Like Alfred, the head sculpt is best described as not bad. While I think Alfred’s portrait is a great sculpt partially obscured by thick face paint, Catwoman’s just doesn’t seem as spot-on to Hathaway (and is still covered in gloppy paint). Maybe it’s just that I’m used to almost always seeing Anne Hathaway with some hint of a smile, but, even with the decent sculpt, this figure just kinda feels like it could be a generic Catwoman figure more than a Movie Master.
The paint work on my figure was particularly sharp. The high gloss on the boots and gloves helps sell the textures, and the paint on the mask was well done with the different accents throughout. I do wish the skintone was painted around the edge of the jawline, but only when I get her into a pose where I can see that it’s black back there.
Catwoman features some great articulation which was a concern considering she was an all-new sculpt. Mattel is still consistent about the lack of rocker ankles, but they didn’t cut any articulation elsewhere. There are ball-joints at the neck and shoulders, swivels at the biceps, wrists, waist, thighs, hinges at the elbows, knees, and ankles, the ab crunch, and the “4H” hips that we’ve had on the DCUCs for years. The hair does block some of the neck articulation and I’m kinda puzzled why Mattel didn’t just use the glove and boot lines for the swivel cuts, but neither of those are dealbreakers.
If there’s one thing I’ve been consistently disappointed about with the Movie Masters figures, it’s the lack of accessories. The Dark Knight Rises Movie Masters do feature a collect and connect Batsignal. And that does show tremendous progress from the odd-sized Batman & Scarecrow masks, but I still would like to see Catwoman come with at least one accessory unique to her on top of that. She is using a gun in some of the promotional art and I’m sure she’ll handle other props in the film. I’ll no doubt be thinking “the figure could’ve come with that” each time I see a good one.
Catwoman includes the rooftop base of the Batsignal and the utility box which operates it in the film. It’s a large piece and looks good, so between that and the all-new sculpt, I shouldn’t be complaining about the lack of an accessory, but I still did.
Is Catwoman an amazing entry to add to my toy shelves? Maybe not. She’s notable for being an all-new sculpt (high excitement for a Mattel Movie Master!) and you can tell that a lot of work went into her, but I still get a hint of “shelf filler” here. She’s a figure you buy because you want the set, the Batsignal, you have a thing for things that sorta look like Anne Hathaway, or you just really enjoyed the movie. Even though I bought her before seeing the movie, I imagine it’ll mostly be that last reason for me.
That’s kinda been the theme of “Movie Masters” so far though. I have the figures, they’re all okay (some things like the Bale head sculpt are exceptional), but I do wish they were as good figures as the movies were movies. Catwoman is close, up there with the basic Batman. She’s a solid figure with good articulation. If she had had a head sculpt that rivaled Bale’s, she could easily be the best of the bunch.
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The figure looks pretty good, but I agree about it not looking quite like Hathaway. But my big question is “does anybody know when these are out in the UK?”. I’ve heard the end of September, and I really hope that isn’t true 🙁
Hope you can find ’em soon! Catwoman is still a little rare here, this being the only one I’ve seen. Hopefully they’ll all end up being plentiful like the previous ones.
Catty is just the only one i want. i like that she’s almost the design of the 60ies TV series catwoman! I smell custom time!!
lol If you do it, make sure to show us the pics, Ralph!
then i have to make sure first getting ahold of 2 (1 for keeps and 1 for Julie Newmar) !!!
man… that group shot at the end kinda stings. that’s a lot of dudes in suits, and a lot of parts re-use.i imagine next weekend having a fairly vigorous argument w/ a former roommate of mine over the nolan batmen. he’s an actor these days, and loves him some nolan, and i enjoy the previous films quite a bit, but not as much as he did… and the ase i intend to make, the case i always make when nolan gets brought up, is that he didn’t create a definitive batman world. there’s n0o room for the fantastical in the nolaverse, and for batman, that cuts out a huge chunk of his history.
and in the case of a gal like catwoman, it means altering her fundamental nature. where’s the feline? michelle pfeiffer might have had a very non-canon costume, but her performance was VERY feline, inconsistent as only a woman w/ a thing for cats could be, using her whip like a tail, as if it were an extension of her body, that was some method business right there. her whole body language changed for that character… granted, i haven’t seen this new film yet either, but i don’t see that so far in the promotional stuff for ms hathaway. i come into this film a huge hathaway fan, and i hope she just knocks this right out of the park, but catwoman is a demanding role… i don’t doubt anne, i doubt chris’ vision of the batuniverse.
i really hope that the next party to get the bat franchise goes in more of an arkham asylum/city direction, where the science is there, but the fantasy is fine too… since the comics embrace both.
