prince has the sharp cheekbones and full lips of the character and with her hair back, she looks just like she leapt out of the pages of the comic book onto one's desk! The glasses that Agent Diana Prince wears are molded on and they look good, allowing one to see her eyes behind them, though they do have a rose-colored tint to them. Rightfully, her face has minimal coloring details to it, just a light blush on the cheeks. Because the comic books this character comes from are not photorealistic, there is not a realistic expectation that the figure would have more realism in its coloring.
Accessories
Agent Diana Prince, efficient Themiscyrian in disguise that she is, comes with only two accessories. She has her stand and explosives. The stand is a red disk with the “Wonder Woman” logo and name on it. It is 3 3/4" in diameter and 1/8” tall and it has a single peg which plugs into the hole in Agent Diana Prince's right foot. She is very stable on her base.
Agent Diana Prince also comes with the explosives from her first field mission with Nemesis. The two explosives are little more than 1 1/8" long cylinders which are clear and silver plastic. They fit in Agent Prince's right hand and look little better than flares there.
One wishes there were more or better accessories for this figure.
Playability
The DC Direct figures were designed more for display than play. Still, Agent Diana Prince is quite good for play terms. She has fair articulation as well as decent balance! Flatfooted, this is a very balanced toy, though her height does make it easy to tip her over when she is off her stand. As well, Agent Diana Prince comes with only nine points of articulation, which is pretty low by today's standards. Agent Diana Prince has joints at the knees, groin socket, shoulders, elbows, and head. The shoulders are proper ball and socket joints, while the elbows and knees are both hinge joints. The head is on a ball joint, which allows the heroine to nod up and down as well as look left to right, at least in a limited fashion!
And for whatever improbable poses one might find where she will not remain standing, there is the stand and while it is stable, the fact that only one foot may be plugged into it makes the balance a little less stable for outlandish poses.
Collectibility
Agent Diana Prince is part of the DC Direct “Wonder Woman” Series 1 line which was exceptionally rare and usually only distributed through comic book shops. Its value is likely to increase only as fans respond to the newer incarnations of Wonder Woman. I like it for the variety it offers a pretty stale toy line.
Overview
Agent Diana Prince is a pretty neat figure that “Wonder Woman” fans will want for the variety, but might not be the best investment for those who look for money down the line from their toy collections.
For other toy reviews, please check out my takes on:
2010 Star Wars Saga Legends IG-88
Plush Lady from Lady And The Tramp
Giant Microbes Bad Breath
6/10
For other toy reviews, please check out my index page!
© 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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