Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Unite the League: Batman (Wal-Mart Exclusive) from DC Comics Multiverse: Justice League by Mattel

   Guess what I'm reviewing today? If your answer was "Another Batman action figure!" then you are correct! Today I'm reviewing the Justice League Batman figure that is part of a Wal-Mart exclusive two figure series (the other figure is a powered up version of Cyborg). I found these at my local Wal-Mart a week or two ago which surprised me as I typically have terrible luck in finding exclusives. I walked right in, however, and found Batman and Cyborg just sitting on the shelves. While the standard six figures in the Multiverse: Justice League series include pieces for the "Collect & Connect" figure Steppenwolf, Batman and Cyborg each includes the halves of three separate Mother Boxes. That's an interesting idea for a build-a-figure item, isn't it? Let's check out this Batman figure after the break and see how he stacks up...



 The Facts:

Height: 6 5/8ths

Articulation: Hinged ankles, hinged knees, swivel thighs, H-hinged hips, swivel waist, mid-torso hinge, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel wrists, and a ball jointed head.

Accessories: Three Collect & Connect Mother Box halves.

Non-Scalper Price: $20 dollars
 Comparison:

* While the Tactical Suit Batman from the standard Justice League series is easily distinguishable from this one, I do think it's worth nothing that this figure is pretty different from the BvS and Suicide Squad releases. While the belt, legs, and boots are the same molds, everything above the waist is entirely new on this release.
 The Positives:

* I love the BvS Batsuit and I'm really liking this one, too. It's a bit darker in color (closer to black, but not quite there yet) with slightly longer ears on the cowl and a differently shaped Bat-logo. The overall color is pretty nice looking and the design seems to be a bit more armored. It seems to a blend of the comic styled suit and the Nolan-verse suits, perhaps with just a bit of the New 52 suit thrown in.

* This is a much better headsculpt than one included with the BvS and Suicide Squad figures. It honestly looks much better in hand than in pictures. I honestly think the shading on the exposed mouth looks better. It almost appears that there is some stubble present. The eyes are greatly improved, too.

* The Bat-logo and the armored elements on the stomach look great. The textures on the suit are pretty strong, too. Mattel has definitely been doing really well on their texturing on their movie based figures.

* You know I always have to point out the status of the spikes on Batman's gauntlets and I;m happy to report that these gauntlets are A-OK. They look pretty useful and aren't warped in the least. They also have a cool paintjob to highlight them a bit more against the charcoal color of the suit.

* I really do like soft goods capes. The material has a pleathery feel on the outside (with a softer feel on the inside). We're not talking Mezco One:12 Collective quality by any stretch of the imagination, but this is still quite a bit cooler than your standard solid plastic cape.
 * I have no idea how Mother Boxes will figure into the plot of Justice League but these look pretty cool. Batman and Cyborg each come with one half of each of the three Mother Boxes. From left to right is the Human Mother Box, the Themysciran Mother Box, and the Atlantean Mother Box. I'm actually going to review these on their own in a few days since they are technically Collect & Connect/ Build a Figures.
 The Negatives:

* I gotta admit: Mattel's articulation scheme on these figures has finally worn on me. Maybe it's just because it seems so boring or maybe it's because I see Hasbro doing so much better with their Star Wars: The Black Series and Marvel Legends in the same scale and price range, but the articulation on these seem rather crummy. I still think the standard DCUC would be preferable.


* The range of motion on these elbows is unacceptable! Batman can hardly move those arms!


* Batman should never, ever come empty handed. How hard would it have been to throw in a batarang or a grapnel gun?


* I like the soft goods cape but the pleathery texture on the outside of it seems to be prone to rolling up. I have no idea how to get this to unroll. Anyone have an idea?
 I like the look of the figure and the Mother Boxes are a cool idea, but overall I'm finding it kind of tough to get too jazzed by this figure. The articulation scheme is really starting to feel outdated and the lack of accessories is pretty ridiculous considering Batman is known for all of his awesome gadgets. This is a pretty Eh and a 1/2 figure. If you're a completest on this line, a compulsive Batman/ DC Collector, or desperately in need of the Mother Boxes, you'll find something to like here. Otherwise, this version of Batman is an easy pass.

I've reviewed so many Batman action figures that the man has his own review index!

If you're looking for more DC Comics Multiverse figures, check out the following:

DC Comics Multiverse (6 inches) by Mattel (2016)

Batgirl (The Batgirl of Burnside)
Batman (Batman: Zero Year)
Damian Wayne Robin (Robin War) 
Earth 23 Superman
Jim Gordon Batman (Batman: Superheavy)
The Joker (Batman: Endgame)
Justice Buster

Arrow
The Arrow

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Armored Batman (The Dark Knight Returns)
Batman
Batman & Superman (The Dark Knight Returns)
The Flash & The Atom (Batman: The Dark Knight Returns)
The Joker (The Dark Knight Returns) 
Mutant Leader (The Dark Knight Returns)
Robin (The Dark Knight Returns) 
Son of Batman

Batman v. Superman
Aquaman
Armored Batman
Bat Creature
Batman
Batman's Grapnel Blaster (Collect & Connect accessory) 
Batman Unmasked
Knightmare Batman
Lex Luthor
Superman 
Wonder Woman

The Flash
Reverse Flash (The Flash TV Series)

Justice League
Aquaman
Batman
Cyborg
The Flash
Steppenwolf (Collect & Connect Figure)
Superman
Wonder Woman 

Suicide Squad
Batman
Boomerang
Croc (Build-a-Figure)
Deadshot
Diablo 
Harley Quinn (6 inch) 
Harley Quinn (12 inch)
Harley Quinn (Gold Dress)
Harley Quinn (Toys R Us Exclusive)
The Joker 
The Joker (Toys R Us Exclusive)
Katana
Rick Flag 

Superfriends
Batman 

Wonder Woman
Ares
Diana of Themyscira
Menalippe
Queen Hippolyta
Steve Trevor 
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman (Toys 'R Us exclusive)
  

2 comments:

  1. Wow man, Mattel REALLY has to take a long, hard look at current collector-grade toys and STEP. IT. UP. Even if I was geeked about this look, I wouldn't even give it a second glance, thanks to those elbows. They didn't used to be this bad! What the heck happened? So many of these figures are awkwardly articulated and sculpted. Even the acceptable ones suffer from something, articulation wise. It's crazy that I see these figures and wonder what Hasbro would have done with them. It's even more crazy that their kid's line actually interests me more than these. I hope they can figure this out again, sometime.

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    Replies
    1. I would love for Hasbro to get the DC license. If they treated it half as well as they treat Marvel Legends it would be incredible.

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