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Captain Toy/Michael's Review of the Week

Review of the Penguin - Mayoral 1/4 scale action figure
Batman Returns

NECA
Date Published: 2017-01-20
Written By: Michael Crawford
Overall Average Rating: 3 out of 4

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Batman Returns Mayoral Penguin 1/4 scale figure by NECA

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Introduction

Fans of the Tim Burton Batman films have been begging for years for collectibles. They've finally started to see some popping up, but of course...they're almost always Batman. Hey, I love the Keaton Batman, but there were some other terrific characters in these movies!

NECA is doing it's best to respond, at least in their amazing 1/4 scale series. They gave us Batman, but they've also given us a great Penguin, with a Catwoman shipping very soon!  They have followed up their first Penguin - who was rather dirty and grubby - with a second release, done in his 'mayoral' duds i.e. tuxedo.

This guy just started shipping and will run you about $100, depending on the retailer.

Click on the image below for a Life Size version
Batman Returns Mayoral Penguin 1/4 scale figure by NECA

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Packaging - ***
Pretty basic large window box overall, but it does have some nice graphics from the film and of the figure. It also includes the punch out display card of his mayoral campaign poster, which we also saw with the original release.

The packaging isn't truly collector friendly - there's a million thick twisty ties to cut - but the extras that are packed against the interior cardboard tray can be removed without tearing anything. The tray itself does have some cool graphics that make it viable as a backdrop on the shelf.

Batman Returns Mayoral Penguin 1/4 scale figure by NECA

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Sculpting - ***
NECA could have cheaped out and given us the same head sculpt with this release, pushing the new costume as the only selling point. They didn't.  We get an all new portrait here, something more suited to his lofty political goals.

The grinning expression looks great, and the shape of the nose, eyes, chin, and head are just about spot on. They've added texture to the skin, and the wrinkle around the eyes is highlighted by the paint.

You'd assume no one would be gullible enough to vote for a man with sharp pointy, bloody teeth and terrible oral hygiene - but he's wearing a tuxedo, so it's all good. The sculpted bits of the tux, like the vest, tie, and shirt, look great as well, with plenty of detail and realism right down to the diamond pattern on the vest and pleats in the shirt.

I really love the look of the nose, especially the detailing on the stretched skin underneath, where the upper lip strains to attach to the underside of the elongated nose. Very realistic work! On the negative side, I'm still not digging the obviousness of the hair where it is attached to the head in back. Fortunately, this is only an issue when you're looking at him from behind. From the front and side, it looks fine.

The coat(s) and pants are cloth, so I'll discuss those as part of the Outfit section. He has gloved flipper hands, which seem about the right scale. Speaking of scale, while this is a quarter scale figure, remember, the Penguin is a short dude.  This figure comes in at about 14 1/2" tall.

And scale is actually where this portrait takes a hit over the previous release. On its own, it's a great looking sculpt, but on the body, it's a touch too small. Part of that can be racked up to the expression. The earlier angry expression elongated and widened the face a bit, while this 'happier' look creates a rounder face.  Still, in hand it's obvious that the overall head is slightly smaller this time, and with the extra layers of the tux, the tiny nature of his noggin' ends up exacerbated even more.

Batman Returns Mayoral Penguin 1/4 scale figure by NECA

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Paint - ***
While the overall theme remains the same - sickly skin, black rimmed eyes, bloody teeth and lips - the actual application is slightly different.

The skin is greener this time, less pale. And while the teeth, gums, and lips are still disgusting, there isn't any actual ooze dripping out of his mouth or blood on his face. The overall application is good, but I did notice a little slop, and even a stray mark on the top of the head that is quite obvious in hand. There's not a ton of detail work on the clothing either, with most areas being one color, perhaps with some dirt thrown in for good measure. Nothing too terrible, but not quite as good as the original.

BTW, another difference in paint with this release - the underlying clothing, including the legs under the pants, is much whiter, less dingy gray, which fits with the overall concept of this particular costume.

Batman Returns Mayoral Penguin 1/4 scale figure by NECA

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Articulation - **1/2
Thanks to the character design, you can't expect a ton of useful articulation. I bet it was a workout for Danny DeVito just to walk from one side of the room to the other in this bulky costume.

But this release is a little less poseable than the first. That starts with the neck.  I could get at least a little turning movement out of the earlier figure, but even that is history here thanks to the high collar. The head will move a millimeter or two, but not enough to create an appreciably new pose.

The arm articulation remains better than expected. The rotating hinge shoulders, elbows, and wrists all work great, with plenty of potential arm poses.

While the torso wasn't super useful before, thanks to the vest it's a moot point here. The legs are an identical sculpt to the original, but the hips seem a little less mobile. I'm not sure why, since the lower half of the torso and the legs are the identical pieces from the original release, but they do seem a bit more restricted.

