Update: Overhaul!

 So as I've been doing reviews the past year with the newer system of rating, I still like the categories, but I'm finding there are places where the difference on a five scale between one point and the next is still not very consequential. The biggest issue I've been thinking about is the Accessory system. There's still a case to be made for not penalizing a figure for low-to-no accessories. But, some wiggle room for having enough at the same time. To this end, I'm changing most of my ratings to a 3 point system, with the idea of handing out zero's for something that is otherwise a statue, poorly painted, lacking in what it should have, or just so difficult to pose it's frustrating. So here's a totally new system! 

Sculpt/Paint /3:  1. Not well painted, basic sculpt like a kids toy rather than a collector. Few                                             details

                            2. Painted well, attention to detail, crisp lines, and few blobs or missed parts. 

                            3. Masterfully painted with lots of great sculpted details and shading. 

Articulation /3:  1. Basic swivel joints from 5-15. All single joints with limited range.

                            2. Some double joints with a good range of motion in the 16-29 range.

                           3. Very mobile with joints that allow lots of motion. 30+ points. 

Accessories /1:  0. It should have some but doesn't OR missing some key accessories

                           1.The accessories are well done. It's either everything the figure needs or most                                    of the essentials. This might be extra hands, weapons or other pieces. 

Fun Factor /3:   0. Plastic garbage! 

                            1. Poorly balanced, limited posing, not a big favourite. Statue-like. 

                            2. Decent posing options, looks good on the shelf, dynamic options! 

                            3. A top figure in the collection, very cool with tons of options for display!

Verdict /10:       1-5 Poor. This figure isn't cutting it. Is there some reason it's in the collection??

                           6-7 Limited: It has some merit, but do you really need this one? 

                           8-9 Worthy: It's worth having! Have you considered getting this one? 

                           10 Amazing. Why don't you have this figure yet??

I think this latest update will just making writing the rating posts more seamless and then it's out of an easier to digest score out of 10 at the end of all of it. 

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse: Batman - Dark Knights: Metal

 Did I buy this whole line so I could complete the Merciless build-a-figure to complete my Dark Knights: Metal villains? Yes. But are they all good figures?? Also yes! 

This iteration of Batman uses his DC Rebirth suit of black and grey with yellow highlights around the bat symbol and utility belt, but with a rough Badlands-apocalypse type look. This represents the very first artwork Capullo released for the Dark Knights: Metal storyline: Batman holding two axes, bloodied, tattered cape set against a hellish background. That's pretty metal! 🤘

This is a cool version of Batman. He keeps his DC Rebirth suit but is all shredded. They sculpted in those details wonderfully, as well as the intense expression on Batman's face. The articulation is tight but not too tight, and the axes look great. One or two paint details I find are missing comparing it to the original artwork. I REALLY don't need any more Batmen (Except the Black version of Mafex Hush), but with the build a figure piece, and the sweet axes, I couldn't resist. 

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse : Infected Superman - Batman/Superman Vol 2 (2019)

Following parallel storylines with the Dark Knights: Metal stories, The Batman Who Laughs has created batarangs for some of DC's heroes with a Joker Toxin that creates corrupted versions of these heroes. These are for Blue Beetle, Jim Gordon (why), Donna Troy, Shazam, Supergirl, and Hawkman. The members infected, like King Shazam, soundly beat the snot out of Superman and Batman in a feat of cunning that is not usually Shazam in nature. In order to infiltrate these Secret Six, Superman purposely infects himself with the toxin to learn of The Batman-Who-Laughs plans. You can see how this isn't a great plan! 

The figure is great though. I don't know how close this is to the Superman #1000 from McFarlane produced at the beginning of this line, but I like it! It's got a very solid, bulky chest, and proportions that scream superman. The cape is plastic and pretty solid (oh well), but the look is awesome. I'm tempted to get the 1000 Superman just to compare notes and to have a non-Dark knights metal Superman for him to face off.

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse: Murder Machine - Dark Knights: Metal

 Bruce Wayne of Earth -44 started out all well and dandy as any regular 'verse Batman: parents murdered, Alfred raises him, becomes Batman, joins the Justice League. Here though, Alfred is horribly murdered by the rogue's gallery. Bruce becomes obsessed with the video of Alfred's death and the void left by his passing. With Cyborg's help, he builds an AI using Cyborg's technologies to protect Bruce and fulfill a role left by Alfred's passing. This AI, Protocol, starts into full Ultron mode by taking over systems like a virus and pretty quickly kills all of Batman's Rogue Gallery. 

To make matters more extreme, the machine starts taking over Bruce's mind, replacing him piece by piece with cybernetics. He succumbs, and the League tries to intervene. He kills all of them, ending with Cyborg. AT this point, The Batman Who Laughs recruits him, letting him know his universe is slated to die just like all the others in the Dark multiverses. 

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse: The Flash - DC Rebirth

 

I'll be honest, I only got the Flash as it was part of the two-pack with Red Death. I wanted to complete my Dark Knights: Metal villain team of Batman-Who-Laughs, The Merciless, Dawnbreaker, Red Death, Infected Superman, Crow Robin(s), Devastator, The Drowned, and Murder Machine. All of those have been released in figure form, except for the Drowned. I have high hopes! 

That said, he's a nice-looking Flash! I like the longer lightning pieces, and how you can plug in lightning effects to him (sadly, they didn't include them in the two-pack...why?!?). He is based on the DC Rebirth design of Flash (translation: Lets and MORE lightning to his suit). Some notable differences are the background of the Flash symbol on his chest is just the red of his suit, and the symbol itself is bigger and bolder. There are four lightning lines emanating from his symbol and the figure has more ribbed texturing on the sides of the torso, legs, and triceps. The crowning glory is the angry face sculpt. So well done! 

I can appreciate this figure, and it's got some good points and is in keeping with McFarlane toys recent quality and articulation. I also appreciate that the Flash is a workhorse character of the DC multiverse. He's always bailing people out and resetting the timeline some comic book artists and writers can do something new haha! Go Flash! 

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse: Red Death - Dark Knights: Metal

 

So you're Batman AKA Bruce Wayne in the Dark Multiverse of Earth - 52. You've apparently lost a lot of Robins (what the heck), and your world is about t end via some of your Rogues gallery. You need the Flash's power of the speed force (why)! He refuses! So you chain him to the Batmobile, modifying it into a cosmic treadmill and somehow force him to use the speed force! (This is so wacky). He fuses into you, so now you're Batman but also the Flash, renaming yourself the Red Death. You end up killing a ton of your rogues' gallery but find a tempting offer from The Batman Who Laughs the only way to stop the eternal destructive cycle of these Dark multiverses is to ascend to the regular Multiverses! So you join forces. 

I love reading the Dark Knights: Metal for the crazy characters and this is definitely one of them. Red Death looks like he has a Batmanesque mask with a dark crimson body design similar to the Flash. The figure is spot on. I found out though he had a disconnected hip joint out of the box and the swivel was so stiff I had to boil and refit it to get it to work. That aside, it's a pretty nice figure! Very comic accurate, not much for accessories and came in a two-pack alongside the Flash himself! 

In my goal to collect the Secret Six, this was a must-have, and needless to say, most posts from now on will be McFarlane and will be Dark Knights Metal related!