Wednesday, August 17, 2011

DC Universe Classics Batman Legacy Collection: Batman and Two-Face

Hey all, sorry for the long delay between posts funky work schedules and crashing laptops tend to get in the way of toys--what's wrong with this world?  ;P

I suppose in that sense the wait for this review fits the toy--it's been a long time coming.

Way back in December, I had seen this two-pack on the pre-order list at the specialty store I frequent.  Immediately I put down a deposit for it and the Prototype Batman/Commish Gordon 2-pk as well (but that a review for another time...;p)  Both figures in this set looked awesome--A very classy looking Batman in gray and black, and a black and white Two-Face that would boot the orange and purple DC Universe one I had off my display and take its place a default Harvey. But when it finally got the goods in my hands, I was slightly disappointed.

Perhaps it was the long wait to finally get the figures, perhaps it was the slightly glossy finish both Bats and TF had.  But it didn't matter because I'd already put down for the 2-pack and it was mine so I was going to open it anyway.

I felt slightly better about the figures when I busted them free but I discovered something else that I didn't like: the figures were too tall and largish to fit in with DCUC.  Hm.  Nevertheless, I was still game on giving the figures a chance, especially since they turned out to be excellently sculpted and painted.  After all, it couldn't get much worse, could it?  Well...

Dislike: I just can't get over the extra height!  Bats and Two-Face are extremely tall.  If DC Universe figures were 6 feet tall, Bats and TF would be be 6'6".  They dwarf DC Universe figures but that doesn't necessarily mean they're not in scale.  As the Rangerlord pointed out: "Batman should be big and tall."  To which I replied: "Yeah, but not taller than Superman!  This Bats belongs in the NBA."  The Rangerlord likes his Batmen beefy and strong, you see.  But the same could be said of me and my idea of Superman.  Yes, the discussion ended up a stalemate.  Lol.

Like: The head sculpts.  Batman - From the right set of jaw to the long ears to the steely blue look in his eyes--it's the right look of steel without being too wide eyed or his face being too scowly.  I like that his mouth is slightly down-turned and that he's got just the right amount of scowl.


Two-Face - This is the best head sculpt I've seen on a Two-Face.  Equal parts hideous and handsome, each half really brings out its personality.  One side is so clean-cut and dashing, while the other is just a melted mess of flesh of features.  Love it.


Like: The texture of the Batsuit.  The gray parts are rough and Kevlar-like, while the black is smooth.  It's a Batsuit that not only makes sense but also looks and feels great.  That kinda sounded like a shampoo ad. Heh.

Like: Batman's armored gauntlets and boots.  These look super heavy duty and could probably withstand knife/sword attacks, maybe even deflect a bullet or two Bats caught the shots at the right angle.  I also love that he's got glove top swivels as well as wrist swivels!  Bonus articulation ftw!

That's about as much as Bats is willing to kick...
Dislike: Poor range of motion in lots of the joints of both figures.  For Bats: his knees bend just under 90 degrees, and the leg swivels are great.  But the hinges on his hips can give only about 45 degrees, while he's got no swivels and only hinges for his ankles.  It's sad because all Bats is missing is one ankle swivel and more split ability (Get it?  Oh, I kill myself...)  on each leg to make them really great.

Batman also has limited range of motion in the elbows--about 45 degrees--and it's definitely not the gauntlets getting in the way but rather the joint itself being rather poor.  It prevents him from really winding up that punch or pretending to be grabbing something from his utility belt.

As for Two-Face: his head can swivel but only move slightly down and not at all up.  Add to that the swivel-only shoulders and elbows that can bend about only 80 degrees and you got one helluva stiff guy.  The fact that he doesn't have ankles or that they're completely blocked is really disappointing!

Like: That the "dark side" of Two-Face looks like he's got real burnt skin.  Whether it's by chemicals, fire, or something else, it looks raw, very much melted, and irrevocably sinister.

Dislike: The complete lack of accessories.  No gun for Two-Face.  No batarang for Batman.  No real happy for buyer. :(

Dislike: That Two-Face's coin molded as part of his hand.  I wouldn't mind this so much if they made his other hand a gripping hand but alas, it's a...er...an emo/cat scratch hand?

Like: The Utility Belt!  It's pouchy enough without being too bulky.  It's also the right muted shade of brown and has got a slightly metallic finish, suggesting that the sturdy materials used in its construction have been purposely dulled-down in color to blend in with the shadows.

Like: Two-Face's snazzy tie!  It's very nicely painted and molded down into his vest.  for some reason I also like those two big white buttons out in the front, not to mention the melted look and charred texture of his black half.

