Review of Armored Batman - Batman V Superman
One:12 Collective and Sixth Scale action figures

Introduction

Tonight I'm doing something a little bit different - looking at two figures that have only one real thing in common: they are of the same character, the armored version of Batman from the movie Batman v Superman.

Both have been out for awhile.  The Mezco One:12 Collective Armored Batman was an SDCC exclusive release, so the people that picked it up at the show had it last July.  Even though I was at the show, I thought I'd be smart and just have them ship it to my home...and it didn't show up til October.  Hey, I'll learn...maybe.  Remember, the One:12 Collective figures are approximately 1:12 scale, or 6" or so tall.  They normally run around $70- $80 each, but because this guy was a show exclusive (and therefore more limited) he was more expensive, coming in at $110.

The other figure is also the Armored Batman, but this time it's the sixth scale Hot Toys release.  This guy has been shipping for awhile, and will run you around $250 depending on the retailer. While scale should make the subjects of each photo obvious, I'll still point them out.  In the very first photo above you'll see the Mezco release, while right below this text is the Hot Toys version.

Packaging - HT ***; Mezco ***1/2
Both packages are very attractive, but each have at least one annoying issue as well.

The Hot Toys shoe box design has the angled sides on the lid, and a very attractive city scape with the glossy logo on the front. The interior cover card is attractive, and most of the package is collector friendly. There's a number of pieces of plastic wrap and foam inserts, but most are easily removed. However, one is not so easy to get rid of. The belt around the shoulders (which I believe is the grenade launcher strap, just not attached to the launcher) is NOT intended to be removed from the figure, and that is clearly spelled out in the instructions. Yet, it is wrapped tightly in plastic over its entire length, which you will need to carefully cut free and remove.

Where the Hot Toys package is attractive, the Mezco package is beautiful. I love the use of the clear plastic slip covers, which have some of the graphics printed on them. This gives it a three dimensional look, and is a fantastic concept.

However, once you get the cover off and the tray out, you run into another non-collector friendly annoyance.  They've held the heavy metal spear in place with a twisty tie...yes, a twisty tie.  I hate twisty ties.

Sculpting - Mezco ***1/2; Hot Toys ****
Here's a category where scale gives a slight edge to Hot Toys.

The armor looks fantastic, attached to the soft body suit underneath.  The proportions are excellent, and the internal scale - from head to torso to limbs - is very realistic. The scarring and damage is well defined, but looks like the sort of marks you'd see on iron, where the depth and edges are slightly soft.

The Hot Toys version comes with two lower face plates as well, and both are extremely good representations of Batfleck. Both are open mouth (he is a bit of a mouth breather, after all), but one is more extreme, more dynamic. They both look great, and give you some options depending on how you display him with the appropriate Superman.

The photo below is the Hot Toys version.

I've included a photo toward the end of the review of both figures together to give you some appreciation as to the difference in scale.  While the Mezco is much smaller, the detail is no less impressive.  The scarring on the the armor looks fantastic, and the plastic material mirrors the look and design of actual metal. The Ben likeness is great as well, especially considering the tiny scale.  Remember, this guy is only 6 1/2" tall, while the Hot Toys version is 13 1/2" tall. That's actually in sixth scale, with the extra size from the big boots and big armor.

The small size of the Mezco figure does mean he suffers a bit proportionally, however. He looks much more like Batfleck meets Frank Miller, with a smaller head and chunkier body. He fits nicely with the overall One:12 style, but does look a bit more 'comic book' and stylized than the Hot Toys release.

Obviously, the photo below is the Mezco.

Paint - ****
I have zero complaints with either paint job, although they are slightly different in style.

The Mezco version is slightly lighter in color, in hand, than the Hot Toys figure. Both sets of armor are iron gray, and small details are clean and sharp. The white plastic eye covers look great, and the work on the lower face on both is terrific. Of course, the larger scale Hot Toys figure has more paint detail in the skin, lips and teeth, thanks again to the scale advantage. But the Mezco version looks every bit as good, particularly in hand.

Articulation - Hot Toys **1/2; Mezco ***1/2
Here's a category where the clear winner is the smaller figure, although it would seem counter intuitive. Wouldn't it be easier to articulate a larger figure wearing the same armor?

