Review of Batman Beyond
One:12 Collective action figure

Introduction

I've been running this site for almost 18 years now. That's a long time, and while some things have remained the same, others have changed drastically within the industry. Before I started this site, I reviewed figures in posts to places like rec.toys.misc, and participated with other early toy websites, but it was kicking off my own site that took my hobby to a different level of insanity.

I bring this up because the subject of tonight's review - Batman Beyond - was the subject of the very first review I wrote for mwctoys.com. Way back in February of 2001, I reviewed the DC 9" Batman Beyond, a 1/8 scale figure with a cloth costume and wings, and tonight I'm looking at a 1/12 scale figure with cloth costume and wings (removable this time). It's the toy version of the circle of life.

This guy is part of the One:12 Collective by Mezco. He was a Mezco Online store exclusive when originally solicited, and cost $85. You can still get on the wait list, but the secondary market is your best bet now.

Packaging - ***1/2
The sturdy box isn't quite as cool as the tins we see with the PX exclusives, but it's still well made.  I also like the design, and the red and black color combo is very eye catching. They've included the store exclusive sticker on the front, and there's a brief instruction sheet inside for the wings.  And of course, it's all collector friendly.

Sculpting - ***1/2
It's important to remember that the One:12 Collective DC and Marvel figures that are NOT movie based are designed by Mezco in their own unique style. They often incorporate various past aspects of a character, but they don't try to match any specific past design exactly, and there's a ton of their influence on the look.

Such is the case here, where Terry McGinnis gets a make over. Like several of their other Batman creations, this version is has a more military tech look to the suit and cowl. There are two portraits of course - this is the One:12 Collective after all - with the first looking calm and determined, and the second more aggressive. They swap easily, and both options look great.

However, I'm a little torn on the tech look.  The sculpted lines in the cowls are nicely done, but they give off a very robot/cyborg vibe. While it provides more detail and visual pop than an all smooth look, it doesn't appeal to me as much. Perhaps it will grow on me over time.

The sculpted hands look great, especially the 'claw' versions, and the three dimensional symbol on his chest is a highlight of the entire look. He stands about 6 1/2" tall, fitting in properly with the rest of the line.

Paint - ****
Most of the figure is black, so there's not a ton of paint operations. But those few critical operations are clean and sharp.

That's particularly true of the white eyes on both portraits, and the white teeth on the open mouth of the second head sculpt. Combine how difficult white on black is (good, consistent coverage is really difficult) with the size of these details, and you get some idea of the quality of this paint job.

The other area that's really impressive is the red metallic chest symbol. Again, it's super clean and consistent, and the highly reflective surface looks great.  I'd love a 68 pony Mustang in this color. Or a 72 Stingray Corvette.

I will say there are a few blips on the gray pouches on the belt. You have to look pretty close to find them, and for me the work on the other key areas over comes these small nits, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention it.

Articulation - ***1/2
The underlying body works well, with little restriction from the stretchy suit.

The ball jointed neck isn't quite as mobile this time, however.  You can get some good tilt and lean where the head attaches to the neck, but the neck itself doesn't move a whole lot where it enters the torso.

The arms can take natural poses, and the hands swap easily without fear of breakage. They stay in place while posing, and the gauntlets don't block the wrists.

The suit does tie up the hips a bit, but the knees and ankles still have a good range of movement, and you can get some side to side rocker motion in the feet.

Almost as important as the neck for realistic poses, the torso can turn and bend side to side and forward and back. It makes crouches and flying poses all the more fluid and clean.

Accessories - ***1/2
I already mentioned the second portrait in the Sculpt and Paint sections, but it's a big part of this score as well. A huge draw for me with this series is the alternate heads, and at this price point, they're a necessity.

He also has several swappable hands. He comes wearing fists, and there are tight grips and wide claws to replace them. They swap easily, but they didn't pop off when I was posing the arms and hands.

His back pack can be swapped for the open wings, which are made from a very strong, very sturdy plastic. There's no chance these will wilt or droop over time, even if you live in Death Valley. The cover on the backpack pops off easily, and the wings snap in place.

He has three batarangs, which closely match the look from the show and comics. The red highlights on the edges look great, and the scale is excellent.

To work with the wings and any flying poses, he has two 'blast effects' which attach to the bottom of his feet. The translucent color looks great, and they fit tightly in the holes on his soles.

Finally, there's the standard One:12 display stand with character logo and flying support rod. You can also use a simple foot peg for standing poses, a much better look than going with a waist grabber.

Outfit - **1/2
This outfit could have been at least another full star higher if not for two issues.

The look of the attached circuit pattern in the smoother material is great, and the black on black color is my preferred combination. It's still obvious, thanks to the difference in finish, but it isn't so obvious as to distract.

The quality of the materials is great, and the way the backpack converts to the wings is a simple yet effective method. The belt is a little tight, which means it rides up his hips in any deeper stances, but that's a minor and fairly common issue with the line. It does exacerbate one of the other issues, however. More on that in a minute.

My favorite aspect of the overall costume is the 3-D logo on his chest. They've wrapped it around the underlying anatomy so the edges don't stick up, and the sculpt, in combination with the paint job, looks fantastic.

The first of my two issues is related to the crotch. We have a bit of the sagging effect again, something that was a problem with the early figures but was corrected with later releases. When he's standing straight up, there's no issue, but as you start to deepen and widen the stance, the crotch tends to look awfully low. It's not as bad as the earliest figures, but I'm hoping we don't see it become a consistent problem again. The fact that the tight belt tends to ride high on the hips hurts too, since it makes the distance from the waist to the bottom of the crotch seem longer than it really is.

The other issue is with the seams in the armpits. Along the side of the torso and through the pit, the stitching is pretty wide, allowing the material to bunch up in some odd ways in certain poses. They aren't missing or pulled, just wide. It bugged me though, and was enough to pull down an otherwise great outfit score.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
You'll have no trouble posing and re-posing this guy. He makes for a good exclusive too, as a character that won't be as universally loved as some of the more traditional Bat choices.

Value - **1/2
I almost dropped a half star here, but the exclusivity does help drive the $85 price tag. I expect we'll see most regular releases remain in the $80 range, although some of those with light up features (like the upcoming Iron Man and Cyclops) will run higher.

Things to Watch Out For -
The tips of the gauntlets and batarangs are REALLY sharp. Be careful handling them, and don't put any pressure on them that could cause them to snap.

Overall - ***1/2
I do have a couple issues with the costume, although they aren't extreme. In hand, both were less obvious than in macro photos, but they were both areas that I expect improvements on at this price point.

Still, the rest of the categories were all extremely nice. I don't love some of the design choices - he's a little more robot than I'd prefer - but I can't argue with the quality of the sculpt and paint work. He's certainly a massive improvement over the figure I reviewed 18 years ago...as you'd certainly hope!

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

Where to Buy 
This guy was a Mezco Store exclusive, where he was originally $85. You can get on the wait list, or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other Batman Beyond goodies include the Batman Black and White statue, the Strike Cycle, and the old 9" figure from a very long time ago.

And there's a ton of other One:12 Collective reviews including the recent Wonder Woman, the black suit Spider-Man, the deluxe Joker, Ascending Knight Batman, and Deathstroke. I've reviewed just about all the One:12 figures, so searching the library would be fruitful.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

Discussion:
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