Review of Batgirl New 52 - DC Cover Girls statue

Introduction

It's the fall, a time for change - in the temperature, in the leaves, and in our Cover Girls. Yep, DC Collectibles is changing things up again with the long running series of statues.

On the plus side, the Cover Girls series has left the world of the New 52, at least for now. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that where they've gone is an improvement. They are now basing the designs, at least for awhile, on the artwork of Stanley Lau, aka Artgerm. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is probably an aesthetic discussion, but it's a discussion we'll certainly be having.

They've made another change too - they've gone back to the limited edition concept. With a run size of 5200 statues, that's a pretty big stretch for the term 'limited edition'.

Batgirl will run you around $85 or so at most retailers, and Lau's Supergirl is up next.

Packaging - **1/2
The box is pretty dull, with the basic white being too simple and uninteresting. Basic and simple doesn't have to mean dull - just look at the black boxes for the new Star Wars 6" figures.

While these are a 'limited edition' (and I'm using that term in the loosest possible sense), there's no Certificate of Authenticity. The package does keep the statue safe and sound on its way to you.

Sculpting - ***
I alluded to the new direction for the series. The designs are based on the artwork of Stanley Lau, a digital artist who has gotten quite popular in the last couple years.

His digital work has a depth and realism that traditional drawing can't mirror. Sadly, it does not translate particularly well in three dimensions.

It's not that the sculpt itself is unattractive, or lacks definition. I like the detailing, and the work on the costume and the hair looks great. But the overall design is dull, and lacks the dynamic nature of many of the past releases - even the goofy New 52 stuff.

The pose seems awkward, the expression is bland, and overall she leaves a pretty ho-hum impression on me.

The base and statue are separate pieces, and the base is designed with a color and minor emblem specific to this character. However, the general design will remain consistent statue to statue. Batgirl doesn't fit as tightly as she should though, and wobbles around a bit in the peg holes.

These statues are fairly large, but in scale with the earlier releases. Batgirl is a smidge over 10" tall.

Paint - ***
The paint work is reasonable, but not exceptional. The black costume is consistent in coverage and finish, and most of the cut lines are fairly clean. The edge of the mask is a little off, and the eyes have that low end collectible look, but the quality is generally B work overall.

They added a thin white line to the center of the lips. I assume this is to give them a slightly parted look, but she ends up looking like Barbie instead.

The metallic yellow is my favorite aspect of the paint job, and the contrast with the matte black looks great.

Value - **1/2
While these aren't cheap at around $85, it's actually pretty similar to what they cost a couple years ago. I'm giving them a slight bump up to average in this category because they've gone back to the limited runs, although there's really no way to know if 5200 statues is less than what they made for each of the non-limited releases.

Things to Watch Out For -
Since Batgirl wobbles around a bit in the base, you'll want to be careful repositioning her on the shelf. She can take a dive if you're not careful!

Overall - ***
While I remain a completist on this series, I have begun to wonder why. With the continuously shifting style, it's certainly not like there's any display advantage to having the entire series, unlike the Batman Black and White statues.

It's not that this Batgirl - or the upcoming Lau Supergirl - are terrible designs or sculpts. But I find them really uninspired and dull, and it's tough to convince myself that they are really worth the price tag if they won't illicit any excitement.

Perhaps I'm even more disappointed with this one since I didn't like the Adam Hughes Batgirl either. It doesn't look like we'll be getting a great Batgirl in this series...at least not yet.

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has the statue listed at $85.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other Cover Girls include Platinum, New 52 Harley, the New 52 Catwoman and the New 52 Wonder Woman.

- prior to that was the Starfire statue, Raven, Hawkgirl, Armored Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and just prior was Poison Ivy, Batgirl, Harley, Power Girl, Catwoman/Wonder Woman, Zatanna, and Black Canary.

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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