Batman of the Future

Or rather as he is more widely known in the US, Batman Beyond!

Funny that all the VCDs and DVDs of the animated series were called Batman of the Future outside of the States. Go figure.

The name of the DC Universe Classic Wave 4 figure 4 wasn't changed though, and it's proven no less popular for collectors here in Singapore. This was one tough figure to find, with all the masked versions being ample at the department stores. I would've been happy to just get that version, but I couldn't get past the painted (or were they sculpted on as well?) teeth. Batman Beyond doesn't have teeth in the animated series, or at least they weren't drawn on. So I held out on that guy and my patience was rewarded when I saw this unmasked version going for way less than retail at the weekly flea markets.


I actually got him a couple of months back, but then GI Joe Rise of the Cobra toys hit the shelves along with the movie and I held off on opening Batman Beyond till now. And what a great figure he is!

Ratings:

Aesthetics: 9/10 - This version of the Terry McGinnis is clearly meant to be the grown up version of Batman Beyond, so his body is the medium adult size male for this range. The paint on him is well done with no slops. His eyes and hair have also been sharply painted, while the face, chest symbol and belt also don't suffer from black splashes when they so easily could since they're the only non black parts of the figure.

His costume is shiny, as you can see from the pictures, and that's where he loses points for me--I'd rather he was painted matte black instead. They got away with shiny on the figure, but no Batman would wear a shiny suit. It would reflect too much light and give him away too easily in the shadows! But Terry still looks decent, and you can't ignore the detail they put into his head sculpt, like his his unique haircut and sharp blue eyes.

Poseability: 9.5/10 - Right out of the package this guy had me worried--his left knee was jammed stiff from dried paint, as was his waist swivel. If I hadn't known he had a waist joint I would've thought that it didn't exist. But now he's nice and limber after some coaxing, and he's turned out beautifully as you can see from his poses:

Fun: 9/10 - The very first thing I thought of was to reunite the old Batman with the new. And it's fun thinking up the naggy things Bruce would say and the snarky replies Terry would give. But after a while I wish I had some future villains for him to pose with, such as the Joker gang or the Joker himself (from Return of the Joker), or even the Dee-Dee Twins!

I have to add that while he's got 2 hands sculpted to hold stuff, only his left hand can grip the batarang decently. His right was meant for the grip molded onto the mask, which is quite a piece of work in itself because it looks like you could open it up and he could wear i. But of course, it's molded plastic and you can't. :)

Value: 8.5 - This unmasked version of Terry McGinnis comes with his mask (of course, but which is un-wearable) and a Batarang (which is the wrong colour--It should be black and red) Now maybe I've been spoilt by Wonder Woman and Hawgirl, who have awesome accessories, but I wish they had given him clip on wings or something. The masked version is one accessory worse off with only one batarang, and this guy has a new head sculpt, so I can't complain too much, I guess. Would it have hurt to include the Bat Plane? (Haha just kidding. :P Then again, not really. Ok, ok. Some under water equipment, maybe? A figure stand?) Oh, and he also does come with Despero's left arm so I guess it's not that bad if you're a fan on Despot of the Third Eye. Heh.

Overall: 9/10 - Solid figure, overall. I would've still preferred him in matte black, like the black on Hal Jordan or the Black Wave 9 Batman. But I always liked this version of Batman and I guess the people at DC recognize how popular he is and thus his action figure. Great character, solid figure and well executed.

Oh, and I met Mark Waid today. He's the author of Superman: Birthright and Kingdom Come. Mark was in Singapore for the Singapore Writers' Festival and Mel and I attended an hour-long Q&A/signing session. He was super friendly and funny. He also signed my trade paperback copy of Superman: Birthright, as well as the free copies of Metamorpho Issue 1&2 they handed out at the door. I'll post the photo we took together with him sometime soon. It was great fun! I'm super happy feelings on love and joy. :P