Review of Jokermobile
Batman the Animated Series

Introduction

Once upon a time, there was a company called DC Direct. They were the toy and collectible wing of Warner Brothers and DC, making action figures, statues, busts and more based on their properties. Like all good things, it didn't last.

But before they went away entirely, they rebranded. The company underwent some restructuring, and became DC Collectibles. While I'm sure there were plenty of internal changes, to the average buyer there wasn't much change. They continued producing key lines, like Batman Black and White statues, and Batman the Animated Series action figures.

Eventually they went extinct, and collectors feared all the great lines they had been producing would end as well. But when McFarlane Toys picked up the DC license, they also continued several of the key series, including the excellent animated Batman line.

Now, much of it has been repaints and re-releases of prior figures, making use of existing molds. But there have been a couple new figures, and now we've gotten the terrific Jokermobile, originally promised by DC Collectibles but never produced.

This guy is showing up at Target, where he'll run you $60. Not all the stores are carrying it though, so check in their app first to see if your local Target has them. Of course, you can always order it from them on line.

Packaging - ***
It's hard to impress upon you just how huge this thing is. Really, it's massive. If you're familiar with the Batmobile and Batplane that came in this series, you'll have some idea, but it will still probably surprise you. Let's face it, companies usually skimp on scale when it comes to vehicles. Not this time.

And since the car is huge, so is the box. It's fairly collector friendly - no need to tear anything up removing the vehicle - and since there's no stickers to apply or other such changes, you can always pop it back in later exactly as it is.

Sculpting - ****
So just how big is this thing? It's about 18" long, about 8 1/2" wide, and 9" tall at the tallest point. Nope, it's not fitting in a Detolf.

While it's clearly in the animated style, which usually means less detail, there's plenty of tiny features here to grab your attention. Much of the smaller detail is on the interior, like the various features of the dash, giant foot pedal for an accelerator, and even the upholstered appearance on the roof.

Figures fit nicely inside as well, sometimes an issue with 1/12 scale vehicles. It can take some work to get the Joker's legs just right, and it depends on which one you choose to use, but you can do it without too much frustration. There's plenty of room for someone to ride shotgun, or you can fit a couple buddies in the back seat.

Paint - ***1/2
This score isn't lower due to quality - the colors are bright and vibrant, and I didn't have any rubs, marks, or inconsistencies. But there's not a lot of paint detail, with most of the pieces cast in their particular color.

The highlight though is the translucent colored plastic used for the various areas that light up. It looks great unlit, and even better when you flip the switch.

Articulation - ***
Yes, there's some 'articulation' here. Most importantly, the wheels turn cleanly, and with those big rubber tires - yep, they're actual rubber - he can fly across the floor. As an added perk, when you turn the steering wheel, the front tires turn as well!

The doors do not open however, and neither does the roof. Either of these options would make getting someone behind the wheel a little easier.

Accessories - ***
There's no accessories here, but that's not unexpected. However, I am counting the baseball card sized trading card it comes with, a pleasant surprise. I'm not sure if they plan on doing this with more releases, but it mirrors what Gentle Giant generally does with their COA's, but it's more of a traditional trading card.

Light Feature - ****
The light feature is easy to use, with the battery compartment on the bottom of the vehicle, and the switch right next to it. The car takes three AA batteries, and it needs the power since the large mouth and eyes on the front light up quite brightly. Several spots on the interior also glow, including the smiling face on the dash and the large button. It works great, and it's one of those rare times when you'll actually show this feature off to people.

Fun Factor - ****
This thing is a ton of fun, both for kids and for collectors. It has plenty of play value, and you'll enjoy swapping in various figures in the display, depending on your mood.

Value - ***1/2
This is a properly scaled 1/12 vehicle with a great light up feature, going for $60. You are going to rarely find something like this at that price point, even without the light feature. I'm betting the tooling was already completed by DC Collectibles on this one, and McFarlane was able to keep the price down because of it.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. It's all sturdy and well built, and I had no worries while working with it.

Overall - ****
This is one of those situations where the individual category scores do not do this overall toy justice. This thing is massive, fantastic, and amazing.  I never expected to see it get released, and McFarlane did it right. It's a great sign for the line as well, especially of there's molds of some of the other figures that DCD/DCC teased but never produced that McFarlane could finish.

Or maybe they could just give us some more brand new characters - wouldn't that be sweet?

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

Where to Buy 
Best bet to find this guy is through Target. Of course, you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
This is first of the McFarlane releases I've looked at, but you can find my video of my overall Animated Batman collection here.

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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