Apologies,
Needless Things readers – I had said that the reviews of the
Deadman and Batman Icons figures would be up last week. I got struck
down by a horrendous Virus From Outer Space that resulted in my not
giving much of an eff about anything. So now I’m catching up.
I
can hear you now – “Oh, great.
Another Batman action figure. Let me guess – it has a cape and
fists?”
Let
me assure you that for several reasons this Batman figure is unlike
any other you might own. Probably.
I
bought it because I collect different Batman figures just because
they’re Batman and also because this is a new toy line and I
couldn’t help myself.
FIRST
GLANCE
The
last time I remember liking a Batman figure this much at first sight
was when I saw Mattel’s first DC Superheroes Batman – the one
with the good paint job. When I picture Batman in my head, these are
the types of Batmans I see.
PACKAGING
This
line is utilizing the window box packaging that DCC started using a
couple of years ago. I like it mostly because the figure can be
identified from any angle.
This
is one of the most unique and distinctive Batman head sculpts I’ve
seen. To a certain extent, all Batman heads look the same. They tend
to be long and narrow and severe. This one manages to not only look
like an actual person’s head, but the cowl is designed in such a
way as to suggest support or even a helmet underneath. Most Batman
figures have been designed just to look a certain way, but many
aspects of this one make the costume seem slightly more functional
and I appreciate the thought that went into that. The shapes of the
eyes on this one are also more interesting on this figure. They look
less like slits and more like people eyes – not just the shape but
the placement and depth. Now that I think about it, this cowl reminds
me a lot of Captain America’s helmet/cowl, and that’s cool.
The
ears are shorter – which I have come to prefer over the last decade
or so. They’re also sharp, so be careful when moving the head
because like Tito’s old lady, they will stab you. There are black
eyebrows painted on the mask. They look a bit odd in pictures, but
are great when you take in the figure as a whole. The paint is
immaculate – Bruce’s nose is even painted up under the mask. Not
even a super zoom-in reveals any flaws here, and that’s unusual.
Photography
did reveal a couple of weird brown spots on the torso. I couldn’t –
and still don’t – notice them when just looking at the figure.
They almost look like spots of mold (but aren’t – I hope). I
haven’t tried cleaning them off yet. Otherwise the paint on the
rest of the figure is clean and nigh unto perfect. I really dig the
dark blue and dark grey they used and the yellow of the utility belt
looks fantastic. The Bat Symbol is positioned perfectly and the edges
are unbelievably clean.
The
body sculpt is muscular and chiseled without seeming too lean. The
joints are worked into the sculpt beautifully. Even the lower
abdominal pivot that I had feared would be an eyesore blends in
nicely. The costume doesn’t have a bunch of seams or armor plates
sculpted into it. While I like those things sometimes, it is nice to
see an old-school suit where the joints look good without needing
camouflage.
The
cape is a light and pliable material that works about as well as
could be expected with the figure’s movement without being fabric.
It’s sculpted in a relatively neutral pose, but isn’t hanging
straight down, which tends to look awkward. It is sculpted all the
way up under the cowl to avoid an unsightly line under the neck.
The
Bat boots are glossy blue and look amazing. There is a swivel joint
at the top where they meet the leg, so they have a lot more
definition than we’re used to seeing. There are some sculpted
creases and the soles are defined. In person they look great, but
I’ll admit that in the photos they look like they could use some
paint. Thinking about it, though, I think that would mess up the look
of the figure. Proportionally this is a more realistic Dark Knight,
but visually it isn’t meant to be “gritty”. I like the minimal
but effective color scheme.
The
gloves have the same glossy look as the boots. The scalloped ridges
aren’t just angled – they have very specific shapes to them. The
sculpt at the edges of the gloves is so defined you’d think there
were swivel joints there, but there aren’t. The wrist swivels cover
that.
The
utility belt is awesome. I prefer the big buckle and pouches to the
capsules, and these pouches have a depth and size that seems
practical. Batman’s trunks are a bit longer than I’m used to
seeing. It’s a little weird at first, but in a way it gives them a
different functionality and separates the Caped Crusader from
Superman, whose figure in this line has the more traditionally shaped
briefs.
Side
Note: No – I do not know what, exactly, that functionality might
be. Maybe providing extra warmth for Mr. Wayne’s loins on those
cold Gotham nights.
Batman
comes with a pair of extra hands, two Batarangs, and a line launcher.
The
extra hands are posed for gripping and switch out easily. I was
nervous for the first few swaps given the tiny pegs, but they held up
just fine and switching became easier the more I did it.
The
Batarangs are very simple. They don’t have any sculpted detail. But
the shape and edges look great and they fit perfectly into the
gripping hands.
The
line launcher circumvents any sort of support issues or problems the
figure might have holding it by having a hand sculpted right onto it.
There is a string – a nice one – that runs through the device and
has a ball at one end and a grappling hook at the other. The device
and attached hand slide along the string nicely.
It’s fun, but the string could have been longer. And with the way the ends are attached, there’s no switching out for a different one.
It’s fun, but the string could have been longer. And with the way the ends are attached, there’s no switching out for a different one.
I
like that DCC chose something other than the standard grapnel gun.
Not only is it a refreshing change of accessory, it creates a play
element that I didn’t expect from this line.
If
not for Mezco’s
One:12 Collective Batman,
this one would have blown my mind. As is, this guy is still
incredibly impressive given the price point. I mean, we’re looking
at twenty-five-ish bucks versus sixty-five (not that you can find one
for that anymore). Here’s the articulation rundown since this is a
new line:
Neck
– ball joint
Shoulders
– ball joint
Biceps
– swivels
Elbows
– double pivot
Wrists
– swivel/pivot
Upper
abdomen – sliding swivel
Lower
abdomen – pivot
Hips
– ball joint
Knees
– double pivot
Boot
tops - swivel
Ankles
– swivel/pivot
From
my review of the Icons Deadman:
Frist
of all, let me address any concerns about the strength of these
joints. DCC has had some issues of late with lousy joints that are
stuck and/or break. Deadman does not have these issues. Not only are
all of the points of articulation on this figure sturdy, I didn’t
have to do anything special to loosen them up. I was still very
careful while initially bending them, but they all work fine. I
didn’t even experience my usual nervousness while moving them
around.
Batman’s
head moves around a bit more than Deadman’s, but still not as much
as I’d like. As I said in the other review, I hope that Superman or
any other flying characters have a hinge on the neck peg.
Batman’s
shoulders are better. This figure’s arms can hang naturally by its
sides and achieve just about any Bat-pose you might want to see.
The
hip articulation is pretty basic, but works better than I thought it
would from the first glance. You won’t be getting any deep squats
out of these figures, but that seems to be the biggest limitation of
any action figure line in this scale.
The
abdominal joints work very well together and allow for a good range
of poses.
With
all of the articulation and accessories, this figure is a ton of fun
and will likely be hanging out on my desk for a while. And I can’t
even tell you how relieved I am at the figure being so sturdy.
This
is an excellent Batman action figure. As far as I’m concerned it’s
a must-have. I would love to see a Jim Aparo version in this style
(or in DCC’s Designer line, even).
As
I sat and reviewed this figure I was blown away by how clean and
precise everything is and by how much error and sloppiness I have
accepted from other action figure lines over the years. The Icons
line isn’t cheap, but it damn sure is worth it. It’s going to be
very hard for me to resist buying any character I have even a passing
fondness for.
5
out of 5
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