It's that time again where we have to review two different villains with little to no correlation beyond the company that made them. Larfleeze is an Orange Lantern so deeply obsessed with greed that he would outright keep this power of avarice away from anyone else. He made his debut in 2008 as one of the Blackest Night participants, was forced to share his power with Lex Luthor temporarily, and was even given his own Christmas spotlight. As for Lobo, he is more well known than Larboi, no doubt thanks to appearing much earlier than the greedy bastard (1983, making a 25 year gap between debuts), and was intended to be a villain for a while before he was later repurposed as a bounty hunter with various goofy yet hardcore stories when he isn't involved with his anti-hero actions. Whether you know him as the Main Man or the Last Czarnian, you would see him in stuff like the DCAU (with a Flash-animated series) or having been in the short lived Krypton series. Oh and he is also played by Jason Momoa in potential flop Supergirl, because God won't let us have a movie directed by Michael Bay and would rather have us deal with the DOA DCU. Anyways, let's see how McFarlane's figures turned out!
Here we have Larfleeze in-hand, and while he may seem new at first glance, he is a reuse of Dawnbreaker (an evil version of Batman powered by a Green Lantern ring from Earth-32). I never got Dawnbreaker, but even if I did, I think the reuse works pretty well for a character whose design came out when the Lantern suits started to have a bit more detail. I love that the orange is metallic and not neon safety levels of garish, especially given how that color specifically has that problem when translated in other toys I've seen. The deco is generally crisp apart from the shoulder emblems looking slightly off model from the chest emblem, likely due to scale. The skinnier proportions honestly work even better for Larfleeze than they do Dawnbreaker, especially with Larfleeze being both alien and not usually one to use physical strength thanks to his bigger commitment to greed than anything. Plus, he almost has that Waluigi-esque energy.
Head sculpt is like a mix between Beta Ray Bill and an alien cattle with tusks; while I wish he had an articulated jaw, I love that the fur is painted and likely given a wash to make it appear layered and natural without appearing like orange frosting. Articulation may be the same as usual, but in spite of reusing the same effect parts I first own from Blackfire, they at least fit someone who uses his powers from the lantern he possessed.
His other accessory is the same lantern accessory we mostly see from the GLC. Even if the grip on the left hand is a bit wonky, we know it's his and his only. Next to the classic Hal Jordan, he may look a bit more modern in detail compared to the Green Lantern, but not too much so where Larfleeze is textured enough to look like a live action suit...and thankfully not the DCU Lanterns show variety. Now to get more Lanterns wherever I may find them...
And here we have Lobo in-hand, specifically the Platinum version in more classic colors. This isn't the first time we got this character in McFarlane's DC run, but it is the first version of him that I own in general, so is it a good figure to own of the main man? In terms of proportions, Lobo contrasts Larfleeze with a bulkier build that not only goes well with the fictional world of superheroes and villains, but it also makes perfect sense for a character who was once drawn by Simon Bisley; despite being intended to serve as a parody of someone like Wolverine, his biker attitude made him more of a fan favorite despite being an intended jab at the antihero trope. I love the wild clothes he wears with the ripped, sleeveless jacket, denim accompanied with these mean-looking boots and a belt with a skull as the buckle. The fingerless gloves are also fit for somebody who wants to get a good grip on his space bike while still wanting to leave his fingertips exposed. I already described Larfleeze as Waluigi-like, and this guy could be closer to Wario in some regard, mixed with a few bits of Sons of Anarchy and, you guessed it, Wolverine. While the blue may look a bit oversaturated for some people's tastes, at least the "BITE ME FAN BOY" print on his back is has no QC errors.
Head sculpt is equally as wild as a boomer biker wished he could be, and while some (mainly AnthonysCustoms) have said he looked like Vegeta, keep in mind that was how he was drawn in the 90s, while some appearances gave him slicker hair that went down. He has blue shading applied, but I'm not sure if I'd rather have the blue downplayed or at least give him a more neutral face. Articulation is standard as usual, but he comes with a hook with an actual metal chain rather than one molded to wrap around an arm! I saw this feature already with Doomslayer and Spawn, both from the Elite Edition line, and I appreciate them going for something a little more authentic. Also, that is not a random dolphin toy; space dolphins are associated with Lobo because they are one of the very few things he cares about in life, and they also help him deal with his hangovers.
The other accessories he comes with are a giant blaster rifle that almost looks like it could come out of a Transformer's arm in the High Moon Cybertron games (but in a good way) as well as an oversized dagger that is better suited for stabbing alien beasts bigger than him. He has to defend himself after all. Paint is mostly reserved to the handle on the dagger, but at least these are not as rubbery as some other weapons were.
As far as prior uses are concerned, the original is based on his DC Rebirth appearance with the more muted colors and black jacket. Also, yes, that is his hook weapon only facing forward for some reason. Also for some reason, the figure was released in prototype gray, and that is only good for customs or completionists.
Lobo also saw a Deluxe release that came with the same screaming head we see for this release, his dog, a wicked as hell guitar that is probably impractical for anyone else to play, and the space bike that comes in a few pieces before you assemble it. Also I clouded is a stand that features his appropriately themed logo. I would have gotten this but I don't know if it's in demand in the aftermarket. Oh and the original version of the Collector Edition, which is functionally the same as the one we have here, but the colors here are the same as the ones we covered earlier, only with a bluer hue.
Here we have Lobo with Superman for a general size comparison, since Supes is one of the taller McFarlane bucks in this 1/10 scale, and Lobo has him beat by a smidge. Surprisingly, his blue is a bit brighter than Superman's, despite the biker guy trying to be edgy and what not. Despite my issues with Lobo here and there, I think I ended up.liking this figure a bit more than I expected. Not as much as Larfleeze, but he still deserves some love. That said, weird how now we get a Collector Edition after the regular and Deluxe releases, but then again, it's likely made to tie in with the Sid Phillips looking ass Supergirl movie. If you already got prior versions of Lobo, you may not need this one.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Larfleeze)
⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Lobo)
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