McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse - Batgirl (DC Rebirth: The Art of the Crime)

So when this one was released I was a bit surprised "When did Batgirl get a suit change?!? I thought she got one already in DC Rebirth? (Purple and yellow biker suit). As it turns out, during an encounter with Grotesque, the microchip that circumvents her spinal injury --inflicted by Joker--  has begun short-circuiting. She is suitless at the time and she has to make an emergency stop at a hideout to retrieve an old prototype suit, which is actually inspired by her very first suit as Batgirl; the grey and yellow. The original had a blue cowl/mask, where this new version has a black mask that has the ears pointing through the hair. This change all takes place in the DC Rebirth comic The Art of the Crime where Batgirl is investigating a bunch of art thefts and murders all over Burnside. 

This is definitely not my favourite suit. Like with Batman, I prefer Batgirl, and subsequently everyone in the Bat-family to have some solid black clothes and masks. This looks pretty good but is a big departure from her original DC Rebirth appearance. It seems fans or maybe the artists didn't want to keep Batgirl as young and hip with her phone and Instagramming and switched to a more mature look. It's just not my favourite colour scheme, ok?!

McFarlane Toys DC Multiverse - Nightwing (DC Rebirth: Better Than Batman)

 

Hey! Look! A new Nightwing! 

Still one of my favourite characters in the DC Universe, and Best Boy of the Bat-Family. He's still the same Nightwing you know and love from the New 52 and most other comic books lines, with very minor changes to his suit. Instead of mostly all black with a blue chest symbol, he now has blue for his boot tops, hands and mask. Woo! I guess! 

Basic pros of this figure: great head sculpt with details put in between hair parts, really good range of movement, and you can clip his escrima sticks to his back. He's also, like all McFarlane figures, reasonable in price with nice paint and details (Is McFarlane trying to do for DC what Classics and Hasbro is doing? If so, consider making more characters outside the Batman comics! I'm not complaining, just a suggestion!)

Basic cons: His sticks have nice detail but a little plain, the chest to leg proportions are kinda off. Reminds me of the Arkham Knight Nightwing figure. I'll add to that by saying I think 7 inches is a proportional ratio that many figures don't seem to have quite right. It's like they are either making the legs too long and thing, or the arms not reaching far enough past the waistline. 

DC Essentials - Red Hood (Rebirth)

Though I don't particularly like his personality, Red Hood comes by it honestly as both a character that was kicked to the curb both in the real world and forgotten by his family. Jason Todd is the youth delinquent that managed to steal off the Batmobile and consequently became the second Robin.

From '83 until '88 he was just that. He wasn't particularly popular with fans though, and there was an actual phone-in poll to decide by fans whether to scrap him or keep him alive. In the storyline "A Death in the Family" he was killed off by a narrow margin of votes. He was later resurrected as the Red Hood, a vigilante willing to do just about anything in the name of Justice. He is definitely lawful to his own code rather than a strictly moral one.

What I like most about Red Hood is his character design. Awesome shiny red motorcycle helmet, leather jacket, his own symbol based on the intensification of his mentor's and dual pistols. He's a crafty fighter and the best example of this I've seen is through the Arkham Knight game, as well as the DC animated film, Under the Red Hood. This figure is AWESOME especially for the price of about 30ish CAD dollars. He is a DC Essentials which means very few accessories but here it's enough. His paint and design are great, and aside from some limits in ankle movement, he's got good articulation and is a spot-on representation of the Red Hood from the newer Rebirth continuity.

1st Annual Top 10 Most Viewed Action figures!

As of April 23rd, 2018, this blog has officially been running for a year! It's funny to think I've been writing this little hobby blog for *slightly* over a year. Anyway, I figure I'd celebrate that by starting a Top 10 Most viewed action figures. I figure *pun intended* I'd show off the blog posts that were of most interest to my readership. Here goes from 10th to 1st!



#10. DC Icons Aquaman
I did not expect him on this list, but it is --1. Nice that he made it and 2. Painfully funny that he is once again last on a list. I do actually like the figure, even with the gimmicky telepathy effect! He's simple, sleek and I like the glossy green parts of his suit.

Amazing-that-it-got-a-place Award!

"Willy's in trouble at the aquarium!"

#9. DC Icons Nightwing
He's always had a simple design in costume but Nightwing is my favorite in DC comics and this figure is my favorite Nightwing of the ones I own. I love the idea of a sidekick evolving to be his own thing. It's a natural progression that isn't often taken advantage of in comics. His kali sticks could be less plain but I'll be damned if I don't find his face sculpt one of the best of any Arkham or DC Classics I've seen.

Author's Favourite Award!

DC Icons line really should've made their
staves and sticks more interesting...basically
that's a metal bar with no features

#8 DC Icons Batgirl
Such a great Rebirth version of Batgirl. The fact this came with her big motorcycle is SWEET. With skid effects on the platform that comes with it! And a bunch of great accessories. She's a bit tricky to balance given the very light weight of the figure but is so great.

Punch pose! (for Instagram!)

