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Captain Toy/Michael's Review of the Week

Review of Gotham Knight 2 statue
Batman Black and White

DC Direct
Date Published: 2009-05-06
Written By: Michael Crawford
Overall Average Rating: 3.5 out of 4

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Batman Black & White Gotham Knight 2 statue by DC Direct

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Introduction

DC Direct has released the second 'special edition' statue in their highly successful Batman Black and White series: Gotham Knight 2.  Limited to 3500, this statue (just like the first special edition) is based on Batman's appearance in the Gotham Knight animated movie.

The film is set after Batman Begins, and is an anthology of six short stories, each written by a different scribe, each directed in a different style by a different person. We saw something like this with Animatrix, and like that movie, this one is a bit hit or miss depending on the sub-story.

This statue is based on the costume worn in the third story line, "Field Test". In this story, we get to see the development of Bats' arsenal, including a shield generator that can deflect gunfire. He wears a pretty cool costume in this segment, making it perfect for the statue treatment.

Batman Black & White Gotham Knight 2 statue by DC Direct

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Packaging - ***
The box does it's primary function, keeping the statue safe from harm. It also includes a nifty Certificate of Authenticity, and uses the high quality hard foam, so you won't have to sweep up a million little pieces when you crack him open.

An addition that would have gotten extra points here would have been a shot from the film itself, to remind you of what the actual screen costume looks like.

Batman Black & White Gotham Knight 2 statue by DC Direct

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Sculpting - ***1/2
Derek Miller did the work this time, and some fine work he did.

The last few statues in the series have been decent, but not outstanding. Perhaps it's just been a bit of overload, or maybe they've just had a hard time coming up with really interesting or unique designs. Or maybe I'm just getting jaded. But this design really stands out for me, and is one of the more interesting in quite some time.

Of course, it depends on how well you like Gotham Knight, and in particular, Field Test. The armored outfit is different, that's for sure, and I don't really recall getting a great, clear look at it in the film. But from what I do remember (and can see in screen caps), they've done a great job recreating it here.

There's plenty of small, fine detail, including the ridges in the shoulder armor, the highlighted bat symbol, and even the belt. The muscle definition looks good, and the proportions of the various body parts are much better than usual.

It's really the design that snags me though, and I'll talk about that more in a moment. This statue is in the same scale as the rest of the series, right around 6" (1/12th).

Batman Black & White Gotham Knight 2 statue by DC Direct

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Paint - ***
The paint is a bit sloppy, most noticeable on close up inspection, but harder to see in person than in photos.

Obviously, the statue is done in multiple shades of black and white, and the colors are consistent and clean, even across wide expanses like the cape.

There's a little slop around the eyes and face, where the white cut lines aren't quite clean, but it's fairly minor.

A highlight is the use of a bright gloss black on the symbol, which makes it stand out nicely against the matte black of the armor.

Design/Quality - ****
The best feature of this statue is the dynamic design. It's tough to come up with a new way to show off the cape and make the character appear active, considering the huge number of statues done to date. And yet, they've managed to do that here.

The cape flows out from Bats in back, with the front edges/ends held in either hand. The poses of the arms, chest and cape itself are very realistic, with no odd or uncomfortable angles.

Batman is posed in a very cat-like stance, either in landing or taking off in a jump, your choice of interpretation. The overall flow of the body and cape works perfectly, and even though the pose is extreme, it isn't awkward. That's a very tricky thing to pull off, and they've done it beautifully.

The statue attaches to the base with two metal pegs. These pegs are attached to the base, and fit into the bottom of the standing foot, a longer one in the heel and a shorter one in the foot itself. Even with only one standing attached foot, the statue is extremely stable and sturdy.

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Value - **1/2
This statue will run anywhere from $60 - $70, depending on the retailer. Sadly, this seems to be the going rate for statues in this scale (only 6"), which I still think is about $15 or so more than it should be...but I suppose you can't fight the increase at this point.

I am grading this at $60 - $63 though, since enough retailers are selling it in that range to make it easy to get at that price. If you pay $65 - $70, I'd drop this another half star.

Things to Watch Out For -
Nothing that should be an issue.

Batman Black & White Gotham Knight 2 statue by DC Direct

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Overall - ***1/2
This is the first release in the series in some time that I feel really shines. It's not necessary to love or even see Gotham Knight to appreciate the cool suit, and the uniqueness allows it to stand out among all the comic book based costumes. The dynamic design is also a highlight, especially the cape.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***
Design/Quality - ****
Value - **1/2
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- has him in stock at $63.75.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I've covered quite a few of these, including:

- the Sciver version, the Aparo, the Neal Adams and George Perez versions, the Gotham Knight, Bob Kane, Frank Miller, Jim Lee, Matt Wagner, Mike Mignola, and Kelley Jones.

- And there is also the cool Joker, the first of the villains in this style.

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!

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Batman Black & White Gotham Knight 2 statue by DC Direct

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This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.

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