Review of Joker - Suicide Squad sixth scale action figure
Purple Coat Deluxe Version

Introduction

It's official - Wonder Woman has saved into the DC Cinematic Universe. The prior three films - Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Suicide Squad - all left something to be desired. Some more than others, but none were a critical success.

Suicide Squad had a plethora of characters. Hot Toys has released four sixth scale figures so far based on the film...and all four are of the Joker. As much as I generally love the Joker, he was my least favorite character in this particular flick.  Where's Deadshot and Harley? I know, they're coming soon...

This latest version is the Purple Coat Deluxe. Yes, there's also a Purple Coat version that isn't the deluxe, but why would you want to do that?  This version includes several additional accessories, and will run you around $250 through select retailers.  The regular version is only $10 - $15 cheaper, and available at a wider range of outlets. He's been shipping for awhile internationally, but the States are just starting to see him hit in real numbers.

Packaging - ****
The Suicide Squad packages - so far - have used an art deco, 1930's style design that I really love. Slip the outer cover off, and you have an invitation style inner flap, as though you're being invited to enjoy this latest release from Hot Toys.  It's all collector friendly of course, and it looks terrific.

Sculpting - ***1/2
The portrait is crazed, with a psychotic look in the eye and a weird grin on the face.  I'm not a huge fan of the portrait - if you're talking purely about accuracy and realism, I'm all on board. The detailing in the hair is amazing, and the slight skin texture and perfect wrinkling (especially around the eyes), is outstanding. Every time I look at the hair I'm more impressed - it's a work of art.

But I'm not digging on the expression. This would have worked better with the straight jacket Joker, and I'm thinking I'll swap these two around for the display.  I want something a little more neutral here, something more over the top there. I can't quite put my finger on where this expression goes wrong, but there's just something about it that's leaving me cold.

Paint - ***1/2
If you were looking for the tattoos, then this is the version for you.  His chest, arms, and back are adorned, just as they were in the film. The paint work is slightly 'faded' as well, giving them an aged effect.

The work on the face is the usual, with perfect eyes, eyebrows, lips, and teeth. The clammy skin tone looks terrific, and the hair line is just about as good as you can get, with the perfect subtle transition from skin to hair.

Some of the edging on the lips and metal edges of the teeth is a little wonky, but it's a minor nit.  Any other company and I probably wouldn't notice, but Hot Toys has set the bar high even for themselves.

Articulation - ***
The articulation is reasonable, but due to the solid torso and neck, you lose a lot of the expected mobility.

The head is jointed at the jawline, and it does tilt and lean...a little. It's not as good as the normal TrueType, and a big reason for that is the solid neck below. It's quite stiff, and you won't get much movement here.

Likewise with the torso, which is very solid and hard, with no bend or lean in any direction. The arms have rotating hinge shoulders, elbows, and wrists, but even this is slightly less mobile, because the elbows don't have the range of movement that the more flexible Hot Toys bodies do.

Everything is great from the waist down.  Hips, knees, and ankles all work great, and you can get deep stances and relaxed poses.  The rocker movement in the feet is not too badly restricted by the boots, which is a huge plus.

Accessories - ****
I'm grading the deluxe model here - the regular lacks several of these goodies.

There's a total of 9 hands, two in gloves, the rest bare.  The various lefts and rights have appropriate tattoos and rings, and swapping the hands is simple.  The grips work well with the accessories, and they've included a couple extra wrist pegs just in case.

He has a ton of bling, almost all of it real metal. There's three different chains for his neck, each a different length and thickness. There's a small metal chain for one wrist too, as well as a plastic bracelet and a gold watch. These all go on easy enough, as you'd expect, and the quality is great. Some of them remind me of a chain this dude tried to sell me in the parking lot of a Detroit bar at 2am on a Friday night in 1984, but that's about what I'd expect.

There's some re-use of course, including the funky cane and beautiful handgun.  When accessories are this well made, I don't mind seeing them again.

The deluxe version includes a hammer, a very large straight razor, and his funky cell phone. Even the phone cover is over the top gaudy. The razor is more of a knife than a shaving utensil, but it fits great in one of the provided hands.

This figure also has the higher quality Suicide Squad display stand, including the crotch support. And like other recent Hot Toys figures, he comes with a cardboard backdrop you can assemble and place behind him. Unlike many of the Star Wars versions, this one is only one sided.  I'm not a huge fan - they're too narrow - but some folks will like using them on the shelf. You can see a photo of the display stand with the Tux Joker here, and I included the backdrop in the LifeSizer photo.

Outfit - ***1/2
This isn't a super complex outfit, but the handful of pieces here are well done.

There's the boots, the leggings, the shorts, and the purple coat. My favorite item of the four? The boots!  The laces are sculpted, but thanks to the super detailed work and the excellent paint application, I thought they were real laces at first. The soft material and open top is less restrictive on the ankles, and the added paint details, like the grin on one toe, look great.

The jacket is a big draw as well, and the flashy material is well tailored. You can pose the collar in different ways thanks to a stiff wire, and there's another wire along the front bottom edge to give you more options.

The leggings are...well...leggings. They have little Batman symbols on them, which is a cute idea and I'm assuming screen accurate (although I don't remember it from the movie), but I'm not sure it works to create an image of a 'bad ass villain'. The big, goofy, wild looking boxing style shorts aren't exactly intimidating either, and this outfit's biggest issue is the same one I had with the character in general - I'm not a fan of his look.

Fun Factor - ***
While the upper body is a bit less mobile this time, you should still have a good time posing and re-posing this guy with the other Suicide Squad figures. You know, the ones you'll get eventually.

Value - **
This guy is easily worth the average $220, but I'm not sure that adding in a couple extras, like the hammer and blade, boost him up to $250.  It's a stretch for me, and I think that's a price point that needs to be kept in check, used for just the most outfitted figures, or ones with truly complex designs.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. They did include a couple extra buttons for the jacket, just in case.

EDIT: A regular reader pointed out that some collectors who have had the figure for awhile noticed staining from the jacket onto the body.  If you're looking to display him long term in the coat, which seems the most likely to me, I don't have any great solutions for you.  You could wrap the torso that's being covered by the coat in plastic, but even that doesn't guarantee staining won't occur. Anyone with a full proof idea?

Overall - ***1/2
I'm pretty torn on this figure. As it turns out, I like both the Tuxedo version and the Straight Jacket version better than the Purple Coat version. I comes down to two factors - portrait and outfit design.

I'm not a fan of his over the top look in the movie, and this Purple Coat release mirrors that the best.  If you are a fan of the look, you'll be much happier than I.

There's also something about the expression that's just not working for me.  Again, your mileage may vary.

The reason I'm torn is that while I have those aesthetic issues, I have to admit that the quality overall is the usual Hot Toys amaze-balls. Now if they can maintain this level for both Harley and Deadshot, I'll be much happier long term. And once I have Harley in hand, I think this Purple Coat version will grow on me.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Sideshow has the deluxe for $250.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
You'll want to check out the Tuxedo Joker as well as the Straight Jacket Joker, of course. Those are the only two Suicide Squad figures from Hot Toys that I've covered so far, but I also covered both the Knightmare Batman and Armored Batman from Batman V Superman.

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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