Wednesday, June 21, 2023

Action Figure Review: Batman (The Flash) from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 


   My wife saw The Flash on Thursday evening and, like most people who went to the film, we saw it because of the return of Michael Keaton as Batman. I'm not going to get into long review here or anything and I'm going to try to avoid spoiling anything, but on the old The Epic Review rating scale I'd give the film somewhere between a Good and a Good and a 1/2. Supergirl was pretty cool, Affleck's brief appearances as Batman and Bruce Wayne were pretty solid, but Keaton dominated. Keaton was in the film far more than I expected which really improved the overall experience for me. Last week we watched Batman and Batman Returns with our daughter and while she didn't want to see go with us to see The Flash, she did really enjoy those two films. I didn't see Batman until it was on TV but I do remember my dad taking me to see Batman Returns on opening weekend, which was insane. That would have been 31 years ago as of earlier this week, so I was 8 at the time. Kenner's action figures were a staple at the time and I remember having quite a few of them. While the movie is titled The Flash, McFarlane Toys is certainly focusing on the Batman side of things for the figures and currently the most popular items all have to do with Michael Keaton's Batman. Today I'm checking out the standard Keaton Batman from The Flash who took me some time to track down. The unmasked Gold Label variant actually seems easier to find, but the unmasked head looks more like the late Ray Liotta than Michael Keaton. This guy really got me pumped and I'm glad to have him. He's by no means a perfect figure, but he's still pretty fun to have. Let's take a closer look at Batman after the break...





The Facts:

Height: 7 1/8ths inches

Articulation: Hinged toes, double swivel hinged ankles, double hinged knees, swivel thighs, swivel/hinge hips, balljointed waist, balljointed mid torso, swivel/hinge shoulders w/ ballsockets, bicep swivels, double hinged elbows, double swivel/ hinge wrists, and a ball jointed neck.
 
Accessories: 4 Swappable hands, batarang, grappling gun, collector card, and display stand.
 
Non-Scalper Price: $20 dollars






The Positives:



* Did you absolutely adore your Crime Attack Batman from Kenner's The Dark Knight Collection as a kid? If so, you'll probably get go nuts over this guy as well. It's a simple evolution of the classic Keaton batsuit from the Tim Burton films, just larger and with a bit more detail. Oh, and with a black belt instead of gold. The sculpt is pretty good overall and the black plastic is nice and shiny. Nothing too fancy here, but it works. 



* The classic batsymbol is on the chest and it's attached to the mantle of the cape as a separate piece over the torso. It looks good and nicely captures the appearance and build of the suit from the film. 



* The armored gauntlets with spikes on Batman's forearms look pretty serious and capable of taking some hits and doling out some serious damage if needed. The spikes are nice and straight, too, which is still always a pleasant surprise.



* Unlike pretty much every other figure with a cape released in the DC Multiverse line, both the Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck Batman figures come with cloth capes. This was clearly done so they could ride in the Batmobile or Batwing and it's not a bad feature. I do think the standard soft vinyl capes look better and more dynamic in this line but the soft cape is fun and works well for the figure. It's made from a pretty decent feeling material, too, so that's a plus. You'll have to hold it in position yourself for dramatic poses, though. 



* How the articulation? Pretty much what you'd expect from a DC Multiverse figure: Solid and durable construction, plentiful joints, and a decent range of motion. This guy is really just fun to mess around with and put in dramatic poses. He's probably the most well articulated Keaton Batman ever released, too, so that's a plus.




* Two sets of hands are included with the figure: A left handed trigger grip for the grappling gun, a right hand standard grip for the batarang, and a pair of fists for making criminals pay. They swap on and off easily. 




* Batman doesn't come with too many wonderful toys, but he does have his classic grappling gun. It's silver and has a decent sculpt. It's pretty small, but that's correct for this version of the gadget. 



* He's also toting a silver batarang. It reminds me a lot of the old bataranng from the Toy Biz figure that came out before Kenner got the DC license. 

* Batman comes with a collectible card with an artist's rendition of Keaton's Batman on it and some details about the character on the back.

* I'm always glad that McFarlane includes a stand with each of their releases these days. It's just a simple disc stand with the DC logo on it but it works well and keeps the figure standing upright in most poses.

* Let's talk about the portrait. On one hand, it's very recognizable as the Batman from this film and the Burton films. The eyes are right, the cowl is right, and it just has the feel.

The Negatives:

* On the other hand, it doesn't look much like Keaton to me. It's not a bad headsculpt, but it just doesn't strike me as Michael Keaton in The Flash. It's more like a really good Batman cosplayer. McFarlane is usually very hit or miss on likenesses, but this one is very firmly in the middle. 

   I really like this figure. The design, the articulation, the gadgets; he just works for me as an excellent Keaton Batman. Well, all except the portrait. Not a bad portrait, just off a bit. Still a good version of Batman in this suit, just not specifically Keaton. Still, what you get here is pretty impressive, especially considering the guy retails for around $20 bucks. He's a Great and a 1/2 figure and well worth scooping up, though if you're only interested in a classic Keaton Batman you could certainly wait; it sounds like a Gold Label exclusive, possibly with a Batmobile, and a 6-pack of movie Batmen, is coming before the end of the year. Personally, I'd love some classic Kenner styled repaints of this guy. I want Iron Winch Batman, Jungle Tracker Batman, and Deep Dive Batman!




   I've reviewed so many action figures of Batman/ Bruce Wayne that he has his own archive. Check out the Dark Knight Gallery for all of my Batman reviews.


For more DC Multiverse reviews check out the following:
Harley Quinn (The Suicide Squad)
Impulse (Flash War)
The Joker (Infinite Frontier)
Kalibak (The Darkseid War)
Man-Bat (DC Rebirth)
Mister Freeze (Victor Fries)
Nekron (Blackest Night)
Nightwing (Titans)
Raven (Titans)
The Riddler (Arkham City)
Scarecrow (The Dark Knight Trilogy)
The Signal Duke Thomas
Two-Face (The Dark Knight Trilogy)







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1 comment:

  1. Barbecue17June 24, 2023 at 10:58 AM

    Yes, it keeps popping up in various places that we'll soon get a 6-pack of movie Batman, presumably Keaton, Kilmer, Clooney, Bale, Affleck, and Pattinson. Yesterday McFarlane officially announced the 2-pack of a Burton era Keaton and Batmobile, which will probably reworked versions of the Flash releases. Clooney is coming because the Mr. Freeze build a figure series has been found in computers, and we've already got Bale and Pattinson.

    Swappable unmasked portraits would be nice, and hopefully some unique elements from the single releases. I want a BvS Affleck as that's my favorite movie Batsuit of all time thus far.

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