I don’t think the films should get a definitive tag, but I alsodon’t think Batman has a definitive version anymore. Whether you’re keeping it simple with detective or crusader stories or delving deep into his sci-fi closet, he’s still Batman.
With the movies, there will always be relaunches, so no version should hold too much sway for too long. I also think sci-fi aspects in “realistic stories” have become a lot more accepted in the last seven years, so I think the next version can easily be closer to what you’re looking for.
I’m not saying that the Nolan Batman films should be tagged as “difinitive” either. I dont think any Batman film has even come close to difinitive. I think what DR was trying to say is that if more Nolan films were to be made..theres very limited material that can be used in the world that he created. Apart from a handfull of villains in Batman’s rogues gallery, most villains run on the fantastical side and couldnt be put in a Nolan film without that gritty and realistic feel being compromised. The Riddler could be in a Nolan film…perhaps Penguin if he was portrayed as a straight up mob boss instead of the monster that Burton created. Perhaps Poison Ivy if she was made to be an eco terrorist instead of a mind controling chemist. Could i picture Mr. Freeze or Killer Croc in a Nolan film? No way. Man Bat or Clayface? Not a chance. Not without seriously compromising who these characters are. I’m really looking foreward to seeing how Nolan portrays Bane in this film. I’m wondering how many compromises are going to be made to make Bane alot more realistic for his film
i think even ivy would be a stretch, as plant manipulation is fundamental to who she is, just as the feline aspects of catwoman are intrinsic to her. she’s going to be a tough sell in the world that nolan created. i truly think his joker was as fantastical as the world could accommodate. but totally, freeze, croc, clay, manbat… they’re all a no-go. and honestly, someone as goofy as calender man or the mad hatter are straight out as well. they’re too mundane.
as far as definitive goes for the bat, i think definitive in his case is a scenario where any or all of those varying incarnations can happen under a single umbrella… so like, the video game world lacks the camp aspects that bats does have to own up to, and certain of his villains (penguin and riddler come to mind) are best served camp side up. but the video games can easily support the scientific (batman, bane) and the fantastic (croc, ivy) and that’s a step above the “science only” nolanverse. not that nolan couldn’t mine a few other characters, like black mask or prometheus, but there are limits.
Agree with you totally. I think Nolan’s Batman movies are great, but they’re set too much in reality to include some of the more fantastic elements that make Batman what it is. Excellent stories, but they miss a lot of the fun of Batman’s universe. Pretty sad that most of his Rogue’s Gallery just wouldn’t work in these movies.
Yowza! The Batman Movie Masters line definitely gets the Kewpie prize for most boring toy line ever. I guess all the fan boys that have been clamoring for more suits and secret identities have gotten there dream line.
Almost… where’s my Lucius Fox figure!?
it wouldn’t be so bland if the suit torsos weren’t mere head swaps. does no one in the nolanverse favor a double-breasted? and honestly, even if we just textured the suit a little, it would show better… i always pictured alfred as a tweed fan myself, but lucius is definitely a seersucker man, etc…
Of course, he’ll be sought after, just so we can say we have a “god’ figure in our collections! LOL
WANT!!!
These have to get easier to find, but this is still the only one Ive seen. 😛
Try Barnes & noble. They had a kiosk there today with what I assume was the whole set (alfred and selina were the first ones on the pegs). I’ve got zero interest in these, so I passed.
I really like this figure, but will hold off until I see the movie to determine if Hathaway wins me over. It seems like the best female made so far by Matty. I would really like to see a Michelle Pfeiffer Catwoman, and Danny Devito Penguin.
I’d love some 90s Batman movie masters! Save me money on the HotToys versions! O.o
A woman and a bunch of men in suits and totally identical body molds? You got to be kidding me Mattel, how lazy is that?
It gets even more fun when you realize it’s just the Question body scaled down (and with the legs swapped).
Holy cheap trick, it’s true! O_O
I thought it was the DCSH Clark Kent / Two-Face body that was being used ad nauseum?
Also, I’m kind of surprised you don’t have any Gotham City Thugs in that last pic, or would they not have fit in the shot?
I noticed the Joker has a Batman mask in his hand. WWhere did it come from? Is it some kind of custom piece?
lol I forgot he was holding that. I swapped the Bruce head to a Batman body and that was leftover, so I dremeled out the eyes and mouth is all. Good eye!
Great review as always. I’m wondering if the Catwoman figure is a generic body to later be used as a Julie Newmar Catwoman figure. Since they will hopefully make figures based on the 60’s TV show.
Thanks!
I doubt Mattel is thinking that far ahead, but you never know.
Some day I’m gonna find you, Catwoman. I’ve found six Gordons, and yet you remain … elusive.
