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Fans of Batman, particularly fans of the animated series, have long wanted
an Alfred figure. Finally our wish has been granted, but you have to
buy this Toys R Us exclusive four pack to get him. Also included in
the set are Batman, Robin and a resculpted Clayface, each with appropriate
accessories. All for the mere price of $19.99. These shouldn't be
difficult to find, since plenty are currently shipping to a store near
you. But I wouldn't wait around too long to pick one up, as they
will sell through, and once their gone I bet we won't see Alfred again.
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The original Clayface (l) with the new (r)
Articulation - **1/2
Standard five point (or less) Kenner articulation. Nothing too
great, but if you are already accustomed to the usual BTAS figure, you
won't be surprised.
Sculpts - ***
You've all seen the Batman, Robin and Clayface. The real interest
here is in Alfred, and they did an excellent job capturing his head
sculpt. That being said, I think they could have improved on the
body. I don't think any of these parts are reused - while some have
claimed the arms are from a previous figure, I can't find one that matches
up. The feet are far too small, and the way the chest and arms are
sculpted make it very difficult for Alfred to maintain holding his tray.
Accessories - ***
You've seen most of these accessories. Batman comes with a projectile
gun, Robin with a 'glider', Clayface with a break apart safe and dynamite,
and Alfred with a nice serving tray and dish cover. Alfred's
accessories are clearly the nicest, and without those this set would score
much lower.
Paint - **1/2
Not bad, but the paint application on my Alfred and several others in the
batch was sloppy. Considering the importance of this figure to the
overall set, it's crucial to get the best Alfred possible.
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Packaging - **1/2
A simple box, but the graphics are bright and colorful. Most of the
ones I've seen show some pretty serious damage, but if you are a MIB
collector, you should be able to find a decent box. Also, the style
of box allows you to see all the characters quite well. And other
than a couple pieces of tape, you can remove the figures and not destroy
the box.
This Batman is a slightly darker gray than the recent
Walmart 2 pack. Value - **
For twenty bucks, you're basically getting one figure. Robin is
almost identical to his original counterpart - his red is slightly lighter
in color - and Batman is close enough to be the same. Clayface is
unique, and with the resculpted arm and new color not too bad. But
clearly the only driving reason to buy this set is to own Alfred.
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Overall - **1/2
While Alfred is a pretty good version, he's not perfect. That hurts
a set that is already expensive, and mostly redundant. Considering
these figures are costing you $5 each, only Alfred is a real
bargain. I'd have been much happier paying $7 for Alfred, and not
having another Batman and Robin lying around.
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