That's not the case here. The Hot Toys figure, while sporting all the usual great articulation under the body suit, is highly restricted. The arms can not raise above chest level, and the elbows and wrists are restricted by the arm armor.  The hands are difficult to swap, and the torso has almost no turn or lean action. The hips can move out and in a bit, but the tight body suit keeps them from turning, so the leg armor remains facing forward. The knees have some bend, and the ankles allow for bend and rocker movement, keeping the feet flat on the ground in the few shallow stances that the legs allow. The neck is his best feature, with a good range of movement, particularly when tilting up and down.  All the joints are tight, and should be able to maintain poses long term.

The smaller 1/12 figure is quite different. The smaller head tends to sit up higher on the shoulders, which means it has plenty of tilt and lean action.  The shoulders allow for almost full range of movement, and the elbows and wrists are much less restricted. Swapping hands is easy, and while the torso is more restricted than usual, you can still get a little lean from side to side and front to back. The legs are naturally tight, thanks to the similar body suit, but the material is more stretchy, allowing for deeper stances. The ankles and knees work great, and the rocker movement keeps the feet flat on the ground. Considering how restrictive the armor can be, Mezco did a terrific job.

Accessories - Hot Toys ***; Mezco ****
These two figures are very similar in their extras, which isn't surprising considering the character.

Hot Toys gives us seven hands in total - he comes wearing a set of relaxed hands, and includes a set of fists, a gun grip right, a two finger grip right, and a tighter grip right for the grapple gun.  These are tough to swap, and can be a tad frustrating. It is doable though, and the easiest way is to pull the wrist peg out of the forearm and attach it to the hand, then put it back into the arm. There's a couple extra wrist pegs, just in case.

He also has the aforementioned grappling gun, and it does fit neatly in the proper right hand.  I also mentioned the second, more emotional face plate earlier, and these swap easily and are held in place with magnets.  You have to remove the head to swap them, but it's a fairly straight forward process.

His other big accessory is the grenade launcher, which has a telescoping stock and two kryptonite grenades. These can be slid into the barrel, and one is extended. He can hold the launcher nicely in one hand, but the restricted articulation I mentioned earlier does not allow for a two handed pose.

Finally, he has a fairly basic display stand, with a crotch support and the BvS logo.

The Mezco version is similar...but has more. He has one extra hand, for a total of eight. There's a set of fists he comes wearing, plus three more sets of various grips.  The additional lefts - rather than the right heavy set provided by Hot Toys - allows for more choices in overall poses. The hands swap easily.

He also has a grappling gun, but his tiny version comes with two grappling hooks that can be attached to the end. One just goes in the launcher, while the other has a long 'rope' that can attach to the barrel. This gives you the option for some cool swinging poses - more on that in a minute.

Like the Hot Toys version, he also has the grenade launcher and two grenades. Again, these fit inside the barrel, and the stock on the launcher is telescoping.  Both grenades are identical, however.  The launcher has the cloth strap attached to it, rather than already on the figure.

Of course, the detailing on the sculpts of these various accessories is better on the sixth scale figure - that's an advantage of scale. However, the smaller accessories look terrific, and the amount of detail that Mezco is pulling off at this size is really impressive.

Perhaps the coolest extra is the real metal spear, with translucent kryptonite tip.  It's hefty, but the joints on the figure are tight enough to easily wield it in a variety of poses.

Finally, there's the Mezco stand. This is the same flying stand, with translucent posts, that we saw with their terrific Dark Knight Returns figures. It includes several black post wires that allow you to pose the cape flying out in various dynamic ways.  This stand takes a lot of effort to create the best effect, but it's well with the time. The grapple hook with the rope can work great with this stand - with the figure supported in a flying/lifting pose, you can attach the rope to one end of the launcher, and the grapple to something else, making for a great looking set up.

Light Feature - Hot Toys ***; Mezco ****
Both figures include the light up eyes, and both have the required batteries included.

The Hot Toys version requires three batteries, and you pop off the head to unscrew the battery compartment and get to the switch.  It was a little tricky getting the batteries in, and you have to remove the head every time you want to turn the eyes on or off. But they are very bright, and look great even in room light.

I'd go another half star on the HT feature, but for one annoying design flaw.  The thick neck armor has a tendency to turn the switch on and off all by itself.  This is particularly annoying when you're putting the head back in place - turn on the light, press the head down on the neck, light goes off. Grrr. Rinse, repeat.  I also found that turning the head in certain poses would trigger the switch, as it rubs against the neck armor. Slightly better placement would have helped a lot here. That's the Hot Toys figure right below.

