Review of Two-Face - Dark Knight
Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

Hot Toys is revisiting a number of their earlier figures, sometimes merely re-releasing the original. That's not particularly exciting, but when they go back to a character from many years ago and improve on it, that's a reason to get excited.

Such is the case with Two-Face, a figure they first released a decade ago.  That was actually two characters in one, coming with both a Harvey Dent and Two-Face portrait and suit. Working with Sideshow in the U.S., they've just released the updated Two-Face, sans any Harvey Dent version.

This guy is exclusive to Sideshow in the states, and will run you $250.

Packaging - ***1/2
I like the split graphic on the box cover, with the coin juxtaposed with the Dent button. Inside, the plastic tray holds things safely and in a completely collector friendly manner. There's some simple instructions, but it's mostly there just to warn you not to remove the coat to avoid damaging it.

Sculpting - ****
Remember, this is just Two-Face - sadly, there's no Harvey Dent this time around.

This single portrait is extremely nice, however. You can see the improvements in the realism over the last ten years, particularly in the subtle skin texture on the fleshy side and the scarred skin and stretchy musculature on the burned side. The exposed eye and teeth are tremendously realistic, and the hair is very finely stranded.

The hands suffer the same problem that almost all Hot Toys figures have - their too big. But ignoring that consistent issue, there's another odd one this time. The thumb on the tight grip hand, designed to hold the coin or the campaign button, is a separate piece from the hand, and the joining seam is extremely obvious and odd looking.

This guy comes in at the usual 12" tall, fitting in pretty well with the rest of the line. The slightly slimmer body also avoids the bulky look that the first release had.

Paint - ***
The paint work is often the best feature of a Hot Toys action figure. This time, it was the one area where I felt they slipped up.

The work on the scarred, burned flesh is good, although both the teeth and the stretched muscle over the mouth are a bit plain and plasticky. The black and red sections of flesh look great, and the eye is super creepy and gross.  The skin color on the uninjured half looks good, and there's enough variation to create a life-like tone.

There's a weird shadowing under the jaw on the healthy side though. It's hard to see in photos, because that section of his neck would be shadowed by the jaw anyway, but in hand you can see the darker color.

But the big issue for me is the bronzed hair. Blonde hair is tough, no doubt about it. But this bronze look is really off putting for me. The original had a similar problem, but they've doubled down this time and really added a high gloss finish, making it look like he bronzed his hair to go along with his baby shoes. Do they still do that?

Articulation - ***1/2
The underlying TrueType body has all the articulation you expect.

The neck is a single ball joint at the torso, and it doesn't have quite the amount of tilt and lean I'd like. It also has a tendency to pop off when posing him, but it's easy enough to pop right back on.

The shoulders can't get up too high, but it's not far off from reality. The double pin elbows really bend tight though, and the wrists work great. The hands swap easily too.

The torso crunches, leans, and twists, and the suit doesn't create much restriction. Likewise, the hips, knees, and ankles are free to move as you want.  The ball jointed ankles are particularly useful, although the foot does pop off occasionally.

Accessories - ***
Unfortunately, there are very few extras with this figure.  That second Harvey Dent portrait would have gone a long way to justifying the price.

There are only three extra hands to go with the relaxed pair he comes wearing. There's a gun grip right, a very tight grip left for the coin and button (with the weird thumb), and a wider grip left that works well with the glass. There's a couple extra wrist pegs too, just in case.

And yes, there's three of the Two-Face coins (the odds you'll lose one is pretty good, so getting extras is appreciated), the "I Believe In Harvey Dent" campaign button, and the highball style glass with a red liquid.

These are all pretty much what you'd expect, but I would like to mention that the button actually has a sculpted pin and hook on the back, a nice little touch. However, there's no way to attach the button to his clothing.

Two-Face has a revolver as well, with a moving hammer and a removable cylinder. Be careful with the cylinder though - the stem/ejector tends to fall out and can get lost.

Finally, there's a small display base with a crotch support rod.

Outfit - ***1/2
The costume consists of the shirt, tie, belt, socks, pants, jacket, and shoes.

Doing a sixth scale suit has become pretty standard stuff, and the tailoring and cut reflect these improvements. The material is high quality, and the scale on everything - tie, buckle, pockets - is appropriate.

The left side has the burned, melted damage. The original was a tad thick and heavy, but they've improved with this damage effect as well. It's very realistic, and doesn't add too much thickness to the base material.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
You can pose this guy with the many other Dark Knight figures and alter the display over and over again. While there's not too many extras here, you can show off both the old Dent and this new Two-Face now on your shelf.

Value - **
At $250, you're paying a good $30 over what this guy is really worth. Yes, the head sculpt looks great and is a real improvement, but without the second portrait, you'll feel a bit let down by the price.  While this guy is an overall quality improvement, the price has skyrocketed from $140 for the original ten years ago to $250 now. That's a heck of a jump.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing from a quality or breakage perspective. I would be careful with the cylinder in the revolver - if you pop it out, you can easily lose the pin.

Overall - ***1/2
This figure is a definite improvement over the original release. However, that release was extremely nice for its time, making this a tougher sell. You got both Dent and Two-Face, all at more than $100 less.

Still, the quality is excellent here, and it's nice to have both figures on the shelf. Of course, if you're like me, you picked up an extra TrueType years ago to have both figures anyway, but this Two-Face will outshine the older one.

Now, if they are going to do more re-releases of very old figures, I'd appreciate a full set of Aliens marines!

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

Where to Buy 
This guy is an exclusive through Sideshow in the U.S., where you'll find him for $250. Or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Of course, you have to check out the first Hot Toys Two-Face, produced a decade ago. Other Hot Toys Dark Knight trilogy themed figures include a ton of Jokers, Bane, Blake and Gordon, and of course, several Batmen. I never got around to reviewing them, but they also did Catwoman and the Wayne/Alfred set.

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

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