RATINGS

Aesthetics: 8/10 - These two figure have great sculpts--great proportions, wonderful detail and excellent vision and tactile texture.  The only thing that gets me is their height--these are the only two guys in this height range.  Is Mattel going to produce more figures of this height?  If so, then there's a ton more figures to buy to be in the right scale with them.  If not then why do them this way and not of equal height to DCUC?

Poseability: 6.5/10 - I can understand Two-Face not having ankles or even needing to be posed in wide stances.  Gangster bosses tend not to do that so much I guess, and they let the goons do the fighting.  The lack of shoulder hinges is kinda sad though.  I guess they decided since he'll never hold a gun in either hand, he'll never need to straighten his arm and point it at someone.

Batman on the other hand has all the PoAs you could ever want in the legs except for ankle swivels.  They could've given him boot-tops as well but those were also conspicuously missing.  The other PoA that lets the figure down is the hip/leg hinge.  Coming out sideways 45 degrees just doesn't let Batman make all the moves you know he can--kick high enough, kneel low enough, crouch with his legs spread low enough.  Swivels for his ankles or boots would've definitely helped a ton!

Two-Face tries his best...
Despite his problems, Bats does have really good shoulder and ab crunch joints.  His waist swivel is limited but still turns on top of the U-belt.

These two figures do have nice, tight joints though.  These I like fer sure.

Fun: 7/10 - The figures look so great but I can't help but feel I'd have more fun if they had accessories and better poseability to them.  As it is, I really enjoy looking at Two-Face and Bats.  But once I grab them they don't quite feel I'm getting enough play out of them.  Still, fans of the Arkham City video game who are also toy fans will find this plenty of fun outside of the game itself. 

Getting caught going fer the low blow...
Value 6.5/10 - I wanna say most of the money went into all the sculpting and detail in these guys.  But I can;t quite understand why they couldn't even give Two_face a pistol (or better yet, a tommy gun) and Batman a Batarang or a a gas mask or something or other to complement the figures and increase the play value.  At S$55 (currently US$45; I know, it seems so expensive in USD these days!) that's just about what a DCUC figure would cost.  So if DCUC figures can come with a Collect and Connect part and have an accessory or two, there's no excuse for these guys not having even the one between them. :(


What's this?  Batman taking a nap?.
Nah.  Just playing possum.
Overall: 7/10 - These are good toys with some flaws.  You'll like 'em if you don't mind reduced poseability and enjoy a great sculpt.  Even with all the complaints of DC Universe figures being able to improve upon what they have, I wish this 2-pack had at least their leg articulation.  Then again, if Batsy and Two-Fer used DCUC bucks, I think I'd be even more disappointed.  As it is, these guys are good figures.  I guess I just have to figure out where they fit in in my display.


19 comments:

  1. My thoughts on those two figures:

    1) Arkham City Batman looks like he could fight and defeat the entire Mortal Kombat roster in a DC Vs. MK battle royale. He'd have even Dark Khan (Shao Khan merged with Darkseid) thinking twice about messing with him.

    2) Arkham City Two-Face deserves to still be in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES on looks alone! Someone who looks that hardcore can't die from a short fall like the one he took in THE DARK KNIGHT!

    3) Four personalities, Harvey? Three Batmen equals six personalities. You're outnumbered either way.

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  2. I saw this set along with the K-mart exclusive Golden Age Batman w/Bat-mite and thought they were decent i however really liked the Cat-Man figure that was at K-Mart the best. : )

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  3. SPOILERS!

    (I unfocused my eyes rather than llook at the spoiler text, haha)

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  4. i passed on this- after getting the DC Direct Arkham Batman, which did have a batarang, i never looked back. the paintjob on TwoFace rocks, though!

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  5. I saw this at a Toys R Us a few days ago, along with the single carded Batman, Joker, and Mr. Neon-I mean Freeze. I had to pass on all of them, as I found the Marvel Universe Falcon, Marvel Universe Hand Ninja, and the Star Wars Stealth Ops Clone Trooper. Yay Falcon! My MU Cap can have a modern day sidekick at long last! I was loving the sculpt on two-face (Who was the only reason I was going to buy this), but then I saw that I could get the Dark Knight Movie Masters Two-Face for half the price of the two-pack, with twice the detail and articulation. So alas, Two-Face and Giaganto Batman will have no place with me at the moment. Maybe if the price drops.

