Review of Knightmare Batman
Batman V Superman action figure

Introduction

The dust has settled a bit, and Batman V Superman is close to $850 million world wide. That's a hefty chunk of change, and for comparison's sake, consider the first Iron Man, the movie that kicked off the MCU as we know it today. While it was a success, it made less internationally than another superhero film that same summer - Hancock. Ponder that for a minute.

One of my favorite sequences from the film is the 'nightmare', whose meaning is only clear to those who know the comic book DC universe intimately.  I like that about the film - it doesn't pound you over the head with what's happening, and you have to do a little digging or be a little patient (the true meaning of the nightmare will be revealed in up coming films) to get the full answer.

My biggest reason for liking the nightmare sequence isn't about what it portends, but what Bats is wearing. I loved the additions to the costume, a mish-mash of  bat-suit and old west with a dash of WWII, and it's the big reason I've been looking forward to finding the subject of tonight's review - the Multiverse Knightmare Batman.

These are finally showing up at my local stores, and run around $20 depending on the retailer.  Remember, these aren't the Multiverse of 2014, and the scale has been increased considerably to a more industry standard 6 - 7".

Packaging - ***1/2
These new boxes are collector friendly, without any twisties, tape, or bands holding the figure or accessories in place. Pop out the tray, pop out the figure and extras, and you're good to go.  I don't have a place to display them right now, so I popped him back in after completing the review for safe keeping until I get my collection clean up complete. I appreciate being able to do that, because while you can store loose figures in a bag, they are more prone to damage and loss.

Sculpting - ***1/2
The sculpt includes multiple textures and layers, giving depth and detail to every surface.

With the majority of the face covered by the cowl, the Affleck likeness doesn't have to be perfect. It's close enough here, with a wide jaw and larger head, something that's this particular Batman's calling card. There are a ton of small details, particularly when you consider he's only 6 3/4" tall.  There are fine wrinkles in the cowl around the throat, raised squares (cross hatching) on the symbol, and a soft material-like text to the plastic coat. Overall, I'm quite impressed with the amount of detail, and with the basic quality of the sculpting.

Paint - ***
There's not a ton of small paint details, and certain areas - like the buttons on his coat - where there was potential for some additional definition are missing any extra paint operations.

But what is here is clean, and generally consistent.  The edge of the lower face is decent, and the eyes are straight and clean. The silver belt is a tad sloppy, and there's some inconsistency in the finish on the various black costume pieces (cowl to chest, forearms to hands, calves to feet), but overall it's solid B work.

Articulation - **1/2
This is the biggest gotcha for this figure, particularly considering the emphasis on posability with the MV line.

From the waist down, the articulation is above average. The double hinge hips, similar to what we saw with later DCUC figures, work well, and the hinge knees and rotating hinge ankles are sturdy and strong. Some rocker movement in the ankles would have been nice (and is becoming the standard for this scale), but the legs can take some decent dynamic poses.

The neck is quite restricted by the costume, as is the ab-crunch.  The waist can also turn, and of course there are rotating hinge elbows and cut wrists.

The biggest downfall is the elbows, so critical for decent arm poses. Because of the design of the coat around the joint, the arms can barely make 30 degrees, let alone 90. This greatly restricts the number of poses you can get, even with the decent leg articulation.

Accessories - ***
With any figure that comes with a BAF (or in this case, 'build a prop replica') piece, I start out at **1/2 stars.  Batman's BAF extra is fairly large as well, a big chunk of plastic that fits under the barrel of the grapnel blaster. It's tough to say whether this BAF is any good yet since I haven't competed it, but what I've seen so far gives me hope.

Batman also comes with his goggles, a critical part of this costume, which can sit on his forehead or be pulled down over his eyes.  The strap seems pretty sturdy too, and unlikely to break with normal usage.

Finally, he has three small batarangs.  These will come very warped from the package, due to the way they are held in place in the plastic tray, but with a little heat followed up by some cold water, you should be able to get them straightened out.

They are quite small, but he can hold one in his right hand thanks to the sculpt.

Fun Factor - ***
The limited arm articulation hurts here as well, but the figure is very sturdy and a real improvement over the cheesy basic movie figure done up in the same costume.  While this is a 'collectors' line, kids are likely to get more enjoyment out of them then the intended audience, and they are certainly more fun than the aforementioned movie line.

Value - **1/2
Twenty bucks is the current going rate - and has been for some time - for any figure in this 6 - 7" range that is collector themed.  With a reasonable number of accessories, solid sculpting, and decent paint, this figure grabs an average value rating at that price.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing.

Overall - ***
These Multiverse figures are Mattel's new Movie Masters line, taking over the mantel of collector themed figures in the 6 - 7" scale. The idea is that the articulation, paint, and sculpt should be superior to the basic $10 movie figures, also available.

For the Knightmare Batman, that's true.  But the restricted elbows really annoyed me, greatly reducing the number of cool poses.  This is a costume design I really love, and that gives this figure a step up over some of the competition, but minor issues continue to hold the Multiverse line back from its fullest potential.

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

Where to Buy 
These are hitting retail locations like Target, Toys R Us, and Meijer right now. Online options include these site sponsors:

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other Multiverse figures in this scale that are related included the recent Dark Knight Returns set from Walmart, as well as a Batman comparison and a Wonder Woman comparison between the Multiverse figure and the regular movie figure.

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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