What bothers me most about the suit thing is the way they’ve handled it. Crane was a pretty snazzy dresser, and they gave him some kind of buttoned-up bolo treatment. Dent looks like a schlub accountant, the Goons are all dressed the same and Alfred is wearing Bruce Wayne’s suit and tie. (I think Alfred should have gotten either the overcoat treatment or vest and white shirt.) But I do look forward to my suit-body-with-bow-tie Lucius. The toy world needs more bow ties.
FYI, people are having luck finding Cathaway at Barnes & Noble. There’s a little Batman merchandise cube placed on the store floor randomly.
I too, wish we were getting better accessories with these figures. Guns for Catwoman, any of the Bat-gadgets for Bruce, A cracked Batman cowl for Bane, serving tray for Alfred. It seems so simple and I’m tired of Matty crying poverty.
My only interest lies in the bat signal, so sadly, i wont be buying these 🙁
given noisy’s photo of Mediocrehenge up there, i wouldn’t say it’s sad… 🙂
I’ve been avoiding all info about the movie, too. Couldn’t completely ignore the toys, though. I never wanted to know Catwoman or Bane or whoeverelse would be in it, but internet. What can ya do?
How’s the range of motion in her hips? If it’s on par with DCSH Catwoman, I’ll have to consider adding a Catgirl? or whatnot to my collection. If not, oh well. Never understood why the 4H/Mattel changed the female hips when their first go at it was practically perfect.
When you really look at it…maybe these movies dont really translate into great toys. I mean if you study all the figures from all the films…we really do have a couple Batman variants and a bunch of guys in suits. Joker thug, Harvey, Two-Face, Gordon, Alfred…all using that same body. I’m surprised that Matty didnt use that same body for Joker. At the tail end of the Dark Knight toy line….didnt i see a strange Deathstroke figure in a final wave? I vaguely remember seeing a Deathstroke in a Batman movie package. Maybe a last attempt to add some spice to an otherwise boring toy line? I remember seeing the same thing with Superman Returns. I saw a weird Mongol figure in movie packaging at one point.
The Deathstroke (and Firefly) were part of the tail-end of the 5″ “kiddie” line and Mongul was part of the “Man of Steel” video game rebranding of the 5″ Superman Returns figures (one which I still need to track down…).
There are a lot of those 5″ Superman Returns figure popping out here in the Philippines. I miss the 5″ line. The 4″ basic line sucks big time
Thanks for answering my question Noisy. Why didn’t Mattel just include a cowl like that instead of that stupid-huge mask and “Evidence” bag for the Dark Knight figures? So STOOPID!!!
“Further complicating things is that we can slide the goggles down on the “up” figure which creates a cool, but inaccurate, look (the goggles would need to spin around to be movie accurate).”
so the goggles should have been a 3pc part, with the lenses able to swivel around on the arms? I’ve only seen a few early CW pics, and the “goggles down” pic still had the feline-esque look to them, like in the comics.
I have been trying to avoid most of the spoilers/clips the last few months, which is probably why I’m not feeling the hype on this one. I know JGL and a couple other actors are in it, and expect Joe’s “Officer John Blake” to re-use the police uniform from the over-priced Joker 2pk.
Up here, it seems the stores still have remnants from the first shipment of Bat/Bane and occasional Alfred cases, no sign of Gordon (dark coat), Selina, or Blake, as yet. I will check out the B&N suggestion the next time I get up into StL county.
ah well, I now have my Metron and SHORTrocitus (AtroSHORTus?) to tide me over. 😉
Gordon’s a Walmart exclusive, and as far as I know Blake’s not out yet (he’s not even up on eBay right now). Selina’s shipping in the same cases as Batman, Bane, and Alfred (all four showed up at the same time in my area, though the short-packed supporting characters are unsurprisingly selling faster than the reissued Batman), though I’ve heard that there are multiple case packs to choose from, and certain companies are buying cases that are short on the supporting characters (Target, reportedly, is buying cases that contain no Alfreds).
Yep, I’ve heard about the case mixes. First ones I saw were at Target, 4Bat/2Bane, but WM across the way had an Alfred in theirs.
I hate the goggles/domino combination. Ugh. No reflection on the toy… just a reflection on the design from the movie.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who found this really, really odd!
Well, if you’re in the middle of a heist and have to remove your goggles to get a better look at something, would you want everyone seeing your face?
And no falling back on the uselessness of a domino mask! That’s a grandfathered trope at this point…
the only thing wrong with the figure is those goggles that plus her expression looks like she is so thrilled about getting made or being in the movie. and surprised she came with the base for the batsingal and the electrical box for it when thought she would come with maybe the front unsmashed glass with symbol. wonder then who comes with the electronics to make it light