DCClassics.Com:
Low, Maash, & Arkillo Review

NoisyDvL5

I didn’t like Arkillo as a character at first. He was just Kilowog for the Sinesto Corps. He was big. He was the drill sergeant. He even had “KILO” in his name (that is one thing I hate about most of the new GJ characters, his naming conventions are tacky). After Sinestro Corps War ended, I read the issues where Arkillo acted as a temporary head of the SC, fought Mongul, got his tongue ripped out for his trouble, and managed a few other cool things before getting pushed into the background again. I preferred those later Arkillo appearances and it colors my opinion of how I want Arkillo to look. See, he was drawn two distinct ways.

The first one, in the left inset above, is how he appeared in Sinestro Corps War while the inset on the right shows him in his more recent appearances. DC Direct’s Arkillo will be based on the newer art while the Mattel version uses the previous look. The sculpt on the Mattel version is well done, but it’s not how I see Arkillo. I had to get over that to really appreciate the figure.

And I did, but I had to have it in person. The sculpt is a great rendition of his early appearances. The open mouth is a bit extreme, but I realize two things. One, you don’t really see Arkillo with his mouth closed all that often and, two, no yellow Lantern has had a closed mouth yet, so it’d be dumb if Arkillo were the first. I’ll probably still pick up the DC Direct Arkillo and look into the possibility of the heads being interchangeable, but I’ll worry about that when DC Direct gets around to releasing that very much delayed figure.

Arkillo uses the bulky collect and connect buck for the fourth time. I used to hate this buck – I didn’t like it on Brimstone or Kilowog because the hips were awkward and the lack of thigh cuts made deep poses difficult. The thigh cuts are still missing, but the hips on Validus and Arkillo work much better and make it easier to like the figure. Arkillo does feature a new upper torso, new forearms, new hands, and a belt.

The articulation works basically the same as the previous figures. Ball joints at the head, shoulders, hinges at the elbows, knees, & ankles (rocker), swivels at the biceps, waist, and wrists, the Mattel hips, and an ab crunch. Arkillo doesn’t move as fluidly as Validus, but he’s better than Kilowog & Brimstone.

I had no paint issues with Arkillo. The yellow lines were not as sharp as I would like, but they’re all straight and look good unless you’re really inspecting the figure up close. The different finishes on the head sculpt help bring out the details and sell the open mouth. The tampos for the two Sinestro Corps symbol are both clean and, more importantly, applied correctly.

I’m sure that none of these three characters were probably that high on longtime DC fans want lists. You’ll be hard pressed to find me nitpicking character selection, but even I bristled at Low & Maash, two rank and file Sinestro Corps members. And while I was a little more excited about Arkillo, a character who had gotten a little more exposure, I have to admit that all three characters turned out nicely on the shelf. Plus, the Sinestro Corps explodes when you pick up this wave* and I can’t complain about that. Now, that just needs to happen to a few other DC teams and I’ll be a happy camper.

* – Yes, I know that I forgot to include Cyborg Superman in the group shot.

For more DCUC reviews, check out our DC Classics Collector’s Guide.

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27 thoughts on “DCClassics.Com:
Low, Maash, & Arkillo Review”

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  3. I hope whenever Mattel gets around to fixing the Corps Sinestro that they do him in the right colors. He’s way off from the others.

    Anyway, I really don’t like that the GLC line is so modern. There’s not a classic costume in the bunch. Even in wave two, the only classically styled characters are dead. I hope that’s not a sign of things to come in 2011.

  4. Arkillo looks awesome! Actually the Sinestro Corps is looking pretty awesome too. I’m hoping to get the other size characters somewhere, even DCD if need be.

    Hopefully, we can get a decent size Red, Indigo, and Sapphire Corps going! Orange is basically done, Green’s a sure bet, and if someone could please, please, please do a Warth I’d be happy with Blue too.

  5. “I’ll probably still pick up the DC Direct Arkillo and look into the possibility of the heads being interchangeable, but I’ll worry about that when DC Direct gets around to releasing that very much delayed figure.”

    Shouldn’t be worth it. Their Arkillo is supposed to be using the same body as their previous Kilowog which is much shorter than the DCUC version of Kilowog. I know the scale on the heads of the two companies Kilowogs were noticeably different, so I’d imagine Arkillo would be more of the same.

    1. You’re probably right, but it’s been ordered and will be here someday (despite whatever delay is going on).

      Maybe it’ll be a really expensive tongue necklace?

  6. These look great! I can’t wait for my set to arrive! I think I’m going to hunt down that DCD Sinestro because the DCUC version looks truly ridiculous next to the other SC members.

  9. We’re all applauding the alternate head/hands on Low and Massh NOW, but just wait…in a few waves we’ll be all, “What the hell, Mattel?! Not EVERY Lantern has a humanoid body! Give us more than just three new pieces every wave!”

  14. Fantastic reveiw again Noisey cant wait for the rest but –

    “I lied that Arkillo and it colors my opinion of how I want Arkillo to look. See, he’s been drawn two distinct ways.”

    It may be just me but I cant make out what you mean? lol

    1. I fixed it! That sentence was totally jacked. 😀

      I meant to say that I liked the later appearances of Arkillo much more than I did when he first showed up and that makes me want the later portrayals of him. Thanks for pointing that out to me! I had three proof readers and they all missed it. LOL

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