Review of Harley Quinn - Suicide Squad
Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

For awhile there, it looked like the only Suicide Squad figures we were actually going to get were Jokers. Thankfully, that's started to change.

It's not that I hated this Joker - I bought all they've released, including the straight jacket version, the purple coat version, the tuxedo version, and the Batman disguise version. But he was a C player at best in this movie, and we needed some of the actual Squad.

We finally got Deadshot a few weeks ago, and now the first Harley has shown up on my doorstep.  These two characters are really the main protagonists (or antagonists from a certain point of view I suppose) in the film, and are far more critical to the story an any variation of the Joker.

Harley came in two versions, the regular and the exclusive. I picked up the exclusive through Sideshow for $250, and that was the going rate for the wide release version as well. There's one additional accessory with the exclusive - I'll point it out when we get there.

Packaging - ****
I've really liked all the designs for the Suicide Squad packages, but there's something about the color scheme and style here that reminds me of a malt shop. And I really like malt shops.

Inside, the card art opens at the center, much like the earlier packages. The figure and accessories are all done up in very collector friendly trays of course, but I do have one nit. Some of the plastic wrap used to protect various parts from staining can be tricky to get off. For example, pulling the pieces out around the thighs can end up leaving pieces behind, and you have to pop off the feet to remove the wrap around the ankles. Putting the feet back on can cause some wrinkling in the stockings, and while you can work it back out again, it's a lot more effort than simply unwrapping some plastic.

Sculpting - ****
You only get one portrait here, and while that's a bit of an issue for me, the portrait you get is simply outstanding.

The accuracy to Margot Robbie is excellent, from the playful eyes to wide grin. My one complaint is the specificity and dynamic nature of this single head sculpt. She's looking very distinctly to her left, reducing the number of poses you can do at least slightly. The wide grin looks terrific, but it's not as useful with quieter poses either. But when it comes to accuracy, it's dead on.

It's also just about perfect in terms of realism. There's a perfect skin texture, and the hair is so finely stranded that it's hard to tell it's sculpted in hand. The really amazing work is in the mouth, where the teeth and tongue are about as realistic as you can get, even in macro photos.

The emotive aspect is excellent...but like I said, it's so extreme that it can be limiting. It shows off her crazy perfectly though, and you should be able to find some great stances to match it with.

She's a little shorter than the boys, which is appropriate, coming in at just over 11 3/4" tall.

Paint - ****
Hot Toys production paint work is usually excellent, but there's so much this time that it stands out even for them.

The work on the face is about perfect. I did find some red lipstick on the very top edge of the teeth in macro photos, but there was no way you were going to see it in hand. The shading around the eyes looks great, and while there's a little bleed into the whites, its not a serious problem.

The brightly colored, shiny hair looks amazing, with the paint work bringing out the detailed sculpt. The subtle transition between the hair and skin looks great, and the shift of color within the hair itself is very realistic. Light blonde or bleached blonde hair is very hard to capture in a sculpt like this, but I think they've done an excellent job.

Of course, there's all the tattoos. They've included a bunch, from her torso to her arms to her legs. Some are older in appearance, slightly faded, while others appear crisp and bright. This variation in aging adds to the realism as well.

Let's not forget the smudged eye shadow and make up on the face, either. And those translucent looking pearly whites! Every paint application or tampo here is done beautifully, from her head to her boots.

Articulation - ***1/2
This female body is designed to be realistic in proportions, highly mobile, but with the joints as hidden as possible. They score on all accounts.

The ball jointed neck works great, with the single joint high up under the jawline. The pony tails are ball joints too, right where they attach to the head, allowing you greater flexibility in posing the head. The bottom of the tails are sculpted to lay over the shoulders too, and it works in just about any position.

The rotating hinge shoulders, elbows, and wrists all work well, but the elbows are a little less mobile than I'd like. They couldn't get too far past 90 degrees, making some arm poses tough to do.

The hands are tight on the wrists, and swapping requires a bit of effort. I did pull one wrist post apart at first, but I was able to reassemble it without resorting to using one of the extras provided.

The ball hips have a pretty good range of movement and the skimpy outfit hides them quite well. The rotating hinge knees have a cap of sorts which helps hide the joint as well. The stockings go a long way to hiding the knee articulation too.

The legs finish off with rotating hinge ankles, but there's not very much movement here thanks to the boot sculpt. I would have liked a little more rocker movement, but it wasn't as big of an issue overall as it is with some figures.

I almost forgot - there's also a mid torso joint that allows for a little bend, turn, and lean movement in the upper body. It worked well, and of course the shirt hides it completely,

The most important aspect - I was able to get the figure to stand easily in a variety of short to medium stances, even in high heel boots. Nice!

