Review of Harley Quinn - Batman the Animated Series
ArtFX Statue

Introduction

When one door closes, you die a slow, suffocating death. Unless another one opens, or a window opens, or something like that.

DC Collectibles has pretty much wrapped up their terrific action figure line based on Batman: The Animated Series. It looks like Diamond Select Toys is also done with their mini-busts and statues based on the cartoon. Doors are slamming all over the place on fans of what is arguably the best Batman incarnation in history.

But Kotobukiya is going to make sure they don't suffocate. They have a new line of statues based on the show, and the first three releases are now shipping. These are part of their ArtFX+ line, the slightly smaller counterparts to the ArtFX series. They come in around $50 - $60, depending on the retailer. I'll be checking out Harley tonight, but I'll cover both the Joker and Batman soon as well.

Packaging - ***
Pretty standard boxes, and they are tinier than you might expect. Rather than soft foam, the interior are plastic trays, much like you see with lines like Bishoujo. There's no Certificate of Authenticity or edition size, but the box is sturdy and attractive, and completely collector friendly.

Sculpting - ***1/2
These statues are advertised as 1/10 scale, where a 6 foot male would be about 7" tall. Harley comes in at just over 6 1/4".

She's posed in a come hither stance, looking seductively over her left shoulder, one foot up on the ball, one hand on her hip, and a gun at the ready. It's a good look for the character, slightly sweet with a touch of sexy, and definitely dangerous.

There's not a lot of tiny detail with any animated design, but some of the detail that is here, like the scalloping on the cuffs, is too soft. Other areas, like the mask and diamonds, are sculpted and not merely painted, always a plus.

There are three face plates included. She comes with a wide smile and slightly hooded eyes, and I expect this will be the go to look for most folks. There's a closed eye, pursed mouth expression and a goofy expression as well, and they interchange easily.

Paint - ***1/2
One area where lower cost collectibles tend to make cuts is the paint quality. As a unit cost rather than a fixed cost, it can be adjusted right through the time of production.

The work here is quite good though, especially considering the scale and price point. There's a little gloppiness in the white, but the colors are clean and consistent, and edges are generally sharp and well defined.

Don't get me wrong - this isn't equal to the best work you'd see on a $100 statue. But it is an improvement over the quality of many other collectibles in this same price range.

Articulation - N/A
This is merely an FYI category, as there is no expectation of any articulation on my part. However, you might assume incorrectly that the neck or arms move - they can not.

Accessories - ****
There's some very cool extras here, something you don't normally get with a statue.

One feature that I really, really, really like - I really like it - is the magnetic feet and metal base. Both feet have a magnet in the bottom, and the statue attaches to the thin metal base tightly. She can also stand on any metal surface of course, without fear of toppling. The base itself has an excellent high quality logo image printed on it, with a soft fuzzy underside to avoid scratching other surfaces.

I already mentioned the two additional face plates she comes with, and it's a big plus when you can personalize any statue like this.

In addition, she comes with two additional heads, an extra arm, two additional hands, and a small card that can be used on the Joker statue! Kotobukiya knew that most people who buy Harley will also be buying the Joker, and providing some extras with her for him was a great way to further incentivize that behavior. When I review the Joker, I'll show you these in use.

Finally, she has a small cardboard package. You can open it up and use it to store the extra face plates if you'd like, but it's pretty flimsy.

Value - ****
These statues are hard PVC, much like other Kotobukiya statues. Even so, coming in at $50 - $60 is an excellent value, particularly considering the quality of the paint and sculpt. She even comes with a nice set of extras, and the cool magnetic feet feature!

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. Well, other than the addictive nature of something like this.

Overall - ***1/2
I was pretty bummed out by the end of several other BTAS lines, but after receiving this first statue in the ArtFX+ line up, I'm happy once again. While they only have three statues announced so far (and all three, Batman, Joker, and Harley are currently shipping), I'm hoping they are successful enough to run much, much deeper.

The paint has a few issues, but overall the quality is better than the price, creating an excellent value. Now if I can get a Man-bat, Killer Croc, Penguin, Catwoman, etc. etc. etc., I'll be a completist on this series.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has Harley and the Joker for $60.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I've covered lots of animated Batman goodies, including the mini-busts like Phantasm, statues like the Joker, and action figures like Man-Bat.

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

Discussion:
Want to chat about this review?  Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be discussing it!

Enjoyed this review? Be sure to head back to the main page to find thousands more just like it!