Of course, you can't have a Joker without a Batman (except the Joaquin Phoenix movie of course which I really enjoyed!). In this case, we've got the Arkham Asylum Batman. If they had only ever made this character, I would've been happy. Loved the Arkham series to bits, and really excited for both the Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad game coming out in the next couple of years.
I feel like we've nearly come full circle here! I started this blog with a post using the Arkham City Batman and here we are with an Asylum version, one of the first figures I started collecting years ago. This Batman is super true to form for Arkham Asylum. He's got the extra tall pointy bat-ears, lines through the suit, oversized bracers and boots, and shoulder draped cape. I love that the bat symbol is a large separately sculpted piece as it makes it pop out more. The articulation can't be beat if you compare it to the Arkham Asylum or even the City version of this figure from DC Direct/Collectibles. I like how clean the eyes and headpiece are, even if it is missing some shading. This is definitely a new favorite of mine for the Arkham Collection and I can't wait until they release the Arkham Knight Batman and the Arkham Origins Deathstroke. I definitely am loving what McFarlane is putting out.
Paint/Sculpt: 5/5 I think they definitely nailed the overall aesthetic of the Asylum Batman. All the must-have details are there, and I am liking the proportions quite a bit more than the previous version. The cape and crotch piece are a rubbery plastic but everything else feels solid. The rest of paint job is fine, pretty basic. My Batman has good straight eyes for the most part but others have reported some google eyes on theirs. They did a pretty good job of putting drybrush metal onto the boots and gloves, so that's cool. The belt is even really well painted. There are some minor smudges but pretty clean overall.
Articulation: 5/5 (31 points) The articulation is pretty good for this figure. The ball joints for the wrists and ankles aren't too bad looking and give lots of range. The head isn't bad but there isn't a neck joint because of his design. The shoulder movement is less restricted than say the DC Direct version but still decent. The leg of range motion is probably the best here along with having proper bicep swivels. The only thing I would truly gripe about here is that in some of the McFarlane figures they've decided not to have double-jointed elbows. I get it to an extent on the big armored characters....but...this is not that. Why?
Accessories: 3/5 Decent but not world-ending great. He gets his grapnel launcher, batarang (unfolded and folded...they could've just put a clip in and made it convertible and saved money on plastic but oh well), bomb (smoke I think), stand, and his card. Would've been nice if Mcfarlane included some punching hands. Again, close combat characters like Joker and Batman really do need fist hands instead of just accessory using ones!
Fun Factor: 4/5 This is definitely a new favorite because it takes the look of Batman that reinvigorated my love of superheroes, and puts in in a model with better articulation and a better-proportioned look. He balances pretty well with the exception that the cape flares out at the bottom so it requires some creative posing to not interfere!
Verdict: 17/20 Great The figure is great and I love they sold both the Joker and Batman in the same time frame. It made me want to invest a lot more into the McFarlane toy franchise since they've moved somewhere in between the affordability of Marvel Legends whilst having all these unique sculpts that draw in a collector and realize Todd is doing something special with his toy lines.
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| Temples are a little squished in but pretty loyal to the game look |
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| Nicely painted details! |
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| Like most McFarlane's these are top heavy so the stand was required for the one foot pose |
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| Fully decked out! |
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| Comparison! The McFarlane is superior in nearly every way I'd say except for I like the lenght and stock of the upper thighs on the DC Direct version. The McFarlane looks too thin and lanky even though the chest is wide and bulky. |
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| Showdown, Batsy! |
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