(Don’t forget to check out parts one, two, and three of this series!)
In celebration of the Green Lantern film now playing in theaters all over the place, we’re going to examine five movie-style rings. That’s a lot of jewelry, so buckle up!
First up is the ring included with the Mattel’s Toys R Us exclusive “early bird” Hal Jordan action figure. Only 2,814 of these figures were produced, and as such they commanded nearly a $30 price tag. Yes, I bought one just to get the ring. Stop snickering. (In case anyone was wondering, my figure is #1098.) The ring is about a size 12, which makes sense as it and the figure are marketed towards the adult collector. The band is steel with a plastic face, both with a nice finish, and you can even see the “radiant” effect beneath the outer ring of the face.
For fans unwilling to shell out the hefty amounts of cash necessary to acquire the limited edition figure and ring, I’ve got a solution for you. Toys R Us is also selling power ring keychains at a third of the price, which contain the exact same ring. (And yes, the chain is removable.) Either way you choose to get it, I highly recommend this ring. It really looks great, and the metal band gives it some nice heft.
Next, here’s the ring included with Mattel’s basic Green Lantern movie action figures. It’s much simpler in appearance than the previous one, and all plastic. The split band is also very thick, making the ring about a size 4. Before you complain, try to remember that this was clearly made for kids. If you want to wear it yourself, I suggest using a rotary tool and patience. Anyway, for a cheap ring included with an action figure, it’s decent. They’re certainly a step up from the rings included with the original DC Direct figures!
This ring is part of Mattel’s mask and ring costume set. (Mask photo not included, because it certainly does not fit on my massive head.) Since it’s another kids’ offering, the ring is a size 5, also with a split band. But, of course, this ring lights up!
Pressing the center of the face will cause the ring to glow and fade for a few seconds. Not bad; expect to see a lot of kids wearing the mask and ring this fall for Halloween. If you’re an adult, though, forget about wearing it; the light hardware is contained within the band, so trying to resize it with a rotary tool will destroy it.
One light-up ring is never enough, so here’s another one, this time made by NECA. Unlike the last ring, this one will fit on many adult fingers, as it’s a size 10. This ring has a bit of an odd color scheme; gray and green are the correct colors, but the shades are far too light.
I guess we can’t grumble about it it too much, though, as it’s the most inexpensive ring on the list. The tiny panel-mount LED inside is rather bright, too; you can see it as a little square right through the transparent face.
Time for another NECA ring, and you may wonder why this one looks absolutely ridiculous. Did the ring fall into a black hole? Is it the terrible offspring of a regular ring and Plastic Man? No, my friends. This ring has a built-in projector, which displays the Green Lantern symbol on surfaces “up to fifty feet” away. (NECA’s words, not mine.)
The ring actually does project a good distance, but is best used in a darkened room; even then, the farther away from the wall you are, the dimmer the symbol will appear. I tried taking some pictures, but the room was so dark that my camera just didn’t pick things up that well, even when shooting in “night mode.” Oh well.
The projection is also a bit off-kilter, but perhaps that’s specific to the ring I picked up. Mine’s offset by about forty-five degrees; if you get one with a more properly-aligned projection, let me know.
The ring’s a bit small at size 9, mainly due to the extra thick band; the button to activate the projector is on the very back. I suppose you could use this to trigger the ring while your hand is closed into a fist, but the button’s tiny.
What about the kids who’d love to play with this, but it’s too big for their fingers? NECA wisely included a soft plastic resizer with this ring, which brings it down to about a size 6.
Sure, the projection feature doesn’t work well in a properly-lit area, but it’s still pretty cool. If nothing else, the ring definitely has a very unique and weird look.
You might be wondering why the DC Direct Green Lantern movie power ring prop replica is not here among its brethren. It was originally solicited for release on June 1, then pushed back to June 15. Unfortunately, Diamond Comic Distributors forgot to ship them to my local comic book shop. Myself and a few others who ordered them were not pleased, but there was nothing we could do. The owner put in new orders for us, but they have not yet arrived, so I’ll do a separate post on that ring when it finally does show up. Sorry!
Whew! Five movie rings seems like an overload, but there’s even more out there, like the replicas given out to celebrities. There’s others coming in the future, too; a slightly different variation is included with DC Direct’s power battery prop replica, and I’m sure the Noble Collection will produce a nice expensive ring. Whether you want a toy version, an official replica, or a custom ring, you’ve got a wide variety of choices when adding a movie-style Green Lantern power ring to your collection.
Posted by liquidcross 
I’m actually surprised at the amount of force with which the discs fire out of this thing. I assumed that the Lantern Launcher would have little to no power or range in order avoid any fun whatsoever due to our super-litigious society. Instead, the little bastards zip out at high speed, which I discovered by using my roommate as a target. I love science.