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  6. @Wayward Knave - Batman can only have one personality at a time so he's still outnumbered. ;P

    @jboypacman - Yes! Been seeing loose DCUC Catmen around in these parts. I'll pick him up for sure--as soon as I can find one that comes with his claws! :)

    @Ridureyu - Spoilers? I must have missed something!...

    @SDTB - Yes, the paint on both these guys is especially well done, especially for Two-Face. The ear hole in the side of the head really gives me the heebee jeebees. *Shudder*

    Yeah, I'm slowly being sold on DC Direct more and more...But I thin kI'll just about be able to resist for now...Lol

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  7. @Soundwave - Great finds! Glad to hear you got Falcon. :) Movie Masters, eh? Same deal with this 2-pk except my problem is they're smaller than DCUC! I'll get ard to doing the Prot Batsuit and Commmish Gordon review soon...Man those guys are small!

    Mr. Neon...You Riddler, I mean Joker, you. ;P

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  8. Spoilers to why Arkham City is walled off, and all.

    Anyway, still no luck finding Dr. Strange. My most recent toy purchases have been Fist of the NOrth Star Revoltech Shew (review to be submitted to MWC, lol), a TON of MUSCLEs (Kinnikuman!), a TON of MUSCLE bootlegs and knockoffs including some interesting variants, and what appears to be a faceless serpent from beyond.

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  9. Finally a new upload, interesting review here :) Marvel FTW!!

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  10. saw these, flipped a coin... and well, i guess i didn't need them that much. not a fan of that huge Batman at all.

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  11. @Ridureyu - Ah, I see. So sorry! I assumed fans of the video games would've already finished it not realizing some are probably taking their time to beat up a baddie or two more just for good measure. ;P

    @TPS - Yes, finally! ;P

    @dj jiminez - I like how you flipped a coin and it didn't matter how it landed. Lol. That Batman...he's beginning to really grow on me!

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  12. Wait, IT'S OUT?!?!??!

    I've been out of the gaming loop lately.

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  13. Lol, my friend. I'm even more clueless when it comes to video games. I really don't know the answer to that- i just assumed it was! Haha.

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  14. Actually, Arkham City doesn't come out until November, I think. Or at least it does here in the US. BTW, Two-Face really is a snazzy dresser. Even having horrible burn scars all over half his body, he still wears his imported, solid silver, diamond studded, one of a kind watch. Actually, that reminds me, since the Arkham games are set pretty late into Batman's career (Has fought all villains in the games before, has Tim Drake as Robin, etc.), why does two-face still wear the suit he was scarred in? I mean, is it just the sentimental value? Is it stuck to his skin? Is he just to lazy to buy a new one (or steal, whatever)? Darn toys! Now you have me thinking about a fictional characters wardrobe! If only you weren't so darn awesome...

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  15. Lol, Soundwave. Thanks for the info. My guess for Two-Face's suit would be--that it's stuck onto his skin AND has sentimental value! Makes him real creepy that way! Lol.

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  16. One nice thing about Arkham Bats is how nicely he scales with DC Direct figures. Since I succumbed and bought the Brightest Day Green Arrow (which looks amazing), and will probably get the Justice League Icons Superman, at least there's a nice Batman to go with them.

    The one thing Mattel need to do is get their scales right, though. The shorter Movie Masters range, DCUC and now this. They're really pissing on their fans.

    Cheers
    The RangerLord

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  17. @Rangerlord - Right on about not being very nice to the fans. But after you tried to convince me that this Batman actually scales nicely with other DCUC figures, I had to try it out.

    It turns out that while he may look giant-sized next to other heroes, he looks perfect in my Batman vs Bat-villains display! I have them all in poses so it takes away the slight height factor. Also, he looks really large and menacing next to the likes of the joker, Harley, Penguin and even Man-Bat, just as Batman should!

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  18. I chanced upon your blog and was pleasantly surprised to find out that you're Singaporean too! It hurts the wallet collecting action figures here, aye. Your reviews are great, love your writing style and the cool pictures. I picked up a loose Two-Face for $22 (heh) at Ace Ventuna Toys and Collectibles in China Square. I'm hoping to find the Catwoman-Batman two-pack somewhere (probably outside this country). Cheers! -Jedd

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Jedd! Glad to know I've got another Singaporean reader. Google Analytics shows my readers come mainly from the US, lol.

      Great find for Two-Face! And while we may have some overpriced figures here, there's always deals to be had here and there. Especially since we tend to travel overseas lots more than people from elsewhere--blame it on the tiny dot that (sometimes) isn't even on the world map! ;P

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