Accessories - ***1/2
She comes with a nice bundle, and the exclusive gets one extra.

There are eight hands in total, four sets. There's a left and right tight grip, a left and right gun grip, a left and right relaxed hand, and a left and right grip that are a little more specific to clasping the bat in different ways. There's a couple extra wrist pegs too, which you might need this time around if you aren't careful.

She has two different sets of bracelets. There's a spiky set, and a set that say "Yes" and "Sir". I went with the gold spiky versions first, but switched to the other set pretty quickly. I was changing hands a lot, and the spiky set are much harder to work with when you're pulling the hands off and on repeatedly.

Another piece of bling is her gold choker, emblazoned with the name 'puddin'. She also has the silver handbag, which doesn't open but does have a real metal chain.

She can't be without weapons of course, and the regular release has her "Good Night" bat, as well as her revolver. The cylinder pops out to one side, and yes, it's fully loaded. Just in case, she comes with two speed loaders, and you can actually slip these inside two loops on the right side of her shoulder harness for safe keeping.

To create a nice backdrop, you have a couple choices. There's the standard Suicide Squad display base, with a crotch support rod and an extra hunk of concrete and rebar that you can have laying on top. There's also one of the display backer cards, this one done up in graphics and colors appropriate to Harley.

That's a good set of extras, but the exclusive also includes her hammer, complete with some great paint work and sculpting. This is a animated staple of course, and including it here was a nice touch. If you can get the exclusive for the same price as the regular (as was the case when pre-ordering months ago), you should go that route.

Outfit - ****
You might think there's not a lot to her outfit - she tends toward the skimpy, after all - but you'd be wrong.

The sculpted one piece boots are a bit restrictive on the ankles, but they look terrific, and the high heels are not imbalanced or difficult to work with.

A highlight are the stockings, with a much smaller seam than we usually see with stockings like this. They also moved the seam to the inside of the leg, rather than the back, making it even less noticeable.

I do have a couple nits with the red and blue hot pants. The lower edges are hemmed, and some of these hems are a bit thick, creating a weird look on one side. The top edge is not hemmed, and doesn't suffer from this problem. The tailoring is great though, as it is on the long sleeve t-shirt.

This shirt has some good wear and damage, and covers her elbow joints perfectly. Underneath is a red and blue bra, just in case you want to strip her down a bit further. The faux leather shoulder harness and holster fits neatly, and holds the gun properly. I do think this is the one area where the material feels a little cheap, but it still looks great.

The belt is made from high quality material, and hangs askew on her his as you'd expect. Her final piece of costuming is the jacket, which comes packed separately. The work on the embroidery and stitching is excellent, as is the tailoring and fit. They've included a thin wire on both shoulders to allow you to get a perfect line along the top of the arms and back.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
While the articulation is a little restricted, it was a trade off for cleaner lines and a better overall aesthetic. I can live with it, and you should have no trouble coming up with great poses with her and the Joker or Deadshot on your shelf. Over time, you'll be able to mix things up as new ideas come to you, and even with the dynamic, specific portrait, you'll have plenty of fun posing and re-posing.

Value - **
At $250 she's pushing the boundary again, raking the cost of an 'average' Hot Toys figure well above the $220 or so we've gotten accustomed to. They've tried this before, and had to drop things back a bit again. We'll see if this push towards a higher medium price point ends up working for them this time around.

Personally, I'm only docking her a half star off average. A second portrait at this price point and she would have gone up a full star for me.

Things to Watch Out For -
My only issue was with the wrist pegs. It is possible to pull them apart, something I've never seen with a Hot Toys figure before. I was able to reattach the one I damaged without resorting to the extras they've included, and by holding the ball tightly together, I swapped hands many times after without another issue.

Overall - ****
This isn't the only Harley Hot Toys has planned for us based on the first film. The Prisoner Outfit is also coming, and if you'd like a less dynamic portrait, that might be the one for you. Of course, you could simply buy both and swap around the heads depending on the poses that you use for each...

I really do love this Harley, and while the costume design wasn't my favorite, Hot Toys did nail the look perfectly with their release. The quality of the sculpt, paint, outfit, and accessories is all top notch, and with her and Deadshot on your shelf, you pretty much have all the Suicide Squad you'll ever really need, at least until part 2 comes out.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Sideshow has the exclusive, but she's on waitlist now. They also have the regular for $250.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other Hot Toys Suicide Squad releases include Deadshot, the Purple Coat Joker, the Tuxedo Joker, and the Straight Jacket Joker.

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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