Review of Nite Owl - Watchmen action figure

Introduction

Matty Collector is producing the full Watchmen team this year, based on the classic comic book look. We've already been treated to Silk Spectre II, Rorschach, and Dr. Manhattan, and their July release is Nite Owl.

There's a subscription for this series, which is how I picked them up, and has worked well so far. Expect to pay $25 each when they first go on sale, and expect them to sell out within a reasonable amount of time.

Packaging - ****
Perhaps the best feature of this series is the packaging, and that's not something I say very often. The outer box (which I included a photo of this time since I realized I hadn't in the previous three reviews) can be set side by side to create the classic wall graphitti. The inner box is perfect for the book shelf, and the figure inside can be removed without any damage. It's a terrific looking design, and is the best feature by far.

Sculpting - ***
For fans of the comic, this sculpt should be just what they've been looking for. The classic costume looks great, and there's enough detail to make the goggles and cowl stand out.

The cowl is a separate piece from the rubber cape, allowing the neck to turn. The cape is very restrictive due to the way it covers the shoulders and upper arms, but it does give him a very bird-like appearance.

His hands are sculpted to hold the accessories, and work well. He's the usual scale, coming in about 6 1/2". While there's a base, you won't need it - he stands great on his own, even with the rubber cape.

Paint - **1/2
The paint is a bit weak, especially around the face and goggles. The cut lines are a little sloppy, and some areas are a bit gloppy and thick. There's also some stray marks on the brown cape, and the coloration is a little inconsistent.

Articulation - ***
This is the same base body we've seen with much of the DC Universe Classics line, including the ball shoulders, pin elbows, knees and wrists, cut biceps, thighs, waist and wrists, and ab-crunch, and the usual hinge hips.

I've already mentioned that the cape pretty much takes out the shoulder and upper arm articulation. You can still get some reasonable poses, but you can't lift the upper arms too high...or at all.

Accessories - ***1/2
While some of the earlier figures have been pretty light in this category, Nite Owl makes up for it.

He has the same large character card as the previous releases, and he also has the same display base.

Along with those standard items, he comes with his very cool grappling gun, which fits nicely in either hand. It has a great sculpt and decent paint work, and the scale is just about right.

He also has three of his owl-arangs, which don't fit quite as well in his hands, but still look pretty sweet.

Fun Factor - ***
The articulation is a bit more restricted this time around, making this guy a bit weaker as a true toy, but he still has enough potential, as long as the player has some idea of who the characters are.

Value - **
At $25, this is a pretty expensive figure. The production run is low, and the packaging is terrific...and there's enough accessories to make it seem less painful of a price. It's still not what I'd call an average value, but it's getting there.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing.

Overall - ***
While I'm pleased that we are getting comic based series of figures, I suspect that outside of the serious fans of the books, these will be treated largely with disinterest. I have to admit that there's no real wow factor for the layman.

But if you are nuts for the graphic novel, then you'll be happy with the way these are turning out. This is one of those cases where the cool factor of the whole outweighs the cool factor of each individual character. Pick them all up, and their appeal is multiplied many times over.

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

Where to Buy 
Obviously, the way to get this guy was through Matty Collector, where he was $25. He's sold through now, so ebay might be your best bet.

Related Links -
So far, Mattel has released Dr. Manhattan, Silk Spectre II, and Rorschach. They should have the full team out by year's end. This isn't the first time the license has been hit with collectibles either - smaller figures that I've checked out include some of the variants, and series 1 split in two reviews, one of Ozymandias and modern Silk Spectre, and the other of Rorschach and modern Nite Owl. There's also the series 2 review, and I also checked out one of the 13" deluxe figures, Dr. Manhattan.

Hot Toys produced two sixth scale figures with the Comedian and Silk Spectre.

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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