DCUC Batman Legacy Collection: Prototype Suit Batman & Lt. Gordon

When I first saw this 2-pack, I knew I had to get it.  Comissioner Gordon?  Finally!  Looks like Gary Oldman?  Even better!  Christian Bale likeness?  Right on the money.  Accessories?  Check.  Articulation?  Looks pretty good from the preview shots.

So what was a guy to do?  I put down a deposit for it (along with the Arkham City Bats and Two-Face 2-pack) and waited patiently for about 4 months.

 It's taken me a while to actually crack them open and take some decent shots and that's mainly due to their size?

Well, let's just say while I love the figures, they fall short.  Literally.

Like: Exact likeness of Christian Bale!  It's one of the main reasons I was chompin' at the bit to get this 2-pack.  They've got the length and sharpness of his nose down and they even got the trademark frown spot on!

It's a 50 year-old Agent Mulder!

As for Gordon, it's a very good likeness of Gary Oldman too.  It isn't as brilliant as Bale's likeness but close enough, especially since the glasses kinda take up most of his face.  It's also been a damn long while that we've gotten a Commissioner Gordon action figure in this scale.  Ok, so he's Lieutenant Gordon.  But he looks both young and old enough to be both.  So he'll be the Commish for me.  Huzzah!

Like: The sculpted details of Gordon's outfit.  You got his glasses (not removable :[ ), his tie (which is separate from his shirt/clothes), and his trench coat, which has the left side collar folded in.  I didn't notice the collar at first but wow, it's a nice touch to make the figure asymmetrical and more pleasing to the eye.

Dislike: The Batman figure is tiny!  He looks like he could be in scale with original He-Man figures.  All right, so maybe not that tiny.  But he is a lost cause.  With all of the height of a 4-foot, 10-incher next to DCUC guys, he makes even Justice League Umlimited figures look tall.  Ok, so maybe not that tall but certainly larger than the 4 inches they are.

Gordon is actually a good size next to DCUC male figures.  Next to them he looks like the 5'8", 5'9" he could be.  Even next to the females he doesn't look out of place.  Thank goodness he isn't in scale with Proto-Bats!  That alone saves the 2-pk from being a Smurfaliciously short disaster.

Like: The paint on the faces.  These guys look really life-like, especially Bruce Wayne.  Gordon's got a huge pair of fogged up glasses on that honker of his, but his 'stache, that hair, and even his eyes (under his glasses) are painted very sharply.  The flesh paint/plastic they used for both these guys is also excellent.  While there's no shading/highlighting, they've got the tone right--slightly more tan for Bats and just a shade lighter for Gordon.

Like: Gordon's gun!  Yeah, it's just a regular ol' handgun, but it fits nice and tight in Gordon's left hand.  Am I glad they rememebred that ol' Jimbo's a lefty!

Dislike: Gordon's glasses are glued a little high and the lenses are cloudy.  How's he ever gonna shoot at anything like that?  I know: badly.  Very badly.  Lol.

Like: The awesome Proto Bat-mask!  Soft rubbery plastic, like thick balloon skin.  Slit down the back to allow for ease of wearing/removal.  It's nice and stretchy like a real balaclava/robber mask!

Like: That I can use the Proto-Bats' head for an unmasked DCUC Batman.  While the buck for the figure is tiny, his head isn't that much smaller if at all.  The only thing is that the head has a much smaller hole than the regular DCUC heads.  In fact, it's even smaller than the hole for Gordon's head.  That didn't stop me from putting together Trench Coat Action Bruce Wayne, though. ;)

Like: The excellent articulation, especially for Bruce, who's got the freedom of movement for all his joints because of the relatively unhindered sculpt.

Only the harness at his groin area prevents him from truly standing straight and rising to his full Gimli-like height.

The Commish-to-be- is restricted by jacket as expected for all figures that have long coats, but has all the PoA that Bats has.


RATINGS

Aesthetics: 8/10 - Both these guys look like they leaped right outta the big screen into action figure form.  The heads are so very well sculpted and the paint is well done.  I also like that the sculpted parts don't look plasticky, which makes up most of the two figures. That's not to say both are under painted but rather that both have been painted very well where they ought to be.  (Face and harness bits.)

The only problem is that Protosuit Bats is in Movie Masters Scale, perhaps even smaller.  It's a real pity, because I'm sure there are many fans out there who would've really liked a n in-scale with DCUC Proto-Bats figure.

The upside is that this is a super accurate Christian Bale head, which with some minor modification, can be put on a DCUC Batman body for an unmasked version of the Caped Crusader!

Poseability: 8/10 - Bats does well in this department because of his PoAs and his movie star good-looks.  Gordon is irresistible because of his gun!  Gordon is great among his DCUC brethren and has found a place in my Gotham Knights vs Arkham Inmates display. (Pics to come!).

But where Gordon fits in perfectly, Bruce Wayne fails miserably.  He isn't even as tall as the Movie Masters Green Lantern figure.  I really love that he's got a mask that adds to his pose value but he just doesn't fit in at all with that body.

Fun: 7/10 - These guys provide great play value with their accessories and their poseability.  The sad thing is that only Gordon can play with the DCUC guys because they have a height restriction for their club.  Heh.  And he brings along a 6" scale gun with him.  I think it's tougher to find regular 6" scale guns than in any other scale so now guys like Two-Face, Penguin and even Joker can have a "regular gun as a weapon should they (I) choose.  Heh.

Even though Proto-Bats is vertically challenged (even by the smallest of Smurfs), I do have a smurfing good time playing around with his mask, which can also be used on any other Movie Masters/DC Universe Classics/ 6" scale figures with roundish heads and no protrusions.  But I guess therein lies the problem with Proto-Bats--all his stuff is better somewhere else--his mask, his head, maybe even his harness if you could unglue the shoulder and belt areas where the thing is stuck onto the figure.

Value: 7/10 - I like these guys because they not only look great (besides Bat's their lack of height) but they come with an accessory each.  Putting on and taking off Bats' mask never stops getting old and Gordon having a gun is a real plus for the character--even Legacy 2-pack Two-Face doesn't come with one.  I paid S$55 for these guys and am glad I got them trough a pre-order.  Places that still have this two-pack have jacked up the price/set it a good $10 more than what I got it for.

Overall: 7.5/10 - These are Good Toys with Minor Flaws.  Or in this case, one glaring flaw, which is Batman's lack of height.  In fact, I think Lieutenant Gordon deserves a 7.7/10 because he's the star of this 2-pack and delivers, especially in terms of scale.  If you are Movie Masters fan though, you'll be happy with the new Gordon figure as everyone else probably is.  And you'll also dig Proto-Bats if you didn't get him before.  If you're like a DCUC fan like me, this will be a tough one pass and a tough one to grab.  On the one hand you'll want Gordon but on the other you'll have to pay for Rain Man height Bats.  But I'd say go for it and make use of the great Bruce Wayne head with fitting mask and the funky harness for a custom.