The Mezco feature works in a similar way.  There are only two batteries with the smaller figure, and you pop off the head to unscrew the battery compartment (they even include an extra screw inside the little plastic accessories bag!) and pop them in. It was fairly easy, and the switch is also on the underside. However, the smaller head and neck size means you can reach the switch to turn the lights on (or off) without removing the head, if you use a small screwdriver or pen.

Again, the lights are bright and even, and look great even in room light. The photo below shows the Mezco release.

Outfit - Mezco ***; Hot Toys ***1/2
Here's an easy win for Hot Toys. If you're looking for the most realistic outfit, from armor to body suit, to cape, the Hot Toys release is the way to go.

I've already raved about the sculpt and paint work on the armor.  The two other big areas of the Outfit is the body suit and the cape.

The Hot Toys body suit is very realistic, but not very stretchy. It is quite restrictive, and when I did push it's limits, I noticed that some of the seams looked problematic.

The thin cape looks fantastic, nicely attached to the shoulders and hanging perfectly down the back.  It's a highlight of the figure, and really adds to the overall look.

My only real problem with the Hot Toys outfit is the belt around the chest. This is not removable, and is threaded through the cape at the shoulder.  It sits much too high on the shoulder and chest, and it is not adjustable.

Just like the Hot Toys version, I've already discussed how cool the armor is on the Mezco version. That leaves the body suit and cape.

Scale hurts a little here.  The body suit is a more stretchy material, causing far fewer problems with the articulation, but the texture is a little more obvious. The big problem, at least for me, is the cape.  The material just doesn't hang as cleanly at this size, and it tends to bunch up a bit more at the shoulders than I like. That's the Mezco in the next photo.

Fun Factor - Hot Toys ***; Mezco ****
Both figures are a lot of fun, thanks to the reasonable light up feature and the nice assortment of accessories. However, the restricted articulation on the Hot Toys version reduces the amount of poses you can come up with, and reduces the number of times you'll go back to the figure and re-pose. The Mezco doesn't have that restriction, and you'll come up with a ton of cool poses both with and without the flying stand.

Value - **1/2
The Hot Toys figure will cost you around $250, depending on the retailer. Even by Hot Toys standards, that's on the high side. The average is around $220 - $230 these days, but the light up feature - and the complexity of the armor - allows for an average value.

Mezco's release is higher than normal too, since most One:12 Collective figures run around $70 - $80 and this guy was $110.  However, the figure also has the light up feature, which is not a normal feature for the One:12 line, and it has that same complex armor.  Add in the exclusivity of an SDCC release, and you have a figure that gets an average score here even at a slightly higher price.

Things to Watch Out For -
There's nothing on either figure that seemed particularly fragile or dangerous. I would be a little careful with the telescoping stock on the smaller Mezco grenade launcher, but normal considerations for the smaller size is all that's needed.

Overall - Hot Toys ***1/2; Mezco ****
It's a little odd to compare two figures like this so far apart in scale and price.  Yet, they are both high end examples in their respective markets, and they are both the same character from the same movie.

If you're looking for an ultra realistic figure, and you're fine with basic maquette style posing, the Hot Toys release is perfect for you.  Other than the lack of articulation and a slightly wonky light feature, there's very little wrong here. And you can't argue with just how realistic and lifelike the figure will appear in your display.

But if you're a bit more of a 'toy' collector, someone that loves both realism AND articulation, the Mezco release is about perfect. I'm not thrilled with the way the cape hangs, and the head is a little small for the body, but everything else, from the articulation to the accessories to the paint, is fantastic.

The next photo will show you the difference in scale, while the final photo shows off the Hot Toys release again.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - HT ***; Mezco ***1/2
Sculpting - Mezco ***1/2; Hot Toys ****
Paint - ****
Articulation - Hot Toys **1/2; Mezco ***1/2
Accessories - Hot Toys ***; Mezco ****
Light Feature - Hot Toys ***; Mezco ****
Outfit - Mezco ***; Hot Toys ***1/2
Fun Factor - Hot Toys ***; Mezco ****
Value - **1/2
Overall - Hot Toys ***1/2; Mezco ****

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
This is the first Batman V Superman Mezco figure I've covered, but I have looked at several other One:12 characters, like the Dark Knight Returns, Judge Dredd, or Star Trek.

The only other BvS Hot Toys figure I've covered so far is the Knightmare Batman, but there's more to come.

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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