In full credit to Toy Galaxy's youtube channel for when Dan did comparisons between two of the same figures from different companies or lines, this is a quick comparison of the two Arkham Origins Deathstroke figures. A note: This comparison uses an unhelmeted DC Collectibles version vs. a McFarlane version I actually added paint to because it lacked so much paint.
Probably the coolest of all the DC Villains after Joker, Deathstroke is the Batman (with extra experimentation!) of the villain world. A gadget and martial arts villain, he really shines in the Arkham Origins game. The fight scene at the beginning is probably the best cut scene in the game hands down, and later on, he is the toughest boss in the Arkham franchise, especially if you play New Game Plus mode.
I've previously reviewed Deathstroke from DC Collectibles here: DC Collectibles DeathstrScuoke. That figure did some things better than this one, some worse. I actually like the darker tones on the figure BUT there were a lot of areas that were not painted compared to both that figure and the game source material. Like, the left chainmail rib side wasn't painted at all. It's just so weird! Why McFarlane? Why you gotta rush your process so much? I actually went ahead and painted silver for the ab plating outline, the chainmail, and black over some of the battle damaged textures. It wasn't great but it looks much better than the plainness that was there before. I would much prefer McFarlane make fewer figures of higher quality and price than do stuff like this honestly. ANYWAY, it's decent for posing, the blade is bent but of a good sculpt. He is a bit lacking in accessories though, since he really only comes with the blade and that's it. No staff? Also, the nicely painted gun is sculpted and not something that can be removed from the holster. Missed opportunity!
For all my gripes it is a decent enough figure and I like having a helmeted version of the character from the game that can scale well with the other McFarlane Arkham figures.
In the Arkham Universe, Garfield Lynds is a former FX artist for Panessa studios and raging pyromaniac. After being fired from his job, he later gets a job working for the military developing torching weapons. An accident causes him to be lit on fire, burning part of his body. He steals a military-grade suit and jetpack and causes havoc to the city. In Origins, he is hired as one of the 8 assassins to kill Batman. He plants bombs under a bridge as a trap for Batman and tries to burn him up! It does not go as planned.
I quite like this design for Firefly. Most of the time he's got a strange skin-tight suit, regular-looking jetpack, goggles, and a flamethrower. This one is neat in how his wings have fans and reminds me a lot of how they did Vulture's wings in Spiderman: Homecoming. He helmet with goggles and other armor pieces add to a much cooler-looking Firefly. That said, he's not super poseable, and the wings and tubing that leads to his gun can be frustrating to the point where I actually glued the wings in place. I was able to get him for a lot cheaper than he is sold online. This is HARD to find. I feel like I spent three years searching for this one for under 100. Now, the 8 assassins are complete!!!
Killer Croc, Aka Waylon Jones is a character created in 1983 to add to Batman's rogues' gallery. He has a rare disorder responsible for his condition aided by a kind of metagene; this allows him very tough skin, incredible strength and a keen sense of smell among others. In most comics, he is taller than the average person, but in the Arkham game series, he is MASSIVE, standing at about 11 feet tall. To add to that, in Arkham Knight's Most Wanted DLC, he is experimented on to further exaggerate his reptilian traits to make him even more monstrous and crocodile-like.
The Arkham games also make him far more cannibalistic and vicious (not that he ever wasn't these things per se). He sports teeth that grow beyond his mouth, a massive frame, and has is basically singularly focused on eating and killing. He must use money for something though because in Arkham Origins he is part of the 8 assassins that seek to collect 50 million dollars for Batman's head.
This figure is the craziest, largest 7-inch scale figure I own and unless I get Clayface, Solomon Grundy or Titan Joker, likely the largest I will ever own. He is glorious.
After seeing some very reasonable sales on Amazon I've managed to acquire more of the 8 assassins from the Arkham Origins video game. Was it as good as any other in the Arkham series? No, but it still had some great fights and cutscenes that were motion captured by stunt people and gave me a tideover snack, if you will, before the Arkham Knight game.
This look for Deadshot is a lot closer to his comic book look than the Arkham City game. In the game, he actually saves Batman a few times for the selfish purpose of being the one to kill him personally and collect the 50 million dollar bounty. He is eventually defeated via Batman breaking both his arms and leaving him for the police!
As was DC Collectibles way further into the line of Arkham figures, this one has improved articulation compared to Arkham City and Arkham Asylum figures, but like the others was barebones on accessories. Masterful painting, shading and sculpting though!
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.
