Nananananananana Man-Bat!!!!!!

Look at how short his legs look in this shot! (I really don't know how I did that.)

Some DC Universe Classics figures have the standard 23 points of articulation, sometimes even more if you look at the likes of Wave 9's Green Arrow.  But not all of them can pull off the poses you want the character to.  Enter the Man-Bat, who's only got 21 PoA but makes use of every joint and every inch of his recycled sculpt to look fearsome no matter how you decide to display him.

Now this figure was actually planned to be released waaaaaaay back in 2006 but due to the screwy nature of the of the original DC Superheroes line, he became a San Diego Comic Con '07 exclusive.  He never made it to the shelves--until now!  And guess what?  He's a DCUC Wave 10 Walmart exclusive.  Yup.  But somehow he doesn't seem as tough to find as one would think.  We don't have Walmarts here in Singapore but yet collectors can order them from local retailers, but at a premium price, of course. ;)


Man-Bat'll set you back around S$45 (US$32) at least in package.  So instead I got mine off a certain evil auction site by the bay for S$30 (or US$21.50) with shipping all in.  I know, it's a little on the expensive side for those of you in the States, but hey, in just a while you'll see why he's worth it because it review time!


Like: The sculpt. Two words: Four Horseman.  More words: Everything part of this figure has detail.  The head is bestial enough that Man-Bat could be smiling or scowling.  Or he could be doing both as he tears you limb from limb and eats you.  Heh.  The skin has a fabulously leathery texture, while the fur on his back and chest is sculpted to meld very seemlessly with the rest of him.

His arms are spindly like a bat's and his wings, while I first though were a little sparse and freaky, have actually grown on me.  Man-Bat is, after all, a freaky dude.  His clawed hands have 3 fingers/talons with the rest of where his fingers should be growing into his wings,

His feet are also very nicely detailed--even the bottom pads were sculpted in so that is were inclined to dip his feet in water/paint/blood(kidding) and walk him around a little bit, they'd leave distinct footprints.

The other bit that's cool is his jeans, which are torn and tattered in spots.  There's even a belt around his waist. Gotta keep those pants up some how.  Taking a dump could be quite a problem though, what with the tightness of the denim and his long, pointy fingernails and wings sprouting all over.  Come to think of it, since bats poop while in flight, it would explain the tears in his jeans as he struggle sto get them off.  But then again he can't fly and take his pants off, so either he'd be so backed up that he's always onery or he poops his pants. Hm...

Like: The paint.  He's basically two or three colours--brown, lighter brown, and blue (for his jeans).  It's not hard to screw these up and Mattel dont.  But check out the paint apps on his face, especially the eyes, his teeth, and tongue.  It sure beats the DCSH SDCC '07 face apps, although the white they used on that guy had a lot of potential.  Good thing they didn't mess up this version. :)

Like: That he balances well despite only having 3 joints per leg--hip, knee and ankle.  And all of these are hinges and all of these are tight without feeling like they'll loosen up on you with time.  He doesn't need to use his arms/wing for additional support either.

Like: That each arm has 6 points of articulation and that his wrists are swivel/hinges.  It makes for lots of vampire-like posing. Neat. :)

Dislike: That he doesn't have an H-joint in the hips for the legs.  Whle Man-Bat doesn't need to stand wider, I feel he does need to be able to bring his feet togethr while 'in flight.'  Well, maybe being backed-up big time causes one not to feel like flying with one's legs closed.  Or maybe pooping midair in your pants and squishing your butt chheks together is generally not a good idea.

Dislike: That he had to be a Walmart exclusive.  What the hell.

RATINGS

Aesthetics: 10/10 - He looks like a bat at first glance but upon closer inspection, is obviously some sort of, well, Man-Bat.  Imagine if you flung this thing at, let's say, Mom, for instance.  She'd freak out thinking that there's a bat in the house.  And that you caught it, trained it, and set it upon her (And even made it a little pair of blue jeans).  Then after batting it away to smash against the wall and stomping on it repeatedly, she'd realize that it's a toy.  And that it had such marvelous detail.

Poseability: 9.5/10 - This is my main beef when it comes to a great looking toy--can it actually play well?  Well Man-Bat can despite his shortcomings in leg articulation.  And he'll play well with Batman, with other large super villains, and with Mom before she screams at you and stomps him dead.

Fun: 9.5/10 - After you scare Mom, you can try it on sis, then girlfriend/wife, then sister-in-law, then mother-in-law.  Prepare to be homeless and/or have lots of Man-Bats at hand.

Value: 9/10 - I actually consider him a steal loose and at S$5 less than standard retail.  Also, I don't much fancy Imperiex so the lack of the latter's Collect and Connect part is a good thing for me and my international shipping costs.

Overall: 9.5/10 - Wave 10 figures are turning out to be such gems.  It's a pity they're exclusives and have been made scarce by scalpers, who've of course jacked up prices.  But the hot ones in the wave are Power Girl and Joker, and that makes Man-Bat less of a priority to collectors and therfore less costly.  I highly recommend this figure--he'll look great fighting Batman and Robin.