Sculpting - ***1/2
The sculpt is a pretty decent representation of the general Aparo
style. While his Bats was muscular, he was more svelte than today's
artist's tend to portray him. The utility belt is minimalistic, and the
cape covers the shoulders.
He also has a very angular, sharply defined face, and medium ears.
There's an appropriate amount of detail and texture for the particular
style. Proportions are good, and he fits in pretty well with the
rest of the series in terms of scale, standing about 6 inches tall in
the crouched position. Paint - ** The paint quality is a bit hit or miss, as well as being not to my particular artistic liking in some ways. The
majority of the slop is around the face, with a bit down on the belt as
well. The cut lines are a bit fuzzy at times, especially the added
lines to the face and belt. Speaking of the face, that's one of
my major aesthetic issues. They've added finely painted wrinkle
lines, as well as highlighting the lips and eyebrows with these lines.
I don't like it, and it goes a long way to dropping the score in
this category. The other thing they've done that I REALLY don't
like is they've used a different black for the face of the cowl and
inside of the ears. This is a much darker, glossier black than
the rest of the cape and cowl, and it's really obvious even in person
and in true scale. They've outlined the whole face with this
glossy black, giving him a weird line around his lower face.
Perhaps they thought this might approximate the look of the comic
art better - it doesn't. Finally, the gloves and boots are not a
consistent color or finish. It looks like they've tried to add
some shadowing or natural variation to these areas. Again, it
really doesn't work for me. By the way, any small white spots you
see on the cape or cowl are just dust. I had one Hell of a time
keeping the statue dust free when I was shooting it. It was a regular
dust magnet!
Design - ***1/2
While the paint let me down a bit, I really do like the design.
Rather than restrict the design of the pose to small size of the base,
they've allowed Bats to step off, increasing the potential for stances. I
also really like the dynamic flow of the cape. It looks great,
and yet doesn't overpower the overall look of the statue. It's also
different enough from the rest of the line to stand out nicely.
Value - **
I'm judging these in the $60 - $70 range, and at this higher price,
these statues are a tad too small, with a few too many issues. Get it closer to $55 or less, and you can add another half star.
Things To Watch Out For
-
You'll want to take care inserting the metal pegs on the base into the
foot, since it's quite easy to break it. Once it's in place, you're
good to go.
Overall - **1/2
This one is really a mixed bag. I really like the sculpt and
design, but the paint takes away quite a bit of the enjoyment for me. If
you haven't noticed, DC Direct just announced the black and white
Penguin for sale, the second villain in the series. And yes, I already
ordered mine. What can I say, I'm in for the long haul on this
series!
Score Recap:
Packaging - **1/2
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ** Design - ***1/2
Value - **
Overall - **1/2
Where to Buy -
There are a number of sponsors carrying him:
- Urban Collector has him for $56.
- Things From Another World has him for $60. - CornerStoreComics has him at $60 as well. - Collectors in the UK can find him at Forbidden Planet for 50 GBP.
. Your other
choice is to search ebay, and you can do that using the sponsor MyAuctionLinks.
Related Links -
I've covered a number of the statues in this series: - very recently I looked at the Neal Adams and George Perez versions. - prior to that, there was the Gotham Knight, Bob
Kane, Frank Miller, Jim Lee, Matt Wagner, Mike
Mignola, and Kelley Jones.
Discussion:
Want to chat about this review? Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be
discussing it!
|