By
Phantom Troublemaker
I thought that Suicide
Squad was overall a fun, exciting movie with a few flaws. I’m pretty sure I
liked it a lot more than most people. I’ve watched it four times now and still
dig it and find that the flaws are fading into the background thanks to the
frenetic action and big characters.
I think that many folks do agree with me that Margot
Robbie’s performance as Harley Quinn was one of the best things about Suicide Squad. Some may argue that her
portrayal wasn’t true to whatever their idea of Harley is, but for me she is a
character that can be interpreted just as widely as her fellow Gothamites
Batman and Joker. She can range from cuddly and adorable to terrifying and
homicidal. And I feel like Robbie brushed up against both ends of that spectrum
nicely.
As soon as the first cast pictures were released people
were gnashing their teeth about the costume. I’ve spoken plenty about Harley’s
look (and Joker’s) and will just sum my thoughts up by saying that as a fan of
Conner and Palmiotti’s Harley, this works for me. While I’d still love to see
the 5150 Roller Derby look on film, this is pretty darn close and looks great
on film.
This costume was inspired by a picture of Debbie Harry,
giving it some cool roots. I am a big fan of all of the elements that were
thrown together. The colors are coordinated fairly well, but other than that
Harley looks like a crazy person. With style.
I had already preordered this SH Figuarts Harley as part
of my plan to review the exact same version of a character from several
different companies – Bandai, Medicom, and Mezco so far. I’m not bothering with
Mattel because theirs looks terrible and I’m passing on Hot Toys for obvious
reasons. Unless they want to send me a free one.
After reviewing an SH
Figuarts Batman, I was even more excited about this Harley arriving
from Amazon. Is it worth the hype and, more importantly, the money? Read on…
FIRST
GLANCE
If you aren’t impressed by your first look at this figure
I don’t know what to tell you. The production pics were impressive, but in
person this release is stunning. It’s hard for me to justify fifty-plus bucks
for a twelfth scale figure, but the reason for the premium price is immediately
apparent. The sculpt, paint, and accessories are so superior to American mass
market releases that it looks like an entirely different class of product. And
it is.
PACKAGING
This colorful, eye-catching window box is made out of the
thinnest, cheapest cardboard I have ever felt. This is the kind of stuff that’s
usually used as inserts in packaging. But I don’t care. All it had to do was
keep the figure and all of the parts together until I opened it, and it did
that.
It is visually
appealing. The bright colors and cut-out window look nice. I would have
preferred a picture of Margot Robbie over a picture of the toy, but whatever.
The back features a bunch of stuff I can’t read and various
other pictures of the figure, which is packed securely in two plastic trays. I
greatly prefer this method over twist ties or tape.
LOOKS
Harley’s default head has a great crazy face. The
likeness is uncanny and is enhanced by a spectacular paint job. Even if Mattel could manage a sculpt this good, they’d
ruin it with garbage paint apps. To be fair, Mattel’s figure costs just over a
third what this one does.
The paint apps on the head are above reproach. From the
lipstick and beautifully faded eye shadow to the tattoo to the bright, glossy
eyes, it’s all clean and precise.
There are several different earrings sculpted onto each
ear. They all have a coat of metallic gold paint. Harley’s hair is sculpted
with just enough detail and also has tremendous paint apps. The metallic bands
around either ponytail are spot-on and the faded color at the ends looks great.
My figure has a strand that got bent out of place in the package, but a hairdryer
will fix that easily enough. It’s soft plastic.
Harley’s “PUDDIN” choker is gold plastic and sort of
sticks out as the one unpainted piece on the figure. The all-gold coloration is
accurate, it just seems odd to have that one unadorned piece. Also I wish it
was vac metal. But then it would be prone to breakage, as it’s concealing a
joint and needs to be fairly mobile and just a bit flexible.
The jacket is a separate piece. Things like this can be
annoying, but this part was executed perfectly. It’s loose on the figure but
has snug enough shoulder openings that it doesn’t look bad. It can be moved for
different poses and adds another layer of dynamism to the figure. The sculpt
itself is wonderful. The folds, zipper, and trim all look great. The paint job
is clean as can be, with perfectly placed gold trim and lettering. Harley’s
shoulder holster is cleverly done, as the straps are sculpted onto the torso,
but the holster itself is attached to the jacket. Visually it is all one piece,
but functionally it doesn’t bulk the figure out and allows for more movement.
Harley’s arms are the jacket sleeves, which match the
jacket piece perfectly. There are multiple bracelets on each wrist and a glove on
the left hand. The right hand features a detailed ring and nails.
Under the jacket Harley’s shirt has the appropriate
amount of wear and tear. The frayed neck and torn holes look very natural. The
paint, as with the rest of the figure, is spot-on. I do think that Harley is
missing some tattoos, though. There should be some ink on her exposed torso.
Considering how perfect everything else is on this figure, it’s quite odd that
those were left off. It doesn’t really bother me, but I also feel that a figure
at a premium price should be perfect.
