…and I bought another New 52 figure. I know. I’m over the self-loathing already. I’ve bought plenty of dumb toys to represent great things I love, so buying a great toy that represents something I’m not that fond of is completely different and yet pretty much the exact same thing.
I’ve had chances to buy New 52 Batman before. He was included in DC Classics twice and I did occasionally think about adding that ol’ pegwarmer to my collection a time or two. When DC Collectibles made their own, that was an easy pass though. Same look, less artic? I may be weak, but I’m not dumb.
But when I bought Talon, a lot of folks – and I do mean a lot – insisted that I should pick up his companion Batman. I didn’t cave easily. $25 for yet another Batman? At $25 I at least want an oval around the symbol (that’s the only way to go, folks). And the head, while a good Capullo representation, seemed off in 3D. So I decided I was good. I even saw this figure for 25% off at a closing Hastings and still resisted.
Well, turns out, I should’ve bought it at 25% off and saved some dough. I’m not sure what finally put me over the edge. The more often I saw him, I came to like the head sculpt. Talon’s articulation was compelling too. It could just be that I went for a few weeks without buying or getting anything new and my resistance faded (Being a toy collector is fun like that). In any case, I was happy to discover my umpteenth Batman figure was a solid purchase. Even at $25. There are a few nitpicks, but there’s much more to like.
As typical with DCC, the sculpt is solid, taking advantage of that big window space in the box. The suit looks fantastic with just enough detail to make the costume look like a guy in a suit and not a solid, plastic painted figure. It looks very organic. I could do without some of the running lines, but I don’t have a direct line to Jim Lee these days. The more armored parts are more precise and make a great contrast. The detailing on the boots and gauntlets is subtle and looks good without being as heavy as the other lines.
It’s silly, but I love the bat-ears on the kneepads! I also really like the minimalist look on the belt. The cape… is probably my least favorite part. It’s looks good and it hangs well, but it’s just kinda weird too. If you look at too long, you realize it’s kinda of a splat on his back. It’s not really a knock against the figure – I think we just need our “ultimate” Batman figure that comes with 3-4 capes (straight-back, shoulder-draped, whipping around, and, I guess, splat).
All that is topped off by the head sculpt. I have heard some negativity here, maybe best summed up with the term “shovel-face”. It is a little wider and flatter than realilty, but it is a good representation of Capullo’s style, so that’s a success on the books. In person, I had given some though to swapping it for a regular New52 head more because I’m not a kitten-ears fan, but after getting him out of the box, I’m cool with the figure as is. It may come across as a slightly more animated look, but I’ve decided the sculpt works well with the figure. It’s nicely done and I do like how Capullo draws Batman. It’s also aided by great articulation. Continue to Page 2…
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That clear batman in the last shot isn’t batman…..it’s evil hard light clone batman. Did you think no one was going to notice? :p
He’s sneaky…
you should buy the arkham Origins Batman, is the ultimate Dc collectibles batman
I just don’t feel compelled to own any Arkham stuff. I don’t know why. I have one, the Mattel figure in 70s colors.
Ugh, personally I don’t like that one, since the head looks so deformed. My brother actually owns that one. I offered to paint the eyes white to give him a better classic representation. It actually looks a lot better now, but I’ve always been tempted to shave the top of that noggin.
Painting the eyes white isn’t a bad idea… I just love the obnoxiously large oval!
And to which Arkham Batman are you specifically referring. There have been several, no?
Yes, there have been several, but I can also vouch for the DCC Arkham Origins Batman. I don’t have any of the Arkham figures except him and the two Deathstrokes that came from Mattel and DCC. All of the Arkham Batmans have always looked off to me, but for some reason the AO Batman stood out.
the DC Collectibles one from the arkham origins game
I have that figure, and it’s one of the most disappointing toy purchases I have ever made. It looked great in the package, but once freed, the left leg was horribly warped (to the degree that no amount of boiling and reshaping seems to be able to fix it), the articulation, while plentiful, offers far too little range-of-motion, and the paint stuck to itself and peels and flakes all over, especially wherever the cape touches the body and around the joints. If DCC had any degree of quality control (and had made the articulation more useful), it would probably be on of my favorite Batman figures. Instead, it’s one of my top cases of buyer’s remorse.
Yes, what Julio said.
I’m glad you can get past it Noisy, but I will own a new 52 figure nor a bay-former based on principal alone
I’m not buying any BayFormers either, but I don’t see those two as inherently the same thing. New52 has done essentially nothing for DC, they’re plodding along about where they’ve always been. The Bay movies, however brain-warping to try & watch, have at least reinvigorated the franchise and provided us with ample G1/G2/BW homage toys and lengthened the life of the brand overall by turning more & more eyes And dollars to TFdom.
New52 would be so lucky to have Bayed their universe, but they can’t even get that right.
Can’t speak for the new 52 figs personally (they look neat at least) but you’re only doing yourself a disservice by ignoring all the movie toys. Some of them are absolutely fantastic toys.
Oh, absolutely! It’s more that I needed to stop spending money on the smaller lines to afford MPs than any bias. I’ve been eyeing Evasion Prime in that white, rusty deco though. I think it may just be character-related too. Prime aside, they haven’t picked my faves for the movies other than Ratchet (I didn’t like the green though). If they’d use Tracks, Hot Spot & Defensor, Hot Rod, Springer, Magnus, Seaspray, Getaway, etc., I wouldn’t hesitate. I’ve been eyeing Hound a little too.
Which ones do you recommend?
Aaaah, makes sense. 🙂 Yeah they’ve managed to dance around most of my favorite G1 characters although I do have a particularly strong affinity for movieverse Barricade.
Anyhow, on a purely awesome toy level–the entire Human Alliance line-up (yes even the twins), the leader class Brawl, Starscream, and Ironhide.
Deluxe-wise: Lockdown (ROTF) is fantastic (especially if you give him Axor’s engine). Dropkick (first flick), Thrust (ROTF), Dead End (ROTF), Brawl (ROTF) are all really fun designs with pretty decent articulation. Terradive and Hailstorm are great designs with equally great articulation.
Voyager-wise: Bludgeon. Mindwipe, and Powerdive are both crazy fun. Seaspray too although he’s G1 enough looking that you may already have him.
Scout-wise: Almost all of the scouts are really pleasant surprises but Brimstone and Hubcap are both fantastic designs, especially Brimstone.
Wow that was long. Sorry. :-p
Congratulations on getting this figure, it’s one of my favorites. As usual, your reviews almost cover my thoughts exactly, only with more whimsy. My only criticisms on him other than the ankles and “splat” cape are the death fumes he comes with and the permanently wide stance that is sometimes hard to work round. Otherwise, he’s become my interchangeable current favorite along with Mattel’s Unlimited. However, once Figuarts’ Injustice Bats is released, no promises…
If you’re wondering what AOE Transformers are worthwhile, voyager Bulkhea-er… I mean Hound is pretty awesome.
Looks ok.
to me, the top two scallops/fingers (one each side) on the cape could be trimmed and the rest a bit longer, imo. I don’t minf the “kitten ears” as you call them, as they do seem to fit this style.
I remember Capullo wayyyyyy back on X-Force v1. I had seen his work on something else prior, and was glad he seemed a good fit for that book.
Nice shot of the BatCorps. but no Sinestro Bats? LOL
There’s something about the DCC/DCD toy aesthetic that’s not agreeable with me for some reason. No matter the toy line. The only toy from that company that I like is the Justice Toyman. Maybe it will change with the animated Batmam figures, but I have my doubts…
I don’t know; I guess I’m just a 4H DC fan.