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Sculpting - Penguin
****; Batman, Batgirl ***1/2
The Batman here is just a repaint of the All Stars figure, based on the
New 52 design. I've mentioned before that I'm not a fan of most of the
New 52 designs, but at least this Batman is better than the goofy Tron
style outfit he has in some of the books.
The
short ears are an interesting look, and the rubber cape is light enough
that he doesn't topple over in normal stances. The gloves and boots are
a bit clumsy looking in their design, but I do like the small pouches
on the belt. He stands just a hair over 6 1/4", and he does stand great
on his own. He even had hands that are sculpted to hold accessories,
although he comes with none.
The Batgirl is also based on the
New
52 look, but her outfit isn't as clunky. I'm not a big fan of the
gloves, but the boots are decent and once again, her cape doesn't cause
her to topple over. It's not the best Batgirl costume we've ever seen,
but it's not the worst. She also has a sculpted right gripping hand,
and yet she has nothing to grip.
The Penguin is based on the
classic Super Powers look, although he has a unique head sculpt. He's
also larger, standing just about 6" tall. He stands great on his own,
the sculpted hands work well with the accessories, and the maniacal
expression looks great.
Paint - Batman ***1/2; Batgirl,
Penguin ***
Batman
might be a mere repaint, but I have to say that I really like the
color. The metallic gray looks as good on him as it does a new car, and
the contrast with the glossy black makes it pop. The coverage is clean,
and the lines are sharp and neat. There's a little slop around the
mask, but it's pretty minor.
Batgirl and Penguin don't do
quite as well, although neither is terrible.
Batgirl's
costume looks good, and most of the cut lines and edges are well done.
I'm not loving the matte finish on neck, however. The gold is
a
tad sloppy too, and some of the coverage is poor. And she has some
wonky eyes, with neither looking in quite the direction you expect.
It's minor, because you have to be paying pretty close attention to
notice it, but once you do you can't unring that bell.
The
Penguin is the cleanest paint job of the three, but there's just not
enough operations. The expansive blue coat has no detail, and the shirt
and vest are both the same color of white. At least the bow tie has a
little color, but with the white gloves and blue hat, there's just not
enough variety or detail.
He also has a very thin black
line around his nose, which is not visible except under the harsh glare
of the micro lens. It adds some definition to the nose under normal
conditions.
Articulation - Batman, Penguin
***1/2; Batgirl ***
All three figures are well articulated, but Batgirl is a bit weak when
it comes to posing.
They
all have ball jointed necks, but Batgirl's hair makes it a pretty moot
point. On the other end of the spectrum is the Penguin, who can tilt
and lean his head all over the place. Batman is some place in between.
The
pin/disc style ball shoulders, hinge hips, cut biceps and thighs, pin
elbows and knees, cut wrists, cut waist, and pin ankles, all work well
together allowing for fairly natural poses, at least for Batman and
Penguin. Batgirl, not so much, although she has knees and elbows that
can turn as well.
Batman also has an ab crunch, which allows for better crouches.
The joints are high quality, and
will stand up to normal handling, posing and even play.
Accessories - Penguin **1/2;
Batman, Batgirl Bupkis
Sadly,
there's no BAF or CNC type piece with these figures. It makes me saSd,
and if there had been, they would have sold a couple more of the series.
Both
Batman and Batgirl come with nothing, not even a batarang. That's
pretty shocking, since they've made enough of them over the years in
this scale that you would have thought the cost of adding a couple
would be minute. That really hurts their overall value, both monetary
and play.
Penguin fairs better. He gets
two extras - his umbrella
and the Gatling gun attachment inside. You can pop the gun off the
umbrella if you'd like, perhaps for a less malevolent look.
The
umbrella itself fits nicely in his right hand and looks great in any
number of poses. It doesn't close of course, but it's always a rainy
day for the Penguin. This umbrella looks to me like the one we
originally got with the Penguin released as part of the very first series of DC
Universe Classics.
Fun Factor - ***1/2
While
there's a real shortage of accessories here, all three figures have
great articulation. They are very solid, with god joints, and are true
action figures with all the play value that implies.
Value - Penguin **1/2;
Batman, Batgirl **
These figures
are going for the usual $15 at most retailers, which is average these
days for a toy like the Penguin. It's too much for Batman and Batgirl,
since neither have an accessory to their name. Batman is even worse,
since he's also just a repaint.
Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing.
Overall
- Penguin ***1/2; Batman, Batgirl ***
To be
honest, the New 52 costumes on Batman and Batgirl don't do a whole lot
for me, although they aren't the worst costumes DC has come up with
recently. However, Batman is really just a repaint, and if you've
already picked up the All Stars version from last year, you really
don't need another.
Batgirl and Batman also lack
accessories, a
big negative. While there's nothing about either to hate, they're
definitely mediocre releases.
On the other hand, there's the
Penguin. He has the cool nostalgic thing going for him, along with a
better value due to the accessories. As a Bat-Fan, he's a must, but you
can feel safe skipping the other two.
Score Recap:
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - Penguin ****; Batman, Batgirl ***1/2
Paint - Batman, Penguin ***1/2; Batgirl ***
Articulation - Batman, Penguin ***1/2; Batgirl ***
Accessories - Penguin ***; Batgirl, Batman Bupkis
Fun Factor - ***1/2
Value - Penguin **1/2; Batman, Batgirl **
Overall - Penguin ***1/2; Batman, Batgirl ***
Where to Buy -
These are popping up at most mass market retailers, but it looks like
Target is putting them out first.
Related
Links -
I've reviewed a ton of DC Universe Classics, but instead I'll point you
to the last one - Series 20
- and you can check out the 'Related Links' section there to find the
others.
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