Review: DC Infinite Heroes Batman
The real change in toy collecting over the past year has been the shift from six inch figures back to three and three-quarter inch toys. This scale, better known as the GI Joe scale, has its fans, but I'm not really one of them. Sure, I think they're cool enough, and I like how many different characters can be released in a relatively short amount of time, but they're just not as impressive on the shelf.
In addition, I think this scale is being widely misused. GI Joe and Star Wars were both vehicle-centered properties, so it makes sense to make figures who can fit inside those. If some detail gets lost in the process, it's no big deal: after all, the figures are really accessories.
But comic books center around characters who should be larger than life. Doing these in a scale this small misses the point, unless you're making them highly stylized like Marvel Superhero Squad figures and their many imitators.
Still, if there's one exception, it's Batman, who's got numerous cars, planes, and other gadgets. Having the Caped Crusader in a vehicle friendly scale just seems logical to me. I wanted one of these as soon as I heard about the line.
Then I found out what Toys R Us was charging for them. I'll give you a hint: it's about what they were charging for six inch figures three or four years ago. Ouch. Well, I pretty much forgot about this until I was walking through a discount store a few blocks from my house, where I found Batman for less than half of what Toys R Us wanted.
These figures are made by Mattel and available at most major retailers, like Toys R Us, Walmart, and Target. But, for the love of Grodd, wait for clearance or check other retailers.
In addition, I think this scale is being widely misused. GI Joe and Star Wars were both vehicle-centered properties, so it makes sense to make figures who can fit inside those. If some detail gets lost in the process, it's no big deal: after all, the figures are really accessories.
But comic books center around characters who should be larger than life. Doing these in a scale this small misses the point, unless you're making them highly stylized like Marvel Superhero Squad figures and their many imitators.
Still, if there's one exception, it's Batman, who's got numerous cars, planes, and other gadgets. Having the Caped Crusader in a vehicle friendly scale just seems logical to me. I wanted one of these as soon as I heard about the line.
Then I found out what Toys R Us was charging for them. I'll give you a hint: it's about what they were charging for six inch figures three or four years ago. Ouch. Well, I pretty much forgot about this until I was walking through a discount store a few blocks from my house, where I found Batman for less than half of what Toys R Us wanted.
These figures are made by Mattel and available at most major retailers, like Toys R Us, Walmart, and Target. But, for the love of Grodd, wait for clearance or check other retailers.
Appearance and Construction: 8/10
First of all, just for the record, some of the pictures have what look like tiny white lines above Batman's eyes. That's actually reflected light; not paint.
The appearance is easily the strong point of this figure. Based primarily off of the "modern Batman" (a misleading description since, at the time of this review, the truly modern Batman would be a corpse), this figure has a very strong sculpt.
The head sculpt is particularly impressive, capturing a surprising amount of detail. I also love the body proportions, with the exception of the upper arms, which are a bit too large and bulging. The musculature on the midsection, on the other hand, is pretty much perfect.
I like the cape, particularly on the back, though it's a bit short for my tastes. The picture to your right was taken with Batman leaning over: for a comparison of the cape's actual length, look above.
The paint lines are all clean and well applied, though I do have some issues here. While the lines are clean, the coloring could have been better. They've gone with a navy blue for the boots, gloves, cape, and cowl when a black would have been better. Sure, there's precedent for doing this in blue, but it's more reminiscent of the seventies Batman than the modern one this figure resembles.
The chest symbol is done in black, and it would be perfect... if it were a little smaller. The gray on Batman's jumpsuit is lighter than I'd like it. It's not quite as bad as some of these pictures make it out to be - a few of these shots almost make it look like it's white - but it could have been a lot better.
I don't have any real complaints about the construction of the figure: it's sturdy and tough. So the only real deductions here are for the over sized biceps and the coloring.
The appearance is easily the strong point of this figure. Based primarily off of the "modern Batman" (a misleading description since, at the time of this review, the truly modern Batman would be a corpse), this figure has a very strong sculpt.
The head sculpt is particularly impressive, capturing a surprising amount of detail. I also love the body proportions, with the exception of the upper arms, which are a bit too large and bulging. The musculature on the midsection, on the other hand, is pretty much perfect.
I like the cape, particularly on the back, though it's a bit short for my tastes. The picture to your right was taken with Batman leaning over: for a comparison of the cape's actual length, look above.
The paint lines are all clean and well applied, though I do have some issues here. While the lines are clean, the coloring could have been better. They've gone with a navy blue for the boots, gloves, cape, and cowl when a black would have been better. Sure, there's precedent for doing this in blue, but it's more reminiscent of the seventies Batman than the modern one this figure resembles.
The chest symbol is done in black, and it would be perfect... if it were a little smaller. The gray on Batman's jumpsuit is lighter than I'd like it. It's not quite as bad as some of these pictures make it out to be - a few of these shots almost make it look like it's white - but it could have been a lot better.
I don't have any real complaints about the construction of the figure: it's sturdy and tough. So the only real deductions here are for the over sized biceps and the coloring.
Packaging and Extras: -2
I really like the packaging, which includes a hand reaching out of the pack. This is used both to incorporate a marketing slogan ("An army of heroes within your grasp"), as well as tie these to DC Comics history.
