Review of Armored Batman - Batman V Superman
DC Films Action Figure

Introduction

The opinions on Batman V Superman have varie greatly, both before and after the release of the extended edition. But for many on both sides of the fence, Batman was a highlight, particularly in his armored suit, ready to take on Supes.

A number of companies have produced versions, most notably Mattel (cheap), Mezco (not cheap), and Hot Toys (really, really not cheap). At $45, the DC Collectibles version, produced under their new "DC Films" banner, falls some place in between cheap and not cheap on the Crawford scale.

This guy has been shipping for awhile - I'm a little late to the party. But since he, along with at least one of his more expensive counterparts, will end up on the Poppies ballot this week, I thought it would be useful to take a look.

Packaging - ***
The package has a large window, allowing you to clearly see the figure and the accessories, always a big plus. It's relatively collector friendly, although there is one plastic tie holding the figure in the tray that you'll need to cut. Otherwise, everything pops out neat and easy, with no damage. The basic design follows the Icons style, and while it's a bit plain, it does cover the key requirements.

Sculpting - ****
We've gotten pretty accustomed at this point to Batman's version of MKI armor.  DC Collectibles does a fantastic job of re-creating it here, particularly at this price point. Of course, the underlying suit and all the armor pieces are sculpted plastic, but the look mirrors the on screen appearance of fabric and metal very well.

They've used textures to get the look just right, with cross hatch pattern on the underlying suit and a scraped, gouged look to the armor itself. This outfit has already seen pain, and the damage, along with the dirty, hammered, industrial appearance, underscores the difference in the attitudes of Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne.

The cape is cloth, and I'll be discussing that in the 'outfit' section on its own. The various hands are sculpted for general posing, and the gun grips don't work as well as I'd like. But the scale is good, and in fact the internal scale across the board, from legs to head to torso, is excellent.

This is a 1/12 scale figure, but comes in large (as he should), standing just over 7" tall.

Paint - ***
Overall, the paint work is excellent, completing the faux metal appearance perfectly. The paint highlights the sculpt detail, and gives the armor a very realistic, life-like look.

There's not a ton of work on the exposed face, and it doesn't look like they tried to do anything with the lips.  It's a minor nit though, although this is an area where the Mezco release really shines.

Another nit involves the packs.  The wash is so heavy here that it looks like they are covered in oil and dirt. While this application works great for the armor, it looks out of place on the belt.

These are both very minor issues, however. The score dropped for me because of a weird, and very obvious, mark in the plastic on the upper left thigh armor. I'm not sure what happened - maybe it's a weird artist's signature - but clearly it was a mistake.

Articulation - ***1/2
The overall articulation is quite impressive, particularly for DC Collectibles. Originally DC Direct, they are not a company known for extreme articulation, but I hope we see this trend toward greater poseability continue.

The figure has a ball neck, but it's really the one area of disappointment.  It turns, but has very little tilt and lean. Worse, it pops off when you're working with it. Normally, this would not be an area of concern, since you can just pop it back on. But because of the Light Feature, with its batteries and switch in the torso, there are wires running to the head along the neck. Popping the head off and on could end up damaging this feature.

The shoulders are rotating hinge joints with a cut joint at the bicep. The shoulder armor is jointed as well, allowing it to move up quite a bit and get out of the way of the arm itself.  Both the knees and the elbows are double pin, with a rocker chest joint, ball hips, and hinge/rocker ankles. The hip ball posts even drop down slightly within the joint, allowing for a greater range of movement and deeper stances when necessary.

Even the cape is articulated, thanks to a thin wire running along both outside edges.  This will give you some additional options when creating realistic action stances, particularly with the included display stand.

Accessories - ***
There's not a ton of extras here, particularly considering the higher price point.

He does have three sets of hands - fists (he comes wearing), along with open grips and gun grips (sort of). The gun grips aren't well fitted to the included gun, and make holding the weapon rather difficult in most poses. The hands swap pretty easily, but stay in place tightly once attached.

The gun (really a Kryptonite grenade launcher) looks good, with decent paint work and a great sculpt. As I said, it's very tough to get him to hold it properly, but you can get some decent poses with some effort.

Lastly, there's the display stand, including a clear plastic support that can be used for in-air poses, like jumps and leaps. It works poorly, however, without enough strength or tightness in the support joints to keep a figure this heavy aloft. You can finagle it - I have one shot near the end with him in the air - but how creative you can get with the pose is going to be severely limited by the need to put the support in just the right spot to keep him up.

Light Feature - ***
Every armored Batman must have light up eyes - it's a law.  DC Collectibles wouldn't want to break the law.

The eyes are powered by batteries in the torso, which are included AND installed. Pull the little plastic tab, and they start working. The compartment on the back is easy to get to, and the switch on the front - the lowest section of his abdomen armor - is easy to activate. Pushing the switch turns the lights on for about ten seconds. The turn themselves off again automatically to conserve battery life.

I mentioned that the engineering is a little wonky, with the wires running up into the head along the neck (which you expect) and the head popping off quite easily (which you don't). But my biggest issue is with the inconsistency between the right and left eye.  The right is much brighter than the left, and I'm sure the placement of the LED is the problem.  You can see the difference in the photo below, but trust me - in hand, it's much, much more obvious.  Hopefully this is one of those specific manufacturing issues that won't plague the entire run.

Outfit - ***1/2
I've already talked at length about the sculpt and paint work on the armor and suit. Since it's all sculpted plastic, there really isn't any 'outfit' there in the first place.

But the cape is cloth, and worth calling out on its own.  The wire along the outer edges allows for some great posing, and the pleating and cut look fantastic.  The material is fairly stiff, which can cause it to ride up at the shoulders in some poses, but if you're aware you can make the proper adjustments. In the photo after Fun Factor you can see what I mean by 'riding up'.

Fun Factor - ****
While there's a few nits to pick, this is really a fun action figure. There's plenty of useful, cool articulation, and creating battle poses is easy and enjoyable.  He'll look even better on the shelf paired with the already released Superman.

Value - ***
Forty five dollars is not cheap for a 1/12 scale action figure. Not even close.  Star Wars Black figures or Marvel Legends will run you around $20, and even collector themed lines, like MOTUC, tend to top out at $30.

But this guy has a VERY high quality sculpt and paint job, along with great articulation, a light up feature, and a nice cloth cape. While I still prefer the One:12 Collective version overall, this guy manages to produce something almost as good at less than half the price.

Things to Watch Out For -
Remember that the wires for the light feature run through the neck. When posing the head, do it carefully to avoid popping it off, and if it does pop off, replace it with care.

Overall - ***1/2
Of the available Armored Batmen in this scale, my favorite remains the One:12 Collective version. However, there's no doubt that the DC Collectibles release has its advantages.  It is certainly cheaper, although not at the level of a mass market figure in this scale. It can also fit in better with other all plastic figures, if that's the theme of your collection.

Another advantage is that the Superman is already out there, available to pair up with this guy on your shelf. With a Wonder Woman, Aquaman, regular Batman, and Knightmare Batman all up for pre-order, this series could make quite the set up.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ***
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - ***
Light Feature - ***
Outfit - ***1/2
Fun Factor - ****
Value - ***
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth is also at $45.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other recent Batman V Superman figures include the One:12 Collective Batman as well as their Armored Batman. In this same scale, Mattel has done a number of figures, including Batman, Knightmare Batman, and Lex Luthor.

In sixth scale, Hot Toys has done their own armored Batman, as well as the Knightmare Batman.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

Discussion:
Want to chat about this review?  Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be discussing it!

Enjoyed this review? Be sure to head back to the main page to find thousands more just like it!