Power ring collecting, part 4 (movie edition)
June 30, 2011(Don’t forget to check out parts one, two, and three of this series!)
In celebration of the Green Lantern film now playing in theaters all over the place, we’re going to examine five movie-style rings. That’s a lot of jewelry, so buckle up!
First up is the ring included with the Mattel’s Toys R Us exclusive “early bird” Hal Jordan action figure. Only 2,814 of these figures were produced, and as such they commanded nearly a $30 price tag. Yes, I bought one just to get the ring. Stop snickering. (In case anyone was wondering, my figure is #1098.) The ring is about a size 12, which makes sense as it and the figure are marketed towards the adult collector. The band is steel with a plastic face, both with a nice finish, and you can even see the “radiant” effect beneath the outer ring of the face.
For fans unwilling to shell out the hefty amounts of cash necessary to acquire the limited edition figure and ring, I’ve got a solution for you. Toys R Us is also selling power ring keychains at a third of the price, which contain the exact same ring. (And yes, the chain is removable.) Either way you choose to get it, I highly recommend this ring. It really looks great, and the metal band gives it some nice heft.
Next, here’s the ring included with Mattel’s basic Green Lantern movie action figures. It’s much simpler in appearance than the previous one, and all plastic. The split band is also very thick, making the ring about a size 4. Before you complain, try to remember that this was clearly made for kids. If you want to wear it yourself, I suggest using a rotary tool and patience. Anyway, for a cheap ring included with an action figure, it’s decent. They’re certainly a step up from the rings included with the original DC Direct figures!
This ring is part of Mattel’s mask and ring costume set. (Mask photo not included, because it certainly does not fit on my massive head.) Since it’s another kids’ offering, the ring is a size 5, also with a split band. But, of course, this ring lights up!
Pressing the center of the face will cause the ring to glow and fade for a few seconds. Not bad; expect to see a lot of kids wearing the mask and ring this fall for Halloween. If you’re an adult, though, forget about wearing it; the light hardware is contained within the band, so trying to resize it with a rotary tool will destroy it.
One light-up ring is never enough, so here’s another one, this time made by NECA. Unlike the last ring, this one will fit on many adult fingers, as it’s a size 10. This ring has a bit of an odd color scheme; gray and green are the correct colors, but the shades are far too light.
I guess we can’t grumble about it it too much, though, as it’s the most inexpensive ring on the list. The tiny panel-mount LED inside is rather bright, too; you can see it as a little square right through the transparent face.
Time for another NECA ring, and you may wonder why this one looks absolutely ridiculous. Did the ring fall into a black hole? Is it the terrible offspring of a regular ring and Plastic Man? No, my friends. This ring has a built-in projector, which displays the Green Lantern symbol on surfaces “up to fifty feet” away. (NECA’s words, not mine.)
The ring actually does project a good distance, but is best used in a darkened room; even then, the farther away from the wall you are, the dimmer the symbol will appear. I tried taking some pictures, but the room was so dark that my camera just didn’t pick things up that well, even when shooting in “night mode.” Oh well.
The projection is also a bit off-kilter, but perhaps that’s specific to the ring I picked up. Mine’s offset by about forty-five degrees; if you get one with a more properly-aligned projection, let me know.
The ring’s a bit small at size 9, mainly due to the extra thick band; the button to activate the projector is on the very back. I suppose you could use this to trigger the ring while your hand is closed into a fist, but the button’s tiny.
What about the kids who’d love to play with this, but it’s too big for their fingers? NECA wisely included a soft plastic resizer with this ring, which brings it down to about a size 6.
Sure, the projection feature doesn’t work well in a properly-lit area, but it’s still pretty cool. If nothing else, the ring definitely has a very unique and weird look.
You might be wondering why the DC Direct Green Lantern movie power ring prop replica is not here among its brethren. It was originally solicited for release on June 1, then pushed back to June 15. Unfortunately, Diamond Comic Distributors forgot to ship them to my local comic book shop. Myself and a few others who ordered them were not pleased, but there was nothing we could do. The owner put in new orders for us, but they have not yet arrived, so I’ll do a separate post on that ring when it finally does show up. Sorry!
Whew! Five movie rings seems like an overload, but there’s even more out there, like the replicas given out to celebrities. There’s others coming in the future, too; a slightly different variation is included with DC Direct’s power battery prop replica, and I’m sure the Noble Collection will produce a nice expensive ring. Whether you want a toy version, an official replica, or a custom ring, you’ve got a wide variety of choices when adding a movie-style Green Lantern power ring to your collection.