Thursday, October 5, 2023

Action Figure Review: Bane (Trench Coat) (The Dark Knight Rises) from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 

   For SDCC 2023 McFarlane Toys had a few exclusive DC Multiverse figures, three of which were variants of figures from their excellent Dark Knight Trilogy line released this spring. There were two Joker variants and one Bane variant, this time putting Bane in his incredibly cool trench coat from The Dark Knight Rises. The figures were initially only available at the convention and began to get a bit pricey fairly quickly, particularly the bank robber version of the Joker, so when I saw them pop up in a bundle on the McFarlane Toys Store I jumped on it. The bank robber Joker seemed to be selling for about $70 himself, so this didn't seem like too bad of a deal. There aren't any particularly amazing figures in this series, to be honest, but I picked these up I love the Dark Knight Trilogy so much and I really wanted two of the three variants (the Sonar Vision Joker is pretty goofy). Bane (Trench Coat) is really just the build-a-figure from the Dark Knight Trilogy series with a new soft goods coat. That's it. Let's take a look at Bane in his glorious trench coat after the break and see if he's worth springing for or if the allure of an SDCC exclusive and a fancy coat are clouding are judgment. After all, “Theatricality and deception are powerful agents to the uninitiated.”



The Facts:

Height: 7 1/2 inches

Articulation: Hinged toes, swivel hinged ankles, double hinged knees, 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: Coat
 
Non-Scalper Price: $30


Comparison:

* This Bane (without his trench coat on) is on the left while the build-a-figure Bane is on the right. What's the difference? Not much. The vests are ever so slightly different in color and the build-a-figure Bane looks a bit taller due to his joints not being as tightly assembled as the single packed version. Otherwise, they're pretty similar.

The Positives:


* Without his coat, Bane is the same figure as the last release. I do wish McFarlane had given him the long sleeves he wears with the coat. Despite wearing a pretty simple outfit, Bane still looks really cool. I'm a fan of the character and Tom Hardy's unusual portrayal of him and this figure captures Bane's presence well; it's solid and powerful. Bane's tactical vest is a separate piece fitted over the body and it has a few different paint applications to add depth and nuance to the vest. Bane looks built. Not inhumanly jacked like his comic or video game versions or anything, but just like a rather strong, fit human. 




* Like on the original figure, this headsculpt is pretty nice and is definitely recognizable as Tom Hardy as Bane. There's a lot of detail on the mask, the part of the sculpt that stands out the most, but what is visible of Bane's face also looks pretty accurate. 









* Bane's charcoal colored military style pants have a nice bit of detailing on them than with pouches, zippers, and some kneepads. The boots are nice and shiny because Bane cares about keeping up his appearance.  





* Overall, I think Bane's coat is pretty nice. The material is definitely of a very nice quality and doesn't feel cheap and the fit isn't terrible. It's not the quality you'd find on a Mezco One:12 Collective figure or anything, but it's not bad by any means. 




* Here's a look at the back of the coat. It has a good texture to it. Different than the movie coat, sure, but it still looks good. Nice stitching, too. 













* With or without the coat, the articulation is excellent, allowing you to really allow Bane to square off against the Dark Knight in a no holds barred free for all. He has all of the joints you'd expect from a DC Multiverse figure with a great range of motion in his waist/ torso, arms, and head. 

 The Negatives:


* Despite the straps being painted on the front of Bane's vest, they're unpainted on the back. Also, I really wish he had the undershirt he wears here, even if it was just painted on the torso with only new arms. 



* The collar is definitely the most oversized part and it does look off, failing to capture the cool collar of Bane's jacket. The collar definitely brings the coat down a bit and brings the figure down overall.

   So... I like Bane and his coat just fine, but the collar and the missing details like the unpainted rear of his vest or the missing shirt he should have here do kill my enthusiasm. It's really just the same basic figure with a new coat. Couldn't McFarlane have figured out anything more exciting to do here? He feels kind of thrown together, even lacking a collectible card, display stand, and the extra hands the build-a-figure came with, plus he was about $8-$10 dollars more than your average DC Multiverse figure. I'm giving Bane an Eh and a 1/2. For a convention offering I really would have liked to have seen something more special. 



I've reviewed a few other Bane figures including the DC Multiverse Megafig Bane and the build-a-figure Bane (Dark Knight Trilogy), the Arkham Origins Bane from DC Collectibles, Lethal Impact Bane from Kenner's Legends of the Dark Knight line, and the Nano Metalfigs DC59 Bane and DC 105 Bane.


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3 comments:

  1. AnonymousOctober 6, 2023 at 3:41 AM

    He was more expensive for you than a regular figure? Over here, he's cheaper! Like the regs cost about £22 to £25 and Bane here was £18 and I got him from a regular comic shop too. Means I bought him and Batman and don't need to do the whole BAF nonsense. I still have a NECA Ledger from years ago so didn't need that figure. I'm more bothered why these skimp on the accessories. NECA Joker has lots. McFarlane Joker has the money pile and that's it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbecue17October 6, 2023 at 11:38 AM

      Here in the states he's only available directly from McFarlan Toy Store online or if you were at SDCC and bought him in person.

      That NECA Joker is nice but he was released 8 years ago and at the time retailed at $25, so they same price McFarlane's build a figure releases cost now. Based on NECA's current pricing, he'd be around $35-$39 today. Also, since Warner Bros. no longer allows DC products to come with firearms, that cuts out most of his accessories (though you can find his weapons in the McFarlane branded accessory packs). Joker really needed some knives, though.

      This Bane absolutely should have come with the extra hands.

      Delete
  2. Barbecue17October 6, 2023 at 11:33 AM

    Yup! This one was such a simple redo that I absolutely thought of that referenc.

    ReplyDelete

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