The shorts are a separate piece that can move around as
the figure is posed. The sculpt and paint are fantastic and the studded belt
and buckle are packed with fine detail. There’s fishnet sculpted onto the
figure’s legs with tattoos painted “underneath”. I’ve seen some variance as to
whether the character’s fishnet is dark or flesh-toned like the lady wrestlers
wear, but it looks better in person than in these pictures. I think the Mafex
and One:12 figures each have different takes on this feature. Also, the
difference in color between the legs and the rest of the skin isn’t nearly
noticeable in person, though there is a difference because there is supposed to
be.
Harley’s shoes are pretty wacky. The figure accurately
represents the footwear from the movie and cleverly incorporates the open
ankles into the articulation. The sculpt and paint are both well-executed.
ACCESSORIES
Harley comes with two alternate
heads, five extra hands, a pistol, and a bat.
Much to my surprise, the
heads are easy to swap out. I was concerned about the integrity of the peg, but
it’s pretty darn sturdy. I’m not saying you shouldn’t be careful, but it’s
solid plastic. Both heads – one with a wicked smirk and the other with a more
neutral expression – look as excellent as the default.
I was concerned about the
head peg, but I was super nervous about the hand mounts. They are tiny and they’re on pivots. But they are
equally sturdy. It’s a little harder to get the hands on than the heads, but it
helps to know that they plug in towards the thumbs rather than just in the
center like most figures. Getting that angle helps a lot.
There are two left hands –
one splayed and one posed for the bat. The right hands have both of those poses
and a pistol grip pose. They all look great and match up to the figure’s colors
perfectly.
The bat has really clean
paint apps, but I think I would’ve liked some wear. It’s just a little too
clean. The handle pops off so that it can slide into the bat-gripping hands. I
prefer this to softer plastic hands that you have to force weapons into, as it
provides a more secure fit and doesn’t hurt the integrity of the plastic.
The pistol has a ton of sculpted
detail and a painted grip. It looks great and fits perfectly into the
appropriate hand.
FUN
This figure is articulated out the wazoo (somewhat
literally – more on that in a bit) and has some truly ingenious joints.
The head is mounted on a two-sided peg, which is mounted
in the neck, which has a joint at the bottom. Oh, but don’t let me forget that
the ponytails are both articulated not only to swivel, but with a degree of
movement in every direction, somewhat like a ball joint. So the head can be
posed in many ways and the ponytails can actually be moved to look correct and
enhance the poses.
The shoulder joints are super complex, but easy to
manipulate. There are several gimmicks under the jacket so that the arms can be
posed pretty much any way you want. They actually swing down and out for
posing, but can easily be slotted back into place for a more neutral stance.
The elbows sport a deceptively deep bend without looking double-jointed. The wrists swivel and pivot and the hands
swivel on the peg mount.
Harley’s torso has two ball joints – one at the upper
torso and one about halfway down and under the shirt. These combine to create a
fantastic range of motion, though not quite as much swivel as I thought there
should be. Still, you can achieve pretty much any pose you might want with this
combination.
Which brings me to the wazoo. This figure has what are
essentially articulated buttocks:
They don’t move independently of the legs, but the
combination of some excellent ball joints and the mobile shorts create the illusion
of a poseable butt.
It’s extremely clever and slightly pervy. But it was a brilliant way to keep the figure’s profile aesthetically pleasing. Most figures have very ugly crotch/hip areas, and thanks to the brevity of Ms. Robbie’s wardrobe and some genius toy engineer, this one avoids that.
It’s extremely clever and slightly pervy. But it was a brilliant way to keep the figure’s profile aesthetically pleasing. Most figures have very ugly crotch/hip areas, and thanks to the brevity of Ms. Robbie’s wardrobe and some genius toy engineer, this one avoids that.
The knees aren’t double-jointed, but bend just deeply
enough to be satisfying. There are swivels at the tops and bottoms, but they aren’t
super useful. I think they’re more a side-effect of the construction method
than actual features. The range of motion in the hips makes up for the slight
limitations in the knees.
The ankles take some work to get full use of, but they
are good. They swivel and pivot and it’s just a little tricky to get them
positioned so that you can tell where the hinge is.
The bottom line is that this figure can achieve just about any pose an actual human could. Sometimes it took some playing around, but I managed at least a close approximation of every pose I attempted.
Between the poseability and the plethora of accessories,
this is a super fun figure that’s going to stay on my desk for a while. Right
beside Ash. Who I still haven’t reviewed.
OVERALL
I am blown away by this figure’s combination of poseability
and aesthetics. I didn’t see how it could achieve the highest levels of both,
but it did. Like Mezco’s One:12 Collective, this Figuarts entry makes me feel
like I got my money’s worth, despite the high price tag (around fifty bucks American).
I’m not saying that this high-dollar figure is for
everyone, but if you’re looking for something new and are willing to spend a
little extra, try one of Bandai’s SH Figuarts action figures. So far I’ve been
thrilled with them.
5
out of 5
I got mine from Amazon – you should too, and help support Needless Things when you do!:
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