Review of Batman Black and White - Kenneth Rocafort
Statue

Introduction

Batman has been around for a very long time. During his decades and decades of comic, tv, and movie appearances, many artists and actors have portrayed him in many different styles and designs. What better character to be embodied in a huge line of statues?  The Batman Black and White series - where a design based on a specific artist done in a monochromatic palette - has also been around for quite awhile, boasting dozens and dozens of statues. If you're a huge Batman fan like me, it's been a amazing series.

The latest release is based on the artwork of Kenneth Rocafort, and has just started shipping in the last few weeks. It will run you around $70 depending on the retailer.

Packaging - ***
The box is pretty much what you'd expect, although I have to give them credit for dumping that silly cut corner and going back to a nice, simple rectangle. The interior hard foam eggshell trays keep the solid one piece statue safe and sound, and it's all collector friendly.

This one mentions it's a limited edition but doesn't have the size or numbering on the box. The bottom of the statue has the edition size - 5000 - with the specific number, however. There is no Certificate of Authenticity, which is normal for this series.

Sculpting - ***1/2
When I first saw the marketing photos for this one, I'll admit it - I wasn't thrilled. But having him in hand, my appreciation for the sculpt went way up. There's a ton of detail, far more than we usually get in this series, and the pose is really dynamic and exciting.

I realize it's the color in the original photos that left me cold. The lighter gray of the suit wasn't clicking for me, but in hand the suit is just dark enough to work. Other aspects of the sculpt pop in hand too, like the creepy clawed feet and the intricate suit pattern.

Thanks to the dynamic flow of the cape and the outstretched batarang, this guy is pretty tall, topping 9" in total. However, the statue itself is in proper scale with the others in the series.

Paint - **1/2
Unfortunately, the paint work is a bit sloppier than I like. Compare the final production piece to the photo on the box cover, and you'll see the lines on just about all the details are wavy, inconsistent, and poorly defined.

I do like the palette though, and the gray suit is just dark enough to work for me.  There's more 'color' here than with many releases, thanks to the many shades between white and black. This combined with the dynamic pose will make him stand out in the crowd.

Value - **1/2
They've kept these guys at a low price for many years now, and they should be commended for it. Unfortunately, the paint work suffered a bit this time, but I'm still going with a solid average value here. Regular readers know that means this score won't affect my final Overall, either up or down.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. This time it's a one piece statue, no need to attach the figure to the base.

It is worth noting that the statue does tend to lean backward a bit - you can see it in the photo above - thanks to the center of gravity being shifted back. He won't topple over though, and it shouldn't cause any issues.

Overall - ***
This is one of those rare instances where I like the final product much better than the prototype. Of course, I wish the production paint application was better, but considering the price point my complaining only goes so far.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth also has him at $70.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
The most recent Batman Black and White statue review was actually not Batman - it was the White Knight Joker. Before that we had the recent animated Batgirl, and the Sean Murphy Batman. Other recent Batman Black and White statues include the Klaus Johnson, Jiro Kuwata, Gerard Way Joker, the Gerard Way Batman, the Cloonan, the Spy vs Spy release, John Romita Jr's artwork, the Breyfogle, the Jason Fabok version, and the Sprang Joker and Batman. There's lots before that as well - you should also hit the Search Reviews page to find them and in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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