Wave 3 - Nightwing
Dick Grayson's superhero career began as Robin when he was taken in by Bruce Wayne after his parents' deaths and trained as the Dark Knight's sidekick/partner. Dick, however, was destined to become his own hero, and as he matured into adulthood, the mantle of Robin no longer suited the brash young hero.
Dick's decision to leave Robin behind was a tough one. When he was 17 he was shot in the shoulder by the Joker while attempting to apprehend the villain with Batman. Bruce, not wanting to see Dick hurt further by participating in what he considered his 'personal crusade' against Gotham's underworld, fired Robin as his partner and sidekick. Dick wasn't willing to give up crimefighting as Robin, however, and so he emancipated himself and left Wayne manor to join the Teen Titans full time.
Unsure as to how to continue as something other than Robin, Dick consulted Superman. The Man of Steel regaled Dick with an allegorical tale about two ancient Kryptonian heroes named Firebird and Nightwing, whose own tragic tale mirrored that of Batman and Robin's. This story inspired Dick to leave Robin behind and take on the new name of Nightwing - a new identity for a new, solo hero.
Nightwing eventually returned to Gotham where he discovered that Batman had adopted a new Robin - Jason Todd. Confronting Bruce about his replacement, Batman admitted that he missed Dick and that he only fired him to prevent him from getting hurt. Later, when Bruce's back was broken by Bane, he turned to Azrael - not Nightwing - to temporarily take on the duties of Batman. Feeling further hurt and betrayed by Bruce not considering him for the role, Nightwing left Gotham for good and traveled to Bludhaven - Gotham's sister city to the south.
In Bludhaven, Nightwing found yet another new identity and new start. Distancing himself further from Batman, he was truly able to become his own man. Taking up work as a police officer by day and costumed vigilante by night, Nightwing brought justice to Bludhaven in his own way, and on his own terms. Eventually he and Batman reconciled their differences, but the growing pains that Dick endured along the way had matured him into a proud, confident, and capable hero in his own right.
Sculpt: Like Green Lantern, Nightwing also makes use of the DCUC "standard" male body. While I liked it on Hal, I don't like it on Dick. Nightwing should be a smaller, leaner figure. At it is now, he stands at the same height as (or even a little taller than) the figures of Batman, Superman, and Green Lantern. I had really hoped that Mattel and the 4H would no Nightwing justice with a unique sculpt (that could then be used for many of DC's other heroes of slighter build). As it is, he just seems too darn big. And this the first time in this line that body reuse has started to bother me. Enough about the body, though. Nightwing's headsculpt is great. It's probably the best action figure representation of the character so far.
Paint: Nightwing is mostly black plastic but what detail he does have is nicely done. His costume's main detail is the big blue stripe painted across his chest and back. The stripe is tight and crisp and there is no bleed or blur where the blue meets the black. He has a gloss black finish to his boots to make them look shiny and polished. His face, unfortunately, is just unpainted plastic and there is some slop on his eye mask. Actually, there's a huge portion of the sculpt of his mask that just didn't get painted at all. I'm pretty disappointed in the sloppy work there.
Articulation: Like GL, Nightwing enjoys an unencumbered 25 points of articulation that make this easily the most poseable Nightwing figure ever produced.
Accessories: Dick is hooked up with his pair of trademark escrima fighting sticks. He has clips sculpted into his back that allow him to stow them away nicely when he doesn't want to wield the batons. I really like the way Mattel and the 4H continue to work accessories into this line in a clever and functional way.
Quality: Nightwing is pretty solid. His joints are tight and firm, and his fighting sticks clip snugly into the slots on his back. His plastic feels a little softer than what I've grown accustomed to with DCUC, but it's not rubbery enough to be a cause for concern. The major criticism here, like with the other figures in this wave, is the sloppy paint job.
