Review of Batman Ninja - War Version
Sixth Scale Action Figure

Introduction

Star Ace has been expanding their sixth scale licenses over the last few years, hitting up some that other companies might shy away from.  Smaller licenses are obvious, but newer licenses are also a big risk. Want to know why there aren't any Witcher sixth scale figures from a big company yet? It's the whole 'new' thing that worries them. Larger companies tend to avoid a license until it's a proven hit, which then means we don't get figures for months or even years after a new show or movie comes out. And of course, by the time they do get them out, the license may no longer be the hot property it was.

Star Ace grabbed up the Batman Ninja license but even they waited awhile. Considering it was Batman, you would have thought someone would have jumped on it right away, but alas, no. Batman Ninja was a big hit in 2018, but will it still have the same draw?  Star Ace is hoping so. Their first two sixth scale figures are shipping very soon - Batman Ninja in a regular outfit, and in his 'war' armor.

The regular will cost you around $235 or so, and the war version is up around $260, depending on the retailer of course. I'm reviewing the more heavily equipped war version tonight, but I'll point out the differences when we get there.

Packaging - ***
Pretty basic box design, with a shot of the figure and a small label indicating this is actually the war version. Inside, the double plastic trays hold everything safe and sound, and it's all fairly collector friendly. There's a bit of tape here and there with the smaller accessories, but it's only a minor annoyance. There are also some handy instructions on swapping on the armored gear.

Sculpting - ***
The regular version comes with one portrait - the armored, two.

The regular portrait is stoic, with a sharp cut to the edges of the helmet-like mask and cowl. The ears are a medium height, and there are some nice surface details. It's a neutral expression, and will work with a variety of poses.

Now the bad news - it's about 15% or so too small. The character is going to be a bit pin-headed anyway, because the body armor and bulky suit design is always going to make the head seem small, even when it's properly proportioned. But they did miss the mark here by a bit more, and the chunky body exaggerates the effect.

It's not quite as noticeable with the war version, because the Samurai style helmet flairs out and widens the lower section. I really love the helm and ears on this one, and it's a striking look for him. I'm not as fond of the screaming expression. Because of the wide mouth, you can't really have him just standing on your shelf, chillin' in his armor. Maybe if you add a microphone in front of him on a stand, you can pretend he's a contestant on one of those lame shows. Or put him on a mountain side and imaging him yodeling.  Or you'll just have to go with an active, dynamic fighting stance.

The sculpted sections of body armor look good, and there's plenty of small details to give him some visual and tactile pop. He's a big boy too, coming in at about 13" all the way to the ears. But keep in mind, both figures have fairly tall ears, especially the war version. He should fit in pretty well, if a bit on the large side, with your other sixth scale Bat figures.

Paint - ***
The paint work is fairly clean, although the gold color did give them a few problems.

The smaller details are well done, like the eyes, teeth, tongue, colored rivets, and regular chest piece. It's when you get to the gold detailing, particularly on the chest symbol, that you start to see some inconsistencies. Gold is always a tough color to get good coverage and clean edges, and you'll notice it here.

Articulation - **1/2
While the underlying body has all the articulation you expect with a sixth scale figure, the outfit and overlaid pieces restrict it quite a bit.

The body suit is a stretchy rubber, and the shoulders, elbows, and wrists work pretty well. The shoulder armor attaches with magnets, and is less restrictive than you might think, but you can't get the arms too high. Still, you can get fairly natural arm poses.

The ball jointed neck can lean and tilt, and the flared edge on the war version helmet allows for good movement. The torso can crunch and turn, but it does tend to move back to center due to the pull of the costume.

The hips and knees work well, with little restriction from the billowy pants, but the ankles are awful. While the boot and shin armor are separate pieces, the boot still comes up past the ankle joint, making it almost useless. That makes getting good looking battle poses hard, since you can't get the feet flat on the ground in any pose other than a straight up stance.

A big plus here is the cape, however. There are several wires in the folds, allowing you to create some nice, dynamic, flowing poses with it.

Accessories - ****
Let's start with the standard Ninja version.

There are five extra hands to go with the fists he comes wearing. There's a pair to grip the sword hilt, as well as three more in classic 'ninja' poses. These swap pretty easily, and remained in place while I was working with him.

He also has key ninja weapons, including two knives, two batarangs, and a sword with sheath. You can hang the sheath on his belt thanks to a loop of string, and a plastic hanger on the belt itself. The sword is a really nice sculpt, and I love the bat-symbol shaped guard!

The war version adds a whole bunch of stuff to this outfit. There are two additional hands, as well as another of the same sword and sheath. There's another hanger on the belt on the right side, so he can wear both swords at the same time. Or, if you get just the regular version, he can wear the sword on either side as you prefer.

There's the second head I've already discussed as well. No need to go into any more detail, but suffice to say its inclusion really boosts the score in this category.

This is the 'war' version, so he needs some battle armor. He gets eight pieces - a new chest plate (that fits over the regular plate and is held there by a strong magnet), two shoulder pieces and three waist pieces (all held with magnets), and two thigh pieces (held with velcro). Most of them fit in seamlessly on the regular Ninja outfit.

I do wish the chest piece was a better fit, but it's the only one that wasn't quite perfect. On the shelf, you'll be able to get it to look just fine.

Outfit - ***
The standard outfit includes the rubbery upper body armor, gauntlets, cape, pants, belt, and boots. The fit and tailoring are good, and the design matches the cartoon well.

While the normal ninja outfit looks good, I really do like the war version. The extra pieces really add a lot of visual value to the overall figure, but I wish the assigned portrait was less extreme.

There is one quality nit with the costume, at least the one I received. The bow on the front of the belt is not perfectly centered beneath the 'buckle' symbol.

It's worth noting that the hooks for the sword scabbards are positioned so the scabbards can hang either in front of or behind the hip armor. I preferred it behind, but your mileage may vary.

Fun Factor - ***
While the figure lacks the key ankle articulation that would have really helped with the dynamic posing, the plethora of extras does give you a lot of display options.

Value - *
Unfortunately, this is a very overpriced figure. If you're charging $250 for a sixth scale figure, it better be exceptional, and it better have something that sets it apart. This war version is even more expensive than that, and while I like all the accessories, there's no light or sound feature, the head is undersized, and the ankles suck. The overall quality just doesn't match up with that sort of cost.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing - it's all sturdy, and you should have no trouble with the basic assembly.

Overall - **
This figure is a solid release, in terms of quality. I am disappointed that the head is slightly undersized, but the costume and accessories are all well done. At a different price point, my Overall would be quite a bit different.

There's a couple minor issues outside of the small head, like the slightly off center ribbon, and some blips on the gold paint.  If this figure were $180, I'd say it was pretty much in line. But it's way over priced, and the cost is a killer.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***
Paint - ***
Articulation - **1/2
Accessories - ****
Outfit - ***
Fun Factor - ***
Value - *
Overall - **

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- Entertainment Earth has the war version for $285 and the regular for $260, both with free shipping.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
This is the first Batman Ninja I've looked at, but you should also hit the Search Reviews page for other Batman stuff, and in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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