SH Figuarts Batman - Batman 1989

 

I missed out on the NECA version way back when, and never got into Mezco for their version, so this SH Figuarts one is something I had desired ever since I saw photos last year in March. The 1989 Micheal Keaton Batman is my go-to favourite live-action Batman above all others. I'm not crazy critical when it comes to who plays Batman in film. Even rewatching the Clooney and Val Kilmer, while cringey, isn't so bad when you consider a Batman role really doesn't need a ton of acting chops or flair. I'm sure I'll even enjoy Battison as Batman even though my initial reaction was "really?" to his casting in the solo film. 

What is your favourite live-action Batman? I rank mine like this:

1. Micheal Keaton

2. Christian Bale

3. Ben Affleck

4. Adam West 

5. Val Kilmer

6. George Clooney

7. I haven't seen Robert Lowry, or Pattison yet, but I'm sure when I watch they'll make it in my rankings someday. If this was an animated/cg'ed Batman list, Kevin Conroy would be #1 here. 

The point is, this is top for me! And because it's SH Figuarts, he comes with a ton of good accessories, and I really like all the details. His articulation and balance is great, as are most SH Figuarts I find. The likeness isn't as bad as I thought, and mostly I attribute it to how they did his eyes. It's got a weird shine that makes it look like both eyes aren't looking in the same direction. The other main criticism I have for the figure is the cape. It's a super thick leathery material that doesn't want to do too much. Even how it drapes is kinda off. It does allow some plastic pieces to insert to create his gliding scene, so it's not all bad, but probably the least useful cape aside from hard plastic ones that don't move. 

Sculpt/Paint: 3/3 What I love about Japanese import action figures is how clean the paint is on them. There are rarely any missing bits or scratches or anything (good thing too, given the expense!). The paint job and sculpt are very crisp and accurate. The major complaint I have is they could have done a better job of the eyes (which they usually do with the face printing tech). A minor complaint here is that the feet aren't actually sculpted flat, which makes posing hard as it is with the huge heavy cape. 

Articulation: 3/3 (30+ points) Despite the fact he can't really move his head (which is on par for the movie where the rubbery cowl didn't have a seam to do that), the rest of him is a lot more flexible than Micheal Keaton in the suit! Double bends work well, as do the feet and hands for range. I wish the cape could articulate with wires, and that they hadn't made the material so damn thick! It's a struggle to keep it back in order to pose his arms and shoulders. I found it's possible to pull out a few pegs and remove his entire cape and then replace it with a custom cape. After photos, I am very inclined to do that! 

Accessories: 1/1 He comes with a bunch of extra hands for gripping items and punching, as well as his sweet grappling hook that has a metal wire extended version that plugs into the gun. Add to that another lower faceplate, sweet Batarang, and two shurikens. All of them super well detailed. OH! Also the cape and the two sticks you can plug in for him to hold the cape open. Again, it would've been nice to have a bendy wire cape. 

Fun Factor: 2/3 This one is an absolute grail to complete my collection of live-action Batman action figures. The balance isn't perfect but I attribute that mostly to the cape. In all other ways, he is ideal! 

Verdict: 9/10 Worthy He's definitely a worthy figure and if you are any kind of Batman fan and don't have a Keaton Batman representation I recommend getting this one. I would also add though this is probably not the best or even top 3 best 1989 Batman action figures. The cape is what kinda sinks it. If you can get a custom cape, that might be the game-changer since all other aspects of the figure work. 

Harder to tell the eye detail when you get
closer. It's not as bad as the photos, but it's still hard to tell
that it's accurate to the film look. 

A bit of a unyieldy cape

Back view

Accessories! So many

It's so weird when you take the head off to swap the other head, which really is the same
with the eyes put to the side. Even the lower faceplate can be removed and switched. 

I wished it had flatter feet for balance, but it's possible
to get a good kick! 

I honestly need to rewatch this scene because I can't
for the life of me remember this. A line launcher? 

Movie-accurate scene!

All the movie Batmen!