Action Figure Review: Scarecrow (The Dark Knight Trilogy) from DC Multiverse by McFarlane Toys

 

   A month or two ago my wife and I finally had the chance to show our daughter (shout out to Umbreon 13!) Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. We haven't watched The Dark Knight Rises yet, but she really enjoyed the first two films in the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight Trilogy. Who didn't, right? Yeah, I'm sure there are some folks out there who don't like the movies but, overwhelmingly, the Nolan trilogy, particularly The Dark Knight, has become one of the most revered film franchises of the 2000s thus far. While high end companies like MAFEX and Hot Toys have continued to put out product based on the films, it's been awhile since action figures from those films have been available at regular retail. That's probably part of the reason for the excitement over the release of this series of figures in DC Multiverse. Mattel's DC Movie Masters from the Dark Knight trilogy were quite popular from 2008 to 2012, but it's been at least 10 years since those were available on store shelves. Mattel did a pretty decent job with the character selection, though at the time the figures were criticized for being a bit undersized compared to the DC Universe Classics line and DC Direct's offerings, so they kind of had to exist on their own.
   It's doubtful McFarlane will ever go as deep as Mattel did when the films were new, but we do have a nice set of four figures and one build-a-figure covering Christian Bale's Batman and his main villains, with the exception of Ra's al Ghul. Catwoman is definitely noticeably absent, too, possibly due to the prevalence of Catwoman figures from The Batman still on store shelves. Today I'm starting things off with a look at Scarecrow, AKA Dr. Jonathan Crane. Rewatching the movies again recently, I'm still impressed by how intense the Scarecrow is in the films. My daughter kept stating that she actually though Cillian Murphy as Dr. Crane was creepier than the Scarecrow, which might be true. He played the part really well! Let's take a look at the DC Multiverse version of Scarecrow, based on his outfit worn during the final of the film. Get ready for a scare after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 7 1/4ths 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/ ballsocket base, swivel/hinge elbows, swivel/ hinge wrists, and a barbell jointed head..

 

Accessories: Four swappable hands, 2 arms for the Bane build-a-figure, collector card, and display stand.

 

Non-Scalper Price: $25 dollars

Comparison:

* Here's a shot of McFarlane's Scarecrow (left) next to Mattel's Move Master Scarecrow (right). McFarlane's is certainly larger and in a different scale, and it's also more detailed with more articulation. Mattel's is based more on Scarecrow' actual costume while McFarlane's includes flourishes based on how Scarecrow appears to the victim of his fear toxin. 

The Positives:

* The Scarecrow is decked out in the tatters of a straightjacket he was wearing, now torn and working like some sort of frightening gown. Underneath he's wearing a snazzy suit, of course, but that's definitely playing second fiddle to the straitjacket. It's a rather dynamic look that doesn't look like a standard "supervillain" costume and it's really nice captured here. The straitjacket is a separate piece over the body, molded in a softer, more flexible plastic. There's a fantastic sculpted texture and some really nice work on the tattered edges of the materia, especially on the sleeves. A dark paint wash further brings out the torn and tattered feel of the sculpt. 

* The Scarecrow's mask is a simple burlap mask with a noose around the neck and lots of prominent seams. The mask is really cool looking and it's actually a separate piece over a head of some sort. You can't actually see the head, and I doubt it's very detailed, but it does have eyes that are peaking out from behind the mask. 

* Maggots! When the Scarecrow sprays people with his fear toxin in Batman Begins they usually see maggots and such crawling around the mask and that's what we've got here. Maggots all over. Even some up on the sides of the head. In person, it looks really impressive and just gives the figure a really unique and creepy look.

* Here's a shot of the back of the straitjacket robe so you can see the really cool detail. I love the flowing sleeves and the straps.

* Underneath the robe is a snazzy suit. It's nice sculpted and unique to the Scarecrow as far as I can tell. It's clearly not the same suit as Two Face or the Joker, so props to McFarlane for that. I'm pretty sure almost every figure in Mattel's Movie Masters line wearing a suit used the same suited body. 

* Just in case you want some options the Scarecrow comes with an extra pair of hands, giving you four hands total. There is a gesturing right hand, a pair of pistol grips, and a right handed fist. 

* While the robe-like straightjacket does flow down to Scarecrow's feet, it really doesn't hinder his articulation much at all. Yeah, he won't be popping jumps and flips like Nightwing, but overall he's about as articulated as any other figure in the line. The elbows are swivel/hinge joints instead of double hinges with a bicep swivel, but that helps to keep the look of the billowing sleeves so they flow properly. While the robe covers most of the torso, there still seem to be balljoints for the waist and mid-torso, too. 

* As always, McFarlane Toys includes a display 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. You get a disc stand, and you get a disc stand; disc stands for everyone!

* A collectible card is also included with an image of the Scarecrow from the film on the front and a bio on the back. The bio on the back doesn't really seem at all specific to Batman Begins, though, and could easily just be a generic Scarecrow bio from almost any comic. 

* This is a Build-a-Figure Collect to Build series with Bane being the buildable figure. The Scarecrow comes with both of Bane's arms.

The Negatives:


* My only complaint is that it's kind of tough to get the Scarecrow's hands off if you want to swap hands. They're kind of recessed in the straight jacket sleeves, so it's tough to get a good grip.

   Initially I would have said the Scarecrow was probably the weakest figure in the series but after having him in hand for a month or more I find myself really liking him. There really is a lot of detail here and it's all brought out by some thoughtful paint applications. Plus, that mask is downright spooky. The Scarecrow has had a few figures in DC Multiverse so far (Arkham trilogy, Infinite Frontier, and Last Knight on Earth), so you have a decent selection to choose from. This one is really solid and looks fantastic on display with his creepy outfit and menacing vibe. 



   For more of the Scarecrow I've also reviewed Twister Strike Scarecrow from Kenner's Legends of the Dark Knight toyline, the Funko DC Primal Age Scarecrow, the Arkham Asylum Breakout Lego set which included Scarecrow, the Arkham Knight Scarecrow, the DC Nano Metalfigs Scarecrow (DC96), and the HeroClix Yellow Lantern Scarecrow.

For more DC Multiverse reviews check out the following:

Bane
Batman (DC vs Vampires)
Batman (Hush)
Batman Duke Thomas (Tales from the Dark Multiverse)
Batwoman Unmasked (Batman Beyond)
Deadman (DC Rebirth)
Earth-2 Batman (Batman: Arkham Knight)
The Flash Jay Garrick (Jay Garrick: The Flash Age)
Gladiator Batman (Dark Knights: Metal)
Grifter (Infinite Frontier)

Harley Quinn (The Suicide Squad)
The Joker (Infinite Frontier)
Kalibak (The Darkseid War)
Man-Bat (DC Rebirth)
Nekron (Blackest Night)
The Riddler (Arkham City)