Mattel’s Green Lantern Tomar Re Revisited: Sculpt, Articulation and Accessories

Mattel’s small Tomar Re has plenty of flaws, but a fresh look softens the verdict: he’s one of the more enjoyable figures in the company’s 2011 Green Lantern movie range. His stiff articulation, bulky proportions and uneven paint keep him from feeling like a strong screen likeness. Still, the character’s appeal carries through, and the included accessories add a little oddball charm.

Where Tomar Re fits in the range

Tomar Re belonged to the first series of Mattel’s Green Lantern figures, though he wasn’t part of the initial assortment. The reviewer believes he arrived in the second wave. At roughly 3¾ inches tall, he’s a small figure from a movie line that left a mixed impression. The 2011 film may not have been a standout, but the reviewer considered it more watchable than its reputation suggested. The toys, by contrast, often disappointed.

That context matters when judging Tomar. He wasn’t remembered as a favorite because his sculpt or engineering set a new standard. Rather, he stood out in a range where the reviewer found few figures worth keeping in good standing. Revisiting him years later, the reviewer still sees the shortcomings, but no longer places all of the line’s frustrations at this particular figure’s feet.

Shape, finish and poseability

Tomar has eight points of articulation, a layout that limits what he can do beyond a basic standing pose. The joints feel dated for a figure released in 2011, and even the simple task of keeping him upright can be a problem: his right leg is slightly warped, while the articulation offers little help correcting his stance. That makes the figure awkward to pose and display. Collectors who like expressive shelf arrangements may find him especially restrictive.

The sculpt is serviceable in places. There’s some texture across the body, giving the surface more detail than a plain finish would. The head, however, is notably smooth and too squat for the character. The reviewer also finds the body too bulky compared with Tomar Re as seen on screen. His proportions can make him feel less like a compact representation of the character and more like a generalized alien figure.

The sculpt also reuses work from an earlier deluxe Tomar Re, which came in colors the reviewer describes as wonky. That earlier release makes this version part of a larger figure history within the range, although the small figure’s particular appeal doesn’t come from any major redesign. It’s a repurposed sculpt with some decent body texture, but a head and silhouette that don’t fully capture the character.

Paint application is similarly uneven. Some edges are sharply defined, while other colors blend together, leaving areas looking muddy. The reviewer recalls the movie design itself as somewhat soft in color, but says this figure pushes that effect too far. From a display distance, the broad colors may still communicate the character; up close, the inconsistent boundaries are harder to overlook.

The accessories and the original verdict

Tomar came with a construct accessory and a small wearable ring. The reviewer initially mixed the movie line’s constructs together and couldn’t remember which piece belonged to Tomar. On revisiting the figure, the accessory was identified as a kind of harpoon launcher. It’s an unusual-looking piece, but the reviewer doesn’t consider it a bad fit. The tiny ring is another part of the package, though its small size makes it easy to overlook.

The reviewer originally bought Tomar at a Walmart near a vacation spot, two days after giving in and purchasing the deluxe version because this one had been hard to find. That sequence turned the eventual find into a slightly frustrating one: the sought-after version appeared just after the substitute purchase. At the time, Tomar was also the reviewer’s third figure from the movie range, and patience with the line was already wearing thin.

That first review, written not long after the figure’s release, came from a collector disappointed by the range as a whole. On reflection, the reviewer thinks some of that dissatisfaction landed on Tomar more heavily than it should have. He still shares the line’s weak articulation and imperfect execution, but looks better when judged as an individual figure instead of as a symbol of the whole assortment.

A fondness that survives the flaws

Tomar Re is the reviewer’s favorite of the alien Green Lanterns and favorite element of the 2011 film, which may have made expectations for the toy especially high. The figure doesn’t fully meet those expectations. Yet the character remains recognizable enough to make the package worthwhile for a fan, and the odd launcher accessory gives him something to do on the shelf beyond simply standing in place.

This is a retrospective that changes the emphasis rather than the facts: the figure is still bulky, under-articulated and unevenly painted, but those flaws no longer define the whole experience. Tomar Re may be one of the better small figures in a disappointing range, and the reviewer now finds him kind of fun. Collectors considering him can expect limited posing and a soft likeness, with the strongest case for adding him resting on their interest in the character and the film’s toy range.