Review of Man-Bat mini-bust
Batman The Animated Series

Introduction

I don't buy a lot of mini-busts these days.  My interest has waned, particularly around a number of the current licenses out there. While I still pick up the occasional Star Wars bust from Gentle Giant, there's not much else that trips my trigger, and I'm no completist. I suspect it's not just me, since the People's Picks voters abstained from the Bust category in record numbers this year. Overall the industry is in a slump, but it will eventually rebound.

All that said, there is a series that I am a completist on right now, and it's one that the fans are very happy with as well. Diamond Select Toys has been producing a terrific set of mini-busts based on the animated Batman shows of the 90's. I might not be reviewing them, but I'm buying them, and the fans are responding as well.

The latest in the series is Man-bat, one of my favorite characters from the show. The tragic tale of Dr. Langstrom was told in the very first episode, On Leather Wings. He remains one of my favorite designs, and I was thrilled to see DST take him on in the bust series. He's currently shipping and will cost you around $50. He's also a limited edition of just 3000 pieces.

Packaging - ***1/2
Nothing particularly special about the package - it's a big box, and the one piece bust is held in soft foam inside.  However, it's collector friendly, and there's a nice Certificate of Authenticity with the edition size and numbering (repeated on the bottom of the statue as well).

Sculpting - ****
This series is a pretty standard size for mini-busts, with most of the characters around 6" including the base. But Man-Bat is a big dude, and requires a big bust - this one comes in at a solid 8" tall! He also takes up a lot of volume, thanks to the large wings lowered at either side. The slight tilt to the body, the cock of the head, and the asymmetrical pose of the arms gives the bust a very dynamic, vibrant look without going extreme.

Animated figures, busts and statues are always less detailed - that's the nature of animation. But they've sculpted the details they could include, from the lines inside his ears to the musculature of his torso.  Proportions are excellent, and it's a great representation of the on screen look.

I'm particularly happy with the expression.  He looks ready to pounce, clearly concentrating, and perhaps just a little pissed off. The furrowed brow, the squinted eyes, the downturn mouth, the laid back ears - it all works together correctly to give off the intended emotion.

Paint - ***1/2
There's a lot of brown here - he's a bat, after all. But the color is clean and consistent, with no weird variations in finish or tone. What few details there are exhibit decent edges, and there's even some transitional shading on the lighter wings.  The blue pants make for a nice contrast, as do the bright yellow eyes.

My only complaint is with the teeth, where the white doesn't come down quite far enough, not reaching the bottom of each tooth. There's also one very thin stray mark behind the left tooth, only visible from certain angles and on very careful inspection.  Even with these issues, considering the price point, the quality here is very good.

Value - ****
Fifty bucks? They're doing resin busts in this scale on a popular property in 2017 for just $50? That's hard to believe, with most other busts in the $75 range these days. Gentle Giant is topping $100 each with many of their releases, so getting this great of a series at this great of a price is worth pointing out. Repeatedly.

Things to Watch Out For -
While the tips of the wings don't quite reach the shelf, it's close, particularly on the right arm. Take care when picking it up or putting it down, since even a slight angle could cause the wing tip to strike the shelf first.

Overall - ****
I've been generally very pleased with the DST busts based on the animated Batman designs, but this one is really a stand out. The size is impressive, and they've done a terrific job capturing his look from the show. The price point is equally impressive, and I hope they can maintain this level of quality moving forward.  Next up is Mr. Freeze, but where's Condiment King!

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

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth is also at $50.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
If you're a fan of Man-bat, check out the animated action figure from DST, as well as the cool Batman Black and White statue version, the very pale version from The Batman show, the Batman and Son version, the Secret Files Rogue's Gallery figure, the super cute Kubricks animated version, as well as one of my favorites, the DC Universe Classics Man-Bat.

I believe the only other of the many animated busts from DST so far that I've covered is Harley Quinn.

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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