Jay's Toy Shelf : DC Collectibles Bane

I am usually not on the lookout for much when it comes to action figures. The only collection I really look at completing is my Arkhamverse one on a 7-inch scale. The deluxe or larger figures in this scale on the second-hand market are usually INSANELY expensive. Despite that, I continue to monitor sites like Amazon, eBay, and FB Marketplace for deals. When I noticed this figure and the Killer Croc from the Arkham Origins at near original MSRP, I had to snatch them up (about 70 CAD for each).

This is the first appearance of Bane in the Arkham games, so while he is super muscled, he's not bulked up by the Titan formula yet. He is one of the 8 assassins hired by Black Mask (Joker, in reality), to kill Batman for 50 million dollars. Needless to say, he doesn't succeed but does manage to beat the snot out of him initially. He has many of the classic looks of Bane: black and white mask, insanely bulky body, giant in stature, tubes of green running from a device to various ports on his body. Unlike cartoon or some comic book appearances, he doesn't have red eye lenses, but just holes for his eyes and mouth. He also is wearing more of a tactical gear type look, strapping on a few extras like grenades and the like.

He plays his classic role in the game as he does in many comics and shows: smart tactical leader, a former inmate who basically grew up in a prison, ruthless brigand who can easily tear a regular person's arms off! Despite all this, he's still designed with all these very vulnerable tubes sticking out!

The figure here is superbly painted and sculpted. So many details in it are top-notch. The articulation is fairly abysmal, however, even by early DC Direct/Collectibles standards. Definitely, some of this is a product of his bulk, but as you'll see with the Killer Croc figure review later, that can't be the only reason. He also doesn't come with much for accessories. Given how large the package was that he came in, I wouldn't have minded an alternate head or hands for punching.

Sculpt/Paint: 5/5 Awesome stuff here. The green of the Titan/Venom formula is super bright, the tubes are sculpted everywhere, and all the details are accounted for. His facial features are well painted and every fold is shaded in. The dry brushed metal effects on the machine parts are great and I love the sheer bulk and size. He is very heavy! No complaints here.

Articulation: 2/5 (Bad): His head works ok, set on a large ball joint. The arms actually would be ok, but while they designed the left arm tubes to be detached for movement, there is a black cord on the left upper shoulder that doesn't, so you can barely move one arm, and not much better for the other. The elbow joint has next to no motion because of the tubes and the bulk of the bicep. The wrists are on swivels only. There is nothing in the abdomen. Ouch...not even a swivel. Cheap 10 dollar figures have waist swivels. C'mon.

The legs almost look like you could use the hip motion sideways, but it doesn't appear to work that way. Only forward and backward. The knees have both a tiny bend capacity and a swivel, but they also have a swivel at the top of the boot. These are both redundant and because of the size and weight of the figure, doesn't allow any posing from it.

This is pretty bad.

Accessories: 1/5 Nothing. I would've liked extra hands for punching or an angry head for swapping but these figures rarely came with much. This was usually just one weapon and Bane's only weapon was his hands!

Fun Factor: 2/5 He looks awesome on the shelf, but basically if you buy this figure, you bought a statue. The articulation is barely enough in range to create poses, so mostly he'll just stand there, looking buff.

Verdict: 10/20 Limited: This figure is extremely limited by what it can do due to what I've said above. He looks great though! You should probably only get this one if you're a hardcore Bane action figure fan, or like me, are completing a collection (Origins, the 8 Assassins from Origins, or an Arkham collection). Even then, only get it on a good deal! I've seen this one for 100s of dollars and it is NOT worth that to someone who wants poseable action figures.