Superman Red, Superman Blue, Red Tornado and The Penguin

From Mattel Toys' Wave 1 DC Universe line of action figures comes The Penguin and Red Tornado.

From Wave 2 Superman Red and Superman Blue.

Back in the 1990s when comic book sales were through the roof the various publishers (including DC comics) were constantly looking for gimmicks to sell their comic books.

With Superman, since the character had been around since the 1930s, it was getting more and more difficult to come up with original stories.

In an attempt to bring in more readers and satisfy its fanbase DC Comics decided to split Superman in two: one blue and one red.

Mattel Toys recreated both versions for its second wave of DC Comics Universe Superman Classic Collect & Connect series of 6-inch fully articulated action figures.

Both figures are identical save for their colors.  Both feature Superman in a one-piece outfit with a fitted headpiece, a white ‘S’ chest symbol, white lightning bolt arm and leg decorations and translucent energy crackles emanating from his wrists and shoulders.

The red figure has its mouth open, the blue does not.

Both are nicely sculpted with clever points of articulation in the waist, limbs, torso, head, feet and hands. A piece of a Collect & Connect Gorilla Grodd figure is included with both figures.

The portly Penguin figure features the avian villain decked out in his finest.

He wears a black tuxedo coat with tails, a white shirt with a black bowtie, an orange vest with black buttons, purple pants with black stripes, white gloves, black shoes with white spats, a monocle in his right eye and a black top hat with a blue hat ban.

The rotund figure is posed with his right hand raised and his left hand holding his trademark black and silver umbrella with its five jet boosters and sharp spins.

The Penguin’s face has a turned down grimace, a long pointed nose and double chins.

The android Red Tornado figure is primarily red with vertical yellow strips along his arms and legs and mid torso along with a horizontal yellow belt, a yellow chest symbol, yellow gloves, yellow and red boots and a yellow collar trim on his red and blue cape. 

A yellow stripe runs from his brow to the back of his head with a pointed arrow facing down from his forehead.

A translucent orange tornado swirl is attached to his right hand.

Both The Penguin and Red Tornado come from the Wave 1 set and contain pieces of the Metamorpho Collect & Connect figure.

All of the reviewed figures feature excellent articulation with cleverly hidden pivot, swivel, hinge and bend points.

Paint application is clean, distinct for each area and has no bleed over or sloppy edges.

The packaging displays each figure to its fullest advantage and the figures are held in place by transparent plastic cocoons.

Photos of the additional figures from both sets are on the back of the packages.

Proverbs 30:5 - Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.