Jay's Toy Shelf : McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse

I've previously revied the DC Direct version of the Arkham Asylum Joker here, so I won't go over his role in the game. Suffice to say he's pretty true to form Joker who leans a bit more into the gritty world of the Arkham games.

The previous Joker figure was really good. It had fantastic shading and paint throughout the suit and skin portions. It had a look that felt like it jumped out of the game. It came with minimal accessories (at least the 4 pack version), and the articulation was pretty basic.

This figure does better in a lot of ways! First of all, it is still in 7-inch scale but stands slightly ______. I really appreciate that to scale in with the other Arkham figures. That's a nice gesture, Mcfarlane!

Second, the articulation blows the DC Direct version out of the water. It's up to date with double joints and those classic McFarlane ball joints for the end joints. This version also comes with a couple of snapping teeth as well as a nice, hefty pistol. The paint is a bit cleaner than you'd see from the game and I'm not 100% sold on the face accuracy either but overall it's a great improvement in many ways.

Sculpt/Paint: 4/5 Really good clean paint apps everywhere. There are lots of textures in the lining of the suit. The hair is outrageous and well done. The pinstripes on the suit aren't painted, but still, stand out. The paint tones are generally a bit darker than the DC Direct figure but works well. The chain on his pocket is painted and not a real chain unlike the first one which isn't bad or good, just different. The only thing I find odd, though not exactly bad per se, is the face. The chin is maybe even more exaggerated in this figure than the game. The paint in general is a lot cleaner than the in-game appearance, and this is especially noticeable in the stark white face makeup.

Articulation: 5/5 (32 points) Now McFarlane always talks about the 22 point system of articulation but the way I count articulation tends to be by how many axes of movements there are and not simply the physical joint pieces put in. Both the head and neck have some decent movement. The arms have double-jointed elbows that are ratcheted, shoulders with caps that allow some increased movement, and the double pegged ball-jointed wrists. Those wrists (and ankles) are often kinda ugly but they work fairly well with some tinkering. The waist APPEARS like there is only a ball joint at the waist BUT the whole torso is a bit rubbery that has a crunch hidden inside it. Good show! The legs have a slight hip swivel with amazing splits. The crotch pieces are also often rubbery material so allow a bit more movement (Caution: I feel like over time these will stretch and maybe degrade more over time). Because of the sculpt of the fancy Joker pants, the ankles are much more restricted in their forward movement but for a suited figure, decent. For a Joker figure, you can get him mostly how you want.

Accessories: 3/5 I can't really fault the accessories too much here. He comes with his info card, not s great stand, two chattering teeth (one closed and one open but no little feet like the DC Direct figure), and his massive handgun. I like they gave him a weapon that looks really cool and is somehow both comically large but also imposing! There's not much else you'd get in a 25 dollar figure. THAT SAID. I wouldn't have minded a laughing head and punch hands! Marvel Legends does it!

Fun Factor: 4/5 He's a bunch of fun. He gets into really good poses, especially with his gun. He is also balanced fairly well though I find the unarmored figures for McFarlane are a bit top-heavy.

Verdict: 16/20 Great. Really cool to have an updated Arkham Asylum Joker if you are a fan of the games (of which I am a massive fan). He hits the right spots and I've super enjoyed posing him and taking pictures. Super recommend even if you just want a Joker stand-in for this scale.