Packaging - ****
I skipped the packaging photos this time around because I just provided them in the previous review. Not just one either, but four photos to show just how cool this box is.

There are three layers inside the wrap around box. Each layer contains something sweet, as if it was designed by Duff Goldman. On the top are several full sized playing cards with traditional and movie themed graphics. In the next layer of foam are the two figures. Then the final layer contains the many accessories.

The box is completely collector friendly, although once I had these two all put together I had absolutely no interest in sticking them back in the box. One nice feature is that the Police Officer version is on a cheap plastic mannequin inside the foam, rather than rolled up or folded. That means there's space in the foam to put the cop version back in on a full sized TrueType.

Sculpting - ****
For most companies, trying to go for a specific expression is always a mistake. It's so easy to make the slightest error and end up with a goofy look, rather than the frozen moment in time they were going for.

That's most companies though, not Hot Toys. They've been able to capture specific frozen expressions on a repeated basis, something that always amazes me.

Here, they've gone for the determined look he had during the shooting of Gordon. For an example, here's a screen shot. They didn't go quite that extreme with the pursed lips, but almost, giving him that hint of nut case determination.

The scarring and keloid effect matches the grenade version, and the finely detailed hair is extremely realistic. The head is perfectly in scale with the clothed body, and once again this is a very accurate portrait of Ledger as the Joker. This time though, he's sans makeup, making comparisons even easier, and getting it right even more impressive.

It's worth noting that the sculpted gloved hands work extremely well, fitting around the gun just about perfectly for any number of poses.

Paint - ****
While you might think that not having the clown make up makes this version easier to do, I don't think I'd agree.

In this scene in the film, we see the dark circles under the Joker's eyes, the realistic coloration of his scars, and even the bright color of his eyes. As you'd expect from Hot Toys, the paint work is dead on.

Most impressive are the small details, of course. The eyebrows are amazing in their realism, as are the glossy eyes themselves. There's no clumping or build up of paint between the lips, a common problem for other companies, and the skin color compliments the slight texture perfectly. Tis' a thing of beauty!

Articulation - ****
This score is a bit disingenuous. You don't actually get a body with this figure, so it should be bupkis. On top of that, you could put this figure on (God forbid) a Buck or a Pro body, and the score would vary wildly.

Let's get real though. You're going to pop this head and the clothes on a TrueType, and if you're really smart you'll use the Narrow Shoulder version. You can use the regular - I believe that's what the grenade Joker is using, although I didn't strip him down to be sure - but I'd stay away from the Slim.

The head and feet pop on easily enough, especially with a heat source. The hands work great too, just as you'd expect with a TrueType body.

Accessories - ***
This whole figure is an accessory, but even he has accessories. Not a lot, but they're there.

The most important is the rifle of course. I paired up the Glock with the grenade Joker (he carried it several times in the film, most notably in the bank robbery scene), but the M-1 rifle has cop scene written all over it.

It's an excellent, accurate sculpt. My dad used a modified M-1 as a deer rifle for years, and it's a tremendously reliable gun. The action slides back and forth as it does on most Hot Toys miniatures, and the leather strap looks fantastic. Again, scale is perfect, and it fits nicely in the sculpted hands.

The shoes and hat will be going into the next category, but there's one other item I'm including as an accessory. There is a molded plastic badge and ribbons that is part of the Gotham City Police dress uniform, appropriate for such an occasion. It's a little oversized, but that's a very minor quibble. The bigger quibble is that it doesn't appear to fit on the jacket in any way. There's a small loop where it should go on the left breast, but no clip or hook in the back to attach it. I suspect an error in manufacturing here. I'm going to have to come up with some way to attach it on my own...perhaps that seventh pinner can be put to use with a little super glue?

EDIT: Obviously I wasn't clear when I wrote the above "there's a small loop where it should go", since folks have been sending in the recommendation to fit the badge inside the loop. Yes, you're absolutely correct, that's how it should go. But mine is stitched too tightly, creating a loop that's too small for the badge, hence my thought that it was a specific production issue rather than an overall design problem. Since I don't want to risk pulling out threads, I figure I'll look for some way to attach it with a pin or hook. Not ideal, but it'll do. Sorry about the confusion!

