Review of Roxy Rocket - The New Batman Adventures
Action Figure and Vehicle

Introduction

Some of the best ladies in the comic book world come from the Batman universe. From Batgirl to Catwoman to Poison Ivy to Harley and on and on, there's never been a shortage of tough heroes or villains. Some, like Harley, are fairly new creations, sprouting from the various exceptional Batman animated shows of the 1990's.

Another in this same vein is Roxy Rocket. She first appeared in The Batman Adventures Annual #1, a comic done in the Timm style. She made it to the small screen on The New Batman Adventures, and flew in with gusto.

DC Collectibles has been doing a terrific looking series of 6" figures based on the animated shows, and have just released Roxy as a 'deluxe' edition. She comes with her rocket of course, which has a light up feature as well, and the combo will run you around $35 - $40 at most retailers.

Packaging - ***1/2
The packaging is attractive, and largely collector friendly. You will have to cut a couple twisty ties, and there's some tape holding the smaller accessories in place that has to go. But overall, the damage is minimal.  It would have been nice if the outside of the box played up the light up feature a bit more, or the fact that you have to buy two LR44 batteries to get it to work (it does mention it on the back in pretty small type), and I was surprised there were no instructions. While putting in the batteries isn't difficult, it might take you awhile to figure out how to get the lights turned on...

EDIT: I've heard from readers that there should be instructions under the small white display stand.  Perhaps I was stiffed by the gremlins on the packing line...

Sculpting - ***1/2
Roxy is as cute as ever, decked out in her pilot gear. The overall look matches her on screen (and in print) character design extremely well, and at just under 5 1/2" tall she fits in nicely with the rest of the series, scale-wise. The rocket is pretty large, coming in at about a foot long, but that's as it should be.

I really like the high quality clear plastic they used for the face mask, and the fur collar coat looks great.  Even the gloves show that special attention to detail, with the cuffs included as part of the arm sculpt to avoid interfering with the articulation.

The belt isn't removable, but it does float on the hip and leg. That's a good move, again ensuring that the costume doesn't restrict any of the joints. Some of the details could be a little sharper, but the overall style matches the character design extremely well.

Then there's the rocket, and a great looking rocket it is.  With a cool retro 50's sci-fi design, it sticks with the sleek, utilitarian concept from the show. Knobs and levers are kept to a minimum, and it's the overall look that takes center stage. Roxy can fit on the rocket in a bunch of ways, including resting with her legs forward in a Sunday Driving sort of pose, or with her legs back, more in a racing pose. Getting her all the way down on the seat is a bit of an issue, but the final look works extremely well.

Paint - ***
They've got some great looking earth tones in the costume, and these complement her red hair and bright smile extremely well.

However there is some slop, especially around cut lines and edges.  There's also something a bit weird going on with her lips, with one side painted thicker and wider than the other.  It's a minor nit, because in person it's far less noticeable, but the overall paint quality isn't quite at the same level as the Sculpt.

Articulation - ***
There's plenty of articulation here, but it's also the one category with a major issue.

The ball jointed neck works nicely, and has a greater range of movement than I expected. With the large collar and long hair, I'm surprised it can even turn, let alone get a little tilt action going.

The rotating hinge shoulders, elbows and wrists work great, and allow for plenty of action poses. Add in the cut waist with the hinge hips, knees, ankles and rocker feet - and don't forget a cut at the top of the boots - and you have a figure that should be able to handle just about any stance you throw at it.

Unfortunately, the knees are very weak, and the ankles are almost as bad.  With a small figure like this, weak joints are usually not a huge problem - there's not a lot of weight to put on them in the first place.  However, all that hair is quite heavy, and it creates a problem with any standing poses.  She'll be great on the rocket, but if you want her displayed on her own, you'll need to stick with the included stand.

Accessories - ****
She comes with a nice set of extras, even above and beyond the Rocket.

I've already talked about the rocket itself quite a bit, and I'll be going over the light up feature in the next category. Suffice to say, it's a big part of why she gets full marks here.

But they could have stopped there, and collectors wouldn't have complained...too much. They went beyond that, including two more sets of hands (one set of tight grips, one looser right grip and an open left hand), to go with the fists she comes wearing. They swap pretty easily, but I did pop the pin loose on one of the fists. I think I can fix it, but you'll want to take a little care the first time you pop them off.

She also has a flare gun as well as an 'electro' gun, and the large wrench. There's also a 'bat flare' that goes on the end of the flare gun. All these are very show specific, which is a big plus in my book. She can hold them all fairly well, even when riding the rocket.

There's a small display stand as well with her character art on the top, exactly the same design as we saw with earlier releases.  This consistent stand style is a nice touch, and thanks to Roxy's problems with loose knees, you'll need to use it for any standing poses.

The rocket itself also has a stand, made from clear plastic. It doesn't hold the rocket particularly far off the ground, but it does hold it securely with no change of wilting.

Light Feature - ***
The light up feature requires two LR44 batteries, which are probably not lying around the house. I had to head out to the store to grab some, and it is an extra expense. They are easy enough to put in on the bottom of the rocket, where the compartment is fairly well hidden.

I had to head to the store to pick up some of these batteries (the more common 327 is a replacement for LR44), and once I had them bought, home, and in place, it was a lot less impressive than I'd hoped.  Remember, the Batmobile has a fantastic light up feature...here, not so much.  The two batteries power one red light which illuminates the flame exhaust in back.  To turn it on and off you have to turn the exhaust housing.

I was probably all the more disappointed because the rocket has some slits on either side that I assumed would light up as well. They certainly looked perfect for it...but alas, it's just the tail.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
This is a fun figure when combined with the rocket. On her own, she's a little less fun because of the weak joints. But paired with her ride and the light up feature, you'll have a great time posing and re-posing her with the rest of your DC line up.

Value - ***
You can find this set for $35 at several retailers, including a couple of my sponsors in the Where to Buy section. At that price, this is a very solid value.  Most 6" collector themed action figures are running $20 these days, and to get this vehicle, with the light up feature, for just another $15 is very welcome.

Things to Watch Out For -
I didn't have any trouble with the joints and breakage overall, unlike some of the past releases. Nothing was stuck, and working with the joints through their range of movement seemed safe. However, I did damage one of the hands when removing it (as I mentioned earlier), so you'll want to take a little care popping them on and off.

Overall - ***1/2
This is another sweet vehicle - and figure! - in the DC Collectibles animated line up.  I do wish the light up feature did a little more, but there was really only one problem holding her back from a full four stars.  It's those damn loose knees of course, and if DCC ever gets this myriad of joint issues behind them, they'll have winner with every release.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth is also at $35.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other recent releases in this series include the super sweet Batmobile, the Creeper, Robin, the Joker, Man-Bat, Batman and Catwoman, and Two Face and Mr. Freeze.

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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