Packaging - ***12
These exclusives (including the Pirates of the Caribbean Angelica) come in special packaging. There's a hard outer shell, and the inner box slides out one side, designed for bookshelf storage.

It works well, and I love the graphics on the outer box. It's also completely collector friendly of course, so there's no need to damage anything in getting the figure out.

It's not exceptionally complex though, and there's no real character text. Considering the deluxe level pricing, it's a not quite as high end as I'd hoped.

Sculpting - ****
This is one of those Hot Toys sculpts where you could easily mistake a photo of the toy for a photo of a real person. 

It's not just about looking realistic though - it has to look like the actor and character as well. Hot Toys has nailed both, creating one of my favorite likenesses in awhile.

The portrait looks most like Oldman when he's not wearing either of the included glasses. That's because the nerd spectacles are a bit too big (more on that in the Accessories section), and the SWAT pair are not quite as iconic to the character. With or without the glasses though, this is a fantastic Oldman.

Customizers will love using this head for other recent Oldman characters, although finding one on its own might be tough.

The extra hands are sculpted in various cool poses, and work well with the accessories and a number of unique stances. The relaxed ungloved versions look a little big, but the others are right in scale.

Paint - ****
Another amazing production paint job. As I said in the earlier category, if you give just a quick glance to a photo of this figure, you can easily think it's a real person, and a large part of that is the amazing life-like paint application.

The skin tone is very impressive, and the deeply set glassy eyes are spooky. Perhaps the best work is on the hair and hair lines, a tricky application for most, but not here. Beautiful work all around!

Articulation - ***1/2
The usual TrueType body works great, with lots of excellent articulation and more than enough joints. Neck, shoulders, elbows, knees, hips, waist, thighs, torso - everything works great.

The ankles are pretty restricted by the hard sculpt boots, but it's a minor issue. Also an issue are the wrists, at least when using the gloved hands. The hole is so deep in the hand and the clothing comes down so far on the arms that it can be tough to keep the hands in place. They tend to pop off a bit too easily, and can be hard to get on to begin with. Again, it's a minor issue, and one that is easy enough to overcome, but it's worth noting.

Accessories - ***1/2
The figure has a number of goodies, per usual for Hot Toys.

There's a nice assortment of hands, including four gloved versions and six ungloved hands. These are all in various poses designed to work with the accessories and in key stances. They swap a bit too easily - I already mentioned that in the articulation section - but they look terrific.

There's also his radio, which fits in a pouch on the back of the belt and wraps around to hook on the front of the vest. It looks fantastic, including the itty bitty logo.

There's two small ties that attach to the front of the vest as well, and look pretty good. They can slip loose if you're not watching, so keep an eye on them.

He has two pairs of glasses - old school and a bit more modern. I prefer the more modern SWAT shooting style, but the classic nerd lens make the character even more recognizable. They're a bit oversized though, a problem that Hot Toys usually doesn't have. They have real lens, always a nice touch, and they aren't hugely oversized - I'd say maybe 10% or so. It's more noticeable up close and in macro photos, but if you back away from the figure a bit they seem closer in scale. Not perfect, but better.

He also has the SWAT helmet and large goggles, but you'll never use these. I went back and looked at Hot Toys promo photos, and was not surprised to see them skip these as well. The mask is too big, and the helmet is too small, but he can always hold them in his hands.

He has two weapons, a Smith and Wesson pistol and a Bennoli shotgun. Both have working actions, and the pistol has a removable magazine. The sculpts are a little basic on both, but reasonable considering the source material.

The pistol fits great in a hard shell holster. The holster flap has the hole/post closure which I usually hate, but this one is a slightly different design and works terrific.

Outfit - ***1/2
We've seen plenty of SWAT uniforms in the past, but this one does have a couple nice extras.

On the collar of the underlying polyester shirt they've included the "G.C.P.D." designation, a nice touch that sets it apart.

The shirt and pants are pretty standard fare, but are extremely well tailored. There's a belt of course, and it comes with the cool hard shell holster, soft radio case, and large soft (and stuffed) bag already attached. These all look terrific, and have good working straps and closures.

The SWAT vest and knee pads look like the real deal, and also fit extremely well. I did find that the small straps on the pads came loose once in awhile - you can see it in some of the photos - but the Velcro is easy enough to re-close.

The boot sculpt is terrific, although you do lose the ankle articulation. The pants come tucked in as you'd expect, but they are also long enough to properly fit down over the boots if you prefer.

Fun Factor - ***
Not a bad toy, with little risk of any serious damage with normal handling and even basic play. Of course, no kid is ever going to get his (or her) hands on this figure, at least while Dad is alive. But Hot Toys figures remember that they ARE action figures first, and that if they lose that focus, they lose their way. Collectors want them to remain excellent figures - if they wanted statues, they'd be buying statues.

Value - *1/2
Ouch - $225? That's high deluxe figure pricing, and we're accustomed to either movable eyes, extra heads, extra costumes or something else major. Here, you're largely paying the high price because this is an 'exclusive', and because they have not yet released any other Jim Gordon figure. Let's be honest, if we already had a regular release Gordon in a suit and coat, price around $180 or so, nobody would be buying this guy at $225.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing! This is a very sturdy figure for Hot Toys, with little change for breakage under normal handling and posing.

Overall - ***1/2
This figure really only has one issue - he's over priced by about 20%. That's caused by the exclusivity of course, but without any actual edition size or numbering, it's really hard for collectors to determine just how exclusive he really is.

But if you don't mind spending the extra $40 or so - and I suspect many Batman fans won't - then you'll be pleased with what you get. The sculpt and paint are what you expect from Hot Toys, and while this costume is certainly not the definitive Gordon look, it does give you a figure to display prominently with one of your many Hot Toys Ledger Jokers.

I included a lot of photos this time, so be sure to scroll through them all!

Score Recap:
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ****
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - ***
Outfit - ****
Fun Factor - ***
Value - **
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy -
Sideshow had him in stock originally for $225, but are now out of stock. Get on the waiting list, and you may get lucky. Or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other key Hot Toys Batman figures include the exclusive Bruce Wayne/Batman figure, as well as the Demon Bats/Scarecrow set.

There's also the DX02 Batman, and I have a guest review of the DX02 from a couple years ago.

There's the exceptionally cool Tumbler and Bat-pod, two of the nicest sixth scale vehicles ever produced.

Other figures include Two Face/Harvey Dent, the Bank Robber Joker, original Joker, original Batman and new suit Batman. I also checked out their busts of both Batman and Joker.

And they might not be what you think of when you think "Batman" and "Hot Toys", but don't neglect to check out the Cosbabies!

The DX01 Joker was so cool I broke it into two reviews, one looking at the regular figure and one looking at the cop variant.

And they are DK figures, but the Keaton Batman and Nicholson Joker are outstanding.

Discussion:
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