Outfit - ***
I'm including the jacket, pants, shoes, hat, shirt, belt, socks and tie as his 'outfit'.

The highlights here are the jacket, pants and shoes. All look extremely realistic, and the tailoring on the jacket is near perfect.

The jacket has the appropriate patches, although there is the issue with the badge I mentioned in the earlier section. There are a couple minor issues with the pants - it's a pretty tight fit through the hips, and the thin Velcro makes a reappearance as the closure, making it tough to keep his pants 'zipped'. But since the jacket covers this up, you won't notice it in most poses and photos.

The shoes pop onto the ankle pegs, but I recommend heating them (the shoes, not the ankles) first. They have a high gloss, patent leather look, and allow him to stand in just about any pose with great stability.

The leather belt is the real deal, with a real buckle that works just like yours. Likewise, the tie is the real deal, knotted and tied just like yours. I did find that the knot is a bit big out of the box, but since this is a normal tie, you can untie it yourself and re-do the knot if you want it smaller (or larger, for that matter).

The shirt has a couple issues of it's own, and one is that damn thin Velcro again. Rather than use snaps to close the shirt, they went with three small pieces of the now well known (and not for very good reasons) Velcro, and it stays shut about as good as you'd expect. Which is to say, not very. But like the Velcro zipper, the shirt is largely hidden by the much nicer (and snap closed) jacket, making it less of an overall issue.

The collar is a bit oversized on the shirt as well, something that's unusual for a Hot Toys figure. Since this is pretty much a plain white shirt, you may want to eventually swap it out for a different one that sports snaps and a slightly smaller collar.

Finally, there's the hat. I hated it at first, feeling it was much too big as cloth hats often are. It's not entirely made of cloth, as the shiny black brim is plastic, but the entire top section is made from cloth material.

It grew on me over time though, and the deduction in this category because of the hat is not due to it's basic size. Instead it relates to two other issues - the size of the badge, and the crookedness of the brim.

The badge is too big for the front of the hat, practically falling off the edge at the top and bottom. This is one of those cases where it looks worse in person than in photos, where the oversized nature can be masked by perspective.

The other issue may only occur with certain figures, since it appears to be an issue of manufacturing and not design. the brim on mine is uneven and crooked, sticking out a little oddly on one side. Again, it's hard to see in photos, especially when you use shadows to create a more realistic look, but in person it's quite obvious.

The outfit is solid work, but not quite at the same level as the grenade version. The thin Velcro on the shirt and pants, in combination with the slightly large collar, large badge on the hat and crooked brim, pulls this score down slightly for me.

Fun Factor - ***
This figure is certainly just as sturdy as any mass market sixth scale figure. The only difference is the amount of tears you'd shed when the lawn mower runs over him.

Value - ***1/2
You can't really value one of these figures without the other, but the pair will cost you about $150 or so. Add in another $25 for the base body, and for around $85 - $90 each, you get two excellent Hot Toys action figures. That's a damn good deal, something that's pretty rare in the high end sixth scale market.

Things to Watch Out For -
If someone has the secret to attaching the medals/ribbons to his jacket, I'd love to hear it. You'll also want to be sure to heat up the neck and shoes before attaching them, just to be on the safe side. I used hot water, but you can use a hair dryer as well.

Overall - ***1/2
When I opened this two pack up, I was struck with a paroxysm of wow. If I were reviewing them as a pair, four stars would be the final score, no doubt in my mind.

But some folks may be buying this set only for the Police Officer version, especially if they have the previous clown Joker incarnation. So it's worth noting that of these two, it's really the new grenade version that shines. The Police Officer version isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, and as a pair he's more honey on the bun, but on his own he does have a couple issues that hold him back from perfection.

All my quibbles here are minor though, and when you put this figure together with his partner, you end up with a combination that is going to be on an awful lot of lists as the best sixth scale action figure of 2009.

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

Where to Buy -
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Showpiece Collectibles has him on pre-order for just $160.

- Urban Collector has him in stock for $165.

- Big Bad Toy Store has him in stock for $165 as well.

- Andrew's Toyz , home of all things Star Wars, has him in stock for $170.

- Alter Ego Comics has him for $175.

- Entertainment Earth has him listed at $195.

Related Links -
Other Hot Toys Batman figures include:

- 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!

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