On the other hand, the "Power scores" on the back are a tad confusing. I'm a little confused by any system which gives Batman an intelligence of 85 and a strength of 45. By that math, Superman should have an intelligence of about 65 and a strength around 26,000. Since these seem to be scored on a scale from zero to one hundred....
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In terms of accessories, you get... nothing. Absolutely NOTHING. Thanks for playing Wheel of Fish. If this were a larger figure, I wouldn't be hitting him so hard. But it's not: it's a small figure that's usually overpriced. And, as such, it should be LOADED with extras. Remember the Star Trek figures I looked at in this scale? They came with tons. What gives? Did the price of miniature, plastic Batarangs suddenly shoot through the roof? The picture on the left shows this Batman with a Batarang borrowed from one of my Mega Bloks figures. It's a great little accessory that folds on a small hinge. Mattel: I'm very disappointed in you. Figures in this scale need MORE accessories to justify the cost, not fewer. There should be a stand, a Batarang, a grapple gun, and maybe more. I'm deducting two points because of it. |
Play and Display: -1
There are several things I find disappointing here, but the largest issue is balance. Batman's cape shifts his center of balance too far back, so you're going to need to compensate.
To do so, you've got a few options. Either you can bend him forward until he's even or you can bend his knees until you lower him to the point where his cap acts as a third leg. This means that Batman can't stand up straight. If his cape were longer, it would prop him up while standing upright, but no such luck.
I know, I know: you're looking at some of the photos and thinking they contradict me. That big photo at the front? Look again: Batman's actually hunched over with the camera pointed up at him. The picture with the Batarang above? Batman's cape is leaning against the wall behind him - that's all that's keeping him up.
Hey! You know what would have solved this? A stand....
Anyway, beside the balance problems, there are also some missing or limiting joints. First of all, there are no cut joints on the wrists, despite the presence of those gloves. This was nothing but laziness: that joint could easily have been added. Also, the hip joints, which are just the standard T style, can't move backward, because Mattel has included a sculpted buttocks that stops them. Who designed this, Joel Schumacher?
It's not all bad. There is a turning waist joint just above the belt and ball jointed shoulders. In addition, the knee and elbow pin joints are all sturdy and work fine. The head is connected with a cut joint, which is sufficient, though a ball would have been better.
All of that keeps the penalty at -1 rather than -2. Still; there's no excuse for these limitations; not when Hasbro's making Marvel figures with multiple ball joints, pins on the ankles, and so on.
To do so, you've got a few options. Either you can bend him forward until he's even or you can bend his knees until you lower him to the point where his cap acts as a third leg. This means that Batman can't stand up straight. If his cape were longer, it would prop him up while standing upright, but no such luck.
I know, I know: you're looking at some of the photos and thinking they contradict me. That big photo at the front? Look again: Batman's actually hunched over with the camera pointed up at him. The picture with the Batarang above? Batman's cape is leaning against the wall behind him - that's all that's keeping him up.
Hey! You know what would have solved this? A stand....
Anyway, beside the balance problems, there are also some missing or limiting joints. First of all, there are no cut joints on the wrists, despite the presence of those gloves. This was nothing but laziness: that joint could easily have been added. Also, the hip joints, which are just the standard T style, can't move backward, because Mattel has included a sculpted buttocks that stops them. Who designed this, Joel Schumacher?
It's not all bad. There is a turning waist joint just above the belt and ball jointed shoulders. In addition, the knee and elbow pin joints are all sturdy and work fine. The head is connected with a cut joint, which is sufficient, though a ball would have been better.
All of that keeps the penalty at -1 rather than -2. Still; there's no excuse for these limitations; not when Hasbro's making Marvel figures with multiple ball joints, pins on the ankles, and so on.
Price Tag and Final Analysis: 5/10
DC Infinite Heroes figures are going for eight bucks these days, which is almost funny. There is no way these are worth that kind of money, not by a long shot. Even if this included accessories and better articulation, it just isn't a eight dollar toy.
Fortunately, the store near my house agrees: they're charging three. Even at that price, this should come with a Batarang. While scoring the extras/articulation, I used a seven or eight dollar price point. Had I scored him at what I paid, he'd only have gotten a one point deduction in extras and no penalty in Play and Display for a final score of seven.
For all its problems, this is still a decent toy, especially if you have some vehicles and accessories lying around. I'm going to get a lot of use out of Batman: there are some photos below exploring the possibilities; expect a lot more the future.
But, while the figure itself isn't bad, there's really no excuse for the lack of accessories. The outdated articulation is annoying, but the fact he comes with nothing is really a slap in the face of collectors and kids everywhere.
Fortunately, the store near my house agrees: they're charging three. Even at that price, this should come with a Batarang. While scoring the extras/articulation, I used a seven or eight dollar price point. Had I scored him at what I paid, he'd only have gotten a one point deduction in extras and no penalty in Play and Display for a final score of seven.
For all its problems, this is still a decent toy, especially if you have some vehicles and accessories lying around. I'm going to get a lot of use out of Batman: there are some photos below exploring the possibilities; expect a lot more the future.
But, while the figure itself isn't bad, there's really no excuse for the lack of accessories. The outdated articulation is annoying, but the fact he comes with nothing is really a slap in the face of collectors and kids everywhere.
You may recognize that chair and terminal as two of the many accessories I got with my Spock figure. The screen is part of my Mega Bloks Batcave. Speaking of Batcaves, I heard one used in a transition once. Here's a link to my blog. Scroll down for more pictures.