The cool boots with their useful two piece design remain the same, giving you great ankle articulation for a figure like this. Pity the knees and hips can't do more to make greater use of those ankles.

Batman Returns Mayoral Penguin 1/4 scale figure by NECA

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Accessories - ***
Nothing new, but it's all still great stuff. You can't judge 1/4 scale figures in this category the same as smaller scale figures - they simply don't come with as many extras. Occasionally there's an outlier - like Deadpool - but generally you're lucky to get one or two extras.

The top hat looks great and fits well.  It's one of those rare cases where the fit and scale are actually good enough to make the hat look proper. Of course, it helps that the hat was pretty huge in the movie.

He also has his tiny cigarette sculpted in the holder, which can fit between his teeth in multiple ways. The monocle has a peg that slips inside a tiny hole at the corner of the left eye.  The hole is almost impossible to see thanks to the black paint, which is a good thing. The post doesn't fit particularly well in the hole, and that's a bad thing. The monocle falls off quite easily, so keep that in mind when moving him around.

The half eaten raw fish is also included. While it probably works better with the overall look of the previous figure, it has its place here as well.  He can hold it in the one extra hand they provide, a gripping left.

I already mentioned the cardboard poster, which is designed to be removed from the packaging and used with the character. Nothing too exciting about it, but it does go with this costume and the scene from the movie.

The one thing missing - an umbrella.  If anyone has a line on a version floating around out there that would look good in this scale, please let me know. Same for some penguins.  What's the Penguin without some penguins?

Batman Returns Mayoral Penguin 1/4 scale figure by NECA

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Outfit - ***1/2
This version is dressed in his tuxedo, all spiffy...or at least as spiffy as Cobblepot could be. The on screen outfit included a jacket and overcoat, but that's a lot of layers for a figure of these proportions. To avoid him getting even rounder than he already is, NECA used a trick that I think we'll see Mezco use with the One:12 line at some point - the inner coat is part of the outer coat.

You'll notice the lapels and front edge of the inner black coat in the photos. That (and the sleeves) are actually all there is to this coat. This front edge is sewn into the inner front of the heavier outer coat, along with the black sleeves, to create the visual effect of two layers without the material thickness of two layers. It works extremely well.

The heavy outer coat looks amazing, with the furry collar and properly scaled gray material.  It's high quality stuff, and while it suffers the same problem as the original - riding high on the shoulders and dwarfing the head - it looks good when the top hat is in place.

This time he's also wearing cloth pants, properly tailored to his rotund physique. The cloth pieces mesh nicely with the sculpted bits, creating a great overall look to the outfit.

Batman Returns Mayoral Penguin 1/4 scale figure by NECA

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Fun Factor - ***
While the limited articulation makes posing a bit problematic, having the coat, hat, butt, monocle, and fish provides some interesting potential. Using these extras and the arm articulation, you can swap things up on occasion, injecting some fun into your collection.

Batman Returns Mayoral Penguin 1/4 scale figure by NECA

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Value - ***
Like the previous release, this guy runs about $100. That's a solid price point for a quarter scale figure, particularly one with an elaborate coat and decent accessories.

Things to Watch Out For -
Overall, the figure was easy to work with and quite sturdy. There are a couple things to note, however.

First, the fit of the monocle peg in the hole in the left eye socket is pretty tight. Don't try to force it - the post will break.

Second, the hair on mine looked short and odd when I pulled him out of the box. Turns out, when they popped the head on, much of the hair got tangled up down inside the neck between the collar and the head.  Using a thin object (I used a tiny screwdriver) I was able to pull it free, and it added quite a bit of volume to his locks.

Batman Returns Mayoral Penguin 1/4 scale figure by NECA

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Overall - ***
If you put a blaster to my head and forced me to only own one of these, I'd go with the original version. There's something about the expression combined with the ratty long johns that just speaks to me.

That being said, this new version is very different, from the head sculpt to the clothing. It's not merely a minor variation, and big fans of the Burton films will have no compunction - I certainly didn't - with having both for the display.  C'mon, Catwoman!  And can we get a Shreck?  Pretty please?

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

Batman Returns Mayoral Penguin 1/4 scale figure by NECA

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Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- had him at $100, but looks like they are out of stock at this point.

- has him at $105.

- Entertainment Earth has this guy for $100, and the earlier version still in stock for as little as $71.24 if you're willing to take a dented box.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Of course, you'll want to check out the review of the previous NECA 18" Penguin for comparison. NECA also has a Batman from the 1989 movie , perfect to go with this figure.

Other figures from the Burton movies include the terrific Tweeterhead Catwoman statue, the NECA video game Batman, the Hot Toys Batman, the Hot Toys Joker, including the 'mime' version, and the Sideshow Premium Format Batman statue.

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!

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Batman Returns Mayoral Penguin 1/4 scale figure by NECA

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This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.

This page copyright 2000 - 2017, Michael Crawford. All rights reserved.