Jay's Toy Shelf : DC Collectibles Azrael

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

DC Collectibles Azrael - Arkham City

There's not a lot to dislike about the character design of Azrael. He's basically a modern-day knight with a massive badass sword. Sometimes his sword is flaming, sometimes his armor is arcane, but it's all cool no matter what. This design from Arkham City didn't make a ton of appearances except as cut scenes/dialogue for a side mission. I've reviewed a bit of his backstory here: Arkham Knight Azrael

This figure is pretty cool. He's got all the classic get-up of Azrael: armor, red suit, and cape (cape flanges?), a scabbard, and his sword. The sword is definitely not as imposing as the Knight version but still well done. This figure isn't as poseable as the Knight figure but still looks great on the shelf. The only design I don't quite get with the Arkham Azrael figures is the hockey mask. It's kinda Jason-y in optics. I always think of Azrael as more a holy avenger that sometimes is in the wrong, sometimes in the right.

Sculpt/Paint:3/3 This is a pretty solid in-game representation. The shading on the reds, browns, and whites of the suit give it the grimy Arkham City feel very well done. The sculpt is very game-accurate though I think his wrist guard blades should be a little longer.

Articulation: 1/3 (15 points) From top to bottom, his head and hood move together like Robin's, which I appreciate. The shoulders have extremely limited range and basically, you can't get them up all the way due to how they made the joint and the shoulder pad (at least on the one side). The elbow bends a little and the gauntlets have a swivel cut. The waist has no movement, which I never understood on any of the City figures not giving something a waist twist. It's very easy to do and most figures wear belts that would hide the joint. The hips don't move very far but the knees at least offer a 90-degree bend. There is also a boot-cut swivel here. All in all, more a disappointing range of movement than anything.

Accessories: 1/1 He has both his sword and scabbard, which are well painted and fit in nicely. I wish they had made the scabbard easier to stay in the belt on its own, since with the sword drawn you can't really keep it there without it falling out.

Fun Factor: 1/3 I would say due to the limited nature of his posing, it's not great to do much with on the shelf. I do like any sword-wielding character though, so he still looks neat, just not very dynamic. I also enjoy the bulk and massive sword of the Arkham Knight design a lot more.

Verdict: 6/10 Limited. Not bad, but not great. Once again the paint and sculpt saves the early DC Collectibles but the articulation suffers enough that it's harder to make it out to be a good action figure especially by today's market standards.