Guest Review > Solomon Grundy (Brave and the Bold, Mattel)

Solomon Grundy was born on a Monday, bought on a Thursday.

Throughout various comics and animation, Solomon Grundy has been depicted as an unintelligent monster and in stark contrast, as a criminal mastermind. He sometimes is nothing more than a mindless zombie and is often used merely as a pawn for some other villains scheme. In an episode of Justice League, Grundy became a much more sympathetic character as he helps Doctor Fate save the world from a Thanagarian deity named Ichthultu (based on the H.P. Lovecraftian Cthulhu). Grundy, as he is seen in The Brave and the Bold, is a combination of both versions. He commands a group of thugs, speaks in unintelligible grunts, but has a right-hand man to translate his commands.

Packaging: Solomon Grundy comes in the standard Brave and the Bold blister card. Mattel doesn’t really seem to be doing anything extraordinary with their BatB packaging here, its main purpose is to be eye catching on the shelf and hold the figure until its opened. There’s no character bio or statistics on the back, just shots of other toys highlighting the Snap & Attack gimmick.

Design & Sculpt: Grundy avoids that blocky look associated with most BatB figures, mostly due to him being in a suit rather than spandex. This incarnation of Grundy is a crime lord, so he’s dressed to the nines complete with a single-breasted tailor made suit, tie, fedora, and spats. There are some nice small detailed sculpts like the neckerchief in his pocket and the buttons on his jacket where they could have simply applied paint apps, but they took the extra step. For a figure suggested for ages four and up, Grundy’s face and skin is rather graphic, hinting at decaying flesh. Grundy’s lips are sewn together as seen in the BatB series. One of the major detractors for a lot of collectors are the large hexagonal holes in each BatB figure, this is part of the line’s gimmick, where each figure comes with different accessories and they can plug into the figures. Luckily the holes on Grundy aren’t as obvious as they are on other figures in the line. When looking at him straight on you hardly notice them, its only if you see him from a profile view that you really begin to notice them.

Plastic & Paint: Paint quality on BatB seems to be fairly consistent, though most figures don’t seem to feature overly complicated paint apps. The majority of Grundy is molded in the same color, the only noticeable paint apps are around the face, the handkerchief, and the boutonniere. It would have been nice if they sculpted something on for the flower, otherwise it just looks like a big button, but this line seems to favor paint apps rather than sculpting.

Articulation: Grundy has above the standard BatB articulation: swivels at the neck, shoulders, wrists, waist, and hips along with hinged elbows. Articulation is another area that may disappoint fans, most BatB figures are pretty limited, but considering the target demographic these figures are intended for, I wouldn’t expect a DCUC level of articulation. The swivel wrists are a nice touch and go beyond most BatB figures.

Accessories: Grundy includes the only weapon fitting for a gangster, a Tommy gun. Grundy can hold the gun in his right hand thanks to a small peg on the butt of the gun which fits snugly into a hole in his hand . Unfortunately due to the restrictions of the articulation he’s not able hold it in both hands. The gimmick with the BatB line, and the reason for those accursed holey hexagonal horrors on each figure is the “Snap & Attack” weapon. Each figure comes with their own weapon that in turn can be combined with others for battle. Its kind of hokey, but again this is actually a kids line for kids, not a line for collectors thinly veiled as a kids line.

Quality Control: Aside from a few blemishes or “notches” in the plastic, and a right shoulder that looks like it might not be all the way in, I had no problems with Grundy.

Overall: Solomon Grundy is a fun action figure. While he may be a little plain (what guy in a suit isn’t) I’ve always been a sucker for characters dressed in suits as they seem to stand out in a sea of repainted plastic bucks. Batman The Brave and the Bold is obviously a kids line, and aside from cherry picking a few figures, I haven’t had all that much interest. However, as a big fan of the zombie super villain, when I found out there was a Solmon Grundy figure, I knew I had to have it!

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