Best Accessory Award!

#7 DC Collectibles Nightwing - Arkham Knight
He's only been in two of the four games, but his appearance in Arkham Knight was very pleasing. He had speaking parts, awesome dual play fights, and even some of his own missions and challenge maps. The character has a bit to be desired though. I don't particularly like his head and mask design. His articulation from his ab is just bad. His legs and body proportions also seem kinda weird. Oh well!

DC Icons Batman (Rebirth)

The DC Rebirth universe has been a bit of a softer restart. It doesn't erase the events of the previous New 52 series, but simply puts on a fresh coat of paint to some characters backgrounds/looks and adds some new, interesting conflicts and events. The new Batman definitely has an updated look and life. He continues in his role to try to raise Damien Wayne as his son, while also finding himself trying to form a real relationship with Selina Kyle (Catwoman).

She said yes!

His look has changed a bit as well. He's still got the black and grey (my preferred), but the inside of his cape is purple (not my favourite for him, but interesting when you paralell the Joker). Add to that, his gloves are a bit bigger, and his boots have more pronounced ridges on the treads. I think this gives him a more work-out-tough-guy look. The other thing I'm torn about aside the cape is the knee pads. They are the same colour as the suit, but in a strange H shape. I don't quite get it?

The Batman here represents all those elements really well though. The articulation is pretty good, and this Batman has the newer drop down hinge hips. He is a bit bulkier, so his double joints don't work as effectively. One sore point for me about the DC Rebirth figures from the 7 pack is the lack of accessories or even alternate hands. I can stand not having another batarang, but there's not much choice for alternate hands. All in all though, he's a really nice figure and the design is very cleanly painted and sculpted.

DC Icons - Robin (Super Sons pack)

Damian Wayne is the 13 year old progeny of Bruce Wayne and Talia Al Ghul. Raised by his mother and his grandfather, Ra's Al Ghul, he is dropped at Batman's door. He starts out very self-important, lacking in empathy and an extremely deadly fighter.

Even though he can act like a real dick (pun intended), I have a soft-spot for Damian. He's got a very distinct personality, and he experiences real character growth in the comics. He also is pretty good at kicking butt and executing a very independent version of Robin.

DC Icons - Superboy (Super Sons pack)

Johnathan Samuel Kent is the latest and greatest version of Superboy from the DC Rebirth comics. He is the 10 year old half-Kryptonian child of Superman and Lois Lane who has begun to gradually gain his powers. They are inconsistent powers, and fluctuate with his emotional state, but are impressive nonetheless!

He joins Robin (Damien Wayne) in the comic series Super Sons to fight various foes alongside allies like the Teen Titans. Super sons was actually a comic series created long before Rebirth in 1973. In that older series, it was Clark Kent Jr. (Of Clark and Lois) and Bruce Wayne Jr.(Of Bruce and Talia), who were basically young versions of their fathers.

DC Icons - Supergirl (Rebirth)

Kara-Zor El is the cousin of Superman and has undergone a death, retcon and many redesigns over the years. She has the fully matured powers of Superman but with less of the fine control he has had from years living under a yellow sun.

This is the Rebirth version of Supergirl which means she is primarily based off the TV show Supergirl starring Melissa Benoist. Her costume design is a mix of some previous costume elements from other comics. I am really not big into the Superman/Kryptonian storylines but this figure and the Super Sons comics caused my figure-addicted brain to DEMAND I buy this figure.

I really like the proportions and look of this figure. I try on occasion to buy female figures that aren't overly sexualized, which can be quite difficult! Now she does have a skirt but consider for a moment that she doesn't have an exposed midriff, cleavage and isn't wearing actual red underwear with nothing else (unlike the other iterations of Supergirl). This version has a strong facial expression and comes with a few nice accessories. The cape that overhands the shoulders is a tiny big annoying if you want to get her shoulders up, but the material is very thin plastic that does have give to it.

DC Icons - Batgirl (The Batgirl of Burnside)

This blog has already reviewed Batgirl previously, so if for some crazy reason this is your first time reading about Batgirl, go to this previous review of the Batman Unlimited Batgirl

This particular Batgirl deluxe figure is from the Batgirl of Burnside storyline (Oct 2014), in which all her previous gear burns up in a fire, forcing her to make her own DIY costume and continuing her fight against crime...in style! This Batgirl is an update to relate more to the modern age. Aside from being tech savvy, she's also on social media, takes Ph.D. courses and dates. The writing team on this one succeeded in making this version of Batgirl more fun and relate-able but she is still haunted by her previous trauma. 

At first I wasn't sold on the purple and yellow look, but now I'm really digging it. They also kept up this look a bit in the DC Rebirth. This figure is great, and unlike Cyborg, her Deluxe title is well worth it. I mean she comes with a whole freakin' bike! And it's huge! And it comes with a stand with kicked up dirt effects! She's a slender figure, so you have to watch moving her joints, but this one is so well done. She even comes with a regular and windblown cape as well as a regular head and a windblown hair head.